Chapter 84: Black Coffin and Corpse Puppet
Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Black Coffin and Corpse Puppet
Of course, before taking out the Black Coffin, Zhang Chi had already calculated the perfect time. He left the Cangwu Sect in the morning, found a desolate area in the wilderness, and set up the Thousand Illusions Locking Array ahead of time.
Otherwise, if he had done it within the Sect, the Sect Array would have likely detected the anomaly.
Furthermore, while Zhang Chi had previously suspected that the Celestial Corpse Sect could sense the coffin, he wasn’t particularly worried now.
As his understanding of Immortal Cultivation had grown, he had come to realize that any tracking or locating Secret Technique was limited by distance.
Unless members of the Celestial Corpse Sect were in the immediate vicinity of the Cangwu Sect, it would be impossible for them to sense the coffin’s exact location.
And after observing it for so long, he was certain that there were no Corpse Puppets inside.
Of course, even so, he wouldn’t be rash enough to open it for a look before completing the Refinement.
He had even planned for the worst-case scenario: if a major problem arose with the coffin, he would immediately use the Array to buy himself time and cast the Blood Escape Technique to flee.
Of course, he wouldn’t do so unless it was an absolute last resort.
The moment the Black Coffin was brought out, a black, mist-like Corpse Evil Qi immediately began to billow from it.
If an ordinary Qi Cultivation Cultivator were here, they would be instantly poisoned and corrupted by the Corpse Evil Qi, possibly even transforming into a bloodthirsty monster.
But the Jade Pendant in Zhang Chi’s mind suddenly glowed, completely absorbing the Corpse Evil Qi that had invaded his body.
Afterward, Zhang Chi circulated his Spiritual Power, fiercely channeling it into the Celestial Corpse Coffin to officially begin its Refinement.
Normally, Cultivators below the Golden Core realm are unable to refine a Magical Treasure, but the Celestial Corpse Coffin was special. It wasn’t an ordinary Magical Treasure used for offense or defense, but a tool for raising corpses. Thus, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could just barely manage its Refinement.
Although Zhang Chi was not yet at Foundation Establishment, his Spiritual Power was stronger than that of other Cultivators of the Same Tier, and his Divine Soul was comparable to someone at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. This was why he dared to make the attempt.
At that moment, he felt his Spiritual Power gush out like a flood, completely devoured by the Celestial Corpse Coffin.
In a short while, a third of his Spiritual Power had been consumed.
But he had anticipated and prepared for this, so he wasn’t the least bit flustered.
He immediately took out a jar of Hundred Flowers Spirit Wine and began to drink deeply.
He also downed a handful of elixirs meant to replenish Spiritual Power—and this time, they were not Wasted Pills.
At the same time, he furiously activated the Nine Flames Spirit Devouring Technique, and the Eye of the Spirit Spring immediately supplied him with a massive amount of Spiritual Qi.
With these measures, his Spiritual Power stabilized, its consumption and replenishment reaching an equilibrium.
Half a day passed like this before the Black Coffin finally stopped devouring his Spiritual Power. The black, mist-like Corpse Evil on its surface receded completely.
A strange connection had formed between Zhang Chi and the Black Coffin, as if it had become an extension of his own limbs.
Zhang Chi knew at once that the Refinement of the Black Coffin was a success.
A revelation dawned on Zhang Chi: this Black Coffin was indeed a supreme treasure of the Celestial Corpse Sect, one of only ten Celestial Corpse Coffins in existence.
He could even clearly sense that the other nine Celestial Corpse Coffins were all in the distant north.
He also knew that those nine Celestial Corpse Coffins had all raised powerful Corpse Puppets, one of which had even advanced to become a Tier Four Corpse King. However, something seemed to be wrong with this particular Corpse King.
As for his own Celestial Corpse Coffin, it was empty for some unknown reason, its slot for raising a Corpse Puppet still unoccupied.
Finally, he confirmed one more thing: he could sever the connection between his Celestial Corpse Coffin and the others.
With this, he no longer had to worry about being tracked by the Celestial Corpse Sect.
"Good!"
Zhang Chi couldn’t help but be overjoyed.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Chi quickly deduced what had likely happened.
The Celestial Corpse Coffin contained a special seal that could block Divine Soul probes and restrict some of its functions.
