Chapter Twelve: Corpse Reflection Mirror

  Congratulations to Jiǔ for this battle result which was not unexpected and not blindly confident in Xīyáng.

  But it was because of the three times the setting sun had hunted down high-ranking undead in the past two days, and that's why the battle ended with just one blow this time.

  The sunset's slender, emerald-green skeleton possessed an unimaginable tenacity, as if it were indestructible. So far, only when Zhu Jiu first saw the sunset, was it harmed by a spell flame under a lower rank, but it quickly recovered its original state with a flash of light.

  This robust skeleton, is it because of the absorption of the remaining essence of the Tian Di Four Fiends' Mu Gui beast or the unusual nature of the sunset itself, or is it a combination of both reasons, Zhu Jiu couldn't be certain, and would need a long time to verify.

  The setting sun's two claws grasped the two high-ranking corpses, bowed their heads, and absorbed the soul fire of the two corpses to reserve energy for their next evolution.

  The two young men standing by let out a miserable cry and fell to the ground as the soul fire of their respective yao corpses went out, their shenhai symbols shattered, and their souls severely damaged.

  Zhu Jiu turned his head to look at the old monster in the center of the main hall, and the old man nodded slightly. Zhu Jiu had a thread of viciousness flash through his heart, and in his consciousness, he gave the order to slaughter under the sunset.

  The setting sun suddenly leapt out, and two claws ended the lives of two young men.

  The setting sun's soul fire extended outward, beginning to refine the bodies of the two young men. Zhu Jiu's face turned cold and gloomy, a hint of ferocity flashing across his youthful features. He swept his gaze around the grand hall at the numerous young men, only to find that no one dared meet his eye this time.

  The nine of them had no intention of being self-satisfied, these people didn't dare to look at themselves directly, it was just because they feared the power of the setting sun. Once their power surpassed that of the setting sun, they would immediately show a different attitude, with a hint of cold smile flashing in their hearts.

  The old monster's sinister laughter echoed in the great hall once again. The old fellow laughed for a while before speaking with a tone of delight:

  "It seems that I, the old man, have good luck. Both groups of regulators have produced excellent materials for cultivation. For the next hundred years, we won't need to supervise this trivial matter of absorbing new people anymore. Hey! Someone, send Zhu Jiu to rest, he doesn't need to participate in the fourth round of assessment, and tomorrow he can directly study at the Cultivation Hall."

  The old monster finished speaking, and the old servant walked out slowly from behind him. Zhu Jiu nodded his head to the many examiners in the grand hall, then quickly followed behind the old servant and left, with Xi Yang following closely behind Zhu Jiu as they exited the grand hall together.

  Following the slightly hunched old servant, Jiǔ passed through several grand and spacious halls and courtyards, finding that the buildings here were mostly in dark colors, gloomy and silent, with an inexplicable sense of oppression when walking among them.

  The courtyards were rarely seen with people, and occasionally passing pedestrians were also hastily passing servants. No one had ever seen people talking to each other, which further highlighted the eerie solemnity of this place.

  Lao Biao and Zhu Jiu walked in silence for about half an hour before arriving at a particularly spacious, several-acre-large temple complex.

  The building is a dark blue throughout, with occasional flashes of light on its surface, as if the stars in the sky have fallen to the ground, with a strong sense of oppression. The architectural style is a combination of squares and circles, reaching hundreds of meters high. Standing in front of the hall, it's hard to see the top of the majestic and grand building.

  The main gate of the grand hall was wide open, and above it hung a large black wooden plaque with three golden characters that read "Xiu Fa Dian". The atmosphere looked majestic and dignified. As Zhu Jiu followed the old servant under the plaque, he faintly heard a mournful cry emanating from within...

  After entering the grand hall, Zhu Jiu followed the old servant and two staff members in the grand hall to walk around each place on the first floor, received clothes and identity tokens and other miscellaneous items for disciples, and was assigned to an independent room located on the fifth floor, about 200 square meters in size. The interior decoration is elegant and comfortable, and the furniture and utensils used are all precious objects of classical style, used as a daily residence.

