Chapter 32: Corpse Shell Escape

Chapter 32: Corpse Shell Escape

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head, and the voice finally faded away. Suppressing his thoughts, he smiled and said, "It's nothing. Let's go back."

Murong Wushuang's face lit up with joy. "Brother Chuan, so you live in Haitang Manor? That’s one of the largest estates in the South Mountain Gathering, occupying the most fertile land. Many of the surrounding residents depend on Haitang Manor for their livelihood. I’ve heard it’s a grand estate backed by the Marquis House. Is that true?"

Ning Xiaochuan neither confirmed nor denied, simply smiling. "Didn’t you say you wanted to become a martial arts expert, even a Dragon Warrior? Come to Haitang Manor in a couple of days to find me. I might be able to help you advance faster."

Murong Wushuang’s expression turned awkward as he lowered his voice. "To be honest, Brother Chuan, I’m a bit afraid to go to Haitang Manor. I’ve owed three years of Annual Tribute, and the stewards there all recognize me. If they see me, they’ll definitely press me for payment—and if I don’t pay, they’ll beat me up! Haitang Manor is powerful and influential. If they really come after me, I’m no match for them."

Ning Xiaochuan climbed into the Green Deer Horse Carriage and chuckled. "Just mention my name when you come. Tell them you’re my friend, and I doubt anyone would dare trouble you."

Murong Wushuang looked astonished. "Really? Brother Chuan, what’s your status in Haitang Manor? You’re not the manor lord’s nephew, are you?"

"The manor lord of Haitang Manor doesn’t have a nephew," Ning Xiaochuan replied with a laugh.

The Green Deer Horse Carriage departed from South Moon Mountain.

At the marketplace in the South Mountain Gathering, Murong Wushuang got off to return home, while Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Yan continued driving the carriage back to Haitang Manor.

Ning Xiaochuan had spent four days in South Moon Mountain, and during that time, the stewards, maids, servants, and guards of Haitang Manor had grown anxious, fearing something had happened to him. Some had even reported his absence to the Marquis House.

Though Ning Xiaochuan was not well-regarded in the Marquis House, he was still the Marquis’s legitimate grandson. If anything happened to him, the servants of Haitang Manor would likely lose their heads.

Upon returning, Steward Qiu immediately came to inquire, "Young Master, where have you been these past few days? All the manor’s guards were sent out to search for you, but no one could find you. Yesterday, Fourth Master even came to Haitang Manor in person and was quite angry. He ordered you to report your safety to him at the Marquis House as soon as you returned, so he wouldn’t worry."

"Ning Qianwu actually came to Haitang Manor?" Ning Xiaochuan knew full well that this Fourth Master of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House was no good—he had always wanted to eliminate him.

Would he really care about my safety?

Most likely, he’s already bribed everyone in Haitang Manor by now.

Keeping his expression neutral, Ning Xiaochuan said, "This manor lord has been feeling unwell lately and needs to recuperate in the estate. I’m afraid I won’t be able to go to the Marquis House to reassure Fourth Master. Steward Qiu, you go on my behalf and report my safety to him."

With that, he wasted no more time on the matter and drove the Green Deer Horse Carriage into the manor.

Ning Xiaochuan dismissed all the servants from his private garden, leaving only Yu Yan behind.

He then carried the Blood Toad Wood from the carriage and planted it in a flowerbed where Autumn Begonias were in full bloom.

This place was near Lock Cliff, adjacent to the mountain waterfall, and shielded by layers of vermilion pavilions—an ideal location for the Blood Toad Wood to grow.

The Blood Toad Wood itself possessed a spiritual nature. Once it landed on the soil, its roots automatically burrowed deep into the earth. Soon, the plant had firmly taken root, its nine branches swaying in the wind as its blood-red leaves emitted a faint glow, releasing a subtle woody fragrance into the air.

