Chapter 33: The Might of the Warlord

Arriving before the stone throne, Zhang Gui began to softly recount his true origins, his ideals, and his ambitions.

It was as if he were facing the various kings of the Stone Corpse from the depths of eternal history.

Once he started, he couldn't stop; he rambled on for a full hour or two, feeling somewhat like a patient pouring their heart out to a psychologist.

After finishing, Zhang Gui felt an inexplicable sense of relief and bowed one last time toward the throne.

"Ancestors, from now on, this seat is mine.

You must bless me in creating glory.

Although I have not adopted the Stone Corpse's state name because I intend to pioneer a new civilization and system, starting everything from scratch,

the capital city will permanently bear the name 'Upper Stone Corpse Capital,' which can be considered a continuation of the lineage.

Bless me, bless me.

If no one has any objections, I shall now take the throne."

Having said this, he opened the bundle at his feet and took out a crown that was old beyond recognition—half mineral, half metal—and a small copper seal an inch square.

After a moment's thought, he placed the crown on his head, tossed the copper seal aside, struck a few poses, and sat upon the throne.

According to ancient tradition, the Stone Corpse King had no dragon robe and no imperial seal; the copper-wrapped iron lump bestowed by the founding ancestor of the Ming Song dynasty as a prank did not count.

Only the crown, known as the "Big Stone Crown," was considered a ritual object.

Wearing the crown and sitting on the throne made it official.

Zhang Gui had done this a few times before.

His late uncle had long viewed him as the successor, so overstepping the rules was just overstepping; in any case, everyone said the barbarians knew nothing of propriety.

But this time was different, because he had awakened the Chiyou bloodline, which stimulated the Stone Corpse ritual object and, in conjunction with the throne, activated the inheritance ritual.

The Barbarian Kingdom had no empty formalities.

The inheritance and its corresponding secrets were simple, consisting of only four aspects, yet they were infinitely marvelous...

First, the various mysteries of the "Stone Corpse Soldier," the ancient troop type of the Stone Corpse tribe:

"The so-called 'Stone Corpse' is actually a weak version of the Divine Cluster's Hundred Herbs Life Mandate, Burning Metal, and Great Growth.

Mineral ore becomes metal after tempering; the stone body is a counterfeit of the golden body.

One uses medicinal herbs to nourish Qi-Blood to form a metamorphosis.

Afterward, everything is normal in daily life, but when fighting breaks out, it is like a transformation.

They possess infinite strength and feel no pain or sensation, much like zombies.

As their strength grows, they can even sprout new limbs to enhance their combat power.

Growing new heads allows them to sense their subordinate soldiers, which is the ultimate simplified version of the 'Warlord' ability.

There is only one Stone Corpse Soldier left in the Stone Corpse tribe now, and that is Lao Sang Gui, who was just guarding the Great Stone Gold Star Cave Abode.

Awakening half the completeness of any one of the three major Divine Clusters—Hundred Herbs Life Mandate, Burning Metal, or Great Growth—allows one to refine a 'Stone Corpse Soldier.'

And Stone Corpse Soldiers can be divided into five levels: single, ten, hundred, thousand, and ten thousand.

From the moment Zhang Gui awakened the complete Chiyou bloodline, he was already capable of refining ten Stone Corpse Soldiers.

Second, the special formation that complements the Stone Corpse Soldiers, the 'Gold Soldier March':

"When activated, the minds of many Stone Corpse Soldiers link, their strength becomes one, and they are invincible in killing enemies and breaking formations; they are extremely formidable."

Third, the method for refining Stone Corpse Soldiers:

"The monkey version is to find a living person with a tall and sturdy build, drug them into a stupor, and keep them alive.

Then, cut them open and stuff them with ground rock powder and a hundred types of medicinal herbs.

Then, the Stone Corpse King cuts his own wrist and chants the ancient god song 'Command Under the Master's Life' to trigger the ritual.

If the sacrificed living person can survive the ritual without dying, they will become a 'Single Stone Corpse Soldier.'

If ten living people are kept alive, cut open, and stacked together, and a 'Single Stone Corpse Soldier' is made to sit atop them,

and they successfully pass through the 'Single to Ten' ritual, they will be promoted to a 'Ten Stone Corpse Soldier.'

