Chapter 270: No Way, This Post Can Still Refresh (6k)

Shortly afterward, the group continued forward for about half a censer’s time, and the passage suddenly widened.

Below, over a dozen octagonal altars appeared, their surfaces crusted with spiderweb-like cracks, evidence of great antiquity.

In the sunken grooves at the altars’ centers remained pools of dark green viscous fluid, emitting a nauseatingly sweet stench.

Shen Yunzhou’s eyes flashed with intense light, and he rushed forward without hesitation.

“Watch out!” Zhou Qing’s expression tightened instantly, and he shouted a warning.

Cao Zhengyang furrowed his brows deeply and said gravely, “Though no one remains here, we cannot be certain they left no traps or mechanisms.”

The group immediately scattered, their spiritual senses spreading like spiderwebs to probe every corner.

After confirming safety, they dispersed further, carefully searching while maintaining high alertness.

“It’s this smell!”

Shen Yunzhou crouched beside the groove, greedily inhaling the scent, his face filled with rapture.

Beside him, a black dung beetle the size of a fist vibrated its forelegs excitedly, as if sensing something.

Zhou Qing raised his hand and flicked it; golden flames leapt from his palm, instantly transforming into countless fireballs that lit the cavern as bright as daylight.

Under the firelight, the group finally saw the full structure of the cavern.

Zhou Qing crouched down, his fingers tracing the edge of the groove, and murmured, “Judging by its length and shape, this once held coffins—notice the distinct color difference on either side of the floor.”

Mo Xingjian walked over and nodded. “Correct. There are fifteen octagonal altars; each likely held eight coffins. This must be corpse fluid.”

Mo Xingjian glanced at the green fluid Shen Yunzhou was greedily sniffing and frowned.

How could the younger brother of that silver-haired elder who once fought against Xuan Yuan Shuo and the Peng Emperor at the Old Peng King’s burial site seem like a pervert?

Shen Yunzhou, upon hearing this, became even more excited. “Corpse fluid! No wonder it’s sour and stinking—but it’s been ages. Normal corpse fluid doesn’t smell like this.”

Without another word, Shen Yunzhou quickly pulled out clay jars and began collecting the fluid.

“Master, have you ever heard of the Corpse Yin Sect?” Zhou Qing asked quietly.

Mo Xingjian shook his head in confusion.

Well, it seemed that in ancient times, this land had been dotted with sects, its history complex and deep, yet no one had ever broken through to the Severing Spirit realm, remaining forever at the level of a third-tier spiritual nation.

By the way, long ago, there was a sect at Canglan Mountain, where the Old Peng King’s corpse lay.

The Old Peng King, as a Severing Spirit cultivator, hid there for protection while investigating the opportunities of the Eastern Region.

Unfortunately, after reaching the ruins of the Peng Emperor’s Palace and arriving at Canglan Mountain, he perished.

“Why are you asking that?” Mo Xingjian asked curiously now.

Zhou Qing lied, “I seem to have vaguely seen in an ancient text that this place once belonged to a sect called the Corpse Yin Sect.”

Mo Xingjian looked again at the strange scene before him and his expression cleared with sudden understanding.

Cao Zhengyang walked over, frowning. “One hundred and twenty coffins are gone. If I’m right, Xiao Shen discovered this place, and Lei Wuji hastily moved them.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The coffins likely held corpses, which made them think of the five coffins in their own sect’s forbidden zone.

But unlike these, each of those five coffins contained a miniature world—far more advanced.

“No,” Zhou Qing suddenly stiffened. “If they moved all of them, why leave the dual-color array at the entrance still active? Even a basic one is worth some Jipin spirit stones.”

At this, everyone instinctively frowned.

“Withdraw immediately!”

But in the next instant, Cao Zhengyang’s face turned ashen.

His Soul Transformation realm granted him a precognitive sense—two to three breaths ahead—warning him of imminent life-or-death danger.

Hearing Cao Zhengyang’s roar, everyone bolted without hesitation, racing toward the passage at top speed.

