The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World

Chapter 218: Everything Can Be Discussed!

Shangguan Hao's face beamed with joy as he made his way toward Heavenly Sword City. This journey could indeed be described as killing three birds with one arrow.

Firstly, he had connected with the formidable Heaven Shaking Divine Sect, securing the promise of a bottle of Deity Nurturing Elixir, which would aid in his soul transformation. Secondly, by eliminating Ming Rui, he was no longer hindered nor worried about being discovered by True Master Tiancang. Thirdly, he had eradicated most of the marauding cultivators around Heavenly Sword City. It was a triple victory!

Shangguan Hao could hardly contain his pride at his own cleverness. However, he had barely escaped a few dozen zhang when a chilling sensation prickled at his back, and an immense sense of foreboding arose within him. Without hesitation, Shangguan Hao immediately cast a defensive spell and activated his protective magic treasure.

Boom!

Two ghost kings, one in front and one behind, swung their five lifebound ghost weapons furiously, smashing down with terrifying force.

Boom!

The power of the second-tier ghost kings was indeed formidable. In an instant, they shattered Shangguan Hao's defensive spell. His protective magic treasure let out a mournful cry, its light dimming instantly before plummeting to the ground.

Shangguan Hao's pupils constricted sharply. He recognized these two ghost kings! They were the very ones who had slain Yun Zhongyu under the command of a Golden Core monk!

Shangguan Hao was petrified. He knew all too well that his own strength was no match for Yun Zhongyu's. If that Golden Core monk could kill Yun Zhongyu, he could certainly kill him with ease!

"With no grudges or grievances, why would you attack me so unprovoked, fellow daoist?" Shangguan Hao yelled, retreating rapidly while urging another protective magic treasure in front of him, hoping for a peaceful negotiation.

Chu Xuan suddenly appeared, his hair standing on end and eyes wide with fury. "Shangguan Hao, I am He Liang! Do you remember me now?" he roared. "Your Majestic Sword Sect annihilated my entire sect! This enmity cannot coexist under the same sky, die now!"

He Liang's voice thundered.

Shangguan Hao's heart skipped a beat. His most beloved female disciple had died at the hands of someone named He Liang. He had searched long and hard for him but never found his whereabouts.

The Majestic Sword Sect had destroyed many sects, making it difficult to trace which one He Liang belonged to. As time passed and new disciples came, the matter faded from his mind.

Today, with He Liang revealed himself, Shangguan Hao suddenly remembered. He also realized something. The Golden Core monk Huikong and He Liang were the same person!

It was likely that the battle at Great Chasm that night was intended for him. Fortunately, Yun Zhongyu had confronted him instead, otherwise, it would have been him facing death.

Relief washed over Shangguan Hao as he acknowledged his narrow escape.

"Fellow Daoist, please hold!" Shangguan Hao called out as he retreated. "There's room for discussion! Within the Majestic Sword Sect, there are many factions, and it's likely that another faction's cultivator destroyed your sect!"

"If you're willing, we can join forces against those responsible!" His words were earnest, filled with a plea for understanding.

Chu Xuan's expression wavered with hesitation upon hearing this. Sensing an opportunity, Shangguan Hao pressed on warmly, "I understand your concerns. Even if you've slain one of my disciples, it's of no consequence. She was spoiled and arrogant—likely she provoked you, and you had no choice but to act. This is a trivial matter, merely a single disciple!"

Chu Xuan hesitated again, momentarily easing the assault of the two ghost kings with a casual gesture. He moved closer to Shangguan Hao, skepticism mixing with curiosity. "Is that true? You would cooperate with me?"

With a reassured heart, Shangguan Hao praised his quick wit silently. "Of course! I, Shangguan Hao, have always been upright and honorable. I would never renege on a promise!" he declared confidently. "Rest assured, fellow Daoist. Just give me some time, and I will help you uncover exactly who was responsible for annihilating your sect."

Patting his chest with a vow-like sincerity, Chu Xuan seemed swayed by his words and moved even closer. "If so, I demand you make an oath-bound by your inner demons. If you fail to help me eradicate my enemies, may your cultivation stagnate!"

Cursing internally at Chu Xuan's cunning, Shangguan Hao knew he was outmatched and had no choice but to comply. He raised his right arm, beginning to swear an oath.

Before he could finish, a massive palm formed from a concentrated spiritual sense slammed down! With a booming sound, it smashed directly into Shangguan Hao's sea of sense.

Shangguan Hao's own spiritual sense instinctively formed into a massive shield to counter, but his defensive secret technique was far inferior to Chu Xuan's. Moreover, Chu Xuan's attack was long-premeditated and enhanced with a strand of his soul essence, nearly doubling its destructive power.

In just an instant, Shangguan Hao's spiritual sense shattered like glass. The Great Devouring Palm erupted with a powerful suction force, sweeping away his spiritual sense in one swift motion, continuing unabated into his sea of sense. At this critical moment, his spirit suffered severe damage, and even his Nascent Soul had no chance to escape.

Shangguan Hao's eyes went blank as if his system had crashed.

Chu Xuan swiftly employed a soul search technique. Normally, soul search could only be used on those with weaker spirits, and as a Golden Core cultivator, it should have been difficult for Chu Xuan to search the soul of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, with Shangguan Hao's spirit severely compromised and Chu Xuan's own spirit far surpassing most Golden Core and even some False Soul cultivators, he faced no resistance.

Quickly, Chu Xuan perused Shangguan Hao's memories clearly. He then snapped Shangguan Hao's neck, tossing his body into the corpse tower for puppets to feast upon.

Afterward, he cast a Corpse Refining Blood Fire to obliterate all traces of the battle from the area before vanishing without a trace.

Blue Star.

Chu Xuan sat comfortably in a soft chair, sipping on steaming spirit tea while recalling everything he had seen through the Soul Search technique.

"The Taotie Tree seeds... Under mysterious orders, Zhang Xingshan stole them. Consequently, the sect has set a substantial bounty to capture him alive and retrieve the seeds. The sect's Holy Maiden, Leng Hanshuang, even enlisted True Master Tiancang to locate the Taotie Tree seeds. Yet, they could not pinpoint their exact location.

Another disciple of True Master Tiancang, Ming Rui, was tasked with secretly finding the location of the seeds. Trusting Shangguan Hao as a friend, Ming Rui confided in him, hoping to jointly discover the whereabouts of the seeds. However, witnessing the dismal fate of the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace and swayed by the lucrative offers from the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect, Shangguan Hao decided to side with them instead..."

Chu Xuan clicked his tongue.

Everything was connected now. As the men in black from the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect had said, once the Taotie Tree seeds grow, they could consume an entire cultivation planet, leaving nothing behind. This rare and uniquely terrifying entity had been universally condemned by the top-tier cultivation sects, including both the Reincarnation Divine Sect and the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect.

An extermination order was issued: should the Taotie Tree seeds or saplings be discovered, everything within a thousand li would be annihilated, leaving no living being behind. This was because the seeds could parasitize a living host, lying dormant until the opportunity to sprout anew arose.