Chapter 1339: Saint Son

Chapter 1338: Saint Son

Mo Hua said, “It wasn’t me who said it. Everyone else is spreading it. As the saying goes, flies don’t bite clean eggs…”

Bai Zisheng shot Mo Hua a look.

Lowering his voice, Mo Hua confirmed again, “You two really don’t have anything going on?”

Although Little Senior Brother had said so before, and Mo Hua trusted him completely, it had still been ten or twenty years. Little Senior Brother had grown up, he was no longer the hot-blooded youth he once was. If his feelings had just begun to stir and he harbored a few private thoughts, keeping them from Mo Hua, that would be perfectly reasonable.

Mo Hua could understand that.

Bai Zisheng said helplessly, “Don’t mess with me. The front lines are tens of thousands of miles away from this Royal Court. How could I possibly know some Great Wilderness demoness?”

Mo Hua looked into Bai Zisheng’s eyes, then nodded.

Indeed… Little Senior Brother had no reason to lie to him.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zisheng asked, “You said you want to find this demoness… do you know where she is?”

Mo Hua shook his head. “No. But since she’s a Divine Maiden who serves a god, she’s probably in some place related to the gods, like a shamanic hall.”

(TN: Unfortunately for you, however, you are Maidenless.)

“You know where gods are worshipped?” Bai Zisheng asked.

“I can feel it,” Mo Hua replied.

According to the Great Wilderness’ Divine Dao lineage, he was actually half a “Divine-Lord” himself now. Many auras of the Divine Dao, he could clearly sense them by instinct.

Bai Zisheng glanced at Mo Hua in mild surprise. But then he remembered that his Junior Brother had always been a bit mystical since childhood, and the thought passed.

“Alright. I’ll follow you.”

“Mm.” Mo Hua nodded.

After that, Mo Hua relied on his Divine Dao perception to search for the location of the shamanic hall within the Great Wilderness Royal Court.

But at this moment, slaughter was erupting everywhere, karmic threads were obscured, and even within the Divine Dao’s perception there was bloodshed and wailing mixed in.

There were even various Golden Core cultivators and aristocratic elders killing wantonly, which Mo Hua had to avoid.

After expending quite some effort, Mo Hua finally found a hall emitting faint traces of Divine Dao aura.

Bai Zisheng looked up at the plaque and saw three large characters written on it:

“Corpse Shaman Hall.”

Bai Zisheng asked, “Aren’t we looking for a Divine Maiden? How did we end up at a corpse hall? Is that demoness a female corpse or something?”

How would Mo Hua know? He was just fumbling around blindly, checking one place after another.

“Let’s go in and take a look first. It’s related to shamans either way…”

“Alright…”

Mo Hua walked up to the Corpse Shaman Hall and found the gates tightly shut. Outside, killing cries shook the heavens, yet inside it was deathly silent… eerily so.

Sensing something amiss, Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng exchanged a glance, then climbed over the wall together and made their way onto the roof.

At the top of the hall, several formations were set up, Four Symbols demon formations related to the Corpse Dao.

Mo Hua found them novel, but unfortunately the formations themselves weren’t difficult, nor were their principles particularly profound. After studying them briefly, he broke them open.

After dismantling the formations, Mo Hua carefully lifted a few roof tiles. The two then slipped down from the roof and entered the hall.

The moment they entered, a stale stench of decay assaulted their noses.

Crouching atop a beam, both instinctively covered their mouths and noses.

Bai Zisheng said with disgust, “Is this a divine hall or a corpse hall?”

Mo Hua whispered, “Didn’t the plaque say it already? It’s the Corpse Shaman Hall. They probably worship some Great Wilderness Corpse-Dao deity, either one that likes to eat corpses, or whose followers are corpses themselves.”

Bai Zisheng looked surprised. “You know quite a lot.”

Mo Hua nodded. “I’m a seasoned pro.”

After getting used to the smell inside the hall, as well as the corpse powder floating in the air, the two finally looked down from the beam.

In the dim light, countless corpses and coffins were laid out.

All the corpses had their skin stripped off. Their flesh bore various cut-and-stitched marks. After being air-dried and corpse-refined, it was impossible to tell who they once were, or where they came from.

Near the coffins were various tools: yellow talismans, ink-lines, carving knives, black-blood medicine, copper bells, and the like.

