In the north-eastern direction of the Clear River prefecture, there were also mountain ranges, but they were not as steep and tall as the Boundless mountains.
Instead, they were small, short mounds. There were no clear veins connecting them. They were called mountains, but they were actually hilly landforms.
Rarely would spiritual veins run through a landscape like this, so the spiritual qi was relatively sparse. Probably no cultivators would establish their sects here.
However, there were exceptions, which happened to be one of the three mountains of the past, Burial Mound mountain. As a sect that focused on refining corpses, what they cared about the most was not spiritual veins, but a suitable "place for nurturing corpses".
The mounds were like huge burial mounds, forming a natural, wondrous land for accumulating yin qi and corpse qi. After being modified by generations of cultivators of the Burial Mound mountain, it was enveloped in a layer of gloominess all year round. Even sunlight seemed feeble.
If mortals accidentally entered there, they would stiffen up and collapse to death in just a short while. Afterwards, they would probably climb back up again.
Yu Shukuang stood on the top of the mountain and frowned, gazing at Burial Mound mountain from afar. Using the information network of the Hawkwolf Guard, he finally found out that Ma Chaoqun was currently in Burial Mound mountain. He had switched sects, becoming a disciple of the Burial Mound mountain.
After the death of their sect masters, the Green Vine mountain and the Pheasant's Grace mountain of the past "holy land of the three mountains" had both shattered and separated. However, a grand elder who cultivated in seclusion emerged from Burial Mound mountain to take charge.
Rumour had it that the grand elder had crawled out of a coffin, but no one knew the exact details.
However, after several years of war, the other sects had all suffered. Instead, Burial Mound mountain prospered. The layer of gloominess that enveloped Burial Mound mountain was far denser than when the Lone Grave Elder was still alive. It was much denser.
If the corpses of mortals who died in the chaos of war were left unattended, they would lead to plagues. Whether it was burning or burying them, it would be extremely troublesome.
Most of them were collected and transported to Burial Mound mountain. Then, they were refined into zombies through the secret technique of Burial Mound mountain. Once they were refined into Corpse Control Talismans, they could be converted into power that could contend against daemons.
Yu Shukuang understood all of this. He secretly panicked inside, Surely Ma Chaoqun isn't that crazy! Although he loved his wife deeply, he did not want her to stand up again in the form of a corpse.
He arrived before the entrance of Burial Mound mountain and could not help but feel an intense urge to turn back. That strong aura of death. To be able to make any living being feel disgusted, it was no wonder that even the demons had never attacked this place. If he could, he really did not want to step into this place.
With his identity as a Hawkwolf guard, he entered Burial Mound mountain very easily. The light immediately dimmed. Figures moved about in the gloom, either in groups or alone. There were many of them, and all sorts of strange noises could be heard, but it didn't feel lively at all. Yu Shukuang was unable to tell which were corpses and which were people.
The Burial Mound Mountain disciple guarding the mountain gate came to welcome him, and learned that he was here to search for Ma Chaoqun. His pale face became a little more enthusiastic, and he immediately said, "I'll go and invite Eldest Senior Brother."
"Eldest Senior Brother!"
Yu Shukuang was rather surprised, but the disciple had already travelled off into the distance. He left behind a zombie to lead him down another path.
She was waiting in a stone chamber that looked like a tomb. She politely declined the tea on the table and stood not far behind him. The zombie that held the teapot and served as an attendant stared at the teacup blankly, as if she was waiting for Yu Shukuang to drink the tea. It was quite displeasing.
After a while, Yu Shukuang became bored from waiting. He stood up and paced around. He was rather worried. Will this guy run away now that he knows I've come? However, he's still a disciple of the Burial Mound mountain after all. Apart from formally paying respects to the mountain, there was nothing else he could do.
He turned around, and his heart suddenly tightened. He almost reached for the sword on his waist. Before he knew it, a figure had appeared at the entrance.
"Who is it?"
The person did not answer. The corner of his lips twitched stiffly, as if he was mocking him.
Yu Shukuang frowned and said in surprise, "Ma Chaoqun!"
He could not be blamed for being so surprised. The current Ma Chaoqun was basically worlds apart from the Ma Chaoqun in his memories.
Ma Chaoqun's nickname was the Crippled Madman. He gave off a rather crazy aura, while the person before him was extremely sunken. Whether it was his face or his figure, they were both extremely skinny. His ugly complexion could even make people overlook his pockmarks.
What left Yu Shukuang even more surprised was Ma Chaoqun's cultivation. He was actually at the tenth layer.
Yu Shukuang was only at the sixth layer right now, and that was only because of his daughter's status, as Yu Zijian had received quite a lot of support from the Hua family. She was not slow at all, while Ma Chaoqun was not a very talented person either, or he would not have remained on the Pheasant's Grace mountain for so many years.
No wonder the disciple Just Now referred to him as first senior brother!
However, Yu Shukuang was not afraid of his cultivation. He yelled, "Ma Chaoqun! Where did you take Zi 'er's corpse? "
Originally, he thought Ma Chaoqun would feign ignorance before mocking him viciously for revenge. However, he never thought Ma Chaoqun would say in an extremely straightforward manner, "Come with me!" Afterwards, he turned around and left.
