Immortality Through Array Formations (The Quest for Immortality)

Chapter 949: Corpse Fiend

Xun Ziyou was momentarily stunned.

He found Shen Shouxing's attitude rather erratic—something felt off.

Still, since Shen Shouxing had agreed, Xun Ziyou had no reason to object. After all, he had already planned to enter the mine for Mo Hua's sake.

Xun Ziyou withdrew his sword aura and cupped his hands.

"Very well. Many thanks, Elder Shen."

Shen Shouxing nodded dully, his eyes dim.

Then, he ordered someone to fetch the mine map, and led the way toward the Shen family's mining grounds. Many Shen family cultivators followed alongside him.

Xun Ziyou's eyes narrowed slightly as he followed behind.

Master Gu didn't hesitate either and quickly trailed along.

Only Fan Jin seemed reluctant, as if his legs had turned to lead and his expression was full of hesitation.

He truly didn't want to get dragged into this mess.

But with the Shen family, the Great Void Sect, and the Gu family all heading in, he, as the Supervisor of Lone Mountain City, couldn't just stand aside. If he shirked responsibility now, and things blew up later, he'd be in serious trouble.

He might not only lose his title as Supervisor—he might lose any footing within the Qianxue Territory altogether.

As the group moved farther and farther ahead, Fan Jin grew more anxious. Finally, he gritted his teeth and dragged his heavy feet to catch up.

With Shen Shouxing's party entering the mine, more and more cultivators gathered within Lone Mountain, and the situation was growing increasingly complicated…

Meanwhile, within the burial tunnels, Mo Hua was still holding his compass, navigating the route for Pi Second Master, the others, and the four mysterious black-robed cultivators.

As they walked, Mo Hua suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" asked Gray Second Master.

Mo Hua looked nervous.

"I keep feeling… like something is following us."

Pi Second Master and the others glanced around.

The surroundings were pitch black—nothing could be seen.

"Probably your imagination," said "Rat," the pointy-faced tomb robber.

Mo Hua frowned but didn't argue. He resumed walking forward.

But deep in the shadows behind them, there truly seemed to be a faint rustling sound.

None of them noticed.

Soon, they came upon another gate blocking the path.

They had to stop.

"Another gate?" Gray Second Master frowned. "What's with all the damn doors in this tomb…"

No one could answer him.

He turned to Mo Hua.

"Little brother, this one's up to you again."

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded, then took out his compass and formation pen, and began to analyze the gate's formation.

The others waited patiently.

After scanning the formation runes a few times and calculating them mentally, Mo Hua quickly understood how to crack it.

But, to appear like a "normal formation master," he deliberately took his time, pretending to deduce it slowly.

On the blank talisman paper, he drew carefully, face focused—but inwardly, he was just putting on a show.

As he drew, Mo Hua suddenly froze. His brow furrowed.

"Something really is there…"

From the dark corridor behind them, that strange rustling sound… it wasn't quite a sound—it was more like a spiritual sense resonance.

It was as if something cold and sinister was crawling toward them from the shadows.

But… what could it be?

Mo Hua frowned.

If something was truly in the dark, then the Gold Core tomb raiders and the four mysterious black-robed cultivators should have noticed it too, right?

After all, they were all in the Golden Core realm.

Although Mo Hua's divine sense was strong from his Spiritual Sense Dao, he was still only Foundation Establishment, even if his divine sense was at the peak of nineteen-pattern level. He couldn't possibly be more perceptive than seven Golden Core cultivators.

If something was wrong, surely someone would've noticed.

Mo Hua suppressed the unease and kept up the act of solving the formation.

But the eerie sensation was growing stronger, nearer, more vivid.

Mo Hua paused, a realization dawning in his heart.

He didn't show it outwardly. He kept calm for a moment, then suddenly looked up in alarm.

His sudden reaction drew the others' attention.

Everyone looked up, but all they saw was the pitch-black corridor ceiling—no light, no presence, no trace of anything.

"Kid, what's with you? Jumping at shadows…"

"Rat," the sharp-faced thief, scowled.

But before he could finish speaking, his face abruptly changed.

"...Second Master!"

Gray Second Master was confused—until a moment later, his face turned pale.

He felt something press tightly against his back.

