Chapter 512: Benefaction
Chapter 514: Benefaction
In Nanyue City.
Mister Zhuang shook his head, a bit helpless.
“Every time he causes such a huge commotion… this child really doesn’t make things easy.”
Old Kui glanced at him. “You look pretty pleased with yourself…”
Mister Zhuang couldn’t help but smile. “Not bad, I guess.”
After all, he is my disciple!
Old Kui was speechless, then frowned. “If a Dao-Sin Calamity kneels… the karma he absorbs will be massive…”
Mister Zhuang shook his head and corrected him. “First, this isn’t even a Dao-Sin yet…”
“My senior brother set it up so that the Corpse King could become a Dao-Sin Calamity, but there are two conditions.”
“One, Nanyue City must continue raising zombies for a hundred years, slowly generating killing karma. Amid the corpse energy, filthy aura, and resentment of the dead, the Corpse King will gradually awaken.”
“Two, if the plan is exposed and the Corpse King devours its master, it can immediately become a Dao-Sin.”
“But evil cannot overcome righteousness; the Spirit-Pivot Evil Array cannot suppress the Spirit-Pivot Absolute Array.”
“So from beginning to end, Lu Chengyun cannot truly be called the Corpse King’s master. The true master has always been Mo Hua, this child.”
“If it cannot consume Mo Hua, it cannot devour its master.”
“Thus, this Corpse King can only be considered a half-step Dao-Sin, or perhaps a Dao-Sin seed, not yet fully transformed into a Dao-Sin body.”
Mister Zhuang looked at Old Kui again and continued, “Second, even if it were a Dao-Sin, it wouldn’t matter.”
“Mo Hua made it kneel by his own skill.”
“Kneeling means submission. This Dao imprint will be engraved into the causal Dao essence and cannot be changed.”
“For Mo Hua, this is actually an opportunity…”
“As for how to use such heaven-defying karma, that’s something he will have to learn in the future.”
After speaking, Mister Zhuang felt a bit emotional.
“Though it’s somewhat coincidental, having a Dao-Sin kneel is still… ridiculously extraordinary.”
Old Kui was silent. “You didn’t calculate it?”
Mister Zhuang frowned. “I’m not a clairvoyant; I can’t predict everything…”
Old Kui watched him quietly, lost in thought.
After a moment, Old Kui’s eyes narrowed. “This child’s Divine-Sense has already reached the peak of thirteen markings.”
Mister Zhuang nodded, somewhat relieved, but also surprised.
“Indeed, much faster than I expected…”
“What do you plan to do next?”
Mister Zhuang paused, looked up, eyes passing over the mountains into the distance, and said calmly, “Go where I must go…”
Old Kui frowned. “You really intend to go?”
Mister Zhuang nodded. “Past grievances and debts must be resolved.”
Then he glanced at the courtyard.
The courtyard was lush with vegetation, and the pond was clear.
A large tree that shielded against wind and rain swayed in the breeze, shedding its leaves.
Beneath the tree, Mo Hua and his junior brothers and sisters often gathered to cultivate, meditate, study formations, or simply chat and play. Each scene surfaced vividly in Mister Zhuang’s mind…
His expression was filled with reluctance and melancholy.
“This journey is coming to an end…”
On the tomb hill.
Mo Hua stood with hands behind his back, directing the zombies to temporarily return to the mines and rest within the shafts.
The Corpse King lowered its head, following Mo Hua.
The Iron Corpses acted as guards, shielding Mo Hua.
The tens of thousands of zombies formed orderly lines, moving steadily toward the depths of the mine…
Like miners returning home after a day’s work at sunset.
Amid the bloodshed and brutality, there was a strange sense of peace and tranquility.
The zombies returned to the mountain, order maintained. This scene continued throughout the night.
Until dawn, when the sun rose and morning clouds filled the sky. Brilliant rays fell on the mountains outside Nanyue City.
The cultivators were momentarily stunned.
It was as if they had just woken from a nightmare.
In that dream were the terrifying Corpse King, the ruthless tide of zombies, and the desperate struggle between life and death.
Now awake, the sun rose as usual, and all traces vanished.
Yet they knew this was not a dream.
They clearly remembered the night of blood, the sky-darkening corpse energy, the Corpse King’s fearsome roar, and the twisted, terrifying aura of the Dao-Sin.
And they also remembered…
That such a terrifying Corpse King was ultimately subdued, kneeling half-way in submission before a young cultivator.
Mo Hua was the master of the Corpse King.
At the same time, he was like a profound, unfathomable little demon.
The Corpse King knelt, the zombies bowed.
This unbelievable scene left a deep, indelible impression in their Sea of Consciousness, impossible to forget.
They looked at Mo Hua with lingering fear and gratitude.
Grateful for his lifesaving actions, yet wary of his command over the zombies.
Now, all zombies in Nanyue City moved according to his will.
Life, death, fortune, and disaster were all within his control.
Everyone tensed their minds.
Yet Mo Hua appeared completely unconcerned.
All his aura was restrained; he looked like an ordinary, adorable little cultivator.
