Yangzhou City, Underground Stone Chamber beneath the City Lord’s Mansion.
The corpse qi, black as thick ink, had almost solidified, staining the Bone Altar—constructed from countless piled white bones—with a hue as dark as the night.
At the center of the altar, a “Ghost Bone Void Shuttle” over three feet long floated slowly, its surface veins flickering with a dim, eerie light, greedily consuming the Yinfiend Corpse Qi extracted by the array below.
At this moment, the shuttle’s grim, ghostly body trembled, emitting a low, continuous hum.
Clearly, the Magic Treasure Ritual Refinement was in its final stage.
The Four Suns Converging Fiend Array before them was set up in Yangzhou by the Yin Corpse Sect and Zhao Zongchang over six months.
It could alter the city’s ley line structure, allowing the sect’s disciples to obtain a large amount of corpse qi in a short time, used for corpse refining or for ritual refining precious magical treasures.
The reason the Yin Corpse Sect had Zhao Zongchang capture so many Child of Four Yin in the city earlier was because the activation of the Four Suns Converging Fiend Array caused too much noise, easily arousing suspicion from righteous sects.
Thus, they seized a large number of Children of Four Yin to use their four yin destinies to veil the true nature of the array.
Dressed in black and wearing a half-metal Mask over her face, Mo Qingyou stood silently before the altar, her aura blending seamlessly with the eerie environment.
Her cold eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Ghost Bone Void Shuttle, calculating the final moment of completion.
Almost simultaneously, at the chamber’s entrance, a shadow appeared silently.
A Qi Refining Cultivator also clad in black with a chilling aura respectfully bowed to Mo Qingyou’s back and spoke hoarsely, “Reporting, Your Excellency, most of the scriptures and supplies have just been transferred through the Secret Passage. The remaining disciples have also evacuated in batches according to your orders.”
“Uh… but Lord Zhao insists on waiting until this array is completely finished, so he can witness his daughter’s resurrection…”
Mo Qingyou’s gaze did not shift from the shuttle; she simply responded with a faint
“Hmm.”
Her voice, muffled through the Mask, was ethereal and carried a detached indifference far from worldly concerns.
“Let him. He must bear his own karma.”
The shadowed cultivator hesitated briefly, then expressed concern, “Uh… Your Excellency, that Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator from Xuling Sect will likely trace the clues here very soon. You…”
“I know what to do,”
Mo Qingyou interrupted, then slightly turned her head, glancing at the nearly complete Ghost Bone Void Shuttle on the altar.
“Once this item is finished, I will withdraw.”
“You don’t need to wait for me. Evacuate as planned.”
“We will meet in Blackwater Commandery City in four days.”
“Yes!”
The shadowy cultivator bowed respectfully once more and then vanished into the shadows as if dissolving.
Only Mo Qingyou remained in the chamber, along with the increasingly loud hum of the bone shuttle.
She refocused all her attention on the almost finished magical treasure, her slender fingers swiftly weaving dozens of intricate formation spells, guiding the last pure drop of yin fiend power into the core.
Almost there, almost there…
If only… my master hadn’t interfered, this treasure could have been perfected even more…
Sigh… didn’t expect it to be the master who came to disrupt things…
Is this the corrective force of the Dao?
My master’s death is an established fate of the Dao, so he sensed what I was doing…
That’s why he led master and the second brother here to sabotage my plan…
Thinking this, the corner of Mo Qingyou’s lips under the Mask curled into a faint, indifferent smile, tinged with endless complex emotions.
There was bitterness, resolve… and even a faint hope she herself didn’t want to admit.
No matter what…
Having set foot on the path to save my master, I can no longer turn back.
With this resolve, Mo Qingyou decisively intensified the yin energy output in the array.
Suddenly, the Ghost Bone Void Shuttle burst forth a dazzling ghostly light, bathing the entire chamber in a ghastly green glow!
Yangzhou City, Zhao Zongchang’s Bedroom in the City Lord’s Mansion.
Zhao Zongchang had removed half of his clothes, revealing his roughly bandaged right arm wound that was still faintly bleeding.
The injury on his shoulder was caused earlier by the residual sword qi from Lu Li’s attack.
Gritting his teeth, Zhao carefully sprinkled golden wound powder on the wound, the sharp sting causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.
Yet in his eyes burned a nearly fanatical obsession.
Ah… soon!
Very soon…
Yinyin… my daughter…
His mind uncontrollably envisioned the moment his beloved daughter would complete her evolution, regain her rationality, and be resurrected.
At that time, she would no longer be the mindless, bloodthirsty living corpse she had been, but a corpse immortal of great intelligence and strength.
Then she would remember him and call out to him once again with that clear, familiar voice:
“Daddy…”
Hmph… then who would dare say the Zhao family line ends with me?
Yinyin… rest assured!
Daddy will make sure you live in this world in another way!
Then you will walk the Path of the Corpse Immortal, and when I break through to Golden Core stage…
We father and daughter will live for hundreds of years more!
These beautiful fantasies temporarily masked the pain of his wounds and the fear of the future.
A faint smile even tugged at his lips, as if he could already hear that long-awaited call from his daughter.
Just then, hurried footsteps and a suppressed voice came from outside his bedroom.
“Ah! Master! Master! Bad news!”
Zhao Zongchang was abruptly shaken from his daydream.
He quickly pulled his clothes back over his wounds, restoring the dignified and calm demeanor befitting a city lord, though his brow furrowed instinctively.
“Zhao San, what’s causing such panic? Come in and speak!”
The man called Zhao San, the housekeeper, pushed open the door, his face full of urgency and anxiety as he bowed.
“Master, the Xuling Sect’s Master Lu and the Dan Ding Pavilion’s young lord are currently outside the mansion requesting an audience!”
“They say… the young lady from the Zhou family was just kidnapped by thieves. It’s a grave matter, and they have come to discuss the subsequent investigation with you.”
“They also want to inquire about the city lord’s patrol details during the Zhou family’s attack.”
Hearing this, Zhao Zongchang’s heart jolted sharply!
Damn it… they’ve really come after me!
And so quickly too!
Though waves of turmoil surged inside him, his face remained calm and composed.
He even gave the housekeeper a perfectly timed expression of surprise and gravity.
“Ah? Miss Zhou has gone missing as well? Unexpected… such an incident in the Zhou family? This official was not informed immediately of this great matter! Hurry! Invite the two masters to the Main Hall for tea; I will prepare myself and attend them shortly!”
“Yes!”
The housekeeper responded hurriedly and retreated.
Once the housekeeper left, Zhao Zongchang’s calm vanished without a trace, replaced by anxious gloom.
Damn it… are they really here to discuss the case, or have they discovered something?
Did the lord above make a mistake?
Or…
The more Zhao thought, the more uneasy he became.
He finally took a deep breath to force himself calm.
Ah… must not panic!
Absolutely must not!
I guess they’re just here to inquire, no evidence yet!
So… I only need to stall them, then once the master finishes the ritual and Yinyin is resurrected, everything will settle!
With this thought, Zhao Zongchang tidied his robes and adjusted his facial expression in the mirror.
Now, he looked nothing more than a worried official distressed over the continuous disappearances of children.
Only after ensuring there was no flaw did he step steadily toward the Main Hall.
Yet Zhao Zongchang had no idea that outside, Lu Li and Gong Shangyu had already marked him as their prime suspect.