Sticky. Disgusting. Like a wad of rotten flesh wrapped around bones.

Afraid to move his head, he shifted his gaze slightly—and caught sight of a rotting, mud-smeared, decayed hand gripping his shoulder.

At the same time, a foul wind rushed past the back of his head.

Something had opened its maw and was about to bite into his skull.

In panic, Gray Second Master ducked suddenly, narrowly dodging the bite.

This move finally let Mo Hua and the others see the thing clinging to his back.

A decaying corpse.

Misshapen. Gaunt. Ugly. Oozing black, putrid blood. Its face was horribly contorted, facial features mashed together beyond recognition.

Only its mouth stood out—split into three jagged flaps, like the teeth of some underground worm, ghastly and pale.

Everyone's expressions changed instantly.

The flesh fiend, after missing its first bite, screeched again and opened its three-part maw wider, lunging at Gray Second Master's head.

It was clinging to his back—fast and stealthy—leaving Gray Second Master momentarily helpless.

Just as the creature's gaping jaws were about to bite down again, one of the black-robed cultivators flicked his sleeve.

A long, sharp sword flew out, glowing with bloody light, and pierced straight through the creature's face.

The force was immense. The sharp sword pierced clean through its skull, nailing it into the tunnel wall.

Yet even with its head run through, the monster didn't die—it continued writhing violently.

In just a few seconds, it began climbing back up, letting out unnatural screeches, black blood spraying, torn flesh dangling.

It forcibly pulled its twisted head off the sword, like a skewer being stripped clean.

Just as it was about to lunge again, a short, burly tomb raider nicknamed "Rock" charged forward.

He summoned his spiritual power, forming a stone armor around his right arm, and then smashed the monster into pieces with one punch.

Its body exploded into severed limbs, squirming on the floor.

Fortunately, they didn't regroup or continue attacking.

Everyone finally let out a breath of relief.

But—before that breath was complete, Mo Hua suddenly shouted:

"Above you!"

Gray Second Master looked up—only to have a lump of flesh fall onto his face.

It was another one—slightly smaller, but just as foul and three-mouthed.

There had always been two of them.

One had followed from behind.

The other had been crawling along the ceiling above.

As the first was dealt with, everyone relaxed. In that brief moment of carelessness, the second one struck.

It landed squarely on Gray Second Master's face.

Its wormlike jaws opened wide—three rows of sharp teeth biting directly into his forehead.

But… the explosion of flesh and blood didn't happen.

The creature chomped down—but only managed to pierce the surface slightly.

Its fangs were sharp, yes—but it was only a Second Grade fiend and couldn't chew through the flesh of a Golden Core cultivator.

Its horrifying jaws merely left a few bloody bite marks on Gray Second Master's forehead.

Yet it still clung to him, greedily sucking, unwilling to let go.

Gray Second Master recovered from the shock—and was furious.

He grabbed the monster with both hands and ripped it apart, then grimaced and peeled its three-part maw from his face.

Rock handed him a bottle of unknown spiritual fluid.

Gray Second Master poured it over himself, washing off the rotten flesh and foul blood.

Then he quickly applied a blue medicinal powder to his wounds, swallowed a few pills, and sat to meditate, scanning his body for signs of rot or corpse poison.

Once he confirmed his blood and spiritual energy were stable and uncorrupted, he finally exhaled deeply.

The black-robed cultivator narrowed his eyes.

"You alright?"

Gray Second Master nodded and let out a shaky laugh.

"Thankfully, that thing was just Second Grade. If it had been Third Grade… I'd be dead meat."

And not just dead—he'd have died horribly, without even a body left to bury.

"What… exactly was that thing?" the black-robed cultivator asked with a frown.

Gray Second Master's face darkened.

"Most likely one of the tomb's… Corpse Fiends."

"Corpse Fiend…"

The black-robed young man pondered for a moment, then frowned.

"These types of corpse fiends seem completely different from the Bronze Corpses or Iron Corpses that the demonic path refines through corpse-crafting techniques…"

Gray Second Master, having spent years raiding tombs, was well-versed in the oddities found within. His line of work was already rather shady, and he'd dealt with his fair share of demonic cultivators. He nodded.

