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墨書 Inktalez
As the whip was about to fall, the Ghost Infant sat cross-legged, surprisingly calm. It waved its hands in the air, drawing chaotic patterns. Soon, a wave of Eerie Energy surged towards us, forcing me and Lu Jianguo to stumble back three or four steps. At that moment, everything went dark, and the forest rustled as several shadows rushed out.
As the shadows drew closer, I realized they were wild dogs. Their eyes glowed red, fur bristling as if they had rabies; their bodies appeared mechanical, devoid of any vitality. They lunged at me. Without a second thought for fear, I swung my shovel and decapitated one of them. The two wild dogs fell to the ground, emitting a foul stench before quickly turning into a pile of bones.
"Dog Corpse!" Lu Jianguo chuckled coldly.
Dog Corpse refers to low-level Mountain Spirits, also known as Beast Zombies. The Evil Path feeds cats or dogs with food containing parasitic worms; within three to five days, they can transform into Beast Zombies. These Dog Corpses possess extremely low intelligence and can only perform basic actions like biting.
"Look over there! Many figures are emerging from the woods!" I shouted. Lu Jianguo followed my gaze and saw a group of people staggering towards us like drunken men. "Living Dead!" Sweat dripped from Lu Jianguo's forehead; he was clearly terrified!
"We can't just charge in; although these Living Dead have low intelligence, their numbers are overwhelming! In no time, they could tear us apart."
"Uncle Lu, what should we do?"
"You form the Great Vajra Seal around me for protection while I deal with them!"
The group of Living Dead wore tattered clothes that hung loosely on them. They were disheveled, with hollow eyes and incoherent mumbling as they flailed their arms mechanically in the air. It was reminiscent of scenes from the movie Walking Corpse. Seeing this made my legs weak and my body tremble.
According to Mausoleum Secrets, "Living people infected with Corpse Qi will become Mountain Spirits if untreated. The dead infected with Pestilence Qi will turn into Walking Corpses if not cremated!" In modern terms, this means that living individuals contaminated with Corpse Qi will become Mountain Spirits if not treated with glutinous rice. If the dead are eroded by Corpse Poison and not cremated, they will turn into Walking Corpses.
Typically, Walking Corpses appear alone. To see hundreds at once is quite rare. According to Mausoleum Secrets, this occurs in Corpse Raising Grounds where formations are set up; the dead can become Mountain Spirits! This indicates that someone has tampered with the Corpse Raising Ground. This area has long been a prime location for disposing of bodies in Rongcheng, accumulating missing persons over decades—certainly more than hundreds.
The group of Walking Corpses was closing in fast. I raised my iron shovel and affixed a Celestial Five Thunder Talisman to its handle, swinging it with a loud whoosh. Perhaps due to the presence of the Master Copper Seal in my pack, the Walking Corpses hesitated to approach; they were unsure whether to advance. Several had already been taken down by my shovel.
"Just hold on a bit longer; I'm almost ready."
"No problem!" Bolstered by this surge of confidence, I charged at the group of Walking Corpses wildly swinging my shovel. Perhaps I swung too hard; with a crack, my shovel broke. One Dog Corpse lunged at me and bit my shoulder. Grabbing it with both hands, I slammed it down repeatedly until it was reduced to mush. This display frightened the Mountain Spirits behind it.
"Uncle Lu, how's it going?"
Uncle Lu appeared intermittently around the Sophora Tree. He found six key points nearby and inserted two chicken bones into each "Pulse Eye," totaling twelve bones across six Pulse Eyes. It dawned on me why Uncle Lu had packed chicken bones at the food stall. He approached the Sophora Tree and measured out a circle with his foot before driving a chicken skull into the most potent Pulse Eye of Eerie Energy!
"Done!" With Uncle Lu's shout, all the Walking Corpses collapsed to the ground like stones, completely motionless. I felt an urge to rush over and kick them repeatedly!
The supply of the Walking Corpse and Dog Corpse, along with the Eerie Energy of the Dog Corpse, was completely pinned down by the chicken bones. The Eerie Energy ceased to circulate, and within them, the meager intelligence found itself without a vessel. It was akin to gouging out the eyes of a normal person, causing sudden blindness that led to chaotic movements. A wisp of the corpse's spirit lost its power and would soon dissipate into nothingness. The group of Walking Corpses in the Corpse Raising Ground would naturally remain motionless.
This was the "Seven Star Soul Fixing Formation" from Maoshan Dao. Once the seven gates of a place were pinned down, all Wandering Souls and Wild Ghosts, no matter how powerful they were, would be trapped in place, unable to move an inch. Those with abilities would perish in an instant, reverting to their original forms.
The Ghost Infant was utterly deflated; all the Walking Corpses summoned using Yin Sha energy had been completely dismantled by our "Seven Star Soul Fixing Formation." The Ghost Infant resembled a deflated balloon, listless and dejected, sitting still as the formation burned around it, emitting green smoke from its body.
