Chapter 164: The Corpse Demon Gu Chen

"Cheng Xinzhan, look over there."

Daoist Cunsi pointed toward the northwest.

In that direction, a mass of black smoke was rising within the western mountains. At first, it was just a thin wisp, but in the blink of an eye, the black smoke billowed outward, spreading toward the east and swallowing the sunset glow.

The sky darkened at an incredible speed.

Cheng Xinzhan frowned. Was this a celestial phenomenon or a Daoist technique?

If it were a celestial phenomenon, he had never heard of one so strange. If it were a Daoist technique, what kind of cultivation realm could unleash a spell capable of blotting out the sun and sky?

"Evil creature!"

"Thief!"

Several angry shouts erupted from the place where the black smoke rose, echoing across the heavens.

Though that place was far away, the voices sounded as if they were right beside his ears.

Along with the voices came a brilliant light, igniting from the source of the black smoke and illuminating the darkness that had been about to merge with the night.

From the sky turning dark to it brightening again, only a few breaths had passed, yet the black smoke had already spread rapidly, covering half the sky from northwest to southeast.

Daoist Cunsi and Cheng Xinzhan watched the place where the light rose; it now seemed like the legendary Tang Valley, with ten thousand rays of light shining brilliantly.

And within that radiance, dozens of Dharma bodies of ancient venerable gods were now clearly visible, standing tall between heaven and earth, unleashing earth-shattering Daoist techniques to lock down the black smoke.

Beyond that, a divine bird radiating clear light flew out from the valley of light, its wings like clouds hanging from the sky, its tail like a rainbow spanning the heavens.

"Mount Gouqu!"

Cheng Xinzhan and Daoist Cunsi spoke in unison.

Some might not know the name Mount Gouqu, but if one mentioned Mount Mao, the Shangqing Sect Altar, or Mount Difei—the head of the seventy-two blessed lands—then surely there was no one who did not know it.

Cheng Xinzhan knew it was Mount Gouqu because of those dozens of ancient god Dharma images; they possessed the same Dharma essence as his own Inner Landscape gods, a fusion of celestial venerable gods and human orifice gods.

In fact, the visualization method he practiced and the *Zhou Tian Bai Qiao Nei Jing Jing* both originated from the "Cun Shen Dao" (Preservation of Spirit Dao) within the Daoist lineage. The Cun Shen Dao, alongside the Primordial Spirit Dao, Duren Dao, and Five Thunders Dao, was one of the top-tier lineages in the Daoist tradition, second only to the Inner Elixir Dao.

The Cun Shen Dao originated from the Shangqing Sect Altar on Mount Gouqu, with the *Huangting Neijing Jing* as its foundational classic.

The Three Pure Mountains sect primarily practiced Inner Elixir, while also studying the ten thousand methods, using them to enrich their Inner Elixir. Among these, the Cun Shen Dao was definitely one of the most difficult lineages. Need one look further than the Five Thunders Method, hailed as the root of all methods, which had developed its own lineage at the Three Pure Mountains?

Only in the Cun Shen Dao were those who understood it few, and those who mastered it even fewer.

The two characters for "visualization" (Guan Xiang): for those who find it difficult, they do not understand it; for those who understand it, it is not difficult.

Cheng Xinzhan's attainments in the Cun Shen Dao were unique within the Three Pure Mountains.

Cheng Xinzhan had proven himself with the Mao Ri Star Official, the Jin Qilin Corpse, and the three gods of the Thunder Department.

Later, when he sought to open his Earth Mansion, Wen Sukong personally left the mountain to find for him the *Bingling Crown Prince's Sea-Crossing Inspection of the Sanshan' Gods Map* and the *Five Sacred Mountains' True Form Map*.

When he sought to open his Wood Mansion, the Three Pure Mountains Sect Master and the Master of Purple Smoke Mountain gifted him the *Eastern Flower Wood Duke Qing Tong Great Dao Lord Riding a Raft to Sea Map* without hesitation.

When Northern Yin saw Cheng Xinzhan's Inner Landscape god's external phantom, he immediately gifted him the highest-grade visualization map in his possession, the *Imperial Moon Mansion Demon-Slaying Map*.