"Bronze and Iron Corpses are zombies refined post-mortem by demonic cultivators. But these 'corpse fiends' are different. Most of them undergo spontaneous corpse mutation deep underground—formed by a mixture of evil energy, yin qi, and death aura. They're naturally born, toxic, and incredibly eerie."

"Refined zombies are usually carried around by corpse cultivators, but these kinds of corpse fiends? You only find them in tombs. If you don't go tomb diving, you'll almost never encounter them."

The black-robed young man nodded slightly, then asked curiously,

"All things in this world carry auras—monsters have demonic qi, cultivators of the demonic path have demonic aura. Since this is a corpse, shouldn't it have corpse qi?"

"More than that, it's been sealed underground, soaked in corpse qi and rot, and the stench of its decaying flesh should be overwhelming. Why didn't we sense anything at all?"

"That…"

Gray Second Master frowned, unable to give a clear answer.

Corpse fiends came in many varieties.

Some were indeed foul beyond belief, radiating thick corpse qi that could be sensed from far away.

But these… for some reason, their presence was completely hidden.

At that moment, a black-robed elder among the group finally spoke for the first time since entering the tomb.

His voice was ancient and heavy, steeped in the stillness of death:

"Life and death alike are part of Heaven's design. These corpse fiends are born from a convergence of innate resentment, earthly yin, and the death aura of the deceased, transformed by chance into something unnatural."

"They are creations of Heaven and Earth."

"Anything born of the natural world, be it living or dead, has some profound, transcendent quality. So compared to crafted corpses like Bronze or Iron, these entities possess mysterious and unpredictable powers—abilities no man-made construct could ever match."

The black-robed young man paused in contemplation, then cupped his fists respectfully.

"This junior has learned much."

Even Mo Hua, upon hearing these words, was silently astonished.

"This black-robed elder… though he keeps his face hidden, his understanding of the Dao of Heaven and Earth is truly extraordinary."

He couldn't help but wonder—just who was he, really?

Still, no matter how enlightening those words were, to the group at large, the corpse fiends were still a massive headache.

Nearby, Stone whispered to Gray Second Master,

"Second Master… we're still at the outer edge of the tomb, and those fiends are already showing up. Deeper in… there might be more, maybe even third-grade ones…"

Stone's expression held a clear trace of dread.

Gray Second Master's brow furrowed deeply. After a pause, his eyes gleamed.

"There are no fiends in ordinary tombs. The more sinister it is, the more noble the burial. And the more precious treasures are likely hidden within."

Stone nodded and said no more.

That was simply the reality of tomb raiding:

The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

And vice versa.

They all understood this truth—fortune favors the bold.

After that, the group prepared to move out again.

Mo Hua resumed his efforts to unseal the gate's formation.

Gray Second Master remained seated to regulate his breath.

He was a seasoned veteran and knew full well how weird and deadly tomb dwellings could be. Just because those corpse fiends were only second-grade didn't mean he could let his guard down.

He'd heard of many Golden Core cultivators dying in tombs—not to some great danger, but simply from being infected by some strange second-grade corpse poison.

That was why, in tombs, even minor wounds had to be taken seriously.

So, Gray Second Master sat and focused on tending to his injury.

Mo Hua also worked seriously at the formation.

Now that corpse fiends had made an appearance, he didn't want to waste any more time. After putting on a brief show of deduction, he quickly broke the formation and opened the gate.

Beyond it was more of the same—a dark and narrow tunnel.

"This damn tomb just keeps going…" Rat scowled. "No end in sight."

"Less complaining, more moving," Gray Second Master replied.

He double-checked his injury one last time, confirming there were no issues, and that he wasn't infected with corpse poison. Only then did he stand.

"Let's move."

The group continued deeper into the tomb.

As before, Mo Hua led the way with his compass.

The others followed closely behind.

But now, after the appearance of the corpse fiends, not only Gray Second Master's crew—but even the four black-robed cultivators—had become highly alert.

These fiends were terrifying not just because of their appearance and stink, but because of how utterly silent and undetectable they were—even divine sense couldn't pick them up.

It was the kind of danger you couldn't guard against.

So, everyone was on full alert.

Especially Gray Second Master.

Those two fiends earlier had targeted him specifically—one latched onto his shoulder, the other landed straight on his face, with those disgusting worm-like jaws biting into his forehead.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Because of this, Gray Second Master was particularly cautious.

