Chapter 187: Spirit Tribe Legends (Part Two)

Yu Shijiu shook his head slightly and said, "I'm not sure if that person is still alive."

Master Jingkong said, "It's been three hundred years. It's impossible for them to still be alive, right? How could anyone on earth live for over three hundred years?"

Yu Shijiu said, "People of our Spirit Tribe generally have longer lifespans. Living to seventy or eighty is common, and reaching a hundred is not unusual, as we typically live without illness or disaster for most of our lives. As far as I know, three hundred years ago, when our tribe's most precious treasure was still with us, there were even people in our tribe who lived to one hundred and fifty or sixty before passing away naturally.

The one who stole the treasure and fled, betraying the tribe, was Yu Twelve, the fourteenth generation Guardian. Each generation of our tribe's Guardians possesses unique talents. My talent is in swordsmanship, while Yu Twelve's talent was in medicine.

You can probably imagine that our tribe's spirit blood itself can revive the dead and heal bones, possessing special energy. With Yu Twelve also having such a unique medical talent, his creativity in the field of medicine would have reached an unimaginable level for ordinary people.

He was single-minded in his desire to uncover the secrets of the spirit blood. Later, he stole the treasure and escaped. The spirit blood combined with the Spirit Tribe's treasure can naturally prolong life, and since Yu Twelve had such powerful medical talent, it's possible he could have created even more effective ways to extend life. Therefore, if he were to appear one day, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

Master Jingkong thought for a moment and said, "Given what you've said, that is certainly possible. While ordinary people cannot live for three hundred years, your Spirit Tribe is, after all, not ordinary."

At this point, Master Jingkong suddenly asked, "However, I have a question: when Yu Twelve stole your tribe's most precious treasure back then, did your tribe not consider retrieving it?"

Yu Shijiu shook his head slightly and said, "Why would we pursue it? If Yu Twelve didn't want to stay with the tribe, that was his freedom. That tribal treasure had been with us for hundreds of years, and apart from assisting in the practice of the Zombie Arts, it didn't hold much significance for our tribe. Our people also lacked the ability to fully understand how to use it. If Yu Twelve could comprehend and utilize the treasure effectively, the tribe would be proud of him.

Although we all say he betrayed the tribe, he claimed his betrayal wasn't due to stealing the treasure—that item was something anyone in our tribe could use, so if he took it, no one would pursue it. The reason we consider him a traitor is because he was a Guardian. Every generation of our Guardians, excluding those who died prematurely, is responsible for guarding the spiritual path for sixty years. He ran away without completing his duty; that's why we consider it a betrayal."

Master Jingkong smiled and said, "Your tribe truly has a high level of understanding. That Spirit Tribe treasure is an item that can increase lifespan, yet you don't even get angry when it's stolen."

Yu Shijiu said, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all natural laws. Our Spirit Tribe has largely cast off aging and sickness; only birth and death remain. And we already live long enough, so what difference does it make to live a few decades more or less?"

"Then, if Yu Twelve defected, would he transmit your Spirit Tribe's bloodline to outsiders?" Master Jingkong asked.

"No," Yu Shijiu shook his head. "Our tribe cannot conceive children with outsiders through marriage. Otherwise, our population wouldn't be so small."

"I see," Master Jingkong nodded, shifting the topic away from the Spirit Tribe. "Earlier, outside, you seemed to know someone was coming to kill me?"

Yu Shijiu nodded and said, "You've stayed at Shatuo Temple for a long time, not getting involved in martial arts affairs, so you're unaware of what's happening outside. The Zombie Arts were never lost; they've always been hidden in the Northern Desert martial arts world.

Ke Wenhui, the master of Taohua Villa, was He Changqing's illegitimate son from back then. He had been practicing the Zombie Arts and secretly plotting revenge. Over the years, all those who participated in the siege of He Changqing have either been killed or disappeared for various reasons, all orchestrated by him.

Recently, he was killed by Gu Mo, the Great Hero of Yunzhou, in Camel Bell Town. However, he had secretly cultivated a group of high-level practitioners of the Zombie Arts who would continue his unfinished tasks, meaning they would continue his revenge. I rushed back as soon as I heard this news, intending to warn you to find a suitable place to hide, but I didn't expect them to arrive so quickly."

Master Jingkong's expression grew increasingly solemn. "Tell me everything about Ke Wenhui from beginning to end!"

Yu Shijiu said, "I was in the Hanyadu area at the time, just not in Camel Bell Town, so I don't know all the details, only the general outline. After the burial of Yuchi Feng, the leader of the Great Saber Sect, various sects encountered attacks on their return journey, including Lin Duanyun, the leader of Qiongshan Sect..."

Then, Yu Shijiu recounted to Master Jingkong everything he had heard in the martial arts world about the zombie slaying in Camel Bell Town.

After listening, Master Jingkong's face was grim. "It's fake. Ke Wenhui was a decoy. No wonder they were so eager to kill me."

Yu Shijiu asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Master Jingkong explained, "He Changqing indeed had an illegitimate son, but it wasn't Ke Wenhui; it's Lin Duanyun, the current leader of Qiongshan Sect. Logically, only Abbot Bai Qiliao and I should know about this."

Yu Shijiu was surprised. "Lin Duanyun is He Changqing's illegitimate son? How did this happen? And how did you know?"