They were ordinary corpse-refining tools, all of which Mo Hua was quite familiar with.

Mo Hua scanned the surroundings. There wasn’t a single living person, only deathly silence. Just as he was feeling puzzled, the coffins suddenly began to move.

Mo Hua’s gaze sharpened slightly. He made a “silence” gesture to Bai Zisheng.

Bai Zisheng nodded. The two brothers flattened themselves against the beam.

Inside the hall, the coffins trembled for a moment. Then the lids suddenly opened, and figures stepped out one after another.

Mo Hua narrowed his eyes, startled.

What emerged from the coffins weren’t corpses… but living people. They wore all kinds of clothing: some barbarian, some from the Nine Provinces, and even Daoist robes of aristocratic clans.

After coming out, these “coffin people” removed their clothes and uniformly changed into black-gray sinister robes.

On the robes were embroidered patterns of coffins and copper bells.

Mo Hua recognized them, these were the demonic sect robes of Yin Corpse Valley.

After donning their sect attire, the Yin Corpse Valley disciples began dividing up the work.

Some retrieved fresh “raw corpses” from secret passages. Then some skinned them, some carved flesh, some refined corpses, some sealed coffins.

This Corpse Shaman Hall of the Great Wilderness had clearly already become a secret Corpse-Dao stronghold of Yin Corpse Valley.

Among them, the two Yin Corpse Valley disciples with the highest cultivation walked to the largest coffin in the hall.

They carefully removed the seals on the coffin, respectfully opened the lid, then knelt on all fours and said reverently:

“We welcome the descent of the Saint Son.”

“We welcome the Dao-Protecting Elder.”

The other Yin Corpse Valley disciples stopped their work, knelt to the ground, and cried out in unison:

“We pay respects to the Saint Son…”

“Welcome, Silver Corpse Elder…”

A boot embroidered with gold and inlaid with jade stepped out of the coffin. Then a noble figure emerged.

It was a youth, his face like polished jade, handsome and upright… only his complexion was excessively pale, like that of a dead man.

Mo Hua’s heart trembled slightly.

This youth was someone he recognized. It was that “Young Master Shi” he had seen back in Little Relay City…

This Young Master Shi had once chatted about women with Elder Ji and had presided over the massacre of Little Relay City.

And now, with everyone calling him “Saint Son,” it meant that this Young Master Shi was truly the Saint Son of Yin Corpse Valley?

After Young Master Shi entered the hall, another figure followed behind him… or rather, one man and one corpse.

This man’s complexion was just as waxy pale, and behind him followed a silver-colored zombie.

He was clearly the “Silver Corpse Elder” everyone had mentioned.

The Silver Corpse Elder’s corpse aura surged violently—at least late Golden Core cultivation. His gaze was cold and ferocious.

His other identity was the Dao-Protecting Elder accompanying the Saint Son on this trip.

The Silver Corpse Elder waved his hand, his voice cold as ice. “Get back to work.”

“Yes.” The Yin Corpse Valley disciples kowtowed, then dispersed, each returning to their corpse-refining tasks.

Another late Golden Core demonic cultivator…

On the beam above, Mo Hua pinched Bai Zisheng’s arm, signaling him not to make a sound or cause any disturbance.

Mo Hua himself had strong Divine-Sense and excellent concealment, he wasn’t afraid of being discovered.

But Little Senior Brother was different. With his reckless temperament, he could easily give himself away.

Bai Zisheng nodded slightly.

Fortunately, the entire Corpse Shaman Hall was gloomy and sealed tight, filled with corpse powder and the stench of decay. For the moment, the two weren’t discovered.

At the same time, faint conversation drifted through the hall.

Mo Hua leaned forward slightly to look, and saw Young Master Shi quietly chatting with the Silver Corpse Elder.

“…Elder, that ‘Daoist’… his temper is unpredictable…”

That Daoist?

Mo Hua’s heart tightened as he heard Young Master Shi continue:

“…sinister and unfathomable… Right under his nose, we stole destiny, seized corpses, and even made a deal with… him. It’s like snatching meat straight out of his pot. Will there really be no problems?”

The Silver Corpse Elder said coldly, “Young Master, you are the Saint Son of the Yin Corpse Valley. If nothing goes wrong with the Dragon Pool Core formation, then with your Core grade, you are qualified to advance another step, promoted to a Demonic Dao Saint Son, and then seek that Supreme seat.”

