Destiny, Destiny. What is called Destiny? Is it the power of procreation and evolution? Within six li, the flying figures of the field people are clearly inseparable from that azure pagoda. And the wondrous power possessed by the crystal sphere of Chris—the ability to summon all sorts of realm puppets out of thin air—is that not also a form of Destiny's power?

What Zao Piao spoke of must be that azure pagoda!

His heart thudded violently for a moment. Gu Xiechen sneered, “What innate and acquired powers of Destiny? I don’t understand such things. If you want to snatch my treasure, you’d better see if you have the ability!”

Five streaks of purple light flashed. The five Xin Jia brothers leaped out from the purple light.

Zao Kui pouted her rosy little mouth and pointed at the five Xin Jia brothers, sneering, “With just these five? The Yellow Turban Warriors guarding the South Heaven Gate? You dare challenge me with them? Oh my, you’re making me laugh!” Han Cheng pointed at Xin Jia and the others and roared with laughter, “Don’t you get it? The Yellow Turban Warriors guarding the South Heaven Gate are the weakest batch among the thirty-three heavens! Tsk tsk, just these five good-for-nothings? Back in my day, I could flick ten thousand of them to death with a single finger!”

The complexions of the Xin Jia brothers shifted, turning exceedingly ugly.

Zao Kui arrogantly tilted her neck, like a proud little peacock, and coldly laughed at Gu Xiechen, “Forget it, forget it. These five wastes are no match for me. Change them for their immediate superior—those four brothers, if they joined forces, might cause me a little trouble! Nothing more than that!”

Shaking her head, Zao Piao sighed with a touch of ennui, “Alas, forget it, forget it. I won’t bully you juniors. Seeing the overwhelming miasma clinging to your bodies, I know you are all just mortal shells born of later days. It will be a miracle if you reach immortality in this lifetime. Look at the cultivation methods you practice—ah, I can’t even be bothered to criticize them. What rotten techniques are these?”

Sighing deeply, Han Ji looked at Gu Xiechen with pity and chuckled lightly, “Give me that treasure, and in the future, whenever you encounter trouble on your path of cultivation, you can come find me.”

Her hands, as fair and white as jade, reached directly out toward Gu Xiechen. Han Ban chuckled sinisterly, “Little fellow, aren’t you going to hand over the treasure?”

Gu Xiechen was preoccupied with pondering the matter of the azure pagoda; he didn't spare Zao Wei a single glance.

Meanwhile, Peng Hua continued to drool, his eyes fixed on Zao Miao’s pair of fair, tender arms and delicate little hands. He couldn't help but fantasize about how soft her skin must be, and how graceful her figure. If he could hold her close and enjoy a few moments of spring romance—tsk tsk... Suddenly, a sound of tearing fabric erupted from the crotch of Peng Hua’s trousers. He quickly clamped both hands over his lower body and glanced around in embarrassment.

Zao Piao’s eyes darted around. She then pointed at the five Xin Jia brothers, laughing, “Their five bodies perfectly represent the innate Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Offer them to me, and I shall refine them into Innate Five Element Corpse Servants. That way, my progress in cultivating the Corpse Scripture will accelerate by at least ten times! Little brother, I rarely ask for things from juniors. You’ll have your benefits later!”

Gu Xiechen was silent for a moment, then shook his head firmly.

Zao Jian’s expression shifted slightly, and she coldly sneered, “What do you mean?”

Gu Xiechen said flatly, “I am a merchant.”

Zao Jian, thinking she had found her opening, smiled smugly, “Oh? A merchant? Merchants value profit. You want a benefit before you’ll give me the magic artifact and these five little fellows?”

She tilted her head in thought, and Han Miao smiled, “Very well. I shall teach you my exclusive Three Corpses Descending Spirit Incantation. This method specializes in cultivating the Three Corpse Gods and is the fastest method for strengthening the spirit among the unorthodox techniques of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Given your aptitude, you could accumulate enough powerful primordial spirit to ascend within three to five centuries!”

