Chapter 380: In Hand (Combined Three Parts)

"Your Majesty’s condition is not entirely unnegotiable."

Tian Jing and the Drifting Master felt their scalps explode!

My lord! Won’t you reconsider carefully—what exactly have you agreed to?!

That one is the sovereign of Ghost Witch Mountain.

The River Dragon King may indeed have been slightly “troubled by inconvenience and unwilling to act,” allowing Him to remain king in Ghost Witch Mountain.

But there must also be some element of “difficulty” involved.

After the ancient corpse empress shed her “terrifying form,” she looked far more palatable—and her behavior grew noticeably more human.

She lifted her delicate brows slightly and spoke coldly: “My terms are clear: one is one, two is two. If you agree but delay or deceive me, my sword remains as sharp as ever.”

Xu Yuan immediately clasped his fists and bowed deeply: “I would never dare deceive Your Majesty.”

His voice carried unmistakable fear and reverence—too unmistakable.

Even Tian Jing noticed.

But that was precisely what Master Xu wanted.

The ancient corpse empress had accepted the Drifting Master’s florid praise, proving her nature was exactly this.

Perhaps she had been dead too long, dulling both body and spirit.

Her thresholds rose higher; the more extravagant the praise, the more she favored it.

But the ancient corpse empress suddenly said: “My beloved, take them down to have a look.”

The Drifting Master replied, and before Xu Yuan and Tian Jing could react, the scene shifted violently—space twisted—and they were transported to the stone chamber below.

Five hundred zhang below, the stone chambers were each carved separately.

The Drifting Master opened each of the bronze ancient coffins one by one.

Then, deliberately raising his voice so it could be heard clearly seven hundred zhang above: “Master Xu should be able to judge the quality of these ancient corpses.”

Before meeting the ancient corpse empress, Xu Yuan had planned to use “Wang Ming” to assess her level upon meeting her.

But now that he had seen her, he dared not act rashly—and still did not know her true level.

Now, with the Drifting Master urging him to look, Xu Yuan activated “Wang Ming.”

What he saw shocked him profoundly.

All these ancient corpses were fourth-rank!

The Drifting Master said: “These are all Your Majesty’s civil and military officials.”

He pointed to one of the corpses: “This is Your Majesty’s favorite performer. It has the ability to blend among the living—so long as it does not wish to reveal itself, even centuries of concealment will go undetected!”

“Your Majesty seeks grand designs, secretly accumulating strength, hence unwilling to leave the mountains.”

“Not because she cannot leave!”

“If you dare deceive Your Majesty, even a thousand li away, a single imperial decree will take your life!”

The Drifting Master understood: to persuade the ancient corpse empress to help, he must not repeatedly side with Xu Yuan.

Instead, he must appear to act entirely in the ancient corpse empress’s best interests.

Xu Yuan nodded repeatedly: “Your Majesty’s forces are truly mighty!”

Then, the Drifting Master led them back up to the upper stone chamber.

This time, he climbed the stone steps inside the cliff face himself.

The ancient corpse empress spoke coldly and haughtily: “How do you intend to assist me?”

Xu Yuan looked composed and confident: “Such matters cannot be rushed. Your Majesty has waited countless years—surely you won’t mind waiting a few more.”

My plan for Your Majesty is a strategy of using another’s blade to kill!

The blade I borrow is the River Dragon King’s—Your Majesty, do not rush; let me explain slowly.

The River Dragon King certainly has a high probability of not personally intervening against that one. But the blade I borrow is His subordinate—the Dragon’s Head Guillotine within the River Office!

The ancient corpse empress’s eyes suddenly brightened: “Elaborate.”

Xu Yuan’s plan was to use the mountain’s malevolent spirits, pretending to be Ruan Tianye, and gradually provoke conflict with the River Office.

“...The final crucial step requires one vital object—this!”

Xu Yuan produced a ticket voucher of Ruan Tianye.

The ancient corpse empress’s gaze shifted again: “You actually have this!”

“I took it by killing its original owner,” Xu Yuan said. “This proves I am irreconcilably opposed to that one—I must stand firmly with Your Majesty.”

The ancient corpse empress gave a slight nod.

Xu Yuan continued: “This object can, to some extent, represent that one himself. If thrown into the river, how great a disturbance would it cause?!”

