I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 178 This zombie is truly evil!
The rooster crows at midnight to call people home.
A single thread connects the crane-bone flute.

Everyone says that weasels and foxes are guests of the household.
They mistake demons and monsters for immortals and spirits.

Once upon a time, on the turbulent river, the Wu brothers were separated by the waves. One headed straight for the Jinghe River, while the other drifted towards Yuzhou in Jiangnan.

Wu Wencai was a man of great literary talent. After being rescued in the Yu River, he made a living by writing poetry and prose.

Lord Yin, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Rites in Yuzhou City, admired his talent and adopted him as his godson. Wu Wencai thus changed his name to Yin Wencai, with the courtesy name Mingxuan.

Wu Zhiyuan, who drifted to the Gaoliang River outside Beijing, was rescued by an elderly couple living outside the city.

The elderly couple had only one son, but that child died in a foreign land in his early years due to a criminal case.

Wu Zhiyuan wanted to pass the imperial examination to clear his father's name, but he was afraid that Yang Hong would not succeed in harming him this time, so he went to collude with the officials of the prefecture and followed the same method used to frame his father to frame and kill him.

So he changed his name to Lin Zhiyuan, taking the surname of the elderly couple.

Although the two brothers were separated by thousands of miles and had very different experiences, their thoughts were surprisingly the same.

The common people cannot fight against the officials. Scholars only have one mouth. When officials and bandits collude, no matter how much they struggle, it is all in vain.

The two brothers were not outlaws, they had no martial arts skills, and they could not act swiftly and decisively. Only by passing the imperial examinations and donning the official robes could they possibly turn the tide against all odds.

In March, the imperial examinations were held.

Inside Luoyang, after meeting his adoptive father, Wu Wencai, accompanied by his servant, prepared to find a place to stay near the examination hall.

Strangely enough, while searching for a place to stay, the broken crane bone flute at Wu Wencai's waist kept trembling for no reason.

Meanwhile, in a nearby inn, Wu Zhiyuan was also overcome with grief, holding a bone flute.

When the spring imperial examinations were held, crowds thronged outside the examination hall, with more than 10,000 candidates entering to take the exams.

During this time, Wu Zhiyuan, dressed in coarse linen robes, happened to notice a familiar figure walking through the crowd. The person was dressed in fine brocade robes, looking like a wealthy young man. Wu Zhiyuan almost called out to him, but stopped himself at the crucial moment.

How could a well-bred young man with such an impressive appearance be his brother?
Among the crowd, Wu Wencai seemed to sense something, but when he turned his head to look, he did not find anything unusual.

Before long, the three examinations were over, and tens of thousands of aspiring scholars awaited the results. During this time, many scholars hosted banquets, inviting candidates from all over the country to play and have fun.

Only Wu Wencai and Wu Zhiyuan remained in the room, reading quietly by lamplight.

With their deep-seated hatred unresolved and their injustices unaddressed, and their elders still suffering in prison, where would these two find the leisure to indulge in pleasure?

Ten days later, the spring examination results were released. More than 12,700 candidates participated in the metropolitan examination, but only 306 were admitted as tribute students.

On the day the list was posted, Wu Zhiyuan went to the examination hall alone. His name was prominently listed on the yellow list, and just one name below him was a newly appointed candidate named Wu Wencai.

Could there be other people in this world with the same name?

"Wu Wencai?"

"Wu Zhiyuan?"

As soon as Wu Zhiyuan finished speaking, he heard someone behind him chanting his name.

Turning around, he saw Wu Wencai, dressed in brocade robes, looking delighted.

"Hey there! Bro! It really is you!"

Wu Zhiyuan's eyes widened; at this moment, the joy of passing the imperial examination had been completely forgotten.

"Are you Wencai?"

"Brother, how come you don't even recognize me? If I'm not your brother Wencai, then who could I be?"

After recognizing each other, the two brothers immediately embraced and wept uncontrollably.

