Chasing You (Arc 8+)

Beneath the Heavens (IX)

Within week after their return, the three major sects had finished preparing. They had been successful in gathering more allies from the smaller sects as well during this time, as more and more of the escapees were finding their way home. They were no longer afraid as the Qingcheng Fu Sect no longer held an advantage over them.

Three days hadn't even passed yet before they had conquered more than 65% of the controlled areas underneath the Qingcheng Fu Sect. From the northeast came the Wudang Xiong Sect, from the east came the Qiyun Mu Sect, and from the southwest came the Longhu An Sect.

An Qingfeng raised his sword and swung downwards, splitting the maddened cultivator in two. He deftly sidestepped the blood spraying out. The red rain dyed the ground in a dark and murky shade of red. His red robes fluttered in the wind, making his unapproachable air seem even more otherworldly and fierce.

Lifting his sword, he elegantly dashed through the psychotic horde of cultivators and fierce corpses. Like leaves, they fell to the floor. Throwing a fire talisman, the bodies of the cultivator ignited into a fierce field of flames. Their bodies were burned until nothing remained behind, not even a single ash of bone remained behind. He continued to slay and burn the incoming wave, his movements were like floating clouds and flowing water. It made all the allied cultivator's morale boost, seeing his fearsome ability.

Suddenly a high-pitched sound split through the sounds of swords clashing and screams. It made all of the cultivators who heard it break out in goosebumps at its ominous melody.

The corpses that weren't able to be burnt twitched and sprang up in a swift manner, targeting the closest victim. A warm yellow glare broke through the mass and scattered the bodies of the recently awakened corpses. A young man with white robes embroidered with falling silver feathers stood out against the ongoing carnage. His long black hair was loosely tied at the back with a snow colored ribbon. Attached at the bottom of the ribbon were two silver tassels. His full sword like brows slanted as he eyed down the lingering ashes of the corpses.

One of the cultivator who had been saved, saw him shouted, "Its Xiansheng Shuguang¹!"

The masses' eyes sparkled as if their savior had just arrived. Only being in his mid twenties, Mu Yajing became head of the sect after the death of his father. He proved to all of the others that he was more than capable for this role, outshining the gloomy Fu Yemu. It would be like comparing the heavens to earth whenever the two came together.

With a swing of Jinghua², Mu Yajing shouted, "Bring back all those who are suffering from corpse poisoning to the camp!"

Those who could still fight remained behind but were much more vigilant with dealing against the corpses. Instantaneously after striking the corpses down, they would incinerated the bodies with the fire talismans. The cultivators who had gone mad were brimming with negative energy, and so when the tune was played, they awakened as transformed corpses.

With weary bodies, they carried their comrades on their back and trudged their way back to the camp with haste. If the carrier wasn't treated in time, they would suffer a rather large calamity that could've been easy to avoid.

Upon being injured by a transformed corpse, the corpses' essence would invade and travel through the injured person's bloodstream or through an open vessel of a person into their system, such as the mouth or nose. It will continue to circulate through the person's veins, until it has percolated throughout the blood. If left in their infected state, one would be gradually turned into walking or fierce corpse as their cells are being corroded.

It was also best not to let the infected person move around as it would only speed up this process. As long as the corpse poison was only on the outer areas, the person would be deemed savable, but soon as the poison enters one's heart, it would be considered too late to treat the condition.

The method of treating the poisoning was very clear and concise. You would just need to ingest a carrion cleansing elixir to deal with the corpse poisoning. But although it was simple, there was a problem as most would not let the corpse come close enough to incur that kind of situation. Therefore many would not think of carrying such a thing with them, creating a dilemma once they were poisoned.

An Qingfeng nodded to Mu Yajing before dashing off. Even without his spiritual weapon that was taken, he was still formidable and frightening to go against. Making his way deeper into the enemy's territory, he found that there was less and less walking and fierce corpses along the way and narrowed his eyes. The cold and frosty gleam of his sword was like a death scythe to whomever its inclemencable blade befell on.

Advancing to a small clearing, An Qingfeng slightly wrinkled his nose. The pungent smell of decay was mordant. The intensity could cause one to vomit just from inhaling a small amount of it, but An Qingfeng's expression remained apathetic.

He could see a figure swiftly engaging against the dark shadows. Like a swallow, they cut through their victim with acute accuracy and quickly put the corpses down. Black blood hailed down, tarnishing everything that it touched but the figure in red remained unsullied. Flicking the thin blade, the residual blood scattered. It revealed the cool and laconic shimmer underneath the moonlight made the blade of the sword look even more salient and perspicacious.

An Qingfeng called out with a voice that just above a whisper, "Zhangyi?"

The figure stopped and turn to face him, "Older brother Qing?"

The phosphorescence from the moon illumined his facial features from the right side, stymieing all those who sees him. An Qingfeng's eyes constricted for a split second before going back to normal. He walked over to their side and looked down at him, "Are you out here alone?"

An Zhangyi replied smoothly, "No, I was with big brother Bu and older sister Yu but we had gotten separated."

Listening to their words, An Qingfeng wasn't able to pick out any faults with what he (AZY) had just said. He (AQF) reached over and held their hand, "Let's go back."

Not waiting for An Zhangyi to respond, he led him back to where he had just come from. They were going to regroup with the rest of the other cultivators. The two of them slayed the corpses as they journeyed, leaving nothing sinister behind in their wake. By now they were able to vanquish 70% of Qingcheng Fu Sect's controlled area.

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¹Xiansheng Shuguang: '先声曙光', means 'Harbinger of Dawn'. '先声' means harbinger & '曙光' means dawn.

²Jinghua: '净化', means to purify.