Chapter 511: Kneel
Chapter 513: Kneel
The Corpse King “betrayed” him, striking from the shadows, leaving everyone in shock.
Even more shocked than Yang Jishan and the others was Lu Chengyun himself.
A zombie’s claws had already pierced his chest, blood gushing out. Corpse venom fused with his blood, spreading through his meridians, attacking his organs and heart channels.
His hands and limbs gradually became unresponsive.
His consciousness blurred, and a bloodthirsty desire slowly clouded his reason.
The bronze corpse’s venom was fierce and fast-acting.
Enduring the agony, Lu Chengyun countered with a palm strike, pushing the Corpse King back.
The Corpse King’s claws were pulled out from Lu Chengyun’s back, spraying streams of blood onto the ground, which gradually turned green.
Trembling, Lu Chengyun immediately grabbed a pile of bottles from his storage pouch—some to stop bleeding, some to treat the venom, some to restore spiritual energy—shoving all kinds of pills into his mouth.
Those who refine corpses, living among the dead, often get poisoned and must constantly guard against zombie mutations, so they always carry many pills.
Lu Chengyun was no exception.
After taking the pills, the corpse venom was temporarily suppressed, and his pale complexion improved slightly.
The Corpse King, however, remained three meters away, silent, still looking “loyal.”
It seemed that the earlier strike wasn’t of its own volition.
Lu Chengyun tried to command the Corpse King and found it still obeyed him, showing no abnormality.
But having nearly died by its hand moments ago, thinking it was fine now was sheer folly.
Filled with shock and anger, Lu Chengyun scanned the surroundings and roared:
“Who is controlling my Corpse King?!”
Yang Jishan and the others’ expressions changed drastically.
Someone else could control the Corpse King?!
Someone had actually used the Corpse King to ambush Lu Chengyun?
Who could it be?
Could it be the mastermind behind nurturing the Dao-Sin Calamity?
Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, activated their spirit artifacts, and formed hand seals, their faces wary, cold sweat trickling down their backs.
Yet the surroundings were empty.
No one answered.
Only the suppressed breathing of the cultivators and the low growls of zombies filled the air.
Lu Chengyun’s anger deepened, but his heart chilled further.
“The Corpse King is mine!”
“Only I can control it, and only I!”
“In this world, the only one who can command it… is me!”
But why?
Why had the Corpse King acted on its own, attacking him?
Lu Chengyun’s eyes widened in terror, his brows furrowed.
Who else could control the Corpse King besides him?
The only person who had tampered with it was Zhang Quan.
But Zhang Quan had been killed by him, his body refined into a zombie, then fought for him against the Dao soldiers, only to be slain with no bones remaining.
If not Zhang Quan, then who?
And by what means had they controlled the Corpse King?
Lu Chengyun racked his brain, but could not imagine who could have, right under his eyes, bypassed both him and Zhang Quan, overpowered his Lingshu Evil Array, and silently taken command of the Corpse King.
Lingshu Evil Array…
A chill ran through Lu Chengyun as he glanced at the Corpse King’s chest.
Amid the blood-colored evil array, faint blue patterns now shimmered.
Lu Chengyun recognized these markings well; similar to the evil patterns but with a completely different aura.
Pure, mysterious, profound…
He drew a sharp breath.
“Lingshu Array?!”
Centered on spiritual power, with pure and upright energy.
This was truly a Lingshu Absolute Array, meticulously drawn with spiritual force, revealing its profound essence!
Lu Chengyun’s eyes widened in terror.
Could someone in the world really set up a true Lingshu Absolute Array?
Moreover, had they overlaid it on his Lingshu Evil Array?!
“No… impossible…”
Lu Chengyun was distraught, murmuring to himself.
Suddenly, a shocking thought struck:
The Little Lingyin Sect!
It must be the Little Lingyin Sect!
“I killed my master, betrayed my sect, destroyed the Little Lingyin Sect’s legacy, even dug up their ancestral tombs, stealing corpses of past elders to refine zombies…”
“They must have known from the underworld, seeking revenge for my blood debt!”
