This was even more laughable to him than a seasoned courtesan being called a pure and chaste woman by others.
In this ghostly lair, what kind of immortal destiny could there be?
After a brief thought, Xu Qing chose the passage where Jin Lingzhou was located.
The aura of this leader of the Cangyi Group was still rising steadily, but it hadn't yet reached a level that posed a threat to Xu Qing.
But if left unchecked...
Xu Qing estimated that in half a month, when the seventy-seventh day arrives, the other party might indeed reach a level close to the Ghost King Doer!
What kind of opportunity could allow a Grandmaster to break through mortal limits in such a short time and touch realms beyond ordinary martial arts?
With strong curiosity, Xu Qing ignored the surrounding deathly aura and walked unimpeded to the end of the passage.
In a room with only one stone coffin, Jin Lingzhou was wearing an indigo brocade robe, head lowered, making inexplicable hoarse roars, looking like a fool.
Xu Qing stood at the mouth of the passage, observing in a cultured manner without disturbing.
The opponent's state was beyond his expectations. At this moment, Xu Qing didn't feel the presence of an immortal destiny, but instead sensed another strange aura that felt very familiar to him.
Lingzhou suddenly raised his head, his eyes fiery red. When he stared: white hair grim, red eyes like blood, forehead with three mountain bone horns protruding, spine with bone spurs sticking out, ten fingers curved into claws, resembling a blood sea Rakshasa! Xu Qing was shocked, wondering: "What kind of immortal destiny could transform a man into a zombie? Similar to my distant relatives!"
Jin Lingzhou noticed something unusual, suddenly lifted his head, his blood-red eyes looking towards the passage entrance.
"A living person? Are you also here seeking immortal destiny?"
As their eyes met, Xu Qing's expression tightened.
The person before him, white hair red eyes, with three mountain horns on the forehead, bone spurs protruding from the spine, piercing the brocade robe. Looking at his claws, they were thin and withered, the fingernails sharp and glowed with a cold light, vividly resembling a blood sea Rakshasa!
What kind of immortal destiny did the other party receive to turn into this appearance?
With this appearance, those who know would say Jin Lingzhou is the leader of a rebel; those who don't might think he's run into a cousin of a zombie from 800 years ago!
"Tsk, look at this little look, compared to you, the Demon Exorcism True Monarch could be called handsome."
Xu Qing's words were like knives, cutting straight to the heart without needing to be sharpened.
Jin Lingzhou, who always cared about appearances, turned his face cold and asked again: "Who are you? Daring to be so blatant in front of a Celestial Person!"
"Celestial Person? You think you could be a Celestial Person?"
"If you're a Celestial, then I could put up a plaque and be a top good person of the year! Pah, disgusting!"
Xu Qing spat, his face full of disdain.
"Truly ruining the corpse, it was fine before! Human-like, dog-like, why couldn't you think straight, and turn into such a neither human nor ghostly form."
Xu Qing's mouth kept running, while Jin Lingzhou's anger in his stomach rose straight to his forehead.
"Shut up!"
Jin Lingzhou suppressed his anger and asked: "Who exactly are you? Outside the Bone Temple, I have thirteen division leaders, five Upper Envoys guarding, how did you get down here?"
Xu Qing smiled and said: "Me? I'm the funeral master, here to handle your posthumous matters. As for the Bone Temple... it's already surrounded by the Eight Banner Marshals, just waiting to give you a send-off!"
"Eight Banner Marshals..." Jin Lingzhou stood up, stretching his muscles and bones, and walked towards Xu Qing with a dark face.
"Turns out you're a running dog for the Imperial Court, today as I become a Celestial Person, I'll use you as a sacrifice!"
"Tsk! Whether you can use me as a sacrifice is still uncertain, but your thirteen division leaders and five Upper Envoys have already been my sacrifice. Also, don't insult me by calling me a Dayong running dog!"
Xu Qing assisted the Eight Banner Marshals for his twelve-year grand plan, having nothing to do with Dayong, and he personally had no affection for Dayong. Calling him a Dayong running dog was no different than cursing him!
Upon hearing that Xu Qing had wiped out the faction he'd painstakingly cultivated, Jin Lingzhou couldn't hold back.
"You brat! I will skin you alive, grind your bones to dust!"
Xu Qing looked at the ferocious bone claws of the approaching Jin Lingzhou like he was seeing a child playing with toys.
"Claws are not meant to be used like this."
Amidst his leisurely dodging, Xu Qing also extended his own zombie sharp claws.
