The horse looked ordinary, but Xu Qing immediately recognized it as a robust steed.
After feeding the horse two Strength Pills and one Fasting Pill, Xu Qing galloped away, heading straight for the Imperial Mausoleum.
Nurturing a Golden Armored Corpse requires a substantial amount of Yin metal items; the higher the quality of Yin metal, the stronger the cultivated Golden Armored Corpse becomes.
Although Xu Qing used the funeral money found by Master Feng to forge a Yin Gold Coffin, the Yin Metal Qi from that coffin might not be sufficient for him.
This is why most recorded Golden Armored Zombies appear in ancient tombs.
Because those ancient coffins contain a large amount of high-quality funeral money.
However, many Golden Armored Corpse face celestial thunder punishment shortly after emerging from the tomb.
Back when Xu Qing inquired with White Immortal on Moonlight Mountain, she mentioned the Golden Armored Corpse that had appeared in Xiangyin.
Cultivators observe from afar, estimating the strength of the thunder disaster and its geographical location to deduce which demon is undergoing a tribulation.
The uninitiated can only speculate that the tomb's owner committed numerous sins in life, attracting celestial thunder to strike their grave.
It's said the tomb struck by celestial thunder in Xiangyin County was the burial site of King Chu-liu.
This King Chu-liu was obsessed with cultivating Gu and used the county's people as vessels, using human heads as Gu jars, sewing human skin into drums for controlling Gu insects.
King Chu-liu's vile reputation is infamous, with his evaluation in historical texts summed up in the phrase: "Overfilled with sins, ordained to be executed by divine will!"
The celestial thunder striking the tomb of King Chu-liu in Xiangyin County perfectly aligned with these historical evaluations.
Later, Xu Qing deliberately investigated the matter of King Chu-liu, pondering why such an evil person had his tomb intact, only for a zombie to finally attract celestial tribulation to strike his tomb.
After thorough investigation, Xu Qing concluded that King Chu-liu's tomb held numerous toxic Gu, deterring tomb raiders due to the presence of these insects.
Xu Qing had no interest in the gold and silver treasures within King Chu-liu's tomb; his sole interest lay in the funeral Yin Gold buried within.
Regrettably, a thousand years ago, zombie predecessors had already raided King Chu-liu's tomb; likely, the remaining Yin Metal Qi inside is minimal now, and visiting would be a futile endeavor.
Aside from King Chu-liu's tomb, Xu Qing was reluctant to venture to former dynasty tombs because those were in the southern province, much farther from Jin Sect compared to Luojing.
Keeping proximity in mind, Xu Qing opted for the Imperial Mausoleum of the Dayong Dynasty.
The Thousand-Mile Steed galloped all the way, and everyone who saw the horse on the road couldn't help but exclaim.
"Wow! What kind of horse is this, so agile? It must be no less than a Thousand-Mile Steed!"
A convoy from Jiangnan headed to the Capital City to take exams was resting by a tea shop, and as Xu Qing's chestnut horse swept past, many mistook it for a red gust of wind.
Among them, a scholar in a blue gown glanced at Xu Qing's departing direction, then returned to his book for contemplation.
Shortly afterward, a guard spoke up: "Young Master, we should proceed. By evening, we should be able to meet up with Master in the city."
Wu Wencai put away his book; unlike the enthused surrounding candidates, he seemed rather subdued.
"If my elder brother were still alive, he should be taking the exams with me now..."
Wu Wencai touched the already broken Crane Bone Flute hanging at his waist, his heart growing increasingly melancholy.
...
Zhao Mountain, outside the Fuyong Mausoleum of the Dayong Dynasty.
Xu Qing dismounted, saying: "I have arrived; surely there are beasts in this mountain. You may return the way you came, find another path, and don't wait for me here."
After speaking, Xu Qing slapped its flank, and the horse neighed once, but when it reached the mound, it still glanced back reluctantly.
However, Xu Qing was nowhere to be seen at the original spot.
Inside Fuyong Mausoleum, Xu Qing suppressed his inner restlessness, delving deeper into the place where Yin Metal Qi was the thickest.
Upon reaching the entrance of a burial chamber, Xu Qing glanced at the stone inscription by the door.
He only saw it labeled as honoring some twenty-character-long Empress's honorific title.
Xu Qing decided not to inspect other plaques, thinking he'd choose this one!
