Chapter 722: Sworn Oath
It was no small temptation.
For someone like Li Changge or Yao Pei, a former Immortal’s mortal shell with the strength of a Heavenly Being was not particularly valuable. They had no shortage of experts at their command, especially Li Changge. As the third-in-line to the head of the Li family, Li Changge held power that far exceeded what most could imagine. He should never be mistaken for a mere Acting Deputy Hall Master. But for Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu, it was a different story.
The Zhang family certainly had many experts, but without the family’s support, Zhang Yuelu could not mobilize them. As a Deputy Hall Master, she had some authority, but her foundation was still shallow, and she lacked trusted subordinates. Many times, she found herself stretched thin.
As for Qi Xuansu, he was essentially on his own, worse off than Zhang Yuelu. Though he currently commanded hundreds of Spirit Guards and was quite imposing, once he left the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion, he would become utterly alone again. While he could still call upon the Three Yin Beings from the Ghost Kingdom, doing so required stringent conditions. So far, he had only managed to summon them twice.
Naturally, neither Zhang Yuelu nor Qi Xuansu would violate ethical taboos by supplying this mortal shell with living souls or flesh. But Soul-Returning Incense only costs some Taiping coins.
It was hard to judge whether the Three Corpse incarnation killing Lin Lingsu was right or wrong by mortal standards. Lin Lingsu and his Three Corpse incarnation were natural enemies. Lin Lingsu himself was originally a Three Corpse, who later transformed into a person. Being killed by his own incarnation was hardly considered murder. It was like two tigers fighting; one would inevitably be injured. Would humans need to seek justice for the tiger?
Besides, although Lin Lingsu was not the sole culprit behind the fall of the Jin Dynasty, he was certainly one of its many sinners. The attitudes of True Lord Qingxu Yuanmiao and Sage Changchun made that clear. So, Lin Lingsu’s Three Corpse incarnation killing him could be seen as divine retribution, a cycle of karma.
For this reason, Qi Xuansu did not feel compelled to destroy this Three Corpse incarnation.
Still, they were not blinded by temptation. Qi Xuansu asked, “How could we restrain you? If you take our Soul-Returning Incense and go back on your word, or simply vanish, wouldn’t we suffer a loss?”
The mortal shell pondered silently for a moment before saying, “You seem to carry the Taiyin divine power. Are you familiar with the Taiyin 13 Swords?”
Qi Xuansu replied, “I know a bit.”