Chapter 155 - 150: Completing the Corpse Puppet Refinement, 1-Year Mandatory Mission, Return
Chapter 155: Chapter 150: Completing the Corpse Puppet Refinement, 1-Year Mandatory Mission, Return
Having finished, Lu Zhao let out a long sigh. The entire process had been surprisingly smooth, flowing effortlessly without the slightest hitch. ’Could it be I actually have a bit of a Talent for Corpse Refinement?’ The thought flashed through his mind before he shook his head and dismissed it.
The Corpse Nurturing Chapter of the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill stated that this initial method of setting up the Corpse Nourishing Array was the most basic and easiest part to master. It was akin to polishing components in Puppetry—a matter of practice, not extraordinary Talent. The true difficulty and danger lay in the subsequent Corpse Control, Corpse Refinement, and dealing with the inevitable backlash. However, this was precisely the most useless part for Lu Zhao; after all, he wasn’t actually creating a Zombie.
With the preliminary steps complete, Lu Zhao’s expression turned incredibly grave. What came next was the most critical part of the entire process.
With great care, he retrieved the massive corpse of the Tier Two Strong Demon Ape from the depths of his Storage Bag. It was the core of the Tri-Unity Array Formation and the base material for the Tier Two Corpse Puppet he had placed such high hopes in.
Lu Zhao sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, regulating his breathing for a moment to bring himself to his peak state. Then, he took out a specially crafted bone needle, as fine as an ox hair and jet-black from end to end. Its tip was dipped in Corpse Control Spirit Ink, a concoction refined from Demon Beast Essence Blood and various Yin Attribute Spiritual Materials.
He took a deep breath, concentrating his Divine Sense until it was as sharp as the most precise Carving Knife. He guided the bone needle and began to inscribe control Runes along specific meridian points on the Demon Ape’s body—Runes that were more than ten times as complex as the ones before.
The process was incredibly draining on his Heart Spirit and Magical Power. The Runes had to pierce the skin and fascia, branding themselves onto sinew and bone to connect with the residual Origin of Demon Power within the corpse. Yet, he could not compromise its integrity as the base material. Every stroke was accompanied by a sharp consumption of his Divine Sense and a steady drain on his Magical Power.
For three full days and nights, Lu Zhao worked without sleep or rest, his focus absolute. As he drew the final stroke, a vast network of Spirit Patterns—impossibly complex and profound, covering nearly half the Demon Ape’s corpse—flared with a ghostly light before slowly sinking into the body. Lu Zhao’s face was pale, but a relieved glint shone in his eyes. ’Success!’ This most arduous step was finally complete.
He dared not relax for even a moment. He immediately took out all his remaining Yin Locust Wood. With his precise cutting and joinery, the timber was quickly assembled into a massive, thin-walled coffin, thirty feet long and of suitable width and height.
He carefully placed the rune-inscribed Demon Ape corpse into the giant coffin. Then, he poured in a prepared batch of Corpse Nourishing Liquid—in a quantity far greater than before—until the dark-red fluid almost completely submerged the Demon Ape’s massive body. Finally, he tossed all his remaining Earth Yin Stones into the coffin at once, where they settled around the corpse like scattered stars.
"Seal!"
The heavy lid slowly descended, sealing the coffin perfectly. Lu Zhao formed another hand seal, drawing upon the dense Yin Evil Qi of the area. He carefully moved the giant coffin to the center of the triangular Array Formation he had set up earlier, burying it deep in the ground where the Yin Evil Qi was most concentrated.
"Tri-Unity, Array, activate!"
Lu Zhao’s hands blurred into a seal as he muttered an incantation. Magical Power surged from him, stirring the Yin Evil Power in the world. From the central point where the Demon Ape’s giant coffin was buried, three visible, grayish-black streams of pure Yin Qi snaked out like living creatures. They precisely connected to the three ape coffins on the surface, causing the Corpse Nourishing Talisman Arrays on their lids to light up in unison, resonating with the center.
The Yin Evil Qi within the Corpse Nurturing Land instantly became frenetic, gathering furiously toward the four coffins—especially the giant one at the heart of the Array.
Feeling the surging flow of Yin Qi within the Array Formation and the steadily growing fluctuations of Corpse Qi from the four coffins, a great weight was finally lifted from Lu Zhao’s mind.
Next, he took out the Black Water Profound Turtle Array Plate. The Array activated, and a faint yet tenacious black Water Curtain, shaped like an inverted bowl, enveloped the core of the Corpse Nurturing Land. It sealed off all auras from the outside and added another layer of Defense.
With everything finished, Lu Zhao stood at the edge of the Array Formation, gazing at the Corpse Nurturing Land he had so meticulously prepared. A rare look of anticipation flickered across his weary face.
"Three years at the soonest, five at the latest..." he murmured to himself. His gaze seemed to pierce through the thick wood and earth, seeing the powerful Corpse Puppet gestating within. "I will have a Tier Two Corpse Puppet by my side."
A quarter of an hour later, the deathly silence of Yinmu Mountain descended once more. Lu Zhao gave this "land of hope" one final look, then turned without another moment’s hesitation and mounted his Cyan Feather Crane Puppet. He became a gray streak, shooting out of Yinmu Mountain’s Illusion Array and vanishing into the boundless sky.
After returning to the Bixia Sect, Lu Zhao waited in his cave abode for another half a month before the summons from the Recruitment Bureau finally arrived. This time, Lu Zhao refused the offer to travel via the Cyan Feathered Giant Eagle.
He released his Cyan Feather Crane Puppet. The ashen-gray giant crane let out a sharp cry, spread its knife-like steel wings, and carried him away as a gray shadow, streaking through the sky directly toward the subterranean permafrost at the border of the two counties.
Two days later, Lu Zhao arrived at the border between the two counties. After searching for a short while, he found the entrance to the subterranean permafrost.
Lu Zhao flew on his crane down the pitch-black, winding tunnel for a quarter of an hour, the Cold Qi sharp enough to pierce bone. Suddenly, the passage opened up, and a vast, subterranean world unfolded before him.
This was a world ruled purely by ice and snow. An extreme cold washed over him, seeming capable of freezing one’s very Soul. All around were endlessly stretching, deathly pale ice walls and a frozen Wilderness. At its center lay a massive Profound Ice Lake, like a deep, mysterious sapphire set into a boundless, pale canvas. The lake’s surface was frozen solid by a layer of ice at least ten feet thick, reflecting a faint, ghastly light from an unknown source.