"...Without intense and solitary dedication, decades of study, no understanding of Evil Formation, no merging the sinister intention into consciousness, no using bone as the brush, no using blood as ink, no using corpses as a medium, how could he possibly learn it?"
So when did this youngster learn it?
Zhang Quan wanted to ask, but he couldn't open his mouth at all.
He was already a Divine Thought puppet manipulated by others, without the autonomy of his own body...
After Mo Hua had drawn the Spiritual Pivot Formation on the Elder of the Zombies, he refined the two zombie disciples he had just killed into blue smoke, and then fed it to the Elder to restore some of his strength.
Moments later, the once vague form of the Elder of the Zombies gradually stabilized and he slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze was lost, confused.
What lingered in his memory was the fierce Fireball Technique from Mo Hua.
It soon realized that its body was no longer under its control.
It was manipulated by Mo Hua, standing together with Zhang Quan and Elder Song. Its mouth was also sewn shut with threads of spiritual power, so it could not speak but only exchange a simple glance with Elder Song.
The emotions conveyed in that glance were extremely complex.
It had finally understood Elder Song's dilemma.
Their fate was no longer in their own hands.
Instead, it lay in the hands of the cute-looking yet terrifying young monk beside them...
With three Iron Corpses in hand, Mo Hua continued to lie in wait.
He remembered Elder Song saying that the Zhang Family's ancestral zombie was sustained by the divine thoughts and bloodlines of its descendants and would not consume them directly.
Although Mo Hua was unclear about the specifics of this sustenance, logically, the Zhang Family's ancestor should not enter his Sea of Consciousness.
Unless he captured all the Zhang Family elders in one swoop...
Before long, two more Iron Corpse Elders from the Zhang Family entered Mo Hua's Sea of Consciousness.
Mo Hua followed suit.
This time it was three against two, a chaotic melee.
Once they had exhausted their tricks and the fight was nearly over, Mo Hua would make his move. Using the Fireball Technique, Water Prison Technique, and Earth Fire Formation concurrently, he would quickly resolve the two elders.
Then he would repeat the old trick.
Laying out the Spiritual Pivot Formation, he took control over the Zhang Family elders.
As a result, the Zhang Family lost two more elders, while Mo Hua's hands were graced with two more Iron Corpses.
Mo Hua fished as if he were angling.
One by one.
Each time he caught one, his basket held one more fish, and the river one less.
In the Ancestral Master Picture of the Zhang Family, all elders at the Iron Corpse Realm were Mo Hua's fish...
...
Meanwhile, as Mo Hua "fished," there was also an undercurrent flowing through South Yue City.
All kinds of cultivating forces were converging in the city.
The streets were filled with many new faces.
Unaware Qi Refinement cultivators still toiled for their daily bread, exhausting themselves for mere Spirit Stones.
Those cultivators in the thick of things, however, bore a grave expression.
A storm was brewing, and the tension was palpable.
Yet, they only sensed the wind, the exact nature of the impending storm unknown to them.
Situ Family.
They gathered in a room that was modestly decorated, refined yet concealed. Find exclusive stories on empire
Powers from various factions came together.
These included the Taoist Soldiers' leaders mobilized by the Taoist Court, the Foundation Establishment Elders from the nearby Tao cultivating powers under the Court's command, and the clans and Sects associated with Heaven Shu Pavilion that followed Mr. Zhuang, including a gaunt old man, a youth in white, and a middle-aged cultivator.
...
These clan forces arrived in secret, and the Taoist Soldiers were stationed in an abandoned mine outside the city to stay unseen, to deceive the Lu Family.
At the same time, they also circumvented South Yue City's Taoist Court.
The only Supervisor from South Yue City's Taoist Court present was Situ Fang.
But she was there due to her status as a disciple of the Situ Family and her knowledge of many secrets, which allowed her to partake in this meeting.
The leader of this gathering was a Taoist Soldiers' leader with the surname Yang, at the Qi Foundation Middle Stage, a man with a square face, stern brows and eyes, and a steady demeanor.
Leader Yang spoke directly,
"I am Yang Jishan, serving as a Second Grade leader of the Taoist Soldiers," he said.
"By the Taoist Court's decree, our mission is to suppress the Corpse Mine, arrest Lu Chengyun, seal the Corpse King, and destroy the mass of corpses. We must prevent a Corpse Tide, avoid a catastrophe of zombies, and not let South Yue City's inhabitants suffer a dire fate..."
Leader Yang's gaze was severe as he looked around and said sternly,
"In South Yue City, the Lu Family holds great influence, and there are many zombies in the Corpse Mine."
"Therefore, our actions must be cautious, or we'll surely invite disaster!"
"I ask all of you to follow commands. Should there be any lapses leading to misfortune, and the Taoist Court lays blame, none of us can bear the responsibility."
After Leader Yang finished speaking and saw no dissatisfaction, he nodded and continued,
"For this operation, we will divide into two groups:"
"One group will suppress the Lu Family;"
"Seal the Lu Estate, capture the Foundation Building Cultivators of the Lu Family, restrain their cultivation with Second Grade Spiritual Locks; confine and watch over common Qi Refinement disciples until the dust settles on the Corpse Mine affair, at which point their fate will be determined."
"Innocents must not be killed indiscriminately."
"However, should any descendant of the Lu Family resist, show no mercy!"
"The other group, the cultivators will assemble and, in conjunction with the Taoist Soldiers outside the city, launch a surprise attack on the Corpse Mine."
"Move covertly, strive for a swift resolution, suppress the Corpse Mine, capture Lu Chengyun, and nip the zombie menace in the bud..."
"Next are the specific tactical arrangements..."