“That man may be a Daoist, but he entered the Dao through Feathered Ascension. His foundation is still shallow; he’s not likely to truly turn hostile.”

“And Yin Corpse Valley is no petty demonic sect. No matter how temperamental he is, he wouldn’t dare harm the Saint Son of Yin Corpse Valley without cause.”

“Besides, right now he may not even have the spare capacity to concern himself with others…”

Young Master Shi’s heart jolted. “You mean… that Daoist, he…?”

The Silver Corpse Elder nodded slightly. “For cultivators seeking the Dao, the most critical moment is also the most dangerous. That applies to anyone, him included…”

Young Master Shi frowned. “Do you think he can succeed?”

The Silver Corpse Elder shook his head. “That depends on heaven’s will, fate, and the Dao Court’s intentions…”

“The Dao Court…” Young Master Shi pondered.

The Silver Corpse Elder sneered. “More than twenty thousand years ago, the Dao Court destroyed the Great Demonic Hall and unified the cultivation world. After developing for so many years, do you think it’s a joke?”

“If not for fear of those old monsters of the Dao Court, how could our demonic sects be so timid and restrained?”

“That man has raised far too many Dao-Sin Calamities. The Dao Court has had its eye on him for a long time. Before, the timing wasn’t right, and the Dao Court might not have been able to deal with him… but now, with the Great Wilderness situation developing like this… who lives and who dies is hard to say…”

“And on top of that, he chose such a ‘grand sacrifice’ and stirred up such a massive commotion…”

The Silver Corpse Elder shook his head. “Sacrificing an entire Royal Court, nurturing calamity to attain the Dao, molding his demonic aspect, pry into the Profound-Hollow-Void realm, his ambition is simply too great, and the board he’s laid out is far too large.”

“Does he really think everyone else is a fool? Does he really believe that his tricks of nurturing calamity over these years have gone unseen?”

“And also… that thing from over twenty years ago… is it still in his hands…” The Silver Corpse Elder’s voice dropped low, his gaze icy.

“That thing?” Young Master Shi frowned.

Mo Hua also pricked up his ears.

That thing… what thing?

But the Silver Corpse Elder shook his head. “That’s not important…”

Mo Hua inwardly wished he could strangle this Silver Corpse Elder on the spot.

The Silver Corpse Elder said sternly, “Saint Son, your top priority is still forming your Golden Core… Within the Dragon Pool lies dragon qi, as well as the fate of the Great Wilderness Royal Court.”

“This is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. You must not miss it.”

Young Master Shi asked, “Will those prodigies of the great clans also contend for this fate?”

The Silver Corpse Elder nodded. “Naturally. With a dynasty on the brink of collapse, who wouldn’t want to fight for that fate?”

Young Master Shi’s gaze darkened. “Elder, I still don’t quite understand, why would the Dao Court allow the great clans and us demonic sects to lay hands on the Royal Court’s fate?”

The Silver Corpse Elder gave him a meaningful look and asked instead, “Saint Son, what is the Dao Court?”

Young Master Shi was taken aback. “The Dao Court… isn’t it just the Dao Court?”

The Silver Corpse Elder shook his head and said slowly, “The Dao Court is, in fact, the great clans—and the great clans are the Dao Court…”

Realization dawned on Young Master Shi’s face.

The Silver Corpse Elder sneered again. “These days—the Imperial Celestial Bureau, the Heavenly Pivot and Heavenly Authority Seven Pavilions, the Dao Court Offices, the Demon-Suppression Office… from top to bottom, among those holding key positions, how many aren’t scions of great clans?”

“No high grade within commoners, no low grade within great clans… On the surface, this Dao Court still belongs to all under heaven, but in reality, most power is held by the great clans. In the shadows, it’s long since become… the Dao Court of the great clans.”

“Since that’s the case,” the Silver Corpse Elder smiled, “whether this dynasty’s fate goes to the great clans or to the Dao Court… what difference is there?”

Young Master Shi slowly caught on and couldn’t help but shake his head with a laugh. “Then by that logic, the ones doing business with us are, in a sense, also the Dao Court?”

