4: Xiaoxuanyin Corpse Refining Technique

Hiss...

Hiss...

Deep in the stables,

a shocking, dark, slippery drag mark was left on the ground.

Li Ke, expressionless, dragged the heavy corpse of the Old Ma Nu,

and laboriously pulled him into the compartment filled with hay.

A nauseating, strong stench of decay quickly filled the entire compartment.

Li Ke laid the corpse flat on the relatively clean hay,

and with a tearing sound, peeled open the already tattered clothes on the corpse.

Large areas of decayed, tattered flesh were exposed in the dim light.

Li Ke's eyes were calm.

He observed carefully for a moment.

Then he pricked his fingertip, letting crimson blood seep out,

and using his finger as a brush, dipped in his own fresh blood,

he began to outline twisted, complex, ominous blood-colored runes on the exposed skin of the corpse.

Soon, the dense Death Qi in the surrounding environment, as if drawn by an invisible force,

began to gather in this small compartment, slowly flowing around the Old Ma Nu's corpse, and the air became even colder.

That's right.

Upon seeing this corpse puppet that had not yet fully transformed,

Li Ke had the idea of re-refining him,

and turning him into a complete zombie.

Although his Divine Soul was weak now, he couldn't comprehend the ""demon-referencing tablet"" again in a short period.

But in his previous life, he had been restrained by the Corpse Herding Sect and suffered many losses.

For this reason, he had specially taken the trouble to obtain a crude corpse refining method, the "Lesser Yin Fiend Corpse Refining Method."

He had even personally refined one or two of the lowest-grade walking corpses,

so he had some experience.

This "Lesser Yin Fiend Corpse Refining Method" he mastered,

although its grade was not high,

the environment here was special, with Death Qi so dense it was almost liquefied,

almost comparable to the "Corpse Nurturing Ground" carefully arranged by the Corpse Herding Sect.

Furthermore, this corpse puppet had already transformed more than halfway, its Foundation was still there,

although he had severely injured it again, with careful operation, there was still a chance to refine it into a zombie.

And once the refining was successful,

he would gain a fearless zombie guard out of thin air,

and instantly have the ability to protect himself in this strange, eerie manor.

...

The air in the compartment

became colder and colder, almost condensing into frost.

Li Ke half-knelt on the ground, fully concentrated, muttering incantations,

"A corpse of violent death carries deep resentment, buried in yin ground for seven days it sinks..."

The crimson runes on the corpse spread all the way to its limbs, dense and covering a large area.

When the last rune fully formed on the corpse's forehead,

Li Ke suddenly stopped his movements,

and without hesitation, pointed a finger at the center of the corpse's brows!

"By my command!"

The corpse trembled violently!

The blood-colored runes covering its entire body seemed to come alive!

After a wriggle, Li Ke tiny blood snakes with life, they quickly drilled into the corpse's flesh.

In the blink of an eye, they faded and disappeared.

It's working!

A hint of joy flashed in Li Ke's eyes.

The next instant.

The viscous Death Qi that had gathered around, as if finding an outlet,

began to furiously, continuously, pour into the Old Ma Nu's corpse!

Whoosh—!

A cold wind howled in the compartment,

and on the surface of the corpse, the wound that had been pierced by the pitchfork,

began to rapidly close, heal, and regenerate at a visible speed.

The originally rotten and loose flesh began to become taut, shriveled, and hard, taking on a lead-gray, deathly hue.

In the two black, hollow eye sockets, dark flesh and pupils gradually formed, looking terrifyingly eerie.

Crack, crack, crack...

The corpse twitched slightly,

its bones made a crisp "crack, crack" sound, seemingly undergoing some kind of reshaping.

The face that could originally still vaguely distinguish the Old Ma Nu's outline,

now completely lost its former appearance,

becoming stiff, numb, cold, and filled with the aura of death.

Suddenly!

It abruptly opened its eyes!

The black, hollow eye sockets stared fixedly at Li Ke, who was close at hand!

A cold, violent, bloodthirsty aura burst forth!

Li Ke was prepared,

and without hesitation, he bit down on the tip of his tongue!

Pfft!!!

A mouthful of pure tongue-tip blood, mixed with a trace of pure Devilish Qi,

sprayed accurately onto the zombie's dark, stiff face!

Sizzle, sizzle...

Li Ke hot oil poured on ice and snow,

a faint corrosive sound was emitted.

Streaks of black Qi steamed up from the zombie's face.