“Yes, this Lingshu Array is the sect’s ultimate art, only their ancestors could master it… It must be them!”
Lu Chengyun’s face paled, and he swore to the heavens:
“Elders, please spare me, for I was once a disciple of the Little Lingyin Sect!”
“I didn’t do it intentionally; I had no choice…”
“My master, outwardly righteous, claimed he would pass down the arrays, but only taught superficial techniques, wasting my time…”
“This ultimate Lingshu Array, he greedily hid for himself.”
“I begged him to teach me, he refused, so I had to kill him to obtain it…”
“I meant well! I wanted to preserve the Little Lingyin Sect’s legacy!”
“Had this array remained with my master, it would have been wasted. Only by learning it could I use it to benefit the world!”
“To let the world know the brilliance of our sect’s arrays!”
…
Yang Jishan and the others now understood the hidden truth, their gazes full of disdain.
Betraying a master, stealing a legacy, desecrating an ancestral tomb—all were cardinal sins in cultivation.
Lu Chengyun was beyond contemptible.
The Corpse King remained motionless.
But at that moment, two iron corpses at Lu Chengyun’s side suddenly struck.
Their claws were like swords—one slashing from left to right at his head, the other aiming from right to left at his heart channel.
The moves were ruthless and precise.
Lu Chengyun’s attention was entirely on the Lingshu Array on the Corpse King’s chest, and guilt and fear for his deeds left him unprepared.
Still, the iron corpses were slightly weaker than the half-bronze Corpse King, and their strikes were slower, giving Lu Chengyun a chance to escape.
Sensing danger, he dodged the claw aimed at his heart and then ducked under the other strike, though his hair was cut off in the process.
His hair disheveled, Lu Chengyun looked utterly miserable.
He stared at the two iron corpses in horror, retreating while begging:
“Elders, spare my life!”
These two iron corpses had once been elders of the Little Lingyin Sect.
He had dug up their graves and turned them into zombies.
Lu Chengyun thought the sect’s ancestors had come for revenge, so he was terrified.
But then, a realization struck.
Faintly, he could feel a spiritual presence using the Corpse King as a pivot to control the two iron corpses!
This presence was deep, subtle, yet familiar.
“Someone is tricking me, trying to kill me!”
Lu Chengyun’s gaze turned cold as he traced the presence, sending out a flash of sword energy toward the empty space near Yang Jishan.
Just as it was about to strike the ground, a white-clothed youth suddenly appeared, spear in hand, blocking the attack and dispersing the sword energy.
It was Bai Zisheng.
Lu Chengyun was secretly shocked.
A Qi-Refining cultivator had blocked a strike from a Foundation Establishment master!
As Bai Zisheng stepped back, a small figure appeared behind him.
His features were like a painting, eyes bright like stars.
It was Mo Hua.
Lu Chengyun froze, then his expression changed violently:
“You’re not dead?!”
Mo Hua squinted and smiled but said nothing.
Lu Chengyun’s gaze flickered, then his face darkened in shock:
“Could it be… you?”
“You controlled my Corpse King?”
At these words, Yang Jishan and the others were stunned, staring at Mo Hua in disbelief.
Mo Hua shook his head, correcting: “It’s not your Corpse King.”
He clenched his small hand, and the array on the Corpse King’s chest brightened, blue spiritual threads spreading across its body.
“It’s my Corpse King now!”
Lu Chengyun’s face went pale: “No!”
He focused all his effort, activating the Lingshu Evil Array, desperate to regain control.
The blood-red evil array emerged on the Corpse King’s chest.
Red evil energy, like blood strands, spread outward, entwining with the faint blue spiritual threads, struggling and clashing continuously.
The Corpse King struggled, growling ferociously.
The chest array was a duel of red and blue, light and dark alternating.
Soon, the blood strands were suppressed and scattered by the blue threads.
The evil array on its chest gradually dimmed.
Cold sweat dripped from Lu Chengyun’s forehead. His divine sense waned, and the evil energy he generated weakened.
