Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Corpse Puppet

Lu Zhao carefully put away the dangerous, blood-colored Thunder Bead, setting it aside. He then picked up the lifeless, jet-black Beast Hide Bag, which was cold to the touch. Extending his Divine Sense inside, he found it was indeed empty, save for a lingering, thick miasma of Corpse Qi and Yin Qi. The pungent odor was nauseating.

’It really is a Corpse Nurturing Bag.’ Lu Zhao’s brow furrowed slightly. The bag was of limited use for his current path of Cultivation. But when he thought of Qian Yuan’s two incomparably ferocious Zombies, the detailed Corpse Refining Techniques recorded in the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill Jade Scroll, and an idea forming in his mind, he didn’t take the item lightly. "Perhaps... it will have its uses in the future," he muttered, storing it away with care.

Finally, Lu Zhao’s gaze fell upon the most ancient and simple-looking Jade Scroll. He took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and slowly immersed his Divine Sense into it.

「One hour later.」

Lu Zhao slowly opened his eyes, rubbing his throbbing temples with his fingertips. An irrepressible ecstasy and shock erupted in his eyes!

"I’ve hit the jackpot! Qian Yuan actually wasn’t lying to me!" he murmured, his heart pounding violently. "This Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill... it really is a top-tier Middle-Grade Cultivation Technique! And it’s a complete inheritance that goes all the way to the Golden Core Perfection Realm!"

The information within the Jade Scroll was as vast as a sea of smoke. It not only contained the complete Cultivation Technique from the Qi Cultivation Stage to the Golden Core Stage but also recorded several powerful Secret Techniques, incomparably exquisite Corpse Refining and Corpse Control Techniques, and supplementary knowledge on Arrays and Talismans. The completeness of its system and the cruel, cunning nature of its philosophy far surpassed any Cultivation Technique Lu Zhao had encountered before.

However, as the tide of ecstasy receded, Lu Zhao quickly calmed down and let out a soft sigh. As good as the Cultivation Technique was, it was completely incompatible with his own path.

’The drawbacks are too fatal!’ He recalled the stern warning at the beginning of the Jade Scroll and Qian Yuan’s final, crazed and twisted appearance. ’That’s the first reason.’

’Second, this Cultivation Technique’s path is vicious and sinister, involving Corpse Refining and Soul Control. In the Chen Country, it’s definitely a Demon Dao Technique that everyone would want to see destroyed. If I were ever exposed, forget the Bixia Sect—there would be no place for me in the entire Chen Country, or even the Cultivation Realms of the neighboring countries!’

’Third...’ A hint of helplessness flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes. ’The majority of this Cultivation Technique’s power is tied to the refined Zombies! The stronger the Zombie, the more power it feeds back to the user, and the more terrifying their combat strength. But I... I’m a Puppet Master!’ he thought, shaking his head with a bitter smile. ’Puppets and Corpse Refinement highly overlap in their core functions: cannon fodder, meat shields, and combat support.’

However, Lu Zhao had not come away empty-handed. He keenly perceived that several of the Secret Techniques recorded in the Cultivation Technique could actually be practiced without needing to cultivate the core technique itself!

’Blood Shadow Escape!’ A sharp glint flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes. ’This Escape Technique uses Essence Blood as a catalyst. Its speed is astonishing, and although the cost is significant, it’s an excellent ace up my sleeve for survival!’

’Breath Concealment and Shapeshifting Skill!’ His heart stirred again. ’This skill not only perfectly conceals one’s aura but can also temporarily alter one’s body and appearance. It’s the perfect divine skill for hiding my tracks and changing my identity!’

In addition to these, there was also the Blood Evil Body Protection Technique and several other Secret Techniques for manipulating Qi and Blood to achieve temporary bursts of combat power, all of which greatly tempted Lu Zhao. These Secret Techniques would become an important supplement to his combat strength.

