Chapter 413: The Barbarian Bone That Loves Learning

Hanshui City, the capital of Huangzhou, is the region's most important and prosperous city. The Corpse-Driving Sect is situated in the Yin Corpse Mountain Range just outside Hanshui City, an area renowned for its potent Yin energy, which is ideal for cultivating corpses.

All corpse drivers regard the Yin Corpse Mountain Range, where the Corpse-Driving Sect resides, as a sacred land.

Upon entering the Corpse-Driving Sect's territory, despite it being a bright sunny day, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou felt no warmth at all; instead, a chilling cold permeated the air. Zhao Po, however, wore a comfortable expression, seemingly enjoying the environment.

Immortal Fairy was not surprised by this. "It's not just corpse drivers," she explained, "anyone who cultivates Yin-attributed methods will find this place very comfortable. What's more, it never thunders when it rains here, making it exceptionally safe."

Yin-attributed cultivation methods refer to practices associated with ghosts, spirits, corpses, and similar entities. The techniques cultivated by the Nine Nether Sect, for instance, are classified as Yin-attributed.

Cultivators of Yin-attributed methods dread thunder the most because lightning, representing ultimate Yang and utmost rigidity, is the strongest counter to their practices. One of the twenty-four solar terms, "Jingzhe" (Awakening of Insects), specifically describes the deterrent effect of thunder on Yin entities.

"Senior Brother Zhao Po, you're back!" two gatekeeping disciples exclaimed upon seeing Zhao Po return, quickly bowing in greeting. Each of them also had a living corpse standing guard alongside them.

As the second-ranked disciple of the new generation, Zhao Po was an idol among the other disciples. Unlike the top-ranked disciple Huang Ming, Zhao Po was always willing to help others, and many had benefited from his assistance, making him very popular throughout the Corpse-Driving Sect.

"Senior Brother Zhao," one asked, "who are these two...?"

"They are fellow Daoists from the Dao-Seeking Sect," Zhao Po replied, "Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, here to visit our sect."

The two gatekeeping disciples were greatly surprised. "The Dao-Seeking Sect again?!" they exclaimed.

"Again?" Zhao Po asked, puzzled.

"Senior Brother Zhao, you might not know," one disciple explained, "but while you were away, a Daoist from the Dao-Seeking Sect came to our sect. He's also a barbarian and is here to learn corpse-driving techniques."

"Is his name Mang Gu?" Lu Yang couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, that's his name," the disciple confirmed.

"Why is Mang Gu learning corpse-driving techniques?" Meng Jingzhou asked, confused. "Isn't he a Confucian cultivator?"

"Who knows?" the disciple shrugged.

The two gatekeeping disciples reported their arrival to the sect. Upon hearing the news, a sect steward personally came out to greet Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

"Steward, please inform your sect leader," Lu Yang requested, "that we are here to visit him."

The steward showed a troubled expression. "The sect leader is at a crucial stage of his cultivation," he explained, "and has been in seclusion ever since taking Huang Ming as a disciple. He cannot see anyone."

"I see," Lu Yang replied. "No problem. We can visit your sect elders instead." After all, they were there to find a solution for Meng Jingzhou, so speaking with any elder would suffice.

"Then I'll take you two," Zhao Po said with a smile. "My master is the Grand Elder." After the sect's grand competition, Huang Ming was taken as a disciple by the sect leader, while Zhao Po became a disciple of the Grand Elder. In terms of actual status, Zhao Po was even higher in rank than a steward.

"Then we'll trouble you, Senior Nephew Zhao Po," the steward said.

"It's no trouble at all, Uncle Mo," Zhao Po replied.

The three, accompanied by one living corpse and one horse, smoothly entered the Corpse-Driving Sect. After settling the old horse, they proceeded to find the sect's Grand Elder.

"What a wonderful smell," Zhao Po remarked, his nose twitching as he caught an unfamiliar yet alluring fragrance.

"It really is fragrant, and quite familiar," Meng Jingzhou agreed, his nose twitching as he recognized the scent of barbecue.

"It must be Mang Gu," Lu Yang chuckled. Only the three of them, high-ranking members of the Immortal Sect, and disciples of the Nine Nether Sect knew how to produce this particular aroma. In other words, apart from those associated with the Demonic Sect, only the three of them possessed this skill.

