Chapter 57 – Lottery Draw! Absolutely Unmatched Reward!
"Daoist brother, from my perspective, this is the world's own choice," Renji sighed. In the end, the rise of demonic cultivation was rooted in the severing of the dragon vein by Liu Bowen—ever since then, demonic paths had been surfacing far more frequently.
As spiritual energy continued to dry up, even a genius like Uncle Jiu—if born in a different dynasty—might have already reached the rank of Celestial Master. But with the dwindling aura of the world, many began to take the crooked path.
Some were afraid of death. Others simply wanted faster cultivation. In short, demonic cultivation required less spiritual energy than the righteous path, but came at a heavy cost—most of its methods were inhumane, and the quick routes to power often required human lives.
"Don't tell me you sympathize with the demonic path?" Uncle Jiu looked at Renji in surprise. Renji quickly shook his head and explained, "Not at all. I'm just saying that with the way things are going, more and more demonic cultivators will appear. But if any of them need to be dealt with, I won't hesitate to act."
After all, killing demonic cultivators accrued merit. And Renji had a theory: the feng shui master might still be alive.
Judging by how Old Master Ren behaved in the movie, there was no way he could have evolved into such a fearsome state just by that alone.
At first, Old Master Ren was weak. Later, he only drank a few people's blood—and even a gorilla's. Even if that included blood from relatives and spirit beasts, it was still inconceivable for a corpse to evolve intelligence from so little. It defied the logic of zombie evolution.
Based on this, Renji guessed that when Old Master Ren was seriously injured, someone had provided him with extra "nourishment," which fattened him up for transformation.
By the time he reappeared—with vision and intelligence—it had taken the combined efforts of Daoist Simu and a kerosene lamp to bring him down. Without them, they would've likely died at his hands.
"Master, I have a question!" Qiu Sheng eagerly raised his hand.
"Speak."
Uncle Jiu nodded approvingly. No matter what, Qiu Sheng's current attitude was something he liked.
"Master, why would anyone cultivate the demonic path?"
Since it's hunted by righteous cultivators, why not just stick to the proper way?
"A corpse becomes a zombie because it has an extra breath. A person becomes evil because they lack backbone," Uncle Jiu arched a brow, nearly exasperated by such a silly question.
'This disciple really knows how to pick his moments—anyone could answer that one!'
"In truth, the demonic path offers quick success, but it turns you into something neither human nor ghost. Some people want shortcuts, so they choose it. Like that feng shui master—he was forced by Old Master Ren. Had he not been coerced, he probably would've been buried long ago."
Hearing Renji's explanation, Master Ren chuckled awkwardly, then raised his hand as if swearing an oath, saying, "Daoist Renji, rest assured. Once we return tomorrow, I'll start doing good deeds."
Compared to his father, Master Ren hadn't done much good, but he hadn't committed any evil either.
Now, not only was he trying to atone for his father's sins, he also wanted to accumulate merit for Ren Tingting.
Since Ren Tingting had chosen the path of cultivation, there were fewer attachments at the Ren estate.
"Master Ren, take this—consider it my token for Tingting's initiation. This talisman will keep you safe. When it's destroyed, I'll sense it and come to your aid."
The feng shui master was likely his only enemy.
Renji handed over the talisman. If the feng shui master ever showed up again, Renji could settle things once and for all. If not, at least it would provide some peace of mind.
"Thank you, Daoist." Master Ren accepted the talisman with care. Beside him, Ah Wei stared at Renji with hopeful eyes, clearly wishing for one too—but Renji acted as though he didn't see him.
Ah Wei didn't have any real enemies—and if he did, it was likely his own fault. Giving him a talisman would only inflate his arrogance.
...
Meanwhile, in a cave not far from Renjia Town, several black-robed figures gathered, discussing recent events. One of them teased a withered old man.
"Your plan failed. That zombie of yours got wiped out as soon as it showed up."
They'd come to retrieve the super zombie he had cultivated.
