nà shì yī míng shēn chuān huá fú de lǎo zhě ， kàn shàng qù zhì shǎo yǐ yǒu qī shí yú suì nián jì ， kě jī fū yíng bái rú yù ， xiān fēng dào gǔ ， jiǎn zhí jiù rú tóng xiān rén xià fán shì de 。 hún shēn shàng xià ， nǎ yǒu yì diǎn yīn sēn kǒng bù ， kě tā piān piān què lái dào le zhè guǐ xiū de fāng shì zhī ■ zhōng 。
那是一名身穿华服的老者，看上去至少已有七十余岁年纪，可肌肤莹白如玉，仙风道骨，简直就如同仙人下凡似的。浑身上下，哪有一点阴森恐怖，可他偏偏却来到了这鬼修的坊市之■中。
That was an elderly man dressed in fine robes, who appeared to be at least seventy years old. Yet his skin was as white as jade and he exuded a transcendent aura, almost like a celestial being had descended from the heavens. There was nothing eerie or terrifying about him, but for some reason, he found himself among the ghost cultivators' market.
bù zhǐ lín xuān ， zhōu wéi qí yú de xiū xiān zhě ， yě dà duō lù chū jīng yà zhī sè ， rán ér shén shí zài lǎo zhě shēn shàng yī sǎo ， què fēn fēn dà jīng de dī xià tou ， gǎn kuài liū zǒu 。
不止林轩，周围其余的修仙者，也大多露出惊讶之色，然而神识在老者身上一扫，却纷纷大惊的低下头，赶快溜走。
Not just Lin Xuan, but most of the other cultivators around also showed surprise on their faces. However, as soon as they detected his presence with their spiritual senses, they quickly lowered their heads and hurriedly left.
yuán yīng hòu qī ！
元婴后期！
Advanced Core Formation!
cǐ rén jū rán shì yī wèi dà xiū shì 。
此人居然是一位大修士。
This person was actually a great cultivator.
zhè yàng de cún zài ， chú le nà xiē bù wèn shì shì de lí hé qī lǎo guài ， yǐ shì rén jiè dǐng ér jiān ér de cún zài ， qiě bù shǎo pí qì gǔ guài ， zì rán méi yǒu rén gǎn duō shuō ， wàn yī rě huò shàng shēn qǐ bù shì cǎn le 。 lín xuān yě tóng yàng jiāng mù guāng nuó kāi ， liǎn shàng shén sè bù biàn ， tiáo ér xīn tiào què wēi wēi jiā le qǐ lái 。“ shào yé ， nǐ zěn me le ？” mù ér hào qí de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， qū qū yī míng dà xiū shì ， bié rén huò xǔ rèn wéi liǎo bù qǐ ， dàn shào yé yīng gāi hái bù fàng zài yǎn lǐ 。“ yuè ér ，$$； jué bù jué dé ， cǐ rén yǒu xiē shú ？”“ a ？” yuè ér yī dāi ， zhòu méi xiǎng le qǐ lái ， qiào liǎn shàng mǎn shì máng rán ：“ bú huì ba ， xiǎo bì yì diǎn yìn xiàng yě wú ， wǒ men yīng gāi méi yǒu jiàn guò ， shào yé ， nǐ shì bú shì jì cuò ？”“ wǒ bú shì shuō miàn mào ， ér shì zhǐ qì xī ， hái yǒu fǎ lì ， gěi wǒ de gǎn jué shí fēn shú xī ， yǐ qián yīng gāi jiāo guò shǒu 。” lín xuān huǎn huǎn de kāi kǒu 。
这样的存在，除了那些不问世事的离合期老怪，已是人界顶儿尖儿的存在，且不少脾气古怪，自然没有人敢多说，万一惹祸上身岂不是惨了。林轩也同样将目光挪开，脸上神色不变，鲦而心跳却微微加了起来。“少爷，你怎么了？”目儿好奇的声音传入耳朵，区区一名大修士，别人或许认为了不起，但少爷应该还不放在眼里。“月儿，$$；觉不觉得，此人有些熟？”“啊？”月儿一呆，皱眉想了起来，俏脸上满是茫然：“不会吧，小婢一点印象也无，我们应该没有见过，少爷，你是不是记错？”“我不是说面貌，而是指气息，还有法力，给我的感觉十分熟悉，以前应该交过手。”林轩缓缓的开口。
Such an existence, aside from those aloof Separation Period elders who didn't concern themselves with worldly affairs, were already at the pinnacle of human existence. Many of them had strange temperaments, so no one dared to say anything; otherwise, they might end up in trouble. Lin Xuan also turned his gaze away, maintaining a calm expression on his face, but his heart began to beat faster.
