Chapter 28: The Village of Rotting Corpses

Although his cultivation was complete, Lu Sha didn’t want to appear too unusual.

So he remained seated in meditation, only opening his eyes after another hour had passed.

“The Demonic Martial Cultivation Method is truly extraordinary!”

Excitement flickered across Lu Sha’s face, as though he had just finished his practice.

“What? You—you’re done cultivating? You’ve already exhausted the medicinal power of a whole Demonic Spirit Pill?”

Even though Lu Sha had purposefully delayed, Cao Meng, who’d been waiting nearby, was still shocked.

The vast majority of demonic martial artists needed more than three hours to refine their very first Demonic Spirit Pill!

Yet Lu Sha had finished in a little over one hour—what kind of speed was that?

Had something gone wrong in his cultivation?

Cao Meng’s expression changed slightly. He immediately darted over to Lu Sha and carefully examined him.

But after a thorough check, he found Lu Sha’s state to be nothing short of astonishing!

Demonic martial artists often failed to fully absorb the evil spirit energy within their bodies, leaving traces behind that could not be purged.

Over time, this accumulation could cause immense harm—death, madness, or even grotesque mutations.

This was the notorious side effect of the demonic martial path.

But at this moment, Lu Sha displayed not the slightest trace of evil spirit energy; his aura was absolutely pure.

Had Cao Meng not witnessed him swallow a Demonic Spirit Pill with his own eyes, he might have doubted whether the youth had cultivated demonic martial arts at all!

Of course, cultivation itself could not be faked.

In just this short while, Lu Sha’s cultivation had advanced noticeably—he was nearly done with the Skin Tempering stage!

“This speed... Lu, you’re a genius at cultivating demonic martial arts!”

A broad grin split Cao Meng’s face.

He’d only meant to test things out, but he’d truly stumbled upon a treasure!

When he brought Lu Sha back to the organization, he’d startle them all—let’s see who dared say he, Cao Meng, had no eye for talent!

...

Lu Sha felt the power surging within and asked curiously,

“My body hasn’t changed—how did your arm end up like that?”

“You mean the Ghost Arm? That’s an advanced demonic martial technique—one you’re not ready to learn just yet.”

“But with such talent, as long as you keep training, you’ll surely outshine me in the future!”

Despite Lu Sha’s astonishing talent, Cao Meng felt no jealousy.

Instead, he clapped Lu Sha on the shoulder with a smile, his appreciation plain to see.

“Thank you for the kind words. And, thank you for passing on your skills.”

“Haha! It’s nothing—we’re on the same side, after all.”

Cao Meng laughed heartily and dismissed it.

Lu Sha grinned without saying more, but he silently took it to heart.

He was a man who repaid both kindness and enmity tenfold, a hundredfold.

Whatever the future held, this favor would not be forgotten.

***************

With the Demonic Martial Cultivation Method now mastered, Lu Sha’s strength advanced at a rapid pace!

Over the next few days, the portly Daoist confirmed that the previous demon had already left, and so he brought Cao Meng and Bai Feng into the County Commandant’s residence as friends.

Once the two moved in, Lu Sha found himself even freer.

He moved the large cauldron and all required herbs into the small courtyard and dedicated himself to daily cultivation.

Each morning, he would first practice several rounds of “Turtle Essence Qi Nourishing Art,” then soak in a medicinal bath to train with the “Dragon Elephant Technique.”

In the afternoon, he’d consume a Demonic Spirit Pill and cultivate his demonic martial arts.

The demonic method only tempered the body and could not strengthen his life force directly, so it had to be complemented by martial cultivation.

Now, when training in martial arts, he no longer needed to temper his body and could focus entirely on increasing his life force, which naturally sped up his progress.

The two methods complemented each other perfectly.

Of course, Lu Sha never forgot that his foundation was the power of demons and monsters!

He strengthened his own abilities only to better control that demonic power—he would never lose sight of his roots.

Thus, every night, Lu Sha would send out the Hundred-Eyed Ghost and the Bone Wreathed in Ghostly Flame to scour Wuling County, searching for prey and materials.

Recently, little monsters and ghosts had been appearing more frequently in Wuling County.

Clearly, the abnormality in this forbidden land was deepening!

In just a few days, the Hundred-Eyed Ghost devoured twenty or thirty weak little monsters and ghosts, successfully growing a third blood-red eye.