"Let's go say hello," Meng Jingzhou said, completely forgetting about his curse.

The trio followed the enticing aroma to find Mang Gu, though truth be told, they could have simply looked for the largest crowd. A group of Corpse-Driving Sect disciples were gathered in a circle, and the fragrance was clearly wafting from their center.

"Excuse me, excuse me," they said, squeezing their way to the front of the crowd, where they finally saw Mang Gu. Mang Gu was seated cross-legged on the ground, muttering to himself. Over the bonfire, two lamb corpses appeared to "dance," applying seasonings to each other. The scent of the lamb and the spices blended perfectly, releasing an irresistible aroma when stimulated by the flames. The two lamb corpses were roasted to a mouth-watering, enticing color.

"Divide!" Mang Gu roared. The two lamb corpses spontaneously disintegrated into small, individual portions, one for each person. The Corpse-Driving Sect disciples, who had been eagerly awaiting this moment, quickly devoured their portions, praising the meal endlessly.

"I've never tasted such delicious roast lamb," one disciple exclaimed. "Just look at the skin—it's perfectly crispy and fragrant! And the meat—every bite is bursting with juices!"

"It's more than that!" another chimed in. "The roast lamb I used to eat was always unevenly cooked—some parts burnt, others half-raw. But look at what Daoist Mang Gu roasted! It's incredibly fragrant; even the bones are bursting with flavor!"

"The Dao-Seeking Sect truly has innovative methods," someone else commented. "Why did it never occur to us to use corpse-driving techniques for barbecue? The results are amazing!"

"That's why they can enter the Dao-Seeking Sect and we can't," another agreed. "Their level of thinking is just different."

"It's not just their level of thinking; Daoist Mang Gu's talent is exceptional too," another added. "Look at us—it takes three to five years to learn corpse-driving techniques, but Daoist Mang Gu mastered it in half a month!"

"His zeal for learning is stronger than ours."

Mang Gu, however, appeared very humble. "You fellow Daoists are flattering me too much," he said. "My meager skill is nothing compared to my two senior brothers; it's like a small wizard meeting a great one. Especially Senior Brother Lu Yang—if he were to learn corpse-driving techniques and combine them with the Samadhi True Fire, the taste of this roast lamb could reach an even higher level!"

The crowd couldn't even imagine how delicious that would be.

Lu Yang: "..."

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

*No wonder you, Mang Gu, came to learn corpse-driving techniques*, Lu Yang thought. *So you haven't forgotten what we talked about in the dense forest.*

During their training in the dense forest, Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, Tao Tianye, and Mang Gu had slaughtered numerous demonic beasts. At that time, Mang Gu noticed that roasting whole beasts often led to uneven cooking, prompting him to suggest using corpse-driving techniques for barbecuing. This method even earned high praise from Immortal Fairy, Ancient Mang Gu's powerful backer.

"Mang Gu is learning very smoothly," Lu Yang whispered. "Not only can he make the lamb corpses roast while standing over the fire, but they can also automatically decompose." Both knew from Zhao Po that living corpse decomposition was a battle technique, extremely difficult to master.

"Mang Gu, long time no see!" both Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou called out, their lips curving into smiles.

Hearing the familiar voices, Mang Gu suddenly looked up. His eyes lit up as he saw Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "Brother Lu, Brother Meng, why are you here?" he asked.

"Old Meng has done too many bad things and is getting his retribution," Lu Yang said with a mischievous grin.

"Bad things?" Mang Gu asked, puzzled. In his mind, both Brother Lu and Brother Meng were his role models, good people. How could they possibly do bad things?

"Old Meng has been cursed," Lu Yang explained, "and now he has absolutely no luck with women."

Mang Gu suddenly understood. *Brother Meng must have intentionally subjected himself to this curse to develop the full potential of his 'single spirit root' and demonstrate his unwavering resolve in cultivation.* *While I've been learning corpse-driving techniques, Brother Lu and Brother Meng must have been racing against time, cultivating diligently and earnestly.* *In contrast, I became complacent after learning just a bit of corpse-driving, a skill that doesn't even enhance cultivation. Compared to Brother Meng, I've simply been wasting my time.* He felt a deep sense of shame.