“ shào yé ， duì fāng kě shì yuán yīng hòu qī de xiū xiān zhě ， zhè yàng de duì shǒu ， bié shuō céng dòu guò fǎ le ， jiù suàn jiàn guò ， yě yīng gāi yìn xiàng shēn s1， kě wǒ zhēn de yì diǎn yě xiǎng bù qǐ lái le 。” yuè ér biǎo qíng gǔ guài de shuō 。
“少爷，对方可是元婴后期的修仙者，这样的对手，别说曾斗过法了，就算见过，也应该印象深s1，可我真的一点也想不起来了。”月儿表情古怪的说。
"Master, what's wrong?" Little Eyebrow's curious voice entered his ears. While others might find a great cultivator impressive, Master shouldn't care much about it. "Moon, do you think this person looks familiar?"
ér zài lín xuān zhǔ pú yòng shén shí qiǎo rán tǎo lùn de shí hòu ， nà lǎo zhě mù guāng yě zài zhōu wéi sǎo guò ， kàn dào lín xuān de shí hòu tóng kǒng wēi suō ， dàn liǎn shàng yě lù chū le máng rán zhī sè 。 yǒu diǎn shú ， bù guò duì fāng zěn me kě néng shì guǐ xiū ， ér qiě miàn mào yě bù tóng ， yīng gāi bú shì nà ge rén de 。
而在林轩主仆用神识悄然讨论的时候，那老者目光也在周围扫过，看到林轩的时候瞳孔微缩，但脸上也露出了茫然之色。有点熟，不过对方怎么可能是鬼修，而且面貌也不同，应该不是那个人的。
"Ah?" Moon was taken aback and frowned as she tried to recall. Her pretty face showed confusion: "No way, I have no impression of him at all. We haven't met before, Master, are you mistaken?"
“ yuè ér ， wǒ zhī dào cǐ rén shì shuí le 。” lín xuān nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn dòng ， zài jì yì zhōng sōu suǒ ， zhōng yú ， yǒu le xiàn suǒ 。
“月儿，我知道此人是谁了。”林轩脑海中念头转动，在记忆中搜索，终于，有了线索。
"I'm not talking about his appearance but the aura and cultivation power. It feels very familiar; we must have crossed paths before," Lin Xuan slowly spoke.
“ zhēn de ， shào yé ， nǐ xiǎng qǐ lái le ？”
“真的，少爷，你想起来了？”
"Master, the opponent is an advanced Core Formation cultivator. Such a formidable foe, even if we've fought before, it should leave a deep impression on us. But I really can't remember anything about this," Moon said with a strange expression.
“ bù cuò ，$$； kě hái jì de nà mào chōng wǒ shī fù de jiā huo 。” lín xuān huǎn huǎn de shuō 。
“不错，$$；可还记得那冒充我师傅的家伙。”林轩缓缓的说。
While Lin Xuan and his servant were quietly discussing using their spiritual senses, the elderly man's gaze swept around as well. When he saw Lin Xuan, his pupils constricted slightly, but he also showed signs of confusion. It felt familiar, but how could it be a ghost cultivator? And his appearance was different; this couldn't be that person.
“ mào chōng tōng yǔ ， xiàng líng yào shān zāi zāng jià huò ， shào yé ， nǐ shì shuō nà dì èr yuán shén …… yuè ér jīng lín xuān tí xǐng ， xiù le xiù xiǎo yáo bí ：“ hái zhēn yǒu jǐ fēn xiāng sì ， zhè me shuō ， nà kuǐ lěi jiù shì zhè jiā huo cāo kòng de ， yí ， shī qì ， shào yé ， zhè jiā huo bú shì rén lèi xiū xiān zhě ， ér shì huó shī 。“ huó shī ？” lín xuān yī dāi ， yě bù yóu de bó rán sè biàn ：“ bú huì ba ， yuè ér ， wǒ zěn me méi yǒu gǎn jué chū lái 。”“ bù qīng chǔ ， kě néng xiǎo bì duì yīn sī guài wù tè bié mǐn gǎn de yuán gù ， zhè jiā huo jué duì shì huó shī ， wǒ bú huì nòng cuò ， shào yé ， nǐ yào xiǎo xīn le 。” yuè ér kěn dìng de kāi kǒu 。
“冒充通羽，像灵药山栽赃嫁祸，少爷，你是说那第二元神……月儿经林轩提醒，嗅了嗅小瑶鼻：“还真有几分相似，这么说，那傀儡就是这家伙操控的，咦，尸气，少爷，这家伙不是人类修仙者，而是活尸。“活尸？”林轩一呆，也不由得勃然色变：“不会吧，月儿，我怎么没有感觉出来。”“不清楚，可能小婢对阴司怪物特别敏感的缘故，这家伙绝对是活尸，我不会弄错，少爷，你要小心了。”月儿肯定的开口。
"I know who this is, Moon," Lin Xuan's thoughts raced as he searched through his memory and finally found a clue.
