"It’s only normal for the Demon Path to act this way; you all are just not used to it..." "So because it’s the Demon Path, it’s normal to do evil deeds? So, they shouldn’t be cursed?" "Why are you getting angry with me..." "With your temperament, sooner or later you will also fall into the ways of the Demon Path..." "Don’t spout nonsense!" "All right, all right, stop arguing..." "Alas, I have lived for so long, yet this is the first time I have witnessed such utterly conscienceless tactics, and also the first time I have seen someone able to refine so many zombies..." "With the Taoist Court united, in this day and age, it’s rare for Demon Cultivators to dare to act like this..." "That’s because Demon Cultivators often operate in secret; you just don’t see them." "How is that possible?" Someone snickered, "Those who are bright and righteous in appearance, who seem virtuous—is it not possible that they are cultivating the Demon Path behind their backs?" "Just like the case with Lu Chengyun, if it hadn’t been exposed, who would have known?" "That’s accusing someone without proof!" "Hmph, it’s because you can’t see clearly..." ... The vast cave was filled with a cacophony of voices for a time. Yang Jishan called for everyone to be quiet, speaking gravely: "We’ll discuss other matters later; the urgent task at hand is to pool our wisdom and find a way to take down the Corpse Mine!" "The longer this drags on, the greater the disaster will be!" Yang Jishan’s gaze was serious. After all, this Corpse King might be related to the most terrifying Taoist Demons... The crowd fell somewhat silent; many felt disheartened. Among those present, a portion were from small clans and sects, unfamiliar and anxious about being involved in such large-scale warfare, hesitant to say anything at the moment. Another portion did indeed come from great sects and noble clans. But clearly this was the first time they were facing such a large-scale battle. They too were at a loss. Moreover, their opponent was an innumerable horde of zombies. It was only when they truly crossed swords that they realized in the midst of such a large-scale melee, relying solely on individual cultivation, there was very little they could do. A cultivator asked, "Leader Yang, there is something I don’t understand..." Yang Jishan nodded to indicate him to continue speaking. The cultivator said, "Logically speaking, we have no small number of people. With Taoist Soldiers leading the charge in the offensive, even if we can’t take down the Corpse Mine, we should at least be able to inflict heavy damage on these Corpse Cultivators..." "In group battles among cultivators, Taoist Soldiers are generally unbeatable." "But why is it that we have not only failed to achieve any exploits, but also ended up at a disadvantage?" The cultivators present also revealed looks of confusion. In the chaos of battle, with their blood boiling, they followed the fight, using whatever spiritual artifacts, martial arts, or spells came to mind. They followed Leader Yang’s orders and advanced or retreated together. If they could beat the enemy, they fought; if not, they retreated. They paid little attention to other matters and didn’t think much about them. Why they had the advantage, and why they couldn’t win, were mysteries to them as well. Yang Jishan sighed and said with a furrowed brow: "If I’m not mistaken, this Corpse King can control dozens of Iron Corpses and nearly ten thousand Walking Corpses at the same time." The crowd looked at each other, "So what?" Wasn’t that known from the start... "It’s different," Yang Jishan shook his head, "This is not ordinary corpse control." He knew the Taoist Court forbade the heritage of the Demon Path and normal cultivators did not engage with Demon Cultivators. Even those from powerful forces with heritage, their understanding of Demon Cultivators was just superficial. The deeper aspects, they simply did not comprehend. Yang Jishan then continued to explain: "Ordinary corpse control is very crude and can only issue simple commands like ’kill’, ’eat’, ’attack’, or ’defend’." "Moreover, once they control more zombies, even though these zombies might have the same target, they still fight individually, just like headless flies." Yang Jishan’s expression was solemn, "But the zombies this time are entirely different..." "Zombies are still zombies, but the method of corpse control is very special, intricately detailed." "All of the zombies move uniformly, their offense and defense, their advances and retreats, are all coordinated, like they’re following a set pattern; this is inconceivable..." "Even if the zombies are still the same, the individual strength hasn’t changed, but once they have a pattern and discipline, and move in unison, their collective strength is incomparable to before." Yang Jishan sighed, "These creatures are similar to Taoist Soldiers, what we usually call ’Corpse Soldiers’ of the Demon Path..." Corpse Soldiers... The crowd’s expressions changed upon hearing this. ... On the other side, as Lu Chengyun looked at the Corpse King before him, he nodded slightly. Zhang Quan was right, with the Corpse King, these zombies can indeed form ’Corpse Soldiers’. In today’s battle, the zombies became soldiers, and when contending with the Taoist Court’s Taoist Soldiers, they were not at a disadvantage. And perhaps even stronger than Taoist Soldiers, since they do not fear pain or death. Lu Chengyun sneered. Despite not knowing why the Taoist Court caught wind of his actions and sent Taoist Soldiers to subdue him, this was within the Second-Grade Prefecture Border, with a Second-Grade Corpse King commanding Iron Corpses and Walking Corpses. For a time, they would have no hopes of overcoming the Corpse Mine. Even if the Corpse Mine were to be captured eventually, he had plenty of ways to escape. By then, just finding a scapegoat would do. He could rid himself of the eyesore that was the identity of Lu Chengyun, start anew, and rise again from the ashes... As long as he still had the Corpse King in his grasp. As long as he still controlled the Spiritual Pivot Formation... After all, formations are the foundation of a Formation Master. Lu Chengyun gave a mild smile, his eyes revealing a glint of cold light. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he remembered Mo Hua... Mo Hua was used as a sacrifice by him, fed to Zhang Quan’s Ancestral Master Picture. He wondered if after all this time, Mo Hua had been completely consumed... Lu Chengyun had planned to check earlier, but the Corpse Mine was under siege, and he was delayed, unable to leave for the moment. Lu Chengyun thought to himself: "In a while, once he is completely devoured, I’ll go take a look. I might as well refine that little cultivator’s corpse into a small zombie to be at my service..." Lu Chengyun’s gaze turned somber. Enjoy exclusive content from empire What he didn’t know was that Mo Hua wasn’t consumed; instead, he was nearly about to "devour" the entire Zhang Family...