As if none of the previous events had anything to do with him. He even asked Yang Jishan:
“Uncle Yang, is there any food? I’m hungry…”
Manipulating the zombies had drained much of his Divine-Sense, and now that he had calmed down, he realized he was hungry.
He had some dried meat in his storage bag.
But it was made by his mother, and he usually saved it, reluctant to eat it.
Yang Jishan paused, momentarily unsure what expression to show…
After a night of work, under Mo Hua’s control, all the zombies—including the Corpse King and Iron Corpses—temporarily returned to the mines and rested in the depths of the shafts.
Mo Hua simply set up a formation.
Yang Jishan also ordered that no cultivators enter the mines without permission.
This mine was a thorough zombie mountain.
Moreover, the Corpse King rested within.
After arranging the zombie groups and leaving some Dao soldiers to guard, the other cultivators returned to the city to rest.
Mo Hua also returned to his cave with his junior brothers and sisters.
Having controlled the zombies all night, he was somewhat exhausted. Now that the matter was resolved, he slept soundly.
When he awoke, Yang Jishan had been waiting outside for some time.
Unlike Mo Hua, Yang Jishan hadn’t dared sleep.
Whenever he tried, he would recall the terrifying Dao-Sin, the powerful Corpse King, the ferocious zombie hordes, the broken Sunset Spear, and the Dao soldiers and cultivators who had perished at the zombies’ hands.
He remembered the hidden mastermind nurturing the Dao-Sin.
He remembered Mo Hua, seemingly innocent yet utterly inscrutable.
He remembered the shocking scene of the Corpse King kneeling on the tomb hill.
He remembered that now tens of thousands of zombies were under Mo Hua’s control…
His head throbbed unbearably.
His thoughts were a tangled mess.
Yang Jishan’s face was pale, his aura weak, his eyes deep-rimmed.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, was radiant and energetic after a good sleep, his eyes shining, cheeks plump.
“Uncle Yang, is something wrong?”
Mo Hua asked curiously.
How could nothing be wrong!
Yang Jishan felt bitter but didn’t know how to speak.
“Is it about the zombies?” Mo Hua asked again.
Yang Jishan nodded, finally mustering courage, asking nervously, “What do you plan to do?”
Mo Hua thought for a moment, saying nothing.
Yang Jishan pretended to remain calm, but his heart leapt into his throat.
One Corpse King, dozens of Iron Corpses, tens of thousands of zombies.
This formed an incredibly powerful force!
He feared Mo Hua would make unreasonable demands.
Or worse, he might seize control of the zombies entirely, going astray and becoming a true little demon.
Yang Jishan’s heart was uneasy.
At that moment, Mo Hua asked, “Uncle Yang, how does the Dao Court usually deal with zombie disasters?”
Yang Jishan was stunned. After a moment, he slowly said,
“The Dao Court usually hunts down the ringleaders of zombie disasters.”
“Zombie cultivators, those who refine zombies, are first in line to be captured and punished. If they resist, they are killed on the spot.”
“If captured alive, they are imprisoned in the Dao Jail and sentenced according to their crimes. At minimum, they are exiled to the southern wilderness as cannon fodder. Most are executed, though the methods differ.”
“The more severe the crime, the slower and more painful the death.”
“All other zombies are burned.”
“Zombies are immortal and carry toxins; if blood or corpse energy contaminates them, they will rise to kill again. The spread of corpse toxins is extremely dangerous…”
“All evil instruments and formations used for refining zombies are destroyed.”
“Anyone sheltering or aiding zombie cultivators shares the same guilt…”
Yang Jishan recounted everything to Mo Hua in detail.
Mo Hua pondered, “So all these zombies must be burned?”
Yang Jishan nodded nervously. “Yes…”
“I understand,” Mo Hua said. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”
Yang Jishan was taken aback. “Burn them?”
“Yes.”
“Iron Corpses, and even the Corpse King, all burned?”
Mo Hua looked puzzled. “Otherwise?”
Yang Jishan was shocked but couldn’t help asking softly,
“You don’t want to keep them?”
Mo Hua shook his head. “They’re dangerous. Why keep them? Besides, leaving them be is risky; the Corpse King could easily lose control. It’s best to burn them, eradicate evil completely…”
Yang Jishan opened his mouth, almost moved to tears.
What a principled child!
He had feared Mo Hua might act selfishly, but it was he who had underestimated him.
“However…” Mo Hua continued.
Yang Jishan’s heart sank.
“However” rarely led to anything good…
He tensed again.
“I have something for these zombies to do,” Mo Hua said.
Yang Jishan’s heart sank further but he asked firmly,
“What is it?”
Mo Hua said, “I want to use these zombies to build a mine.”
“A mine?” Yang Jishan frowned.
“Yes,” Mo Hua nodded. “A mine…”
“The zombie tide hit Nanyue City’s miners the hardest.”
“The living already struggled, with scarce spirit stones, harsh daily life. After death, they would be refined into zombies, forced to aid evil, unable to rest in peace.”
“Exploited in life, enslaved in death…”
“The mines collapsed after the zombie tide. The shafts were damaged, corpse energy deep, filth spreading. They couldn’t be used anymore.”