When the River Office summons the Dragon’s Head Guillotine, even if that one survives the blow, he will be gravely wounded!

This is Your Majesty’s opportunity! You can seize it to slay this fiend and avenge yourself!”

The ancient corpse empress considered carefully.

Xu Yuan and the other two remained silent; the moment was too sensitive—more words would only hurt.

After pondering, the ancient corpse empress glanced at the Drifting Master: “My beloved, what do you think?”

The Drifting Master bowed his head, tongue hanging low: “All decisions rest solely with Your Majesty’s sovereign will.”

The ancient corpse empress slowly nodded: “I accept.”

Xu Yuan clasped his fists and bowed: “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Xu Yuan realized he had misjudged the ancient corpse empress’s strength.

He had assumed she was just slightly stronger than Uncle Seventeen.

But now it seemed... far stronger!

This made tactics like “playing both sides and reaping the benefits” even more dangerous to attempt.

If the ancient corpse empress killed Uncle Seventeen and realized she had been manipulated, she would never let him go!

If he tried, he would never leave Ghost Witch Mountain.

So after careful thought, unless some special circumstance existed—like the ancient corpse empress being bound to a location—such a “divide and conquer, profit from chaos” strategy carried enormous risk.

With the agreement settled, the ancient corpse empress said: “My beloved, take them out first—do not harm them.”

“As Your Majesty commands.”

The Drifting Master led Xu Yuan and Tian Jing out, drifting far away until they reached the peak of a mountain ten li distant.

Xu Yuan turned back and saw that beneath the seven-hundred-zhang-high black cliff, the great river that had drowned countless souls, was suddenly drained—its waters sucked away by an invisible force!

Tian Jing stared, dumbfounded.

The spectacle was too magnificent, too terrifying.

Ten li of river water reversed into a vortex, violently drawn upward and impossibly swallowed whole into the stone chamber.

The riverbed lay dry; upstream waters took a long while before they finally resumed their flow with a roaring rush.

Xu Yuan: “Rinse your mouth?”

“Precisely,” the Drifting Master replied with a smile.

Xu Yuan slowly nodded—this was the first time he had witnessed the terrifying power of a fourth-rank or higher.

The Princess Consort was furious.

Her personal maid, Ruirui, had died in Gao Family Village!

The volcano malevolence was extremely troublesome.

Uncle Seventeen had exerted great effort to destroy it.

But during the battle, Ruirui had been instantly incinerated into ash by a blast of terrible fire-magma spewed by the malevolence!

When all was over, the teenage guide hired from Qihetown was gone.

Presumably swept away by battle ripples—he was just an ordinary man, reduced to dust on the spot.

Now the group consisted of only three people.

Fortunately, the trail was clear enough to follow without a guide.

Gao Wanli grew even more furious.

Because on the journey ahead, she became the “maid.”

All the servant duties fell to her.

She was a noble daughter of a great clan, raised in luxury, accompanying the Princess Consort for a better future—now she was reduced to serving others?!

But she dared not show it.

The Princess Consort was in a foul mood; she had no intention of becoming the scapegoat.

The three trudged on in bitter silence, until ahead they spotted a towering black cliff.

The Gao family would never dare approach Copper Coffin Cliff.

Even after Master Xu had reached an agreement with the ancient corpse empress, the Gao family still dared not go.

The place was too infamous.

Gao Guanzi led his entire village, leaving their trail beyond Copper Coffin Cliff, then turned toward another direction, settling in a relatively open valley thirty li away.

The valley was carpeted with wildflowers resembling butterfly orchids.

Their petals were the size of pig’s ears.

Pink and semi-translucent.

They swayed in the wind, capturing faint vibrations from great distances.

If Master Xu were here, he might think… the shape and posture of these petals closely resemble Gao Guanzi’s peculiar ears.

The strange phenomena within this gorge showed considerable friendliness toward the people of Gao Family Village.

And the people of Gao Family Village seemed equally familiar with this place.

Setting up camp here gave everyone a sense of safety.

Gao Guanzi walked alone to the center of the gorge, a circular elevated plateau.

The soil on the plateau was fertile, and the wild flowers grew especially lush.