Now with three eyes, the Hundred-Eyed Ghost’s strength had increased, but it hadn’t advanced in rank—it remained at the middle of the Ninth Grade.

As for ghostly beings that could serve as materials, none were found; all were too weak.

Lu Sha had no idea when he’d be able to create a third demon.

...

The next five days passed peacefully.

His martial cultivation advanced to the Muscle Tempering stage, beginning the refinement of his muscles throughout the body.

Now, Lu Sha could perfectly wield the powers of both the Hundred-Eyed Ghost and the Bone Wreathed in Ghostly Flame, greatly boosting his combat strength!

However, he’d already used up all his Demonic Spirit Pills.

His cultivation speed in demonic arts was simply too fast; the original plan of one pill per day became two, so they lasted only five days.

This was something Lu Sha couldn’t share with Cao Meng and Bai Feng.

After all, anything too abnormal would arouse suspicion.

No matter—his current strength was enough to support both demons.

Once he created a third demon, he could then consider further improving his own power.

...

On the evening of the sixth day, after finishing his cultivation, Lu Sha tidied himself up and prepared to go out for a hearty meal to replenish his life force.

But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Cao Meng and Bai Feng approaching together.

Cao Meng had visited Lu Sha several times in the past few days, but both coming together this time likely meant something important.

Sure enough, when they saw him, Cao Meng strode over and threw an arm around his shoulder.

“Lu, we’ve got work. Come with us—time to see the world.”

“What kind of work?” Lu Sha asked.

“A small village not far outside the county has encountered something unusual—possibly connected to evil spirits. We need to investigate.”

Cao Meng didn’t hide anything, sharing the details with Lu Sha.

Since Lu Sha had begun cultivating demonic martial arts, he had become a peripheral member of that mysterious organization—at least in the eyes of Cao Meng and Bai Feng.

So, there was no need to keep things from him anymore.

For instance, this mission, and their true purpose for coming.

Demonic martial artists needed evil spirit energy for their cultivation.

And such power could only be drawn from celestial demons and evil spirits!

Cao Meng and Bai Feng had come specifically to this newly formed death zone to see if they could obtain some evil spirit energy.

This was what they needed most.

The ideal outcome would be to half-seal the evil spirit here, turning it into their own blood bank.

Next best would be to collect some evil spirit energy and leave safely.

The worst outcome would be to die in this forbidden place.

And the chance of that last result was not low—in fact, quite high.

Yet Cao Meng and Bai Feng still came, calm as ever.

Demonic martial artists always danced on the edge of life and death!

...

“Can we at least have dinner first?” Lu Sha rubbed his stomach and asked Cao Meng.

“No time! The situation is urgent—we must leave immediately!”

“Besides, we’ve spotted traces of the Demon Suppression Guard in recent days. Those bastards are not to be trifled with.”

“To them, demonic martial artists are no different from monsters and ghosts—kill on sight.”

“If we go now, we’ll have the upper hand!”

Cao Meng said sternly.

“Alright then, let’s go,” replied Lu Sha, and without further protest, he followed.

...

All three possessed considerable cultivation—even Lu Sha, the seemingly weakest, was at Muscle Tempering stage, enough to be considered an elite in the army.

Even without horses, they moved swiftly.

They left the county seat and crossed a stretch of dense forest.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the foot of a small mountain on the eastern side of Wuling County.

There lay a somewhat remote village.

As they drew near, Lu Sha’s expression changed.

The scene before them was utterly bizarre!

The ground of the village had transformed into writhing flesh, undulating like waves.

A layer of membrane covered its surface, making it look truly disgusting.

On the village’s outskirts lay a group of decaying corpses.

They wore simple peasant clothing, their lower bodies fused with the bloody earth.

Their bodies looked as if they had melted, like candles exposed to high heat.

Judging by their appearance, these had once been villagers trying to escape.

But they had been devoured by the living flesh of the ground!

“Uhh—uhh uhh!”

Sensing the newcomers, all the half-melted corpses at the edge suddenly straightened.

They waved their hands toward Lu Sha’s group, their melting mouths emitting meaningless wails and sobs.

...

The entire scene was unspeakably sinister, enough to make one’s scalp tingle and chill reach the bones.

For the first time, Lu Sha truly understood the weight of the words “celestial demon and evil spirit,” and “forbidden land of death.”