Chapter 241 The Corpse Demon 3 Years Ago

Chen Mo looked through the shadow puppet's perspective.

It was a dark red sphere about the size of a fist, with a smooth surface. It was like a heart that had just been pulled from the chest cavity, still beating slightly.

With each bounce, a layer of dark red light would appear on the surface of the sphere, within which countless tiny faces could be vaguely seen roaring.

The shadow puppet attached to Chen Mo's divine sense passed through the horde of Yin spirits, walked to the middle of the powder, picked up the sphere, and turned to disappear into the darkness.

The remaining seven shadow puppets continued deeper into the area with the vengeful ghost.

He shifted his attention away from the core and refocused on the depths of the tunnel.

The passageway grew narrower and the top lower, and large black lines began to appear on the rock walls on both sides, spreading outward from the depths.

The air was filled with a strong smell of sulfur.

After walking for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the shadow puppet turned a corner, and the view suddenly opened up before it.

This is a huge natural cave, about ten zhang high, with jagged ceilings and stalactites hanging upside down like a forest of knives.

The rock walls surrounding the cave were covered with those black patterns, so dense that they were almost impossibly dense.

In the very center of the cave, an underground river flows out from the darkness.

The river was not wide, only about three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and the water was as black as ink, making it impossible to see the bottom.

On one side of the cave, there is a humanoid monster bound by iron chains.

It was about seven feet tall, with a thin body but large bones, and must have been a tall man in life.

The skin was a deep bluish-black, clinging tightly to the bones and outlining the skull.

But there were no signs of decay on the skin surface, not even a single tear; it was so intact that it didn't look like something that had been dead for a long time.

He was wearing a tattered Taoist robe, the color of which was no longer discernible, leaving only a dark patch with the edges torn into strips.

The style of the Taoist robe is very old and not the style commonly seen today.

Chen Mo had seen similar designs in the archives of the Inspection Bureau; they were at least three hundred years old.

The monster's hands were clasped together in front of its chest, its nails long, black, and curved like hooks.

There was a fist-sized depression in the center of the chest cavity, with jagged edges, as if the heart had been forcibly removed.

Its size perfectly matches the core of the possessing evil spirit.

Dozens of iron chains extended from the rock walls around the cave, some as thick as an arm and others as thin as a thumb, all driven into the body of the corpse demon.

The chains ran through its shoulder blades, collarbone, ribs, spine, and knees; in some places, the chains had become fused with its flesh and bone.

At the other end of the iron chain, dozens of thick copper pillars are embedded in the rock wall, and the iron chain is wrapped around the copper pillars.

The iron chains that bound it were covered with densely packed runes, which shone faintly in the darkness.

Each time it flashed, a faint ray of light flowed along the iron chain into the corpse demon's body, then flowed out from another iron chain and returned to the rock wall.

This is... a corpse demon?

After observing for more than ten minutes, Chen Mo finally figured out the origin of this monster.

It is classified as a Class A danger in the Bureau of Investigation's files, two whole levels higher than a possessing evil spirit.

The conditions for the formation of a corpse demon are extremely demanding. The person must be a cultivator with a high level of cultivation in life, and the body must be buried in an extremely yin place after death, where it cannot rot or be possessed by other yin entities.

It remained uncorrupted for hundreds of years under the influence of Yin energy, and eventually the Yin energy merged with the corpse, giving birth to a new consciousness.

This corpse spirit was exceptionally well-preserved.

Chen Mo's attention fell on its face.

The other person's face was preserved more completely than their body.

His facial features were clear, with high brow bones and a straight nose. Even though he had been dead for hundreds of years, you could still tell what he looked like when he was alive.

He stared at the face and suddenly had a strange feeling that he had seen the face of this corpse demon somewhere before.

Unfortunately, I can't remember it no matter what I do.

At that moment, the corpse demon's brow twitched.

It was so subtle that Chen Mo wouldn't have noticed it at all if he hadn't been watching closely.

"retreat!"

The shadow puppet and all the vengeful spirits retreated back into the mine tunnel at the same time.

In the darkness, the corpse demon opened its eyes.

There was no white in the eye, no pupil; the entire eye socket was pure black.

"people?"

The Corpse Demon's gaze swept across the cave, from the underground river to the rock walls, finally settling on the direction of the mine entrance.

Chen Mo did not answer.

He wasn't sure if the corpse demon had truly awakened or if it was just some kind of instinctive reaction.

The Bureau of Investigation's files record that Class A danger level corpse demons not only possess complete consciousness, but also retain most of their memories and intelligence from their previous lives.

This kind of thing is a hundred times more troublesome than a vengeful ghost.

The Corpse Demon's brow twitched again, this time more pronounced than before, as if it were frowning.

"It's not human; a human's scent wouldn't be so faint."

