199: Ghostly Figures in the Tomb

The water mirror in the core hall of Beyond Heaven shimmered with a ghostly light, clearly reflecting the scene inside the Living Dead Tomb—Daoist Chongxu was clearing the path ahead with his true martial sword.

Runes flowed along the sword's blade, dispelling the black Qi that permeated the tomb passage. Li Kui followed closely, carrying his double axes; the blades of his cold iron axes occasionally struck the stone walls, emitting dull sounds that shook down dust from the ceiling.

"Young Lord," Zhao Gao said in a low voice, holding a message talisman he had just received, "Chongxu sent word back that the black Qi in the tomb passage carries the Aura of corpse malevolence. It shares the same origin as the forbidden technique on Lin Chaoying, but the concentration is higher. If an ordinary Grandmaster Realm practitioner were to inhale it, they would lose their sanity within half an hour."

Jun Xiaoyao rubbed a bronze token with his fingertips. The word "The Net" was engraved on the token, and a faint scent of blood still lingered within the grooves.

"Let them be careful and not to touch any stone walls with runes." He looked at the water mirror; Chongxu was using his true martial sword to nudge aside a withered skeleton lying on the ground. The bones were covered in black patterns, clearly having died from the erosion of the corpse malevolence. "Many people have died in this tomb."

Zhao Gao added, "Lin Chaoying just said some fragmented words earlier. It seems that back then, in order to refine the 'Innate Technique Jade Pendant', Wang Chongyang slaughtered many Quanzhen Sect Disciples as sacrifices, which invited the backlash of the corpse malevolence and trapped himself at the bottom of the tomb."

In the water mirror, Chongxu suddenly stopped and pointed his true martial sword at the stone wall on the left: "Li Kui, smash this open."

Li Kui complied and swung his double axes. Driven by his Bull Strength, the axe blades smashed into the stone wall with a sound that tore through the air.

With a "boom," the stone wall cracked, revealing a secret chamber behind it. In the center of the chamber stood a stone pedestal, and on it rested a jade box. The box was covered with Daoist runes and was emitting a faint golden light, resisting the black Qi.

"Is this the Innate Technique Jade Pendant?" Li Kui grinned and was about to step forward, but was stopped by Chongxu.

"Be careful, it might be a trap." Chongxu's Bagua mirror hovered in front of him, its surface flashing rapidly. "There is a mechanism under the stone pedestal, and..." He pointed to the corner of the secret chamber, "something is hiding there."

In the shadow of the corner, a figure slowly crawled out. It was clad in tattered Daoist robes, its face was blue-black, its eyes were hollow and lifeless, and its fingernails were as long as beast claws—it was a Quanzhen Sect Disciple eroded by the corpse malevolence. Although it had died long ago, it was controlled by the black Qi, and its body emitted the Aura of a Late Grandmaster Realm practitioner.

"Does this thing deserve to block the road?" Li Kui swung his double axes, instantly activating his berserk state. The shadow of the axes swept toward the corpse malevolence like a gale. Unexpectedly, the corpse malevolence was not afraid of physical attacks; it withstood the axe strike head-on, its sharp claws striking directly at Li Kui's heart.

Seeing this, Chongxu traced a Tai Chi Sword circle with his true martial sword, and the soft Sword Qi entangled the corpse malevolence: "Its weak point is between its eyebrows!"

Hearing this, Li Kui slashed his axe toward the corpse malevolence's brow. With a "crack," a gash opened on its forehead, black Qi gushed out, and its body instantly went limp, turning into withered bones. The golden light in the secret chamber brightened a little, and the runes on the jade box flowed faster.

"It seems the jade pendant can restrain the corpse malevolence." Chongxu stepped forward and opened the jade box. Inside lay a jade pendant the size of a pigeon egg. It was pure white, and currents of Qi faintly flowed within it; it was indeed the Innate Technique Jade Pendant.

Just as his fingertips touched the jade pendant, a dull roar suddenly came from the depths of the tomb passage, and black Qi surged in like a tide, its concentration more than ten times stronger than before. Chongxu's expression changed drastically: "Oh no, we've alerted the big one!"

Jun Xiaoyao's eyes narrowed in front of the water mirror, and his fingertips quickly swept across the summoning array. After half a day of recovery, the runes of the array had lit up with a pale golden light, with enough energy for a mid-level summoning. "Zhao Gao, activate the array."

Zhao Gao did not dare to delay and dripped a drop of his essence blood into the eye of the array. The array erupted with intense light, and from within the light, a figure in monk robes stepped out, holding a Demon-Subduing Pestle—it was Jiumozhi from *demi-gods and semi-devils*.

