Chapter 44

"King, dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth."

The words of the purple-robed immortal had a strange and mysterious power. At least, that was what Zhao Yun thought, as listening to them made his mind wander, even more eerie than the soul-capturing bell.

Niu Hong was also in a similar state, his head dizzy and muddled.

The Yin Moon King did not stop, his steps heavy, making a thudding sound.

Zhao Yun and Niu Hong felt a sudden urge to urinate and were ready to turn and flee.

But the immortal remained, still kneeling respectfully.

This time, the words she spoke were incomprehensible, a long string of gibberish.

"Corpse language?" Zhao Yun murmured.

Humans have human speech, ghosts have ghost talk, and the slumbering dead have their own language.

However, few people understand it.

Who would go and chat with corpses for no reason?

Thud!

Due to the incomprehensible words of the purple-robed immortal, the Yin Moon King finally stopped, his body trembling violently, the surging yin energy and mist becoming even more rampant.

From within, it seemed as if one could hear roars and howls, a mix of emotions—anger, unwillingness, sorrow, resentment... It even made the purple-robed immortal's mind unstable.

Zhao Yun and Niu Hong were both shaken, spitting blood.

The Yin Moon King was too powerful, his combat strength clearly on a different level.

Soon, the roars faded.

The yin mist still surged, covering the Yin Moon King's body. When it dissipated, he was gone, having returned to the ancient tomb to continue his endless slumber.

Phew!

Zhao Yun and Niu Hong let out a deep sigh of relief.

Only then did the purple-robed immortal stand up.

Fortunately, she had persuaded the Yin Moon King to leave, or the consequences would have been endless.

"Thank you, Senior, for your rescue."

The two juniors were still as considerate, bowing respectfully on either side. If the immortal hadn't come, they would have been strangled to death by the Yin Moon King.

The purple-robed immortal remained silent.

Afterward, Zhao Yun and Niu Hong were tied up.

It was still that small Taoist temple.

The two bound men sat on the ground, back to back, unusually obedient.

The purple-robed immortal was also there.

She ignored Niu Hong and focused on Zhao Yun, as if she had asked him for directions before. This time, her gaze was deep, and she realized she had missed something earlier—Zhao Yun had lightning within him, and it was quite powerful.

"Senior, we did not mean to offend."

"We went in to hunt the mage. That old guy wasn't a good person. See those bodies below? He stole them."

"We didn't take a single treasure from the tomb."

The two began to explain, speaking rapidly to clarify the situation. If they were accused of desecrating a tomb, the purple-robed immortal might send them to the underworld.

The purple-robed immortal stood gracefully, listening but not speaking.

She believed them, having already visited the ancient tomb and seen the mage's body. The tomb itself showed no signs of deliberate damage, and she had searched them, finding no stolen items. They were clearly not tomb raiders.

"Clear the bodies below."

The purple-robed immortal lightly waved her hand, releasing their bindings.

"Got it!"

The two limped down, eager to finish and go home.

Boom!

Soon, a loud explosion was heard as Zhao Yun used an explosive talisman to create a large pit.

"May they rest in peace."

"May they find peace soon."

The two were quite dedicated, placing each body into the pit one by one, muttering a word of respect for each one, not meaning to offend.

After they finished, both looked toward the mountain.

If the immortal didn't speak, they couldn't leave, and they couldn't run away either.

"Do not speak of this place to outsiders."

The purple-robed immortal's words were cold, carrying a hint of authority. The meaning was clear: if they spoke, she would kill them, leaving them no place to hide.

"We will keep it a secret."

The two looked sincere, almost ready to swear an oath. Seeing that the purple-robed immortal didn't respond, they turned and cautiously took a step, gradually speeding up, and eventually sprinted away like wild horses, faster than rabbits, fearing she might change her mind and catch them again.

The Taoist temple, the immortal stood for a long time.

Her expression showed a hint of guilt. This trip had taken too long, and upon her return, the king's tomb had become a place for raising corpses.

She, the tomb guardian, had failed in her duty.

By nightfall, Zhao Yun and Niu Hong had stopped, hiding in a mountain crevice.

"We almost lost our lives."

Niu Hong sat on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Fear not a powerful opponent."

Zhao Yun coughed up blood, leaving the rest unsaid.

Niu Hong coughed, admitting he had caused a lot of trouble.

Zhao Yun ignored him, sitting cross-legged, his injuries severe. His right arm was broken, and his internal organs were in pain. He was still coughing up blood.

Crack! Crack!

The sound of bones realigning soon followed. The Bone Washing and Sinew Changing Classic, combined with the Primordial Heavenly Thunder Technique, were very effective in treating internal injuries.

"What profound techniques."

Niu Hong's eyes lit up, the sound of the bones realigning making him feel uneasy.

Without hesitation, he also sat cross-legged, as he was also injured.

When night fell again, Zhao Yun opened his eyes, exhaling a long, turbid breath. His injuries were no longer serious, and a sip of spiritual liquid nourished his body.

Niu Hong was still healing.

Zhao Yun didn't disturb him, pulling out the Talisman Record from his pocket.

He studied it, benefiting greatly.

The book contained many talismans, mostly for dealing with evil spirits like ghosts and zombies. They were not very effective against living beings.