"Is it a puppet? Or a fragment of a soul?"

Chen Mo's heart stirred.

This guy was more lucid than he had expected.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally let the shadow puppet closest to the cave speak.

The sound was simulated by the vibrations of the shadow puppet's yin energy: "Passing by."

The corpse demon's lips twitched slightly.

"Just passing by?"

It repeated the two words, its dark eyes fixed on the direction of the shadow puppet, "In the past three hundred years, only three groups of people have passed through here."

"The first batch was two hundred years ago, a few treasure-hunting cultivators, who were torn to pieces by my chains."

"The second batch was from a hundred years ago, a group of ghost soldiers, which I ate."

"The third batch consisted of three little guys, but they were too weak. I was asleep at the time and couldn't be bothered with them."

"Are you their descendant? And also searching for the Black Dragon Xuanming Sha?"

Chen Mo did not answer immediately.

Does this corpse demon also know the location of the Black Dragon Xuanming Sha?

"That's right. Senior, could you please tell me about the Black Dragon Xuanming Sha?" Chen Mo asked.

The corpse demon's lips twitched again, the curve widening slightly, making it appear as if it were smiling.

"In three hundred years, you are the first person to speak frankly."

"Of the previous groups, some said they were treasure hunting, some said they were exploring mysteries, and some said they got lost. Only you honestly admitted it."

"What good would it do to admit it?"

"At least it proves you're not an idiot." The Corpse Demon raised its head slightly, the chains rattling. "I don't like dealing with idiots, so they're all dead."

"Isn't there still an old woman alive?"

The Corpse Demon remained silent for a few moments, then let out a low laugh.

"Interesting. In three hundred years, you're the first person to talk back to me."

"So, do you want to know why she was able to survive?"

"In no mood."

"......"

The Corpse Demon's laughter stopped, and its dark eyes returned to the Shadow Puppet's direction.

"What you're looking for is indeed beneath the dark river," it said. "Would you like to go down?"

"Yes." Chen Mo replied without hesitation.

Instead of answering directly, the other person raised a hand. "See those bronze pillars?"

Chen Mo's gaze shifted to the rock walls surrounding the cave.

Dozens of thick bronze pillars are embedded in the rock wall, with iron chains wrapped around them and runes flashing.

"Help me break down these three bronze pillars, and I'll let you go down."

"No."

The Corpse Demon paused for a moment, its hand, which had been raised a few inches, stopping in mid-air.

"What did you say?"

"I said no." Chen Mo's voice was calm. "Breaking three copper pillars will be enough for you to break half of your chains. At that point, forget about going down to the river, I might not even be able to get out of this cave alive."

The Corpse Demon stared at him for a long time.

"You're quite cautious. Let's change the terms. You help me break two copper pillars, and I'll give you a cultivation technique that's enough for you to reach the Golden Core realm."

"That's not enough. You haven't even reached the Golden Core stage yet, so you should probably give up on the cultivation technique."

Chen Mo, standing outside the cave, sneered. This guy had probably been locked up for too long and didn't even know what was happening outside.

"not enough?"

"The value of a cultivation technique is not enough for me to take this risk," Chen Mo said. "Besides, who knows if your technique is genuine or not?"

The temperature around him suddenly dropped a few degrees, and he could sense that the guy was suppressing some kind of emotion.

"What do you want?"

"Take out the cultivation manual and let's take a look."

"The cultivation technique is not with me."

"Then write it down from memory," Chen Mo said. "I can provide paper and a pen."

The Corpse Demon fell silent.

The cave was so quiet that only the sound of the underground river flowing could be heard.

It took a full cup of tea to finish before it spoke again.

What type of cultivation technique do you want?

Chen Mo pondered for a moment.

After condensing the evil energy, one can release some low-level spells, but unfortunately, they are not included in the Zhenyi Division.

If we can get it from the other party, that would be even better.

"Yin, any water-attribute spells will do."

A flicker of emotion crossed the Corpse Demon's eyes, a hint of surprise in her voice, "Yin Water attribute? Are you a Water Spiritual Root or a Yin Spiritual Root?"

Chen Mo did not answer, but suddenly thought of the flying sword he had seen in the ghost market.

"If you have a sword cultivation technique, that will also work."

The Corpse Demon paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The chains rattled loudly from the vibration.

"Sword cultivator?" Its voice was full of sarcasm. "The lineage of sword cultivators has been broken for hundreds of years. Where do you expect me to find sword cultivation techniques for you?"

Chen Mo did not speak.

The corpse demon's laughter gradually subsided, and its head drooped slightly, as if it were deep in thought.

After a long while, it suddenly raised its head.

"but......"

"But what?"

"I know of a place where the lineage of sword cultivators might exist."

