Rebirth as a Demonic Cultivator: Starting with a Zombie Planet

Chapter 52: This Venerable One Is Willing to Lead My Extreme Yin Cave Lineage to Join the Tianyin Sect

Wan Wuying studied Chu Xuan with gleaming interest. To the Golden Core Ancestor, the young man was a rare, uncut gem.

Such promising seedlings were practically extinct nowadays. With the Wuji Sect annihilated, the five righteous sects had monopolized nearly every talented cultivator in the Yu Kingdom. But Chu Xuan? His aptitude was staggering. He had a genuine shot at reaching the Golden Core realm in the future!

A disciple like this needed to be kept close and ruthlessly nurtured.

“Chu Xuan,” Wan Wuying said, a wide smile splitting his gaunt face. “Are you willing to take this Venerable One as your Master?”

Chu Xuan didn’t miss a beat. He dropped to his knees, executing a flawless, deeply respectful kowtow. “Venerable Ancestor above, please accept this disciple’s bow!”

*Perfect deference. Flawless execution. A transactional necessity.*

Wan Wuying threw his head back and laughed. “Good, good, good! Having a disciple like you brings this Venerable One great comfort!”

Nearby, Xu Ming, Chen Ge, Wei Hua, and Bai Feng watched with bloodshot eyes, practically choking on their envy. This was a Golden Core Ancestor! A mythical figure they usually couldn’t even catch a glimpse of, let alone speak to. Yet here he was, personally recruiting Chu Xuan. The kid used to be a miserable fourth-layer Qi Condensation nobody. How was he soaring into the heavens like this?!

Li Xuanming watched the exchange, his stomach twisting into a complicated knot. Chu Xuan’s talent was monstrous, and his strength was undeniable. In Wan Wuying’s eyes, Chu Xuan already outranked him—otherwise, the Ancestor wouldn’t have offered him the first discipleship. His own future status was suddenly under threat.

He remembered their first meeting. He had haughtily called him ‘Junior Brother Chu’ and ordered him to stand guard outside like a common dog. Little did he know, Chu Xuan’s strength was already comparable to his own.

*I was too arrogant. I underestimated a monster.*

Wan Wuying shifted his gaze, his chuckle dry. “Xuanming. Now that the Wuji Sect only has me, a Golden Core cultivator, left… are you willing to take me as your Master?”

Li Xuanming didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second. He dropped to one knee. “Disciple Li Xuanming pays his respects to Master!”

Wan Wuying’s eyes slid to Wu Teng.

Catching the hint, Wu Teng immediately hit the dirt. “Disciple Wu Teng pays his respects to Master!”

Satisfied, Wan Wuying nodded and turned back to Chu Xuan. “Xuan’er, your aptitude is unmatched. However, Xuanming, Wu Teng, and Zhenxiong all possess greater seniority. From this day forth, Li Xuanming is your Eldest Senior Brother, Liu Zhenxiong is your Second Senior Brother, and Wu Teng is your Third Senior Brother.”

Wan Wuying smiled thinly. “Well? Go pay your respects to your three Senior Brothers.”

“Yes, Master.”

Chu Xuan bowed to each of the three men in turn. His posture was the picture of humility. Internally, he felt nothing but cold indifference. He had no desire to fight Li Xuanming for the title of Eldest Senior Brother. It was a meaningless vanity project. Li Xuanming craved the authority, and Chu Xuan lacked the established prestige to hold the position without drawing unnecessary heat. Forcing the issue would only paint a target on his back.

*Let Li Xuanming have the empty title. I prefer the shadows.*

Liu Zhenxiong stepped forward. “Master, what is our next move?”

Wan Wuying didn’t answer immediately. A sly, predatory smile crept onto his face. “Tell me, which are the five righteous sects?”

It was a question any beggar in the Yu Kingdom could answer. “The Shenggang Sect, Jinlong Temple, Miaoyin Palace, Yuling Mountain, and the Tianyin Sect,” Liu Zhenxiong replied instantly.

“And who claimed the three provinces of our Wuji Sect?” Wan Wuying pressed.

Liu Zhenxiong blinked, caught off guard. He had no idea.

Li Xuanming, however, spoke up, his voice grim. “I know. Tong Province was swallowed whole by the Shenggang Sect. Jiang Province was carved down the middle by Jinlong Temple and Miaoyin Palace. The northern third of Wu Province—the fertile lands with the densest mortal populations—was seized by Yuling Mountain. The southern two-thirds of Wu Province, a complete wasteland, went entirely to the Tianyin Sect.”

