Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 348 Thoughts of the Yin Clan, Yellow Sulfur Changes Hands (6K words presented, it's the end of the month, please support with monthly tickets~)

Kong Jufu and Cheng Xinzhan waited in the cave. The former felt his life was hanging by a thread, in the hands of others, and naturally, each day felt like an eternity. The latter, on the other hand, closed his eyes and pondered, recalling what he had seen and heard since arriving on the island.

The number of corpses was far greater than imagined, and their strength was considerable.

His emerald eyes possessed the ability to see into the netherworld and discern the timeline of a zombie's transformation. In the short journey from landing on the island to entering Tang Yusheng's cave, he saw corpses that were a hundred years old, two hundred years old, from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and from the Tang and Song dynasties, spanning over several thousand years.

This further confirmed his suspicions, which was also the reason why he went to great lengths to infiltrate Corpse Island.

People die all the time.

Moreover, it's not just humans, but also demons, spirits, and monsters who have cultivated to a high level.

After these beings die, naturally three kinds of Yin races will be born: ghosts, corpses, and bones.

The righteous path actually has the ability to educate the Yin race. Whether it is raising corpses, raising ghosts, or raising bones, there are related methods. However, the righteous path regards these as minor paths and is ashamed of them, so it is unwilling to promote them. Under such influence, the disciples of the righteous path are also unwilling to practice the way of controlling Yin and commanding ghosts.

In fact, in ancient times, there was nothing wrong with this kind of custom; it could even be said to be a manifestation of following the rules.

But times have changed!

The underworld has been absent from the world for a long time, and no one knows what it is like now. Neither the celestial realm nor the mortal realm has been connected with the underworld. All that is known now is that the cycle of reincarnation is still operating normally—no, actually it's not operating normally anymore. It is said that the Buddhist disciple of Mount Song is a person of innate wisdom, which means that even such a major event as reincarnation has gone wrong.

Who still sees Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, and the Day and Night Wanderers these days?

The current cultivation community speculates that the most likely scenario is that the Underworld, like the Heavenly Court, has systematically withdrawn from the world. A worse scenario is that the Underworld is in turmoil and has deliberately severed its connection with the mortal realm. The worst-case scenario is that the entire Underworld has been destroyed.

All that people know right now is that the cycle of reincarnation is still in operation.

The problem is that while the Heavenly Court has disappeared, the sun and moon continue to revolve, and celestial phenomena such as wind, rain, thunder, and lightning persist. Cultivators who reach a certain level of spiritual attainment can still ascend to heaven as usual. However, once the Underworld ceases to govern, the souls that, for various reasons, did not reincarnate become wandering ghosts in the mortal realm. Furthermore, the corpses and bones that, for various reasons, develop sentience—these Yin beings are left unattended!
Therefore, the Xu Clan's Ghost Kingdom grew rapidly and dominated the north; therefore, the White Bone Zen Temple had a constant stream of followers, and the Xuanmen sect repeatedly tried to exterminate it without success; therefore, the Three Corpses built an island and received a hundred responses, and their arrogance only increased under the siege of the Haoran Alliance.

Even without the active maintenance of the underworld, the world is orderly and governed by its own rules. After death, most people are reincarnated normally, and the possibility of them becoming ghosts in the mortal world is not high. However, this is due to the large number of people and the long duration of time. These ghosts who have gained sentience and wander in the mortal world, neglected by the underworld and rejected by the righteous path, naturally end up in the arms of demonic sects.

After the exorcism of Tianqiao Mountain, there is an even larger Three Corpse Island; after the destruction of Corpse Soul Valley, there is a Xu Clan Ghost Kingdom with a million ghost soldiers.

All of this is useless if the problem isn't addressed at its root. As the saying goes, everyone dies eventually; there's always a mortal race, and there's always a spirit race. How can you possibly kill them all?

The righteous path must establish its own Yin Clan sect!
Even if the Taoist and Buddhist sects are unwilling to take it on, they should at least support a side sect to rise up. In any case, they absolutely cannot let the demonic sects take over.

How does one establish a Yin Clan sect from scratch? How does a Yin Clan sect operate and manage?
Cheng Xinzhan didn't know, but he knew that such things couldn't be understood in the mountains, so he came to the East Sea to infiltrate the Three Corpses Cult.

Moreover, he clearly knew that his purpose in coming to the East Sea was to eliminate the demon lord, not to eliminate the Yin Clan.

