Chapter 16

Lin Qingyang arrived at a fork in the path. He glanced at the map; the left path led to an underground dark river, while the right path connected to the passage leading to the fourth underground level.

Without hesitation, he chose the left path. His goal was the magic fish gold, so naturally, he wouldn’t risk going to the fourth underground level.

The passage here was somewhat narrow, and the map indicated that some ghostly apparitions might appear here. These ghostly apparitions were considered weak ghost entities, lacking physical attack capabilities and only able to use basic illusions to confuse the mind.

As long as one’s mind was firm, even ordinary people wouldn’t be deceived by them, so Lin Qingyang wasn’t worried about any unexpected incidents here.

However, he didn’t expect that shortly after entering the passage, a buzzing sound suddenly came from ahead.

The buzzing sound kept getting closer, and Lin Qingyang’s expression changed immediately.

“Ah ah?” Cheng Hui looked at him, puzzled.

“Not good, ghost bees are building a nest nearby,” Lin Qingyang thought to himself, feeling unlucky.

Ghost bees were rarely seen because the conditions for their birth were quite harsh. However, once ghost bees appeared and weren’t dealt with promptly, they could become a big problem.

These creatures were small in size but numerous, and although individually weak, their sheer numbers could level the playing field.

Lin Qingyang disliked dealing with such small creatures, or rather, Lin Qingyang from the Corpse Puppet Sect disliked dealing with such small creatures.

Normally, his greatest reliance should be his mysterious corpse, but the mysterious corpse was just a single entity, making it difficult to handle ghost entities that relied on numbers.

If he were still a disciple of the Blood Slaughter Sect, it would be easier; the Blood Demon Technique was the nemesis of such small ghost entities.

However, to hide his identity, he had completely given up on the Blood Demon Technique, which made things troublesome now.

He quickly pulled Cheng Hui back.

Fighting a swarm of ghost bees in such an environment would be madness unless he was insane.

Before he could exit the passage, footsteps suddenly came from behind.

“Who goes there?” Lin Qingyang stopped and asked.

“Which junior brother is ahead? Is something wrong?”

Ouyang Zheng slowed his pace and walked into Lin Qingyang’s sight, surprised to see an eight-year-old child with a mysterious corpse.

“Senior Brother Ouyang.” Lin Qingyang recognized him.

His senior brother had introduced him to many outstanding disciples within the Corpse Puppet Sect, with Ouyang Zheng being one of the most important.

The Law Enforcement Hall held significant power, and although the elder of the Law Enforcement Hall was a cultivation fanatic, Ouyang Zheng, as the steward, handled most of the daily affairs.

“And you are…”

Ouyang Zheng hadn’t seen Lin Qingyang before, or rather, most people in the Corpse Puppet Sect hadn’t seen Lin Qingyang.

After joining the sect, Lin Qingyang kept a low profile, mostly focusing on cultivation and occasionally attending lectures by elders, choosing inconspicuous corners.

Being young, he blended into the crowd, and Ouyang Zheng, busy with affairs, had never crossed paths with him.

“Which peak are you from?” Ouyang Zheng quickly noticed the inner sect disciple’s robe on Lin Qingyang and asked softly.

“Disciple Lin Qingyang from the Thirteen Peaks greets Senior Brother Ouyang.” Lin Qingyang cupped his hands in salute.

Upon hearing “Thirteen Peaks,” Ouyang Zheng’s stern face showed a hint of a smile.

“So, you’re the esteemed disciple of Elder Wu Youzi. You came here…”

He glanced at Cheng Hui, slightly surprised.

“Are you here to refine a mysterious corpse? Looking for magic fish gold?”

“Yes. Senior Brother, there’s a swarm of ghost bees approaching from behind…”

Lin Qingyang deliberately showed a troubled expression.

“Just ghost bees.”

Ouyang Zheng chuckled, having also heard the approaching buzzing. What was difficult for Lin Qingyang to handle was just a minor issue for him. Lin Qingyang knew this, so he wasn’t worried at all.

A large cloud approached from behind, and with a wave of his hand, Ouyang Zheng released a mysterious corpse.

This mysterious corpse wore black and gold armor, with a black and gold mask on its face. The exposed skin shone with a metallic luster, moving smoothly, unlike Cheng Hui’s clumsy movements.

The mysterious corpse glanced at Ouyang Zheng, who instructed, “Just a swarm of ghost bees, keep your distance and deal with them from afar.”

The masked mysterious corpse nodded, flashed forward, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Cheng Hui watched enviously as the masked mysterious corpse moved smoothly, wondering when he could do the same. He couldn’t gauge Ouyang Zheng’s cultivation level but guessed it was above the Foundation Establishment stage, while Lin Qingyang was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, far from Foundation Establishment…

Sigh… It would take a while.