Sighing, Gu Xiechen shook his head, “You have misunderstood my meaning. I mean that I am a merchant, but there are some things I do not sell. For example, a so-called magic artifact whose nature I don't even know—that I will not sell! As for the five Xin Jia brothers, they are my subordinates, my brothers, my people. Never mind some rotten Three Corpses Descending Spirit Incantation; even if you could make me a Grand Unity Golden Immortal right now, I would not sell them!”

Spreading his hands, Gu Xiechen smiled faintly, “Have I made myself clear enough? You can leave now... Pang Hua Senior Brother, control your person, don’t let her run around wildly in a daze. Does she really think she’s Han Miao and is so great?”

Xin Jia stealthily gave Gu Xiechen a thumbs-up. The Supreme Venerable truly didn't hold the Star Lords in high regard!

Zao Piao was furious. She pointed at Gu Xiechen and hissed, “You… you toyed with me?”

Gu Xiechen shrugged in feigned surprise, “Did I?”

Zao Ou was indignant, “Very well. If you won't give it, I’ll take it by force!”

With a sweep of her hands, long, crimson fingernails sprang from Zao Wei’s ten fingertips. She stirred up a scorching gale and lunged straight for Gu Xiechen’s chest.

Gu Xiechen frowned. He retreated a few steps using the Yu-step technique, but Han Ban’s mastery of the Yu-step was even more practiced than Gu Xiechen’s. Her execution of the step was exceptionally profound and subtle. In just three moves, she filled Gu Xiechen’s vision with her flickering silhouette. Crimson claws danced wildly everywhere, accompanied by a sharp hissing sound as they tore through the air. Every strike targeted Gu Xiechen’s vital points.

Peng Hua jumped up anxiously, screaming, “Ancestor Zao Wei—”

Gu Xiechen remained silent, gripping the Qilin Seal. Since he couldn't evade, he wouldn't evade!

Under Peng Hua’s horrified gaze, Gu Xiechen raised the Qilin Seal and brought it down heavily toward Zao Jian’s forehead. Zao Miao saw Gu Xiechen’s move clearly. She wanted to dodge the crimson great seal, which carried a disturbing aura that made her uneasy, but a surge of Yin and Yang energy leaked from the seal, pinning Han Jia’s body down, making her unable to move.

This aura was immensely powerful, akin to Mount Tai pressing down. In her prime, Han Piao could dissolve such pressure with a mere flick of her fingers. A being like her could shift stars and change constellations with ease; having several mountains bear down on her would be like a few grains of dust settling on a mortal—it would have no effect on her.

But the current Han Miao was not the Han Piao of her prime!

The invisible Yin and Yang energy stabilized Han Piao’s body. Her body would occasionally feel cold, then hot, or here cold and there hot, or here hot and there cold. In short, the Yin and Yang energy shifted unpredictably, leaving Han Piao stuck like a fly trapped in resin. Even her mental thoughts were immobilized.

With a smack, the Qilin Seal, heavy as a small mountain, struck Han Miao’s skull, caving in nearly half of her celestial spirit cover. Splatters of blood flew everywhere. A torrent of innate crimson flames spewed from the seal with a whoosh, burning down along Han Piao’s body. In the blink of an eye, the palace dress on Zao Miao’s body burned away into a wisp of faint light, revealing her voluptuous, curvaceous figure.

“Mother of mine!” Peng Hua’s nose itched, and two streams of crimson essence blood suddenly spurted from his nostrils. This essence blood from a zombie was extremely precious; practically every drop represented a portion of a zombie’s lifespan. With these two spurts of essence blood, Peng Hua’s vision immediately darkened, and he nearly collapsed to the ground—he had suffered grievous injury for no reason!