[Character Panel Expanded: Name: Jiumozhi (from the world of *demi-gods and semi-devils*); Realm: Early Celestial Being Realm; Martial Skills/Cultivation Techniques: 1. Flame Blade: Condenses Saber Qi with profound Internal Energy, scorching and domineering, specialized in breaking evil Qi, can sever the black Qi of the corpse malevolence. 2. Minor Formless Art: Can imitate all martial arts in the world, Internal Energy is endless when in operation, suitable for prolonged battles; Special Abilities: - Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills of Shaolin (Partial): Proficient in "Indestructible Vajra Body", "Finger of Picking Flowers", etc., extremely strong physical defense, difficult for the sharp claws of the corpse malevolence to injure. - Buddhist Deterrence: Chanting scriptures can dispel low-level corpse malevolence, temporarily disabling controlled corpses; Additional Items: - Demon-Subduing Pestle (Buddhist Artifact): Engraved with Sanskrit, can emit Buddhist sound shockwaves when struck on the ground, purifying black Qi. - Monk Robes (Special Material): Impervious to water and fire, can isolate the erosion of corpse malevolence Qi.]

Jiumozhi put his palms together and chanted a Buddhist name: "This poor monk, Jiumozhi, pays respects to the Young Lord. Having heard that evil spirits are causing trouble, I have come to subdue demons and eliminate monsters."

Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the water mirror: "There is a powerful corpse malevolence at the bottom of the Living Dead Tomb. Chongxu and Li Kui cannot hold on much longer; go and support them. Remember, protect the jade pendant, no need to get entangled in a prolonged fight."

"I will obey the Young Lord's command." Jiumozhi's figure flickered, turning into a yellow shadow that disappeared into the transmission light patterns. The Sanskrit on the Demon-Subduing Pestle flashed with golden light, illuminating the remaining black Qi in the array.

In the water mirror, Chongxu and Li Kui were already surrounded by more than a dozen corpse malevolences. These corpse malevolences included both men and women, clearly all former Quanzhen Sect Disciples. The strongest among them even had the Aura of the Peak Grandmaster Realm. Combined with the erosion of the black Qi, the two were struggling. Li Kui's black iron armor had been clawed with several marks, and Chongxu's Tai Chi Sword circle was gradually shrinking, the light of the runes on the true martial sword becoming increasingly faint.

Just at this moment, a golden light shot in from the end of the tomb passage. The Demon-Subduing Pestle, carrying Buddhist sounds, smashed into the group of corpse malevolences, and the black Qi melted like ice and snow encountering the sun. Jiumozhi's Flame Blade followed closely, the Saber Qi shuttling like a fire dragon, instantly hacking three corpse malevolences into ashes.

"Well done!" Li Kui felt a boost in spirits, and his double axes danced even more fiercely.

Chongxu took the opportunity to tuck the Innate Technique Jade Pendant into his bosom. The true martial sword cooperated with Jiumozhi's Flame Blade, one soft and one hard, quickly clearing the remaining corpse malevolences. The roaring sound from the depths of the tomb passage grew closer, and the ground even began to vibrate slightly.

"Let's go, quickly!" Jiumozhi hoisted Li Kui up, and Chongxu followed closely behind. The three of them retreated along the original path. Just as they rushed out of the tomb gate, they saw Wang Chuyi guarding the outside with Quanzhen Sect Disciples, his whisk pointing directly at Chongxu: "Leave the jade pendant behind!"

Jiumozhi put Li Kui down and held the Demon-Subduing Pestle horizontally: "This is an object of Beyond Heaven; no one is allowed to snatch it!" The Flame Blade condensed into shape, colliding with Wang Chuyi's Tai Chi Sword technique, the air waves causing the surrounding leaves to fly.

Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene in front of the water mirror and said to Zhao Gao: "Have the Marshal of the Unruly take the Shadow Group to Zhongnan Mountain to provide support. You must bring the jade pendant back." He paused, "Also, bring Lin Chaoying to the core hall; I want to ask her about the details of the corpse malevolence personally."

Zhao Gao accepted the order and left. Only Jun Xiaoyao and the chaotic battle in the water mirror remained in the hall. Although Wang Chuyi was in the Early Celestial Being Realm, Jiumozhi's Minor Formless Art was adept at imitation, and the Flame Blade countered Daoist techniques, making it difficult to determine the winner for a time. Chongxu took the opportunity to take Li Kui and retreat down the mountain. Quanzhen Sect Disciples tried to stop them, but were entangled by the suddenly appearing Shadow Group of The Net—the "Shadow Assassination Technique" of the Shadow Group assassins was weird and unpredictable, specifically targeting joints, and they quickly took down a dozen people.

"Beyond Heaven..." Wang Chuyi looked at the Moves of the Shadow Group, his expression changing drastically, "So it was you all!" He had no intention of fighting, flicked his whisk to force Jiumozhi back, and turned to chase Chongxu, but was blocked by Jiumozhi's Demon-Subduing Pestle.

