Chapter 599: Uninvited Arrival

After a brief stare-down with the paper crane, the Golden-Armored Divine Warrior looked away, checking on Wei Xuan in his hand to ensure he hadn't crushed him to death, before turning to continue moving.

As the Divine Warrior held Wei Xuan, each step he took caused the ground to tremble slightly. Instead of heading directly towards Ji Yuan, he collected the various corpses, each in a different gruesome state, along the way. After all, Ji Yuan's order was to bring everyone back, regardless of whether they were alive or dead, except for Wei Xuan. So, even the dead had to be collected.

By the time the Divine Warrior reached Wei Xing, Wei Xing was still slumped beside the uprooted tree stump, convulsing. The casual palm strike had nearly killed him; it was only because he was no longer a normal person that he was still alive. Any other martial arts master would have surely died from such an injury.

The Divine Warrior casually picked up Wei Xing and placed him in his left palm. With his left palm now holding a pile of corpses and the half-dead Wei Xing, and his right hand gripping Wei Xuan, who was groaning in pain from his crushed bones, he began walking back towards the house where Ji Yuan was waiting. During this time, the little paper crane had already flown ahead and landed on Ji Yuan's shoulder.

The immense commotion in the manor tonight naturally woke up the remaining residents of the Wei family estate. The thunderous roars and immense sounds made it impossible for anyone to sleep. The ordinary servants and their relatives in the Wei household were now in a state of stunned daze, gazing from afar at the golden-armored giant in the night. Yet, no one fled, for his imposing appearance suggested something far beyond a mere evil demon.

It was inevitable that there were still some stragglers in the Wei family estate; there couldn't have been only a few dozen people, nor could they all have been male. However, no one emerged to escape at this moment, likely hiding in terror.

Ji Yuan paid no attention to anything else for the moment, his gaze fixed on the approaching Golden-Armored Divine Warrior. Once the warrior stood before him, he slowly knelt on one knee, bowing his massive form and extending both hands towards Ji Yuan.

"My lord, all have been retrieved."

The Divine Warrior's voice boomed, reverberating throughout the entire Wei family estate. At that moment, Wei Xing seemed to regain some vitality, trembling as he spoke from the Divine Warrior's palm.

"Hmph, Immortal, Immortal Master, cough... this humble one has always, always warmly welcomed you, I beg you, Immortal Master, spare my life..."

Ji Yuan shook his head, saying nothing to Wei Xing. He turned his gaze directly to Wei Xuan, who, upon seeing Ji Yuan's eyes on him, immediately cried out for mercy.

"Immortal Master! Our Wei family disciples were also bewitched and harmed by that demon! He even took the writings and the Wordless Heavenly Book you left behind. It's all our fault for being possessed and practicing the cultivation method that demon exchanged with us. But this wasn't our intention! There have always been rumors of powerful absorption techniques in the martial world; we merely wanted to capture some scoundrels to try and practice with them. We never meant to harm anyone..."

True to form as Wei Ming's father, Wei Xuan spoke on and on without pause, but Ji Yuan directly cut him off.

"I believe you."

Wei Xuan, mid-sentence, suddenly froze in astonishment upon hearing this.

"Huh?"

"I said, I believe you."

Ji Yuan repeated himself with utmost seriousness, but Wei Xuan, on the contrary, dared not believe him, gazing at Ji Yuan with suspicion. Even Wei Xing, nearby, looked at Ji Yuan in astonishment, a surge of survival instinct causing his body to lift slightly.

"The Immortal Master believes me?"

Hearing the incredulous tone in Wei Xuan's voice, Ji Yuan smiled.

"What? From your tone, it sounds like even you don't believe I would trust you? Heh heh, since even you don't believe it..."

Ji Yuan paused, his expression returning to indifference.

"Then there's nothing more to say. Point out where this demon you speak of is. You, Wei Xuan, as the head of this family, cannot be saved. However, many of the Wei family disciples, after death, can enter the Underworld, and after their punishment, they may find continued existence in the Ghost City. I will grant you a swift end."

"I... Immortal Master..."

Ji Yuan's ancient eyes fixed on Wei Xuan, his gaze intensely serious.

If Wei Xuan refused to speak, Ji Yuan would have to resort to his Dream-Roaming technique, forcibly invading Wei Xuan's primal spirit with his divine sense to probe. In a sense, this method was somewhat akin to demonic arts, though certainly not as powerful as true demonic methods. Yet, Wei Xuan was not a cultivator, nor was he a person of strong will; he wouldn't know how to guard his mind. Ji Yuan felt there was still a certain possibility of success.

"Brother, cough, cough, at this point, what, what are you still hesitating for? Quickly, quickly tell the Immortal Master! Redeem yourself by revealing the information!"

Wei Xing's body had recovered a little more than before, and while still far from being able to move, he could at least speak much more fluently. This indicated that he must have absorbed a considerable amount of vitality, allowing such a life-threatening injury to continuously heal in such a short time.

Wei Xing knew he wouldn't survive, but upon hearing the Immortal Master's words, he realized he could at least exist as a ghost in the Ghost City. Seeing Wei Xuan's hesitation, he urgently prompted his elder brother.

"Hahahahahahaha... Master Ji, you don't need to ask him. He can't speak. If you're looking for me, I've come myself!"

The moment that voice echoed from afar, Ji Yuan instantly looked towards the distant west. There was a distinct tremor underground, which he discerned purely by hearing.

As the voice approached, Wei Xing and Wei Xuan simultaneously shrieked in agony.

"Ugh, ah..." "Crackling..." "Immortal, Immortal Master, save me... ah..." "Crackling..."

