Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Shadow of the Corpse Puppet

Inside the tomb chamber, candlelight flickered, casting an eerie atmosphere. Dozens of wooden coffins were arranged to one side, making the chamber appear even more terrifying.

Lieshan puffed on his water pipe, listening intently to Luo Longyu's account. His expression was grave as he nodded, his gaze fixed thoughtfully on the floor. After a moment, he spoke, “I see. This matter is not simple. Though corpse control techniques are varied, they all share a common root: they begin with the seven souls within the human body. They trap the seven souls, refine them, and inject their own spiritual consciousness, making the corpse obedient to their will. Essentially, the method never deviates from this path.”

“In modern terms, it’s about controlling the body's seven energy fields. But after a person dies, the soul departs first, and soon after, the seven souls dissipate as well. Thus, most corpse control techniques only work on fresh corpses. Your mother is of the Xuan Yuan clan, possessing a powerful physique and ancient divine genes. Even if we tried to control such a corpse, the Xuan Yuan bloodline is nearly impossible to master. Therefore, whoever managed to control your mother’s corpse must possess corpse control skills far superior to mine.”

Luo Longyu pondered for a moment before continuing, “You’ve studied corpse control for so long. Aside from our own country, are there other nations whose corpse control techniques are formidable?”

“Oh, every ethnicity has its own methods. Whether Southeast Asia, East Asia, or the West, each has its own characteristics. However, Eastern and Southeast Asian corpse control share some connection with our domestic methods. Western corpse control is the key, and based on what you’ve described, Western methods seem more likely.”

“Western corpse control? Can you elaborate?” Luo Longyu pressed, for this was his greatest concern.

Lieshan took a deep breath, the water pipe gurgling as he smoked. “I’ve been researching Western corpse control recently. Compared to ours, it’s a totally different system, yet there are some similarities.”

“How so?”

Lieshan took another couple of drags before explaining, “When studying Western corpse control, I delved into their history. In Western languages, they call it ‘Zombie.’ Translated into our terms, it’s ‘walking dead,’ distinct from our ‘jiangshi.’ Fundamentally, both are corpses, but their formation is entirely different. Zombies arise from Vodou culture. Vodou priests can resurrect the dead, make them walk, use simple tools, but the revived are under the priest’s control, usually treated as servants. Their combat ability, however, is nowhere near that of a jiangshi. One jiangshi could slaughter a hundred zombies—a tiger among sheep. Zombies are poorly defended; ordinary weapons can kill them, unlike jiangshi.”

“I’m still unsure about the exact method priests use to create zombies, but it’s clear they employ certain powders and drugs during resurrection, sometimes turning living people into zombies with similar substances. This is somewhat akin to Southeast Asian corpse control, and resembles our own witchcraft practices.”

“What is Vodou?” Luo Longyu inquired.

“To us, Vodou is an old, unremarkable religion, also called Voodoo, originating from West Africa. Zombies are its most terrifying aspect. Legends say if someone offended a Vodou priest, the priest would feed them pufferfish toxin, then perform rituals to turn them into a zombie. Sometimes, to deal with powerful evil spirits, they’d perform a ‘god descent’ ritual, calling on deities to dispel the evil. In my view, their so-called god descent is akin to our ghost summoning—what they summon are not gods, but wandering spirits.”

“Furthermore, Vodou’s history is steeped in hatred and revenge, as their faith is rooted in fear. Compared to our corpse-driving practices, there’s simply no comparison. Enough about that—come with me.” Lieshan rose and led Luo Longyu into another sealed tomb chamber, leaving Luo Mengxuan behind.

Inside, Lieshan lit incense and candles. At the chamber’s center, Luo Longyu saw a massive glass container, inside which floated a decaying corpse, its face unrecognizable and particularly grotesque.

“What is this?” Luo Longyu frowned.

Lieshan chuckled, “This is a zombie I acquired five years ago. I’ve severed its connection to the priest. In my research, I found that its seven souls weren’t controlled, but forcibly dispersed. The biggest difference between zombies and jiangshi is this: jiangshi retain their souls, while zombies retain nothing—just an empty shell.”

“Can you control it?” Luo Longyu looked at the container.

Lieshan shook his head, “No. I’ve only scratched the surface, deeper research is ongoing.”

“Which kind does my mother belong to?” Luo Longyu asked the most critical question.