Especially since those two corpse fiends… had likely been following them for quite some time — yet not a single person had noticed.

At this realization, Gray Second Master's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"No... Not everyone was unaware..."

He turned his head slightly and glanced at Mo Hua, his heart tightening.

"That kid… he might've noticed something."

"Back on the way here, he said he felt something following us. He clearly sensed something was off."

"Maybe it wasn't clear or precise, but that kind of instinct for danger… it's rare. Especially valuable in the tomb-raiding business."

Gray Second Master gave Mo Hua a renewed look of appreciation.

"This boy's a real gem of a prospect. Whatever happens, I can't let him slip away—I have to hold onto him tightly and make him work for me."

His eyes gleamed with ambition. But a moment later, he schooled his expression, feigning indifference, and turned his attention back to his surroundings.

But while Gray Second Master was secretly observing Mo Hua...

Mo Hua was also silently watching him.

There was something Mo Hua hadn't told anyone.

From Gray Second Master's point of view, those two corpse fiends had targeted him.

But in reality — they were after Mo Hua.

Just like that nightmare he once had in Lone Mountain City — a dream of twisted vengeful spirits crawling from the abyss, clawing and biting at him.

These two corpse fiends... felt the same.

It's just that… corpse fiends were a bit stupid.

They could sense Mo Hua's presence, but in a crowd, they couldn't quite tell who he was.

So Mo Hua subtly left a trace of his divine sense on Gray Second Master.

And the corpse fiends?

They mistook him for Mo Hua — they clawed his shoulder, leapt at his face…

Of course, Mo Hua had also… nudged things along.

A few words here, a subtle distraction there.

Or warning Gray Second Master just a bit too late, giving the corpse fiends a nice, clear look at his face.

But these corpse fiends… weren't simple creatures.

Every attack of theirs had been aimed at the head.

Because once their bite landed, a thread of venomous evil intent would seep through the wound, pierce into the sea of consciousness, and infiltrate the mind.

The real danger of corpse poison wasn't in the flesh or spirit—it was in the soul.

When Gray Second Master got bitten earlier, a wisp of blue-black venomous thought had already slipped through his forehead and into his spiritual sea.

He didn't know.

None of the others could see it.

But Mo Hua saw it clearly.

Still, Mo Hua didn't say anything. He worried Gray Second Master might not be able to handle the truth — so instead, he just quietly observed him.

After all, he'd always been curious.

How exactly did demonic thoughts corrupt a normal cultivator?

Was it gradual? What signs would show up? How long did it take?

Unfortunately, he'd never had a proper case study…

But now?

A living, breathing test subject was right in front of him.

So of course Mo Hua had to observe carefully.

Though... so far, Gray Second Master seemed just fine.

"Maybe… the venomous thought was too faint to do anything."

"Or maybe Golden Core cultivators just have stronger divine resistance, so a second-grade demonic thought doesn't affect them much."

"Or... it's still in the incubation stage, and the symptoms haven't appeared yet."

Then Mo Hua's eyes gleamed.

"Later, I'll see if I can lure out a few more corpse fiends. Get them to bite Gray Second Master again."

"If the symptoms show up…"

His eyes lit up with inspiration.

"Then I can capture some of these fiends, and try refining them into a kind of spiritual virus."

"In the future, if some Golden Core or higher cultivator wants to kill me, and I can't beat them head-on… I'll find a way to poison their sea of consciousness with these corrupted thoughts."

"Confuse their minds. Corrode their will. Break their Dao hearts—quietly, invisibly…"

Mo Hua's eyes were glowing by this point.

Then he paused, gave it more thought, and felt that… yes, this idea was actually doable.

Of course, all plans needed testing.

Even the best ideas had to be proven through real-world experiments.

So, Mo Hua nodded to himself.

Then continued leading the way forward—while stealthily watching Gray Second Master, carefully tracking any signs of change.

He intended to use Gray Second Master's "condition" to validate his hypothesis — that evil thoughts could be weaponized.

Meanwhile, Gray Second Master, still completely unaware, was walking deeper into the tomb—

Full of ambition to ensnare Mo Hua and make him his tool.

...not realizing he was already becoming the test subject of this quietly scheming boy.

(End of this Chapter)