Along the way, Gao Guanzi caught many birds.

He now released them all.

Hundreds of birds chirped and squawked in chaotic noise.

The nearby wild flowers trembled and tingled, as if they greatly enjoyed hearing these sounds.

As the birds continued chirping, their voices grew softer and softer until not a single sound remained.

Their “voices” had been absorbed by the wild flowers!

They would never again produce clear, melodious bird calls.

The wild flowers, now sated, swayed gently to show Gao Guanzi their satisfaction.

Only then did Gao Guanzi whisper: “We’ll stay one night, then leave tomorrow. Something’s happened back home, but we’ll resolve it soon…”

His tone was like that of a younger brother who had split from the family and now, forced to return with his household, feared the elder brother who inherited the estate might misinterpret his return—so he explained himself in advance.

…

The Princess Consort and her two companions reached the foot of the Bronze Coffin Cliff and saw the river below surging violently, dark, sinister mists churning within it, where faintly visible were vengeful, tormented ghosts with faces twisted in hatred, rising and sinking beneath the water.

Then, from the seven-hundred-zhang-high cliff above, came a series of loud “clang clang clang” sounds, like ancient bronze war drums beating.

Or like the grinding scrape of a heavy coffin lid being pushed open.

Drifting Master saw the confusion on Master Xu’s and Tian Jing’s faces and, with his long tongue covering his mouth, whispered softly to Master Xu: “It’s the Son of Heaven’s teeth grinding as he rinses his mouth.”

Xu Yuan stared in shock.

Tian Jing, meanwhile, strained to recall: when he was still a “complete man,” did he grind his teeth while rinsing?

That was too long ago—he couldn’t remember…

A faint pang of melancholy arose in Tian Jing.

“Puh—”

A thick, bluish-black mist erupted from the black cliff.

Then, gales whipped the mist into a frenzy, surging like ten thousand galloping horses or a tidal wave, and in an instant, it engulfed a ten-li radius.

Gao Wanli let out a piercing scream: “Ah—”

Then she fell utterly silent.

Within the vast bluish-black mist, the first to stir violently was the Princess Consort!

She unfurled her body—over ten zhang long—but unlike a giant serpent or snake, she was slender and elongated.

Her entire body bore purple-and-green patterns that should have been beautiful, but because she was in the awkward stage of molting, her skin appeared grotesque.

Yet her head retained a human face, with no horns on her forehead, only two butterfly-like antennae growing from her temples, their tips emitting a hazy glow.

Behind her were a pair of enormous, yet thin, wings.

No one knew what creature she had transformed into a dragon.

She writhed and churned within the poison mist, creating a massive vortex, at the center of which seemed to lie a passage to escape.

The Princess Consort dove into the vortex—then immediately stiffened, and from the tears in her skin, countless zombie-green hairs sprouted.

The tips of the Princess Consort’s antennae flared with sudden, intense luminescence.

Whatever technique she employed, it was undoubtedly her attempt to resist the zombie toxin.

But the green hairs spread rapidly along the cracks in her skin, soon reaching her face.

Then they crept onto her antennae.

The antennae had been slender, curved, light, and delicate.

Once the zombie-green hairs spread like moss over them, they grew thick, stiff, and rigid, and the glow at their tips was completely smothered.

The Princess Consort fell heavily.

She vanished into the poison mist.

The vortex dissolved with her.

Immediately after, a heavy, muffled “thud” echoed from deep within the mist—presumably the Princess Consort striking the ground.

A long, invisible thread appeared in midair, extending into the mist and hooking the Princess Consort’s soul.

But the poison mist easily dissolved the thread.

Drifting Master still covered his mouth with his tongue and said to Master Xu: “The Son of Heaven has been constantly recruiting soldiers and gathering allies.

The Princess Consort’s own strength is insufficient to qualify for the Son of Heaven’s official ranks.

But she cultivates the ‘Dragon Transformation Method’—her form is unique, so the Son of Heaven should give her a chance…”

To become a zombie, one must seal the soul within the body.

The Ancient Corpse Empress effortlessly shattered this thread-pulling technique.

Given the Princess Consort’s status, only the River Dragon King could implant a more vicious “law” within her soul.

Even this “thread-pulling law” was something the Princess Consort willingly accepted.