“Go!” Zhou Qing instantly transformed into his second form—the Golden Wings Great Peng—and snatched up Shen Yunzhou, still collecting corpse fluid.

Instantly, the cavern walls emitted a screeching scrape, and the grayish stone surface glowed with eerie purple light.

As the group barely entered the passage, the walls exploded violently, unleashing countless thunderous veins, thick as bowls, surging forth in a torrent of purple lightning.

Wherever they passed, the air twisted into vortices, emitting ear-splitting shrieks!

“Too late! Protect Zhou Qing!” Duanmu Shu’s cry was swallowed by the roar; everyone instantly formed a circular formation, shielding Zhou Qing and Shen Yunzhou at the center.

Cao Zhengyang’s palms danced with incantations; nine ancient runes floated in the air, instantly forming a luminous barrier.

The others immediately poured their spiritual power into it without delay.

BOOM!

The next second, the entire cavern exploded, the force nearly shattering everyone’s eardrums.

Everyone groaned in unison, veins bulging on their foreheads, redoubling their spiritual power output to sustain the barrier at maximum capacity.

Zhou Qing and Shen Yunzhou, trapped at the center, wore grim expressions.

They hadn’t expected Lei Wuji to be this ruthless—leaving behind such a deadly trap.

Fortunately, a group of Soul Transformation Grand Completeness cultivators had come. If Zhou Qing had come alone, he’d have been reduced to ashes.

After an indeterminate time, when Cao Zhengyang sensed the external energy had calmed, he trembled as he retracted the runes.

The sight before them stole their breath—the passage had become a ten-thousand-zhang abyss, its blackened walls charred and crumbling, stones still tumbling down in a steady rain.

Dust swirled thickly; every trace had been utterly erased.

Shhh! Shhh!

Meanwhile, the two peak masters stationed outside grew anxious. When they saw the group’s faces were pale but otherwise unharmed, their tense nerves finally relaxed.

“Leave immediately. This disturbance will draw others soon!” Cao Zhengyang ordered, brow furrowed.

Everyone nodded in compliance; Shen Yunzhou looked heartbroken.

He’d barely collected half the corpse fluid—what a waste.

But now he dared not ask for more; after all, this incident had nearly cost Zhou Qing and the others their lives.

If even one of them had died, he’d be repaying kindness with betrayal.

Meanwhile, in a mountain range bordering this desert, a withered corpse with dark red skin and spiderweb-like fissures clung tightly to a massive tiger-like beast, gnawing at its flesh.

Its eye sockets were sunken, two emerald phosphorescent flames flickering wildly within the hollows.

The tiger demon exuded a foul stench; its sharp claws slashed across the corpse’s body, leaving deep gashes—but no blood flowed. Instead, gleaming white bones were exposed.

The corpse emitted a guttural “guk-guk” sound, its rotting teeth sinking deep into the tiger’s neck, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.

No matter how the tiger roared and struggled, the corpse’s hands clamped like iron vices, holding it fast.

After a long while, the tiger’s resistance weakened, its eyes dimming.

The corpse chewed noisily; as each strand of essence entered its body, its form subtly plumped up.

When someone passed by again, only half a corpse, reeking of putrid decay, remained…

…

Taiqingmen!

Upon returning to the sect, the group immediately contacted Qingyu Immortal Sect, requesting they investigate the internal situation of Jin Leizong.

After all, their moles within Jin Leizong were highly effective, often uncovering secrets even Taiqingmen couldn’t reach.

Meanwhile, their own sect also dispatched covert agents.

In the council hall, Cao Zhengyang frowned heavily as he analyzed: “Lei Wuji set such a vicious trap and sacrificed the dual-color array—clearly, he targeted Xiao Shen alone.”

“Even five or six ordinary Soul Transformation late-stage cultivators wouldn’t survive this!”

Everyone nodded, still shaken.

Lei Wuji clearly wanted to kill and silence them, preventing the secret from spreading.

They hadn’t expected Shen Yunzhou to inform them.