  Everything settled down, the old servant who rarely spoke finally turned around and said to Zhu Jiu:

  "In this cultivation hall, you will have six years of study time. At the age of 16, there will be an assessment to check your progress in cultivation here. If it can satisfy people, you will become a personal disciple of one of the seventeen old ancestors within the sect. Otherwise, you will be assigned to various outer halls and become a member under their command. Do you understand the difference?"

  Jiujiu thought for a moment and nodded quickly, answering:

  "Disciples understand, if they perform well here, they will belong to the sect's direct strength, with resources and opportunities that are different from others. On the other hand, they will be picked up by various outer temples like those young people who are still participating in the assessment, which is far inferior to now."

  The old servant seemed somewhat surprised, and his turbid old eyes carefully measured Zhu Jiu's gaze. His voice was still hoarse and low as he said:

  "Although your physical quality is slightly inferior, your ambition is extraordinary, and your wisdom and soul power are also transcendent. However, intelligent people often lack perseverance and determination to move forward, always wanting to take shortcuts. Cultivation requires a resolute heart that never gives up, I hope you can learn from this."

  Jiǔ Lǐn rán shòu jiào, gōng jìng de kàn zhe lǎo pú qī sǒu de shēn xíng huǎn huǎn chū le xiū fǎ dà diàn zhèng mén, yòu duì liǎng wèi gēn zài shēn biān de gōng zuò rényuán dǎ shēng zhāo hū, fǎn shēn huí dào wǔ céng fēn pèi gěi zì jǐ de fáng jiān.

  In front of the gate made from a thousand-year-old tree stood three extremely respectful attendants, two men and one woman, who were allocated as servants to Zhu Jiu as an entry-level disciple.

  Two men, both in their twenties, were quite robust. These two people are said to be familiar with the rules and regulations of the Corpse God Sect, and were assigned to Zhu Jiu to run errands and do chores.

  There was only one young maid, just fourteen years old, with a fair and delicate complexion, some baby fat on her face, and a relatively pretty appearance. She was in charge of taking care of Zhu Jiu's daily life, rest, and other miscellaneous tasks.

  All three of them were dressed in white, looking exceptionally clean and tidy. The sect's meticulous arrangement was to allow all disciples to save time, focus on their cultivation, and not worry about trivial matters.

  Zhu Jiu simply communicated with the three of them, knowing that they would have to go and receive their cultivation methods as early as tomorrow. Food was sent over by someone, and the three were then waved off by Zhu Jiu.

  After the three people left, only the quiet standing sunset was left in the room. Zhu Jiu finally had his first leisure time alone after being reborn and waking up. He eagerly took off an ancient bronze plaque tied to his neck with a metal chain.

  The copper piece looks like it's made of brass, with a strange and ancient style, simple and unadorned, round in shape, slightly larger than a coin. Both sides have marks of time and years, looking extremely old. Hanging around the neck, it resembles a longevity lock from a wealthy family.

  This copper piece was brought with Zhu Jiu from his previous life, and it has been hung around his neck by his grandfather since he was born. It is called a corpse mirror, a kind of evil-repelling object that all the corpse drivers in Xiangxi have.

  At this moment, Jiǔ looked at the mirror again and suddenly felt a warm and intimate connection from the bottom of his heart.

  Staring at the copper mirror, Zhu Jiu murmured to herself:

  "Are you the one who has been protecting me through reincarnation? You might have some nostalgia for our hometown, huh! Actually, this place isn't bad either. At least we can cultivate and open a crack in the door to immortality that countless people have pursued since ancient times. Since we're here, let's make the most of it and live our lives to the fullest, walking as far as we can to see what lies at the end. If you have a spirit, lend me your strength."

  The copper mirror held tightly in his hand suddenly emitted a scorching heat, making Zhu Jiu almost unable to hold on, the increasingly hot copper mirror made him feel as if he was holding a burning flame in his hand!