Lieshan led Luo Longyu out of the chamber, silent for a long time before replying, “I haven’t seen it myself, but based on what you’ve said, I believe the one controlling your mother uses our traditional corpse control, not Western methods. So… there must be Shen Zhou forces involved, traitors from our own land.”

Luo Longyu was silent. He thought of Ju Feng and the three ancestors of the Ni Yu tribe, especially Old Eagle. Luo Longyu wasn’t sure if Ju Feng knew corpse control, but Old Eagle mastered self-sacrifice to summon the celestial demon—a manipulation of life and death. If he knew corpse control, it was possible. Yet, Luo Longyu doubted it; Old Eagle suffered severe injuries from the heavenly tribulation, and though he was taken away by a sudden warship, his wounds were serious. Could he recover so quickly? Injuries inflicted by the Dao are far more severe than others.

“That means… there’s someone else involved…” Luo Longyu murmured.

Lieshan glanced at him, “What?”

Luo Longyu didn’t reply, but asked, “In my mother’s case, how many people in China could possibly control a Xuan Yuan corpse?”

“Oh… that’s difficult. From what I know, none. Controlling a Xuan Yuan corpse violates ancestral teachings. If we look back, the nearest example was just after the revolution—a member of the Maoshan sect, somewhat connected to our Xiangxi corpse-driving lineage. His skills were extraordinary, but he died years ago.”

“You mean that Maoshan sorcerer named Kong Qigen?” interjected Luo Mengxuan.

“You’ve heard of him, young lady? Yes, Kong Qigen. In wartime, he sought immortality through the path of the corpse, seeking eternal life via corpse Dao. Rumor has it he allied with Eastern sorcerers to search for Qin relics, but at that time, Eastern invaders were unwelcome in China, and the army intervened before they could act. When the war ended, Kong followed them back to their island, and set his sights on the relics of Susanoo, the storm god. He managed to control Susanoo’s right arm, but was discovered by Eastern sorcerers. Fleeing their pursuit, he returned to China, and supposedly died a few years ago.” Lieshan took several deep drags. “Kong Qigen was truly a genius, though ultimately consumed by ambition.”

“Though Susanoo is minor compared to our gods, he is still a deity. To control his arm is to possess the power needed to master your mother’s corpse,” Lieshan concluded. “Therefore, no corpse-driving master from our clan could possibly control your mother’s body. I suggest you visit Maoshan.”

“We’re not looking for the controller, we’re seeking a method to break the control,” Luo Mengxuan corrected.

Lieshan set down his water pipe. “There are countless ways to break control. Find the key point. For example, if they control your mother’s seven souls via magnetic fields, disrupt the field. If you do it well, you could seize control for yourself. But such fields are hard to break. If they’ve already implanted their own magnetic field into her seven souls, it’ll resonate with their own mind. It depends on how you destroy it.”

“By the way, I suggest seeking help from the military. Their research into electromagnetism might assist you,” Lieshan suddenly remembered.

Luo Longyu did not respond. He simply couldn’t approach the military—Xuan Yi Pavilion was still hunting him.

After a pause, Luo Longyu’s eyes lit up. “Does your corpse-driving clan have any secret methods to track my mother’s corpse?”

“Well…” Lieshan stroked his goatee. “We usually rely on gu worms for tracking, but your mother doesn't have my worms inside her, so it won't work. Maoshan might have a way, though. Their corpse control skills rival ours. It’s worth a try.”

“Hmm? Someone’s here.” At that moment, a small beetle crawled onto Lieshan’s palm. He smiled and looked at Luo Mengxuan and Luo Longyu…

In the city, several young men in plain clothes stood on the highway, alert to their surroundings, as if facing a formidable enemy. The leader was Kong Yuxuan, commander of the third squad of Xuan Yi Pavilion.

Atop a mountain in the dense forest, Luo Longyu and his companions crouched on a protruding boulder, observing Kong Yuxuan’s group from afar. Luo Longyu frowned, “What are they doing here? This is an occupied zone.”

“Uh… my sister isn’t here to catch you, is she?” Luo Mengxuan said worriedly.

Luo Longyu curled his lip, saying nothing. The possibility was high.

As they speculated about the third squad’s purpose, the group suddenly scattered, adopting battle stances. One man formed a hand sign, sword energy flashed like a rainbow, sword shadows spinning like wheels, releasing a sharp, icy aura that sliced a skyscraper in half. With a thunderous crash, a massive claw burst from the collapsing building, roaring towards the man with fierce, hurricane-like force…