CHAPTER 212: CHAPTER 125: THE CELESTIAL CORPSE

The Locking Infant Tower was filled with filth and repulsive objects sealing the windows and doors, such as amniotic fluid from women in labor, the monthly collected menstrual blood from the nuns in the temple, and even collected fetuses and placentas.

These things not only frighten celestial beings like a tiger, but even righteous cultivators avoid them as much as possible.

As these filthy objects can contaminate celestial magic, they can also pollute some Daoist techniques. Once contaminated by these things, many spells will lose their efficacy, and even the high heavens will be stained with filth.

Thus, when encountering such things, those who practice cultivation generally will not choose to ’test their skills’ unless necessary.

Knowing there is dung on the mountain and still heading towards it, only a fool would do so.

Xu Qing, determined to handle this filthy place, must play the fool, as some tasks must be done by someone.

Although he is not a living person, since the Cat Immortal Hall has accepted the business here, it must see it through to the end and close this Chapter.

He controlled the substitute puppet to arrive at the base of the Locking Infant Tower. The steel and iron bones of the puppet made it resemble a humanoid bulldozer, alone capable of matching a demolition team.

However, when Xu Qing saw the filthy jars falling rapidly from the tower, and those containing the rancid and foul-smelling dead fetuses resembling kittens or puppies, he immediately realized the puppet could not be used anymore.

With bricks and tiles collapsing, the three-zhang tall Locking Infant Tower was pushed down by the puppet from its base. At the moment before the collapse, countless infant spirits surged out from within. Xu Qing used his Qi Observation Skill and roughly scanned to find at least a hundred infants trapped inside.

Xu Qing ignored the crashing and crying infant ghosts, commanding the puppet to bring all the jars containing dead fetuses to him.

In the jars, broken by the collapse, many bodies were mixed with blood and water flowing out.

The puppet spread its hands and carefully cradled the small, deformed bodies to place them before the ruins.

Not far away, an old nun stumbled forward, crying and cursing. The black crows circling above could not stand her noise and swooped down to peck at her scalp.

Her monk’s cap fell off, causing the old nun pain. She clutched her bald head, rolling on the ground and shrieking.

Xu Qing ignored the surrounding chaos. Amid the crying infants, he walked slowly towards the ruins.

From the wreckage, a particularly loud infant wail echoed through the night.

As Xu Qing approached the ruins, the puppet, in sync with him, was already digging out the broken tiles and bricks to reveal a blue-black infant.

Upon seeing the puppet, the infant suddenly ceased crying, then it grinned slyly at the puppet.

From the edge of the ruins, Xu Qing saw the infant reach out two icy little hands, clasping them around the puppet’s neck.

Seeing it succeed, the infant giggled.

Xu Qing’s face twisted in curiosity. This infant’s intelligence seemed lacking; why celebrate pinching a piece of iron, what’s so amusing about it?

The puppet remained unmoved, but where the infant’s hands touched the puppet, a deep indentation formed, and spider-web-like frost started to spread over the puppet’s cheeks.

Here, Xu Qing frowned slightly, the next moment the puppet suddenly raised its steel arm and slapped the infant in its embrace!

The slap landed solidly.

The infant was stunned for a moment, then glared angrily, its dark purple mouth splitting open as razor-sharp teeth bit into the puppet’s arm.

Sparks flew, and teeth marks appeared on the puppet’s iron-cast arm, but the corpse infant lost several sharp teeth in the process.

Xu Qing’s anger flared. He controlled the puppet again, slapping the infant left and right across its face.

In the distance, the old nun, pecked by crows and covered in blood, screamed.

"My child! Do not hurt my child!"

Pitying someone who deserved hatred, Xu Qing glanced sidewise at the old nun, who knelt in desperation, knocking her head on the ground, begging.

Xu Qing remained unmoved. He turned his gaze back to the ruins, allowing the puppet to continue disciplining the infant for the old nun.

In about ten breaths, the corpse infant’s aura weakened, and at this moment, an iron coffin suddenly burst from the ground beneath the ruins.

Xu Qing smiled at this sight, he had been hitting the child all this time to lure out its ghostly father!

As the iron coffin emerged, dust churned through the rubble, the heavy coffin lid cracked open, and a white light orb shot out, heading straight for the corpse infant.

Xu Qing reacted quickly, controlling the puppet to throw the corpse infant over just as the white light orb approached.

The orb followed but stopped abruptly upon seeing Xu Qing, then it reversed course and returned into the coffin.

From within the coffin, a male voice emerged.

"Blocking someone’s path is like killing their parents. Fellow cultivator, we both walk the same path, why make things difficult for each other?"

"Let this matter end today without further dispute. I do not mind you pushing the tower down, but please return the infant to me..."

Xu Qing looked at the erect iron coffin and realized: "So this corpse infant was your vessel for resurrection, you used fallen fetuses to nurture it so you could possess and rejuvenate."

The voice within the coffin paused for a moment, then said, "Since you already know, you should understand how important this infant is to me. If you insist on being my enemy..."

Xu Qing chuckled lightly, not waiting for the voice to finish, he conjured a Yin-Burning Fire right in front of the iron coffin.