The spiritual threads, however, continued to flow, brimming with spiritual power!
Lu Chengyun was incredulous.
He realized a terrifying fact:
This little brat, Mo Hua, not only mastered the Lingshu Array far beyond his own level, but his divine sense also completely overwhelmed him!
Impossible! He was only at the eighth stage of Qi Refinement!
Seeing his Corpse King slipping from his control, Lu Chengyun’s heart ached and panic set in. He glared at Mo Hua and gritted his teeth:
“When did you learn the Lingshu Array?”
Mo Hua, controlling the Corpse King, asked innocently:
“Didn’t you teach me?”
Lu Chengyun froze.
Mo Hua said with innocence:
“You forgot? You showed me the Lingshu Array diagram, drew it several times in front of me… I just watched and learned it…”
Lu Chengyun roared: “Impossible!!”
“Impossible!”
His expression bordered on madness.
“This is the Lingshu Array, a top-grade twelve-pattern Absolute Array!”
“I spent nearly a hundred years studying day and night, enduring endless hardships, even using forbidden methods—human bones, blood, drawing on human skin—to master it…”
“And you learned it just by looking??”
“Impossible!!”
Lu Chengyun’s eyes were bloodshot, his mind unhinged, his Dao-heart showing signs of fracturing.
Mo Hua signaled Bai Zisheng with his eyes.
Bai Zisheng instantly understood and darted forward, spear like the wind toward Lu Chengyun’s chest.
With the Corpse King controlled, the surrounding iron corpses remained immobile.
Distracted and unbalanced, Lu Chengyun didn’t notice Bai Zisheng’s sneak attack, and the spear struck his chest.
But Bai Zisheng was only at Qi-Refinement, and Lu Chengyun at Foundation Establishment.
The strike was swift but only pierced the surface, unable to kill.
Lu Chengyun spat blood, retreated, and immediately regained composure.
He had to escape!
The Corpse King he relied on was about to become someone else’s.
He deployed his movement skills, dodging Bai Zisheng’s spear while retreating.
Though only Qi-Refining, Bai Zisheng’s skill was sharp and his Dao technique precise.
Lu Chengyun, severely injured, surrounded by powerful enemies, and losing the Corpse King, could only flee desperately through the iron corpse “stakes.”
The surrounding cultivators were confused, unsure of what to do.
Yang Jishan’s expression darkened.
He, too, was bewildered.
Mo Hua secretly controlled the Corpse King??
Was this little disciple the mastermind?
The one behind refining the Dao-Sin Calamity?
Impossible.
But if not him, how could anyone override Lu Chengyun and force the Corpse King to “betray”?
Who was he really?
A righteous cultivator or… a demon path prodigy?
Yang Jishan’s heart grew cold, his expression wary.
Lu Chengyun continued fleeing; his speed made him untouchable for now.
The battle reached a tense standstill.
Then, a sudden surge of yin energy appeared behind Lu Chengyun.
The Corpse King, now covered in faint blue Lingshu patterns, appeared behind him, claws like wind, clamping onto Lu Chengyun’s neck.
The sharp nails held him firmly.
Lu Chengyun panicked, unable to break free.
The Corpse King was completely out of control.
No—he had lost control of the Corpse King.
Mo Hua had taken full command!
Mo Hua, controlling the Corpse King, seized Lu Chengyun and said:
“Senior Brother, kill him!”
Bai Zisheng was about to act when Yang Jishan snapped out of it, exclaiming:
“No!”
The gaunt elder added urgently: “Do not kill him!”
Bai Zisheng hesitated, glancing at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua’s eyes turned cold, voice firm:
“Kill!”
Between Dao Court cultivators and Mo Hua, Bai Zisheng followed his little junior brother’s orders.
With Lu Chengyun locked by the Corpse King, this was the perfect opportunity. He would use full force to kill this villain!
Bai Zisheng braced his spear, power rising.
“Stop him!”
Yang Jishan led the charge to intercept Bai Zisheng.
The situation was unclear; Lu Chengyun could not die yet.
