Er Wuchang shuddered and quickly straightened his posture. He then saw the Daoist dismiss his attendants before saying to him, "What matter do you wish to report? Come forward and speak."
"A Golden Core inheritance treasure? Is this true?" After Er Wuchang finished recounting the entire story, the drunken haze vanished instantly from the Daoist’s face.
Er Wuchang nodded repeatedly. "Absolutely true. Qi Lao’er’s Foundation Building refined corpse must have come from there."
"Corpse Ghost Immortal..." The Daoist pondered carefully but could not recall any such figure from a hundred years ago.
Suddenly a thought flashed through his mind. Without warning, a streak of sword light shot from his sleeve and instantly pressed against Er Wuchang’s throat. He sneered coldly. "Qi Lao’er obtained a Golden Core inheritance treasure and still dares swagger around meeting you openly? His refined corpse uses Earth Malevolent Qi instead of yin qi. Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? You have quite the nerve to attempt such a clumsy scheme to plot against me!"
"Senior, please see clearly! Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I would never dare plot against you or Jinhen Mountain!" Er Wuchang trembled violently as he hurriedly defended himself. "Qi Lao’er said his refined corpse is comparable to a middle-stage Foundation Building cultivator. He probably thought most seniors had already been dispatched to the front lines. The market is nearly empty now. When the cat's away, the mice will play. That is why he dared to act so brazenly. Qi Lao’er is still in the market right now. Senior, you can verify it easily and see whether I am lying..."
The Daoist narrowed his eyes, surprise entering his voice. "A middle-stage Foundation Building refined corpse?"
He had only recently reached the Foundation Building Realm himself. He might not even be able to defeat such a corpse.
If Er Wuchang truly intended to harm him, there would have been no need to explain everything so clearly.
"Hmph. I’ll spare your useless life for now!" The Daoist withdrew his sword. Seeing the expectant look on Er Wuchang’s face, he snorted. "Go back and continue dealing with Qi Lao’er. Do not reveal anything. If there truly is a Golden Core inheritance treasure, you will receive your share of reward!"
"Yes, Senior!" Er Wuchang’s face filled with delight as he bowed and departed.
The Daoist showed a thoughtful expression. After considering for a moment, he decided to send a message back to his sect and consult several friendly senior brothers to determine whether anyone with the Dharma name Corpse Ghost Immortal had ever existed.
A Golden Core cultivator’s inheritance treasure was extremely tempting.
If his senior brothers came to assist, even if this turned out to be a trap, they could simply crush it outright!
Even Qin Sang had not expected that before his incarnation could parade around with the refined corpse, the news would reach the ears of Jinhen Mountain disciples through sheer coincidence.
Soon, the Daoist received a reply. After reading it, his face filled with astonishment. "So there really was a Golden Core cultivator called Corpse Ghost Immortal. He could refine corpses using Earth Malevolent Qi and was even on good terms with Senior Uncle Wu. However, he had only just gained some reputation before dying on the battlefield. No wonder no one has heard of him. It seems he might have foreseen something and left his inheritance here before being sent to the front lines, which Qi Lao’er ended up obtaining..."
The Daoist immediately sent another message inviting his senior brothers to come assist, lest Qi Lao’er realize something was wrong and flee with the treasure.
Two days later, the incarnation left the market with the refined corpse. Shortly after entering the mountains, his vision suddenly blurred. A man appeared ahead out of thin air, blocking his path.
When he turned to retreat, another person had already appeared behind him. Both were middle-stage Foundation Building cultivators!
Moments later, a third figure stepped out from behind an ancient tree. It was the Daoist from before.
He looked at the refined corpse beside the incarnation with shining eyes, gently waving a feather fan. "I heard Daoist Qi has been blessed with great fortune and obtained the inheritance of a Golden Core cultivator. Would you mind letting us take a look?"
The incarnation remained completely calm. "I’ve been waiting for you."
The three men immediately felt something was wrong. Yet they had carefully checked the surroundings earlier and found nothing unusual.
Before they could react, their bodies suddenly tightened. Darkness filled their vision. In the next instant, they were completely immobilized. Terror flooded their hearts.
The opponent’s strength was far too terrifying. They had not even seen the person appear. No matter how they struggled, the invisible restraints did not move in the slightest.
Just as panic overwhelmed them, a strange voice sounded beside their ears. "You three are quite bold to follow my disciple."
One of them barely managed to steady himself. Discovering that he could speak again, he hurriedly begged. "Senior, I was blind and failed to recognize that Daoist Qi was your disciple. Senior, please be merciful. For the sake that we have not yet caused a great disaster, please spare our lives. I am willing to return to Jinhen Mountain and bring all the treasures from my cave dwelling to present to Daoist Qi as an apology."
They still thought they had been captured because they had provoked Qi Lao’er.
He chuckled. "There is no need to use Jinhen Mountain to threaten me. I'm not frightened so easily. However, for Jinhen Mountain’s sake, if you answer a few of my questions properly, I can spare your useless lives."
The three of them felt somewhat relieved. The other party still had some scruples about their sect after all, so they quickly voiced their agreement.
1. Wuchang also refers to the deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. ☜