Please call me Dadaozu

Chapter 418 Demonic Golden Core: A Heretical Cultivator? (4000 words)

Zhang Yuanzhu lowered his arm and casually placed it on the long, white ruler at his waist. Strands of Buddhist light emanated from his body, compassionately guiding people.

His double pupils were calm as he surveyed the zombie that had landed in front of him.

A tall, middle-aged man with a blank expression, wearing tattered armor, had scarlet hair growing on his skin that intertwined and formed bizarre patterns.

This is a zombie that has reached the end of the third step of the Qi Condensation stage. It is extremely powerful and has now had most of its corpse energy and negative aura dissipated.

Zhang Yuanzhu raised his free hand, his knuckles slightly bent, and gently tapped the corpse.

Dang~
Amidst the clanging of metal, the corpse trembled, and its red fur fluttered.

"Zombies born naturally and by chance are quite rare."

The young man withdrew his hand, his eyes gleaming.

For him, this zombie was of great value; after refining it and nurturing it a little, he could advance it to a higher level.

Most importantly, a brand new path to corpse refining.

It should be noted that he has considerable talent in the art of corpse refining and has even obtained a corpse refining inheritance that allows him to refine corpses up to the Condensation Realm.

But that's all. After the corpse is refined into a jade-armored corpse, there is no way forward, and it doesn't even know where to go next. It is trapped at the first step of condensing evil.

And now.
Zhang Yuanzhu smiled slightly, spread his five fingers, and cast a series of magic seals towards the zombie.

roar~
The red-haired zombie had a ferocious face with protruding fangs and let out low growls.

Strands of corpse energy appeared out of thin air and continued to gather.

The young man's smile widened, and in the blink of an eye, a beam of Buddha's light flashed across his face.

puff!
The corpse's aura dissipated instantly, vanishing completely.

The hand seals in his palms shifted and changed, like butterflies flitting among flowers, possessing a strange beauty.

At the same time, streams of light were generated and entered the zombie's body.

Hoho~
The zombie growled, its true nature suppressed.

Within his dantian, chains formed and began to coil around the nine-layered spiritual platform.

Outside the body, the red corpse hair began to melt, turning into strands of blood flowing across the skin.

As time passed, the spells changed more and more rapidly, and the zombies' roars grew deeper and deeper.

Until there was no further movement.

call out!
Another beam of light struck the zombie's body.

Zhang Yuanzhu slowly lowered his raised hand, gazing with satisfaction at the corpse-refining process before him.

The zombie's red hair disappeared, turning into scarlet lines branding its skin. Its body also shrank, now standing at only eight feet tall.

The corpse refining ritual was successful!
The young man felt exhilarated. As expected of the ruins of a true demonic lord, though there were dangers, there were also many opportunities.

Unlike the ruins of the True Lord of the Righteous Path, where it's all about cultivating the mind or competing in comprehension, and the rewards are not even selectable.

As he pondered, the Buddha's light around him dissipated, and the golden Buddha robe lost its brilliance, turning into a crimson color.

Zhang Yuanzhu slapped his storage bag, and two orbs of light floated out, hovering in front of the corpse refiner.

A scarlet bead, as red as blood, was surrounded by a faint blood mist; a wide black robe floated up and down in the radiance.

With a flick of his finger, the young man caused the tattered armor of the corpse to fall off, revealing a black robe draped over its body.

Then he turned his gaze to the scarlet beads.

The Blood-Burning Pearl, a low-grade evil artifact given by the Blood Sea lineage, is currently unusable by him, but can be used as a tool for attacking corpses.

Before he could finish thinking, the bead had already floated into the corpse's arms.

same moment
boom!
The pitch-black coffin fell to the ground, the lid opened, and wisps of blood and demonic energy spilled out.

The corpse took a step forward, entered the coffin, and lay down directly.

boom!
The coffin lid was closed.