"It's a long story," Master Jingkong mused for a moment before slowly beginning. "Many years ago, Bai Qiliao and He Changqing were sworn brothers. In their youth, He Changqing and Bai Qiliao were the two most renowned young talents in the Northern Desert martial arts world.

They constantly competed in secret: if one eliminated an evil master, the other would eradicate a bandit lair; if one became the leader of the Huajian Sect, the other would become the leader of the Qiongshan Sect. Neither would yield to the other.

Then, about forty years ago, by chance, both of them arrived in Shatuo City on the same day to visit me. Both were masters, and for many years, they had been unspoken rivals whose strength was debated among martial artists. They immediately began to fight.

However, their fight turned into a friendship. After a day and a night of fierce combat, Bai Qiliao lost, but instead of animosity, they developed profound respect and admiration for each other. From then on, they became close friends. Afterwards, they worked together to uphold righteousness in the martial arts world, enduring many hardships and forming a deep bond, becoming sworn brothers.

Later, about thirty-three years ago, He Changqing was already a grandmaster on that generation's Qingzhou Heavenly Ranking, and the Huajian Sect was recognized as the leading sect in the Northern Desert. He Changqing and Bai Qiliao's relationship remained unshakable. One day, He Changqing suddenly approached Bai Qiliao and entrusted his child to him."

Yu Shijiu was slightly taken aback. "Entrusted his child? You mean Lin Duanyun?"

"Yes," Master Jingkong replied. "He Changqing didn't tell Bai Qiliao the specifics, only that he was about to undertake a very dangerous endeavor from which he might not return. If he were to leave, he had only one illegitimate son he couldn't abandon.

He Changqing had married several times throughout his life, but these were always forced unions, and his fate was difficult, leaving him without heirs—either his wives couldn't bear children, or the children died young. Later, he heard from a fortune teller that his destiny dictated that father and son could neither meet nor know each other.

So, He Changqing concealed his identity, bought a female slave, and had her live in a small village. Later, that woman indeed bore him a son. However, because of the fortune teller's advice, He Changqing never revealed himself to his son, nor did he let the woman know his identity; he even wore a human skin mask when he was with her.

Afterward, He Changqing entrusted his illegitimate son to Bai Qiliao and departed. He didn't say what he was going to do, but after six months, he returned alive. Yet, after that return, Bai Qiliao noticed that He Changqing had become somewhat eccentric, often going into seclusion, claiming he was going to create an unbeatable martial art."

At this point, Master Jingkong looked at Yu Shijiu and said, "You must have guessed where He Changqing went during those six months he disappeared, right?"

Yu Shijiu said in a deep voice, "Over thirty years ago, a master broke through the Blazing Ruins and entered our Mirage Sand Valley. At the time, it actually panicked our tribe; we thought our Spirit Tribe identity had been discovered. As it turned out, that person never actually entered the valley. They just tinkered around the edge of the Blazing Ruins for a few months and took away the Zombie Arts... We don't call it Zombie Arts; we call it Fiery Golden Body Art.

It seems that person was He Changqing. He copied the manual for the Fiery Golden Body Art from the Blazing Ruins. What he didn't know was that the Fiery Golden Body Art could only be cultivated by members of our Spirit Tribe, and without the Spirit Tribe's most precious treasure, even we Spirit Tribe members couldn't cultivate it anymore. So, afterward, he modified the Fiery Golden Body Art into the monstrous Zombie Arts."

Master Jingkong said, "That's how it was. You must have heard about what happened afterward. After He Changqing cultivated the Zombie Arts, he definitely couldn't control his evil nature, constantly draining blood and killing people, causing panic in the martial arts world.

Because of his close relationship with Bai Qiliao, Bai Qiliao noticed some abnormalities. Afterward, Bai Qiliao came to me and informed me of the situation, which is how I learned about He Changqing having an illegitimate son.

Subsequently, Bai Qiliao and I joined forces, gathering masters from various martial arts factions to besiege He Changqing. In that battle, more than seventy of us went, but only about ten returned alive.

Later, Bai Qiliao brought He Changqing's illegitimate son to Qiongshan Sect and carefully nurtured him. That illegitimate son was indeed Lin Duanyun. Lin Duanyun's performance greatly satisfied Bai Qiliao, who not only passed on the sect leader position but also married his daughter to him."

Yu Shijiu frowned slightly. "So, the one who has been secretly cultivating the Zombie Arts all along is Lin Duanyun. He's the real ruthless person, enduring for five or six years, secretly plotting revenge. Ke Wenhui was just a scapegoat he put forward."

Master Jingkong said, "Bai Qiliao has already been harmed by him. Today, if you hadn't been here, I would certainly be dead too, and no one in this world would ever know his true identity. With Ke Wenhui dead, even if the Six Gates Bureau discovers that someone has been draining blood and killing people all these years, they will only pin the blame on the deceased Ke Wenhui. No one will suspect Lin Duanyun. He will perfectly clear himself of any guilt.

Furthermore, he might have already mastered the Zombie Arts to perfection, no longer needing to drain blood. He can then use Bai Qiliao's Diamond Iron Shirt as a cover. Even if he uses the Zombie Arts to dominate the martial arts world, people will only think his Iron Shirt technique is unfathomably profound. No one will know how many innocent souls are in his hands. He will perfectly complete what He Changqing failed to accomplish back then!"