19: Corpse Demon Death Aura

On this day, a caravan of armed escorts traveled along the main road.

A flag bearing the character 'Wei' was planted on the lead carriage, the very mark of the Weihu Escort Agency in Tianyuan City of Qingzhou.

Behind the carriage, several fine horses pulled a heavy black coffin wrapped in yellow-white canvas. When the wind blew, a corner of the black coffin was exposed, faintly revealing gold threads and the ' 卍' symbol engraved on its edge.

In the procession, several young escorts were fawning over a woman in a purple shirt with a ponytail, and from time to time, the woman's silver bell-like laughter could be heard.

Quite different from the relaxed demeanor of these young escorts, the old head escort, Li Weihu, had a grave expression in the carriage, his gaze occasionally glancing at the pitch-black coffin behind.

At the tail end of the caravan, Li Jiangchen lay on the back of a blue-headed, red-maned horse, a piece of dry grass held in his mouth. True Qi flickered in his palm, manifesting the illusory form of an ancient demon.

"You say there is Death Qi in that black coffin?"

"Reporting to Master, this subordinate's perception will never be wrong," the ancient demon replied.

Li Jiangchen frowned slightly.

That day, the power of the Life and Death Qi was quite remarkable, capable of breaking even the golden buddha's Primordial Spirit-sealing Divine Ability. If he could obtain it, he would have another trump card in his hand.

However, on this journey, enduring wind and rain, it was this caravan that had accepted him, allowing him to travel with them to Tianyuan City in Qingzhou.

If he wanted the item inside that black coffin, he would have to wait until they entered Tianyuan City, found the owner, and then figure out a way to obtain it.

At this moment, the pretty woman in the purple shirt with a ponytail walked over, holding a hot flatbread in her hands: "Big Brother Li, this is a bread I just baked. Have a taste."

"Many thanks, Miss Xuan'er." Li Jiangchen reached out to take it. The woman's tender, scallion-like fingers touched Li Jiangchen's palm, and she immediately pulled back as if electrocuted. A blush appeared on her face, and she hurriedly ran away.

Such a scene made the young escorts not far away grind their teeth in hatred. When had their own Junior Sister ever treated them like this?

Watching Li Xuan'er run away in her bashful manner, a slight smile hung on the corner of Li Jiangchen's mouth.

Truth be told, while the original body's Aptitude was a bit Trash, this appearance was truly not bad.

As expected, sometimes, good looks are justice.

Before long, the caravan entered a small path off the main road, flanked by towering canyons. This type of terrain often had ambushes by highwaymen.

Sure enough, in less time than it takes to burn an incense stick, a line of masked bandits holding steel sabers blocked their path.

For a moment, the young escorts in the team were somewhat panicked.

Li Weihu walked to the front, cupped his fists, and smiled: "I am Li Weihu of the Weihu Escort Agency. May I ask which mountain you heroes of the greenwood hail from?"

"The Water Travel Stronghold of Qingya Mountain," the leader of the masked bandits said coldly.

"So it is the heroes of the Water Travel Stronghold. I recall back in the day, the Chief Leader Paper Folding Fan's iron fan technique shook the greenwood; I had the honor of witnessing his style." Li Weihu took a gold-stamped invitation from his bosom, which was bulging: "A small token of respect, please convey my greetings to the Chief Leader."

The masked bandit leader squeezed the gold-stamped invitation, and immediately ordered his subordinates to clear a path for the caravan to leave.

"With one sentence, he pointed out the Chief Leader Paper Folding Fan, displaying his own connections, and then offered a tribute to satisfy the greed of these bandits. This Li Weihu is truly worthy of having been an escort for twenty years; he has some tricks up his sleeve," Li Jiangchen whispered.

Escorting not only requires high martial arts skills but also the ability to befriend various forces and handle situations with ease; only then can one travel smoothly.

After dusk, the weather changed suddenly and it began to rain. There was only a dilapidated temple along the way to rest, so everyone hurriedly hid in the temple to avoid the rain.

At the end of the team, Li Weihu instructed a young escort: "Chen Xing, Li Yuan, push this coffin into the temple quickly; it must not get wet."

"Yes, Master," the young escort replied.

Li Weihu nodded and then stepped into the temple.

On the other side, the two escorts were pushing the coffin when a gust of strong wind swept past, suddenly blowing away the thick canvas covering the coffin. Rain fell, wetting the ' 卍' symbol engraved on the edge.

"Oh no," Chen Xing exclaimed.

Beside him, Li Yuan was quick-witted; he hurriedly covered the canvas and then held a finger to his lips: "Shh. Don't make a sound, otherwise, we'll get scolded by Master again."

