Chapter 892: Chapter 886: Let Them Fight
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…..
The Imperial Capital.
Barely three days later, an emergency meeting was held within the Immortal Suppression Department.
Li Chang’an sat off to the side, observing the grave expressions of the numerous high-ranking officials.
Li Chang’an’s brows were also tightly knit.
He had been summoned to the Ancestral Space earlier.
The three grandfathers of his family were as audaciously reckless as ever.
To think that over these years, they had actually infiltrated the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems and even risen to become Purple-Robed Elders.
The moment he entered the Ancestral Space, the three grandfathers had given him a harsh dressing-down.
Though they weren’t exactly scolding him—mostly, they were cursing… the people sitting around him right now.
According to the three grandfathers, they had gone to great lengths to find such a fine “private school.”
They hadn’t even finished mastering the curriculum yet, and now the Immortal Suppression Department was coming to cause trouble for them.
“To think of learning skills at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems… they really are one of a kind.”
Li Chang’an rested his forehead in his hand.
That was a faction that had claimed countless lives over the past sixty thousand years—a place steeped in bloodshed and terror.
Meanwhile.
The “troublesome good-for-nothings”—as the three grandfathers had called them—were currently passing a jade slip amongst themselves, discussing matters with grave expressions.
“Is this intelligence actually reliable?
The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems possesses ten thousand Purple-Robes. Every single one of them controls ‘Ghastly Corpses’ passed down through generations.
There are even instances where a single person controls over a thousand of them.”
“The four White-Robes are all at the Void Refinement Realm: Taotie, Zhenwu, Huangui, and Lingxu.
They possess corpse-refining techniques inherited over tens of thousands of years, as well as refined aberrations.
It is entirely possible that each of them controls multiple Void Refinement-level ‘Divine Corpses,’ meaning a single one of them is equivalent to several Void Refinement cultivators.”
“The most powerful entity, the True God, is elusive and mysterious—like a divine dragon that reveals its head but never its tail.
Circling above the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems is a Divine Corpse at the Integration Realm, refined from various bodies and shaped like a dragon.”
“This is the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems?!!”
As the intelligence delivered within the jade slip came into view, everyone’s heart skipped a beat in terror, yet they also felt a distinct sense of relief.
He Hao, sitting beside Li Chang’an, let out a long breath.
“I wonder which high expert provided this guidance? Otherwise, had we rashly marched upon the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, it would have been an absolute catastrophe.”
Wu Neng frowned tightly.
Ever since this intelligence had arrived, the way his subordinates looked at him had become somewhat peculiar, causing him exceptional displeasure.
Are these fools holding a grudge against me? Do they think I was trying to get them killed?
He immediately snorted coldly.
“Sixty thousand years ago, when we suppressed the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, they vanished without a trace.
Back then, they possessed no more than two Void Refinement cultivators.
Who could have imagined they would be so utterly deranged as to use corpse stitching to grow to this extent?
However, you all had best consider this carefully: where did this intelligence come from?
How does this person in the shadows know the details of a situation that even we could not uncover?
And why was this intelligence delivered only a few days after we decided to march on the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems?”
“Which one of you couldn’t keep a leash on your family members and leaked the news?!”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed.
Li Chang’an rubbed the iron fan covered in engravings in his hand, secretly thinking to himself that his three grandfathers were absolutely right.
This Wu Neng was truly incompetent. Even at a time like this, he was still putting on official airs and trying to shift the blame.
“I fear that hidden in the shadows, there is a massive faction attempting to cloud our judgment, waiting to swoop in and reap the spoils while we do the fighting!”
“….”
Li Wei manifested from the Ancestral Space.
He slowly walked up to Wu Neng, who had just stood up, and viciously raised his middle finger right in the face of this “leader.”
“What a fucking moron.”
At this moment, Li Wei was certain of one thing: as long as this fellow Wu Neng was around, the “Immortal Suppression Department Group Co., Ltd.” would go bankrupt sooner or later and become nothing but a relic of the past.
…
While the Immortal Suppression Department was caught up in their dilemma regarding the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Inside the Ancestral Space.