Only by using the Celestial Corpse Sect’s secret Refinement technique could one access this core information and remove these functional limitations.
Otherwise, even if an ordinary cultivator managed to refine the Celestial Corpse Coffin, they wouldn’t be able to sense the other coffins and their Corpse Puppets. Instead, they would be the ones being sensed, all while remaining completely in the dark.
When that time came, they would surely be doomed.
However, his Jade Pendant had treated the special seal as negative energy and absorbed it, thereby breaking the restrictions and granting him access to the Celestial Corpse Coffin’s core information and full control.
’I just wonder if the Jade Pendant also broke the restriction on raising a Tier Four Celestial Corpse. Well, Tier Four is still too far off. No need to worry about that for now!’
After thinking for another moment, Zhang Chi waved his hand and opened the Black Coffin, finding it completely empty as expected.
Next, he took out the corpse of the barefooted ruffian from the Spirit Control Sect, placed it into the Celestial Corpse Coffin, and began the ritual refining.
He had long since fully comprehended the Corpse Manipulation Technique that Lan Xuan had given him.
He had also secretly gathered all the necessary materials for Refining the Corpse Puppet in several batches, so getting started was a breeze.
As he cast one Spirit Technique after another, the various materials merged into the barefooted ruffian’s corpse, and the Corpse Puppet was soon initially refined.
Its appearance was unchanged, but its skin had turned an ashen blue, and its defense and strength were now its greatest assets.
Its Level was currently only Tier One Early Stage, but because its foundation was excellent, its power would increase rapidly. From the very beginning, its defense was already at the Tier One Peak Level.
Coupled with the enhancement from the Celestial Corpse Coffin, he believed that with a large investment of Spirit Stones, it wouldn’t be long before the Corpse Puppet reached the true Tier One Peak, or even broke through to the Tier Two Early Stage.
BANG!
At that moment, Zhang Chi formed a hand seal and pointed. The Corpse Puppet immediately threw a punch, shattering a nearby boulder.
Then, the Corpse Puppet leaped up with lightning speed and spewed a cloud of black Corpse Evil from its mouth. A large tree was instantly corroded into nothing, and even the ground was left with a deep pit.
This was the power of Celestial Corpse Evil, far stronger than the Corpse Evil produced by an ordinary Corpse Puppet.
With this Corpse Evil and its excellent foundation, the Corpse Puppet’s true Combat Power was already comparable to a Qi Cultivation Middle Stage cultivator. Even a Qi Cultivation Peak Cultivator wouldn’t be able to destroy it quickly.
"Not bad. I don’t know what your name was, so from now on, you’ll be Corpse Puppet No.1."
Zhang Chi nodded in satisfaction. He then put away the Corpse Puppet and the Black Coffin, dismantled the Array, retrieved the Eye of the Spirit Spring, and returned to the Sect.
「Three days later.」
It was the morning of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower auction. Zhang Chi once again slipped out of the Sect, donned a mask and a Conical Hat, and headed for the White Cloud Marketplace.
After he presented the Nameless Junior VIP Token, a clerk from the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower enthusiastically and respectfully led him to the auction hall on the top floor of the building.
The hall was vast, with concentric rows of seats surrounding a raised platform in the center.
By now, many Cultivators had already taken their seats, a good number of them, like Zhang Chi, concealing their identities with conical hats and masks.
The fluctuations of Spiritual Power coming from them were either powerful or profound; a single glance was enough to tell they were no ordinary individuals.
However, this was merely an auction held by the White Cloud Marketplace branch of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, so the scale was modest. The Foundation Establishment Powerhouses in attendance were few and far between, so Zhang Chi didn’t feel much pressure.
"Welcome, fellow Daoists. Since almost everyone has arrived, let’s begin without further ado. Our first item up for auction is an Upper Grade magical artifact, a Flying Sword known as Illusory Light..."
A short while later, with several hundred Cultivators now present, the auction officially began. Presiding over the event from the raised platform in the center of the hall was none other than Guan Ruxin.
The woman had clearly dressed for the occasion, wearing a robe with a slit that reached her waist, making her appear both beautiful and seductive. Spurred on by her words, the atmosphere of the auction immediately grew heated.