The sharp claws refined by the Undying Bone emanated an eerie cold light, covered in a layer of Corpse Evil aura that refused to dissipate, giving off an unusual sense of beauty.
In contrast, Ji Lingzhou's Rakshasa bone claws were akin to a patient with onychomycosis meeting a professional model who had a manicure.
This was a true Corpse King's claw, an aesthetic forged through countless trials, not something that Ji Lingzhou, with his unconventional origins on the path of evil, could emulate!
The two claws collided in an instant, without the clash of metal nor the grinding sound of hard objects meeting; Ji Lingzhou heard only a few crisp sounds, and all ten bone claws fell neatly to the ground.
"..."
Ji Lingzhou's pupils shook wildly; he now understood that the opponent was no ordinary Martial Master!
Under the stimulation of severe pain, Ji Lingzhou's remaining intellect was awakened, and the fear of being crushed by a higher existence among his kind instantly drowned his earlier bloodthirsty fury.
The arrogance of encountering forces beyond a Grandmaster's had completely dissipated.
The peculiar symbols adorning Ji Lingzhou's face showed no trace of delight from obtaining 'immortal fate.'
"What kind of monster are you?"
In his shock and horror, Ji Lingzhou drew his long sword from his side, under the celestial power surpassing that of a Martial Arts Grandmaster, his whole body was enveloped in a protective aura, and the sword Qi surged wildly!
At this moment, with the sword in his hand, he regained his confidence!
Blinding cold light gathered to form sword shadows, seemingly to cut through the air, instantly filling the small tomb chamber with sword marks over half a foot deep.
Xu Qing, enveloped in sword intent, curled his lips.
Such a sophisticated martial sword technique would undoubtedly be unmatched in the mortal world, yet in the eyes of Xu Qing, who had practiced the Profound Lady swordsmanship, the opponent's sword technique seemed like a flawed, raw product.
In short, it was nothing! A waste of celestial power.
Xu Qing felt using the Profound Lady swordsmanship against it would be disrespectful to the sword technique, it would be beneath him!
Xu Qing simply took out the Mourning Stick used for funerals, and struck at the thing before him that was neither human nor ghost!
The Mourning Stick, also known as the Filial Piety Stick, was five foot five in length, entirely pale, carried by filial sons or grandsons during funerals as a white pennant rod.
Folklore suggests this stick can dispel lingering spirits that refuse to scatter.
Similar to how bamboo strips stir children's flesh, no matter how hard it's used, it doesn't harm the root!
"Abomination, lacking in decorum and shame, today I will teach you what the rules and principles are!"
Xu Qing shouted, Corpse Evil surged around him, wrapping the Mourning Stick, striking towards Ji Lingzhou relentlessly!
As the stick landed on him, Ji Lingzhou's eyes turned dazed, he astonishingly conjured an illusion where the young man before him transformed into his living parents, and he himself into a child who had made mistakes, the authority among them left him unable to drop the sharp sword in his hand.
Xu Qing did not concern himself with anything else, after a bout of fierce beating, Ji Lingzhou was left teary-eyed, snot smeared all over his face,
Cangyi Group was originally allied with the Red Clothes Sect, comprising true righteous people who cared for the commoners without exploitation, but ever since Xie Hongying, who carried the blood of the former royal family, was chosen to inherit the position of group commander, Ji Lingzhou proposed marriage to Xie Hongying, aiming to seize the group's power.
However, Xie Hongying decisively refused, claiming she would never engage in romantic affairs until Dayong fell and the world was pacified.
Ji Lingzhou harbored resentment due to the rejection, incited the followers with false claims that the old group commander was hiding selfish intentions, arguing how a mere woman like Xie Hongying led the Cangyi Group to prosperity?
At the time, internal unrest already ran rampant; after Ji Lingzhou's instigation, the division resulted in two separate governing bodies. The peace-seeking Xie Hongying led a small fraction to establish the Red Clothes Sect, while Ji Lingzhou seized the reins of power, becoming the chief commander of Cangyi Group, thus starting his rampage.
"False can never become truth, Ghost Law cannot equate to a god; it merely serves as a substitute created by the Netherworld King's legal corpse."
The Netherworld no longer has Mirror of Sin nor a Judge to wield the pen between life and death, Ghost Law is simply the Netherworld King's legal corpse trying to replace the Mirror of Sin, replace the Judge as the record keeper."
"Though it can perceive ghostly tricks, it cannot see the thoughts of the living."
"Ghost eaters ingest only, never release; they don't guide the living; they stray far from the path!"