Chapter Forty-Seven: The Corpse King

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In funeral feng shui, a "Corpse-Breeding Ground" is considered the most terrifying, dangerous, and taboo type of burial site. When a body is mistakenly buried in such a place, the muscles and internal organs not only fail to decay, but hair, teeth, and nails continue to grow. The corpse absorbs the essence of the sun, moon, earth, mountains, and rivers, partially restoring some bodily functions, transforming the dead spirit into a living one, thus becoming a zombie that roams about, feeding on the life force of the living.

Some of these Corpse-Breeding Grounds produce ordinary zombies born from feng shui treasures, while others give rise to Corpse Kings born from "dragon veins." Since Taoist Li has gone to a Corpse-Breeding Ground, it is very likely the latter—a dragon vein Corpse King.

After walking for a while, Mo Li finally arrived at the Corpse-Breeding Ground, which was easy to identify. A deep canyon with steep rocky cliffs on both sides and dense trees. Within the valley lay a bottomless deep pool. Above the pool was a waterfall, resembling a dragon drawing water from the abyss.

This deep pool is also called the Demon Dragon Pool, which carries a legend. In ancient times, a Miao girl fell in love with an outsider, but her tribe strongly opposed the union and forcibly married her to another Miao man. Refusing to comply, the girl hanged herself. The outsider, upon learning this, was grief-stricken and threw himself into the pool to die.

Since then, the pool frequently emits the agonized roars of a dragon, and many Miao people have mysteriously disappeared there. Thus, it was named Demon Dragon Pool, regarded as forbidden ground by the Miao, who seldom approach it.

In front of the pool, a shabby figure squatted, incessantly writing and drawing, with a large rooster beside him. The rooster was far larger and more robust than ordinary ones, appearing mighty and majestic, but its spirit seemed wilted, like a frostbitten eggplant.

Mo Li approached the shabby figure and cupped his hands in greeting. "Uncle Li, have you discovered anything?"

The shabby figure was none other than that old man Qingfengzi.

"Ah, Mo Li, you’re here. I haven’t found much. I intended to use this chicken to detect the corpse’s trace, but unfortunately, both the chicken and its owner are useless. We didn’t find the corpse, but it led me to this place," the old man said, looking up at Mo Li.

"Is there another corpse about to surface here?" Mo Li frowned. The corpse they were uncertain about—whether it was a corpse demon or a zombie—had yet to be captured. Now, in this dragon vein location, another corpse was about to emerge. Were the heavens truly about to change?

"This corpse shouldn’t be too difficult to handle. Others are also searching for that one with great effort. This time, not only we, but the Quanzhen Sect, the Dragon-Tiger Clan, the Ninth Division, and even those big monks have sent people here."

Mo Li hadn’t expected one corpse to attract such attention from the major sects.

"Then, Uncle Li, shall we capture this dragon vein Corpse King first?"

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"Yes, let’s take it first. This place is too close to the Miao village. That old purple lady is getting old and not skilled at dealing with zombies. If this Corpse King really appears, she might not be able to hold it off."

Mo Li saw the old man busily setting up a formation and began helping with the arrangements. Though the old man spoke lightly, this dragon vein Corpse King was extremely formidable. Any Corpse King typically possessed more than five hundred years of spiritual cultivation as a hairy zombie.

Zombies are generally classified by cultivation level and color: purple, white, green, hairy, and flying zombies. A Corpse King is born a hairy zombie, covered with long hair and possessing bronze-like skin and bones. The higher their cultivation, the tougher their body becomes, impervious to ordinary firearms. They move swiftly, scale walls and roofs with ease, and are agile and fearless of fire, with strong resistance to sunlight.

Just as Mo Li and the old man finished arranging the formation and before they could rest, dark clouds covered the sun. The waterfall above the pool slowed and stopped, and the water level steadily dropped, revealing a massive bronze dragon coffin.

