Chapter 1283: Seized Spoils

Chapter 1282 Seized Spoils

Elder You immediately took out several talismans, lighting them one by one.

Bizarre Five Elements and Eight Trigrams spells struck “Shi-Gu.”

But the spells hit dead flesh like spring water into a mud pit—ripples of energy could be seen, yet there was hardly any damage.

On the contrary, “Shi-Gu” even absorbed some of the lingering spiritual energy from the spells into its body.

Though the amount absorbed was minimal—probably less than one percent of the spell’s power—it still made Elder You’s pupils constrict in shock:

“The power of the spells… is being converted into… spiritual energy…”

Even Elder You, who had once served a long tenure as an elder in the Demonic Sect, was stunned.

Even here in the Great Wilderness, he had dealt with high-level corpse cultivators from the Yin Corpse Sect, making numerous deals. He had seen countless walking corpses, iron corpses, bronze corpses, and strange corpses.

Yet the corpse before him exceeded his understanding of cultivation.

Though clearly a corpse, its aura was subtle, showing no signs of decay.

Though using forbidden, eerie techniques, it emitted very little evil energy.

And though dead, it drew on spiritual energy to fuel itself.

Now, inexplicably, the corpse seemed to have evolved—its body even showing signs of absorbing the power of incoming spells.

Such corpse-refinement techniques were truly extraordinary.

Anyone capable of creating such a “rigid corpse” would have profound mastery over the corpse path, and must have comprehended laws beyond ordinary understanding.

Elder You struggled a few more times.

He tried more talismans and spells, but to “Shi-Gu,” it was like scratching an itch.

Without using his Life-Bound treasure, Elder You was no match for it.

Even if he broke the rules and used it, he could not be sure he could actually “kill” Shi-Gu.

His Life-Bound treasure, warned repeatedly by the ancestor, must not be used before fully cultivated—otherwise, disaster would follow…

Elder You frowned deeply.

Shi-Gu, however, cared nothing—it only sought to kill.

Ever since Mo Hua had inscribed the Twelve-Meridian Taotie Spiritual Skeleton Formation on his body, a resonance seemed to form between master and servant. Shi-Gu had developed strange new abilities, its killing power rising another tier.

In fewer than a hundred rounds, Elder You’s arm was ripped off by Shi-Gu.

A bloody wound appeared across his abdomen.

The wound was just two cun (6.66 centimeters) from his dantian; had he dodged even slightly slower, Shi-Gu’s claw would have pierced him and extracted his Golden Core.

Shock and fury gripped Elder You.

Until now, he had navigated both black and white paths, handling both good and evil dealings with skill, and had never suffered such severe injuries.

Even his Golden Core was nearly taken…

Yet amidst his anger, he retained enough clarity and composure.

He knew he was not Shi-Gu’s match.

Even worse, his karmic trail must have been “exposed,” otherwise he could never have been cornered at his door.

This was a killing scheme set specifically for him; every delay increased the danger.

Elder You crushed a jade token, summoning a seven-colored bell shaped protective light barrier shield around himself.

He then ignited his command talisman to call for help, and finally grabbed a flowing-wind cloak, wrapping it around himself.

Shi-Gu leapt, punching the seven-colored bell shaped protective shield.

The shield trembled but remained intact.

Elder You exhaled in relief.

But the relief was short-lived.

Shi-Gu’s Taotie patterns flashed, its aura roaring like a ferocious beast. Both fists struck simultaneously, delivering a rapid succession of over ten blows.

When the blows ended, the seven-colored protective bell shield shattered into dust.

Elder You’s heart leapt. A glance caught Shi-Gu’s deep blue eyes—it chilled him to the bone.

Shi-Gu’s punch aimed directly at Elder You’s head.

If it landed, his head would explode.

Elder You knew his head might not explode, but his most important cultivation methods—his entire lifelong path—would be ruined, spiraling into irrecoverable decline.

This was far worse than death.

In that desperation, a hammer-like chain weapon flew across, striking Shi-Gu’s fist.

The punch was deflected, missing Elder You.

Seizing the moment, he stepped back, creating distance.

Three Golden Core cultivators appeared, shielding him.

All wore black robes and masks, concealing their faces. Two were late-stage Golden Core, one mid-stage.

These were Hua Clan “black-robed guards,” recruited with spirit stones for shady, covert operations.