If he did, the Corpse King would run rampant, Dao-Sin Calamity would revive, and all would be lost.
The gaunt elder prepared his copper coins, but before acting, his expression changed sharply.
Yang Jishan paused, eyes dazed.
Bai Zisheng’s aura soared, spiritual energy roaring, faintly echoing like a dragon’s cry.
A majestic pale dragon formed along his spear!
Dragon!
The gaunt elder trembled: “Return Dragon Spear Technique?!”
Everyone’s expression shifted.
“The Dragon Technique…”
“Is it… the Bai family of Qianxue Province, that ten-thousand-year-old clan?!”
The might of the Azure Dragon phantom, coupled with the reputation of Qianxue Province’s Bai family, instilled fear in these Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving them flustered and at a loss.
Mo Hua also opened his mouth in surprise.
Bai Zisheng, clad entirely in white, eyes sharp as swords, moved with the Azure Dragon phantom swirling around him, majestic and heroic.
He hadn’t expected his little senior brother to be so impressive…
When the Dragon Returning Spear technique reached full accumulation, Bai Zisheng’s spiritual power surged.
Then, truly merging with the spear, he became one with it. The spear shot out like a dragon, his whole body transforming into a dragon-shaped shadow, accompanied by a soaring dragon roar, whistling forward.
This strike almost completely consumed all of Bai Zisheng’s spiritual power, its force terrifying.
Through Lu Chengyun’s horrified eyes, the spear pierced his chest.
The dragon-infused spiritual power rippled through his meridians and organs, systematically crushing Lu Chengyun’s life force bit by bit!
The traitor of the Little Lingyin Sect.
The head of the Lu family in Nanyue City.
The mastermind behind the murder, corpse-arranging, and corpse-mining schemes, had met his end!
The entire graveyard fell silent.
Dozens of iron corpses and thousands of wandering corpses also lost their vitality, motionless.
After dozens of breaths with no further anomalies, Yang Jishan finally exhaled in relief.
Since Mo Hua appeared, unexpected events had been frequent.
In less than an hour, his heart had been tossed about countless times.
With Lu Chengyun dead, the zombies remained inert.
This was good…
Exhausting himself to trigger the Dragon Returning Spear to kill Lu Chengyun left Bai Zisheng slightly drained. His face was pale, but his expression thrilled and even proud.
Bai Zixi shook her head helplessly, taking a pill from the phoenix-patterned storage pouch, offering it to Bai Zisheng to recover.
Mo Hua, calm in expression, suddenly frowned.
Yang Jishan hesitated, about to speak to Mo Hua, but his expression suddenly changed.
From the quiet graveyard came a chewing sound.
The sound was eerie and grim.
Following the sound, everyone witnessed a horrifying sight: Lu Chengyun, struck down by Bai Zisheng, was being devoured by the Corpse King!
As if afraid of being noticed, the Corpse King ate with alarming speed, mouthful after mouthful, consuming him alive within moments!
Blood and flesh smeared its lips and chest.
The red in its eyes grew, while a dark-gold hue began to emerge within that red.
The emaciated old man turned deathly pale, trembling as he said,
“Corpse King… devouring its master… has the Dao-Sin awakened?”
Everyone was struck with profound fear.
At the same time, the Corpse King’s aura suddenly became terrifying, containing a faint yet distorted Dao essence.
Yang Jishan shouted sharply:
“Everyone, attack with all your strength! Kill it before it fully awakens!”
Foundation Establishment cultivators surged with spiritual power.
Spells, spiritual artifacts, talismans—every method was unleashed, all-out, trying to crush the fledgling Corpse Da0-Sin in its cradle!
On the graveyard, the spiritual forces of various cultivators interwove, vast and imposing.
Yet, just as the attacks neared the Corpse King, they were all blocked by the iron corpses.
These iron corpses, fearless of death, guarded the Corpse King.
The previously quiet zombie horde erupted again, eyes red, roaring madly, recklessly charging at the cultivators as if to punish anyone daring to offend their “king”!