Zhang Yuanzhu waved his sleeves, putting away the black coffin, before scanning his surroundings.

The countless wronged souls and the sea of ​​ghosts vanished, leaving only silence in the world, with him standing alone.

Carrying a ruler, he walked forward step by step toward the end of the world.

A fierce wind howled, the night faded, and a bright moon hung in the sky, casting rays of moonlight that illuminated the tall, slender figure.

Zhang Yuanzhu was gone for five days.

Guided by the moonlight, he arrived at a palace.

The palace is majestic, its walls are mottled, and it exudes a sense of antiquity and vicissitude.

Crimson Shadow stood before the bronze gate, his double pupils deep and unfathomable, surveying the palace.

What I got was a blurry mess, and I couldn't see what was inside.

The young man remained silent and did not enter immediately. One could never be too cautious about the ruins set up by the Demon Lord.

As for Muqiu Tian's various backup plans for the True Lord, they have long since disappeared with the passage of time, so they cannot be entirely believed.

After all, the trials he experienced in the ruins did not resemble those of that True Lord.
They're all dead!
In the blink of an eye, he pulled his hand out of the air, and a divine sword stained with purple-gold blood appeared in his palm.

At the same time, a jade bracelet appeared on her wrist, emitting a faint jade glow.

Rings of purple lightning erupted from his body, hovering above and below, making him appear like a deity descending to earth.

Once everything is ready.

Zhang Yuanzhu held the divine sword in one hand and reached out with the other to press against the door.

Crunch!

With a forceful push of the palm, the door was opened.

Boom~
A putrid aura wafted over, but before it could get close, it was extinguished by streaks of purple light.

Zhang Yuanzhu remained expressionless as he stepped over the threshold and slowly walked in.

The palace was spacious, yet it was covered in rust. Strange stones floated in the air, emitting various colors of light and illuminating the halls.

Deep within the palace, a blood-red throne stands atop ninety-nine steps.

"Corpse?"

Zhang Yuanzhu gripped the sword hilt tightly with his five fingers, gazing at the skeleton seated on the throne.

It was a human-looking skeleton, leaning against the throne, one hand supporting its skeletal face, its empty eyes gazing at the crimson shadow.

Behind the throne, a blood-red battle flag emitted wisps of mist.

Upon seeing this, the young man frowned slightly, glanced at the corpses, then looked at the battle flag and slowly uttered a few words:
"magic weapon!"

He had sensed the aura emanating from the blood-red battle flag on the pure white spire before.

It lacks some of the dynamism, but it does resemble a pure white spire.

In that case, the white skeleton sitting on the throne would naturally be...
True Lord!

Zhang Yuanzhu looked solemn and did not choose to leave, but instead strode forward.

Ta-ta-ta~
The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in the hall.

He descended the steps one by one, looked up with his head held high, a smile spreading across his face, unrestrained and arrogant:
"Do you have no energy left?"

tower!
He took a single step, traversing ninety-nine steps, and appeared before the throne.

A fair hand reached out from beneath the surrounding radiance toward the battle flag.

It was forceful and direct, without the slightest hesitation.

At this moment, the blood-red flag, which had remained motionless until now, changed for the first time.

Huhu~
Battle flags fluttered, blood mist churned, and streaks of crimson light, imbued with profound Daoist principles, surged forward.

Zhang Yuanzhu remained calm and unsurprised, his sword-wielding hand slashing out in reverse.

In an instant, a dazzling sword light burst forth, tearing through the blood and slashing towards the white skeleton.

At the same moment, the outstretched hand suddenly slammed downwards, striking the wreckage.

Strands of cyan-gold lightning erupted from his fingertips, radiating an aura of supreme yang and unyielding power, capable of vanquishing evil and demons.

Everything changed in an instant, and everyone turned to attack the corpse on the throne.

Just as the sword light and thunder were about to strike.

Hey~
A soft sigh escaped.

The sword light and thunderclap vanished in an instant.