Since this was inside a Hua Clan stronghold, had Elder You not been meticulous about secrecy, help would have arrived long before he even ignited the command talisman.

Shi-Gu, acting solely on orders, remained unfazed by the three opponents and relentlessly pursued Elder You.

Elder You took another step back.

The three black-robed guards were body cultivators and engaged Shi-Gu, each wielding close-combat artifacts: a chain hammer, a large ring blade, and iron-armored gauntlets.

Working together, their attacks intensified.

Shi-Gu, despite its strength, was still a corpse and was gradually suppressed.

Seeing this, Elder You, who had originally planned to flee, paused as a wicked thought began to form:

“This Shi-Gu corpse contains profound mysteries. If captured alive and dissected, perhaps its secrets could be studied…”

“If successful, we could replicate such corpses. Even if only a tenth as powerful, with the Hua Clan’s resources, we could mass-produce an Immortal army.”

“This would be far stronger than ordinary corpse soldiers .”

“With such an Immortal army, the Hua Clan could accomplish far more and pursue grander schemes…”

Elder You’s blood boiled. “Capture this corpse for me. I’ll take it with me.”

The black-robed guards hesitated.

Elder You said, “Double the reward.”

Their eyes brightened. They no longer held back, using every hidden trick at their disposal.

They stopped conserving their strength altogether, hurling every shred of spiritual power, every talisman, every artifact into the fray. One of them even took a life-risking pill.

Wealth was irresistible; the Hua Clan’s reward was overwhelmingly generous. Double meant a century less effort for them.

Shi-Gu was now even more suppressed.

As a corpse, its only advantages were resilience, brute strength, and endurance; it had no other killing methods.

After hundreds of exchanges, Shi-Gu’s movements slowed, its spiritual energy gradually depleting.

Elder You felt a slight joy.

This corpse, a “killing machine,” was unstoppable on a battlefield, like a meat grinder.

But that strength only worked in chaotic battlefields. In a true fight among powerful cultivators, its advantage was limited.

As expected, after several hundred more moves, Shi-Gu’s movements suddenly halted, and the blue light in its eyes dimmed.

The three black-robed guards, rejoicing, produced cold-iron chains to bind it.

Elder You smiled faintly, but in the next instant, a sudden unease struck him.

“Careful!”

Before the words fell, Shi-Gu’s eyes flashed deep blue again.

This time, the hue carried a strange, soul-gripping eeriness.

The three Golden Core guards were momentarily stunned. In the next instant, blood erupted. The weakest of them—a mid-stage Golden Core guard wielding the large ring blade—screamed as he looked down to see his abdomen hollowed out.

Across from them, Shi-Gu held the blood-drenched Golden Core in its grasp, gnawing on it…

All present cultivators turned pale.

The gruesome scene snapped Elder You to full awareness.

He realized: Shi-Gu might be dead flesh, but it was controlled by the cunning, manipulative Divine Shaman!

In other words, this corpse seemed inanimate, yet it was a ruthlessly vicious weapon.

“I must escape!”

With his Causality being read, every extra thought could be exploited by the Divine Shaman.

This was the true terror.

Without hesitation, Elder You activated his flowing-wind cloak, greatly enhancing his speed.

As he prepared to flee, Shi-Gu, having just consumed a Golden Core, surged forward in a bloody flash.

But before reaching him, two late-stage Golden Core black-robed guards intercepted it.

With a companion’s Golden Core stolen, the remaining guards, enraged, fought Shi-Gu with suicidal fury.

Seizing the gap, Elder You made no further hesitation.

He knew this was his last chance to escape. Any delay, and if Shi-Gu consumed another Golden Core, he would be trapped.

Shi-Gu fought fiercely with the two late-stage Golden Core guards.

Elder You paid no attention to the outcome. With the flowing-wind cloak’s aid, he swiftly left his room, following a secret passage to the surface.

Emerging, he was met with cries of battle.

Looking around, flames and chaos spread everywhere.

People were slaughtering Hua Clan’s members, burning the stronghold, and looting.

Elder You’s heart bled.

But he had no time to care—because the one leading the slaughter was none other than the Divine-Shaman’s hound—Lu-Gu.

Elder You continued fleeing in panic.

Along the way, warriors of the Shugu Tribe attacked him, but he repelled them all.

As a Hua Clan elder, he had formidable techniques and plenty of treasures.

And that flowing-wind cloak was an escape supreme treasure—he was not easy to capture.