“If mining stops, Nanyue City’s scattered cultivators lose their livelihood.”
“If left like this, they won’t survive.”
“So I want to build a bigger mine, connecting multiple mines, creating a more complete formation, reinforcing the mountains, clearing corpse energy, purging filth, and improving mineral output…”
“So the scattered cultivators of Nanyue City will have a safe place to make a living, without risking their lives, living in constant fear, or dying in the mines, leaving orphans and widows…”
“But this requires significant resources and manpower.”
“I can manage the resources, but manpower is limited.”
“Constructing a new mine, connecting mountains, risks encountering deep-mountain beasts, or inhaling toxic and foul air. It’s very dangerous.”
“Qi-Refining stage cultivators can’t do it safely. But zombies can.”
“Most of these zombies were miners in Nanyue City in life…”
“They may have surviving parents, relatives, or close friends in the city.”
“I want to give them, before their final death, a chance to create blessings for their living family and friends, for the next generation…”
Yang Jishan was deeply shaken.
He looked at Mo Hua, seeing his eyes clear and bright as water.
Golden sunlight streamed through the tree, bathing him.
Yang Jishan took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and solemnly saluted Mo Hua.
…
The next steps proceeded according to Mo Hua’s plan.
These zombies were to be incinerated.
The Corpse King, the seed of the Dao-Sin, had three masters and a history of devouring its master. Though Mo Hua was its final master, he had no intention of keeping it.
Otherwise, it would inevitably become a disaster.
The other iron corpses and walking corpses were naturally to be destroyed as well.
Incinerating zombies required the use of the Corpse-Burning Formation.
This formation, it was said, had been devised by a Dao Court formation expert specifically to eliminate zombie threats.
It could burn the zombie bodies and eradicate the corpse poison, leaving no trace.
Mo Hua had studied the formation and found it cleverly designed, using both Fire and Earth Five-Element runes—Earth to conceal Water, Fire to neutralize poison—truly practical.
He had glanced at it a few more times and secretly memorized it…
But there were too many zombies in Nanyue City.
This was a large-scale zombie disaster, so correspondingly, the scale and number of Corpse-Burning Formations required were not small.
However, all of this was handled by the Dao Court.
Mo Hua didn’t need to concern himself.
He only needed to figure out how to construct large-scale mines.
This move had also been approved by Yang Jishan and supported by the Dao Court cultivators present.
Among them, some genuinely sympathized with the difficulties of the scattered cultivators in Nanyue City and wanted to do something good.
Some simply wanted to do Mo Hua a favor.
Some were reluctant but couldn’t forget the scene of the Corpse King kneeling before Mo Hua, and feared him too much to resist.
The last group just went along because everyone else agreed, not wanting to stand out…
Although the motivations were mixed and the situation complex, a consensus was reached.
Yang Jishan had connections within the Dao Soldier Division, and the other cultivators were all from prominent families or sects in Da0 province, Qianxue province, Kun province, and other regions.
With their backing, executing this plan became much easier.
Building large mines required manpower and resources.
The manpower had already been solved.
The zombies themselves were the “manpower.”
This might have been the most meaningful thing they had done since becoming zombies.
The remaining concern was resources.
The resources for constructing the mines came first from the Dao Court Division in Nanyue City.
From top to bottom, the division was deeply corrupt.
Especially the local officials, who had taken countless bribes from the Lu family.
Seizing it all back would yield a huge sum of spirit stones.
Of course, the officials of Nanyue City had already been removed from office and imprisoned. After sentencing, they wouldn’t live long.
Exactly how they would die was anyone’s guess.
Beyond that, there was the Lu family itself.
The Lu family’s assets had been confiscated.
Everything seized was now used for building the mines.
These spirit stones and treasures had originally been stripped layer by layer from the miners; now they were simply being returned to their rightful place, put to use for the miners again.
Taken from the people, used for the people.
Mo Hua had already planned all this in advance, but the actual confiscation still relied on Yang Jishan and his Dao soldiers.
Yang Jishan did not hold back.
Conducting a seizure was second nature for the Dao soldiers.
The spirit stones collected were immense—millions in total—so large that even someone from a prominent family like Yang Jishan was shocked, unable to resist sighing:
“This Lu Chengyun… no, this Lu family… are they really this rich?”
“And this official—he embezzled nearly a million…”
Yet Yang Jishan also understood.
In this world, there’s no wealth without cause.
The wool always comes from the sheep.
The poorer the scattered cultivators of Nanyue City, the richer the officials.
The richer the officials, the poorer the scattered cultivators.
For them to be this rich also revealed just how poor the scattered cultivators had been all these years…
This sum of spirit stones was far too large to simply leave behind.
The Dao Court would find ways to confiscate it, layer by layer, letting the cultivators involved profit handsomely.
But this matter was too significant.
It involved Dao-Sin, crossed into public attention, and touched multiple powerful families. Under so many eyes, no one dared skim off a profit.
Thus, to quell the disaster, Yang Jishan made the final decision.
In the end, the spirit stones remained in Nanyue City.
With manpower and resources secured, Mo Hua began construction of the new, large-scale mines, connecting several existing mines.