Chapter 164: Chapter 147: Corpse Driving? Sorry, Try Zombie Instead

"Did you hear? Someone died in Zhang Family Village, that smiling old Daoist."

"Really? I just saw him recently. He looked full of life. How could he be gone just like that?"

"Hmph, blame it on those damned capitalists! That demolition businessman from the south couldn’t agree on terms and decided to tear down the Daoist Temple. The old Daoist Master couldn’t take it, jumped into the well, and when they fished him out, he was already gone."

"Are capitalists so lawless these days? Is nobody going to do something about it?"

"Do something? Who? That’s easier said than done. Those officials rely on these people for performance, and they won’t bother with trivial issues, especially with the old Daoist’s young disciple, it’s not a big deal."

"Wait, what about the old Daoist Master’s disciple? Why is there no news about him either?"

"Well, you didn’t hear? He’s taken the temple’s money and ran off overnight. He’s probably living it up somewhere now..."

Along the road leading to the city, several old women talked energetically, gossiping about the day’s events.

Unnoticed by them, not far away, a young man dressed in black kept his head down, his shoulders slightly trembling.

The young man in black is none other than Quan Xiaobai.

Under the gaze of his master, he had to board Uncle Li’s car to the city, but how could he leave behind his master, who was closer than family? Halfway there, he requested to get off and walked back.

But when he returned to the temple, the originally peaceful and harmonious Daoist Temple was now a ruin, and his master was nowhere to be found.

His heart sank, unable to believe his assumption, until he heard the old women’s discussion.

At that moment, no one understood the meaning of hatred more than Quan Xiaobai.

He regretted not being more determined, not forcibly taking his master away with him;

He was furious at the developers for their disregard for human life;

He was desperate, realizing the world wasn’t the bright place depicted by Andersen...

At this moment, his eyes were as dark as iron, and the seed of hatred quickly took root in his heart.

...

In the countryside, when someone passed away, they were usually buried on their own land.

And Zhang Family Village was the same, closely related families buried their ancestors together.

According to the novel, this place was called Zhang Family’s ancestral burial ground.

A place filled with bad luck, during the day birds wouldn’t even poop over here, let alone at night.

Rustle!

However, a strange sound was now emanating from here.

It was Quan Xiaobai, holding a shovel, digging up Zhang Family’s graves methodically.

"Buried deep enough..."

About half an hour later, Quan Xiaobai tossed the shovel aside and sat down angrily.

By then, the grave was mostly unearthed, the coffin already visible.

After a brief rest, Quan Xiaobai resumed digging and soon, the entire coffin was exposed.

With a push, he opened the coffin, revealing Mrs. Zhang peacefully lying inside, her body remained uncorrupted despite the midsummer heat and the days that had passed, even emitting a peculiar fragrance.

"Just as my master said, a Great Immortal possessed her! Heaven is truly on my side!"

Quan Xiaobai was surprised and delighted, this being his first time digging someone’s ancestral grave, his conscience pricked, but thoughts of his master’s plight made him cold-hearted.

According to Maoshan’s Corpse Cultivation Technique, to create a Corpse King, it’s best to select a Spirit Communication Body.

This "Spirit Communication Body" has various definitions, some say it’s one born on a Yin year, month, and day, with a Life Chart full of Yin, hence guaranteed to be a Spirit Communication Body;

Others suggest examining birth characters and calculate celestial stems and earthly branches...

Opinions vary on which is best, but one point is universally accepted—those possessed by a Northeast Great Immortal must be Spirit Communication Bodies!

Without a Spirit Communication Body, one can’t sustain the Immortal Family Life Chart; it’s that simple. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Quan Xiaobai took out a large sack he carried, bagged Mrs. Zhang in it, and restored the grave as much as possible, crucially erasing his footprints.

Having done all that, he quietly left for the secret base at the back of the mountain.

"Bang!"

Returning to the secret base, Quan Xiaobai dropped the sack to the ground and collapsed nearby.

The adrenaline rush earlier had masked his fear, but now it hit him fully, the dread of life and death.

After a while, he barely regained composure, scooped water from the vat, splashed it on his face to clear his head.

Looking at the sack on the ground, Quan Xiaobai started to reconsider.

Not knowing if this Corpse Cultivation Skill would really work, he went ahead and dug the grave, recklessly impulsive.

But what’s done is done, there’s no time for regrets now.

According to the old Daoist, Quan Xiaobai had enough potential to be Saint Child Level in ancient times.

Not just for aptitude, but for character—sufficiently emotional, and ruthless!

In a blink, his mind settled, calmly retrieving Mrs. Zhang from the sack.

The small room painted an eerie picture—dim candlelight, a young man with odd objects, scribbling and drawing on an old woman’s corpse, even using a Wolf Tail Brush.

Mrs. Zhang had a large frame but was possessed by an Immortal Family, drawing away her life essence, leaving her muscles atrophied, just a dry skin covering left.

Her face was devoid of flesh, following folk customs, her face bore the makeup she liked most in life, her mouth corners raised in an ambiguous smile...

According to the old Daoist’s teachings, the key to the Corpse Cultivation technique was choosing the corpse, and more importantly, the art of cultivation itself.

Once Quan Xiaobai completed all steps, he took the Compass, carried Mrs. Zhang, and headed to the pre-selected Land of Extreme Yin on the mountain.

Placing the body at the center of the Land of Extreme Yin, surrounding it with Extremely Yin Objects greatly accelerates the cultivation of the corpse.

Every week, Quan Xiaobai would visit to burn talisman paper, strengthening the bond with the corpse, and secretly seek more Extremely Yin Objects.

Be it artifacts from millennia-old graves or cursed bronze artifacts, all were stored here.

This cycle, repeated, over forty-nine days brings perfection, forming the strongest Corpse King.

Before departing, the old Daoist handed all of the temple’s savings to Quan Xiaobai.

This temporarily spared him financial woes, alongside seeking Extremely Yin Objects from dubious sources, allowing him to focus entirely on corpse cultivation.

This unexpected turn, the old Daoist likely never anticipated, inadvertently sending a promising Saint Child down the path of darkness.