“Though Jin Leizong’s high ranks are depleted, its foundations remain formidable. That postnatal-refined Thunder Pool alone—a relic passed down for generations—is a life-saving weapon. We cannot underestimate it!”

Mo Xingjian murmured.

At these words, everyone fell silent.

Moreover, their core thunder cultivation art is inherently brutal. Had they not been crippled by internal strife and the battle at Canglan Mountain, Jin Leizong’s power today might rival Taiqingmen’s.

“For now, remain vigilant—especially you peak masters. Don’t assume that reaching Grand Completeness means you’re above everyone else!”

Cao Zhengyang’s gaze swept over the peak masters.

Which of the five sects’ Supreme Elders wasn’t a blood-soaked veteran?

When they rose to fame, we were still children trailing behind our elders.

We only caught up because the Severing Spirit barrier blocked them—we merely got lucky.

At Cao Zhengyang’s words, everyone rose and bowed in assent.

…

Meanwhile, Tianji Sect!

Since their sect master, Xuanji Zi, perished in the Linggu Skull Mountain’s secret realm, they still hadn’t chosen a new leader.

The entire sect, like a body without a heart, had fallen into chaos.

Disciples lived in constant dread, terrified the sect would collapse at any moment.

Now, only three Supreme Elders and six late-stage Soul Transformation Elders remained.

The reason they hadn’t elected a new sect master was deliberate—crafted by the three Supreme Elders.

After all, they needed to give everyone a chance.

Especially the other four sects—so they’d believe it’s better to secretly back one candidate as the new sect master than waste manpower and resources to conquer outright.

Thus, they could subtly control and restrain the other sects.

Before the three Supreme Elders now floated a glowing image stone.

The recorded image showed Nightfall, when Lei Wují, the sect master of Jin Leizong, along with others, quietly transported coffins excavated from the desert caves.

Especially Lei Wují’s face, under the moonlight, appeared eerily sinister.

“It seems Lei Wují used those corpse puppets to successfully absorb Yin Sha energy.”

The Supreme Elder Lingxuzi stroked his beard and sneered.

The other two Supreme Elders also clapped and laughed heartily.

Then he said: “This is all thanks to you—imitating ancient texts to set up bait, claiming this was a special corpse-breeding ground of the Shi Yin Sect. Those corpse puppets, like fine wine, grow richer with time.”

“Once absorbed and refined, their obsessions clash with the Sha energy—‘using poison to counter poison’—cutting through obsession and enabling advancement to the Severing Spirit realm.”

Lingxuzi raised an eyebrow, lightly flicking his dust whisk from his sleeve: “I didn’t lie. When we first discovered this place, the clues left behind confirmed it was indeed a Shi Yin Sect corpse-breeding ground.”

“I merely added a little something inside—and specifically left it so that only those cultivating Thunder cultivation methods, upon absorbing the energy, would have a higher chance of breaking through to Severing Spirit, thanks to their innate suppression of Yin evils.”

Yuhengzi chuckled: “You, you—you outwit both of us combined. Too bad Linggu Mountain was an accident.”

Another Supreme Elder, Tianshuzi, sighed: “Yes, during the Five Sects War, we deliberately guided Jin Leizong to attack that vein and let them successfully discover it.”

“Everything went perfectly—until Linggu Mountain claimed our sect master’s life. Fortunately, the overall outcome hasn’t changed much.”

Yuhengzi nodded slightly: “Indeed, during the Five Sects War, Jin Leizong’s internal factions erupted into civil strife, and even now, their vice sect master and others remain imprisoned.”

“Now their Supreme Elder failed to absorb the Nine You Lotus Seeds—one severely wounded, one dead. With this corpse puppet affair, Lei Wují won’t miss this opportunity—he’ll leap at it.”

“Indeed, everything unfolded exactly as we predicted. Lei Wují couldn’t suppress his greed.”

“As for Qingyu Immortal Sect, their sect master, Xuanyou Immortal, has only a few years left to live and is now dependent on Taiqingmen—nominally intact, but effectively dead.”