Soon, the caravan members entered the dilapidated temple, started a fire, ate some dry rations, and dried their wet clothes.

Leaving two people to keep watch, after a day of travel fatigue, everyone soon fell into a deep sleep.

At this moment, the black coffin in the corner trembled slightly. A pale, withered finger suddenly poked out from inside, and then the coffin lid drifted away silently. A woman with a pale face floated out from the coffin.

"Sigh, why does that kid who joined halfway not have to keep watch, while they arrange for the two of us?"

"And to top it off, even Junior Sister fancies that kid. We've been fawning over her all this time and haven't even gotten a smile."

Outside the temple, the two young escorts were relieving themselves when, suddenly, a cold chill came from behind them.

The two turned their heads in confusion, and two ghastly white claws suddenly grabbed their necks, and fangs filled with sharp teeth immediately bit down.

In an instant, the smell of blood permeated the air.

Inside the temple, Li Jiangchen suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced over, and the black coffin in the corner in the distance was already open.

At this moment, a spark exploded, and Li Weihu woke up with a start. He immediately looked at the coffin placed in the corner, his face turned deathly pale, and he hurriedly woke everyone up.

"Li Yuan, where are Chen Xing and the others?"

"Damn it, how did the coffin get opened?"

In an instant, everyone acted as if facing a great enemy, picking up their sabers and swords, holding torches, and forming a circle.

'It seems this Li Weihu knows what is lying inside the coffin they are escorting?' Li Jiangchen raised an eyebrow and looked up at the rafters.

Boom—

Tiles shattered, and a woman wearing wedding attire, with a pretty but deathly pale face, suddenly dropped down from above.

"Oh no, the Corpse Ghoul has escaped!" Li Weihu's face was deathly pale. He hurriedly looked at Li Jiangchen and said anxiously: "I ask for Lord Li of the Demon Suppression Division to help."

The blue-headed, red-maned horse was unique to the Demon Suppression Division. Having been an escort for many years, Li Weihu naturally would not fail to recognize it, which was why he had allowed Li Jiangchen to join the caravan.

"I will naturally take action, but afterward, you must tell me the full origin of this evil thing," Li Jiangchen said indifferently. He then flicked a finger, unleashing an invisible Sword Qi, which violently struck the Corpse Ghoul, sending it flying several yards, a bowl-sized hole appearing in its chest.

The next moment, a burst of Yin Qi permeated the air, and the gap in its chest rapidly recovered, becoming lively and vigorous once again.

After several consecutive sword strikes, the Corpse Ghoul's body was almost cut in two, yet it still recovered rapidly.

"Its strength and defense are comparable to an Innate Martial Artist, but its recovery ability is astonishing. Fearless of death, three or five Martial Artists of the same rank would not be able to take it down."

Li Jiangchen figured out the bottom line of the Corpse Ghoul. A Yellow Dragon Sword Qi whistled past, swallowing the Corpse Ghoul and turning it into a yellow sphere the size of a fist.

With a suction from his palm, the sphere fell into his hand. Inside, the Corpse Ghoul struggled desperately but was still unable to break free.

Seeing this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Weihu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cupped his fists: "Many thanks to Lord Li for your help. Otherwise, this old man's party would likely have died here."

"What is the origin of this Corpse Ghoul?" Li Jiangchen only felt it was a bit strange; this Corpse Ghoul did not seem like a demon, but rather like an evil Puppet that had been refined.

"This is the secret Corpse Soldier of the Ye Family of Lingnan who practice corpse driving. This time, they entrusted me to transport it into the city and hand it over to a member of the Ye Family. Now, without the sealing black coffin, and without the Magical Artifact to control the Corpse Soldier, I can only rely on you, My Lord, to destroy this thing. I will explain the situation to the Ye Family separately."

"The Lingnan Ye Family." Li Jiangchen noted down this name.

Without the binding of the Dragon-Restraining Lock, this Corpse Ghoul would constantly devour blood and Qi. Li Weihu was indeed unable to subdue it, so he could only leave it for Li Jiangchen to handle.

Three days later. The caravan entered Tianyuan City, everyone parted ways, and Li Jiangchen found an inn to stay in.

He spread his palm, and the Demon Kingdom appeared. A pretty woman in a black shirt and skirt swept out from it. Her cherry lips parted slightly, and a wisp of gray Death Qi transformed into a black pill. It was the ancient demon parasitic inside the Corpse Ghoul.

"Master, I have not failed your mission. This is the Death Qi refined from the Corpse Ghoul's body."