“If someone had come here over twenty years ago, a figure from myth or immortal legend, cultivating a quickly-effective demonic martial art, and had not gone insane, suffered from internal energy backlash, gone mad to the point of death, or exploded from the strain, how profound would his cultivation have become? Surviving round after round of reincarnation, exchanging merits repeatedly, absorbing the flesh, energy, blood, and essence of others, and receiving repeated assistance— even if he hadn’t achieved a Dharma Body, wouldn’t he at least have reached the peak of the External Scenery stage?”
Meng Qi felt his hair stand on end and a chill creep into his heart. Could Old Zhong really be a genuine old demon, a true Tianmo?
“The Four Corrosions of Tianmo”—corrosion of flesh, bone, meridians, and soul—absorbs an opponent’s flesh, bones, meridians, essence, energy, and soul to enhance one’s power, restore youth, and prolong life. It resembles techniques like the Star-Siphoning Method and the Beiming Divine Skill, but is harsher, more sinister, more terrifying, and more effective. Meng Qi had seen it in a comic from his previous life, a technique created by the Great Tianmo in the “Tianmo Manual.” It was not a cultivation method from the main world. When cultivated to its depths, it could achieve the Tianmo Golden Body, return to the Primordial Unity, and generate the Tianmo Supreme Bliss.
“Even for someone not from myth or immortal legend, twenty-plus cycles of reincarnation would be formidable! Although the interval between reincarnations lengthens with increasing power, twenty years still means at least fifteen or sixteen rebirths. After repeatedly exchanging merits and cultivating the Tianmo Manual, how terrifying would that be?”
Meng Qi himself had only undergone six or seven cycles, yet already possessed strength worthy of the top twenty in the Mortal Rankings, even surpassing them. How much more fearsome would a veteran who had undergone fifteen or sixteen cycles be? Moreover, the Tianmo Manual could be cultivated quickly, unlike the Eight-Nine Mystical Art or the Golden Bell Shelter, which required painstaking refinement. Without rare opportunities, rapid advancement was nearly impossible.
Not reaching the peak of External Scenery, at the very least he should have become a Master-level cultivator… A chill ran down Meng Qi’s spine as he struggled to suppress his inner turmoil, forcing himself to stay calm and vigilant, fearing that Old Zhong might suddenly attack with a move of Tianmo Supreme Bliss.
“No wonder that bandit became mentally shattered like that…”
“Good thing I didn’t recklessly come alone but gathered a large group of allies. Otherwise, I’d have died on the job…”
“Wait, if Old Zhong’s power was really that terrifying, he would have boldly stormed Qiu family’s houseboat at the dock, sucking everyone dry into mere husks… Unless there was a Master inside the Qiu family’s houseboat?”
Throughout their history, the Qiu family’s strongest figure had only reached the third stage of External Scenery, never crossing into the Absolute. Currently, only one elder remained at the first stage of External Scenery. Where could they possibly find a Master?
Could their secret be connected to a major faction or a wandering cultivator of great strength?
While others carefully examined the strange corpses, seeking clues to Old Zhong’s origins, Meng Qi alone let his thoughts wander elsewhere.
“That still doesn’t make sense. Cultivating the ‘Tianmo Manual’ causes one’s appearance and nature to gradually transform into that of a Tianmo—ugly, cruel, and bloodthirsty. With Old Zhong’s power and the personality-altering effects of the Tianmo Manual, even if he had to leave Yangxia after revealing his identity, he wouldn’t have left so silently… We’re all together weaker than even a single finger of his. Why didn’t he just wait in the courtyard and absorb us all with the Tianmo Manual before leaving at his leisure?”
The more Meng Qi thought, the more something felt off. He walked deeper into the house, inspecting the hanging corpses within.
The stench of rotting flesh was overwhelming, nearly making him vomit. It was hard to imagine how Old Zhong could cultivate in such an environment and even enjoy it.
“The corpses outside are fresh, all from the past one or two months. The ones inside are mostly old, some up to a year old…” Mr. Cui muttered to himself, standing among the “forest of corpses” with his back to Meng Qi.
Any corpses older than that would likely have turned to bones, reburied anew.
Mr. Cui ignored Meng Qi and continued his own examination, while Meng Qi, not wanting to disturb him, searched for clues on his own.
“Strange… These corpses here aren’t fully corroded. Some bones remain, some flesh still clings to the skin, not fully dissolved, and some bones are even partially missing…” Meng Qi covered his nose, inspecting the older corpses.