A Ten Stone Corpse Soldier can command ten Single Stone Corpse Soldiers to form the most basic 'Gold Soldier March.'

The refining rituals for the higher-level Hundred Stone Corpse Soldiers are much the same; the only difference is the quantity of living people consumed.

As for Thousand and Ten Thousand Stone Corpse Soldiers, it is impossible to create them using such inferior methods.

The other, luxurious version of the refining method belonging to the Fated Person requires integration with the 'Warlord' ability.

The method is to have Stone Corpse elite soldiers, with minerals and herbs in their mouths, kneel prostrate before the Stone Corpse King who is exerting the 'Warlord' ability.

Then, the Stone Corpse King chants the ancient god song 'Soldier-Accepting Song' to trigger the ritual, which can refine a 'Single Stone Corpse Soldier.'

And by stacking the corpses of ten enemies into a Jingguan (monument of heads),

a 'Single Stone Corpse Soldier' sits atop it, listening to the Stone Corpse King, who is exerting the 'Warlord' ability, chant the ancient god song 'Great Ominous Enthronement Song.'

One can successfully refine a 'Ten Stone Corpse Soldier.'

By performing this ritual with the corpses of a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand enemies, one can refine Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Stone Corpse Soldiers.

However, whether it is the monkey version or the Fated Person version, the number of Stone Corpse Soldiers that can be refined cannot exceed the 'Number of Nine-Nines.'

That is to say, when a Stone Corpse King can refine Single Stone Corpse Soldiers, he can refine at most ninety-nine.

When he can refine Ten Stone Corpse Soldiers, he can also refine at most ninety-nine, while the lower-tier Single Stone Corpse Soldiers can be refined up to nine hundred and ninety.

And so on.

As for the fourth inheritance, it is extremely strange; it seems to be a divine seed that penetrated from the fontanelle into Zhang Gui's brain.

Afterward, the Stone Corpse throne beneath his buttocks turned to powder...

The ritual ended, and Zhang Gui touched his dusty buttocks, thinking to himself:

"It feels like a seed that can develop into a Divine Cluster.

I have heard of such seeds.

But this is a one-off deal.

After being planted in my brain, there is nothing unusual.

Do I have to wait for it to sprout, or what?

Also, only with my complete 'Chiyou Three-Piece Set Divine Cluster' could I refine Ten Stone Corpse Soldiers with one hundred percent integrity.

And the highest-level Ten Thousand Stone Corpse Soldier commands ten Thousand Stone Corpse Soldiers, one hundred Hundred Stone Corpse Soldiers, and one thousand Ten Stone Corpse Soldiers.

When the Stone Corpse tribe was hoodwinked by the Ming Song founding ancestor over two hundred years ago, they could only muster a thousand households of soldiers, and Hundred Stone Corpse Soldiers.

Truly lamentable and sigh-worthy."

It was originally meant to satisfy a psychological need for ritual, but the result was a harvest full of surprises.

Zhang Gui rose, half-joyful and half-troubled, and continued deep along the Black Stone Road to the Earth Star Palace.

He renamed this place the "Lower Guiyang Palace."

He returned to the "Various Chiefs Cave" and named the small cave abodes within:

Lower Heavenly Adjudication Court, Lower Decision Reasoning Court, Lower Wei Min Office, Lower Ministry of Personnel, Lower Ministry of Revenue, and Lower Ministry of Revenue Lower Capital Post Station.

Corresponding one-to-one with the regulations of the True Dragon Kingdom on Giant Serpent Head Island.

Finally, he changed the name of Mushroom Valley to "Lower Stone Corpse Capital."

Mushroom Valley had been the habitat of the Stone Corpse tribe for a thousand years.

The Great Stone Cave Abode was the political and military center of the Ghost Ministry.

It was also the territory that the Ming Song founding ancestor had written on an imperial decree, partitioning the land and bestowing it upon the Ghost Ministry Kingdom.

Thus, as the Sovereign of the Stone Corpse Kingdom, Zhang Gui's thoughts, reflections, contemplations, and actions at this very moment began to resonate with the thoughts of countless old friends.

As the only two cities he possessed that had no people, Mushroom Valley, which had just been named "Lower Stone Corpse Capital" in the dark,

began to develop a mysterious connection with the Upper Stone Corpse Capital on Giant Serpent Head Island.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====