A natural Profound Spiritual Qi gathered between heaven and earth, causing the soil to emit a faint crimson light. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Profound Qi had nearly doubled in density and was still increasing. Given time, this place might truly transform into a Sacred Land or Spiritual Land.

"Yu Yan, pass down the order—from now on, no servants are allowed to enter the Purple Qi Garden," Ning Xiaochuan commanded.

Night fell, and moonlight flowed like water.

The moonlight bathed the leaves of the Blood Toad Wood, deepening their crimson hue and casting a faint bloody radiance. Tiny specks of light drifted down like droplets, making the plant resemble a Divine Tree of the Underworld.

Ning Xiaochuan sat cross-legged beneath the Blood Toad Wood as specks of bloody light continuously fell from the tree, landing on his body and being absorbed by him.

Clang! Clang!

The demonic sword within his heart trembled incessantly, emitting a resonant hum that accelerated the flow of his blood. The Earth Martial Essence hidden deep within his blood decomposed at an increasing speed, transforming into Martial Arts Profound Qi and merging with his body.

Ning Xiaochuan’s blood still contained remnants of Earth Martial Essence left by the Old Marquis over the past decade to sustain his life. If fully unleashed, this energy would be enough to propel him into the Divine Body Realm.

Thus, the Earth Martial Essence within the Golden-Threaded Purple Wood could be preserved for now. Once the energy within his body was fully activated, he could then absorb the rest.

The bloody energy of the Blood Toad Wood could stimulate the demonic sword, and under its influence, the decomposition of Earth Martial Essence accelerated even further.

A single hour of cultivation for Ning Xiaochuan was equivalent to ten days of training for ordinary young geniuses. His Martial Arts Profound Qi surged rapidly within him.

By midnight...

"Save me... save me..." That aged voice began echoing in Ning Xiaochuan’s ears again, like a ghostly wail that sent chills down one’s spine.

Unable to focus on his cultivation, Ning Xiaochuan slowly opened his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he abruptly stood up, leaped over 9 meters high, kicked off the wall, and propelled himself several more meters upward, landing atop Haitang Manor’s 21-meter-high city wall.

Under the night sky, the entire manor was eerily quiet. Four or five armored guards patrolled the walls.

Moving with ghostly speed, Ning Xiaochuan slipped down the wall and sprinted toward South Moon Mountain, his figure swallowed by the darkness.

Having reached the Eighth Level of Profound Qi, Ning Xiaochuan channeled his Martial Arts Profound Qi at full force, his running speed surpassing even that of the Green Deer Horse.

Each stride covered 7 meters, swift as the wind.

In less than an hour, he arrived at the foot of South Moon Mountain once more. Staring at the towering black mass before him, he plunged into the mountains.

After an unknown time of weaving through the dense forest, he finally returned to the battlefield where Yue Wuyang and Tianchenzi had clashed two days prior. Searching through the rugged peaks, he eventually found an Impact Crater hidden within a valley.

The diameter of the massive crater was a full 60 meters, filled with scattered rubble and intense Martial Arts Profound Qi fluctuations.

At the center of the crater lay a charred, pitch-black mass, resembling either a human "corpse" or that of a beast.

Ning Xiaochuan stood at the edge of the pit, hesitating for a moment before finally leaping down. He stepped cautiously over the rubble, making his way toward the blackened "corpse," and placed his fingers near its nose.

"No breath. It seems he's already dead," Ning Xiaochuan murmured, withdrawing his hand and preparing to leave.

"Creak!"

Suddenly, the scorched "corpse" split open, and a withered, aged hand emerged from within, its fingers wreathed in eerie green flames.

The "corpse" cracked apart, revealing a skeletal hand.

Even someone as composed as Ning Xiaochuan was startled, instinctively taking a step back.

"Save... save me..." A frail, black-robed old man crawled out from the "corpse" before collapsing to the ground, barely clinging to life. His back and skull bore grievous injuries—his spine shattered, his cranium fractured.

