A Pawn's Passage

The leader of the weeding expedition said, “I have made it very clear what the situation will be like. Each person will be given a pouch of water, a bag of Army Pills, a bottle of ointment for external injuries, a bottle of elixir for internal use, and a map. But it’s up to you whether to use them. I just hope all of you can come back safely.”

He was the old man from the headquarters of The Inn. He signaled to a subordinate to distribute the supplies before leading the group to the outskirts of the reclaimed land.

Qi Xuansu put the supplies away, unfolded the map, and began to compare the surrounding landmarks for reference. He was a little surprised to find out how accurate the map was. After all, this was not a map used by ordinary people. It was comparable to a tactical map used in war.

The reason for such accuracy was due to the gravity of the consequences. Any details left out could mean a matter of life and death, so the cartographer dared not be careless.

In addition, there was a location circled in red ink on the map, indicating Qi Xuansu’s destination. It seemed that everyone in the group had a different destination because the group gradually dispersed as everyone made their way to their assigned locations.

This weeding exercise focused on efficiency, so each person was responsible for one area. It was not a group activity where recruits were expected to work together. Since The Inn had clearly demarcated the area for the recruits, there was no need to fight over it. This could also prevent people from stealing credit from one another.

It also made it easier for The Inn to identify the person in charge of a specified area if problems were to arise. Although The Inn had a pretty good reputation in business, it was still a secret society, so people generally did not dare to play any tricks.

This was exactly what Qi Xuansu hoped for, as he preferred to work alone rather than cooperate with another person. Of course, Zhang Yuelu was the only exception to this.

Qi Xuansu walked deeper into the reclaimed land by himself. He noticed that there were more corpses the farther he roamed, and the corpses also looked strange.

He could identify about three types of these corpses at his site.

One type was completely charred corpses, like burnt charcoal. These corpses were fragile and would easily fall apart with a single touch. Back when this area was struck by the Phoenix Eye Bomb, the living corpses at the epicenter of the explosion were instantly incinerated into ashes, leaving no remnants. Meanwhile, these charred corpses were at the periphery of the explosion.

Another type of corpse was from the previous weeding of the living corpses that only surfaced after the Daoist Order dropped the Phoenix Eye Bomb in the area. These corpses no longer retained a human form. Instead, they were more like a pile of dark brown twisted mass that had the consistency of a non-Newtonian fluid.

It was a ghastly sight. Not to mention, the putrid stench was enough to make one’s stomach churn. Even Qi Xuansu, who was used to killing people and seeing corpses, felt a little disgusted by the scene before him.

The last type of corpse was considered the most normal one, as it retained a human form. However, it was unknown where these regular, unburned corpses came from, especially when the Daoist Order had already obliterated the area with the Phoenix Eye Bomb. Did the living corpses hide somewhere to escape the explosion back then? Or were these the bodies of The Inn's “weeders” who died here?

Qi Xuansu looked up and saw a dilapidated pavilion not far away. He did not know what the structure was made of, but it was still intact, albeit blackened due to the explosion.

He dodged the various corpses as best he could and made his way to the dilapidated pavilion.

At that moment, the weather suddenly changed. It started raining.

This reclaimed land was located northwest inland, so rainfall was rare, especially in January. This was not a spring drizzle, but rather a torrential rain. Water quickly pooled on the ground.

Qi Xuansu used his qi shield to keep himself dry. At the same time, he noticed that it was still sunny with clear skies in the direction he came from. It seemed that the rain was confined to the reclaimed land.

He was unsure whether it was the after-effects of the Phoenix Eye Bomb or if it was because this was a corpse cultivation site. But Qi Xuansu thought that the latter was more likely. After all, strong yang energy would produce fire, while intense yin energy would produce water.

Many ancient tombs with heavy yin energy would be so humid that water would drip from the ceilings, so it made sense that the yin energy over this reclaimed land would be at a level strong enough to produce rain clouds.

Moistened by the rain, the well-preserved corpses stood up and tottered to Qi Xuansu. Their steps were uneven, as if stepping on cotton. However, these living corpses were surprisingly fast as they approached him.

Qi Xuansu raised the Divine Dragon Pistol, pressed down the hammer, and pulled the trigger. A projectile with an armor-piercing talisman pierced the forehead of a living corpse. However, the living corpse only halted for a moment before it continued rushing toward him.

That was how Qi Xuansu discovered that shooting these living corpses in places that were normally fatal to humans was ineffective. Therefore, a pistol was not the best weapon choice for “weeding” unless it was loaded with high-powered ammunition like the Dragon Eye Bullets, which could explode.

Instead, spells and fists were more effective. No matter how strange and undead these living corpses were, they were still made of flesh and blood.

Qi Xuansu put away the Divine Dragon Pistol and released some qi from his palms, crushing the bones of these corpses and turning them into a puddle of rotten meat. Even if they were not dead, they could no longer stand up.