That zombie had been nurtured in a prime burial site, and the feng shui master had looked forward to harvesting it. But before he could act, the thing was already destroyed.
"Divine Firmament Sect! Didn't you plan properly before acting? That kid's thunder techniques completely counter zombies! Sure, the corpse had potential—I saw it myself—but it had just awakened. How powerful could it have been?"
Everyone knew Ren Weiyong had potential. But without time to grow, what was the point?
"Who would've thought they'd dig up the coffin and take Ren Fa to the mortuary right away, just waiting for the zombie to emerge!"
The feng shui master cursed himself—if only he had exhumed the grave first, he could've taken Ren Weiyong and enslaved him for eternity.
He hated Ren Weiyong.
Had it not been for him, he would've remained buried in that auspicious grave, with his descendants blessed for generations. But when Ren Weiyong stole it, everything changed.
From righteous cultivator to demonic heretic, a target of condemnation—because of that path, he lost his son, daughter-in-law, and even grandson.
Now, he wanted the Ren family to suffer the same fate.
He wanted them wiped out.
But instead, everything had been resolved so easily.
"Maoshan's Lin Jiu and the Divine Firmament Sect's sect master are both here. This operation's over. Ren Weiyong is gone. Let's go."
Since things were finished here, there was no reason to linger.
Hearing this, the feng shui master was unwilling: "Can't we strike together? If we turn those two Daoists into zombies, wouldn't they be even stronger than Ren Weiyong?"
"Are you insane? Now's not the time to fight the Daoist sects directly. You want revenge? Wait. We brought plenty of resources this time—originally for the zombie. But since it's dead, using them now would only expose us. Save it—for that imperial clan in the borderlands!"
One man's face darkened as he firmly rejected the proposal.
Though they were on the rise while Daoist sects declined, they too had weakened. It was an era-wide decline.
"Also, try controlling those warlords. No matter how strong Daoists are, they still fear bullets. We must exploit that."
Clearly, the one who spoke was their leader. Despite the feng shui master's resentment, he had to obey.
"If you want revenge, wait until the Divine Firmament Sect leaves. Ren Fa won't go far, and Lin Jiu can't watch him forever. There will be opportunities later—no need to act now. Also, we must recover that copper-armored corpse and the Miaojiang zombie quickly. If the Daoist sects notice them, our losses will be too great!"
Compared to Ren Weiyong, the other zombies were clearly more valuable to them.
"I understand. I'll wait until they leave before seeking revenge!"
"Good. Let's leave here for now."
With that, the group hurriedly disappeared into the night, leaving Renjia Town behind.
Before he left, the feng shui master took one last look at Renjia Town and swore silently in his heart: the next time he returned, he would bathe the entire Ren family in blood.
—
The next day, Renji and Uncle Jiu went to the back mountain, where they first performed rites to help Dong Xiaoyu pass on to the afterlife and enter the underworld.
As for the gorilla, Uncle Jiu felt that it had done no real harm, and that its nature was not evil—it had simply been cultivating in the mountains.
So, they brought it back to the mortuary.
Mostly, it was because Uncle Jiu was envious after seeing Renji's two spiritually intelligent pets.
Since he couldn't rely on his disciples, he decided to adopt a spirit creature of his own.
Meanwhile, Ren Tingting returned home to pack her things, preparing to leave Renjia Town with Renji.
"Tingting, once you're on the mountain, you have to listen to your teacher, okay?"
Ren Fa gave her careful instructions. He knew he had spoiled her and that she could be a bit temperamental, but she couldn't afford to offend her teacher once they were up there.
"Don't worry, Dad, I understand. I'll follow Teacher and train properly. You make sure to take good care of your health."
Now that she had decided to follow Renji up the mountain, Ren Tingting was ready to embrace cultivation.
She still remembered that technique Renji used—it left a deep impression. It proved everything was real, and the Daoist arts were truly something to yearn for.
More importantly, cultivation could grant eternal youth—or at the very least, delay aging and extend lifespan.
No woman could resist the allure of eternal youth. Especially not someone like Ren Tingting.