The graveyard instantly erupted into a brutal life-and-death battle.
Bai Zisheng gripped his spear, ready to fight again, but Bai Zixi stopped him.
She led Bai Zisheng to Mo Hua, standing in front of the two of them, fingers forming sword seals, weaving blades of pure white fire to protect the three.
Any zombie touching the swordlight was burned by the white flames.
Mo Hua watched the Corpse King from afar.
Its aura strengthened incrementally, its twisted Dao essence deepening.
Mo Hua’s gaze hardened, then he drew a Profound-Earth Array beneath him, closing his eyes to meditate, connecting with something through Divine Sense.
Wave after wave of Foundation Establishment cultivators charged at the Corpse King, yet each time, the iron corpses blocked them.
Yang Jishan’s face was pale, heart burning with anxiety.
The Corpse King was slowly awakening, about to become Dao-Sin Calamity.
If they didn’t kill it, everyone would die!
Even the Little Huangzhou Realm would be devastated.
Yang Jishan picked up the Sunset Spear, took a Spirit Recovery Pill and a Great Recovery Pill, and with his remaining spiritual power, launched the spear again.
This strike was equally formidable.
Flames condensed, the spear blazing like the sun.
Though he couldn’t reach the Corpse King directly, he hurled the spear with all his strength, turning it into a rainbow of fire aimed at the Corpse King.
But again, the iron corpses blocked it with their bodies. In the end, the spear reached the Corpse King but was seized by one of its hands.
With a twist, the Sunset Spear shattered, and its flesh instantly turned bronze.
Then the Corpse King roared skyward.
Corpse Qi surged, blinding the skies.
The horizon tinged with blood-red.
The roar acted as a command.
At that moment, not only the graveyard, but the mine, and even the entire Nanyue City, seemed to feel it; all zombies gathered toward the Corpse King, as if to worship their “king”!
Yang Jishan felt as if he’d fallen into an ice cellar.
Every cultivator’s scalp tingled in fear.
Many displayed hopelessness.
The emaciated old man said, “Commander Yang, try to break through and escape—survive if you can!”
Yang Jishan gritted his teeth, helplessly agreeing, “Alright!”
But he knew that under the Corpse King’s zombie tide, even escape was nearly impossible.
It was only a slim chance.
Yet not escaping meant no chance at all.
The cultivators retreated under the Dao soldiers’ cover, while Mo Hua stayed in place.
Yang Jishan shouted, “Little Brother!”
He wanted Mo Hua to flee, but in that moment, Mo Hua was already heavily surrounded by iron corpses.
Even if Yang Jishan tried to save him, it was impossible.
Panic surged through him, yet then came astonishment.
The iron corpses only surrounded Mo Hua but dared not approach.
Bai Zixi stood calmly before Mo Hua and Bai Zisheng, expression serious yet composed.
At that moment, Mo Hua opened his eyes and stepped forward, placing his little senior brother and sister behind him.
As he advanced, the iron corpses recoiled, showing visible fear.
Instinctively, they feared—submissive to domination.
The Corpse King was their “king.”
And now, with Lu Chengyun dead,
Mo Hua was the only one capable of controlling the Corpse King—king over their king!
The zombie horde calmed slightly.
The cultivators could breathe for a moment.
Across the horde, the Corpse King’s fierce gaze fixed on Mo Hua.
It had not yet become Dao-Sin Calamity.
Because it had not truly “devoured its master.”
Lu Chengyun was its master, but not the true one.
Its true master was this little cultivator!
A master with a master is not truly a master.
A king with a king is not truly a king.
Only by devouring this little cultivator could it truly consume its master, shatter its chains, break free from Heaven’s shackles, become the unique “Corpse King,” and evolve into a world-devouring Dao-Sin!
To turn this land into a blood-and-flesh purgatory!
The Corpse King’s eyes glowed with blood, transforming into a streak of crimson light, charging straight at Mo Hua.
Everyone panicked. Yang Jishan’s expression changed drastically. “No!”
Mo Hua remained calm, eyes sharp as swords, pointing forward with a small hand.
