Chapter 73

Chapter 73

I was not the sort of person to fear trouble.

The female corpse had already tricked me somehow into accepting a nether pact. There was no point fretting or frightening myself over what might happen next.

The sensible thing was to discover what benefit I had received.

Smack!

I received another light blow to the head.

Master glared at me. “You rotten boy. I told you to stop being glib, didn’t I? All you ever see are the benefits in front of you.”

I rubbed my head and chuckled without answering.

I knew Master treated me better than anyone. She simply enjoyed bullying me a little.

Sure enough, she continued by explaining that a corpse core condensed from the essence of heaven and earth by a corpse-fiend that had never killed contained pure yin-aspected energy.

Practitioners of the esoteric arts could absorb this energy.

“Ah-Zhong, I told you before that we cultivators fundamentally act in defiance of heaven. In practice, however, we still rely on and borrow the power of heaven and earth.”

“When we examine feng shui, for example, we judge how the arrangement and course of mountains and rivers will bring fortune or misfortune to people. In truth, we are revealing secrets that heaven and earth normally conceal from humanity.”

“When we cast magic, we use our own qi to resonate with and shake the outside world, giving some form to a particular kind of energy. Magic is essentially the application of energy–biological energy. At the most fundamental level, it follows the same logic as using technology to manufacture a bomb. Do you understand?”

“Well…”

I nodded with only partial comprehension. “I understood more than half. It sounds a little like what our biology and physics classes teach.”

Master smiled in satisfaction. “That is why I insist that followers of my lineage master scientific knowledge. Mysticism and science are both human attempts to explore heaven and earth. They are two roads and two methods that ultimately reach the same destination.”

I said, “Then can we say the qi inside a practitioner, the yin energy gathered by a corpse-fiend, and the cultivated power of ghosts and monsters are all fundamentally the same thing?”

“Clever!”

Master’s smile broadened.

“Of course, that is only after stripping away every outward form and examining the innermost essence. Under most circumstances, their different development introduces many impurities. Different practitioners also become entangled in different karmic debts, which gives the energy different manifestations. Never mind. You probably can’t understand that much yet.”

Between her slender white fingers, she held the equally white corpse core and waved it gently before me.

“Put simply, this corpse core contains extremely pure yin energy. At most, it carries a little corpse qi from its original owner. It has almost none of the other impurities–baleful energy, savagery, resentment, and the like–so absorbing it is relatively easy.”

Absorbing it?

I stared for a moment, then understood.

My eyes fixed on the corpse core, and delight filled my voice. “Master, are you saying I can absorb its energy, transform it into qi within my own body, and become stronger?”

She nodded. “Correct. But even yin energy this pure is far from easy for an esoteric practitioner to absorb. One mistake could allow corpse qi into the body and make your cultivation regress instead. Very few people in this world can separate the corpse qi and make the energy truly safe to absorb.”

I understood.

Time for more flattery.

I cupped my chin in both hands and gazed at her with exaggerated stars of admiration in my eyes.

“No need to say it. Master is obviously one of those few people.”

My performance was shamelessly theatrical, but my words were sincere.

“Enough. Sit properly on the cushion beside you. Form the Hand-Sealing Mudra, calm your mind, and focus. I will separate the impurities from the corpse core and send the remaining pure energy into your body. Guide it into your dantian and use it to strengthen yourself.”

“As you command, Master!”

I cupped my hands solemnly and put away my playful grin.

Now that we were beginning serious work, I could not continue fooling around.

I settled onto the cushion, drew a deep breath, and sat cross-legged. Turning my wrists upward, I rested them lightly on my knees and formed the Hand-Sealing Mudra as Master had instructed.
Then I stared unblinkingly at Master, eager to see what technique she would use.

She did not disappoint me.

Master tossed the corpse core into the air. An invisible force caught it and held it suspended.

She turned both hands. Somehow, a talisman had appeared between the index and middle fingers of each.

She thrust them forward.

Whoosh!

The two talismans flew out and began slowly circling the corpse core, one on either side.

Streams of black, smoke-like gas seeped from the white-jade corpse core. They twisted, coiled, and changed constantly in midair.

One moment, the gas resembled a skull; the next, a ghostly face; then some strange claw.

That must be the corpse qi Master is separating from the core.

I understood at once.

It looked terrifying enough outside the body. What would happen if it entered a living person?

Master had said that this corpse core, created entirely from the essence of heaven and earth by a corpse-fiend that had never harmed anyone, was exceptionally pure. Yet even it contained corpse qi this intense.

Absorbing other corpse cores to increase one’s own qi would probably be all but impossible.

The two talismans drew the great mass of thick, viscous black gas higher and higher as it continued changing shape.

When it nearly reached the ceiling, there was a roar.

Both talismans burst into flame. Fire engulfed the black gas and burned it into nothingness.

I watched in envy. When would I ever command Master’s style and power?

“All right. The corpse qi has been completely separated. Only pure energy remains. How much of it can merge with your qi depends on you.”

After speaking, Master extended a hand and rotated her five fingers.

Something like the suction of a whirlwind pulled the corpse core toward her palm. Before it reached her, she flipped her hand and flicked a finger.

Whoosh!

The corpse core, now holding only pure magical power, shot toward my face and struck my forehead.

Had I not trusted Master absolutely and forced myself to remain still, I would certainly have dodged.

But the expected pain never came.

The corpse core was plainly solid, yet the instant it touched me, it seemed to melt directly into my body.

At once, my entire body convulsed.

Enormous power spread from my forehead through every acupoint. It felt like freezing winter river water rushing continuously through my meridians and acupoints, until my whole body seemed encased in ice.

Yet the skin on the surface burned as though I had developed a high fever. Even my awareness became hazy.

The female floating corpse was probably no weaker than Miss Duan and had been extremely close to advancing into a baleful entity.

How fierce would a corpse core holding most of her power be? The answer was easy to imagine.

“Ah-Zhong, with your present cultivation, you cannot possibly absorb all the power in this corpse core. Do your best. Absorb as much as you can and transform it into your own qi.”

Master’s voice seemed to sound directly inside my head.

I gathered my focus and struggled to retain the freezing aura within my body.

My meridians and acupoints stabbed with pain, but I continued guiding the cold force through them in a cycle, finally directing it toward my dantian, an inch below my abdomen.

Throughout the process, I clearly felt the cold energy constantly leaking from my body and evaporating away.

No! I couldn’t let too much go to waste.

This treasure was unimaginably precious, and its energy was exceptionally pure. Whatever the female corpse wanted me to do would certainly be difficult. If I absorbed too little, I would lose out badly–and I would waste Master’s hard work.

I would risk it. Even if my meridians and acupoints ruptured, I had to keep this power inside me.

I hardened my resolve. Ignoring the stabbing pain throughout my body, I sealed my meridians and acupoints completely and forced the cold energy toward my dantian.