Wu Wencai's two attendants exchanged bewildered glances.

Wu Zhiyuan went to take the exam alone, all by himself, so he simply followed Wu Wencai back to his residence.

Upon hearing the news, Yin Shan, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Rites, rushed over. After the two brothers exchanged greetings, Yin Shan asked them questions out of curiosity.

The two brothers looked at each other in silence.

Wu Wencai smiled wryly and said, "Let my elder brother tell our godfather the whole story."

A single lamp flickered, its flame dancing.

In the guest room, Yin Shan listened to Wu Zhiyuan's account and remained silent for a long time.

"Misfortune or fortune? My dear nephew has encountered a great calamity, but fortunately he has been rescued by a kind family. This is because good people are always blessed by heaven. My dear nephew will be participating in the imperial examination in the future, so why don't you stay here? I will visit your benefactor in the future."

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhiyuan immediately stood up to greet him.

The latter stepped aside and said, "Wencai is now my son. Since you are his brother, you are also my son. Why do you have to be so distant?"

That night, Yin Shan prepared a banquet, and the group drank until the third watch of the night.

After Yin Shan left his seat, Wu Wencai suddenly said, "Brother, the Baijiang River is very swift. If one of us drifted a thousand miles unharmed, it could be explained by luck. But now that we are both safe, I'm afraid it could only be done by divine power."

After a moment of contemplation, the two brothers almost simultaneously took out brocade pouches from their waists.

Inside the pouch were the protective talismans given to them by Xu Qing and Hu Baosong.

The Wu brothers exchanged a glance, already understanding the secret. However, neither of them spoke up to reveal the secret. Instead, they tacitly put away the brocade pouch and carefully stored it close to their bodies.

Horses gallop past the window, the seasons change, and before we know it, it's the season of locust trees.

In mid-April, today is the day of the imperial examination.

In the Hall of Preserving Harmony in the Imperial City of Luoyang, 303 out of 306 candidates arrived.

Three people did not take the exam. Perhaps one of them fell ill during the exam, perhaps one arrived late, or perhaps one was kidnapped by bandits.

Regardless of the reason, the palace examination would not be postponed due to the absence of three examinees.

The examiners distributed the exam papers, but Emperor Jingxing, who was over sixty years old, did not appear in the examination hall. The examiners were princes and ministers, who were called "examination-supervising princes and ministers".

The palace examination consisted of only one essay question, which had to be submitted on the same day. The Wu brothers had already resolved their inner turmoil, and now they wrote with divine assistance.

Meanwhile, two hundred miles away from the capital, inside the Fuyong Mausoleum.

Deep within the sunless tomb, on the surface of the coffin made of nanmu wood, many lush green nanmu branches have sprouted out, making the entire lifeless tomb seem to have suddenly come to life.

At noon, when the sun was at its strongest on Zhaoshi Mountain, countless streams of black water suddenly overflowed from Empress Duanrong's lush green coffin. The black water seeped out from the cracks in the coffin, and the thick yin energy instantly blocked the sunlight from penetrating the earth.

The sunlight cast shadows, and the crescent moon hung high. When the yin energy was at its peak and the yang energy was just beginning to emerge at night, an unnamed fire suddenly ignited in the tomb chamber filled with black water. The fire was as hot as the red molten lava at the earth's core. If one looked through the coffin, one could see a smoldering fire devouring the yin metal energy in the imperial tomb.

The next day, the scene in Empress Duanrong's tomb was repeated again, and this cycle continued until the end of April, when the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination was announced, and only then did the disturbances in the tomb subside.

The top three candidates in this palace examination all wrote essays and policy questions that highlighted their strengths and avoided their weaknesses, offering political views and strategies that catered to the emperor's wishes. However, among the second-class candidates, many were exceptionally talented and insightful, but they were disqualified from the top class because they spoke too much frankly.

Both Wu brothers were ranked in the second class, while the other two of the three first-class candidates, except for the third-ranked candidate who ranked first in the provincial examination, were all behind Wu Zhiyuan in the provincial examination.