When the Three Corpses Cult was first founded, there were only three corpses. Over the years, a continuous stream of walking corpses have come to join the Three Corpses Cult, reaching a staggering 100,000. Are they all demons?

not necessarily.

Should we kill them all?

Of course not, what they lack is only the guidance and education of the right path.

Compared to the deeply entrenched Xu Clan Ghost Kingdom and the White Bone Zen Temple, the Three Corpses Sect, which has expanded rapidly in recent years, is the most likely to be reformed and its core members preserved. Executing the ringleaders, eliminating the demons, preserving the conscience of the Yin Clan, and guiding them to reform and form their own sect—this is Cheng Xinzhan's true purpose in coming to the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses. As for instigating conflict between the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses and the forces of Linhai, causing internal strife in the Canghai Sea, that's just a convenient side effect.

Moreover, while attempting to dismantle the Three Corpses Sect, Cheng Xinzhan naturally wouldn't stand idly by while the Yin Clan of the Demonic Sect continued to grow stronger. Upon leaving Juqu Mountain, his bamboo clone returned to Mingzhi Mountain, had already spoken with Wen Sukong, and was currently talking with people from the Capital Academy…

Lost in thought, Tang Yusheng had already returned.

He didn't sit down, but simply said,
"The day after tomorrow at dusk, around 5 PM, go to Tongye Island. Have Huang Laosan go there alone with a nautical chart of the Huangliu Island waters."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan and Kong Jufu were overjoyed, knowing that the Crimson Corpse God had agreed. The two immediately stood up, bowed repeatedly to express their gratitude, and then took their leave.

"Thank you for conveying this message, General. I will certainly report your hard work to the Island Lord. As we are now of the same religion, I will need your continued care!"

Cheng Xinzhan cupped his hands in greeting.

Tang Yusheng nodded, looked at Cheng Xinzhan, and said,

"If we really become family, you'll work under me from now on."

Cheng Xinzhan showed a look of unexpected joy, thanked him repeatedly, and then pointed to Kong Jufu.
"General, this brother of mine..."

"all come."

"Thank you, General!"

Cheng Xinzhan and Kong Jufu bowed repeatedly before leaving.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Two days later, the sun sank into the sea.

Huang Laosan returned home under cover of night.

Cheng Xinzhan was waiting for him at the Tower of No Return.

The mountain of flesh, Huang Laosan, knelt on the ground, his face beaming with joy and awe at surviving a calamity, and cried out...
"Your Excellency is a master strategist, a divine strategist. The Divine Lord has already removed the leeches from this humble person!"

Huang Laosan's face lit up with joy because the deadly threat had been eliminated. He would no longer have to eat those disgusting things every day. He vowed that he would never eat fish again in his life.

The awe stemmed from the awe of the Crimson Corpse God's methods. The leech that had caused him so much pain and left him helpless was utterly insignificant in the hands of the Crimson Corpse God, and he subdued it in no time. More importantly, the Crocodile King was not alerted!

Furthermore, there was even greater awe directed at the person before him. His own body was laid bare under the illumination of the Crimson Corpse God, and even the tiny leeches hidden in his intestines were easily discovered, along with many of the little secrets hidden in his acupoints. However, the "Withering and Flourishing Life-Slaying Curse" hidden deep within the temporarily restored liver and the fire talisman hidden in the heart remained undiscovered from beginning to end.

Who exactly is this Feng Bielu?

Furthermore, due to the existence of the Fire Talisman, Huang Laosan never dared to risk informing the Crimson Corpse God about the Fire Talisman and the Liver Curse.

"That's good."

Cheng Xinzhan already knew. He waved his hand, and a wisp of pure white flame floated out from Huang Laosan's heart.

The true fire of samadhi.

This is another application of Cheng Xinzhan's mental supernatural power, "Mind-Intent Illumination Flame".

"Mind-Reading Flame" was originally Cheng Xinzhan's self-developed "mind-reading" supernatural power, used to communicate with people's thoughts. Later, inspired by the "Life-Destroying Curse," he created a second use: it can be condensed into a spark and placed into the mind of another person to listen to their thoughts.

Whether it's the Liver Curse or the Fire Seed, the effectiveness of such supernatural powers depends on the difference in cultivation level between the caster and the recipient, and the interplay between their life-sustaining supernatural abilities. As for Huang Laosan, both his cultivation level and life-sustaining abilities are far inferior to Cheng Xinzhan's, so he has no choice but to surrender.