If disaster struck, the thread-pulling law could pull her soul back, granting her a chance to possess another body and be reborn.

Suddenly, a neatly edged gap opened in the poison mist.

Such an unusual occurrence should not appear in mist—no one knew how Uncle Seventeen’s “Litigation Method” had exploited some loophole.

He frantically fled out.

Just as his entire body was about to emerge, the gap behind him snapped shut.

The Ancient Corpse Empress had detected his trick.

The closing gap clamped down on one of his feet.

Uncle Seventeen gritted his teeth; a folding fan shot from his sleeve, unfurling with a sharp “whoosh,” its edge as sharp as an axe.

With a crisp “snap,” he severed his own foot.

He fled without hesitation.

Uncle Seventeen knew well: his skill level was low.

His “Litigation Method” had tricks that exploited certain “principles.”

But facing such a terrifying evil, he had only one chance.

Once discovered, this trick would never work again.

So this was his only opportunity to escape.

Blood sprayed from the severed ankle.

Uncle Seventeen fully burst out of the poison mist, then raised his hand—out flew a stack of silver notes from his sleeve.

The silver notes fell into empty air, yet Uncle Seventeen had communicated with some “principle,” gaining a certain “pardon.”

His speed then broke through certain limitations of the principle.

But before Uncle Seventeen could flee far, a massive skull-shaped blood seal rose from the poison mist!

From the skull extended a colossal elephant head, as vast as a mountain.

It lifted its trunk and inhaled—

Uncle Seventeen could not escape.

The poison mist rolled behind him.

The area it covered expanded rapidly from ten li to fifty li.

Uncle Seventeen fell into the mist.

The poison mist of the Bronze Coffin Cliff covered a ten-li radius.

But it was not limited to ten li.

If the Ancient Corpse Empress willed it, she could cover a hundred li.

Suddenly, a massive white shadow flashed through the mist.

It was a “white duck.”

But the white shadow shattered in an instant.

Immediately, a second white shadow rose.

Uncle Seventeen still had three white ducks.

Two of them were meant for the Princess Consort.

But when the Princess Consort died, Uncle Seventeen did not use a white duck to die in her place.

Instead, he used the moment she bought him to nearly escape.

Logically, since he was tasked with protecting her, her death should have meant his own doom.

But he sensed vaguely that, with the Princess Consort dead, everyone in the Xiang Prince’s household might secretly be grateful to him.

So, at this true moment of life-or-death, Uncle Seventeen chose to save all his methods for his own survival.

Yet the brief respite granted by the three white ducks still failed to let him escape the mist.

The poison mist churned violently.

Inside, the battle seemed fierce.

Master Piaodang remained calm and composed.

“The Son of Heaven hasn’t moved his limbs in a long time—just amusing him.”

Xu Yuan nodded slightly but kept his gaze locked on the poison mist.

After a stick of incense burned out, the ancient corpse empress seemed to lose interest in the “Litigation Art.”

The poison mist gradually calmed.

“It’s done,” said Master Piaodang.

After waiting a while longer, the poison mist slowly sank into the surrounding soil.

Originally, the poison mist was meant to last all day—but clearly, the ancient corpse empress could control it, holding it as long or as short as she willed.

The princess and the Seventeenth Uncle were gone.

Yet, from a stone chamber at the five-hundred-zhang mark on Black Cliff, the sound of bellows echoed.

Blue-green flames flickered within.

Master Piaodang said: “That’s the Director of the Imperial Artisan Supervision, smelting ore to forge a bronze coffin for them.”

Only Gao Wanli remained on the ground, her body rigid and unconscious.

This sixth-rank artisan xiu held an exalted status among the living.

But the ancient corpse empress looked down on her utterly.

Master Piaodang said: “Not long now, she’ll awaken—and then Ghost Witch Mountain will gain another sixth-rank great evil.”

Xu Yuan leaned in and whispered something to Master Piaodang.

Master Piaodang smiled: “Easy. I’ll petition the Son of Heaven.”

…

Gao Wanli opened her eyes dazedly and saw, across the distant forest, a hazy figure—half-human, half-snake, or perhaps half-human, half-dragon—wriggling its tail toward her.

