To avoid being discovered by other cultivators, Lin Changâsheng quickly left the area after stowing away the Hundred Thousand Ghost Souls and the black coffin.
Once he reached a safe spot, he planned to summon Lu Yunchangâs soul to ask exactly what was going on with the red-dressed woman inside that coffin.
...
Eastern Desolate Forest.
Here, a hundred thousand mountains rolled endlessly, demon beasts rampant throughout, and in the depths, there were even terrifying Ninth Level demon beasts lurking.
Even a Golden Core expert who set foot here could fall with just one careless move.
At this moment, atop a towering mountain peak, countless palatial halls stood side by side in an imposing line.
In the uppermost and most lavish great hall, a middle-aged man dressed in crimson robes suddenly snapped his eyes open.
"LinâEr, at last Iâve found you!"
As his words faded, a terrifying aura erupted from the man, so fierce that demon beasts for hundreds of miles around dropped flat to the ground in terror.
Even the Demon Kings who reigned above the Ninth Level demon beasts lowered their heads in submission.
"Southern Domain cultivators, you damn well have some guts!"
The crimson-robed man roared furiously, smashing the golden throne armchair beside him with a single palm.
Roarâ
HOOâ
The myriad demon beasts throughout the mountains seemed to sense the manâs fury, and howled skyward in unison.
The beastly cries echoed so loudly, they shook the heavens themselves.
...
A hundred miles outside Lingtian City, in a cave on a sheer cliffâ
Lin Changâsheng summoned Lu Yunchangâs soul out of the Myriad Soul Banner.
"You little bastard, how the hell did you get the Hundred Thousand Soul Banner? You son of a bitch, you actually ambushed me?"
Lu Yunchang erupted into a tirade the instant he saw Lin Changâsheng.
Heâd gotten carelessânever expected to die at the hands of this brat.
If he had another chance, after learning Lin Changâshengâs tricks, who lost and who won would still be up for grabs.
"Love to curse so much? Then Iâll let you curse till you drop!"
Lin Changâsheng, with a flick of his hand and a surge of technique, ignited a burst of flame.
Without hesitation, he slammed it straight onto Lu Yunchangâs body.
"AAAHâ"
Surrounded by fiery flames, Lu Yunchang screamed in agonyâthe pain of a soul burning no less excruciating than the body itself.
Every person Lin Changâsheng had cut down was full of resentment.
But with Lin Changâshengâs "attentions," theyâd all end up behaving eventually.
Qi Hui was proof of that.
Now he was much more obedientâanswering every question, just begging for a chance at reincarnation.
Too bad this bastard committed every sin imaginable, harmed too many people; Lin Changâsheng had no intention of letting him off that easy.
As Lu Yunchangâs soul was about to be burned to oblivion, Lin Changâsheng waved his hand and bound it together again.
His essence soul was locked inside the Soul Bannerâmaking even complete annihilation impossible.
"So? Ready to answer my questions properly now?"
Lin Changâsheng asked casuallyâhe had plenty of ways to get everything he wanted out of Lu Yunchang.
After a round of fiery torture, Lu Yunchang calmed down, "If I answer your questions, can I reincarnate?"
Lu Yunchang was much more compliant. As a man of Demon Dao, he didnât know how Lin Changâsheng got the Myriad Soul Banner.
But he did knowâonce a soul was taken into that banner, leaving again was nearly impossible.
So all he hoped was that, once heâd answered Lin Changâshengâs questions, he could enter reincarnation.
"You think youâre in a position to bargain?"
Lin Changâsheng conjured another blaze in his palm, scaring Lu Yunchang into recoiling.
"Fine. Go ahead, ask."
Lu Yunchang gave inâjust hoping Lin Changâsheng would quit torturing him after this.
"Whatâs with the female corpse in the black coffin beneath you?"
Lin Changâsheng demanded.
He sensed an unusual aura from herâsomething even a bit like Xiaobaiâs.
That woman was definitely no member of the human race.
"I wonât lie to you: that woman is the daughter of the Eastern Desolate Demon Emperor. I caught her by accident, planned to refine her into a powerful Demon Corpse, but you brat ruined everything!"
"Now Iâm dead, the seals on the coffin have faded, and the Demon Emperor will be able to sense his daughterâs location. You can imagine whatâll happen to you then!"
Lu Yunchang spoke in a chilling, sinister tone.
As if he could already see Lin Changâsheng being skinned alive by the Demon Emperor.