Before Huang Laosan went to meet the Crimson Corpse God, he planted a seed of fire in Huang Laosan's heart, a seed of talisman formed from Samadhi True Fire. Once Huang Laosan revealed his existence and was overheard, this tiny seed of fire would instantly burn Huang Laosan to nothingness from the inside out, ensuring that even the Crimson Corpse God would not be left alive.

However, now that the matter was settled, Cheng Xinzhan withdrew the flames. Although this supernatural power was quite intimidating, it also had a flaw: eavesdropping on others' thoughts was not a pleasant experience.

As we all know, there are some strange things that people don't say aloud, but they keep muttering to themselves. More often than not, the noise of their inner thoughts is even difficult for the person expressing them to control. Therefore, constantly listening to the inner thoughts of others is quite a mentally taxing task for the spellcaster.

Furthermore, if even one's innermost thoughts are being monitored, the pressure on the person being monitored would be immense, and might even drive them insane.

"I'm not used to eavesdropping on others, so I took back the fire talisman. However, my methods are more numerous and sophisticated than you can imagine. Don't make a mistake in the future."

Cheng Xinzhan said.

Old Huang breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed repeatedly.
"From now on, I will follow the lead of the immortal."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded.
“Red Corpse gave you a set of command flags and marked the sea chart you brought with you. Let me see it.”

Huang Laosan immediately pulled out a red triangular command flag embroidered with dragons and a nautical chart, and handed them over. At this moment, he finally dared to whisper something to himself, thinking to himself that he had indeed been listening the whole time, and that he was glad he hadn't done anything foolish.

Cheng Xinzhan examined the command flag, his brows furrowing slightly—he sensed a trace of imperial might emanating from it.

He immediately had a bad feeling:

Perhaps some items from the remains of the Red-Haired Ancestor were used in the making of these command flags. These command flags should also be part of the same set as the protective array on Fire Dragon Island.

Then he looked at the nautical chart that Huang Laosan had prepared.

The nautical chart shows the waters around Huangliu Island, the locations of all the islands and reefs actually controlled by Huang Laosan, as well as the distribution of large underwater mountains and fissures. All of this, gathered on a single chart, can roughly indicate the geomantic patterns of a region's waters, providing crucial information about a maritime power.

Now, the nautical chart has been marked with numerous symbols by the Red Corpse, and Huang Laosan needs to plant all these command flags on the marked islands, reefs, and seamounts before dawn. Because even with the Red Corpse God's abilities, he can only conceal the killing of the leeches for six hours. By tomorrow, the Alligator King will be able to discover that the leeches he planted in Huang Laosan's stomach are dead.

Huang Laosan needs to ensure that the waters around Huangliu Island are under the control of the Red Corpse God before the Crocodile King discovers them, in order to prevent any unknown contingency plans planted by the Crocodile King in this area.

After looking at the sea chart for a while, Cheng Xinzhan could tell that Chi Shi's mastery of formations was truly remarkable. If he were to mark it himself, he would be at about the same level.

Once the Fire Dragon Array Flags are planted at these marked locations, they can indeed influence the energy of this sea area, turning it into the Red Corpse's home ground. Moreover, if a real battle with the Crocodile King is to be fought at sea, having such prior preparation will allow the Red Corpse Dao Domain to exert its power even more effectively.

"Let's go, together."

Cheng Xinzhan returned the nautical chart and half of the battle flags to Huang Laosan, and then began to set up the flags in the night.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day, at dawn, a fierce and violent aura erupted from the southwest of Huangliu Island and rapidly approached it.

Cheng Xinzhan and Kong Jufu became Huang Laosan's new confidants and were cultivating in front of the No Return Tower on Huangliu Island, where the spiritual energy was most abundant.

Cheng Xinzhan was the first to sense the aura coming from the southwest, which was the direction of the Crocodile King's Dojo, Half Moon Island. This earth-shattering aura was the kind of power that only the Four Realms could exude.

Next up was Huang Laosan, who rushed out of the Tower of No Return, his face filled with fear. He looked around, sometimes towards Half Moon Island, sometimes towards Fire Dragon Island.

Then came Kong Jufu and the others on the island, all of whom were panicked, not knowing what had happened or what to do.

"Huang Tianzhi! How dare you defy this king!"

A thunderous shout grew louder as it approached, accompanied by a golden light flying in from the southwest. As the light drew nearer, its true form became clear: a massive golden mace, the size of a small mountain!

The giant hammer fell, flying straight towards the location of the Tower of No Return on Yellow Sulfur Island, making a whistling sound as it tore through the air.