Then its tail lashed out. Gao Wanli screamed in agony and fainted again.

She didn’t know how long passed before she slowly awoke, feeling something binding her feet, dragging her along the ground.

She feigned unconsciousness, opening one eye just a slit.

Sure enough, it was still that half-human, half-dragon creature—its tail coiled around her, dragging her through the mountains.

It reached the Great River, then whipped its tail, hurling Gao Wanli into the water.

Plop—

As she hit the water, countless vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts surged forward.

They clung to Gao Wanli, biting and tearing, dragging her slowly down to the riverbed.

Gao Wanli saw that the half-human, half-dragon creature still stood on the bank, watching.

She dared not react, letting the spirits gnaw chunks of flesh from her body and suck her blood.

Finally, the creature turned and walked away.

Gao Wanli immediately released an artisan artifact—a mirror of mercury.

As soon as she held it up, all the malevolent spirits and vengeful ghosts were sucked into the mirror.

Gao Wanli released another artisan artifact, covering her head—this one allowed her to breathe underwater.

Gao Wanli dove beneath the river, struggling to swim downstream.

…

The ancient corpse empress received Xu Yuan again.

Master Piaodang had just returned, petitioning the ancient corpse empress to spare Gao Wanli’s life.

The ancient corpse empress didn’t care about Gao Wanli at all—she drew the corpse poison back into herself.

“I’ve done what you asked. Now you must act on my matter immediately.”

Xu Yuan replied: “Your Majesty need not worry—I’ve already devised a plan. I’ll begin at once, starting with an inconspicuous place.”

The River Supervision Office has two henchmen: the Canal Guild and the Fishing Guild.

Soon, evils from Ghost Witch Mountain will attack the Fishing Guild.

From there, I’ll gradually expand the chaos.”

The ancient corpse empress seemed dissatisfied—she wanted something bigger.

Xu Yuan smiled bitterly: “My abilities are limited. I can only advance step by step, drawing in more evils, to ultimately achieve the goal.”

The ancient corpse empress growled: “Within one month, I must see results.”

“Of course!” Xu Yuan agreed without hesitation.

Agree first, worry later.

Just as he’d promised to help the ancient corpse empress deal with Ruan Tianye.

I’ve been doing something all along—you can accuse me of slowness, but not of inaction.

As for limited results? That’s just my ability—I’m still just a lowly fifth-rank. I’ve done my part; even if you scold me, you can’t just send someone to kill me, can you?

Who else will help you deal with Ruan Tianye if you kill me?

If you truly want me to act, wait until I reach third-rank.

The longer I delay, the more sunk costs the ancient corpse empress accumulates—and the less likely she is to actually kill me.

Besides, Xu Yuan agreed to the ancient corpse empress’s terms because he harbored a suspicion—but he had no intention of revealing it to her.

The ancient corpse empress snorted coldly, her gaze icy, her left hand gently stroking the blood seal on her skull.

A bluish-black light shot out from the eye of the elephant-headed relic.

In an instant, it pierced into Xu Yuan’s body.

Xu Yuan didn’t dodge or flinch—he seemed utterly calm.

“This is my ten-thousand-year corpse poison. Even ten thousand li away, I can activate it at will.”

“If I see no results in a month, you know what awaits you!”

Xu Yuan: “Your Majesty need not worry—I will give it my all.”

The ancient corpse empress would inevitably leave some control mechanism on him.

Xu Yuan had expected it.

But Xu Yuan felt—he was about to shed another skin…

The ancient corpse empress waved her hand: “Go!”

Xu Yuan and Tian Jing felt the world spin violently, then found themselves deposited on the riverbank beneath the cliff.

Master Piaodang came out to see them off: “Master Xu, don’t neglect the Son of Heaven’s orders. I’ll send Bai Lao to check on you often. This is joint work—don’t slack!”

Xu Yuan nodded: “I understand.”

Master Piaodang stepped forward and grasped Xu Yuan’s hand: “I never repaid your life-saving favor—this is my repayment.”

Xu Yuan felt something placed in his hand; he unfolded it—a white silk scroll, densely covered in characters: The Dragon Transformation Art!

After giving it to Xu Yuan, Master Piaodang waved his hand and drifted upward toward Black Cliff.

(End of Chapter)