Chapter 375: Qianhe Daozhang: I am a Maoshan General, unless

"A Corpse Dragon?"

"It seems to be an extremely powerful Pollution Monster. We just entered the game, so we shouldn't act rashly."

Erza shook her head gently, her palm covering Anya's head,

stopping her hand that was about to reach out impulsively.

In the Fiore Kingdom, and indeed across the entire Ishgar continent, any information related to dragons is classified as a top-secret S-Rank file.

Any Magic or creature related to a dragon is considered a top-tier existence.

Just like Na Zi's 【Fire Dragon Slayer Magic】, which is inherited from a true Fire Dragon; even though he hasn't mastered it yet, Erza can sense the terrifying heat contained within the Magic.

If it were a true Fire Dragon, destroying the entire continent would be effortless.

This is simply not a quest that can be touched at the current stage.

"Anya understands."

Although Anya is very curious, she also knows what is important and what is not.

So she shook her head directly, her short pink hair swaying back and forth, refusing the Little Prince's kindness.

"Anya, you really are special..."

It was the first time the Little Prince had encountered a girl who showed no interest in his overtures, and suddenly, just like the second son of a certain Noble academy, his cheeks flushed red.

Just as he was about to speak again, the black feather plume on the back of his prince's hat suddenly began to sway.

A series of Yin winds blew across the sky, mixed with some strange odors.

At the very front of the funeral procession,

the figure who had never left the Frontier Noble's coffin for a moment stopped, looking up at the suddenly changing sky.

"Qianhe Daozhang, why have you stopped suddenly?"

Wu Shilang pinched his nose, trying to fan away the Yin wind that carried the stench of a corpse with his palm, but it was to no avail.

Carrying a peach-wood sword on his back, dressed in a crimson Daoist robe, and wearing a black cloth hat printed with the Yin-Yang Taiji, his expression was extremely solemn.

"This Yin wind has blown up abruptly; I fear there may be a change..."

"What kind of change could there be? Didn't you say your fellow disciples' Daoist temple is just ahead? Hurry up and get moving. Once we arrive, we can get some hot food and drink. You rough-hewn fellows have sturdy bodies, but the Little Prince is of golden constitution; if he starves, who can take the blame?"

Wu Shilang did not wait for Qianhe Daozhang to finish speaking, interrupting him with a harsh tone.

Qianhe Daozhang reached out and placed his hand on the coffin, saying worriedly: "But the Yin energy is too strong and the Yang energy is waning; it is very likely to lead to a corpse transformation."

It was clearly bright and sunny just a moment ago, and logically, the residual heat should not have dissipated yet.

Yet, this copper-horned, gold-plated coffin felt ice-cold to the touch.

This is because the Yin energy inside the coffin is too vigorous. Even under the scorching sun, with the copper and gold absorbing heat, and the Ink Fountain Line soaked in Black Dog Blood—all of which are items of extreme Yang—they still cannot suppress the corpse energy.

In other words,

the Frontier Noble inside the coffin, a dead body who was a Jiangjiun in life, has completely turned into a zombie.

And it is not an ordinary zombie.

In this situation, with a sudden, weird Yin wind blowing, how could Qianhe Daozhang possibly feel at ease continuing forward?

"For some reason during this period, the balance of Yin and Yang has been disrupted. Yang is weak and Yin is strong; everywhere, vengeful spirits, fierce ghosts, and zombies are running rampant."

If it weren't for the Qing Emperor's firm demand that the Dao Sect send disciples to escort this zombie back to the frontier to be buried in peace,

Qianhe Daozhang would absolutely have cremated this zombie on the spot.

After all, today is not like the past.

In this state of surging Yin energy, even the head of the Dao Sect has no good way to deal with it, and countless hard-to-handle zombies and fierce ghosts have inexplicably been born.

High-level zombies that usually required hundreds or thousands of years of accumulated Yin energy to appear can now be born from just a ten-year Reverse Dragonfly Skimming Water formation, or by being injected with some chaotic poisons by Western alchemists... Qianhe dares not imagine what the world will become if this continues.