All Yu Shukuang could do was follow behind him. Ma Chaoqun's footsteps were rather stiff, but he moved like the wind. Before long, he arrived before a stone door. Looking at the size of the stone door, it could be regarded as one of the more luxurious ones on Burial Mound mountain. Entering it was a long tunnel.
Yu Shukuang smelled the smell of blood. It became heavier and heavier, enough to make him nauseated. It was no longer just the smell of blood. There was also a certain foul smell of decay. When he inhaled the smell, he felt like he had stuffed a ball of dirty cotton into his chest.
The stone doors opened and closed. At the end of the tunnel was a large underground palace. A circular pool of blood occupied most of the space in the underground palace. Severed limbs floated in there, constantly bubbling and gurgling as if the pool of blood was alive.
It was clearly extremely sticky, but when he looked into it, he felt like he could not see the bottom.
The moment he stepped into the underground palace, Yu Shukuang's gaze was drawn away by the crystal coffin in the centre of the pool of blood. Compared to the foul pool of blood, the crystal coffin seemed so pure.
A beautiful woman in violet clothes lay in the crystal coffin. Her cheeks were rosy, and her expression was peaceful. She seemed like she was asleep.
Yu Shukuang would never forget that face. He cried out involuntarily, "Zi 'er!" He turned around and asked with an expression that he had no idea whether he should be furious or happy, "What did you do?"
He could not help but admit that he was not looking at a walking zombie, which brought some comfort to him. At a closer glance, he discovered that the bottom of the crystal coffin that Zi 'er lay in seemed to be criss-crossed with veins. They were densely connected to the pool of blood.
Ma Chaoqun said, "I did something you can't do."
"What is it?"
"I want to revive her!" Ma Chaoqun's face regained a human's expression. It was a mixture of complacency, excitement, and fervor!
"That's impossible!" Yu Shukuang said. Let alone Qi Practitioners, even Foundation Establishment cultivators, no, Golden Core cultivators could not revive someone from the dead.
"That's because you haven't loved her enough!" Ma Chaoqun pointed at Yu Shukuang as his cries rang through the underground palace. Afterwards, he lunged over to the crystal coffin and touched it passionately through the icy-cold crystal coffin.
"Do you see it? Zi 'er, this is the man who sweet-talks you, who says he's sincere towards you, yet he made you lie in the pitch-black underground, unable to see the light of day. I saved you. I've let you down. If I hadn't left back then, it would have been fine, it would have been fine. We could still be together. "
His rambling made Yu Shukuang's hair stand on end. He had really lost his mind!
After Zi 'er's death, he had never gotten close to women. He constantly mourned. He could be regarded as a rare man who was infatuated with love. However, compared to Ma Chaoqun's madness, he felt like he could only sigh in admiration.
Yu Shukuang backed away slowly. He felt extremely uneasy. He had to go back and find reinforcements. He had to find the two commanders. They would definitely help him out. He had to bring Zi 'er's corpse back.
Ma Chaoqun suddenly turned around. "She's your wife. Are you just going to abandon her like this? You should stay behind with her! "He leapt over the pool of blood and lunged towards Yu Shukuang.
"He wanted to kill me right from the beginning! Doesn't he care about my identity as a Hawkwolf Guard at all? Oh right, he doesn't care about anything anymore! "
Yu Shukuang exclaimed inside. His sword shot over with a flash. The moment it stabbed Ma Chaoqun's throat, he was confused. Why didn't he dodge? However, the sword was merciless. He channeled his true qi into it, but it was like he had struck leather. He was unable to penetrate it.
Ma Chaoqun sneered. He took a step forward and bent his sword. His right hand gripped Yu Shukuang's throat like it was made of metal, lifting him up like a chicken. He arrived beside the pool of blood and pushed him down.
"For her sake, you should go down too!"
The pool of blood surged, and a vicious human face appeared. It opened its mouth and stared right at Yu Shukuang. Am I going to die here today?
… …
"Chengzan, has anything happened recently?"
As usual, Li Qingshan visited the Hawkwolf Guard first and took a look. He patted Hwa Seung-zan's shoulder in an unconcerned manner.
Hwa Seung-zan could only smile bitterly. A Golden Core cultivator had died, the Moon Devil had unified the water realm, and the Marquis of Ruyi had retreated helplessly. Were these major matters?
But this time, he still did not appear! It seemed like he would never appear as long as the Moon Devil appeared. However, how did he sense these changes again and again? It was probably because of Little Ann's divination of the seven lots! Having a practitioner of divination by his side really did allow him to avoid disaster.
They were major matters, but if they had nothing to do with him, then they were minor matters. He was still carefree and unaffected, using an almost exaggerated speed to increase his own cultivation. Although he was still at mid Foundation Establishment, his aura right now was far more powerful than the last time they met. If this continued, an unprecedented young Golden Core cultivator would probably appear in the Clear River prefecture.
However, he also felt rather doubtful. How could his cultivation speed be so fast? His extraordinary talent and exceptional ability to comprehend could all be explained, but where did he get so many resources?
Hwa Seung-zan did not intentionally suspect this friend of his, but with his sharp and thoughtful nature, he could not help but feel that there were many doubtful points.
Of course, every single doubtful point could be explained, but when they were gathered together, it would be rather strange.
After meeting the Moon Devil several times, he had a strange feeling that there seemed to be some sort of similarity between them!
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