rú guǒ shì yǐ qián de xiǎo yā tou ， tā de zhè fān tí xǐng ， lín xuān wèi bì huì fàng zài xīn zhōng ， zì jǐ dōu bù néng jiāng duì fāng de zhēn shēn kàn pò ， yuè ér yī xiǎo xiǎo de níng dān qī guǐ xiū ， nǎ néng yǒu zhè yàng de shén tōng 。
如果是以前的小丫头，她的这番提醒，林轩未必会放在心中，自己都不能将对方的真身看破，月儿一小小的凝丹期鬼修，哪能有这样的神通。
"Really, Master, you remember him?"
bù guò rú jīn bù tóng ， lín xuān suī bù zhī yuè ér guò qù jiū jìng shì shén me ， dàn sān fú huà juàn zhōng yě kě yǐ dé chū ， jué duì fēi tóng xiǎo kě ， tā ǒu ěr huì mào chū yī xiē líng sǎn de jì yì ， xiàn zài jiù suàn huī fù yī xiē gǔ guài de néng lì ， yě bù xī qí 。 huó shī ， zì jǐ què shí dé xiǎo xīn zài yì 。 zhè ge míng cí tīng qǐ lái yǒu xiē kě bù ， qí shí yě bù guò shì tōng líng jiāng shī de lìng yī zhǒng jiào fǎ bà le 。 zài xiū xiān jiè ， jiāng shī tōng líng ， dà tǐ kě fēn wéi liǎng zhǒng 。
不过如今不同，林轩虽不知月儿过去究竟是什么，但三幅画卷中也可以得出，绝对非同小可，她偶尔会冒出一些零散的记忆，现在就算恢复一些古怪的能力，也不稀奇。活尸，自己确实得小心在意。这个名词听起来有些可怖，其实也不过是通灵僵尸的另一种叫法罢了。在修仙界，僵尸通灵，大体可分为两种。
"Yes. Can you recall the impostor pretending to be my master?" Lin Xuan said slowly.
yī zhǒng shì zì rán tōng líng ， zhè yàng de tiáo xiū fēi cháng kē kè ， dàn duì jiāng shī běn shēn ， yě yǒu hǎo chù ， zhǐ xū yào xiū liàn dào yí dìng chéng dù ， jiù huì kāi qǐ líng zhì ， yǔ yāo shòu jìn rù huà xíng qī lèi sì ， dàn gèng jiā róng yì ， zhù jī qī de zì rán jiāng shī ， jiù huì yōng yǒu chū bù de líng shí ， jìn jiē níng dān yǐ hòu ， zhì huì yǔ rén lèi chà bu duō 。
一种是自然通灵，这样的条休非常苛刻，但对僵尸本身，也有好处，只需要修炼到一定程度，就会开启灵智，与妖兽进入化形期类似，但更加容易，筑基期的自然僵尸，就会拥有初步的灵识，进阶凝丹以后，智慧与人类差不多。
"The one who impersonated Tong Yu, framing Lingyao Mountain for false charges. You mean that second spirit essence… Moon sniffed Little Yao's nose after being reminded by Lin Xuan: "It does have a resemblance. So, that puppet was controlled by this guy? Wait, Corpse Qi. Master, he’s not a human cultivator but a living corpse."
zhè yàng de jiāng shī ， bèi chēng wéi huó shī ， yōng yǒu wán quán de zì wǒ yì shí ， yǔ nà zhǒng bèi xiū xiān zhě cāo kòng ， xíng rú kuǐ lěi de mó shī wán quán bù tóng 。
这样的僵尸，被称为活尸，拥有完全的自我意识，与那种被修仙者操控，形如傀儡的魔尸完全不同。
"Living corpse?" Lin Xuan was taken aback and his expression changed dramatically: "No way, Moon, I didn't sense it."