The descendants had been gathered together for several days.
Knowing that the corpse stitching technique from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems could refine powerful corpses, and seeing the results of Li Tianyi’s years of research, everyone’s eyes were already gleaming with desire.
After years of developing the family, they couldn’t care less about worldly judgment or the distinction between orthodox and heretical paths!
As the two family members most adept at studying unorthodox paths, Li Yaotie and Li Yaoqing were currently deconstructing the secret arts that Li Tianyi had brought back.
“This method works by eliminating the rejection between bloodlines to facilitate the connection of limbs.
This is what allows different limbs and bloodlines to fuse together—it shares the exact same underlying principle as my puppetry!”
Li Yaotie’s face was beaming with excitement.
“If I apply the corpse stitching technique of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems to my Spirit Puppets, it will be of great benefit in refining new ones.
The breakthrough to the Grade 4 Spirit Puppet Technique is right before my eyes!”
“The issue of rejection during corpse fusion can actually be resolved with medicine.
Spirit herbs and spiritual fluids can be used to nurture the corpse, achieving the effect of strengthening the physique.”
Li Yaoqing squatted on the ground, resting her chin in her hands.
“Since they are corpses anyway, specific parts can be tempered with poison. The resulting power would be astonishing.”
Li Dalong nodded slightly.
“There is no wall in this world that blocks the wind entirely.
If we were to experiment using humans and demon beasts, it is inevitable that someone would seize upon that as leverage against us.
We would end up targeted by the world, just like the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
“I can send over evil ghosts and zombies from the Underworld.
They are dead things to begin with; who knows, they might even prove more useful than the living humans and beasts used by the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.”
Hearing this, Li Kuanghua spoke up.
“There are corpses of the Wu Tribe on the Western Border battlefield.
Usually, they are incinerated to prevent plagues, but over the years, I’ve secretly stashed away hundreds of thousands of them that can be used.
My Buddha-Demon Plate has eaten its fill. Since it is fundamentally an artifact of flesh and blood, it has already reached the bottleneck at the peak of the Fifth Grade.
If this method truly works, the Buddha-Demon Plate should be able to break through to the next level.”
“There are also demon beast corpses in the Northern Region.”
“If heavenly materials and earthly treasures are required, the Hall of Heavenly Principle and my Merchant Lineage can devise a way to acquire them.”
“The Silver Moon Lineage has access to special mineral ores.”
Amidst the discussion, the clansmen were all in high spirits. Who cared about some great war outside?
Let them fight! The family was busy researching!
They could clearly sense that this was a monumental opportunity—a chance for the family’s strength to take another massive leap forward!
In a corner of the Ancestral Space, the Seven Ironclads looked at each other in dismay.
Every so often, the other clansmen would cast eager, itching glances their way.
“Third Brother, this is bad. We are undying and indestructible, so I’m afraid they’re planning to test it out on us. Just look at the way that kid Tianyi is eyeing us…”
“No… surely not? No matter how unfilial my son is, he wouldn’t… Hmph, surely he wouldn’t.”
“Third Brother, have you forgotten the Shaman Bone incident from back then? Even if we’re hard to kill, that stuff hurts like hell.”
Just as they were speaking.
Li Tianyi wore a sincere expression, looking incredibly obedient. “Dad…”
“Oh no! Run!”
Li Tianyi looked on with sorrow written all over his face as his father, uncles, and aunts fled the Ancestral Space in a panic.
He sighed deeply toward the heavens.
“The greatest tragedy in this world is the distrust of one’s elders.
It truly is a case of ‘the child desires to be filial, yet the parents are unwilling to accept it.'”
……
“Hey, hey, hey? Boss Qi, are you there?”
Accelerate!
Flying back to the edge of Earth, Li Wei instantly transmitted a message to Boss Qi!
This technique from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems reminded him of the genetic engineering and human augmentation technologies back on Earth.
There had once been a certain, somewhat twisted nation that loved using such technologies, but they were later explicitly banned for being too extreme and cruel.
That was valuable experience.
….
At this moment.
In the sewers beneath the villa district—a location previously searched by the National Security Department—Boss Qi had returned.
