Chapter 146 - 127 Controlling Corpse Skill i
“Gang Leader!”
Returning to the gang, the two men in black robes promptly sought the Iron Corpse Gang leader, the man known as Iron Soul, to relay the circumstances of their mission.
Iron Soul, a robust man with dark, rugged features and a physique resembling an iron tower, exuded an intangible imposing presence when he sat.
Hearing their report, he could not help but curse:
“You were frightened by a mere Thunderring Cultivator! You’re both utterly useless!”
The two men kept their heads low, not daring to speak.
They knew even before their return that they would be berated, but in order to conserve strength, they simply had to bear it.
Thankfully, apart from cursing them, Iron Soul did not penalize them.
Though cultivators of the Demonic Dao were ruthless, they were not fools. They would not foolishly gnaw at a bone they could not bite through. Instead, they would return for reinforcements—that was the logical course of action.
After pondering, Iron Soul spoke: “Let the Second Elder accompany you with two Blood Corpses. Make sure to bring back that man’s corpse! The body of a Thunderring Cultivator may be useful for creating a fair Body Refinement!”
The Second Elder was one of the only three at the Foundation Establishment Stage in the Iron Corpse Gang.
Blood Corpses were a kind of refined corpse that was nourished daily with the blood of living humans. In addition to the abilities common to refined corpses, Blood Corpses are also the fastest and nimblest among them.
Materials used to create refined corpses were typically the bodies of cultivators.
The rarer the body used, the greater the chances of the resulting refined corpse possessing some unusual capabilities.
“Yes!”
Relief spread across their faces as they swiftly bowed in acknowledgement.
Even the Second Elder’s involvement and the addition of two Blood Corpses, each comparable to a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, would not only suffice to annihilate Xu Mu but also obliterate the Whale Sea Gang as it stood.
Before they even had the chance to take their orders and depart, an urgent report arrived.
“Gang Leader! An urgent report from the Tea Forest Marketplace says a Sea Race cultivator is attacking the market’s defensive array!”
“A Sea Race cultivator?”
Iron Soul furrowed his thick, heavy brows.
There were no Sea Race members residing in their current generation. Also, their gang had never offended the Sea Race. How could there be a sudden Sea Race attack on their market?
“Which tribe? Does anyone know why? And how strong is he?”
“Gang Leader! It’s the Shark Man Tribe. His cultivation should be at the midterm Foundation Establishment Stage. According to him, our people killed his men, and he wants blood for blood!”
“SharkMan Tribe?”
Iron Soul’s brows furrowed deeper.
As far as he knew, this tribe held a high position within the Sea Race. Even if they had to flee, they wouldn’t escape to a place like their territory.
Regardless of which tribe it was, anyone who dared to mess with the Iron Corpse Gang would be condemned to stay forever.
A Sea Race body would serve as excellent material for creating a refined corpse.
Due to their constant dwelling in the deep sea, even without dedicated body refining, Sea Race individuals generally have stronger constitutions than common cultivators.
And the stronger the body, the more formidable the refined corpse.
“All hands are busy now in our gang. You two and the Second Elder dismantle the Sea Race threat first, then handle the Whale Sea Gang affairs!”
“Yes!”
Neither of the two expressed any opposition.
The Whale Sea Gang was in sight and going nowhere. It made no difference whether they took care of them earlier or later.
Half a day later, another urgent report came in.
“Gang Leader! The Second, Eighth, and Ninth Elders have all been killed by the Sea Race member! The marketplace was breached, the Elder stationed there to defend was killed, and everything was looted!”
“What!!!”
Iron Soul was shocked.
All three were seasoned cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, possessing plenty of lifesaving techniques. How could they have been so easily killed?
“Tell me exactly how the battle went!” Iron Soul demanded.
“Yes!”
Through his men, Iron Soul learned that upon the arrival of the three Elders, the Sea Race member had initially feigned defeat and lured out the Elder stationed to defend the marketplace.
Suddenly he released a special silver Thunderring Divine skill, consecutively killing everyone except the Second Elder, who barely managed to hold on but eventually still met his demise.
“A silver Thunderring skill? Could it be the Silver Shark Tribe’s Illusory Thunder?” Iron Soul muttered to himself, his eyes flickering.