The front of the bronze coffin bore a relief of a human face twisted in agony. The sides were carved with flying birds and running beasts. Covered in ancient inscriptions, the coffin showed no rust despite being submerged for so long.

The rolling dark clouds above crackled with thunder and lightning, as if Heaven itself was furious at this corpse’s emergence, a violation of the natural order.

Mo Li and the old man wore grave expressions. This Corpse King was no ordinary being; it seemed truly like an emperor buried here, now resurrected as a zombie.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the coffin’s lid shattered and flew apart. A tall figure leapt out.

The figure wore a strange hat adorned with animal talismans, its face bluish with two long fangs protruding. Clad in an ancient imperial dragon robe and cloud-patterned boots, it appeared bizarre.

The Corpse King glared with blood-red eyes, looked at Mo Li and the old man, and flew directly toward them.

"First decree: refuse to submit, and the path shall be extinguished into nothingness. Second decree: refuse to submit, and the path shall sever from immortality. Third decree: refuse to submit, beheaded and offered to Heaven. Thunder Lord commands: descend upon my altar swiftly!"

"Heavenly fire and thunder gods, five-directional divine thunder. Earthly fire and thunder gods, subdue demons and exorcise evil. Evil spirits, retreat! Announce my imperial decree. Swift as an edict, summon thunder!"

As the old man activated the thunder formation, Mo Li hurled his Five-Thunder talisman. Lightning filled the sky, turning the pitch-black heavens brilliantly bright, like daylight.

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Lightning struck again and again like golden dragons, relentlessly battering the Corpse King. The monster roared furiously, howling toward the sky. Black smoke billowed from its body where the lightning hit, and its imperial robe was reduced to tatters.

True to its status as a powerful hairy zombie, the Corpse King’s bronze-like skin and iron bones were incredibly tough. Despite the constant bombardment, it stood firm, its eyes gleaming fiercely as it stared at the old man and Mo Li.

The Corpse King suddenly leapt forward like a cannonball. The old man produced a Golden Body talisman, affixed it to himself, and drew a Golden Coin Sword as he charged the Corpse King.

Mo Li also drew a short dagger, about seven and a half inches long with a wooden handle. The blade was bright and cold as a mirror, its edge glowing with a faint chilling light that seemed to flow constantly.

This dagger was originally a burial item from an ancient tomb. After the tomb’s owner became a zombie and was defeated by the old man, who slays demons and upholds Heaven’s law, the old man confiscated the dagger, recognizing it as no ordinary weapon. He later gifted it to Mo Li.

According to the old man—though he might be boasting—the dagger was formed from leftover molten metal from the forging of the legendary sword of the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan. As the molten metal cooled and solidified at the bottom of the furnace, it naturally shaped into a blade. The Yellow Emperor deemed its innate sword intent too strong and potentially harmful to its wielder. He tried to destroy it with the Xuanyuan sword, but the dagger transformed into a cloud magpie and vanished into the red clouds.

Later, it was obtained by Emperor Wu of Han and gifted to Dongfang Shuo, who named it Minghong.

Mo Li charged forward with the dagger, and the two clashed fiercely with the Corpse King. The monster was formidable; its sharp black claws seemed ready to pierce through Mo Li and the old man at any moment. After a while, the Corpse King appeared irritated. It howled toward the heavens, releasing a massive cloud of black corpse qi. Mo Li and the old man quickly retreated.

"Heaven and Earth unite with me, I unite with Heaven and Earth. Deities and mortals come to me, I go to them. Now encountering evil demons, I respectfully summon Shangqing, calling upon the ancestral masters of all generations to descend and aid me," the old man chanted as he retreated, gathering a mysterious power around him. Soon, he seemed transformed.

The old man was performing the Maoshan Summoning Technique. This technique has three levels: Lower Mao summons local spirits with cultivation, Middle Mao calls on fellow sect ancestors or historical figures, and Upper Mao truly summons gods. However, Upper Mao is extremely harmful to the body, so even high-level Taoists avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.