He was currently enjoying a cup of milk tea served by an AI robot modeled as an old woman, watching a video with a look of utter contentment.
“Yours truly is a genius! The most dangerous place is indeed the safest place!
Those people trying to catch me would never imagine that criminals often return to the scene of the crime…”
But the more he spoke, the more Boss Qi felt something was off.
“Wait, no. I am just a poor, miserable soul working hard to earn Spirit Stones. I am a model, law-abiding citizen.”
Just as he mumbled these words…
The ringtone sounded, and Boss Qi’s eyes lit up. The Big Boss was calling.
He had complained to high heaven while being hunted, but only he knew exactly how many Spirit Stones he had raked in.
Just two more deals, and he could head to the reclusive Nangong family in that distant star domain to purchase spirit pills.
Breaking through his cultivation realm was right around the corner!
But just as he was about to pat the horse’s rear, the horse farted in his face.
“Boss Qi, I need data on genetic modification and human augmentation technologies!”
“…”
Boss Qi’s lips twitched.
He vaguely recalled that stuff having been all the rage for over a century back in the day.
At first, it involved simply stitching humans and demon beasts together.
Later, through a blend of science and cultivation arts, it was progressively refined by tens of thousands of biologists, integrating techniques with extraterrestrial technology.
In the end, however, because it was simply too cruel, those twisted scientists stopped at nothing in their attempt to create a “God.”
Eventually, they faced the wrath of the entire nation and met their ruin.
“Young Master Li, isn’t this… a bit much? You and I have already strayed far down the path of criminality. It’s not too late to turn back now,” Boss Qi said with a serious expression.
“Hmm? I was only asking casually. To think you actually have connections for that sort of thing? I knew I didn’t misjudge you!”
“I…”
Boss Qi’s lips twitched.
“I have Spirit Stones!”
“Young Master Li, I can also get my hands on biochemical weapons. Do you want those? I’m talking about plague sources that even cultivators can’t resist.”
“Old Qi, Old Qi… business is business, but a man should still have a conscience and a basic moral bottom line.”
…
Two years passed.
[Your family has received your Bestowal: Documents for Artificial Aberration Modification Project Nos. 28, 38, 91…]
[Your descendants Li Yaotie, Li Yaoqing, and numerous other clansmen, utilizing the corpse-stitching methods of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems alongside your Bestowal, have begun to gradually explore the Path of Corpse Stitching.
Your clansmen Li Yaotie, Li Yaoqing, the Seven Ironclads, Li Tianqi, and Li Kuanghua have acquired the Profession: Corpse Stitcher.]
[After two years of forging—combining Corpse Driving Arts, Spirit Puppetry, Corpse Stitching Arts, and Medicine Refining Arts—they have successfully refined the first special creature at the Golden Core stage:]
[Dabao (Generation I)]
[Refined using five types of evil ghosts from the Hell Layer I: The Silence Maw.
Its eyes can seize souls, its legs move like the wind, its strength can shake mountains, its ears can listen in all directions, and its body is as tough as a Spirit Artifact.]
At this moment.
In Merit City, the clansmen gazed at the eight-foot-tall, faceless creature lying in the spiritual pool prepared by Li Yaoqing, every face revealing a look of delight.
“This is merely the first living creature we have refined.”
Li Yaotie’s eyes shone brightly.
“If we continue to refine it in secret, adding further improvements, who is to say we cannot reach the same heights as the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems in the future?”
“In terms of fine details, our methods of refining Divine Corpses have already surpassed the techniques recorded in the scripture Tianyi sent back.”
Li Yaoqing grinned.
“Brother, you’re selling yourself short. With the secret tomes bestowed by the Old Ancestor, as soon as we acquire the experience of those White-Robed Elders, we can ascend to an even higher level!”
Off to the side.
Li Changyao looked at Dabao in the spiritual pool and nodded with satisfaction.
Her contribution to Dabao’s birth was undeniable.
“Hmph. Why did they want to give it such an ugly name like ‘Moon Immortal’? Doesn’t ‘Dabao’ sound so much nicer?”
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