Chapter 50 Inversion

Upon learning that she hadn’t implicated anyone else, Tanya was more than willing to accept she had misjudged the facts. Her gaze grew complicated as she looked at Zhang Long, unable to calm the turmoil within.

“Can we not digress? Let me finish deducing the truth of this matter!” Chu Ning feigned a cough, casting a glance at the darkness shrouding the top of the stairs. He still needed to stall for time; it wasn’t yet appropriate to make a move.

The other two didn’t respond, but they tacitly kept silent, eager to hear what Chu Ning would reveal.

“Your target was Tanya’s corpse, but unforeseen complications arose. Now, the best way to handle it is to correct this mistake, which is why you were sent to carry out this task—and why tonight’s events have unfolded,” Chu Ning explained to the pair warily facing each other. He rubbed his chin, covered in bluish stubble, observing Zhang Long’s every move with thoughtful scrutiny.

Perhaps his deductions were close to the truth; when Tanya’s earlier reasoning had strayed too far, Zhang Long couldn’t help but correct her. Now, with Chu Ning’s own deductions, Zhang Long offered no interference, suggesting their accuracy.

From what Chu Ning knew about the process of corpse refinement, it required control above all else. In ancient times, cunning practitioners sought places where yin energy converged, gathered objects imbued with dark power, chose ominous days for burial, and used fresh blood to awaken the corpse.

Once a zombie broke free, its ferocity was difficult to tame, wreaking havoc in its wake. Those capable of subduing such monsters hardly cared for the power they brought, as the trouble often outweighed any benefit.

Moreover, with modern land prices and population density, conditions for ancient corpse refinement were nearly impossible to meet. Thus, corpse refinement adapted to modern needs—simpler, more convenient, more discreet, though lacking in power.

The major downside was the limited potency of the refined corpse, though its ease of control was a plus, rarely resulting in the backlashes that ancient refinements saw.

Chu Ning had some expertise in this area. His gaze grew melancholic, as if recalling painful memories, finally releasing a long sigh.

The greatest taboo in corpse refinement was the emergence of consciousness, which caused conflicts over control. Taking Tanya’s case as example: since her corpse was used as the material, the bond between her soul and body was hard to sever.

No matter how advanced the controller’s methods, the link between soul and body couldn’t be broken, leaving an unstable risk—no one could predict what might happen next. Like a bomb with an unknown detonation time, it left people uneasy.

Thus, were Chu Ning handling this, he too would choose to resolve the root of the problem—eradicate Tanya’s soul to eliminate the threat. This, then, was why Zhang Long had come here on the seventh day after Tanya’s death.

“The seventh day is the optimal moment to summon a ghost. After death, the soul must formally bid farewell to itself, which is why you’ve come here to perform the summoning ritual—your task is to eliminate Tanya completely,” Chu Ning said, seeing the matter clearly. Tanya’s existence was simply an obstacle someone wanted to remove.

“Ugh, how aggravating!” Tanya, filled with pent-up resentment, found no outlet. She believed disaster had struck without cause or logic, and perhaps this indignation had turned her into a ghost; after all, no normal person would accept such a fate.

“Your death was inevitable; it’s just your bad luck!” Zhang Long was unmoved by Tanya’s resentful glare. He spoke only the truth—survival of the fittest was the most basic law.

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Seeing the two about to come to blows, Chu Ning hurried to mediate, preventing a fight. He understood their feelings, but now was truly not the time for conflict. He quietly fumbled with his phone in his pocket.

Pat, pat!

Heavy footsteps echoed in the silent corridor. Their attention shifted upward as the sound drew nearer, shattering the fragile harmony.

Tanya hesitated, biting her lip, but as the unexpected guest descended the stairs, she darted straight at Zhang Long, her right fist swinging fiercely toward his head, leaving no room for mercy; she didn’t care if this blow might kill him.

The momentum was impressive, but the simple attack patterns didn’t escape Zhang Long’s notice. He hunched defensively, always mindful of Chu Ning’s movements.

“Die!” Zhang Long sidestepped, letting Tanya’s fist brush past him. His left hand, glowing with a bright yellow aura, struck swiftly at Tanya’s waist and abdomen. He kept his attack restrained, as he had to stay wary of Chu Ning—he couldn’t afford to use full force against Tanya.