bù guò huó shī suī rán kǒng bù ， dàn shù liàng bìng bù duō ， yī shì zì rán tōng líng tiáo jiàn běn jiù kē s1， èr lái ， jí biàn chū xiàn le ， yě cháng cháng bèi xiū xiān zhě tú chuō ， huò zhě gān cuì bèi guǐ xiū mǒ qù shén shí ， dàng zuò kuǐ lěi dǎ shǒu ， bǐ rú shuō lín xuān de chǔ wù dài zhōng ， jiù yǒu yī jù mó shī de 。
不过活尸虽然恐怖，但数量并不多，一是自然通灵条件本就苛s1，二来，即便出现了，也常常被修仙者屠戳，或者干脆被鬼修抹去神识，当作傀儡打手，比如说林轩的储物袋中，就有一具魔尸的。
"I'm not sure, but perhaps due to my heightened sensitivity to阴司monsters, this guy is definitely a living corpse. I won’t be mistaken, Master, you need to be careful," Moon firmly said.
duì yú fán rén ， huó shī hěn kǒng bù ， dàn zài guǐ dào xiū shì yǎn lǐ ， què shì xiāng mó mó ， mǒ diào shén shí jiù néng yòng ， bǐ qǐ zì jǐ liàn zhì jiāng shī ， shěng shí shěng lì 。
对于凡人，活尸很恐怖，但在鬼道修士眼里，却是香馍馍，抹掉神识就能用，比起自己炼制僵尸，省时省力。
If it were the old Moon from before, her warning might not have been taken seriously; she was just a Core Formation ghost cultivator after all, and couldn't possibly possess such powers. But now, with his knowledge of her past, he knew that she occasionally had scattered memories and could regain some abilities. A living corpse—indeed, he needed to be cautious.
shèn zhì hái yǒu bù shǎo guǐ dào xiū shì ， zhuān mén qù yīn qì nóng zhòng de fén dì kāi pì dòng fǔ ， shǒu zhū dài tù de xiǎng yào jiāng huó shī zhuā zhù 。
甚至还有不少鬼道修士，专门去阴气浓重的坟地开辟洞府，守株待兔的想要将活尸抓住。
The term sounded terrifying, but it simply referred to a spirit-awakened zombie in another name. In the cultivation world, zombies could awaken spirits through two main methods: natural awakening or being awakened by cultivators.
zhè zhǒng qíng xíng xià ， néng gòu xìng miǎn de huó shī méi yǒu jǐ gè ， néng xiū liàn dào yuán yīng qī de ， gèng shì fèng máo lín jiǎo 。
这种情形下，能够幸免的活尸没有几个，能修炼到元婴期的，更是凤毛麟角。
Natural awakening was extremely strict and beneficial for the zombie itself; once reaching a certain level of cultivation, it would gain spiritual intelligence, similar to how beasts enter their transformed forms but easier. A Core Formation zombie would possess rudimentary spiritual awareness, and after entering the Condensation Core stage, its intelligence would be comparable to humans.
ér yǎn qián de jiā huo ， jū rán yǐ dào dà xiū shì de jìng jiè ， zhè yàng de jiāng shī ， yóu yú tiān fù ， bù jǐn lì dà wú qióng ， ér qiě hún shēn yě jiān yìng dào nán yǐ xiǎng xiàng de dì bù ， shèn zhì bù jù pǔ tōng de fǎ bǎo 。
而眼前的家伙，居然已到大修士的境界，这样的僵尸，由于天赋，不仅力大无穷，而且浑身也坚硬到难以想象的地步，甚至不惧普通的法宝。
Such zombies were called living corpses, with complete self-awareness, unlike those controlled by cultivators that resembled puppets.
hǎo zài duì fāng sì hū bìng wèi jiāng zì jǐ rèn chū 。
好在对方似乎并未将自己认出。
However, while terrifying, living corpses were rare due to the strict conditions for natural awakening. Even if they appeared, they often fell victim to cultivation sects or ghost cultivators who would erase their spiritual consciousness and use them as puppet minions. For instance, Lin Xuan's storage bag contained a magic corpse.
