From in and out of view, immortals that were poised to make a move against Lu Yun could only look on in shock. Jin Hexi was the commander of the imperial troops in the capital!
No matter the cultivation level of the imperial defenders, they represented the imperial familyâs authority. As the commander of the imperial troops, Jin Hexi was one of the most influential figures in Nephrite Capital. Even core members of the Feng Clan showed him deference.
And yet...
The absurdly extravagant fortress ship slammed into Jin Hexi with great ferocity, expelling all of his inner energy, flattening him, and squashing his blood, flesh, and bones. What remained was a large meat patty stuck to the bottom of the shipâs bow.
Still, he was alive.
Golden immortals were extremely resilient. Even upon the destruction of flesh, bone, and muscle, they could still recover, due to the golden immortal creeds within their bodies.
Rumble.
After an enormous reverberation, the fortress ship continued its way into Xiankan beneath the crowdâs flabbergasted stares.
âStop, stop right now!!â someone yelled. âAre you starting a coup, Lu Yun?! Put the commander down!â
The voice belonged to the newly arrived imperial army, but they couldnât do anything about the situation. All of them were august immortals, while that fortress ship had just pulped a golden immortal. A combined charge from all of them wouldnât even slow down the ship.
They, too, had battle formations at their fingertips, but deploying the formations required their commanderâs guidance. Said commander was currently a meat pie plastered on their enemy.
Lu Yun stood atop the bow and cast his gaze at the distant capital with his hand on the side of the ship, ignoring the commotion from the imperial army. Suddenly, a giant figure descended and slammed into the vessel, which shuddered and halted with a rumble.
Roar!
An inhuman growl rang throughout the ship. Lu Yunâs pupils contracted with alarm.
A zombie!
A zombie covered in green fur stood by the bow and held back the ship with one hand, peeling Jin Hexi away with the other. It looked like a tall and burly middle-aged man under the fur, and it was at least a peerless immortal.
A dark look flickered through Lu Yunâs face before he schooled his expression into one of indifference.
âWhat a big yum-yum!!â Drooling, Ge Longâs eyes were glued to the zombie.
âAre there others in this world who can command zombies?â Lu Yun scanned the zombie before shifting his gaze to another faint figure in midair.
Encircled by a leisurely grace, the newcomer wore gray robes and was a golden immortal as well. Standing quietly in the air, he raised a flute to his mouth and played.
âGrrrl!â Melodies from the flute sent the zombie into further frenzy. It reached out and brought Jin Hexi off the ship.
Lu Yun struck out his arm to prevent Ge Long from lunging at the zombie. âRumors speak of immortals commanding zombies in battle. You must be one of these mythical beings.â
âJin Heyi of the Corpse Refiners in Truespirit Major. A pleasure, Your Excellency.â The newcomer put away his flute and landed on the ship, bowing slightly to Lu Yun. âMy younger brother has given offense out of youthful recklessness. I hope Your Excellency may find it in yourself to forgive him.â
âOh?â Lu Yun cocked his head at the man and the zombie behind, taking a closer look. The very image of docility, the zombieâs crimson eyes were fixed in an unblinking stare at the fortress ship.
Jin Hexiâs body had recovered, but his extravagant golden armor had been shattered. He looked extremely bedraggled, and stared on with dread and confusion. Was this Dusk governor insane? How dare he attack the commander of the imperial army right outside Xiankan? Wasnât he worried he would offend the imperial family?
âCorpse Refiners? Never heard of âem.â Lu Yun shook his head. None of his five envoys knew about them either.
âIs your sect about to enter the world?â Qing Han asked tensely. Clearly, he knew the sect and what made the mysterious group terrifying. He just hadnât expected someone from the Jin Clan to be a disciple.
Jin Heyi nodded. âThe nine celestial emperors have entered closed door cultivation to attempt breaking through the dao immortal realm. A golden age is upon the world of immortals. We have stayed away from the mundane world for tens of thousands of years, but it is now time for us to return and gain a foothold in this new world.â
âI see.â Lu Yun nodded. âSince an elite disciple of the Corpse Refiners has spoken, Iâll let the commander off the hook. Letâs go.â
He waved a hand, signalling Ge Long. Casting one final longing look at the zombie, the old steward tightened his grasp on the spirit key and steered the fortress ship into the capital.
âThat Jin Heyi wanted to befriend you,â Qing Han said later with some hesitation.
Lu Yunâs expression darkened. âBut Iâm not interested.â
âWhatâs wrong?â The governorâs reaction had startled Qing Han. He could tell that Lu Yun was suppressing his intent to kill.
âCorpse RefinersâŠÂ Corpse Refiners⊠Heh, no wonder theyâve turtled down for so long.â A sinister smile tugged at Lu Yunâs lips. âThey refine living zombies!â
âWhat?!â Qing Hanâs jaw dropped. âLiving zombies?â
âThey refine living people into zombies!â Murderous intent colored Lu Yunâs voice. He was no saint, and wouldnât have stuck his nose in this, but the Tome of Life and Death bestowed upon him both the power and the responsibility to maintain the balance between life and death. Refining living people into zombies shattered that balance and violated enormous taboos.
He didnât find this kind of duty irksome. Back on Earth, heâd gathered an organization of expert tomb raiders to enforce order, preventing other tomb raiders from affecting the world at large. If heâd stayed any longer, he was worried that heâd channel the power of the dread zombie and kill Jin Heyi then and there.
âŠ...
Outside the capital.
âHe wants me dead.â Jin Heyi smiled as he watched Lu Yunâs ship flying into the capital. âSo Iâve encountered a moralist right after returning Nephrite Major. Heh, how interesting! Oh, how I look forward to refining him into a zombie.â
A malicious smile split his peaceful demeanor. Next to him, Jin Hexi couldnât help the shudder that ran down his spine.
âŠâŠ
Lu Yun allowed himself to relax only after heâd entered the capital. There were too many experts in Life Province, which was why heâd spent the entire trip on the ship. He wasnât safe until he reached Xiankan.
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