The remains, which should have been dead, straightened their spines and looked up at the crimson shadow.

"They won't even spare my old bones, where did this demon brat come from?"

A hoarse voice emanated from the bones.

A ripple stirred deep within Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes; this old bastard was indeed not completely dead after all.

From the depths of his soul, his [Special Ability] ignited and erupted, illuminating the divine sword. "Zhang Yuanzhu, disciple of the Scorching Sun Lineage..."

As the words drifted by, a brilliant burst of azure-gold lightning erupted.

Zhang Yuanzhu shattered ninety-nine steps with a single step, his divine sword humming in his hand. With a soft shout, he slashed out:

"We have come here to slay the demon!"

hum~
Like a thunderbolt flashing in the eternal darkness, it tore through the darkness and illuminated the world.

In that instant, the lightning was blinding and the sword light was dazzling. The two intertwined and converged, overpowering the mysterious blood light, and swept towards the white bone skeleton with an extremely violent posture!

Brilliant and fierce, utterly annihilated!
"The Scorching Sun Dharma Lineage?"

The skeleton whispered, a doctrine it had never heard before.

The bone claws reached back and grabbed the flagpole.

With a slight tremor of his hand, a surge of crimson light erupted, transforming into a raging torrent that swept downstream.

The sea of ​​blood was crimson, yet it did not appear evil; instead, it carried a profound and mysterious Daoist charm that captivated and enlightened living beings.

The thunder was blinding, the sword light was dazzling, and the righteous path was majestic.

The two beams traversed space almost instantaneously and collided violently.

boom! Boom! !
Amidst the deafening roar, the sword light and the sea of ​​blood clashed wildly, and in less than a breath, they had already fought nearly a hundred times.

Rumble!
Another deafening roar, accompanied by a sword light crackling with lightning, tore through the sea of ​​blood and struck the skeleton.

In an instant, the skeleton flew backward, the battle flag fell, and then it was engulfed by the sword light.

It is unknown how much time passed before the sword light slowly dissipated, revealing the white bones lying on the ground.

The skeleton was broken in two, its upper half leaning against the wall, gazing at the slender figure. The face, now only bones, changed, seemingly carrying a hint of bitterness and regret.

The other party arrived too late, so late that the passage of time eroded and destroyed the remnant soul, leaving only a trace of obsession; so late that the spirit of the natal artifact dissipated, almost causing it to fall below the level of a magic weapon.

If we had come thousands of years earlier, if we hadn't had that divine sword, everything might have been different.

A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind, but in the end, they all turned into a sigh of resentment:

"The journey has been arduous, but today it is all over!"

"I am but a lonely, broken soul, why should I lament like a true lord?"

A cold voice accompanied the footsteps.

A crimson figure, carrying a divine sword, strode forward, his face indifferent, looking down ahead.

"The true Demon Lord has long since died; you are nothing more than a strange thing born from his remains."

After a brief exchange, Zhang Yuanzhu had already figured out his opponent's strengths and weaknesses.

Compared to the True Lord, he is pitifully weak!
The skeleton remained silent, then chuckled softly:
"You may be right. The True Lord has long since passed away, otherwise how could he be in such a sorry state in front of a junior like you?"

Sections of bone began to tear apart, turning into powder and dissipating.

"It is quite rare to see someone like you, carrying a famous sword from the Sword Sect, using righteous thunder magic, and also being proficient in demonic and unorthodox secret techniques."

"Oh, right, there's also the Buddhist method of salvation."

Ignoring the dissipating remains, the skeleton chuckled softly, uttering each word clearly:
"He's either a rogue cultivator or a disciple from some weak lineage."

Only those who come from independent cultivation backgrounds or weak lineages can have such a diverse and extensive range of knowledge.

Before reaching the Golden Elixir stage, everything in this world is pure and refined. Only when there is no other choice will one be involved in such complex matters as this young man.