The Corpse King’s forward momentum halted abruptly!
Countless spiritual threads burst from its chest, weaving outward, suppressing its Corpse Qi, controlling its body.
The Corpse King’s eyes lost majesty, showing only rage and unwillingness.
It struggled, blood energy surging.
Corpse Qi flared, gray-white strands streaked with blood, rolling in layers.
Meanwhile, twisted, aberrant Dao essence spread.
Feeling this, all cultivators shivered, as if an icy Divine Sense was observing, erasing thoughts, forcing submission.
The twisted Dao essence also enveloped Mo Hua.
Mo Hua’s mind stirred.
This aura was very familiar.
The great demon in Tongxian City once carried a similar aura.
At that time, he knew nothing of Dao essence, unable to discern its nature.
Now he understood.
This was the aura of Dao-Sin—twisted, aberrant Dao essence.
Because it contained corrupted Dao essence, such disasters were called Dao-Sin.
Mo Hua understood clearly and began using the Profound-Earth Array to connect with the earth’s Dao essence.
The restless in the soil are corpses.
The corpse’s aura comes from the earth but is also filled with blood, hatred, and resentment.
Mo Hua sought to use the earth’s Dao essence to suppress the Corpse King’s aura.
Earth is receptive, bearing all things with profound virtue.
Perhaps the earth itself did not wish to see Dao-Sin arise.
The Dao essence of the earth that Mo Hua tapped into this time was exceptionally dense and potent. Though still not comparable to the visualization using a Dao Monument, it was enough to suppress a half-step Dao-Sin Corpse King.
The aura of Dao-Sin was neutralized.
Mo Hua concentrated fully.
His peak thirteen-mark Divine Sense operated at its absolute limit.
On the Spiritual Pivot Array, thousands of spiritual threads bloomed like ephemeral flowers, dense and intricate, weaving together to completely constrict, suppress, infiltrate, refine, stitch, and gradually dominate the Corpse King…
The Corpse King resisted fiercely, eyes filled with brutality. Its flesh was torn and distorted by the threads, yet revived repeatedly…
The standoff lasted for an unknown duration.
Mo Hua’s gaze suddenly sharpened, light blazing in his eyes. His voice rang out crisp yet commanding:
“Abomination!”
“Kneel!!”
The Corpse King roared in fury and defiance, voice hoarse with rage.
Yet its body, entangled and pulled by thousands of spiritual threads, trembled and slowly sank to the ground.
With each inch it knelt, the mountain rocks beneath cracked!
The entire graveyard shook violently!
Thousands of zombies, eyes glowing red, howled in unwillingness.
Across Nanyue City, the hills and ridges were filled with corpse-roars, as if the land had plunged into Avīci Hell, the wails of a hundred ghosts resounding.
The zombie tide surged, Corpse Qi raging.
Mo Hua’s small figure remained calm and unshaken.
With Divine Sense, he continued to drive the Spiritual Pivot Array, slowly taking control of the Corpse King.
Entangled by countless threads and suppressed by the earth’s vast Dao essence, the Corpse King, despite its struggle, finally placed one knee on the ground!
The horrifying, monstrous clamor between heaven and earth ceased abruptly.
The zombie horde quieted.
The trembling cultivators looked up.
Above the graveyard, beneath the sky-darkening crimson Corpse Qi,
the majestic and massive Corpse King half-kneeling before tiny Mo Hua.
As the Corpse King knelt,
the violent aura of the zombie horde gradually faded.
Dozens of iron corpses, blood drained from their eyes, revealed expressions of awe, slowly kneeling before Mo Hua.
Then, across Nanyue City, all the roaming corpses, across hills and ridges, fell prostrate before him.
The Corpse King knelt, the iron corpses submitted, and the myriad zombies paid homage!
All the cultivators were struck silent with terror.
The emaciated old man, well-versed in the Heavenly Secret Algorithm, felt his Dao heart tremble.
He witnessed a scene he had never imagined, and dared not imagine: the Dao-Sin Calamity, kneeling before a mere child…