Although Wu Shilang looks effeminate, having been by the young prince's side, he naturally exuded an official's authority, saying in an unkind tone: "Don't tell me about those things. Exorcising evil and killing ghosts is the job of you Daoists; I only care about the Little Prince's health."

"Yes!"

Qianhe bit the bullet, lowered his head slightly, and cupped his hands in response.

Forget it.

Even if a change really occurs, as someone hailed as a Maoshan General among the contemporary 【Dao Sect Four Heroes】, dealing with a mere mutated zombie is not difficult.

Even if the 【Musical Zombie King】 that commits crimes in the Jiangnan Dao area were to come,

with the help of his four disciples—East, South, West, and North—he would have nothing to fear.

Unless there were Yin winds to block the scorching sun, Yin rain to cut off the underground Yang energy, and Yin thunder to strike down and forge a body for the Frontier Noble,

plus the fact that the Frontier Noble Jiangjiun was full of Yang energy in life and extreme Yin in death, and finally, he would have to drink the blood of a Daoist Warlock.

Only then would he possibly be defeated.

But the probability of this is extremely low. Right now, it is merely Yin energy obscuring the sun in the sky. To gather Yin rain, Yin thunder, and Daoist Blood—unless the Heavenly Dao wants me, Qianhe, to ascend today,

it is absolutely impossible.

Thinking of this, Qianhe's trace of worry eased slightly, and he helplessly followed Wu Shilang's wishes and continued forward.

Kikyo whispered a warning: "Something is wrong. Be careful."

She is a Shrine Maiden who fights against Yoma,

and her pure Reiryoku, if placed in the 【Qingguo Guishi】 world, is also an energy that leans toward Yang.

Erza was slow to realize it, but hearing Kikyo, who is very strong, say this, a look of seriousness and vigilance appeared on her exquisite face.

"Sister Kikyo, Sister Erza..."

Anya's expression was blank, but a moment later, she showed an extremely frightened expression and whispered: "I heard Qianhe Daozhang say in his heart that the Noble in the coffin has already transformed into a zombie, and if it runs out, it will eat us."

Anya's world is a modern city, where legends of Vampires, Yoma, and zombies have long been commonplace.

There are many horror movies made about them,

and when Anya heard the word "zombie," half her soul was scared away.

"Don't be afraid." Kikyo softly comforted Anya. Although she was as ethereal as a goddess being worshipped, untouched by the mundane world, she was different from most exorcists who were indifferent to commoners.

Beneath her beautiful, god-like appearance, there was also a gentle side.

Even if she could not blend into the lives of ordinary people, she would still sit to the side with a faint smile.

This was also the reason why Kikyo was so highly respected.

With Kikyo's comfort, Anya gradually relaxed.

Seeming to sense something, Qianhe Daozhang turned his head, and a stern gaze landed on Anya.

"Little girl, prying into others' inner thoughts at will is not very nice!"

Qianhe Daozhang frowned tightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Kikyo and Anya.

"Ah?"

Anya was suddenly startled and hurriedly covered her head, looking like a little pink-haired ostrich.

She didn't want to listen either, but her Superpower was simply uncontrollable, as if it were passive.

"The Buddhist He Xin Tong?"

From Kikyo, Qianhe Daozhang could sense a pure Reiryoku as deep as a pool of spring water.

The other party was also a practitioner of the Dao, while Erza's magic power was completely different from the energy of this world; Qianhe could not sense it specifically, but he knew that the other party was not simple either.

Yet, there was not the slightest fluctuation of Reiryoku on Anya.

But there was a method similar to mental power, prying into his thoughts as if no one else were around.

"This young lady, your Reiryoku is extremely pure; you are surely not a cunning or evil person, which is why this Daoist allowed you to temporarily join the funeral procession."

Qianhe Daozhang's expression was not very good as he said, "However, please keep your junior in check and do not cause unnecessary trouble."

This ability to pry into the mind, when placed among practitioners of the Dao, was an act of blatant provocation.

It was only because he saw that Anya was a little girl that Qianhe Daozhang did not flare up.