After countless twists and escapes, Elder You finally broke out of the encirclement.

Reaching a remote mountain peak, seeing no one around, he looked back.

In the roaring winds, the Hua Clan’s stronghold was a sea of raging fire.

The base he had spent years developing—gone.

The wealth he accumulated—being looted.

The deal had failed; goods and profits were lost.

Failed business, loss of goods and men…

To Elder You, this was like slicing his flesh and drinking his blood.

Hatred burned fiercely in his chest.

Suddenly, he tensed, turning to look in another direction.

Another peak, shrouded in night, seemingly empty.

Yet Elder You sensed a pair of eyes quietly watching him in the darkness.

Cold and majestic, like a god observing the lowly mortals below.

Elder You’s anger faded, replaced by creeping fear.

“It’s that Divine Shaman!”

He actually dared to personally lead troops to the Ghost-Wailing Mountain Realm to hunt him!

Elder You wanted to charge forward and kill the Divine Shaman at any cost, but a shred of reason remained.

He knew that being exposed to the Divine Shaman’s sight meant certain doom.

Sure enough, a sinister killing intent emanated from afar.

Whether it was Shi-Gu, the corpse, or Lu-Gu, the living hound, he could not tell.

Some obscure killing aura seemed to be locking onto him.

Elder You dared not linger and fled without regard.

This was the first time in his life that, in front of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had fled in such a shameful manner.

Yet the pressure behind him was immense—enough to make him forget that this Great Wilderness Divine Shaman was only a Foundation Establishment.

In the open space, with the flowing-wind cloak aiding him, Elder You’s speed rivaled a raging wind.

In a few blinks, he vanished from sight.

Mo Hua silently watched Elder You disappear, calculating.

Shi-Gu could not stray too far from his control, and Lu-Gu had to oversee the battle. No one could really capture Elder You.

Big Tiger could pursue, but Mo Hua was still cautious.

Elder You might possess other survival measures; if cornered, who knew what could happen?

So Mo Hua temporarily let Elder You go, knowing the threads of causality were firmly in his hands.

The distant flames continued spreading, but the battle was nearing its end.

Those who could escape had fled; those who couldn’t were dead or injured.

This stronghold was essentially taken.

Mo Hua patted Big Tiger.

Big Tiger yawned, slowly rising, carrying Mo Hua with majestic steps toward the captured Hua Clan stronghold.

Some resisting forces remained inside the stronghold.

These included Hua Clan cultivators and mercenaries, but most were third-tier Ghost-Wailing Mountain Realm tribes loyal to the Hua Clan.

At this moment, these tribal cultivators witnessed the Great Wilderness Sacred Tiger, fur glowing white in the night.

And atop the tiger sat the legendary Divine Shaman, said to act under the Divine Lord’s mandate to unify the wilderness.

Previously, they had regarded this Divine-Shaman as an invading “enemy.”

They thought this Divine-Shaman was an evil, deceitful puppet.

But now, seeing Mo Hua’s solemn expression and golden eyes…

And the Sacred Tiger beneath him—sacred and majestic, radiating a terrifying aura, like the Sacred White Tiger of the Great Wilderness—all verbal descriptions fell utterly pale.

Overwhelmed with shock, they dropped their weapons and knelt by the roadside, worshipping the Sacred White Tiger and the Divine-Shaman upon it.

Faith spread like wildfire—one to ten, ten to a hundred.

More and more Ghost-Wailing Mountain barbarian cultivators submitted to Mo Hua.

The remaining Hua Clan members and their mercenaries, seeing that the situation had turned, also abandoned their resistance.

Thus, the Hua Clan stronghold was now completely under Mo Hua’s control.

Mo Hua ordered Lu-Gu and the others to collect all cultivation resources and consolidate the gathered spirit stones for him.

He intended to feed these spirit stones into his Taotie Twelve-Meridian-Spiritual-Skeleton Formation.

At the same time, there was another important task…

All the various legacies and treasures seized by the Hua Clan also fell into Mo Hua’s hands.

They were diverse in nature, containing all sorts of inheritance.

But Mo Hua had anticipated this, instructing that only the legacies related to the “Bone Engraving” secret techniques be gathered.

He wanted to understand why Elder You—or rather the Hua Clan—was collecting “Bone Engraving” secret legacies in the Great Wilderness.

What was the significance of these Bone Engraving legacies?

Were there other hidden, unspeakable secrets among them…