Tianshuzi stroked his curled beard, a sly, sinister smile curling at his lips.

He said: “Indeed, at Cangyan Dao Palace, though they received ten Nine You Lotus Seeds, according to our intel, two remained unharmed, four were severely wounded, and four perished.”

“Combined with our method of controlling Sikong Yan using heart’s blood, the entire chessboard is now in our hands.”

“All we need to do now is continue feigning weakness—wait until they fight each other like a heron and a clam—then we reap the benefit.”

Before his words faded, the three Supreme Elders exchanged knowing smiles.

According to the divinations and calculations of their ancestors, their only hope of advancing to Severing Spirit lies within Taiqingmen’s Forbidden Zone.

“By the way, how is that escaped corpse puppet faring?” Yuhengzi suddenly grew serious, snapping his head up.

Tianshuzi waved his hand confidently: “All under control. The corpse puppet’s power continues to grow. When the time is right, we’ll guide it straight to Taiqingmen.”

“That’s good. But have you noticed that lately, when we use heart’s blood to divine Sikong Yan’s location, we sometimes get two positions? What’s going on?”

Yuhengzi said, frowning.

At this, the other two Supreme Elders also furrowed their brows.

This was indeed suspicious—anyone unaware might think there were two Sikong Yans.

“We can’t be careless. So far, we still haven’t figured out how those black-robed puppets are controlled.”

“Even influencing Sikong Yan’s decisions and thoughts feels frustratingly beyond our reach,” Lingxuzi said gravely.

Yuhengzi exhaled slowly: “I feel the same. If all else fails, let’s gather the heart’s blood from the others—I refuse to believe we three can’t uncover the cause.”

“Agreed!”

“Agreed!”

…

Taiqingmen!

Zhou Qing, covering his nose and mouth, staggered out of Shen Yunzhou’s residence in disarray.

The stench from the two jars of corpse fluid inside was utterly nauseating.

He’d barely paused—and already felt dizzy, his stomach churning violently.

Yet this man adored it, even enthusiastically offering to show Zhou Qing around.

Zhou Qing flatly refused and fled.

Back at his own quarters, Lu Yaoyao’s message arrived immediately.

Learning Zhou Qing and others had gone out and nearly met disaster, she was deeply worried.

Zhou Qing quickly reassured her: “I’m fine, don’t worry!”

After sending the message via his identity token, he retrieved the Wudao Ancient Tea Tree.

Unfortunately, though ten Jipin Wood-element spirit stones had been embedded within, the ethereal aura within remained faint—he’d have to wait patiently longer.

His next cultivation direction became a dilemma: continue studying the Art of Array Formation, or attempt to comprehend the second Phoenix Dao Mark?

Zhou Qing fell into deep thought.

As he pondered, he absentmindedly pulled out the Shixu Tiangong token, intending to check on No.7 Sikong Yan’s movements.

After all, the bloody Forbidden Zone imagery he’d manifested always troubled Zhou Qing—was the location even in the Eastern Region?

“Huh? No.6 is online!”

After pulling out the token, Zhou Qing was surprised to find everyone else offline—except Shen Hanyi.

After brief hesitation, he infused spirit stone energy and stepped through the channel.

The moment he manifested, No.6 dissolved into a streak of blue light, reforming into a blue sphere.

“Master, you’ve come!” Shen Hanyi’s demeanor grew markedly more reverent upon seeing Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly: “Still searching for the divine beast’s corpse?”

Shen Hanyi shook her head gently, her gaze fixed intently on Zhou Qing. After a pause, she said: “Master, the divine script technique you demonstrated last time—the phenomena it revealed—I feel I’ve seen them before.”

“Upon careful recollection, it closely resembles the red scroll I saw in the secret chamber when you helped me suppress the Corpse Shroud to harvest Bingli Lingque Zhi.”

Zhou Qing’s heart jolted.

During his duel with the Kudidi Chan Master in that temple, he’d acted purely on instinct—he now deeply regretted it.