This was clearly the work of someone newly learning the Tianmo Manual!
“A disciple of Old Zhong? Unlikely… The old corpses are still hanging, alongside the newer ones. This must be a method of self-observation, tracking progress and subtle changes…”
“But Old Zhong’s Tianmo Manual shouldn’t be this weak?”
Frowning, Meng Qi felt deep confusion. This contradicted his earlier judgment completely.
Old Zhong had already been formidable over twenty years ago. There was no reason for him to have made so little progress after all this time…
This was something Meng Qi had sensed when he used the “Heaven-Shaking Earth-Shattering Method” to awaken “Scarface’s” painful memories. He clearly felt that Old Zhong had once taught “Scarface” a martial art, the true foundation of his rise. But the specifics remained hidden.
“Could it be that Old Zhong’s power, while formidable, has nothing to do with the Tianmo Manual? Could he have only started cultivating it within the last one or two years?” A sudden thought struck Meng Qi.
“The Tianmo Manual is extremely prone to backlash. A slight misstep can lead to madness, violent outbursts, and even death. Any rational person would avoid cultivating it unless they had no other choice—unless they received direct empowerment from the Master of the Six Paths Reincarnation… So, Old Zhong transformed his insights into another martial art and passed it on to ‘Scarface’ to accumulate experience for himself? Only after resolving most of the difficulties did he begin cultivating it himself?”
“That would explain why ‘Scarface’ found cultivating that martial art so unbearable, turning it into one of his worst memories. Practicing a Tianmo martial art as a human, especially a modified version created by Old Zhong, would be agonizing.”
“No wonder he gained so much weight. The once-delicate young man turned into a mountain of flesh. Besides indulgence, it must also be due to the Tianmo Manual’s transformation of his appearance and physique.”
This speculation aligned with the logical clues and observable phenomena, making Meng Qi feel it was likely the truth. But a problem arose: no ordinary reincarnator could afford to spend so much time training a disciple to find the correct cultivation method. Those who did would have died long ago, unable to keep up with the increasing difficulty of the reincarnation tasks.
With so much time, it would be better to collect secret manuals, minerals, and other items to exchange for merits, request empowerment from the Master of the Six Paths Reincarnation, and then cultivate the Tianmo Manual themselves. After all, it was a quickly-effective technique, leaving plenty of time.
“Could Old Zhong be like the Evil Sovereign—one found the ‘Undying Seal Art,’ while the other found the ‘Tianmo Manual’?” Meng Qi naturally made this association based on his own experiences.
As for where Old Zhong had “found” it and why he had remained hidden in Yangxia for over twenty years without causing trouble, Meng Qi had no way of knowing.
The sources of these corpses were relatively clear—some were fresh corpses from the charity morgue, others were homeless wanderers or beggars, whose disappearances would go unnoticed. After inspecting the corpses, the group found little of value.
The other rooms in the courtyard were spotless, with no scraps of paper left behind. It seemed Old Zhong had left calmly, without panic, leaving no valuable clues.
“Xiao Su, you and Old Li will guard this courtyard tonight. Don’t let stray dogs or beggars come in and destroy the corpses, ruining the evidence,” instructed Chief Constable Zheng Jushan. “I will request the prefectural city authorities to send their best investigators to examine the bodies and find clues.”
The eerie Old Zhong had fled on his own, giving Zheng a quiet sense of relief. No more risks needed to be taken; the task could be handed over to the prefectural authorities.
This suited Meng Qi perfectly, so he readily agreed—he wanted to inspect the bodies and courtyard again in private, looking for any traces left by reincarnators, such as another martial art not from this world.
Li Chong, however, was visibly terrified. The hanging corpses, the eerie signs of decay, and the sinister courtyard were unsettling even in daylight. At night, they would be even worse.
“Chief Zheng, I’m getting old… I can’t handle the cold nights…” Before he could finish, he saw Zheng and Mr. Cui leave without a word, leaving only himself and Constable Xiao Su to guard the scene.
Li Chong’s face wrinkled, his smile more pitiful than a cry. “Constable Xiao Su, please be kind and take care of me.”
“Old Li, what exactly are you afraid of?” Meng Qi chuckled.
Li Chong lowered his voice. “What if Old Zhong comes back tonight?”
Looking at the “forest of corpses” inside, his fear of Old Zhong deepened, convinced he was a true evil spirit.
“The room was cleaned thoroughly, with all traces erased except for the corpses. That means Old Zhong left calmly and without urgency, having finished whatever he needed to do. There’s no reason for him to return pointlessly,” Meng Qi said calmly.
