Human nature was selfish — Lang Jiuchuan understood this, of course. The situation Daoist Zhishang described would in all likelihood materialize nine times out of ten. Certain wealthy clans, for instance, would always find ways to get their hands on those talismans.

If they sought them through proper means, petitioning the Daoist priests capable of drawing spiritual talismans — that was their own business. But if they plundered what ought to go to the common people, they could not fault her for being merciless.

So her word alone was not enough — this required official backing. Anyone who dared divert resources for private use or personal gain — extermination of the nine clan lineages, that sort — and these spiritual talismans still required Daoist cultivators of sufficient cultivation to draw.

National Preceptor — you are the Protector-Preceptor of the nation. Surely this is a duty you cannot refuse.

Drawing the Pure Yang Formation-Breaking Talisman was no difficult matter for Lang Jiuchuan. She immediately produced ten of them right then and there, along with the formula and instructions for preparation and simmering, and handed them all together to General Ma and the two Daoist priests, directing them to go to Yangchun Prefecture to administer the decoction to the people.

She still needed to refine a truly effective remedy capable of fully eliminating the corpse poison.

Daoist Zhishang silently watched as his two companions went off, the Pure Yang Formation-Breaking Talismans they carried weighing heavy as a thousand catties in significance. Then he looked at Lang Jiuchuan — not only was there no great depletion of vital energy, but she did not even look particularly pale.

The gap between people, when laid side by side, was unmistakable.

So when he had been talked into going to the Lang Family’s gate to question whether she had seized her body through a foreign soul — just what had he been thinking?

He still felt hot with embarrassment even now.

Lang Jiuchuan waved a hand before Daoist Zhishang’s eyes. “Daoist, regarding improving this formula — do you have any suggestions? Those who have already contracted the corpse poison, after drinking this miasma-breaking decoction, can only have the spread of the poison suppressed. Those who recover better may regain their reason, but the poison within their bodies has not been fully eliminated.”

Daoist Zhishang came back to himself, his face flushing slightly. “To be honest, I have not delved deeply into the art of medicine.”

“Then I will trouble you to draw the Formation-Breaking Talismans.” Lang Jiuchuan did not press him further and walked to Xiaoyu’s side to examine her pulse once more. They had regained their reason, but as long as the corpse poison was not eliminated, it would eventually consume their life force.

She lowered her gaze to the bone bell at her waist. Seeing the faint azure glow on the bell’s surface — the spiritual energy belonging to the Water Spirit — she fell into contemplative thought.

If the water used for simmering the decoction were imbued with spiritual energy, would it not be more effective? Truthfully, this corpse poison was not so different from festering ulcers — the only difference being that the corpse specter that gave rise to this poison was particularly malevolent with yin evil. She must have been nurtured in a place of extreme yin evil and corruption to have become so supremely yin and supremely poisonous — much like the pit of corpses and mountains of the dead they had encountered last year, where only a place of such extreme yin and killing energy could cultivate such an yin-poisonous corpse-fiend evil.

“Xiaoyu, where did the corpse specter come from — does anyone know?”

Xiaoyu’s complexion was ashen as she shook her head. “Uncle Dazhu was the first to encounter her, and the first to be bitten.”

Dazhu’s house was on the side near the mountain. Lang Jiuchuan was just about to say something when a Daoist companion suddenly cried out in alarm, calling her name.

Lang Jiuchuan stood up — only to see Dazhu collapsed on the ground, convulsing violently, vomiting up blood in great torrents mixed with fragments of something. And then Dazhu’s eyes snapped open wide, his legs went rigid, and very quickly his breath ceased.

Everyone was somewhat dazed. Had there not been a decoction that could suppress the spread of the corpse poison and ease the symptoms? How had Dazhu simply… died?

Lang Jiuchuan walked over, reached out to feel at his neck — no pulse remained. She let out a soft sigh. “This decoction is gentle toward the uninfected, but it ultimately cannot eliminate the poison. Moreover, his five viscera and six bowels had already been destroyed — beyond medicine’s power to cure.”

So even with the poison unresolved, death was still inevitable?

Those infected with the corpse poison fell silent, some dazed, some with despair spreading across their faces.