"Want to leave?" Jiumozhi sneered, "Leave something behind before you go!" The Flame Blade went straight for Wang Chuyi's shoulder, forcing him to turn back to respond.

The scene in the water mirror switched. Lin Chaoying was helped into the Beyond Heaven core hall by Little Dragon Girl. When she saw Jun Xiaoyao, she suddenly trembled all over, pointing at him and saying: "It's you... You are the same as Wang Chongyang, you both want to use the jade pendant..."

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips on the table: "I have no interest in using the jade pendant. I just want to know what the corpse malevolence is, and what Wang Chongyang is doing at the bottom of the tomb."

Lin Chaoying's eyes flickered. After a long time, she slowly said: "The corpse malevolence was refined by Wang Chongyang using the 'Blood Sacrifice Art'. He originally wanted to use it to fight against the Demon Sect, but it got out of control... He is trapped at the bottom of the tomb because he wants to use the Pure Yang Qi of the jade pendant to suppress the corpse malevolence, but he himself is also about to be assimilated by the corpse malevolence..."

"Assimilated?" Jun Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow.

"He is now half human and half malevolence." Lin Chaoying's voice carried fear, "Once the jade pendant leaves the tomb, he will completely turn into a corpse malevolence. By then... the entire Zhongnan Mountain will turn into a living Hell!"

Jun Xiaoyao's heart sank, and he looked at the water mirror—Chongxu had already joined up with the Marshal of the Unruly with the jade pendant and was rushing toward Beyond Heaven. And in the direction of the Living Dead Tomb, a thick black Qi suddenly rose, shooting straight into the clouds, obscuring even the sunlight.

"Things have gone bad." Jun Xiaoyao stood up and looked at the summoning array, "It seems I have to summon another person, ready to deal with the corpse malevolence."

The array lit up again, this time with a dazzling white light. From within the light, a figure in armor stepped out, holding a long spear—it was General Zhao Yun from *romance of the three kingdoms*.

[Character Panel Expanded: Name: General Zhao Yun (from the world of *romance of the three kingdoms*); Realm: Middle Stage Celestial Being Realm; Martial Skills/Cultivation Techniques: 1. Seven Probes of the Coiling Serpent Spear: The spear strikes like a dragon, unpredictable, once entered and exited seven times at Changban Slope, making the Cao army terrified. 2. Green Steel Sword Technique: The sword momentum is fierce, can sever divine weapons of the world, complements the spear technique perfectly; Special Abilities: - Dragon's Courage: Becomes stronger when facing stronger opponents. When facing evil objects like corpse malevolence, his Aura can be increased by 30%, deterring evil spirits. - Protecting the Lord: Absolutely loyal to the Young Lord, can sacrifice himself to protect him, once saved the lord alone, never tasted defeat; Additional Items: - Bright Silver Spear (Divine Weapon): The spear body is forged from thousand-year cold iron, can purify low-level evil spirits, has a restraining effect on corpse malevolence. - Dragon's Courage Bright Silver Armor (Treasure Armor): Impenetrable by swords and spears, can resist the erosion of corpse malevolence black Qi, impervious to water and fire.]

General Zhao Yun knelt on one knee, his voice like a bell: "General Zhao Yun, pays respects to the Young Lord! Willing to go through fire and water for the Young Lord!"

Jun Xiaoyao pointed to the black Qi in the water mirror: "Corpse malevolence will be born in Zhongnan Mountain. You go to assist Jiumozhi, you must guard Zhongnan Mountain, do not let the corpse malevolence spread."

"This general accepts the order!" General Zhao Yun stood up, shook his Bright Silver Spear, and pointed the spear tip directly at the water mirror, his Aura awe-inspiring.

Jun Xiaoyao watched General Zhao Yun's figure disappear into the transmission light patterns, and looked at the black Qi soaring into the sky in the water mirror, his fingertips gently clenched. He had originally thought that the Innate Technique Jade Pendant was just a treasure to improve strength, but he did not expect it to involve such a big trouble.

But he did not regret it—if Beyond Heaven wants to establish itself on this continent, it cannot be afraid of trouble. Whether it is corpse malevolence or Wang Chongyang, as long as they block the path of Beyond Heaven, he dares to trample them flat.

The wind outside the hall blew with the scent of Zhongnan Mountain's black Qi, rolling up a corner of the curtain. Jun Xiaoyao walked to the window, looking at the pillar of black Qi on the horizon, a cold and sharp arc hooking at the corner of his mouth.

"Zhao Gao," he said loudly, "Notify all members of The Net, prepare to fight the corpse malevolence!"

The summoning array in the distance was still glowing faintly, as if signaling the arrival of more powerful experts. Jun Xiaoyao knew that a storm sweeping through Zhongnan Mountain had already begun, and he would be the calmest helmsman in this storm.