"That's good. I'm relieved to hear that. Hurry up now—don't keep Daoist Renji waiting."
Ren Fa called his old servant and climbed into the carriage. Though his heart was filled with reluctance, he also felt comforted.
At least he no longer needed to worry about his daughter. She was safer with Renji than she ever would be with him. From now on, he would dedicate himself to doing good, making up for the wrongs his father had committed.
"Daoist friend, who knows when we'll meet again."
Though they had only known each other for a few days, Uncle Jiu felt a deep sense of kinship with Renji—like they had known each other in a past life.
Now that Renji was leaving, Uncle Jiu couldn't help but feel reluctant.
"Don't worry, I won't be gone long. I'm taking Tingting back to formally join the sect and notify the ancestors. After that, we'll come down the mountain again to train."
Whether for merit or to alter the storyline, Renji wasn't planning on hiding away on a mountain forever.
"In that case, I won't keep you."
"Daoist brother, you're welcome to visit the Divine Firmament Sect anytime!"
"Definitely!"
As Renji and Ren Tingting's figures grew distant, Uncle Jiu turned and patted Wen Cai on the head.
"Let's go. What are you staring at? She's already gone. You should stop thinking about her—Ren Tingting's talent far surpasses yours!"
Ah, this foolish disciple of his…
He was destined to love without reward. Ren Tingting's cultivation aptitude was far greater than Wen Cai's, and the gap between them would only grow.
Wen Cai snapped out of it and turned with a bitter expression.
"Master, what should I do, then?"
But he really couldn't bring himself to give up.
"Of course you give up. Someday, my cousin and I will be together!" Ah Wei declared, suddenly dropping to his knees in front of Uncle Jiu.
"Uncle Jiu, please take me as your disciple! I'll do anything. If you don't agree, I won't get up!"
Ah Wei had originally considered becoming Renji's disciple. He even started to kneel and make the request. But when he met Renji's smiling eyes, he chickened out.
Although he didn't become Ren Tingting's fellow disciple, Ah Wei decided on a roundabout approach—becoming Uncle Jiu's disciple!
If he could just step onto the path of cultivation, maybe he'd have a shot in the future.
If he failed, then he was destined to be nothing more than the captain of the security squad in Renjia Town.
"Then keep kneeling."
Uncle Jiu turned and walked back into his room, ignoring him.
Ah Wei was caught in an awkward position—if he stood up, even he would lose respect for himself.
So, he kept kneeling. Even when it began to rain that night, he didn't move.
By the next day, in a daze, Ah Wei felt himself being placed on a bed.
"Hey, is Ah Wei going to be our junior brother now? That means I can bully him, right?"
Junior brother?
He'd been accepted as a disciple?
Before Ah Wei could think more, he passed out completely.
—
Within the Divine Firmament Sect.
After the formal initiation, Ren Tingting officially became a disciple of the Divine Firmament Sect.
[Ding! Plot change successful. Congratulations, Zombie World Renji has earned a lottery draw. Would you like to draw now?]
"Yes!"
Renji silently confirmed.
A large spinning wheel appeared, rotating hundreds of times per second. After ten seconds, it began to slow down—until it landed on:
Innate Dao Body!?!
Renji's eyes flashed with shock. This was the legendary body most suited for cultivation—the same one said to belong to the original clay humans shaped by Nüwa.
Those with this body soared through cultivation like riding a rocket.
As the body fused, Renji felt a warm current surge through him—and then, he broke through again.
His cultivation reached the peak of Foundation Establishment—just one step away from the Daoist Master realm!
"Teacher, are you okay?"
Ren Tingting looked up at Renji, puzzled by the burning intensity in his gaze, which made her a little embarrassed.
"Tingting, you really are my lucky star!"
If he didn't have to maintain basic decorum as a cultivator, Renji would've jumped up in celebration.
This body type was absolutely perfect for raising a cultivation prodigy!
But the next second, Renji's expression fell flat.
(End of Chapter)
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