In the zombie's dark eye sockets, the surging violent Qi was clearly suppressed and weakened by a trace.

Li Ke's movements didn't stop.

His left hand instantly picked up a "Corpse Suppressing Talisman" drawn in advance on horsehide, and firmly nailed it to the zombie's brow!

"Suppress!"

The zombie's body trembled violently,

its upper body, which had just slightly lifted,

seemed to be pressed down by an invisible mountain, slowly sinking.

The dark eye sockets also slowly closed, and the violent aura receded Li Ke a tide.

Li Ke finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He raised a hand and gently wiped the fine cold sweat that had seeped from his forehead.

Refining zombies, especially such a corpse with an unstable Foundation and a recent violent death,

carries extreme risks; a slight oversight could lead to a backlash.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

He clearly felt that

a faint but clear connection had been established between his mind and the zombie before him.

"Arise!"

Li Ke's mind stirred,

and his hands formed a corpse-controlling hand seal.

The zombie lying on the ground trembled slightly.

Then, defying gravity, its heels touched the ground,

and it slowly, stiffly, and rigidly stood upright from the ground.

"Forward!"

Li Ke's mind stirred again.

The zombie's empty eye sockets looked forward,

and it suddenly bent its stiff legs, leaping forward with a heavy thud!

Bang!

The heavy body landed,

emitting a dull thud, and the ground seemed to vibrate slightly.

Compared to before, the zombie's body had clearly become heavier and more solid,

its lead-gray skin faintly showed a texture as hard as iron.

Li Ke nodded with satisfaction.

The Demonic Path of zombies is vast and profound.

Their ranks are strict, from low to high,

they can be divided into Walking Corpse, Bronze Armor Corpse, Silver Armor Corpse, Golden Armor Corpse, and even stronger Flying Yaksha and Drought Demon!

And even in legends,

there is also the true ancestor of zombies that feeds on Dragons, the ancient true spirit—Hou!

This zombie, transformed from the Old Ma Nu,

was merely the lowest-grade "Walking Corpse."

Barely stepping across the threshold of zombies.

Even so, it was far more powerful than the previous "corpse puppet" with its decaying flesh and muddled consciousness.

With this zombie acting as a guard,

Li Ke instantly felt a greater sense of security.

He looked out through the gaps in the dilapidated door frame of the compartment.

The pale moonlight,

was Li Ke a shroud draped over the entire manor.

The distant outlines of continuous buildings and the silhouettes of twisted tree crowns lurked in the night, Li Ke huge Vicious Beasts choosing people to devour.

Dead silent, eerie, unknown.

Li Ke slowly withdrew his gaze.

He had no intention of exploring this eerie manor.

Even if there might be some secrets or some Opportunity hidden here.

He possessed the ""demon-referencing tablet"" such a Demonic Path treasure,

and even had the knowledge and experience accumulated from his previous life.

As long as he was given enough time to Cultivate peacefully for a few years,

he would quickly recover his strength, even far surpassing his Peak in his previous life.

Why provoke those unknown risks now?

Whatever secrets were hidden here, they had nothing to do with him.

His only thought now was to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible!

"Guard the door."

Li Ke, through his mental connection,

gave simple instructions to the Zombie Old Ma Slave.

He himself sat cross-legged, seizing every minute and second,

circulating the Demon Summoning Scripture to recover the Devilish Qi consumed by refining and controlling the corpse.

At the same time, he also allowed this newborn zombie to continue absorbing the rich Death Qi of this place to consolidate its newly formed zombie body.

The cold, viscous, deathly energy was once again drawn in,

slowly submerging into Li Ke's body, forcibly transformed by Myriad Things Demonized.

...

Time slowly passed.

About an hour later.

The originally dense and viscous Death Qi in the compartment gradually became thin.

Most of it was absorbed by the newborn zombie and Li Ke, who was circulating the Demon Summoning Scripture.

Li Ke slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep.

He looked inward at his Dantian Qi Sea,

the drop of Devilish Qi that had originally dimmed considerably,

now regained its luster, and even faintly grew a little stronger.

At this time, the moonlight outside had dimmed a few more points,

making the shadows in the stables appear even deeper, as if it was already late at night.

Li Ke glanced at the Zombie Old Ma Slave standing motionless at the door Li Ke a tombstone,

his lead-gray skin seemed even harder, and the Death Qi swirling around him was also a bit more condensed.