Both their bodies began to twist and then rapidly swell. In just two breaths,

"Bang!" "Bang!" With two explosive sounds, Wei Xuan and Wei Xing burst open like water-filled balloons, splattering blood, internal organs, and bone fragments. At the same instant, the Golden-Armored Divine Warrior withdrew his right hand, which had been grasping Wei Xuan, and spread his palm to shield Ji Yuan. A large amount of blood and gore splattered onto the Divine Warrior's shins and hands. The surrounding ground and the Wei family disciples frozen by the immobilization spell were also stained with blood, but Ji Yuan remained completely unaffected.

"Sizzle..."

A flash of lightning passed, and the bloodstains on the Golden-Armored Divine Warrior instantly charred and flaked off. The warrior then stood up and turned to face the direction Ji Yuan was looking.

A few more breaths passed. Then, about a dozen zhang away, the earth slowly cracked open, and a muscular, brown-skinned male corpse, clad in tattered clothing, slowly emerged. The moment it stood on the ground, it immediately bowed to Ji Yuan.

"Corpse Nine greets Master Ji!"

Ji Yuan widened his spiritual eyes, his expression indifferent as he observed the corpse demon.

"You orchestrated the events with the Wei family. Are the writings I left and the 'Dream-Roaming in the Clouds' in your possession? Why don't you appear in your true form to meet me?"

Regardless of whether the name "Corpse Nine" was real, Ji Yuan could tell the moment the corpse demon appeared that it was merely a clone puppet, definitely not the true form of the mastermind.

This corpse demon was quite similar to one Ji Yuan had encountered years ago, but it was clearly much stronger. Upon hearing Ji Yuan's words, it immediately laughed.

"Hahahahahaha... While I, Corpse Nine, am confident, I do not have the audacity to appear before Master Ji in my true form under tonight's circumstances. With your anger, if my true form appeared, I would have no way to defend myself. Wouldn't it be quite unjust to be slain by you?"

Ji Yuan was so amused by the audacity that he laughed, then flicked his sleeve and walked closer to the corpse demon.

"Heh heh heh, 'unjust'? Do you, a creature of evil, even deserve to use such a word?"

"Master, hear me out! The Wei family brought this entirely upon themselves. After receiving your writings, instead of gradually passing them down to their descendants for understanding, they were eager to seek deeper comprehension, constantly looking for sorcerers and masters to interpret them. There's a common saying: 'An innocent man carrying a gem is guilty of its possession.' How much more so for the translated Celestial Script you left behind? With it, one can understand 'Dream-Roaming in the Clouds.' To display both simultaneously before others is simply courting death!"

"Furthermore, it's true I took the writings you left and the Celestial Script, but I didn't kill them. What I gave the Wei family were two methods: one was what mortals call a superior martial art, and the other was a body-refining golden body—or rather, a corpse-refining golden body, ha ha. The latter was clearly a harmful, evil technique, but they chose to practice it themselves, so don't blame me!"

It had to be admitted there was a grain of truth in its words, but most of it was twisted logic. Even if a child carrying gold through a bustling market was in great danger, it would be ridiculous to blame the child upon encountering a villain instead of prioritizing the villain's conviction. Especially coming from the villain's mouth, it was as absurd as the "if a girl exposes herself, she's asking for it" and "victim blaming" mentalities from Ji Yuan's previous life.

Sensing Ji Yuan's displeased expression, the corpse demon quickly added.

"Master Ji, I know you must despise me, yet I chose to appear before you because I have something important to tell you. Please, listen to me before you act!"

Ji Yuan had already walked within a few steps of the corpse demon. Behind him stood the ten-zhang tall Golden-Armored Divine Warrior, in his usual stance, looking at the corpse demon with a habitually "scornful" gaze.

"Speak."

While Ji Yuan didn't consider the corpse demon to be good news, he also didn't believe it was here to provoke him today.

"Master Ji, have you ever heard of the 'Apocalypse Alliance'?"

"Apocalypse Alliance?" Ji Yuan murmured, repeating the name, then shook his head slightly.

"Heh heh, to be honest, Master, don't let the name mislead you into thinking it's righteous. It's full of demons, devils, and monsters. This isn't just a random mob of ordinary spirits; even some demon kings from Lingzhou are involved. Their ambitions are undoubtedly vast!"

Ji Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he almost instinctively thought of Tu Siyan. The Lingzhou mentioned by Corpse Nine, which sounded like some sacred place, was in fact Heimen Lingzhou, the terrifying Black Barrens.

"And then? Why are you telling me this?"

"Hahahahaha... Ever since I heard about you, Master, I have been secretly gathering information for over a decade. Your name seemed to appear out of nowhere, without affiliation to any sect or school. Your magic is boundless, your methods endless, and your actions unconventional. You are no ordinary immortal. If I wish to achieve my goals, seeking you is the best option! However, you do not trust me yet. I will say no more today. Consider this avatar a gift to you; its body is still strong. Whether to destroy it or keep it is for you to decide."

Ji Yuan nodded slightly. The next instant, the Golden-Armored Divine Warrior behind him suddenly brought his massive palms together, sweeping towards the corpse demon. In a flash, they collided heavily, enveloping the demon. Within the two gigantic red palms, lightning surged. Their impact generated a wild hurricane that instantly burst outwards from the warrior's hands. Dust, bloodstains, and shattered stones on the ground were violently swept away by the wind. The surrounding trees and vegetation were bent outwards as if by an explosion, yet Ji Yuan, standing close by, felt only a gentle breeze.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

After a few more breaths, the hurricane subsided. The Divine Warrior slowly opened his palms, revealing the corpse demon's utterly shattered body.

Hundreds of miles away, in an underground cavern, a man sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

"What a formidable divine general! Truly worthy of being a True Immortal's guardian!"