"Daughter of the Demon Emperor?"
Lin Changâsheng mutteredâthis was one hell of a hot potato.
"If you could refine her into a Demon Corpse, you must also know a way to restore her, right?"
Lin Changâsheng pressed on. If the girl couldnât be revived, even if the Southern Domain repelled Beimuâs cultivators, theyâd soon face revenge from the demon beasts.
The Demon Emperor would surely blame Southern Domain cultivators for harming his daughter.
"No!"
Lu Yunchang replied bluntly.
"Guess you wonât admit it till youâre at deathâs door!"
Seeing Lu Yunchang clamming up again, Lin Changâsheng fired another blaze at him, engulfing him in flames.
He burned, shrieking once again.
"Iâll talk, Iâll talkâ"
Lu Yunchang begged for mercy, "Refining a Concentration Pill can hold her divine soul togetherâthen, using Corpse King Sectâs Golden Corpse Rejuvenation Technique, she can be awakened."
"You have the pill formula and the Golden Corpse Rejuvenation Technique?"
Lin Changâsheng asked.
"Honestly, I donât."
Lu Yunchang shook his head.
Lin Changâsheng figured he was just being stubborn again, so he lit up Lu Yunchangâs soul with another handful of fire.
"AAAHâIâm telling the truth...I really donât... But thereâs some inside Corpse King Sect..."
Lu Yunchangâs wailing faded as he was burned to oblivion again.
Looks like all this guy ever learned were harmful artsâhe really knew nothing about saving people.
"Once Iâm stronger, I have to make a trip to Demon Evil Sea!"
Lin Changâsheng thought to himself.
Afterwards, he stopped worrying, and instead inventoried tonightâs haul.
From the five Foundation Establishment Corpse King Sect disciples, he got fifty-two copper bodiesâand from Lu Yunchangâs stash, one hundred eight copper corpses, plus four giant golden corpse bodies.
[Detected one hundred sixty basic level copper corpses. Fuse them into eighty intermediate copper corpses?]
The system panel popped up the prompt in the next instant.
"Fuse!"
Lin Changâsheng agreed without hesitation.
After all, copper corpses didnât do anything for Lin Changâsheng anymore.
At best, he could use them for fusing into golden corpses.
[Detected eighty intermediate copper corpses. Fuse them into forty high level copper corpses?]
The panel prompted again.
"Fuse!"
Lin Changâsheng agreed once more.
[Detected forty high level copper corpses. Fuse them, using Sword Qi, into four basic level golden corpses?]
Lin Changâsheng went ahead with the fusion yet again.
Finally, four giant bodies glowing with golden light appeared before him.
These four basic level golden corpses each possessed Golden Core Early Stage cultivation.
Their power was overwhelmingly fierce.
Wasnât that the same as gaining four free Golden Core Early Stage bodyguards?
[Detected six basic level golden corpse bodies. Fuse them into three intermediate golden corpses?]
Just as Lin Changâsheng thought the fusion was finished, the panel popped up another prompt.
He realized, in his original inventory, he already had two golden corpses.
Perfect for another round of fusion.
Lin Changâsheng fused them again.
After the fusion, three awe-inspiring intermediate golden corpses appeared before him.
These were golden corpses at Golden Core Middle Stage cultivation!
Their cultivation even surpassed Lin Changâsheng himself.
"By this pattern, fusion up to the next great realm always needs double the amount. But if you want golden corpses to fuse even higher, you need multiples of ten! That means ten high level golden corpses can fuse into an even stronger corpse puppet that breaks through to the next realm."
From this round of fusing, Lin Changâsheng finally figured out the rules.
[Puppets: Three golden corpses (intermediate), four golden corpses (high level), Heaven-Devouring Insect King (eight)]
Lin Changâsheng checked his panel.
He now had three intermediate golden corpses and four high level golden corpses.
The four high level ones, of course, came courtesy of Lu Yunchang.
Together, thatâs five and a half high level golden corpses.
As soon as he collects another four and a half high level golden corpse bodies, he can fuse an even stronger corpse puppet.
"Lu Yunchangâs corpse counts as one, Mo Liâs as another, the rest Iâll fuse from intermediate golden corpses!"
Lin Changâsheng was already making plans in his head.
These golden corpses already matched the power of Golden Core Stage cultivators.
If he fused one that broke through to the next realm... wouldnât that rival the power of a Nascent Soul great expert?