Visualization maps were not common, but those skilled in the Cun Shen Dao were even rarer!

When those ancient god phantoms appeared on West Kunlun, many people's first reaction was that it was a Golden Core Dharma image, and their second was that it was an expert from Mount Gouqu. No one imagined that this was a commotion caused by a disciple of the Three Pure Mountains.

After that incident, it wasn't that no one from Mount Gouqu came to the Three Pure Mountains to negotiate; it was just that Ji Hehe had flatly refused them, and he had kept the matter hidden from Xinzhan.

Comparing the three talisman mountains: Mount Longhu had few people because it was a sect of one family and one surname, and its methods were not passed on to outsiders; Mount Gezao had few people because the Duren Dao carried too much karmic weight, and they dared not accept many disciples; while Mount Gouqu had few people simply because the Cun Shen Dao was too difficult, and they could not recruit many disciples.

Conversely, the Three Pure Mountains, which advocated the mutual study of ten thousand methods and inheriting the lost teachings of the sages, had the most disciples.

Mount Gouqu was in Jin Ling, and the reason Daoist Cunsi knew it was Mount Gouqu from so far away was because of that cyan divine bird.

Legend had it that the guardian spirit of Mount Gouqu was an ancient divine bird, the Qingluan, one of the five phoenixes. However, because almost no one had ever seen it, many thought it was just boasting—but today, everyone saw it, and it turned out to be true.

What on earth had happened, and what was the origin of that black smoke, to actually alarm the Qingluan of Mount Gouqu, which rarely left the mountain?

The black smoke sped eastward, and it looked as if it would soon pass Lake Tai and head toward Kuaiji.

"Fellow Daoists of the Siming Three Heavens! Assist our sect in intercepting this demon!"

The powerful beings of Mount Gouqu were chasing the black smoke, but the smoke's speed was too great, and they remained a significant distance behind. Only the Qingluan, flapping its wings, was rapidly closing the gap.

To make the Shangqing Sect Altar open its mouth to beg for help, it seemed they had been pushed to the brink.

The vast black smoke came from the south of Jin Ling, and Mount Siming lay directly in its path. At this moment, the red mist on Mount Siming grew increasingly dense; it seemed the mountain-protecting formation had been fully activated.

As fellow members of the Daoist gate, looking across the lake, whether Mount Siming had intended to intervene or remain neutral before, they could no longer remain idle after hearing the cries of the Mount Gouqu sect members. Otherwise, Mount Siming would have no place for itself among the Eastern Daoist sects in the future.

Cheng Xinzhan saw a brilliant light erupt from the main peak of Mount Siming. A Daoist rose into the air and sacrificed a magic treasure shaped like a gate tower, fully a hundred feet high, blocking directly in front of the black smoke.

Mount Siming shone brightly, and as the black smoke drew near, those on the mountain saw it even more clearly.

"Is that a flock of birds?"

Daoist Cunsi squinted and said.

As the black smoke pressed closer, it didn't look like true clouds or mist, but rather a dense, swarming mass of some flying creatures gathered together. It was like migratory birds or a hive of bees leaving their nest.

At this moment, the purple bamboo basket tied to Cheng Xinzhan's waist began to tremble violently.

The insect corpses were giving a warning.

Cheng Xinzhan's expression changed. He activated his Dharma eyes, only to see that the black smoke covering the sky was no flock of birds; it was clearly countless twisted beast souls baring fangs and brandishing claws, and hideous, terrifying walking corpses!

"Gu Chen is here! Who dares to stop me!"

The black smoke was like a tide, and atop the crest of the tide stood a handsome man holding a banner.

Seeing Mount Siming release a magic treasure to block his path, the man gave a disdainful laugh and lightly waved the banner in his hand. The black smoke did not slow down but instead accelerated. Countless beast souls and walking corpses surged forward like ocean waves, crashing into the gate tower treasure.

Under the tide of beast souls and walking corpses, the gate tower treasure looked as small as a pebble. Now that the black smoke was directly above Mount Siming, everyone on the mountain saw clearly that those beast souls had ape heads and bear bodies, with upturned mouths and fangs, each standing a zhang tall, like demon gods descended to the world. And those walking corpses were all human-bodied, with varying clothes and hairstyles, but now all had green faces and white eyes, devoid of any life, like evil guests from the underworld.