Of course, the person in front of us is incredibly talented and proficient in everything they have learned, but what about the future?
How far can one go by cultivating demonic, Taoist, Buddhist, and unorthodox practices?

Zhang Yuanzhu remained indifferent and did not respond, slowly raising his arm.

The skull seemed oblivious to the extremely sharp sword light; it tilted its head slightly, staring directly at the youth.

"Would you be willing to become my disciple and carry on my legacy?"

His voice was frank and sincere.

The crimson figure took a step and lowered its arm.

cut!
The sword light was like a sea, instantly engulfing the remains and scattering in all directions, obliterating all the strange energy within the hall.

After a cup of tea, the divine sword was wielded, and the sword light dissipated.

There was nothing in front of him, not a single corpse.

"I do not want to!"

A demon is a demon. During trials, how can he ignore the vast ocean of wronged souls, bones, and monsters?

I would not take such a creature as my teacher, no matter how great the benefits.

Then, Zhang Yuanzhu walked toward the blood-red battle flag that was stuck diagonally to the side.

He stretched out his hand, grasped the flagpole, and his magical power surged in unimpeded, without any hindrance.

At the same time, a pair of double pupils radiated divine light, seeing through illusions and seeing the essence.

A moment later, a smile appeared on the young man's face.

The spirit of this magical artifact was truly annihilated, leaving no trace whatsoever.

In this case, to unleash the true power of the battle flag, one must rely on the grand formation and its [characteristics], rather than using it on the spirit itself.

That's enough!

He will gain complete control of a magical artifact.

Zhang Yuanzhu carefully stroked the flagpole and examined the flag.

The flagpole is dark black, the flag is bright red, and wisps of mist swirl around it, embodying the principles and truths of the universe.

However, some preventative measures were still necessary. Array patterns spread from his fingertips, encircled the battle flag, and then disappeared.

After an unknown amount of time, the young man murmured to himself:

'Take control!'

In an instant, the battle flag in his hand disappeared.

Deep within the soul, the Seven Treasures Tree swayed, and the mirror surface, formed by the interweaving of blue, red, and purple divine light, underwent a slight change.

Command: [Level 4] Blood Demon Banner (Trait: Substitute Death)

'Take my place!'

Zhang Yuanzhu's calm heart was stirred into ripples.

Such a "characteristic" name is easy to understand: it can help you avoid a life-threatening situation.

The jade bracelet on the wrist has a similar [characteristic]: damage substitution.

He calmed the turmoil in his heart and carefully sensed the changes in his body.

A strange feeling welled up inside him, and he understood.

To avoid death, destroy the flag!
Is that so?

Zhang Yuanzhu murmured to himself.

It's like having a backup plan to take someone's place, even if the cost is the destruction of a magical artifact-level battle flag.

In this way, the room for maneuver in Qingyangzhai Jindan Zhenjun's plan is much greater.

Various thoughts arose in the young man's mind, only to quickly fade away.

Call ~
Exhale.

The young man's spiritual senses surged forth, scanning every minute detail of the palace to ensure nothing was missed.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, the Blood Demon Banner appeared in his palm and swayed gently.

Boom!

The earth shook, the palace swayed, and the perspective shifted rapidly.

When he came to his senses again, he had already returned to the Willow Clan's territory.

Zhang Yuanzhu scanned his surroundings, gazing at the branches swaying in the wind, sensing the rich spiritual energy in the vicinity.

"If it is not necessary to hunt down enemies, one should stay here to cultivate in seclusion."

The young man whispered, his eyes filled with regret.

Now, first find the Dharma Words and the Dharma Law, then kill Jiang Xingye, and you can cultivate in peace and seek opportunities.

A thought came to my mind.

The blood-red battle flag in his hand disappeared, and strands of lightning appeared around him.

The ball of the foot suddenly exerted force.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, traversing the heavens before disappearing into the horizon.

(End of this chapter)