Without making any noise, Cheng Hui heard the sound of something falling ahead, indicating that the ghost bees had been dealt with.

Soon, the mysterious corpse returned, and Cheng Hui noticed that the exposed lower half of its face was quite fair, with red lips, suggesting a stunning appearance beneath the mask.

After returning, the mysterious corpse nodded at Ouyang Zheng and didn’t return to the corpse-raising space but followed behind them.

Ouyang Zheng explained, “Xiao Hong is worried we might encounter danger and won’t have time to react, so she’s staying to protect us.”

Ouyang Zheng’s expression carried a hint of nostalgia as he spoke.

Lin Qingyang pondered, recalling that his senior brother had mentioned how their mysterious corpse faction valued their life-bound mysterious corpses because they were important people in their lives.

He had thought it only applied to the Thirteen Peaks, but it seemed others shared this sentiment too.

The group of two people and two corpses slowly advanced along the passage.

With the masked mysterious corpse providing protection, ghost entities were dealt with before they could approach.

The masked mysterious corpse’s level was high, inherently intimidating ghost entities. Only brainless ones dared to approach, while those with some intelligence fled upon sensing danger.

The group moved leisurely and soon passed through the relatively narrow passage.

Exiting the passage, they entered a spacious area, faintly hearing the sound of flowing water in the distance.

Following the sound, they soon saw a wide underground dark river. The river water flowed with a murmur, and a layer of gray mist floated above the black river surface.

The closer they got to the underground, the stronger the yin energy became. Cheng Hui wobbled over, slowly reaching out to touch the water—

Hiss! So cold!

He shivered and quickly withdrew his hand.

“What happened?” Lin Qingyang took his hand to check.

The underground dark river water was filled with yin energy, but it didn’t negatively affect Cheng Hui. Cheng Hui couldn’t explain that he was just chilled, so he shook his head to indicate he was fine.

“Junior Brother’s mysterious corpse is quite interesting,” Ouyang Zheng remarked, looking at Cheng Hui with interest. He could see that Cheng Hui was just a walking corpse, theoretically just a moving body, yet Cheng Hui clearly had some intelligence, which intrigued him.

“Probably because I’m his fiancé, so he has a special attachment to me,” Lin Qingyang didn’t want Cheng Hui to attract too much attention, so he attributed Cheng Hui’s behavior to his closeness, taking the opportunity to show off a bit.

Plan successful! √

Cheng Hui: …

He was resigned to Lin Qingyang’s constant need to declare their relationship.

Ouyang Zheng nodded, not thinking much of it.

The closer the relationship between a mysterious corpse and a cultivator, the more likely they were to achieve something.

Those who refined mysterious corpses from their parents or siblings indeed found it easier to develop intelligence.

“Magic fish gold can be found here, but whether you can awaken its potential depends on your luck, Junior Brother,” Ouyang Zheng pointed to the dark river water, advising, “Be careful; the underground dark river might not be without danger.”

Lin Qingyang looked at the turbulent river surface and nodded, “Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother.”

Then, Ouyang Zheng struck the river surface with his palm, causing a large splash of water, and a golden stream of light flashed by.

The masked mysterious corpse moved swiftly, and when it returned, it held a black stone shaped like a goldfish.

“Good luck,” Ouyang Zheng smiled, casually tossing it to Lin Qingyang.

Lin Qingyang was momentarily stunned, having been used to the competitive nature among disciples in the Blood Slaughter Sect.

Now, being cared for by a senior brother felt a bit unfamiliar. He had thought only the Thirteen Peaks were like this…

He didn’t stand on ceremony with Ouyang Zheng and directly handed the magic fish gold to Cheng Hui.

Cheng Hui knew the purpose of the magic fish gold and couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

The idea of awakening some potential sounded impressive, and if he could activate it, it would be the first spell he mastered since crossing over.

The little person inside Cheng Hui’s heart rubbed his hands excitedly, then held the magic fish gold, using spiritual power to communicate with it.

The goldfish-shaped ore held a secret within, and Cheng Hui could sense something lively inside, moving around but refusing to be easily captured.

Cheng Hui: …

Cheng Hui’s temper flared at this moment.

Being a walking corpse, neither human nor ghost, unable to speak clearly, was frustrating enough.

Now, even a stone was bullying him???

He couldn’t tolerate it any longer!

He used spiritual power to chase the light, spreading his consciousness like a net to envelop the entire ore.

At that moment, the light inside seemed to jump like a startled cat.

He could almost feel its anger—

Young man, you’re not playing fair! We agreed to let fate decide, so why are you forcing it?

Scoundrel!

He tui!

Cheng Hui: …(:з」∠)

I think there might be something wrong with my brain…