fǒu zé duì fāng suī rán bù pà ， dàn yě fēi cháng má fán 。
否则对方虽然不怕，但也非常麻烦。
To ordinary people, living corpses were terrifying, but in the eyes of ghost dao cultivators, they were like delicacies; erasing their spiritual consciousness made them useful without the time and effort required to cultivate one’s own zombie.
zì jǐ rú jīn shì qíng hěn duō ， kě bù xiǎng yǔ zhè jiā huo zài huǒ pīn yī cháng de 。
自己如今事情很多，可不想与这家伙再火拼一场的。
Some ghost dao cultivators even went so far as to establish lairs in graveyards with heavy阴气to wait for living corpses to appear. In such cases, few living corpses managed to survive, let alone reach the Core Formation stage.
xiǎng dào cǐ chù ， lín xuān xī le kǒu qì ， ràng zì jǐ kàn qǐ lái gèng jiā dàn dìng cóng róng xiē ， xiǎng yào liū dào yī biān qù ， rán ér jiù zài cǐ kè ， zuì bù xiǎng jiàn dào de shì qíng shēng le ， nà lǎo zhě de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ：“ qián miàn de dào yǒu ， qiě liú bù ， lǎo fū yǒu huà yào shuō 。”
想到此处，林轩吸了口气，让自己看起来更加淡定从容些，想要溜到一边去，然而就在此刻，最不想见到的事情生了，那老者的声音传入耳朵：“前面的道友，且留步，老夫有话要说。”
The guy before him was a great cultivator, and due to his natural abilities, he was not only incredibly strong but also extremely hard to harm. He wasn't even afraid of ordinary magical treasures.
“ kě wù ， nán dào hái shì bào lù le ， zěn me kě néng le ， zì jǐ zhè fù dǎ bàn ， nà lǎo bù sǐ de huó shī jū rán dōu néng rèn chū ？” lín xuān yòu jīng yòu nù ， què yě zhàn zhù le jiǎo bù ， nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn dòng ， kǔ sī qǐ tuō shēn zhī cè 。
“可恶，难道还是暴露了，怎么可能了，自己这副打扮，那老不死的活尸居然都能认出？”林轩又惊又怒，却也站住了脚步，脑海中念头转动，苦思起脱身之策。
Fortunately, it seemed that the old man hadn’t recognized him yet.
duì fāng jiù suàn zhī dào zì jǐ shì miè shā tā dì èr yuán shén zhī rén ， yīng gāi yě xiǎng bú dào zì jǐ jiù shì zhuī shā lìng shàng de lín xuān 。
对方就算知道自己是灭杀他第二元神之人，应该也想不到自己就是追杀令上的林轩。
Otherwise, despite his lack of fear, dealing with such a formidable opponent would be troublesome.
dāng wù zhī jí ， shì yào gān jìng lì luò de jiāng zhè jiā huo chú qù ， ér bù néng yǐn qǐ wàn fú zōng de zhù yì ， fǒu zé ， yī míng dà xiū shì zì jǐ bù fàng zài yǎn lǐ ， kě rú guǒ shēn fèn bào lù ， xiàn rù tū lǘ men de wéi gōng ， xiǎng yào tuō shēn ， kě jiù nán le 。
当务之急，是要干净利落的将这家伙除去，而不能引起万佛宗的注意，否则，一名大修士自己不放在眼里，可如果身份暴露，陷入秃驴们的围攻，想要脱身，可就难了。
With this in mind, Lin Xuan took a deep breath and tried to appear more calm and composed. He wanted to slip away, but at that moment, something he didn't want to see happened. The old man's voice reached his ears: "Friend ahead, please stop. I have something to say."
zhè yàng xiǎng zhe ， lín xuān tíng xià le jiǎo bù ， rán ér hòu miàn shēng de yī qiè ， què shì tā xiǎng dōu méi yǒu xiǎng dào de ， nà lǎo zhě shēn xíng yī shǎn ， yǐ jīng lái dào le jìn qián ， bù guò sī háo méi yǒu tíng liú zhī yì ， ér shì zhí jiē lüè le guò qù 。
这样想着，林轩停下了脚步，然而后面生的一切，却是他想都没有想到的，那老者身形一闪，已经来到了近前，不过丝毫没有停留之意，而是直接掠了过去。
"Damnit, did I really get exposed? How is it possible?" Lin Xuan was both angry and surprised, but he stopped in his tracks as his mind raced for a way out.