Someone was protesting the injustice outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and a scholar from the Hall of Supreme Harmony immediately spoke up to stop them:

"Whether it is fair or unfair will be judged in its own time. This is the Emperor's approval, which is tantamount to the revelation of Heaven's will. How can you argue about it here!"

As soon as the scholar in the palace finished speaking, a thunderous roar suddenly resounded from afar in the capital. The thunder was extremely far away, but for some reason, the entire palace trembled as a result.

On the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Zhao Rong stumbled, looking surprised and uncertain, and asked, "Where did this thunder come from? How could it have such power?"

Feng Dehai, the chief eunuch of the imperial palace, listened intently and said, "Judging from the source of the sound, it seems to be outside the northwest city."

"northwest?"

Before Zhao Rong could think it through, the Taihe Hall shook again, and the distant thunder seemed tireless, even appearing to be continuous!
"There must be a reason for this unusual phenomenon. Quickly summon the Director of the Astronomical Bureau to the palace for questioning!"

An hour ago, inside Fuyong Mausoleum on Zhaoshi Mountain.

Inside the long-sealed mausoleum, a foot-long claw suddenly pierced through the heavy coffin lid. The dark golden claw paused for a moment, then continued to lift the lid upwards.

However, because the claws were too sharp, the heavy coffin lid was not opened, but was instead neatly cut in half like tofu.

The coffin lid collapsed, and a strange person covered in corpse hair and exuding an ominous aura sat up in the already decayed Yin Jin coffin.

The man raised his hands, his ghostly eyes seeming to pierce through the depths of hell.

“Not quite right”

Xu Qing, who had just awakened from his slumber, frowned slightly. At the tip of his finger bones, a foot-long sharp claw extended and retracted freely like a tiger's claw. This was the innate supernatural power of the hairy zombie that he had obtained after refining the Tiger Lord using the Mountain Forest Technique.

However, before Xu Qing could feel relieved, he sensed that he was filled with an ominous aura.

Those scents were like the thick smoke rising from a beacon tower, or like a lighthouse shining on a deserted island in the dead of night.

Even deep within the imperial mausoleum, Xu Qing felt more dazzling than the midday sun.

No wonder we couldn't escape the lightning calamity of five hundred years ago; no wonder the lightning calamity of zombies is even more terrifying.

So that's what happened!
Xu Qing suddenly realized that if the five hundred years of calamity for cultivators were considered as boats used to borrow arrows, then the zombies were the only warships among all the warships that carried lanterns, displayed commander's flags, and beat drums.

If God isn't blind, He'll definitely put all his effort into striking you with lightning!
Xu Qing sensed something was wrong, activated his Yin Eyes, and looked directly at the surrounding Dharma Realm.

All the shadowy, lurking evil spirits and monsters that had been hiding in the shadows fled into the distance. At this moment, apart from him, there was not a single ghost in the entire Zhaoshi Mountain.

Looking at the sky in the celestial realm, countless dark clouds churned and gathered, and thunder rumbled from beyond the heavens, approaching from afar.

Xu Qing could clearly sense that in the endless heavens, there was an inescapable aura locking onto him. No matter where he fled to, whether to the ends of the earth or to the deepest hell, this aura would follow him like a shadow and cling firmly to him!
With his hands braced against the coffin, Xu Qing, who had instinctively wanted to escape with those underworld creatures, slowly sat down again.

That’s it for now, let’s eat first.

Xu Qing took out a pile of pills, as well as paper packets and bottled powders and powders. He didn't bother to distinguish them carefully; he swallowed all the medicines that had a beneficial effect.

Power pills, cooling powders, Qingyuan pills, corpse-nourishing pills—Xu Qing used everything he could, regardless of its value!
In his mind, even the most valuable things are only useful if you survive a calamity. If you can't survive it, even an elixir of immortality is worthless!
Xu Qing stopped eating when her stomach was so full she couldn't eat anymore.