Han Ban, whose skull was now deformed on nearly one side, trembled as she staggered backward, enveloped by the innate crimson flames. This innate crimson flame was originally the Qilin True Fire, specialized in subduing all things yin and evil. Ordinary zombies would be burned to ash by just a tiny bit of Qilin True Fire. Yet, Zao Kui remained unharmed in the crimson flames; not a single strand of her hair was singed. Blood poured from all seven of her orifices as she looked at Gu Xiechen with extreme ferocity and sneered, “Heh heh, this venerable one is a Fire Spirit. What innate or acquired true fire can possibly harm this venerable one? Unless you can wield the Holy Flames of the Three Pure Ones, otherwise—”

Gu Xiechen coughed lightly. The crimson flames raging around Han Ban suddenly shifted, transforming into a mass of ashen-white, viscous, glue-like cold flame that burned fiercely. All the innate crimson flames changed according to Gu Xiechen’s will into the Profound Moon Blazing Flame. Dense green smoke immediately billowed from Han Miao’s body. The previously smug Han Kui let out a piercing cry of terror, “Profound Moon Blazing Flame? Such a malicious thing! How can you, a mere mortal, subdue it? Only a Grand Unity Golden Immortal could… at least only a Grand Unity Golden Immortal can subjugate the Profound Moon Blazing Flame!”

“Retreat.” The Profound Moon Blazing Flame, being an object of ultimate yin, indeed possessed a natural counter to Han Miao. Seeing Han Miao’s body burned to a ragged state, Gu Xiechen immediately roared sternly, “If you dare cause trouble again, don’t blame me for not giving you face! Whether you are Han Miao or Han Mei, this is my territory, and you must listen to me!”

He pointed sternly at Peng Hua and lectured loudly, “You are Peng Hua Senior Brother’s realm puppet; you must have the awareness of a realm puppet! Starting tomorrow, Peng Hua Senior Brother will teach you the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, the way of a wife! Do you have any objections?”

Zao Jian froze for a moment, then suddenly dissolved into a stream of red light with a tearful cry, drilling back into Peng Hua’s brow.

Peng Hua, heavily wounded, jumped up with a beaming face. He slapped his chest forcefully and roared with laughter, “Junior Brother, this matter is on me. As long as you back me up, I guarantee I’ll make her obedient. Oh my, making Ancestor Zao Mei obedient—this is too exciting, too satisfying!”

Peng Hua’s eyes were shining brightly. The value of Han Miao was immense. If he could truly discipline her into obedience, setting aside everything else, the cultivation secrets of both Han Kui’s Corpse Scripture and Three Corpses Descending Spirit Incantation alone held supreme value for the Nine Nether Path! The Corpse Emperor was also a corpse cultivator; Han Kui’s cultivation methods were of immense value to the Nine Nether Path!

Gu Xiechen took a deep breath, smiled, and slowly retracted his right hand behind his back, vigorously rubbing his palm.

Han Miao’s body was shockingly durable. Even using a supreme treasure like the Qilin Seal to smash her head, although he successfully fractured nearly half of her skull, Gu Xiechen’s wrist was nearly shattered.

This was Han Miao without her power restored. Gu Xiechen couldn’t imagine how terrifying her power would be if she recovered completely!

Peng Hua, ecstatic, spun around several times before suddenly turning and asking in surprise, “Junior Brother, didn’t you never hit women? Why did you this time—”

Gu Xiechen blinked and replied honestly, “Do you think zombies count as people?”

This single sentence choked Peng Hua, turning his face green, and he sulkily retreated to the side.

Gu Xiechen pursed his lips into a smile and gently stroked the Qilin Seal.

On the screen, the photo of Chris Joan was still flickering. Gu Xiechen said calmly, “We should go pay Director Chris a visit.”

The stifled Peng Hua’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he slammed a punch into the floorboards with force.

With a boom, half of the command module’s floor collapsed.

Do zombies count as people?

Uh, a female zombie certainly doesn't count as a woman, either.

Gaga, hahahaha!