Chapter 433: Capturing Corpses

The pitch-black coffin was gradually lifted.

From within the coffin, the dead bodies began to crawl out, one by one.

Their eyes were hollow, their skin rotten and decayed. Dozens of them, densely packed, stood ominously on the mountainside.

Corpse refinement!

Mo Hua’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Zhang Quan and said icily, “Have you gone mad?”

Refining corpses was a truly demonic method, forbidden in the cultivation world, and contrary to the Dao’s laws.

Cultivators who refined corpses would be executed by the Dao Court.

The sect or family of such a cultivator would also be wiped out.

Seeing these undead, most were miners from the mountain.

They had lived poor lives, and after dying in vain, their bodies were turned into zombies to commit evil.

Mo Hua mentally made a note of Zhang Quan. Once this matter was over, he would make sure Zhang Quan met a miserable end.

Zhang Quan sneered, “So what if I have? I am alone. As long as I can attain the Dao, why fear going mad?”

Mo Hua scoffed, “You’ve gone mad and still think of attaining the Dao? Dream on.”

“You’re just a little brat, what do you understand?”

“You were chased around like a rat by a little brat—do you really think you understand now?”

Zhang Quan forced back a surge of blood in his throat to avoid vomiting.

He roared angrily, “Fine! Sharp tongue. I can’t argue with you. Soon, I’ll tear you apart, rip out your mouth, and feed you to these undead. Let’s see if you’re still so cocky!”

Mo Hua snorted, “Forget it. You’re already turning into a corpse yourself. You can’t catch me—what hope do you have with these stupid undead?”

He then quietly asked Bai Zixi, “Senior Sister, what are these undead?”

Bai Zixi replied, “Low-level zombies.”

“Oh.”

Mo Hua felt at ease, nodding repeatedly, then lifted his head with an expression of disdain:

“Just low-level zombies. You’re only at Foundation Establishment stage and this is all you’ve got? Better crawl back to your mother’s womb for some amniotic fluid before embarrassing yourself…”

Mo Hua cursed loudly.

Trained as a demon hunter under Elder Yu, even if he couldn’t swear himself, he could recite Elder Yu’s words.

Since his little senior brother and little senior sister were present, he didn’t dare use harsher words, to preserve his image.

So he chose relatively “mild” insults to test Zhang Quan.

Zhang Quan, however, began to lose patience.

A normal brat, no matter how much he cursed, wouldn’t provoke him. He could kill them instantly.

But Mo Hua couldn’t be killed.

No matter how much he cursed, Zhang Quan could only endure it, powerless.

All his methods were completely blocked, and only these undead remained.

Zhang Quan stared at Mo Hua.

If eyes could kill, Mo Hua would already have been dead ten times over.

Mo Hua remained calm, hands on his hips, looking at Zhang Quan: “What are you glaring at with your tiny eyes? You think I’ll fear you?”

Zhang Quan’s scalp tingled with anger.

His right hand trembled as he shook the copper bell with the blood-patterned string, shouting hoarsely, “I’ll kill you!”

Dozens of undead, drawn by the bell, bared their fangs and claws, moving like maniacs, letting out heavy breaths, and lunged at Mo Hua and the others.

Bai Zixi extended her hand, releasing several sword lights that cut off the legs of a few zombies.

More undead continued to attack.

Even those with broken legs crawled toward Mo Hua, relentless.

Mo Hua formed fireballs with his fingers.

One fireball after another scorched the zombies’ arms to charcoal, turning them to ash.

But as long as any limb remained, the undead continued to crawl forward.

Mo Hua frowned.

A first-grade zombie had the strength of a Qi-Refining cultivator—not much of a threat—but their numbers were overwhelming, and they had no fear of death—they were already dead.

As long as their limbs existed, they would devour flesh and follow orders to kill.

It was troublesome.

The zombies soon closed in on Mo Hua.

Zhang Quan’s eyes glimmered with excitement.

He wanted to see Mo Hua torn apart by the undead.

But Mo Hua gracefully dodged the claws, stepping back effortlessly.

Other undead appeared behind him, snapping at him, but he dodged each one with ease.

Zhang Quan frowned.

He even had agility…

This brat was damn hard to kill!

Zhang Quan chuckled darkly, “Fine, dodge all you want. Let’s see how long your agility can save you.”

