Chapter 50: Unyielding Bones

“Ha... Above the nine heavens, the Way alone reigns supreme. Today, your disciple beseeches all the immortals of Mount Mao: swiftly, as the law decrees—let pure energy return to heaven, corpse energy return to earth...” After rebuking the young man, the old Taoist paid him no further heed, continuing his ritual with incantations that grew ever more urgent.

“Roar... Roar...” Within the subterranean cavern, the walking corpses responded to the old man’s spell, raising their heads to howl at the sky, expelling streams of corpse energy—sometimes gray, sometimes green—which sank swiftly into the ground.

As time passed, the volume of corpse energy expelled diminished; many of the walking corpses, in the midst of the process, turned to dust and faded away.

It was only when a faint, sinister green light began to flicker deep beneath the earth that the old man ceased his incantations.

“Good... Very good! My efforts over the past decade to refine these zombies, feeding them with corpse energy, have not been in vain. Today is the day of harvest! Hahaha...” Staring at the radiance emanating from the depths, the old Taoist’s face was alight with joy, and he threw his head back in triumphant laughter.

With the underground light growing ever brighter, the corpse energy within the cavern poured downwards like myriad rivers converging into the sea. Simultaneously, the suction from below intensified. In less than an hour, tens of thousands of walking corpses had been drained of their corpse energy, reduced to drifting ash scattered by the wind.

A rumbling echoed as the earth’s crust trembled. Slowly, a jade disk, radiant as a full moon, rose from the depths. It shone pure white, like a moon rising from the sea, casting gentle light. Yet, mingled with the pristine glow were sinister green vapors, marring its sanctity and lending it an eerie air.

“The Stone of the Nether Vein!” Li Yang’s eyes widened, his face flushed with desire.

This treasure was the stuff of legends; only one could be born from a single earth vein. As the world changed, earth veins became increasingly rare and varied—there were spiritual veins, nether veins, dragon veins. Over long ages, each vein would coalesce into a spring, releasing spiritual or nether energy to nourish the world. This nether vein stone was the very spring of the deathly nether vein, the essence of its power. Originally, this vein was too young to produce such a spring, but the old Taoist had forcibly cultivated it with evil rituals, filling it with corpse energy and ripening it prematurely, which left the nether vein tainted with malevolent energy.

“Hahaha... Lin Fengjiao, let’s see what you can use to compete with me. Receive!” The old Taoist laughed wildly, casting a bolt of lightning toward the rising jade moon to seize the nether vein stone.

A ferocious roar—part wolf, part tiger—suddenly erupted from beneath the crust, strange and terrifying. The earth split apart, the sky outside the cavern was swept by fierce winds, thunder boomed as if some powerful demon was about to break free.

A pitch-black shadow shot skyward from the fissure. Peering down into the cavern, one could glimpse the flow of dark red magma below.

“Who goes there!” The old Taoist, startled as the crust fractured, stared at the hovering shadow with grave concern.

Li Yang focused his vision; the shadow had wild, unkempt hair, its clothing rotten to shreds, making its identity impossible to discern.

“It’s A Jian! You haven’t disappointed me...” A dry, hoarse voice rang out as the shadow lifted its head, revealing a pair of eyes glowing red, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, evoking a sense of hellish dread in those who beheld them.

“You... Are you... Uncle Qing Yunzi?” The old Taoist hesitated for a long moment, disbelief etched on his face.

“Indeed. It is I.” The shadow nodded calmly, confirming his identity.

“But... but you were supposed to have transcended, weren’t you?... How can this be...” The old Taoist took time to accept the truth.

“Transcendence... Hmph! It’s not so simple. I, Qing Yunzi, cultivated the Dao for two hundred and sixty-three years—how could I resign myself to perishing so easily?” The shadow gave a cold laugh, his tone rife with resentment.

“Fortune favored me. Just when despair threatened to overcome me, I encountered a newly formed Immortal Bone in this Teng Teng Town. I resolved at once to seize its destiny, forging an immortal, undying body for myself. Hahaha...” He laughed wildly.

“When I found that Immortal Bone all those years ago, I prepared for everything—feigned death, escaped, and hid deep within the nether vein, absorbing its accumulated essence over millennia. Now, my work is nearly complete. One more step and I will attain the ultimate transformation—becoming a drought demon, undying and imperishable. Then, I shall slaughter dragons above and spread plague below. Not even the venerable master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, nor celestial immortals from heaven, will I fear.” The shadow’s gaze fell upon the nether vein stone in the old Taoist’s hand, calmly revealing his long-laid plans.

“Uncle, was it because you were certain I would refine the nether vein and force out the nether vein stone that you chose me for Teng Teng Town?” The old Taoist stared intently at the shadow.

“Yes. Among the next generation of Mount Mao, you possess the strongest talent, deepest cultivation, and greatest ambition. Lin, though gifted, is too conservative. After much deliberation, I chose you.” The shadow did not deny it, nodding frankly.

“Well then, A Jian, I’ve explained everything you need to know. Now, hand over the nether vein stone!” With that, the shadow extended a monstrous claw.

“Uncle, you know why I refined this stone. If you take it now, aren’t you afraid of retribution from the Underworld’s Judge?” The old Taoist’s face shifted as he felt the oppressive force behind the shadow’s calm words.

“Hah... A mere shade of the underworld cannot threaten me. I have transcended the Three Realms, beyond the Five Elements. In some respects, I rival the founder of the Dao and Buddha alike. Why should I fear a petty Judge? Let him come if he dares!” The shadow sneered, as if amused by the suggestion.

“Heh... For generations, Mount Mao has hunted ghosts, slain monsters, and killed zombies. To hear, from my uncle’s lips, that a zombie could rival the Dao founder—is a bitter irony!” A hint of mockery flashed across the old Taoist’s face.

“After more than ten years of painstaking rituals, you would simply take what I’ve created? That is too much! Today, let Stone Jian learn firsthand the powers of the legendary Immortal Bone—what divine abilities inspire such confidence!” With that, the old Taoist raised his head, arcs of lightning flickering in his eyes, his whole body suffused with the glow of thunder.