After uttering those two words, he fell motionless.

Ning Xiaochuan crouched beside the black-robed elder, sensing the thick aura of malevolence emanating from him. For a moment, he hesitated—should he save this man?

This black-robed elder was likely Tianchenzi of the Dark Emperor City.

Two days prior, Tianchenzi had been struck by Yue Wuyang's palm and plummeted from the sky. As he fell, he had sent a desperate mental message to Ning Xiaochuan, who had also been on South Moon Mountain at the time, pleading for rescue.

It was this very plea that had left Ning Xiaochuan restless over the past two days, torn over whether to return to South Moon Mountain to investigate.

Tonight, while cultivating his Martial Arts Profound Qi, Tianchenzi's words had echoed relentlessly in his mind, unsettling him to the point of nearly suffering a Qi deviation. In the end, he had resolved to come to South Moon Mountain to confirm whether the man was truly dead.

"As a healer, I cannot turn away from someone in need of saving. Whether he is good or evil, in the eyes of a healer, he is simply a patient."

Ning Xiaochuan rubbed his palms together, took a deep breath, and his gaze hardened with resolve. "No matter what kind of world this is, a person must hold fast to their principles. If one abandons their principles, they are already on the path to corruption."

With that, Ning Xiaochuan lifted Tianchenzi onto his back and swiftly left the crater, disappearing into the dense forest.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Not long after Ning Xiaochuan departed, three figures emerged from the woods, landing at the edge of the crater.

All three were young, led by a blue-haired, green-eyed beautiful woman—tall and slender, with long legs—wielding a spear as thick as a bowl's mouth, her body enveloped in a dense layer of Martial Arts Profound Qi.

Had Ning Xiaochuan lingered for another half an hour, he would have recognized them as the three Dragon Elephant Warriors he had encountered at the South Mountain Gathering—though now, they were not riding their Dragon Elephant mounts.

"Tianchenzi, the chief of the four ministers of the Dark Emperor City, was no match for the Marquis. It seems the Marquis's cultivation has reached a realm beyond our comprehension," remarked the man in his early twenties, his voice cold as he stared at the corpse in the crater.

The blue-haired, green-eyed beautiful woman's eyes also held a look of admiration as she said, "The Marquis is the youngest Martial Venerable in the history of the Yulan Empire, gathering immense fortune upon himself, beyond what we can imagine. Huh? Wait..."

Her eyes suddenly shot out two beams of light over a meter long, her pupils swirling like two black holes as she fixed her gaze on the corpse at the center of the crater.

"Whoosh!"

Her body floated lightly into the air, landing beside the corpse. Her expression changed drastically as a surge of Martial Arts Profound Qi erupted from within her. She raised her spear horizontally in front of her, scanning the surrounding forest with extreme vigilance, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Captain, what's wrong?" a cold-faced man asked.

The blue-haired, green-eyed woman replied, "Tianchenzi used the 'Corpse Shell Escape' technique to deceive the Marquis's spiritual perception. What remains here is merely a corpse shell—his true body has already escaped."

"What should we do now?"

The other two Dragon Elephant Divine Warriors also grew serious, immediately adopting defensive stances.

The blue-haired woman said calmly, "Zuo Jinfeng, return at once and report this matter to the Marquis. Hurry, you must be quick. You Zui, mobilize the guards of the South Mountain Gathering and have them dispatch three thousand soldiers to search South Moon Mountain. Tianchenzi is severely injured—he couldn’t have gone far."

Zuo Jinfeng and You Zui understood the gravity of the situation and swiftly departed.

"That fiend Tianchenzi wasn’t killed after all—this is a major problem. If an expert of his level seeks revenge, the entire imperial capital will be thrown into chaos." The blue-haired woman glanced once more at the corpse shell and let out a soft exclamation. She noticed two sets of footprints on the ground, indicating that someone had been here before them.