Twilight Boundary-Chapter 437 - 431: The Demon Corpse Is Troublesome
"So, with so many of us here, all either masters from various Paths or knowledgeable members of our factions, we’ve been discussing this for such a long time, yet we still can’t come up with a way to deal with this Demon Corpse?"
Meanwhile, as Hu Ma was alone appreciating a painting and unexpectedly came across the Reincarnator Big Red Robe, in the inn at Shima Town, the One Coin Sect Hierarch Immortal Miaoshan furrowed her brows and said coldly, "Now that it’s already daylight, that Demon Corpse wouldn’t dare to act, but what about after dark? What then, let it kill dozens more, and then swagger off again?"
She clearly wasn’t in a good mood, her pretty face already drawn down. The disturbances caused by the Demon Corpse in the town had left her at her wit’s end.
"Immortal, it’s not that we’re shirking responsibility, it’s just that this demon is unlike any other."
A rueful laugh came from the side. It was the godson of Grandma Wu, a Negative Spirit man with the surname Fu, who said, "When it comes to Demon Corpses causing trouble, there are generally a few types. One type comes from Corpse Nourishing Land, where the seven souls are sealed and cannot disperse into the world; these are known as Resentful Corpses, also called Drought Bone. Then there’s Taiyin Refining, where Evil demon techniques are used to refine a humanoid weapon; this is known as a Golden Armor Corpse. There are also cases where, through a strange coincidence, a dead person receives yang qi, borrowing human vitality to become a Walking Corpse. There’s also the case of bodies not buried, where the dead don’t rest in the earth and are struck by lightning or jumped over by a big-bellied cat, triggering corpse transformation; this is known as a shocking corpse.
"For all these types, there are corresponding remedies, whether it’s black dog blood, Black Donkey Hoof, sprinkling glutinous rice, piercing with a Peach Wood Sword, or burning it with thorns. They all seem formidable but aren’t that hard to deal with. But the trickiest type is when an evil object enters the body and becomes powerful. This kind of evil corpse is the hardest to root out. It causes harm in unique ways, and finding the right remedy is very difficult."
His boasting drew admiring glances from a robust-looking maidservant nearby, making his face light up and boosting his spirits. He smiled and said, "The one we encountered last night cannot be killed and cannot be suppressed. Even if its bones are shattered, it can crawl back up and keep clawing at people. Its most formidable aspect is its ability to spray corpse qi, which can command vindictive souls. Crucially, it can draw blood from afar, making it impossible to guard against. Its blood pollution spreads widely and can defile Magical Treasures; it’s evil to the extreme. Rather than calling it a Demon Corpse, it’s more like some unknown evil spirit.
"In my opinion, when confronting it, all of us in these Paths are amateurs. To deal with it, we’d need someone from the Liu Family of Corpse Refining in Huainan, but of course, this is just talk. Huainan is more than a thousand miles away from here, and the Liu Family has eccentric temperaments. We curse them for following crooked paths and evil ways, but if we really needed them, they might not come. This also shows that all skills within the Paths are genuine abilities; there’s no distinction between high or low. We shouldn’t harbor any contempt."
"Enough, enough..."
The crowd around him listened with impatience. Though the Liu Family might follow crooked paths and evil ways, they possessed genuine skills. But what was this fellow—married to a ghost wife and, moreover, roaming the jianghu under the banner of his ghost mother-in-law—meddling for? He knew he wasn’t well-regarded in the jianghu, so whenever he met people, he’d insist that skills were skills and forbid others from mocking him.
"What about that little manager?"
Ignoring Young Master Fu’s boasting, someone interrupted, "Earlier, we saw him knock down the Demon Corpse with a single slap. Could it be that he has some method? Why not hurry and invite him over to ask about his Path?"
Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Although it was chaotic last night, they knew that the ferocious Demon Corpse was subdued only by the joint efforts of Old Master Sun, Altar Master Tang, and the Red Lantern Society’s little manager. Especially that little manager; his final palm strike had made a significant impact, knocking the Demon Corpse head over heels before he hopped away. It was clear his dharma method was even more effective against the Demon Corpse than those of Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang. Wouldn’t inviting him over directly be better than this empty discussion?
What little manager or not, doesn’t he have a name? When this was mentioned, Immortal Miaoshan couldn’t help but furrow her brows. That Hu... What was his name again? That little manager surnamed Hu... and this Demon Corpse... She understood the whole situation regarding them, yet she knew she couldn’t rely on him.
She already knew the origins of this Demon Corpse.
The old Worship of the Red Lantern Society and Old Master Sun had privately approached her. The old Worship had long since recognized that this Demon Corpse was Zhuang Erchang’s Disciple. Between the lines, there were many accusations against the One Coin Sect, even demands for compensation. They claimed that it was because the One Coin Sect had secretly recruited Zhuang Erchang, which led to Zhuang Erchang wanting to sell the mine to the One Coin Sect in private. This foolish act of sealing a living person within the mine had resulted in this evil incident.