What surprised Lu Zhao even more was that while studying the explanations of Magic principles within these Secret Techniques and the Cultivation Technique, he finally understood why he had been stuck at the Minor Achievement Realm of the Thousand Overlapping Waves Skill for so long!

’So that’s how it is!’ Lu Zhao had an epiphany. ’The core essence of the Thousand Overlapping Waves Skill—the stacking, compressing, and erupting of Magical Power—is actually inherited from certain techniques that can only be cultivated in the Foundation Establishment Stage! It’s basically one half of a complete Foundation Establishment Technique!’

He speculated that the complete Foundation Establishment Technique must have another half, and only by combining the two would it be a true Foundation Establishment Technique. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’with the Cultivation and Divine Sense strength of the Qi Cultivation Stage, controlling the Eight Waves is already difficult. To break through to the Nine Waves of Great Success, I either need to advance my Cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Stage, or... obtain the missing second half of the Foundation Establishment Technique!’

And although the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill didn’t provide a complete Water Element Foundation Establishment Technique for reference, it did point him in the right direction. He just needed to return to the Bixia Sect, use the resources in the Sect’s Library Pavilion, and find a relevant Water Element Foundation Establishment Stage technique. Breaking through his bottleneck would then be just around the corner!

Aside from the Magic, the Corpse Refining Techniques recorded in the Cultivation Technique also unexpectedly sparked a thought in Lu Zhao’s mind. Of course, he wasn’t thinking of refining a Zombie himself. Instead, he recalled a special existence mentioned fleetingly in the legacy of Puppetry—a Corpse Puppet!

’Corpse Puppet...’ A glint of excitement shone in Lu Zhao’s eyes. ’The legacy mentioned that the core material for a Corpse Puppet is a Zombie that is in a "half-finished" state, one that hasn’t finished gestating! More importantly, Corpse Puppets are one of the very few types of Puppets that allow a Puppet Master to achieve Tier Transcending Refining!’

What did this mean? It meant that if he became a Tier One High-Grade puppet master and happened to have a Tier Two Zombie embryo that was about to finish gestating, he would have a chance to refine a Tier Two Lower Grade Corpse Puppet while still in the Qi Cultivation Stage! The legacy clearly stated that a Corpse Puppet was essentially a product of combining Corpse Refining Technique and Puppetry. The true "refining" process was mostly completed during the Zombie’s gestation stage. The Puppet Master only needed to, at the final moment, perfectly fuse the specially made Control Spirit Patterns and activation Arrays with this "half-finished Zombie"!

’If I could really do that...’ Lu Zhao’s heart couldn’t help but speed up. ’I might be able to wield the power of a Tier Two Puppet while still in the Qi Cultivation Stage! Even if it’s just the weakest Lower Grade, it would still be a qualitative leap! It would be enough to become my ultimate trump card to turn the tables and save my life!’

However, after the excitement, a huge problem lay before him: where could he find a Tier Two Zombie that was about to finish gestating? Refine one himself? Not to mention the vast amount of Yin Attribute Spiritual Materials and the long decades or even centuries it would take, the most crucial point was—he needed a prime Corpse Nurturing Land! A treasured location that could naturally gather Yin Qi and Corpse Qi, or one with a man-made Gathering Yin Array to accelerate the Zombie’s gestation!

Lu Zhao shook his head, temporarily suppressing this unrealistic fervor. ’One step at a time,’ he thought. ’I’m not even a Tier One High-Grade puppet master yet. To be fantasizing about a Tier Two Corpse Puppet is getting ahead of myself.’ However, the idea was now deeply buried in his heart, just waiting for the right moment.

’Wait!’ A flash of inspiration struck Lu Zhao, and he suddenly remembered Qian Yuan’s two ferocious Zombies. ’How were his Zombies refined? His Storage Bag... could it hold clues about a Corpse Nurturing Land?’ His gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the largest Storage Bag that Qian Yuan had left behind.

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