The Quest for Immortality

Atop the burial mound, the flames of the Corpse Burning Formation blazed fiercely.

Apart from the tiny zombies, all Walking Corpses, Iron Corpses, including the Corpse King, had to be thoroughly purified within the Corpse Burning Formation, eradicating the evil that had been wrought.

There were too many Walking Corpses; thus, after cremation, their ashes were mostly buried together.

The Lu Family was raided and fell into disarray.

Among the Iron Corpses, the elders of the Lu Family were ignored; after being burned, they were buried haphazardly, with a simple mound erected. No one paid respects, and some even looked down upon them. Every time Cultivators from South Yue City passed by, they would spit upon the graves.

Some Foundation Building Cultivators from other families or Sects would be claimed after cremation and buried in their ancestral graves.

Mo Hua also solemnly collected the bone ashes of past Elders of the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect; these would later be handed over to Instructor Yan for a proper burial.

Having learned the Spiritual Pivot Formation, I received a favor from the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect.

Therefore, I also wanted to show some heartfelt gratitude.

The Corpse Burning Formation continued for more than ten days, incinerating all walking and iron corpses until only the Corpse King remained.

But the Corpse King could not be incinerated.

Even though the fire in the Compound Formation used to purify the Corpse King was of a Second-Grade Formation, with flames so intense they resembled molten iron, it still could do no harm to the Corpse King.

The Corpse King kept its eyes closed, hands crossed over its chest, situated amidst the surging flames, letting the fierce fire burn. Its coppery-red body showed no signs of incineration.

Several days passed, and the body of the Corpse King remained unaffected by the fierce fire.

Yang Jishan frowned.

The crowd’s expressions were grave.

Cultivators in-the-know were even more startled.

The Corpse King was a Taoist Demon’s disaster; it had the potential to evolve into a Taoist Demon and was extremely vexing.

Now that it had submitted to Mo Hua, losing the possibility to become a Taoist Demon and temporarily in slumber, yet if it wasn’t killed, no one could say if it might undergo a perverse transformation later on.

Yang Jishan and the others tried various methods.

Spiritual Artifacts, Spells, Runes, and even other more powerful Second-Grade Formations, but at most, they only harmed the Corpse King’s flesh, unable to completely incinerate it.

Out of options, Yang Jishan had no choice but to seek Mo Hua, hoping Mo Hua might have a solution.

The Corpse Burning event was managed by the Taoist Court, and Mo Hua did not interfere much.

He merely controlled the Corpse King to enter the Corpse Burning Formation, leaving the rest unattended.

Now that Yang Jishan asked him, Mo Hua made a special trip to check on the situation.

Atop the burial mound, the flames were like a sea of fire.

And the Corpse King was immersed in this sea of fire, body unharmed by the intense flames.

Mo Hua also furrowed his brows, puzzled.

Logically speaking, with the power of a Second-Grade Formation, after refining for so long, even if the Corpse King was a Copper Corpse, it should have melted into a pool of ”copper water.”

Mo Hua released his Divine Sense to sense more carefully; after a moment, he noticed a faint Taoist Meaning entwined around the Corpse King.

A Copper Corpse couldn’t resist the incineration of the Corpse Burning Formation.

But this Corpse King wasn’t just a Copper Corpse; it was also a Corpse King.

This strand of Taoist Meaning shared similarities with the Great Dao’s Taoist Meaning that Mo Hua had sensed before from the earth.

However, it was malformed, mutated, vicious, and a perversion.

This was the twisted ”Taoist Meaning” of a Taoist Demon.

It was the source of the Taoist Demon.

This twisted Taoist Meaning prevented the Corpse King’s body from being purified and was also fostering the emergence of the Corpse King’s autonomous consciousness.

As Mo Hua clearly perceived this strand of Taoist Meaning, the Corpse King suddenly opened its eyes.

Its eyes were pitch-black and empty, gazing coldly at Mo Hua.

At the same time, a fierce phantom appeared in Mo Hua’s Sea of Consciousness.

This phantom was both the Corpse King and yet not entirely the Corpse King.

Wrapped around it was a faint, mysterious, and terrifying air, filled with profound hatred and indignation, watching Mo Hua with enmity.

This was the air of a Taoist Demon.

It seemed to harbor venomous resentment towards Mo Hua for thwarting its destiny.

Mo Hua remained unruffled, looking back at it calmly.

When the ”Corpse King” met Mo Hua’s gaze, it suddenly appeared internally fearful despite its ferocious front. Beneath its venomous demeanor, there was deep-seated fear.

It was as though a fierce servant longed to devour its master, but the malicious intent it harbored was discovered by the master.

Therefore, underneath its fierce exterior, there was hidden cowardice.

Mo Hua understood in his heart.

The Corpse King had submitted to him, and naturally, the Taoist Meaning within it also feared him.

It wanted to devour the master.

Only by devouring the master, could the Taoist Meaning grow, and the Corpse King evolve into a Taoist Demon.

But as long as it couldn’t devour the master, it had to follow his commands to the letter!

Since it had to obey him, that made things easier.

Mo Hua’s eyes turned cold as he commanded in an uncompromising, icy voice:

”Wicked beast, die.”

Yang Jishan and the others trembled at the words.

And within the eyes of the Corpse King, terror emerged.

When the master orders death, his servant must die!

As Mo Hua issued the command, the Taoist Meaning within the Corpse King transformed into a fierce corpse shadow, with red eyes and a ferocious face. It twisted, howled, and screamed.

But no matter how unwilling or how much it struggled, it had to obey Mo Hua’s command to die as per the laws of the Great Dao.

Its figure gradually faded, and the atmosphere of the Taoist Demon dissipated.

Simultaneously, the Corpse King let out a roar. The flames of the Corpse Burning Formation shot up to the sky and, under the astonished gaze of onlookers, the flesh withered, the face collapsed, and the ferocious fire gradually reduced it to ashes...

The Corpse King truly died...

The Cultivators looked at Mo Hua with a hint of fear in their eyes.

The Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses, a manifestation of a Taoist Demon, actually died just because of Mo Hua’s single command...

But as to how this had happened, the crowd knew nothing.

They wanted to ask, but were at the moment restrained by Mo Hua’s commanding presence as he ordered the Corpse King to its death, and they didn’t dare to inquire.

Only the gaunt elder had a solemn expression, showing a thoughtful look.