"Qianhe Daozhang, you have misunderstood us. Anya's Reading Mind ability is innate and uncontrollable; it is not an intentional provocation. Please forgive us."

Kikyo was a Shrine Maiden, a religious official who dealt with Yoma and ghosts. Even if the world was different, the general authority was similar, so she understood the reason for Qianhe's anger.

Therefore, she hurriedly explained.

Upon hearing this, Qianhe's gaze focused, and he then hurriedly walked over, his broad palm resting gently on Anya's forehead.

A faint wave of energy dispersed.

"Anya feels like she's being seen through."

Children speak without taboo; Anya only felt a cool, spring-like Reiryoku wandering through her whole body.

It was very comfortable.

Qianhe Daozhang withdrew his hand, his expression slightly surprised, and said, "Strange, it is very much like an innate divine ability?... But it is very weak."

This kind of talent was very rare.

They were all excellent seeds for cultivation; for example, his own senior brother 【Shi Jian】 had an innate divine ability that was close to lightning, and he had already revealed extraordinary abilities before he even practiced.

And Anya's innate divine ability was more similar to the Buddhist He Xin Tong or the Daoist mind-reading technique.

It was just that...

Most innate divine abilities were very powerful, but the little pink-haired girl's Reading Mind was very weak, only capable of reading inner voices.

He did not know that Anya came from another world; Spy x Family was a purely magic-less world, and for the World Consciousness to want to ascend, it had forcibly birthed Anya, a freak who could read minds, and a dog that could predict the future, which was already the limit.

Therefore, if one were to compare it with spiritual roots, Anya did not have an innate spiritual root, but rather one catalyzed by the World Consciousness after birth.

Naturally, it was slightly weaker.

Even so,

It was enough to make Qianhe Daozhang excited, and he couldn't help but reach out again, continuously rubbing the little pink-haired girl's head, muttering to himself, "Good, very good, very good indeed..."

To the side, the four great disciples of the east, south, west, and north knew very well that their master had developed a desire to cherish talent.

Besides subduing demons and eliminating ghosts, the most crucial thing for the Daoist Gate was to find successors to inherit their lineage's Daoist arts and their entire body of knowledge.

An innate divine ability user like Anya had always been the only candidate for inheritance.

What Qianhe Daozhang did not know was that when he released his Reiryoku to sense Anya, the Samsara Game had already captured his information through the released Reiryoku.

Kikyo and Erza were also very shocked.

【Qianhe Daozhang Lv. 40 (Dark Gold)】: A contemporary Maoshan General, skilled in Daoist arts and Taijutsu.

The four contemporary Celestial Masters of Maoshan each had their own specialties.

Senior brother Shi Jian was famous for his lightning techniques, Simu Daozhang was skilled in God-summoning arts, Jiu Shu excelled in Talisman and magic arts...

And he, Qianhe, was the most standard exorcist Celestial Master.

His lightning techniques were not as profound as his senior brother's, his God-summoning arts were not as good as Simu's, and his Talisman drawing was not as miraculous as Jiu Shu's...

But he was the most all-around one.

He was the youngest, and his killing power when exorcising demons and killing ghosts was the strongest, just like a general traversing the battlefield, which was why he was titled Maoshan General.

"Anya, are you willing to join Maoshan and become a disciple of my Qianhe lineage?"

As Qianhe Daozhang's voice fell,

A notification sound from the Samsara Game rang in Anya's ears.

【Qianhe Daozhang (Dark Gold) invites you to become a disciple of the Daoist Gate. After agreeing, you will accept the 【Daoist Gate Personal Transmission】 quest, and upon completion, you will join the Dark Gold-level faction 【Daoist Gate】.】

Hint: After completing the 【Daoist Gate Personal Transmission】 quest, you will automatically join the Daoist Gate faction.

Hint 2: After the quest is completed, the 【Daoist Gate Shop】 will be opened, and favorability with 【Daoist Gate Characters】 will be unlocked. Consuming favorability allows you to learn that character's inheritance.

Hint 3: After the quest is completed, you will automatically change your class to a rare profession distinct from 【Daoist Disciple】, 【Maoshan Daoist Child】.

(End of this chapter)