The spiritual power of a Qi-Refining cultivator eventually depletes; one slip or exhaustion would turn Mo Hua into food for these zombies.

Zhang Quan smiled slyly, but suddenly noticed a glint of gold in his peripheral vision.

Startled, he shook the copper bell.

A few zombies blocked his path and were pierced by Bai Zisheng’s spear.

Zhang Quan retreated hastily.

Bai Zisheng sent the zombies flying and thrust his spear again.

Forced back, Zhang Quan summoned more zombies to block the attack.

Bai Zisheng kept launching, repeatedly sending zombies flying.

After several rounds, Zhang Quan was driven back, unable to shake the bell, and the zombies slowed.

Some even froze in front of Mo Hua.

The unmoving zombies caught Mo Hua’s attention.

Curious, he observed them closely.

He wanted to understand how these zombies were controlled.

Under pressure, Zhang Quan used all his spiritual power to perform Earth Escape, fleeing to a decrepit shed on the mountain.

The shed was empty.

He stomped, moving the rocks, and dust rose.

An iron coffin appeared before him.

Mo Hua sensed trouble and shouted, “Senior Brother!”

Without reminder, Bai Zisheng surged his spiritual power, thrusting his spear at Zhang Quan.

At that moment, the iron coffin lifted, and a stiff hand shot out, grasping the spear tip.

Bai Zisheng raised an eyebrow, releasing spiritual power. Golden light flared, crushing the hand.

The dark blue hand cracked under the force, loosening slightly.

The spear was freed.

Bai Zisheng paused, eyes fixed on the iron coffin.

Moments later, a zombie crawled out.

Unlike the others, its skin was intact, blackish-blue, as hard as iron.

Its fangs were longer, fingers sharper, and its aura stronger.

Mo Hua whispered to Bai Zixi, “Senior Sister, what is this?”

Better to ask than to pretend.

Mo Hua’s cultivation knowledge focused on formations, far behind Bai Zixi in other areas.

Bai Zixi said, “An iron corpse. Higher than ordinary zombies.”

Mo Hua nodded, then looked at Zhang Quan disdainfully: “Just an iron corpse. Can you make a bronze or gold corpse?”

He then whispered to Bai Zixi, “Senior Sister, there are bronze and gold corpses, right?”

He had just made them up to sound knowledgeable.

Bai Zixi nodded, “Yes.”

Mo Hua relaxed.

Zhang Quan was shocked.

This brat knew so much—he must be from a great sect or family.

Seeing how casually he mentioned bronze and gold corpses, they were probably ordinary to him.

To refine a half-step iron corpse comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator had required great effort.

Everyone who had seen such an iron corpse had been terrified.

Few cultivators survived seeing it.

Yet this brat was not afraid, even looking down on him.

Zhang Quan was shaken.

Meanwhile, Bai Zisheng joyfully engaged the iron corpse.

This iron corpse was incomplete, only a half-step.

Its power slightly weaker than an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, but with skin hard as iron, making it stronger in a real fight.

Stronger than Zhang Quan without drugs.

Bai Zisheng fell slightly behind but grew more confident in battle.

Previously, under Snow Aunt’s orders, he could not act, so his skills were idle, only able to spar with Mo Hua.

Now, after several bouts during travels, Bai Zisheng’s Dao techniques had matured, and his combat experience increased.

However, he still struggled, as other zombies relentlessly attacked him.

Even pierced or limbed cut off, they continued to pester him.

Bai Zisheng muttered, “So annoying.”

He dodged the iron corpse and thrust his spear through a zombie’s chest. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, shouting, “Mo Hua! The zombies have formation markings!”

Mo Hua froze, then formed Water Prison Technique, restraining a zombie.

Bai Zixi’s sword sliced through its chest garments.

The chest was rotten with death spots but showed no visible markings.

Mo Hua instructed, “Senior Sister, peel the skin!”

Bai Zixi nodded, slashing lightly.

Beneath the skin, the stiff dead flesh concealed blood runes, rippling with formation energy.

Mo Hua paused, shocked, then elated, eyes shining: “Senior Brother, help me capture the zombies!”

The blood runes on the zombie formed an Absolute Formation!

At least a first-grade eleven-pattern Absolute Formation!

Capture zombies?

Zhang Quan froze, then his face twisted in rage.

This brat was a formation master?!

He saw through it?!