Even if he could seriously injure her, his own fate wouldn’t be much better. Zhang Long wasn’t confident in a one-hit kill; otherwise he wouldn’t be listening to all this nonsense. Supernatural creatures could recover quickly by absorbing blood and dark energies, while humans had no such abilities.

“Ah!” Tanya’s face twisted in agony, screaming as Zhang Long’s attack struck true. She realized he had means to harm ghosts, her expression bleak. Her body was thrown down the stairs—if her calculations were correct, she’d land amidst the severed bodies below.

Tanya covered her head with both hands, closing her eyes tight. She couldn’t bear to see herself fall onto that pile of mangled flesh, feeling her body arc through the air and the sickening sensation of weightlessness.

“A righteous technique—how ironic! So this is what passes for a ‘respectable sect’?” Chu Ning stared at Zhang Long’s methods, which indeed restrained supernatural beings. Disgust welled within him.

As for the exact name of the technique, Chu Ning couldn’t say; in his social circles, he’d never associate with those who could restrain him. Still, he hadn’t expected the conventional notions of good and evil to be so thoroughly overturned—such was reality.

Chu Ning’s figure blurred, becoming a wisp of black smoke that floated to Tanya’s side. Upon contact, the smoke reformed into Chu Ning’s shape, catching Tanya before she fell.

Feeling herself land in a cold embrace, Tanya dared to open her eyes and assess her situation. She blinked up at Chu Ning, her cheeks flushed as she spoke softly, “Thank you… Could you put me down now?”

Chu Ning felt the softness in his arms, inhaling her faint fragrance. He bit his lip hard, suppressing his desires, reminding himself this was not the time to indulge.

He casually set Tanya down, shaking his head. “Don’t mention it. I couldn’t bear to see you fall onto that heap of rotten flesh—it would ruin my appetite for devouring you; it’d make me sick.”

Chu Ning cast a disdainful glance at the bisected corpses, then resumed savoring the imminent feast. He paid little heed to the wary Zhang Long, whose strength he had never taken seriously, arrogantly lifting his chin.

“Any last words? Your time is almost up. Bon voyage!” Chu Ning smiled as the footsteps drew near.

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Zhang Long knew his death was inevitable; before undertaking the task, he’d had someone divine his fate, and the omen was disastrous. He studied the results in silence for a long time.

He focused all his attention on Chu Ning, who radiated danger; Zhang Long wasn’t sure he could escape from him. Chu Ning’s strength fluctuated unpredictably.

Through the security door ahead, Zhang Long’s chances of escape would increase; he’d set up contingencies outside, mechanisms that could save him. As long as he escaped the building, they’d be triggered.

Clatter, clatter!

Suddenly, the sound of iron chains rang out—a black chain shot down from above, aimed directly where Zhang Long stood.

He dodged swiftly, following the chain’s trajectory, and saw another Tanya appear before him, dressed in red, surrounded by nine floating black chains like vipers ready to strike.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A chorus of deathly howls filled the air as the chains pursued Zhang Long along different paths. He moved nimbly in the cramped space; moving forward or back offered no good options.

Chu Ning’s fingers danced through the air, their motions mirroring the chains’ trajectories. He wore a playful smile, watching Zhang Long struggle desperately for survival, never pausing.

Had he been able to kill directly, Chu Ning wouldn’t have bothered summoning Tanya’s corpse for battle. Controlling the corpse required little effort—the original refiner wasn’t present, and since Tanya counted as his, seizing control was no difficulty.

“You planned this from the start?” Tanya eyed the sinister corpse with a complex expression; was this how she would avenge herself, she wondered bitterly.

“More or less. Why else would I have stalled for so long? I was waiting for your corpse to return,” Chu Ning said, admiring the unfolding conflict—it was truly entertaining.

Tanya opened her mouth, hesitated, then firmly decided to voice her doubts: “With your strength, you could have easily dealt with Zhang Long. Why go to such lengths to bring my corpse here—using a borrowed blade to kill?”

She questioned him bluntly; for someone who had desecrated her body, she could never feel affection, even if Chu Ning had helped her before.