"That's the ruins of an ancient sword cultivator, said to contain the complete legacy of a Golden Core realm sword cultivator. His cultivation techniques, sword manuals, and magical artifacts are all inside."

"Where?"

The corpse demon's mouth slowly parted, revealing two rows of jet-black, gleaming teeth.

"Help me break the two bronze pillars, and I'll tell you their location."

"Give us the cultivation method first."

"What?"

"Give me a cultivation technique first, so I can confirm you're not just spouting nonsense. Once I have the technique, I'll help you break the copper pillar."

The Corpse Demon stared at him, its dark eyes revealing no emotion.

"Do you take me for a three-year-old?" Its voice turned cold. "What if I give you the cultivation technique and you run away?"

"You can give me the first few pages first," Chen Mo said. "I'll test its authenticity. If it's genuine, I'll definitely keep my promise."

Now it was Corpse Demon's turn to fall silent.

The air inside the cave seemed to have solidified, and even the surface of the underground river appeared more lifeless.

After a while, the voice of the Corpse Demon rang out.

"What's your name?"

"Gu Ruzhang".

"Gu Ruzhang?"

The Corpse Demon repeated the name, drawing out the sound as if savoring something.

"The name sounds plausible," it said, "but it's fake."

How do you know it's fake?

"You hesitated just now." The Corpse Demon's lips curled into a grin. "When I asked you your name, you answered quickly, but you hesitated. A person doesn't hesitate when giving their real name; they only hesitate when making it up."

Chen Mo neither denied nor admitted it.

"Whether the name is real or fake is not important; what matters is the transaction itself."

"You give me the cultivation technique, I'll break the copper pillar. The name is just a code."

"Interesting." The Corpse Demon lowered its head slightly, its dark eyes fixed on Chen Mo's direction. "In three hundred years, you're the first person who dared to fool me with a fake name. Fine, a fake name it is, I don't care."

"What I care about is, after you get the cultivation technique, will you really keep your promise?"

"You don't believe me?"

Do you believe me?

The two looked at each other and remained silent for a full ten breaths.

In the end, it was the Corpse Demon who spoke first.

"Mysterious Ice Splitting Needle, a technique with Yin Water attribute. When mastered to its peak, a single ice needle can split into three hundred and sixty rays of cold light. Those struck by it will have their meridians frozen and their consciousness sealed. Anyone below the Foundation Establishment stage will surely die."

"Sounds good." Chen Mo's tone was calm. "The first few pages."

The corpse demon opened and closed its mouth, squeezing out a convoluted incantation from its throat.

"...Mysterious ice as its bones, yin water as its form, splitting light and transforming shadow, a needle piercing through all laws..."

"The first level, condensing qi into ice, requires using the yin qi in the dantian to condense thirty-six ice needles, each as thin as a hair, guided by divine sense..."

Chen Mo listened very attentively.

He listened attentively while silently taking notes in his mind.

This incantation does sound plausible; the wording is refined, and the logic is consistent, so it doesn't seem like it was made up on the spot.

But he didn't rush to conclusions.

The Corpse Demon spoke for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, explaining all the mental techniques and incantations for the first two levels.

"...The second level, the ice needle leaves the body, shatters upon hitting the target, and the cold air invades the meridians."

"Is it over?" Chen Mo, standing outside the cave, frowned as he looked at the [Mysterious Ice Dividing Needle - Fragment] displayed on the Moonlight Treasure Mirror.

"The first two levels are enough," the Corpse Demon said. "For a cultivator who has just reached the late stage of Qi Refining, the first two levels are enough for you to cultivate for three months. Once you break through the copper pillar, I will give you the next five levels."

"Alright then, I'll test if the technique is genuine first."

After saying this, Chen Mo fell silent.

……

Two hours later.

A slight fluctuation of yin energy emanated from the depths of the mine.

"This is too difficult, can we get a different one?"

The Corpse Demon's lips twitched. "What? This is too difficult."

Fearing that Chen Mo wouldn't be able to learn it, it specially selected this simplest introductory water-based technique. Is it still difficult?

"yes."

Chen Mo said, "The Xuanbing Splitting Needle you mentioned requires condensing thirty-six ice needles on the first level. I tried for a long time but couldn't condense even one. This thing isn't suitable for me. Let's get another one."

The surrounding air was noticeably colder.

"You spent two hours and still can't even get started? How did you manage to cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining?"

Chen Mo replied matter-of-factly, "I can usually master a cultivation technique in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Your technique has taken so long and you still haven't mastered it—isn't that your problem?"

The Corpse Demon's chest heaved slightly.

"That's because you're not good enough."

"The Mystic Ice Dividing Light Needle was notoriously easy to learn but difficult to master three hundred years ago. It only took half an incense stick's time to get started. You're the one who's stupid and you're blaming me?"