Without hope of living, one was simply counting down the days.

Lang Jiuchuan looked at what Dazhu had expelled. She furrowed her brow, picked up a twig, and prodded it. Among the blood was mixed what appeared to be fragments of rotted internal organs — and beyond that, a cluster of tiny granular objects.

These were… insect eggs?

Her expression grew grave. She looked at the egg cluster, which seemed to be pulsing and writhing. Then, abruptly, one egg burst open, and a worm erupted from it, writhing and churning as it absorbed the pool of black blood — then, slowly, it grew larger, becoming a pestilent green, ominous-looking worm.

“These are corpse worms.” One of the Daoist priests drew in a sharp breath.

If they lived inside a human body and fed upon human blood until they hatched and broke free, then the person would certainly become their food source — their internal organs gnawed away, their blood drained entirely, all life force spent, leaving nothing but a hollow corpse.

Lang Jiuchuan suddenly felt something was wrong. What had she overlooked?

“Aaaaah — the corpse has revived! Dao-friends, be careful!” The young Daoist priest let out a shriek.

Lang Jiuchuan saw a black shape lunge straight toward her, baring its fangs. Her eyes sharpened in an instant. Without a second thought, she unleashed a palm-strike of lightning and blasted it forward.

Boom.

The black shape was shattered to pieces.

It was Dazhu’s corpse.

Lang Jiuchuan rose, now understanding what was wrong. Dazhu had lost all life force — he was dead — yet his soul had not departed from his physical body. And so he had become a stiff-corpse.

This was the true form of corpse-fiend evil.

This sudden turn of events gave everyone a severe fright.

Lang Jiuchuan walked up to Dazhu’s remains. Hit squarely by the fierce thunder, his body had been blown through. His soul drifted free — and then scattered and disintegrated, dissolving into blue smoke and vanishing.

She pried open his mouth. Both canine teeth had grown sharp and elongated, becoming fangs. This meant that in severe cases, after the corpse poison corroded the organs, not only did it breed corpse worm eggs — but upon death, the person would also transform into an evil-fiend stiff-corpse.

Daoist Zhishang’s complexion went deathly pale. “How can this be? Is the decoction not working?”

“This is a severe case — all his organs were corroded. And moreover, the corpse poison had dwelt in his body long enough to breed corpse worm eggs.” Lang Jiuchuan pointed to Dazhu’s shattered remains — the exposed internal organs within also contained egg clusters.

“Yet he clearly drank the Pure Yang Formation-Breaking Decoction. That should have suppressed the yin energy and prevented the egg clusters from hatching.” Daoist Zhishang said, “Could it be because the source has grown more powerful? The corpse specter has yet to be found. The more people it feeds upon, the greater its accumulated energy — and so it becomes more toxic. What do you think?”

Lang Jiuchuan’s brow creased. “You mean she functions like a mother worm — the more toxic she becomes, the more toxic the poison she has already spread?”

Daoist Zhishang nodded. “She is the source. The ones she has personally bitten are certainly not limited to Dazhu alone — she has bitten countless people, and from there it spreads one to ten. The source of the poison is now beyond calculation. She herself feeds on the vital blood and essence of people — the more she absorbs, the stronger and more toxic she becomes. And the more people she harms, the more the yin resentment and ill fortune reflecting back to her increases as well — just like the power of faith and willpower, it can become her nourishment and energy.”

Corpse-fiends had their own method of cultivation.

Lang Jiuchuan watched the egg clusters within Dazhu’s body burst open, sent a talisman-fire strike down, and said gravely, “So as long as this corpse specter remains uneradicated, our troubles will not cease.”

She took out her communication jade talisman, formed a finger seal, and sent this news to Gong Tinglan through the talisman — the corpse specter needed to be captured as quickly as possible.

Immediately after, she sent another message to Gong Si: for those critical cases whose organs were damaged beyond saving — the moment they stopped breathing, their heads were to be severed immediately and their bodies burned, to prevent them from becoming true corpse-fiend evils that would then be even more uncontrollable.

She looked toward those who had been longer infected with the corpse poison — at those pairs of terrified eyes — and felt a pang in her heart.