The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World
Chapter 401: This Man Indeed Did Not Die

On the ground of Holy Flame Star, Yun Lan and the others watched as the Nine Yin Island bandit cultivators departed, their expressions dark.

Zhang Jinzhou furrowed his brows deeply. "Senior Sister Yun, are we just going to let them walk away like this? As disciples of the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect, we were swindled by these bandit cultivators. If word of this gets out, we will have no face to show the world!"

Tian Musen smiled bitterly. "I only had two high-grade magic treasures, and I had to hand one over. What kind of situation is this?"

Yun Lan's face twisted in anger. "Who could have imagined that Chu Xuan would disappear like this, vanishing into the Nether Fire Valley? Even True Master Yin went in to search but found no trace of him. And you all suffered a great loss. Am I not suffering too? The reward promised by Jin Yaozu—nothing! Not a single bit. I even had to give away a high-grade magic treasure just to avoid disaster!"

Zhang Jinzhou and Tian Musen were left speechless. They had only meant to complain, but after all, this matter had been led by Yun Lan herself.

Shi Jun Tian stood silently at the side, deeply regretting his actions.

The Golden Core cultivators of the Heavenly Infinite Sect were unaware of the full details. All they knew was that Shi Juntian and the others had failed to stand up against the bandit cultivators, resulting in the death of their sect leader, Chu Xuan. This also led to the disappearance of Elder Shang Xingchen and the capture of Elder Wei Ji, both Nascent Soul experts.

These two events alone were enough to cause his standing among the Golden Core disciples to plummet. Now that Chu Xuan had fallen, even if Shi Jun Tian were to succeed him as the sect leader, he would have no face to remain.

Yun Lan noticed his thoughts and offered some reassurance. "The remnants of the Red Flame Pavilion will soon be destroyed. Once the mission is complete, we can return to the Divine Sect. As for the Heavenly Infinite Sect, the Deity Transformation Elders will handle the matters there. No one will place the blame on you."

Shi Jun Tian's heart finally eased slightly. "I hope so..."

...

Elsewhere, aboard the Flowing Wind ship, Chu Xuan sat cross-legged on his bed, reviewing the spoils of the recent encounter.

"This Chen Jin has only the strength of a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, yet he hid so many talismans. Not bad, not bad."

Chu Xuan smiled broadly as he looked at the six stacks of Nascent Soul talismans. He counted them roughly—there were over sixty in total. Though all of them were only at the early Nascent Soul stage, the sheer quantity could still lead to a qualitative change.

For example, when he had been resisting the pursuit of True Master Yin earlier, if he had these sixty-plus early Nascent Soul talismans, he wouldn't have had to waste so many mid- to late-Nascent Soul talismans, nor would he have needed to throw out Bao to delay for time.

"Ah, there's actually a segment of black flood dragon horn here."

Chu Xuan was pleasantly surprised. He found a piece of black flood dragon horn in the corner of Chen Jin's storage bag. Earlier, he had already refined a segment of black flood dragon horn into the Evil Soul Chain, hoping to upgrade it into a high-grade magic treasure.

Unfortunately, it was still one step short of reaching that level. Now, with this new piece of black flood dragon horn, there might just be a chance to elevate it to a high-grade magic treasure!

"Since I have time..."

Chu Xuan immediately began his weapon refining process. He exhaled a mouthful of Nascent Soul essence.

Under his control, the Nascent Soul essence immediately transformed into flames, enveloping both the Evil Soul Chain and the black flood dragon horn simultaneously. This fire could be adjusted at will according to the cultivator's thoughts, making it the perfect choice for refining tools. It was said that once a cultivator reached the Deity Transformation stage, the Nascent Soul True Fire would further enhance, capable of refining all things in the world and accelerating the absorption speed of rare materials.

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"Unfortunately, the Netherfire Devouring Flame is not suitable for refining tools; otherwise, I wouldn't have to consume Nascent Soul essence to use Nascent Soul true fire."

Chu Xuan shook his head slightly before continuing to calm his mind and refine his tools. He wasn't concerned about the consumption of the Nascent Soul essence. After all, his Nascent Soul, both in size and strength, had far surpassed that of other Nascent Soul cultivators at the same level.

