Chapter 150: Chapter 146: Returning to the Sect, Corpse Puppet Materials

Upon returning to the Bixia Sect’s mountain gate, rich with Spiritual Qi, Lu Zhao didn’t pause for a moment. He went straight to the Recruitment Bureau to report the completion of his mission. After Wang Ping carefully inspected everything and found no issues, he nodded with a hint of approval. "Junior Brother Lu, you completed this mission smoothly. As is customary, you are exempt from mandatory missions for the next nine months. Take this time to rest and cultivate."

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Lu Zhao cupped his hands in a salute. Without further pleasantries, he took his leave.

Returning to his familiar 210 Cave Mansion of the Xin Character, Lu Zhao did not stay for long. A few days later, he once again set foot in the Bixia Marketplace.

This time, he fully activated his Breath Concealment and Shapeshifting Skill. The outline of his figure distorted and shifted like ripples on water. His face changed, appearing young one moment and old the next, and the aura around him constantly altered. In just a few short days, he had changed his identity in the Marketplace more than a dozen times.

At times, he was a shrewd traveling merchant, blending into the most boisterous market for Spiritual Materials and weaving through the crowds haggling at stalls. At other times, he was a stooped old man, shuffling into an inconspicuous sundry shop in a small alley. Then, he would be a middle-aged Wanderer with sharp eyes, frequenting more than a dozen shops of varying reputations in different areas of the Marketplace.

The items he sold were varied: an assortment of Magical Artifacts from the Xu Family, Talismans he had no use for, ordinary Pills, and a large quantity of low-Tier spiritual material ores.

He cautiously sold only a portion of his goods at each shop, carefully selecting those with relatively complex backgrounds, whose rules of trade prioritized profit over principles and who were less likely to inquire about the items’ origins. Although the prices were suppressed somewhat, the trade-off was safety and stability.

When the last Storage Bag was empty, Lu Zhao took stock of the newly refilled Spirit Stone Bag, and his mind was put somewhat at ease.

’Including what was left over, I have five thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones...’ He weighed the bag in his hand. The sum seemed substantial, but there wasn’t a trace of joy in his eyes, only deep solemnity. He knew very well that these Spirit Stones wouldn’t last long. Every step of his plan required a massive foundation of resources, and five thousand Spirit Stones might not be enough.

Back in his cave mansion at the Bixia Sect, Lu Zhao sat cross-legged and took out the ancient jade scroll he had obtained from Qian Yuan, which recorded the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill. Extending his Divine Sense into it, he skipped past the sinister core Corpse Refining Techniques and immersed his entire Heart Spirit in the "Corpse Nurturing Chapter"—a section that was relatively "ordinary" yet equally cryptic—and began to pore over it, word by word.

A day later, Lu Zhao slowly lowered the Jade Scroll and rubbed the space between his eyebrows, his face clouded by a persistent gloom. Considering the materials he had also obtained from Qian Yuan, he repeatedly worked through the process in his mind and finally drew up a long list:

Yin Locust Wood: Must be over one hundred years old, at least a thousand pounds’ worth. This wood is saturated with Yin Qi and serves as the Main Material for the foundational framework of the nourishing process.

Bone Decay Grass: Large quantities needed, must be fresh or properly preserved. Its sap is a key ingredient for mixing the Corpse Nourishing Liquid and can accelerate a corpse’s yin transformation.

Various types of Demon Beast Essence Blood: Especially from Yin and Cold Attribute demon beasts. The higher the tier, the better. An extremely large quantity is required for inscribing the Corpse Nourishing Talisman Array and tempering the corpse’s body.

Earth Yin Stone: Provides a continuous stream of Cold Yin Qi to nourish the corpse.

’This is going to be a problem...’ Lu Zhao stared at the densely packed list and forcefully rubbed his throbbing temples again. Of the materials on the list, Demon Beast Essence Blood was relatively common in the major Beast Material Shops and could be bought freely with Spirit Stones. The other items, like Yin Locust Wood and Bone Decay Grass, while not contraband explicitly forbidden by the Bixia Sect, only circulated in small amounts in the shadowy corners of the Marketplace. The key issue was the terrifying quantity required.

Purchasing in small amounts would attract no attention. But trying to procure everything on his list—thousands of pounds of Yin Locust Wood, hundreds of pounds of Bone Decay Grass, plus a massive quantity of High-Tier Demon Beast Essence Blood—within a short period of time in any single Marketplace would be like brandishing a torch in the dead of night.

Given the Bixia Sect’s level of control over the Bixia Marketplace, they were certain to be monitoring such transactions. Even if he changed identities and spread his purchases across dozens of different shops, the sheer volume and the obvious intended use—especially the combination of Yin Locust Wood and Bone Decay Grass—would make it difficult to avoid arousing the suspicion of interested parties or specialized supervisory bodies. It would be particularly likely to draw the attention of the General Affairs Hall or the Law Enforcement Hall.

’It seems my only option is to break it down and buy in batches.’ Lu Zhao mulled it over for a long time before finally settling on a strategy. ’I can’t put all my eggs in one basket with the Bixia Marketplace. I have to travel far... to the small Marketplaces established by remote Cultivation Clans affiliated with the Bixia Sect, or even to the neighboring counties, to those disorganized Marketplaces where jurisdiction is chaotic or the Sect’s influence doesn’t reach.’

’Each time, I’ll buy just a small portion of what I need, constantly changing my identity. I’ll only reappear in the same place every one or two months, maybe even longer. That way, I should be able to slowly gather most of it.’

He then spread out a slightly worn map of Bixia County and the surrounding counties. By the cold light of a Luminous Bead, Lu Zhao’s fingertip traced over the small dots marking each Marketplace.

His mind raced, planning out secret and safe procurement routes, as well as the disguised identity required for each stop along the way.

An hour later, the map was covered with various temporary markings. Lu Zhao let out a long sigh, but the grim expression on his face did not relax in the slightest. His gaze fell back to the suffocatingly long list, his brow tightly knitted.

’The materials above are troublesome, but I can find them if I take the time. The most critical missing piece is a relatively complete Tier Two Demon Beast corpse, preferably one that was physically powerful. It’s an indispensable component for refining a Tier Two Zombie.’

He currently had no good way of obtaining such an item. He had already visited the Merit Hall; exchanging for a Tier Two Demon Beast corpse required a precious "Great Merit," and his current Great Merit record was zero.

He had also asked around at the major shops in the Bixia Marketplace, but every single one claimed to have no stock. He eventually learned that they sometimes appeared at auctions. However, the ones that made it to auction were always the most valuable types of Tier Two Demon Beasts, each guaranteed to sell for an astronomical price. With numerous competitors, it was unlikely his five thousand Spirit Stones would be enough. Even if he stretched his funds to buy one, the rest of his plan would be completely derailed.

He needed another channel, a way to get his hands on Tier Two Demon Beast corpses that were not exceptionally valuable.

Just as he was wracking his brain for a solution, a figure suddenly flashed through his mind—that female cultivator in the Bixia Sect’s underground Black Market, the one with the "Hundred Knows" banner and a distinctive air about her.

Li Xuerou!

Before the Ascension Ceremony, he had spent one hundred Spirit Stones to buy detailed information about the event from her. The accuracy of her intelligence and the secrecy of her channels had left a deep impression on him. For a woman to be established in a place like the Black Market for so many years, she had to be well-informed and have a mysterious background. ’Perhaps... she has a way?’

His fingers unconsciously stroked the cold Jade Scroll as a glint of decisiveness flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes. ’It looks like it’s time to pay another visit to this "Lady Li."’

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