The talk of betrayal or not is all typical of Martial Artists, so that was left unsaid. But with this Demon Corpse having become such a threat and causing harm all around, the One Coin Sect couldn’t shirk this responsibility. This self-assertive speech left even Old Master Sun feeling guilty, and he secretly agreed to provide more grain to the blood food mine, but it left Immortal Miaoshan completely confused.
What a mess? At the start, I didn’t even know about this! Zhuang Erchang wasn’t even considered part of the One Coin Sect, let alone involved in any major plans. I had merely instructed the various Magic Kings and my confidants to make more preparations. But since many preparations were to be made, there were naturally many tasks, and I didn’t have the time to inquire about each one. That’s why Old Master Sun and the Magic King went to the mine; they themselves weren’t sure if it was the legendary treasure capable of commanding the Yin Army, so they didn’t explain it to me in detail, only informing me after the accident happened. So how did it all end up being my fault?
In any case, Immortal Miaoshan was unwilling to accept this blame. Regarding Calculation’s demand for compensation, she firmly refused. At most, I’ll give him a few Blood Food Pills, and that’s only out of consideration for the little manager at the mine!
Of course, what was private was private. Publicly, it wouldn’t be discussed. Otherwise, if it became known that the Demon Corpse was related to the One Coin Sect, would this Lantern Festival still be held? Her reputation would be completely ruined.
And she was the one who understood better than anyone the reason the little manager had driven away the Demon Corpse. That wasn’t due to any skill of the little manager; it was the power of the Great Mighty Sky General Seal. The Heavenly General Seal, utilizing the Qi Eating Cultivation Method, is exceedingly powerful, but the backlash is also severe. Each use weakens one’s destiny, a fate even immortals cannot avert. I’ve already told him to wash away this dharma method, so of course, I can’t expect him to come back and fight to the death.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, she could only furrow her brows and say, "I’ve already asked him. His ability to repel the Demon Corpse was coincidental. In truth, it was because the Demon Corpse was severely injured and happened to suffer another setback, so it escaped. But why is everyone being so timid? The previous night caught us off guard, so that creature managed to break in and harm people. Now, with so many experts among us, any one of whom would be a renowned name outside, can’t we deal with a single Demon Corpse if we all put our heads together? If word of this gets out, what great blessing and virtue can we, the One Coin Sect, speak of? What about the descent of a deity to save the common people?"
With these words, the crowd suddenly quieted. Bai Shanzi chimed in at the right moment, "The Sect Hierarch is right. Early this morning, I dispatched the talismanic armor soldiers to track this Demon Corpse outside. If we can find it during the day, with the advantage of the strong daylight, we can burn it to ashes. What major problem could it cause then? Even if, worst-case scenario, we can’t find it, as long as we’re prepared and lure it into a trap, we have the confidence to fight it without letting it harm anyone again. Last night, we all saw it. The most bizarre aspect of this creature was its ability to command vindictive souls and defile Magical Treasures. But while the Demon Corpse might be hard to deal with, surely we can handle vindictive souls? Our One Coin Sect is shielded by the four great deities. If there’s more trouble, we can directly mobilize the talismanic armor army to guard all parts of the town. Then we can request a decree to suppress its yin qi and Vengeful Ghosts. Why worry about not being able to deal with this thing?"
Listening to them, the crowd’s faces finally eased a bit.
To put it bluntly, they weren’t even sure if the Demon Corpse would return that night. It was just that the previous day’s commotion had left everyone deeply uneasy. Now, countless disciples and assistants in the town, their own people, were all waiting for their command. If they truly couldn’t protect everyone, they would have to take advantage of the daylight to leave this cursed place.
Now that they had finally come up with a semblance of a plan, they began to disperse—some to catch up on sleep, others to sharpen their blades.
"Not good, something’s happened—!"
But before people had even returned to their rooms, sudden panicked shouts from outside in the town reached their ears. Instantly taken aback, they exchanged glances and rushed out to the street in front of the inn. Far in the distance, they saw a group of people fleeing in panic and disarray, pushing carts and leading horses, their faces pale, uttering cries of distress.
"What’s happening?"
They all rushed towards them, shouting for an explanation. As they glanced at the carts, their faces changed slightly in shock; the carts were filled with injured people, blood-soaked, some with limbs torn off.
Has that creature returned? No, this is broad daylight. Can that Demon Corpse be so formidable that it doesn’t even fear the sun?
Seeing this left everyone alarmed. Then they heard someone in the fleeing crowd shouting, "It’s all ruined, everything’s ruined this time! There’s an Evil demon blocking the path outside; we can’t get out—!"
"What the hell?"
Hearing this, everyone was taken aback, a dreadful premonition welling up from the depths of their hearts.