Why had he pretended back then? It was just a simulation—dying was no big deal.

Yet he forced calm, pressing on: “What about that red scroll?”

Shen Hanyi stared silently at Zhou Qing, continuing: “That chamber can only be opened with Blood Phoenix Bone. Though I now control the Corpse Shroud using the four-color array you gifted me, I still cannot retrieve the scroll.”

“Any attempt to approach it burns me—and the scroll manifests a miniature Blood Phoenix that attacks intruders.”

Zhou Qing smiled lightly: “So the scroll remains in the chamber. My technique has nothing to do with it—just your imagination.”

Shen Hanyi fell silent.

In truth, after today’s simulation, she also suspected the two might be unrelated.

Yet something still felt off—she just couldn’t pinpoint it.

If No.1 is the current Kuyi Great Master of Jiyuan Temple, he couldn’t have avoided entering the Forbidden Zone she’s in now.

Yet the manifested Forbidden Zone imagery doesn’t overlap with hers—by logic, two such zones should appear simultaneously.

And that divine script technique—so similar to the Blood Phoenix.

But if he isn’t, how does he know so much about her identity? His knowledge is vast—and crucially, he’s mastered the Fumo Jin Gu to perfection.

That technique—only Kuyi Great Master and the late Kudi Great Master, who died in the Forbidden Zone, ever achieved full mastery.

No.1—who are you?

Now even she was confused. She truly wanted to visit Jiyuan Temple and ask.

But she hadn’t heard a word of Kuyi Great Master in years—rumors claimed he had already passed away long ago.

“Any news on the divine beast’s corpse?” Seeing Shen Hanyi’s silence, Zhou Qing changed the subject.

His [Corpse Touching Slip] had used its final chance—he had little interest in the divine beast’s corpse.

He was merely curious why Second Uncle had deliberately spread the footage of the divine beast’s fall.

Shen Hanyi snapped back to reality and shook her head: “No news yet. Many have given up searching—even the Emperor has issued an edict declaring the footage fake and forbidding further exploration.”

“Oh? Why?” Zhou Qing looked puzzled.

Shen Hanyi explained: “So far, over a dozen Severing Spirit cultivators have perished in this matter. For a Level Five cultivation nation, that’s a devastating blow.”

Zhou Qing understood.

“Master, would you like to come inside and take a look?” Shen Hanyi suddenly asked, her eyes hopeful.

After all, every time No.1 entered, he brought her unexpected surprises and gains.

Zhou Qing hesitated momentarily.

One [Copy Slip] had granted him the divine script technique [Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain], coveted by countless Severing Spirit cultivators.

One [Corpse Touching Slip] had directly granted him Jiyuan Temple’s [Fumo Jin Gu], making bone fractures no longer a threat.

And this was only within the simulation—his real-world interactions had also yielded rich rewards.

In her eyes, he was her destined one.

But perhaps, in truth, you are mine too.

Who knows? This time might bring another unexpected boon.

“Fine,” Zhou Qing said after brief thought. “I’ve nothing pressing now—I’ll take a look at your Forbidden Zone.”

[Today’s slips are refreshing…]

[A new slip has appeared in the Odd Slip Archive—please check promptly.]

The next instant, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

Zhou Qing froze.

No way—this coincidental?

Just after agreeing, the [Random Slip] appears right on cue?

“Master, please!” Seeing Zhou Qing’s acceptance, Shen Hanyi’s face lit up.

As long as she could spend more time with No.1, she’d eventually piece together his true identity from the smallest clues.

Zhou Qing could only nod and followed them inside.

As the two reappeared behind the crooked jujube tree, Zhou Qing immediately turned to the Qi Tie Lu.

Inside, a pure white notice now appeared, inscribed with eight concentric rings.

【Eightfold Notice: After activation, it extends eightfold beyond the user’s maximum spiritual sense range, revealing places invisible to the naked eye, lasting one incense stick.】

Reading the description, Zhou Qing was stunned.

Could such a notice even exist?

Truly, he had never seen anything like it!

(End of Chapter)