Now, having cultivated the Three-Phase Soul Transformation Secret Technique, his Nascent Soul was even more robust. The Nascent Soul essence consumed by using Nascent Soul true fire would soon be replenished on its own in no time. Before long, the black flood dragon horn was completely refined into the Evil Soul Chain.

Buzz!

A dark glow flickered over the Evil Soul Chain, and a faint, melodious hum echoed from within. Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow and examined it closely.

"It really has been upgraded to a high-grade magic treasure! Well done!"

A look of joy spread across his face. After losing a few high-grade magic treasures earlier, he was in dire need of such a treasure.

Now, with the Evil Soul Chain joining the ranks, along with the White Bone Stele and the Yin Frost Bottle, he had three high-grade magic treasures in total.

As for the Sky-Shielding Umbrella and Blood Demon Flask, they were still far from reaching the status of high-grade magic treasures and would require more time to cultivate.

"The journey to the Starshatter Sea will take quite some time. For now, I can wait."

Chu Xuan settled into meditation, silently continuing his cultivation.

...

Two months later, the communication jade pendant at Chu Xuan's waist vibrated. He infused it with Spiritual Qi. A chilling voice immediately emanated from within. It wasn't the chief leader, Pei Yuankui, but the voice of True Master Yin directly.

"The fleet is about to return to the Starshatter Sea. All leaders are to come to my ship to discuss countermeasures for any potential enemies."

Chu Xuan rose immediately.

Within the bandit cultivators of the Starshatter Sea, it was a constant cycle of snatching from one another, mutual slaughter, and endless conflict.

He had already reviewed Chen Jin's memories and knew that Nine Yin Island was merely a medium-sized faction within the Starshatter Sea. Thus, he had long anticipated that their return to Nine Yin Island wouldn't be a smooth one.

Whenever Nine Yin Island's bandit cultivators returned from a plunder, they would always gather all the leaders beforehand to discuss and formulate strategies. Clearly, this time was no different.

Chu Xuan immediately ordered his subordinates to maneuver the ship closer to the Nine Yin Ship where True Master Yin was located.

Soon after, seven leaders, accompanied by their subordinates, arrived before True Master Yin.

Like the others, Chu Xuan kept his head lowered. True Master Yin, compared to before, seemed mostly unchanged.

Yet, Chu Xuan's perception was acutely sharp. He could sense that True Master Yin's breathing had grown slightly heavier, a clear sign that the injuries from the battle with the Netherfire King had yet to fully heal.

True Master Yin did not speak but instead cast a glance at Pei Yuankui.

Pei Yuankui understood immediately and said, "The factions in conflict with our Nine Yin Island are White Bone Island and Black Wind Island. When we return to the Starshatter Sea, the fleets of these two islands are the most likely to attempt an interception.

"However, we deliberately activated a concealment array during our plundering, so no cultivators detected us. Everyone need not worry. When we near the Starshatter Sea, we must remain vigilant and be ready to activate the array at any moment."

The leaders all immediately responded, "Yes!"

Pei Yuankui then took out six storage bags and said, "The True Master is concerned that you brothers may face danger. Within these bags are spirit stones, magic treasures, talismans, and pills, all bestowed upon you by the True Master."

The second leader, Sima Zhen, was visibly moved. "Thank you, True Master! In this lifetime, I will follow your every command, riding at your side without question!"

The third leader quickly followed suit. "The True Master is my heaven! I will remain eternally loyal!"

Naturally, Chu Xuan and the other leaders also expressed their gratitude, their faces filled with sincere appreciation.

True Master Yin gave a faint smile. "Go back now, rest well during this time, and conserve your strength. Be vigilant against any external threats."

"Yes!"

The group promptly departed.

As they left, Chu Xuan's eyes subtly caught sight of one of Sima Zhen's subordinates. His brow arched in surprise. The man's disguise technique was exceedingly advanced, yet it still fell short by a small margin.

Thus, with a single glance, Chu Xuan saw through the man's false appearance. Especially the man's mannerisms. They were eerily reminiscent of someone he knew all too well.

Shang Xingchen!

The man was indeed not dead. And, just like him, he had somehow made his way into the Nine Yin Island bandit cultivators!