However, as the drug took effect, Xu Qing suddenly discovered a ridiculous phenomenon.

The ominous aura emanating from him actually intensified along with the rise of his own aura.

What is this supposed to be? Anti-cheating or targeted?

Xu Qing grunted, as the invisible divine might of the imperial mausoleum had already affected him.

The gathering of dark clouds lasted for a full hour, as if it would not stop until all the clouds and mist of the entire prefecture had gathered there.

The wind howled fiercely, and after an hour of accumulation, the oppressive aura above the imperial tomb had become almost tangible.

Xu Qing felt as if he were carrying a mountain on his back; let alone running, even walking normally was extremely difficult.

Finally, the lightning that had been brewing in the heavens for so long tore through the sky and fell straight down towards Zhaoshi Mountain.

Who can escape this?
The Death Star that Xu Qing usually shone brightly every moment suddenly went silent, as if to say: "Finally, I can go home."

Regardless of whether there is actually a Death Star Lord in charge of omens of death, Xu Qing truly felt the threat of death at this moment.

This threat of death is not about turning a person into a ghost, nor a ghost into a demon, but about being completely wiped out of the three thousand worlds and the five elements.

Xu Qing forced his head up, his dark eyes staring straight at the outside of the imperial mausoleum.

There are three types of lightning disasters: Yin lightning and Yang lightning are the most common, while divine lightning is extremely rare, and whenever this type of lightning appears, it is certain that an evil spirit has been born.

Whether human or demon, when facing a lightning calamity, there is a chance to encounter lightning with a compatible attribute.

Demons prefer yin thunder, while humans prefer yang thunder.

If you encounter lightning of compatible attributes, it means you have a predestined affinity with the immortals and can easily overcome calamities. If you don't, it means you're facing a near-death experience!
Xu Qing, however, was facing a once-in-a-lifetime divine lightning strike.

"Does a zombie that does good deeds deserve to be struck by lightning?"

What's the point?
Xu Qing raised his head, his aura reaching its peak. Since that's the case, then don't blame him for being extravagant!
Just as the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder was about to strike, a massive merit stele composed of 200,000 incense sticks rose from the ground and pierced the sky!
The monument of merit pierced through the thick barrier of dark clouds, and then its golden tip emerged again, almost touching the center of the sky.

The thunderbolt was blocked at the doorway and nearly exploded.

Heaven is somewhat displeased; no matter how much merit and incense you have received, you shouldn't be so ostentatious.

Wouldn't that tell all the gods, immortals, and ghosts that I struck the wrong person with my divine lightning?
Therefore, the second divine thunderbolt, though half as powerful but twice as imposing, struck down on Xu Qing without mercy.

Then came the third and fourth, as if they wouldn't stop until the imperial tombs were leveled!
Xu Qing was on high alert and did not notice that the power of the divine lightning had been reduced. He only saw that the divine lightning, which carried a slightly warning meaning, was coming even more fiercely!

Isn't this bullying an honest person? Xu Qing grinned.

Since you're so unsympathetic, let everyone be the judge. Even if I die here today, it will be a glorious death!
Immediately, Xu Qing raised both hands, each hand rubbing together the wishes of hundreds of thousands of people, showing a tendency to give up entirely.

The next moment, just before the continuous torrent of divine lightning struck down, a taller and more majestic monument to merit rose from the ground.

This not only pierced through the clouds, but also went straight into the throat of God.

We don't know if the Heavenly King coughed or not, but the divine lightning in the sky seemed to have seen a ghost, and instead veered off course and struck somewhere else.

This zombie is truly evil!
As the thunderclouds receded, a beam of warm, white sunlight shone into the imperial tomb, which had a large hole in it.

Xu Qing collected the remaining incense sticks, and the ominous star of death that had been flickering frequently began to flash again.

The Death Star Lord still has to go to work as usual today.

(End of this chapter)