“Alas! It's all my fault for being blinded by greed for the Spirit Yang Body! Well, Soul Shattering is also a form of liberation!” The Ghost Infant sighed with a voice that belied its age. After a long pause, it laughed heartily once more. “Xia Ji, do you think your future is brighter than mine?” The crimson flames of the Seven Star Five Point Formation surged once again, crackling ominously. The Ghost Infant erupted in dark green flames that rose over a meter high, and amidst a heart-wrenching scream, it turned to ash. “Xia Family Child, your days are numbered!” And then there was silence.
“Uncle Lu, what you just used was indeed the 'Seven Star Soul Fixing Formation'?”
“Correct, that is precisely the 'Seven Star Soul Fixing Formation'!”
It turned out that last night when Lu Jianguo was atop Helmet Mountain, Changgeng Star was still in the sky. Corresponding to Changgeng Star, he mapped out the seven gates of the Corpse Raising Ground in his mind: Yunkeng Pass, Shang Jiong Pass, Purple Morning Pass, Shangyang Pass, Yang Pass, Jade Lodge, and Taiyou Pass. Each corresponded to the seven stars of the Big Dipper: Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Lu Cun, Wenqu, Lian Zhen, Wuqing, and Po Jun. Every corner of the world has countless large "Pulse Eye" seven gates.
So how could one find the location of these "seven gates"? According to the Secret Technique records,
By observing Changgeng Star's position in the sky and conducting on-site estimations to determine steps taken to establish a stepping method. These values such as Yunkeng Pass, Shang Jiong Pass, Purple Morning Pass, Shangyang Pass, Yang Pass, Jade Lodge, and Taiyou Pass are collectively referred to as "the Seven Responses," which are then multiplied by their respective degrees to obtain the actual positions of the seven gates. The Mausoleum Secrets document seventy-two measurement methods. The astrological measurement methods in Secret Technique total seventy-eight; after excluding thirty-eight duplicates, there are still seventy-two remaining.
“Xia, this area of Corpse Raising Ground has already been opened up by me; it will take just three years for it to become a Yang-accumulating land. Before that, help me bury a piece of Mysterious Stone under that Sophora Tree!”
“Sure! No problem!”
I went to the Sophora Tree; by now the Ghost Infant had completely burned away, leaving behind an emerald green bead amidst the ashes. It was still emitting heat.
This Mysterious Stone looked like an inconspicuous piece of rubble on Godstick Street. If tossed onto the road, no one would bother picking it up. If I hadn’t noticed some strange symbols on its back and happened to have another similar piece myself, I would never have realized it was a meteorite. This type of meteorite has the ability to absorb resentment; buried in Corpse Raising Ground for some time could dissolve Killing Intent and help guide some Wandering Souls and Wild Ghosts!
“Bury it about three feet six inches deep. Do not mark it.” I didn’t heed Lu Jianguo’s warning and secretly scattered a seed on top of the stone, hoping to dig it up three years later. If it weren’t for this self-important action of mine, I wouldn’t have stirred up a bloody storm three years later—that’s another story.
“That bead is yours!”
Lu Jianguo smiled as he brushed aside the ashes and picked up a bead from within. The bead was about thumb-sized and glistened like congealed fat with a translucent emerald hue. As I took it in my hand, a chill ran through me.
"This thing is called 'Gongye Zhu.' My great-grandfather said it's a treasure, but I don't really know what it's for!" I took the bead, unable to discern its significance, and casually placed it in my backpack without giving it much thought.
"Thanks to Uncle Lu's efforts, I managed to get through this ordeal!"
"Hehe! Xia, we are fated to meet, so there's no need to be so polite!"
"Uncle Lu, the Vengeful Spirit and Killing Intent are difficult to calm. Should we perform a ritual to help them move on?"
"Very well! Recite the Rebirth Mantra three times with me! Three recitations of the Rebirth Mantra ensure that no spirit is left unreborn!"
"Namo Amitabha, Datojiya, Dodiya, Amilidupa, Amilido, Xidanbopi, Amilido, Pijialandi, Amilido, Pijialando, Gaminni, Gagagana, Jidagali, Shavaha!"
The deep and melodious chant resonated in the air, and I seemed to see wisps of spirits beckoning from the void.
By the time we finished dealing with the Corpse Raising Ground matter, it was already around three or four in the morning. I was utterly exhausted. Fearing interruptions while handling things, I had put my phone on silent. Now, as I pulled out my phone to check, I found three or four missed calls—all from Big Mouth Lee. I dialed back but only got a busy signal; the call couldn't be connected.
Lu Jianguo and I found a nearby hotel and stayed there for the night. The next morning, still groggy, my phone rang again. I answered it without thinking.
On the other end was Big Mouth Lee's voice. "Hey! Xia, come save me! I'm in Baisha Village..." Before he could finish his sentence, the call abruptly cut off as if the phone had been slammed down. I could hear nothing more!
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