At the same time, the cultivators on Huangliu Island also screamed in terror and scattered in all directions.

But neither Cheng Xinzhan nor Huang Laosan moved; instead, they looked in the direction of Fire Dragon Island.

"King of Alligators, you have quite the temper."

Sure enough, a beam of fire came from the northeast, enveloping a perfectly round elixir. This elixir looked about the size of a walnut, but it shot directly toward the golden mace as big as a small mountain.

"clang!"

The two treasures collided, producing a thunderous roar.

The residual power of the magical weapon caused a hurricane to sweep across Huangliu Island, raising dust and causing almost everyone to cover their heads and ears, rolling on the ground. Some people who had fled the island after seeing the golden mace fall were now shaken by the loud noise, their blood and qi becoming disordered, and they fell into the sea.

After the two magical treasures clashed, it seemed that the small pill still had the advantage. The golden mace flew back, while the pill remained motionless, suspended above Yellow Sulfur Island.

Immediately, Cheng Xinzhan saw the cinnabar pearl radiate light, which then solidified into a human shape.

This is a barefoot, bald boy who looks only five or six years old. He only has a red cloth around his waist, and the rest of his body is exposed. His body is covered with flame patterns, and on his chest is a roaring dragon head with bared teeth.

Cheng Xinzhan's gaze sharpened. The boy exuded not only the overwhelming power of the Fourth Realm, but also the domineering and majestic dragon might!

The Crimson Corpse actually refined the Dragon Ball of the Red-Haired Ancestor into an external avatar!

After the golden hammer flew backward, it was caught in mid-air by a giant hand and brought to a steady stop.

The owner of the giant hand was over thirty feet tall, extremely burly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. He wore a suit of gleaming golden scale armor, a helmet on his head, and held a golden mace in each hand. But what was most striking was his belly, which bulged high, making him the only thing one could notice at a glance. It stretched his armor out of shape, making him look like a giant teapot.

"King of Alligators, what brings you here to attack my Yellow Sulfur Island?"

The Crimson Corpse God looked at the Alligator King and said with a smile.

The Alligator King's gaze sharpened, both because the Crimson Corpse had created an external avatar and because of his words.

"Your Yellow Sea Island?"

he asks.

"Welcome, Your Majesty!"

On Huangliu Island, Huang Laosan looked up at the red corpse, knelt down and shouted, his face resolute.

He knew that at this point, there was no room for appeasement; only by clinging tightly to the crimson corpse's leg could he have any chance of survival.

Red Corpse looked at the Alligator King with a smile still on his face, but did not answer the Alligator King's question, or rather, someone else had already answered it for him.

The Alligator King didn't even glance at Huang Laosan. He stared directly at the Crimson Corpse and instantly understood. It was only possible that the Crimson Corpse had cured Huang Laosan of the leech worms. As for whether Fire Dragon Island had approached Yellow Sulfur Island first, or vice versa, it didn't matter anymore. The result was that Huang Laosan betrayed them, and the Crimson Corpse took over.

The Demon King's face was extremely grim, his chest and abdomen heaving violently, and a low rumble of thunder emanated from his belly. He was naturally burning with rage. For so many years, no one had ever dared to betray him, and no one had ever dared to humiliate him like this. How dare Huang Tianzhi? How dare Chi Shi?
"Your Majesty has crafted a fine avatar; I wonder if it suits your needs?"

The Alligator King suddenly changed the subject, but his expression remained as unpleasant as ever.

The Crimson Corpse God smiled and simply said,

"Never tried it."

The alligator king laughed upon hearing this, revealing a mouthful of crooked, twisted fangs.

"Then why not give it a try?"

The Crimson Corpse God blinked.
"Oh? Then I wonder if Your Majesty would be interested?"

"There's no time like the present, so I'm willing to give it a try for the Divine Lord. But I don't know if, without the Dragon Corpse in hand, the Divine Lord's mere avatar can withstand my golden hammer! I'm afraid that if the Divine Lord's body is injured, our neighborly relationship will be ruined."

The alligator king moved his wrists with both hands, and with a casual flick of his hammer, it produced a sharp, piercing sound.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Red Corpse laughed loudly.

"It's alright, it's alright, King Crocodile, just keep using your strength."

"it is good!"

The Alligator King responded and then flew into the sky.

The Crimson Corpse unleashed a crimson whip, which followed closely behind, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

On Huangliu Island, Huang Laosan was already drenched in sweat. At this moment, seeing the two fourth-realm beings fly away, he could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

"Rumble--"

At this moment, thunder rumbled in the sky again, accompanied by a high-pitched dragon's roar.