lín xuān yī dāi ， biǎo qíng yǒu xiē gǔ guài ：“ huì cuò yì le ， bú shì jiào zì jǐ ？”
林轩一呆，表情有些古怪：“会错意了，不是叫自己？”
Even if the opponent knew he had killed his second spirit essence, they wouldn't think that he was Lin Xuan from the execution order. The immediate priority was to deal with this guy decisively without drawing attention from the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. Otherwise, while a great cultivator wasn’t something to be feared, exposing himself would mean facing the wrath of bald monks and making escape difficult.
xīn zhōng hào qí ， tā bù yóu tái tóu wàng qù 。
心中好奇，他不由抬头望去。
With these thoughts, Lin Xuan stopped walking, but what happened next was beyond his expectations. The old man's figure flashed as he approached, showing no intention of stopping; instead, he moved past him quickly.
yī zhāng shí fēn shú xī de “ jiāo yán ” yìng rù le yǎn lián 。
一张十分熟悉的“娇颜”映入了眼帘。
Lin Xuan was taken aback: "Misunderstanding? Did you call me?"
“ zhè shì ……” yǐ lín xuān de chéng fǔ ， dōu chà diǎn méi yǒu rěn zhù ， yǎn qián zhī rén jiàn miàn zhī shù suī rán bù duō ， dàn lín xuān shí zài shì tài shú xī le ， yīn wèi tóng líng xiū shì zhī zhōng ， zhè shì wéi yī ràng zì jǐ jì dàn de rén wù ， yìn xiàng shēn kè ， jí è mó zūn de shòu tú ， lí yào gōng shǎo guī ， tián xiǎo jiàn 。 tā …… tā zěn me yī fù nǚ zhuāng dǎ bàn lái le 。 lín xuān pīn mìng zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn ， méi yǒu kàn cuò ， cǐ rén huà zuò huī tā dōu néng rèn de ， què shí shì tián xiǎo jiàn de 。
“这是……”以林轩的城府，都差点没有忍住，眼前之人见面之数虽然不多，但林轩实在是太熟悉了，因为同龄修士之中，这是唯一让自己忌惮的人物，印象深刻，极恶魔尊的受徒，离药宫少圭，田小剑。他……他怎么一副女装打扮来了。林轩拼命眨了眨眼，没有看错，此人化作灰他都能认得，确实是田小剑的。
Curious, he raised his head to look up.
A very familiar "pretty face" appeared in front of his eyes.
"Who is this…" Despite Lin Xuan's composure, he almost couldn't suppress a gasp. The person before him was someone he had met only a few times, but Lin Xuan knew him too well; among the peers, this was the only one who intimidated him—Field Sword, Little Field Sword, and Tian Xiaojian. He… how could he be dressed in women's clothes.
Lin Xuan blinked hard to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. Even if it turned into ashes, he would recognize her; indeed, it was Tian Xiaojian.
That was an elderly man dressed in fine robes, who appeared to be at least seventy years old. Yet his skin was as white as jade and he exuded a transcendent aura, almost like a celestial being had descended from the heavens. There was nothing eerie or terrifying about him, but for some reason, he found himself among the ghost cultivators' market.
Not just Lin Xuan, but most of the other cultivators around also showed surprise on their faces. However, as soon as they detected his presence with their spiritual senses, they quickly lowered their heads and hurriedly left.
Advanced Core Formation!
This person was actually a great cultivator.
Such an existence, aside from those aloof Separation Period elders who didn't concern themselves with worldly affairs, were already at the pinnacle of human existence. Many of them had strange temperaments, so no one dared to say anything; otherwise, they might end up in trouble. Lin Xuan also turned his gaze away, maintaining a calm expression on his face, but his heart began to beat faster.
"Master, what's wrong?" Little Eyebrow's curious voice entered his ears. While others might find a great cultivator impressive, Master shouldn't care much about it. "Moon, do you think this person looks familiar?"
"Ah?" Moon was taken aback and frowned as she tried to recall. Her pretty face showed confusion: "No way, I have no impression of him at all. We haven't met before, Master, are you mistaken?"
"I'm not talking about his appearance but the aura and cultivation power. It feels very familiar; we must have crossed paths before," Lin Xuan slowly spoke.
"Master, the opponent is an advanced Core Formation cultivator. Such a formidable foe, even if we've fought before, it should leave a deep impression on us. But I really can't remember anything about this," Moon said with a strange expression.
