Chapter Twenty-Three: Celestial Apparition and Corpse Demon

The peaks of the Daba Mountains stood tall and majestic, their main summit piercing straight into the clouds, soaring far more than a thousand fathoms. The old demon’s lair lay hidden deep within the heart of this main peak, concealed so thoroughly that anyone unfamiliar with the terrain would find it nearly impossible to locate. Yet such obstacles were nothing to the likes of Qingxu.

Though a single month was scarcely enough to claim mastery over the Daba Mountains, Qingxu had at least gained a clear general understanding of their layout. He made his way smoothly beneath the main summit, gazing upward to find the mountain shrouded in a layer of dusky black mist. Though it resembled the miasma often found in mountains, this was in fact ancient demonic energy, transformed into lethal fog. Whether immortal or mortal, any who entered would in less than an hour be reduced to a pool of thick blood—a most vicious and deadly trap.

“Perfect chance for the Xuanmo Sword to absorb a little more power.” As Qingxu spoke, he summoned forth the Xuanmo Sword. True to its reputation as a supreme demonic weapon, it drank in the ancient demonic miasma as easily as a whale swallows water. In just a few blinks of an eye, the entire layer encasing the main peak was devoured, leaving it utterly drained.

With the miasma gone, the peak stood revealed in all its starkness: jagged rocks, fetid streams, waterfalls, barren and devoid of any life. Not a blade of grass grew; no living creature could survive here.

Qingxu’s divine soul reflected outward, his spiritual eyes wide as he examined the mountain wall before him with grave concentration.

“So that’s it. The Celestial Corpse Ghost Array?”

In the age of wilderness, cultivators would often set up prohibitive formations around their abodes—not only to prevent disturbance during cultivation, but also to guard their domain while away visiting friends or wandering. Those with profound cultivation would attune these arrays to their very souls, so that the instant any living being intruded, they would sense it.

The Celestial Corpse Ghost Array was formed by sacrificing eighty-one living souls to draw upon the earth’s yin veins, a process that took a hundred days. When complete, the souls merged into a single Celestial Corpse Ghost, possessing the power of a terrestrial immortal at its peak and endowed with sinister and mysterious abilities. Even ordinary celestial immortals, if careless, could suffer greatly facing it.

Upon discovering that Ba Liming had set this array to protect his demonic lair, even the self-assured Qingxu was startled. Living souls were not easy to obtain—let alone eighty-one!

Unlike resentful ghosts or vengeful spirits, living souls were extracted through extreme torment and torture of living beings until their minds shattered and resentment soared sky-high. Then, with secret arts, their three souls and seven spirits were drawn out and fused. Because a trace of yang energy remained, they hovered between life and death, could be insubstantial or tangible, able to traverse parallel voids. Neither orthodox immortal arts nor demonic paths could restrain them. Especially when eighty-one were merged, the Celestial Corpse Ghost’s baleful power was overwhelming.

Qingxu judged that if he faced the Celestial Corpse Ghost, the outcome would be uncertain. Once battle began, it would be a fierce struggle—and the old demon would surely sense it, attacking from both front and rear. Failure could mean death here; his plan to seize the old demon’s treasures would come to nothing.

“Am I to return empty-handed? After all the hardship suffered, if Ba Liming doesn’t pay dearly, how could I be satisfied?”

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Qingxu thought of a solution: alter the mountain’s terrain. The Celestial Corpse Ghost Array relied on the main peak’s formation—if the terrain changed, the array would weaken or collapse. A slight adjustment would open a gap in the array; and once weakened, the old demon would surely sense it.

After all, Qingxu was a terrestrial immortal, his magical powers vast. Though he could not collapse mountains or overturn rivers with a wave, altering the terrain of a thousand-foot peak was not impossible.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After thoroughly probing the mountain, Qingxu struck and shattered three massive boulders. Instantly, the main peak’s terrain shifted, subtly different from before, yet the Celestial Corpse Ghost Array now bore a narrow fissure, no longer seamless.

Too little would leave the array unchanged; too much would trigger it and alert the old demon. Qingxu’s control was astonishing.

With the gap opened, Qingxu wasted no time. His form flashed into a streak of azure light, darting through.