Huang Laosan looked up, but could only see flashes of magical light and the light of thunder and fire shining on the dome, but could not see the two people fighting.

Then, he turned his head to look at Cheng Xinzhan and found that he was also looking up.

Cheng Xinzhan was indeed watching the battle. He activated his magic eye and was able to detect the traces of the two people on the first level of heaven.

Unexpectedly, the Alligator King was so skilled in thunder magic, and his thunder magic differed from that of Taoism. It required no incantations or rituals, allowing him to act at will, seemingly a kind of innate supernatural power. Similarly, the Crimson Corpse's fire magic was also unexpectedly advanced. His flames should be the innate dragon fire of the Brocade Dragon, and the dragon shape formed after being released was indistinguishable from a real dragon, wandering in the sea of ​​thunder.

The battle lasted for nearly half an hour, after which the thunder and roar of fire gradually subsided.

The alligator king grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. This wasn't his first encounter with the Crimson Corpse, but the last time, the Crimson Corpse had fought him while controlling a dragon, and he had to admit that the Crimson Corpse's ability to control corpses was indeed extraordinary; the brocade dragon in his hands seemed almost alive. The brocade dragon was among the five pseudo-dragons, while the alligator dragon was an outsider, so it was understandable that the alligator king hadn't gained the upper hand. But this time, the Crimson Corpse could fight him to a standstill with just an avatar—this was truly bizarre!
There's no point in continuing the fight. Even if I use all my trump cards, I can't kill him with one blow. And if I get serious and force the Crimson Corpse to summon the Brocade Dragon, then there'll be no chance of winning.

"The Divine Lord has refined a fine incarnation."

The Alligator King stopped and gave a forced, insincere compliment.

The Crimson Corpse also stopped, looking at the Alligator King with a sincere smile.
"The alligator king's body is incredibly strong, which is truly enviable."

The Alligator King disliked the Red Corpse's gaze intensely, and his anger boiled over. He felt that the Red Corpse was looking at him as if he were a fine corpse.

However, Crimson Corpse was dreaming. How could he not have prepared for his own territory? He could abandon Yellow Sulfur Island, but no one else could take it! Destroy the Spirit Island, drain the earth's energy, and kill the sea beasts. Since Crimson Corpse wanted it so much, he would just give him a Dead Sea! As for Huang Tianzhi, that traitor who sought personal gain, let him be shattered to pieces along with Yellow Sulfur Island!

So, the Alligator King had a sudden thought: he wanted to detonate the "Golden Sun Thunderbolts" that had been buried long ago beneath Yellow Sulfur Island and the surrounding islands. These thunderbolts were set up according to the terrain, and if they were all detonated, they would be enough to collapse the entire Yellow Sulfur Island. At that time, the earth's veins would be severed, the spiritual energy would be disrupted, and sulfur would flow into the sea. Then, let's see what the Crimson Corpse's expression will be, and whether he will still be able to laugh.
However, the next moment, the alligator king's expression changed slightly.

There was no sound coming from beneath my feet!

The Alligator King stared at the crimson corpse, his golden vertical pupils shrinking sharply. He even foresaw this? And how did he sever his connection with the divine thunder?

"Your Majesty's methods are truly remarkable!"

The alligator king spat out a few words through his teeth.

Red Corpse, of course, noticed the subtle change in the Alligator King's expression, but he pretended not to understand the implied meaning, maintaining his repulsive smile as he spoke.

"I also admire the might of the Alligator King."

The Alligator King put away the golden hammer, but he was too lazy to continue the pretense and turned to leave.

Having suffered losses both openly and covertly this time, the Alligator King naturally didn't want to stay here any longer and witness the repulsive face of the Crimson Corpse. At the same time, for the first time in his life, the Alligator King considered seeking allies. He thought it was time to talk to the Cold King, the Turtle King, the Loach King, and even that Black Serpent. If things continued like this, would the Azure Sea belong to the Demon King or the Corpse King?

As soon as the Alligator King turned around, the Crimson Corpse's expression changed instantly, revealing a greedy look as if it had seen a precious treasure.

The alligator dragon has thick, tough skin, which should be refined into a top-quality golden armor corpse. Even if it's not refined into a corpse, peeling off its belly to make a drum would definitely be a fine magic weapon!

Akashi couldn't help but think this.

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(End of this chapter)