While Lin Xuan and his servant were quietly discussing using their spiritual senses, the elderly man's gaze swept around as well. When he saw Lin Xuan, his pupils constricted slightly, but he also showed signs of confusion. It felt familiar, but how could it be a ghost cultivator? And his appearance was different; this couldn't be that person.
"I know who this is, Moon," Lin Xuan's thoughts raced as he searched through his memory and finally found a clue.
"Really, Master, you remember him?"
"Yes. Can you recall the impostor pretending to be my master?" Lin Xuan said slowly.
"The one who impersonated Tong Yu, framing Lingyao Mountain for false charges. You mean that second spirit essence… Moon sniffed Little Yao's nose after being reminded by Lin Xuan: "It does have a resemblance. So, that puppet was controlled by this guy? Wait, Corpse Qi. Master, he’s not a human cultivator but a living corpse."
"Living corpse?" Lin Xuan was taken aback and his expression changed dramatically: "No way, Moon, I didn't sense it."
"I'm not sure, but perhaps due to my heightened sensitivity to阴司monsters, this guy is definitely a living corpse. I won’t be mistaken, Master, you need to be careful," Moon firmly said.
If it were the old Moon from before, her warning might not have been taken seriously; she was just a Core Formation ghost cultivator after all, and couldn't possibly possess such powers. But now, with his knowledge of her past, he knew that she occasionally had scattered memories and could regain some abilities. A living corpse—indeed, he needed to be cautious.
The term sounded terrifying, but it simply referred to a spirit-awakened zombie in another name. In the cultivation world, zombies could awaken spirits through two main methods: natural awakening or being awakened by cultivators.
Natural awakening was extremely strict and beneficial for the zombie itself; once reaching a certain level of cultivation, it would gain spiritual intelligence, similar to how beasts enter their transformed forms but easier. A Core Formation zombie would possess rudimentary spiritual awareness, and after entering the Condensation Core stage, its intelligence would be comparable to humans.
Such zombies were called living corpses, with complete self-awareness, unlike those controlled by cultivators that resembled puppets.
However, while terrifying, living corpses were rare due to the strict conditions for natural awakening. Even if they appeared, they often fell victim to cultivation sects or ghost cultivators who would erase their spiritual consciousness and use them as puppet minions. For instance, Lin Xuan's storage bag contained a magic corpse.
To ordinary people, living corpses were terrifying, but in the eyes of ghost dao cultivators, they were like delicacies; erasing their spiritual consciousness made them useful without the time and effort required to cultivate one’s own zombie.
Some ghost dao cultivators even went so far as to establish lairs in graveyards with heavy阴气to wait for living corpses to appear. In such cases, few living corpses managed to survive, let alone reach the Core Formation stage.
The guy before him was a great cultivator, and due to his natural abilities, he was not only incredibly strong but also extremely hard to harm. He wasn't even afraid of ordinary magical treasures.
Fortunately, it seemed that the old man hadn’t recognized him yet.
Otherwise, despite his lack of fear, dealing with such a formidable opponent would be troublesome.
With this in mind, Lin Xuan took a deep breath and tried to appear more calm and composed. He wanted to slip away, but at that moment, something he didn't want to see happened. The old man's voice reached his ears: "Friend ahead, please stop. I have something to say."
"Damnit, did I really get exposed? How is it possible?" Lin Xuan was both angry and surprised, but he stopped in his tracks as his mind raced for a way out.
Even if the opponent knew he had killed his second spirit essence, they wouldn't think that he was Lin Xuan from the execution order. The immediate priority was to deal with this guy decisively without drawing attention from the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. Otherwise, while a great cultivator wasn’t something to be feared, exposing himself would mean facing the wrath of bald monks and making escape difficult.
With these thoughts, Lin Xuan stopped walking, but what happened next was beyond his expectations. The old man's figure flashed as he approached, showing no intention of stopping; instead, he moved past him quickly.
Lin Xuan was taken aback: "Misunderstanding? Did you call me?"
Curious, he raised his head to look up.
A very familiar "pretty face" appeared in front of his eyes.
"Who is this…" Despite Lin Xuan's composure, he almost couldn't suppress a gasp. The person before him was someone he had met only a few times, but Lin Xuan knew him too well; among the peers, this was the only one who intimidated him—Field Sword, Little Field Sword, and Tian Xiaojian. He… how could he be dressed in women's clothes.
Lin Xuan blinked hard to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. Even if it turned into ashes, he would recognize her; indeed, it was Tian Xiaojian.