Zhao Yun deeply understood this.

The mage's cultivation was not weak, but his combat ability was terrible. Using talismans designed for evil spirits against a martial cultivator was inherently disadvantageous. In a one-on-one fight, their weak physical bodies were their biggest weakness.

These people were better suited for support roles, not direct combat.

After putting away the Talisman Record, Zhao Yun stood up, having gained some insights.

He then began to chant incantations and form hand seals.

Each step had its corresponding incantation and seal. The incantation was spoken, and the seal was formed, known as "forming the seal to draw qi." This was the basic technique, and more complex techniques required foot movements, known as "walking the steps," which included various forms like the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams.

This was a technical skill.

The incantation, seal, and foot movements, along with the subtle qi, needed to be synchronized. Any flaw, whether in the incantation or the movements, could lead to failure, like drawing an explosive talisman.

Speaking of talismans, the book also mentioned them.

However, most were incomplete and not very useful.

Seal!

Hearing Zhao Yun's mental command, the hand seal was set, and a large, illusory talisman flew toward a boulder but did not break it. The talisman looked impressive, but its power was weak, far less effective than a martial cultivator's palm strike.

"What's the point of learning these side techniques!"

Niu Hong, who had woken up, saw Zhao Yun using a talisman and sneered. If Zhao Yun used this method against him, he would beat Zhao Yun until he cried.

Zhao Yun didn't deny it.

Forming a seal took time, and an opponent wouldn't give you that time. Before you finished the incantation or the seal, you would likely be knocked down.

Of course, if you could form the seal quickly, that was a different story.

Each has their specialty.

Martial cultivators were better at fighting beasts, while mages were better at fighting zombies. The effectiveness of their techniques depended on the opponent.

"I still prefer my soul-capturing bell."

Niu Hong grinned, pulling out the bell and shaking it.

Zhao Yun ignored him, focusing on the Talisman Record.

Having more skills was never a bad thing. You never knew when you might need them, and the Talisman Record had many useful techniques.

"Let's go, back to our village. I'll treat you to some drinks."

Niu Hong put away the bell, not caring if Zhao Yun wanted to go, and dragged him along. After their shared ordeal, he found Zhao Yun to be a good person, having saved him multiple times and not abandoning him in danger.

Zhao Yun didn't refuse.

On the way, they crossed three large mountains and visited a market, buying small items for children, as Niu Hong explained.

They traveled in silence.

When the sky was fully bright, they stopped at a valley.

Zhao Yun looked around, confirming he had never been there before.

Beyond the valley was a small village by the mountains and water, known as Niu Family Village.

In the morning, chimneys were filled with smoke.

The village had a simple and honest atmosphere, with mostly brick and stone houses. The winding paths and natural scenery made it a secluded paradise, far from the noise of the world.

True to its name, everyone in the village was surnamed Niu.

As Zhao Yun walked through, he noticed that everyone, whether old or young, looked normal, while Niu Hong was exceptionally dark.

"Sunburned." Niu Hong coughed.

"Sunburns are good, they kill bacteria." Zhao Yun smiled.

"Niudan."

Niu Hong called out, and a group of children gathered.

The small items from the market were distributed.

Many adults came out, relieved to see Niu Hong and curious about Zhao Yun, as few outsiders visited their village.

The villagers were very hospitable, warmly welcoming them.

Zhao Yun observed that there were not many martial cultivators in the village. Including Niu Hong, there were only six, and five of them were over seventy, with cultivation at the Condensing Essence stage.

It made sense, as cultivation required a lot of resources.

Like him, even with the support of the armory, he sometimes struggled, let alone here.

After the meal, Niu Hong went to the back mountain.

He was burying the old village chief, whose body he had retrieved from the mage. As an orphan raised by the old chief, he couldn't help but fight for him.

Zhao Yun found a thatched hut.

He was truly a martial fanatic, studying the Talisman Record in the room.

He had already grasped eighty percent of its essence.

Then, he meditated and trained his body, healing his external injuries while his internal injuries remained.

During this time, he visited the Moon Goddess.

She was still in a deep sleep, showing no signs of waking.

At night, a voice called from outside the room.

Before the words were finished, Niu Hong entered, pulling Zhao Yun along.

"Look there."

Outside the room, the fat boy pointed to a direction.

"Wow?"

Zhao Yun pushed Niu Hong aside and looked in the direction he pointed. He saw a mountain, a golden mountain. At first glance, it truly looked like a mountain of gold.

"Didn't I tell you? My family has a gold mountain." Niu Hong grinned.

"It's not gold, it's the golden glow at dusk." Zhao Yun muttered. During the day, it was hard to see, but at night, the golden mountain was particularly striking.

"My grandfather said a deity lives inside."

"But I don't believe it. I snuck in to check, and there was nothing."

"It glows at night."

The fat boy slowly explained the origin of the gold mountain.

"Has no martial cultivator come to investigate?" Zhao Yun asked.

"Our village is poor and remote, so no one comes here." Niu Hong coughed. "Some people did come to study it, but they left after a month."

"Where does the golden glow come from?"

Zhao Yun muttered, walking toward the direction, wondering if it was a strange phenomenon.