It was like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, or even more, like a wild wave shattering a reef. Ten thousand beast souls and walking corpses slammed into the gate tower treasure. The latter radiated treasure light and was likely a high-grade magic treasure, yet it did not hold out for even a moment; it shattered instantly, and the Daoist who sacrificed it vomited blood and fell from the sky.

"Sect Master!"

Daoist Cunsi let out a cry of grief and immediately flew toward him.

The man atop the black tide gave a light laugh and continued southward.

Cheng Xinzhan watched the beast souls and walking corpses like a dark cloud passing over. A thought stirred in his mind, and he opened the purple bamboo basket at his waist. The insect corpses flapped their wings and flew out, turning into an inconspicuous little dot that flew onto a walking corpse and burrowed into its clothes.

Daoist Cunsi had gone to check on the Mount Siming Sect Master. Facing such an earth-shattering event, Cheng Xinzhan had no time to bid farewell to Elder Cunsi. He grabbed Third Sister, tucked her into his robes, flew to the mountain gate of Mount Siming, and prepared to leave.

He wanted to leave the mountain, but he was not chasing the black clouds; he was chasing the Qingluan.

The great formation was currently allowing exit but not entry. The duty Daoist advised Cheng Xinzhan not to leave now and to wait until it was confirmed safe, but Cheng Xinzhan insisted on leaving, and the duty Daoist had no choice but to let him pass.

After leaving Mount Siming, Cheng Xinzhan chased the black smoke southward, his heart filled with shock.

!

The *Qingfu Transformation Classic* stated: "The corpse of Gui Water is an extremely yin object. It is difficult for a corpse to form, but once formed, it becomes a great demon, an evil corpse, a demon corpse. It must never be raised; see it, and destroy it."

When the book spoke of the Gui Water corpse, it gave an example: the great demon from several hundred years ago, the demon corpse Gu Chen.

But wasn't it said that Gu Chen had been captured and suppressed by the Emei founder, Elder Changmei, in the subterranean evil fire?

Why would he appear in the world at Mount Gouqu?

And this ability to wave a banner and toy with beast souls—why did it feel so familiar?

He looked toward the direction the black clouds were flying—that was where Mount Tianmu and Mount Tiantai were located. He wondered if those two mountains could stop the demon. As for Mount Tianmu, it should be considered lucky; located northwest of Kuaiji, it had escaped this calamity.

He saw a golden shuttle fly out from Mount Tianmu and a vast white sword qi fly out from Mount Tiantai, slashing toward the black clouds.

But this time, the man on the black clouds couldn't even be bothered to move. He let the golden shuttle and sword qi charge into the beast wave and corpse tide. The shuttle and sword qi didn't even stir up a ripple and were quickly worn away.

Cheng Xinzhan, trailing far behind, saw clearly that Mount Tianmu and Mount Tiantai had realized the power of the black clouds and had seen the fate of the Mount Siming Sect Master. They didn't dare to block the edge of the black clouds at all; they were just putting on a show.

The three mountains had made their move, but the black clouds hadn't slowed down at all. It looked like they were heading straight for the East Sea.

However, the speed of the high-level experts from Mount Gouqu was also extremely fast, especially the Qingluan in the lead. When it flew over Cheng Xinzhan's head, there was no gale or flying sand and stones as he had imagined; he only felt a breeze sweep past, and then he saw the cyan rainbow disappear into the distance.

Cheng Xinzhan also used all his strength, stepping on his self-created "Four-Unlike" footwork, turning into a residual shadow as he followed far behind the Qingluan.

What wind god visualization map in the world could compare to a living Qingluan?

The eastern horizon was already pitch black, but the clear light radiating from the Qingluan was like a bright moon, illuminating the place where it was.

The wind blowing in his face carried moisture. Seeing the coastline in sight, the Qingluan had also caught up to the black smoke.

The Qingluan treated the beast souls and walking corpses as nothing, charging directly into the black clouds. Where the clear light shone, beast souls dissolved and walking corpses fell. Wherever it passed, it tore a seam in the black clouds.