Inside the burial chamber, Xu Qing first removed his clothes, then used Mountain and Woodland Arts to wrap himself in a hide marked with eerie patterns.
Golden Armored Corpse, after enduring thunder tribulation, becomes Hidden Corpse.
Hidden Corpse has three transformations: Fur Corpse, Fire Corpse, Black Corpse.
If a zombie wants to evolve into a Kui Ba, they must consciously choose their evolution path upon reaching Hidden Corpse.
Fur Corpse is the master of forests, cultivating leads to becoming a Fur Demon.
Fire Corpse is the Master of Flames, cultivating leads to becoming a Drought Fiend.
Black Corpse is the Water Dominator, cultivating leads to becoming a Water Fiend.
Drought Fiend emerges, thousand miles of arid land; Water Fiend emerges, thousand miles of flooding; Fur Demon emerges, forest submission.
Using Mountain Arts, Guan Xiaohu's skin was crafted into the Forest Tiger Master, then he took out Unstable Black Water, dividing a portion to consume.
Unstable Black Water is dense with malice; reckless consumption leads to losing reason, turning into a true bloodthirsty zombie.
Fortunately, the black river in the Mountain and River Map had a pure white lotus floating on it.
The white lotus had twelve petals; Xu Qing picked a petal, holding it in his mouth like deceased holding jade beads in their mouths while lying in coffins.
With the luminous mountain lotus in his mouth, Xu Qing opened his Yin Pupil to observe the Yin-Burning Fire inside his body.
The Yin-Burning Fire was small, but by harnessing the Yin Metal Qi in the imperial mausoleum, it could perhaps grow stronger.
Hidden Corpse marks the watershed of zombies; Golden Armored Corpse is akin to a young zombie choosing its growth direction.
Having completed his choice, Xu Qing had decided his future evolution path.
Likewise, he must accept the costs associated with this choice.
Three Hidden Corpse transformations, three Kui Ba paths; each path symbolizes considerable cultivation time.
Choosing all three paths implies spending multiple times, even countless years evolving.
Unstable Black Water and forest aura converged behind, and Xu Qing vaguely saw the road ahead.
The road was exceedingly long, possibly spanning a thousand years, ten thousand years, perhaps even longer.
How many cultivators can endure ten thousand years in this world?
Sensing the fateful omen, Xu Qing's Dao Heart remained unwavering.
Time had no wear on him; a cultivation journey spanning ten thousand years meant he could continue his funeral business, guiding more souls.
This was a grand opportunity, worthy of celebration; why would he feel his Dao Heart waver?
In the dark burial chamber, Xu Qing's Dao Heart grew stronger.
He reached out to pull the Empress with the name longer than fate from the coffin, along with the internal coffin, and tossed them into the Box Garden.
Then Xu Qing used the spell "Replacing Crown Prince with Cat" to swap the zombie with the Empress, squeezing his noticeably larger Yin Gold Coffin into the Empress's coffin.
When the coffin closed, silence returned to the tomb.
Inside the coffin, Xu Qing slept peacefully, as if he'd always been resting here, for centuries or millennia...
...
Underground Street.
The coffin shop remained tightly closed, with the aged sign outside directing those seeking funeral items to the Funeral Shop. The wealthy lady Zhang Wan continued running the burial gown store, occasionally joined by a tall and stern-faced woman to audit accounts or a black cat lurking idly at the threshold.
During this time, carrying walnuts and a grandpa, Master Feng and Wang Lingyuan from the government forensic room, along with a newly hired storyteller at the Laifu Inn, appeared outside the shop.
In March, when peach blossoms bloomed, Daoist Yizhen visited the coffin shop and lingered for a while; a little girl pointed at the peach tree in the courtyard, calling it her godmother.
A gentle breeze fluttered, causing a red silk ribbon on the peach tree branches to sway gently.
Fur Corpse is the master of forests, cultivating leads to becoming a Fur Demon.
Fire Corpse is the Master of Flames, cultivating leads to becoming a Drought Fiend.
Black Corpse is the Water Dominator, cultivating leads to becoming a Water Fiend. Fur Corpse is the master of forests, cultivating leads to becoming a Fur Demon.
Fire Corpse is the Master of Flames, cultivating leads to becoming a Drought Fiend.
Black Corpse is the Water Dominator, cultivating leads to becoming a Water Fiend.