The Silver Corpse Elder nodded with a teasing look, then added, “Of course, that’s just a joke. Righteous is righteous, evil is evil. But behind the scenes, I’ve already taken care of everything. On the surface, nothing is said outright; everything is framed as seeking opportunities. This is a transaction.”

Young Master Shi pondered. “Those Righteous-Dao villains, will they really honor the agreement?”

The Silver Corpse Elder said softly, “Saint Son, rest assured. Yin Corpse Valley is a demonic sect with ten thousand years of history. Over the ages, we’ve refined corpses for countless years, dissected who knows how many cultivators, and accumulated untold Corpse-Dao materials and diagrams. Some anatomical knowledge of the human body, they can only buy from us.”

“Otherwise, even if they went mad with killing and research, without a few thousand years, they wouldn’t uncover anything worthwhile…”

Young Master Shi nodded. “My Yin Corpse Valley is indeed great.”

The Silver Corpse Elder nodded as well, just about to speak—when his expression suddenly changed, and he snapped his mouth shut…

Up on the roof beam, Mo Hua had been listening with rapt attention. Seeing the Silver Corpse Elder suddenly fall silent, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Had they been discovered?

Mo Hua inwardly sighed at the misfortune and couldn’t help complaining, “That foolish Little Senior Brother, clumsy as ever. We got found out after all…”

But halfway through the thought, Mo Hua froze, sensing a cold Divine-Sense sweeping toward him.

Yet that Divine-Sense didn’t land on his Little Senior Brother… it locked onto him instead.

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized it. “The one who was discovered wasn’t Little Senior Brother… it was me?”

A chill ran down his back. Mo Hua immediately leapt down from the beam.

At the same time, a silver corpse claw flashed past atop the beam, grasping at empty air, but the residual force tore away half of the beam.

On the remaining half, Bai Zisheng still didn’t know what had happened. Seeing Mo Hua leap into the air, who hurriedly shot him a glance, he nodded, not rashly revealing himself.

On the ground below, after landing, Mo Hua withdrew his concealment and revealed his figure.

A group of Yin Corpse Valley disciples were shocked to see a person suddenly appear in the room. They hastily controlled all kinds of zombies, completely surrounding Mo Hua.

The Silver Corpse Elder glanced at Mo Hua, his expression astonished, even a little incredulous. “Foundation Establishment?”

Young Master Shi also looked at Mo Hua, his face changing. “It’s you?”

Mo Hua’s expression remained calm.

The Silver Corpse Elder turned to Young Master Shi, frowning slightly, and asked, “Saint Son, you know this brat?”

Young Master Shi nodded, his gaze gloomy. “We’ve crossed paths a few times.”

“This kid…”

“This kid is not a good person.”

The Silver Corpse Elder nodded, fixing Mo Hua with a cold stare. Yet there was still a doubt in his heart, and he asked in a frigid voice:

“Brat, you’re only at Foundation Establishment, how did you evade this old man’s Divine-Sense?”

Mo Hua didn’t answer. He himself was puzzled as well, he had been hiding perfectly fine. Why had he suddenly been exposed?

Just then, his Divine-Sense flickered, and he “saw” a familiar, faintly discernible figure beneath the ground.

It was a half-man-tall, earth-yellow zombie covered head to toe in “curse inscriptions,” its eyes gleaming as it stared fixedly at Mo Hua.

The Dizang Corpse!

It was Elder Xu of Yin Corpse Valley’s Dizang Corpse, strange and uncanny, a peculiar corpse skilled at tracking.

Mo Hua was shocked, then immediately furious. So it was this damned little thing!

And the Silver Corpse Elder, seeing that Mo Hua seemed to have noticed the Dizang Corpse he had hidden away, instantly let his face sink.

At the same time, Young Master Shi said in a low voice, “Elder, Elder Xu’s death was connected to this kid…”

Elder Xu’s death…

The Silver Corpse Elder’s pupils shrank. He immediately turned to Mo Hua and shouted sharply, “The Exotic Corpse Compendium, do you have it on you?!”

(TN: Previously translated as Strange Corpse Compendium will now be ‘Exotic Corpse Compendium’ to avoid using “Strange”)

Mo Hua looked slightly startled.

In the next instant, frigid corpse-ice aura erupted. The Silver Corpse Elder controlled the silver corpse bound to him by life, and it lunged at Mo Hua in a sudden killing strike.