"Screech!"

The Qingluan let out a clear cry. A hole was torn in the clouds in the sky, and the gale winds above the clouds whistled down like a pouring heavenly river, surging toward the man on the crest of the black cloud wave.

Anything that touched the gale winds—beast souls and walking corpses alike—all turned to dust.

Even a great demon who had survived several tribulations dared not be careless when facing such a divine bird that had roamed since the primordial era. The man finally frowned. He muttered something and waved his banner, and countless wisps of yellow gas escaped from it.

This yellow gas was some unknown divine object; it did not fear the gale winds, remaining solid even amidst the whistling winds, rising against the wind to wrap around the Qingluan.

The Qingluan seemed to know the power of this yellow gas. It flapped its wings slightly, rising higher, and spat out a cyan pearl.

The cyan pearl shone brilliantly. The man's robes fluttered without wind, and the muscles on his body trembled for no reason, shaking like a sieve. A look of pain appeared on his face, as if a wind were blowing from within his body, seemingly trying to tear his frame apart.

The man still waved his banner, sucking the permeating yellow gas into his mouth and nose. This yellow gas was something the Qingluan would avoid, but to him, it seemed like a great tonic, and it quickly calmed the evil wind that had risen from nowhere within his body.

But in the time it took for these two exchanges, the high-level experts of the Shangqing Sect had arrived. These people were already furious, and without a word, each sacrificed their magic treasures and unleashed Daoist techniques, striking together.

For the man, dealing with these people was clearly much easier than dealing with the Qingluan. Spiritual light flickered on the banner, and ten thousand ape-bear living souls cried out in unison. The sound of ghosts wailing was deafening, and the invisible sound waves stirred ripples in the void; ordinary Daoist techniques and magic treasures couldn't even get near him.

"Truly a wicked star of slaughter! Ape-bears are kind and gentle beasts, sturdy in form but timid. In the northwestern mountains, they feed on snow water, and there are only one hundred thousand of them in total. You actually exterminated the entire race to complete your magic treasure!"

Among the pursuers from Mount Gouqu, an old man was furious, his hair standing on end. He shouted loudly, pinching a spell seal, and his Inner Landscape god manifested, turning into a Dharma image standing tall between heaven and earth.

Cheng Xinzhan, well-read in many books, saw at a glance that it was the image of the Thunder Department's True God, the Great General of Flowing Gold and Fire Bells.

The Dharma image reached out to grab, and at the same time, golden thunder fell from the sky and red fire surged from the ground—this thunder and fire were the bane of yin objects. But as the demon corpse waved his banner, yellow gas surged into the ape-bear living souls and walking corpse bodies, and they actually no longer feared the thunder and fire, roaring as they pounced toward the people of Mount Gouqu.

Among the arrivals from Mount Gouqu was a woman with a solemn and dignified appearance. Seeing the beast souls and walking corpses pouncing over, she also unleashed a Dharma image. This time, the Dharma image that appeared was even more extraordinary: it was a goddess, but she wore a crown with dangling beads and a rosy garment, and on her garment were scenes of the earth and mountains.

This was the Dharma image of the Lady Bi Xia Yuanjun!

The Dharma image pinched a hand seal, and a giant mountain appeared in the air, with a magnificent atmosphere.

The shape of that mountain was so familiar to Cheng Xinzhan that he recognized it at a glance.

Taishan.

After Taishan appeared, it was as if the gates of the underworld had been opened, and all these surging beast souls and walking corpses were sucked toward it.

Gu Chen's expression changed. He waved his banner again to withdraw the beast souls and walking corpses. At the same time, he sacrificed another magic treasure: a chain shining with red light, densely covered with talisman patterns, with leaping flames clinging to it.

Gu Chen held one end of the chain and swept it around like a whip.

The chain's fierce flames were overwhelming, tearing through the darkness. More importantly, this chain seemed to possess immortal power, and no one knew its origin, so everyone had to dodge.

Having only briefly forced everyone back, he was ultimately no match for so many hands. Gu Chen fled again, heading straight for the East Sea, shouting loudly,

"Lady Cui! Warden Wu! Why haven't you come over yet!?"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 165 =====