He finally understood how those twisted corpses, which looked like entangled internal organs, came about.

At this moment, heavy footsteps approached him. Qi Xuansu turned toward the source of the sound and vaguely saw a tall figure trudging over. He wondered whether it was his presence that had attracted this giant corpse or whether it was his killing of a living corpse that alerted it.

After a while, the giant’s face came into view. It had a human form, but it was 2.5 meters tall with an ominous bluish-gray skin. Its eyeballs had been gouged out, and a strange red light shone from its empty eye sockets. Standing in the pouring rain, surrounded by mist, the giant corpse resembled a demon that had crawled out of hell.

Qi Xuansu was considered tall, but in front of this huge living corpse, he looked like a teenager who had not yet gone through puberty. Through the rain curtain, he noticed the countless strange patterns on the exposed skin of the living corpse, like some kind of talisman drawn using dark ink. He had never seen this type of marking before, but he felt dizzy just glancing at it.

Realizing this, he immediately looked away, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, exhaled a turbid breath, and regained his clarity. The next moment, Qi Xuansu sped through the rain and stopped in front of the giant living corpse, striking it with both palms. Shaken by the force from his palms, the raindrops around him turned into mist.

However, the giant corpse merely swept its arm at Qi Xuansu. Upon impact, Qi Xuansu let out a groan. His current physique was comparable to that of a Yuxu-stage Martial Arts Practitioner, but even so, he still suffered a loss. Fortunately, Qi Xuansu was very experienced in fighting enemies in battle. He drifted back with the momentum and unleashed another palm strike with a bout of qi.

The giant corpse’s movements were stiff, but they were swift. It raised one hand with its fingers spread out, trying to grab at Qi Xuansu’s head.

Shocked, Qi Xuansu abruptly stepped back. At the same time, he kicked the fallen corpses on the ground toward the giant corpse, hindering its movement.

As the fallen human-sized corpses struck the giant corpse, Qi Xuansu could hear loud bone-crunching sounds. The giant stood in place and shook off the mangled corpses stuck to its body.

Qi Xuansu used this opportunity to take a breather. Once again, he gathered his qi and charged at the giant corpse with all his might. Countless raindrops around them exploded into mist upon impact.

The Rogue Cultivator in the Yuding Realm unleashed as much qi as he could muster, finally causing the giant’s body to sway.

But that was all the effect Qi Xuansu had on the giant. The giant merely took a step back and swept an arm at Qi Xuansu’s head.

Qi Xuansu used the force of the countershock to distance himself from the giant, narrowly avoiding its sweeping arm. The rainwater that pooled on the ground splashed high as he slid back more than 30 meters.

The bluish-gray skin of the giant corpse had a faint luster in the heavy rain. It shook its head, and the strange red light in its eyes became brighter as it stared at Qi Xuansu.

The qi that Qi Xuansu unleashed in the fight earlier was enough to shatter an entire wall or knock down an ordinary house. But this much qi was still not enough to penetrate the giant’s body, as it seemed to be blocked by the weird patterns on its skin.

As soon as Qi Xuansu came to a stop, he lowered his head with a solemn expression and looked at his hands. The veins in his arms were bulging from the amount of force he exerted.

He tried his best to strike with all his strength but failed to accomplish anything. From this, he was sure that this giant corpse was in no way naturally formed. Instead, this giant corpse was made by injecting yin energy into the corpse and supplementing it with talismans and secret spells.

Even if the giant used to be an ordinary person when it was alive, its muscles, bones, and stature were probably reinforced to be so strong that they could not be damaged by ordinary swords, water, or fire. The strange patterns on its skin also protected the giant corpse from qi strikes.

The only way to get rid of this creature was to use exorcism spells and weapons that could fend off evil spirits. In this regard, the peach wood sword would be the best weapon choice because it could be used to suppress evil spirits.

It was a pity that Qi Xuansu had left the peach wood sword issued by Tiangang Hall at his home in Jade Capital. Otherwise, it would have come in handy at this time.

Faced with no choice, Qi Xuansu took out his Divine Dragon Pistol and loaded a Dragon Eye Bullet into it. Then he pulled out his short sword, Qing Yuan, with his right hand and charged straight at the giant corpse.

Qi Xuansu narrowly avoided the giant’s grasp and used Qing Yuan to carve a small hole in the giant’s chest. Then he aimed the muzzle of the Divine Dragon Pistol at the narrow gap and fired without hesitation.

The patterns on the giant corpse’s skin suddenly dimmed and lost their luster. The next moment, explosive flames burst out from the giant’s heart.

The giant roared and reached out to cover its heart, but to no avail. The flames continued to spread, leaking out from between the gaps of its fingers and its orifices, resembling a burning stove.

Qi Xuansu kicked the giant corpse’s chest with both feet, using it to propel himself backward before it collapsed to the ground.