He passed directly into the sheer mountain wall, causing ripples to spread. The entrance to the demon’s nest was concealed by illusion, but Qingxu’s spiritual vision pierced it easily. Ba Liming’s ancient magical arts were formidable, but compared to the Jade Void lineage and the disciples of the saints, his methods were far inferior.

Inside the dark mountain belly, the path was rugged and winding, descending deep underground. One could not see a hand before one’s face, but Qingxu’s cultivation was supreme; under his spiritual gaze, it was as bright as day.

He walked for a full half-hour before reaching the end.

There were two simple stone chambers: one for daily living and cultivation, the other—the target of Qingxu’s journey—served as the old demon’s secret treasure vault.

Delighted, Qingxu slipped straight into the treasure vault. Upon entry, dazzling light filled his vision, spiritual energy radiated from every corner. After three millennia of plunder, the old demon’s collection was truly extraordinary.

Hundreds of rare refining materials, thousands of immortal herbs and spiritual roots, dozens of immortal magical tools—all formidable post-celestial treasures. Most astonishing of all, there was even a primordial treasure.

“The old demon has committed countless evil deeds—murdering without remorse, seizing treasures, capturing souls as casually as eating or drinking. Now it’s my turn to profit.” Qingxu knew that Ba Liming carried most of his truly important possessions with him; what was left behind were those he had little use for.

Ba Liming cultivated the demonic path, so orthodox immortal treasures conflicted with his arts. Thus, nearly all refining materials, spiritual roots, herbs, magical tools, and even the primordial treasure were left in the lair, unguarded by any prohibition.

Not wishing to invite trouble, Qingxu quickly gathered up all the treasures with a wave of his hand. Once one attains the Dao, one can open a mustard seed spatial realm—capable of holding an entire mountain, let alone a roomful of treasures.

Having finished his plundering, Qingxu left satisfied. Exiting the Celestial Corpse Ghost Array, he paused, then with a cold smile shattered dozens more giant stones, drastically altering the terrain. The array was now fractured and on the verge of collapse.

“You wretch, how dare you!” The distant sky echoed with Ba Liming’s furious roar—his array had been greatly weakened, and he sensed it immediately.

“Ba Liming! The green hills remain, the waters flow on. The karma between us will be settled another day! Hahaha!” With a flash of the miraculous “Pot Sage Moves Mountains, Golden Light Across the Earth,” Qingxu vanished a hundred miles away in an instant. After a few more movements, he was long gone; when Ba Liming returned, not a trace of Qingxu could be found.

Faced with the collapse of his painstakingly arranged array and the loss of his secret treasures, the old demon was beside himself with rage. His three corpse spirits leapt in fury, smoke poured from his seven apertures.

“Waaah! You little thief, if this ancestor ever lays eyes on you, you will beg for life and be denied death!”

Suddenly, with a roar, a three-zhang-tall ghostly figure appeared, its entire form gray-black, shifting between substance and shadow—the Celestial Corpse Ghost.

Ba Liming gazed at the Celestial Corpse Ghost, unable to calm his heart. To reconstruct the array would take years, and after this disaster, he had lost all enthusiasm.

“Hmph! I might as well refine it into my own body. Not only will my cultivation soar, but I will gain all the Celestial Corpse Ghost’s supernatural powers!” This thought made Ba Liming’s eyes glow ever greener, his silver hair swirling wildly, a surge of ancient demonic energy pouring forth as he swept it toward the Celestial Corpse Ghost.

As Ba Liming worked his magic, a mortal crisis arose in the Celestial Corpse Ghost’s heart. Though only instinct remained, it would not submit quietly—it tried to escape into the void. But the old demon was cunning and prepared; as his demonic energy left his body, he performed an unknown seal, instantly immobilizing the Celestial Corpse Ghost, rendering it helpless.

In truth, their strength was nearly equal, but Ba Liming was its master. Under his domination, the ghost was no more than meat on the chopping block.

As Ba Liming’s demonic energy enveloped the ghost, its aura shifted, the flickering black light gradually turning gray-black. Most uncanny of all, its hair changed from silver-white to gray-black. Under its terrifying presence, the ground within ten miles was littered with floating stones, gales arose, clouds surged in fury...