The Silver Shark Tribe is known for its fast-attacking Illusory Thunder that directly targets the soul, making it extremely hard to defend against.
Moreover, Illusory Thunder has the power to bypass common spiritual shields. Those unfamiliar with it will inevitably be at a disadvantage at first encounter.
“But the Silver Shark Tribe is scarce and venerable. Why would they come to such a remote place?”
This left the Iron Corpse Superior at a loss for answers.
No matter what, they would have to capture this person first.
Had he not known of the opponent’s methods, he might have harbored some apprehension. Now that he knew, as long as he prepared some soul-based defensive measures in advance, it would not be difficult to handle them.
“Immediately send a message, summon all Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators in the gang to gather at the headquarters and join me in killing this person!”
“Yes!”
However, before they could finish assembling, news came that two more marketplaces had been breached.
“How could this happen? Didn’t I tell you to send a message warning them to be on their guard?”
The Iron Corpse Superior nearly slapped his subordinate to death in anger.
They found out that the other party had somehow managed to control the corpse that had just been seized. The infiltrator then disguised themselves, tricked the defensive Great Array into opening, and easily succeeded.
“What? Could it be that he is also practicing corpse techniques?”
The Iron Corpse Superior was so shocked he could hardly speak.
This was the first time he had encountered a member of the Sea Race who practiced corpse techniques.
Well, the remaining marketplaces received the news and did not allow the attacker to continue succeeding.
Soon, the Iron Corpse Superior led a large group of subordinates out of the headquarters, chasing after the suddenly emerged Sea Race member.
Unfortunately, after searching for three months and exhausting all tracking methods, they found absolutely nothing.
The enemy had just appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared in the same way.
“Damnit!”
The Iron Corpse Superior was infuriated to death, but he was completely helpless.
The only thing he could do in the end was to remind his subordinates to be more careful and organize a patrol team of Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators to patrol the marketplaces regularly.
The original plan to deal with the Whale Sea Gang naturally came to nothing.
There was no way around it, their losses this time were too severe.
Furthermore, the opponent could reappear at any time, which made it hard for them to free up forces to subdue the Whale Sea Gang in the short term.
However, it was this search that unexpectedly led the Iron Corpse Gang to discover a ruin under the sea.
Misty Morning Island
From within the foggy mist, came a few low growls that sounded like a mix of human and beast.
“Finally, all are refined.”
Looking at the nine unmoving refined corpses in front of him, Xu Mu was very pleased.
These refined corpses were obtained when he killed the elders of the Iron Corpse Gang three months ago.
It would be difficult for others to control them, but for Xu Mu with his system, controlling them was just a matter of adding points.
He had luckily found a secret manual on the Controlling Corpse Skill in the storage bag of the second elder.
Since its level wasn’t too high, Xu Mu simply spent three months to raise it to the Transcendent level in one go.
Not only can he control up to eighteen refined corpses of the same rank at the same time, but he can also control them from a distance through mental sensing.
Probably only the Iron Corpse Superior in the entire Iron Corpse Gang could surpass him in terms of the Controlling Corpse Skill.
This wasn’t because the level of his opponent’s cultivation was higher, but because the level of the opponent’s Controlling Corpse Skill was higher, thus surpassing him at the starting line.
Moreover, his opponent has been practicing for over two hundred years. Even with his system to add points, surpassing him would not be easy.
But for Xu Mu, this was enough.
After all, he was not practicing the way of corpses. These refined corpses had a limited use for him. He merely wanted to use them as bodyguards for Xu Yiren.
“Perhaps in the future, I can study the Puppetry Technique and prepare one for Ying Ying and the others. That way, I won’t have to worry about them every day!”
While he knew that their chances of encountering danger living in the city were very low, Xu Mu still couldn’t help but worry.
After handing the refined corpse to Xu Yiren, she was so moved that she completely forgot her earlier disgust at its dirtiness and willingly opened her mouth.
Oh dear! Truly!
Actually, I don’t have that big a need!
Xu Mu was speechless.
His system only needed to complete achievements, it didn’t need to constantly work to increase goodwill.
Actually, each time, he just wanted to chat with her, but he was always misunderstood!
After spending several days getting intimate with Xu Yiren, Xu Mu looked for Zhang Tianluo, wanting to discuss the situation of the Sea Race with her.