Otherwise, he would have taken on the responsibility of a constable and pursued him to Jiangdong immediately, rather than lingering in danger.
“But this whole thing feels unnatural. What if all these corpses turn into zombies at night?” Li Chong grew more fearful as he spoke.
“Zombies? What’s there to fear? If that happens, just tell them ‘not tonight,’ and let them go play somewhere else,” Meng Qi joked.
He had even encountered a zombie formed from a Luohan. With the divine blade “Heaven’s Scar” on his person, how could he fear ordinary zombies?
“Not tonight… What does that even mean…?” Li Chong had no reply, only thinking that Constable Xiao Su must be a Confucian disciple, unafraid of supernatural phenomena.
As night fell, clouds veiled the moon, and the sky turned pitch black. Since Li Chong refused to enter the room with the corpses, Meng Qi built a fire at the door, roasting dry rations and drinking water, planning to inspect the bodies and courtyard thoroughly later.
Li Chong took a swig from his wine gourd, slightly relaxing as he sighed, “I’m getting old… Not like you young folks with strong yang energy and vitality, unafraid of ghosts and zombies. When I first became a constable, I could stay all night in the charity morgue. Now, I can’t even enter a room with corpses at night.”
“In the doorway is fine too. Just imagine—behind you, a pair of corpse eyes watching you, slowly creeping closer…” Meng Qi teased, enjoying the eerie storytelling.
Li Chong immediately stood up, turned to look inside the room, and then backed away to the other side of the fire.
At that moment, a crisp sound echoed from the roof.
“Who’s there?” Old Li panicked even more, while Meng Qi simply smiled without answering.
“Caw caw caw…” The sound of crows rang out.
Li Chong relaxed slightly, about to sit down, when Constable Xiao Su casually remarked, “If you’re going to imitate crows, at least do it well.”
“What!” Old Li tightened his grip on the wine gourd.
“Hmph. Even if it’s bad, it’s better than someone who can’t imitate at all!” A figure jumped down from the roof—a Taoist dressed in robes, with a childlike face, short stature, and two swords—one long, one short—strapped to his back. It was none other than Yao Xingliu, “Little Ghost Yao.”
Having heard from “Red-Smooth Hands” Xiao Yue about Old Zhong’s strange martial arts, he had been seized by martial arts obsession and sneaked out of the city overnight to inspect the corpses.
“Ah, it’s just the young Daoist from Zhenwu Temple,” Li Chong sighed in relief. To him, Daoists usually had some techniques for dealing with ghosts and zombies.
Yao Xingliu nodded and sat silently by the fire.
Seeing the arrival of a Daoist, Li Chong felt reassured and, with a sudden urge, excused himself to go to the outhouse on the other side of the courtyard.
“Old Li, watch your step. Don’t step on any corpses,” Meng Qi said ominously.
Li Chong stumbled, nearly falling, feeling that Constable Xiao Su had a cruel side.
“Hmph! Scaring an old man like that, what’s so impressive about it?” Yao Xingliu huffed.
“Just now, who was scared by the idea of corpse eyes watching from behind?” Meng Qi grinned mischievously.
Yao Xingliu flushed with anger. “I was just momentarily distracted! Zhenwu Temple has sword techniques to deal with zombies and ghosts!”
He paused, lowering his voice. “Once the dead are gone, let them rest in peace.”
It was clear he recognized Meng Qi, and his words carried hidden meaning.
Hearing this, Meng Qi’s heart darkened, negative emotions rising. He narrowed his eyes at Yao Xingliu. “Little Ghost Yao, come on! Let’s fight another three hundred rounds!”
“Eh?” Yao Xingliu was clearly taken aback, his childlike face full of shock.
Seeing his innocent expression, Meng Qi sighed and suppressed his emotions. “Forget it. I won’t bully little kids.”
Enraged at this, Yao Xingliu was about to draw his Yin-Yang Twin Swords.
Just then, a knocking sound came from the door—knock knock knock—echoing far into the quiet, eerie night.
In a flash, Yao Xingliu jumped behind a pillar. Old Li had just come out of the outhouse and was so startled he fell over.
Meng Qi smirked and walked to the door, yanking it open to reveal a zombie with a blue face and a tongue hanging out of its throat.
“Not tonight.” Without changing expression, Meng Qi slammed the door shut again.
The zombie outside and Yao Xingliu and Li Chong inside all wore expressions of bewildered confusion.
What kind of response was that?
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