Wan Wuying’s smile widened into a smirk. “Exactly. Southern Wu Province is a sweltering, miserable rainforest. It is infested with venomous beasts, plagues, and malicious spirits. The other four sects didn’t even spare it a second glance before tossing it to the Tianyin Sect like a scrap of rotting meat. Tell me, what do you think the Tianyin Sect’s mood is right now?”

Realization sparked in the eyes of Chu Xuan and the others.

The five righteous sects had all bled to tear down the Wuji Sect. Yet the spoils were horribly skewed. The Shenggang Sect, the apex predator of the five, gorged on the best territory. Jinlong Temple took a massive bite. But the Tianyin Sect? They were handed a toxic swamp. They had to be seething.

Chu Xuan’s eyes narrowed. *So that’s the play. We’re going to the losers.*

“The Tianyin Sect,” Wan Wuying declared, his eyes gleaming with dark calculation. “During the great siege on our Wuji Sect, the Tianyin Sect lost two full Golden Core cultivators. They bled heavily. Now, they are forced to tame the savage southern wilds of Wu Province, a task that requires an ocean of manpower. Defecting to them now is an excellent choice.”

Wu Teng frowned, hesitation leaking into his voice. “But Master… when all is said and done, we are Demonic Cultivators. Will a righteous sect truly take us in?”

Wan Wuying scoffed. “Oh, there will definitely be hypocrites who object. But what does that matter? Do you think they don’t covet the Wuji Sect’s cultivation techniques? Our spells? A Golden Core cultivator, four Foundation Establishment cultivators, and a horde of Qi Condensation cannon fodder—do you really think they will turn that away?”

Li Xuanming and the others nodded slowly. Greed always trumped righteousness. The other sects had already absorbed surrendering Wuji Sect disciples. A Golden Core cultivator was a strategic asset that took centuries of agonizing cultivation and astronomical resources to produce. If one willingly offered their loyalty, instantly boosting a sect’s power for free, only a fool would refuse.

One day later.

Wan Wuying led his newly formed retinue through the skies, cutting a direct path toward the nearest Tianyin Sect branch hall.

…

The Tianyin Sect’s main headquarters—their mountain gate—was rooted in Jinzhou, far to the west. They had only dared to push east into Wu Province after the Wuji Sect was reduced to ash.

Taming Wu Province was a nightmare. The land was choked with corpse-fiends, malicious spirits, and endless swarms of venomous vermin. Local factions constantly banded together to sabotage the Tianyin Sect’s expansion. Despite the grueling attrition, the sect had managed to hammer two branch halls into the hostile territory over the past few years.

Wan Wuying brought Chu Xuan and the others to one of these outposts: Feishan Hall.

Nestled between emerald peaks and winding rivers, Feishan Hall was framed by lush cypresses and vibrant bamboo. From a distance, it looked like a serene, elegant immortal retreat.

It was an illusion. This small pocket of tranquility was an island in a sea of rot. Just beyond the sect’s wards, the wilderness teemed with lethal predators and restless ghosts. Without the Tianyin Sect cultivators violently carving out this safe zone, no mortal would have survived a single night here.

Hovering high above the hall, Chu Xuan looked down. The outpost was sparsely populated. A handful of Qi Condensation disciples scurried about the courtyards, while the few Foundation Establishment cultivators were likely sealed away in closed-door cultivation.

Wan Wuying didn’t bother with stealth. He descended, letting his Golden Core aura crash down upon the hall like a physical weight. The oppressive Pressure instantly paralyzed the disciples below.

“Whoever is in charge here,” Wan Wuying’s voice boomed, echoing like thunder, “come out.”

Moments later, a middle-aged cultivator sprinted out of the main hall, his face pale and slick with cold sweat. “Senior, you are…”

The crushing Pressure radiating from Wan Wuying left no room for doubt. This was a Golden Core Ancestor. Terrified, the middle-aged man didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect. He bowed deeply, cupping his hands.

“This Venerable One is Wan Wuying,” the old man declared, his tone imperious. He waved his hand dismissively. “Send word to the old bones running your Tianyin Sect. Tell them this Venerable One is willing to lead my Extreme Yin Cave lineage to join your ranks.”

The middle-aged cultivator froze.

*Wan Wuying?* The name rang a terrifying bell.

Wait… wasn’t the Wuji Sect’s Golden Core Ancestor—the one supposedly slaughtered by the combined might of the Shenggang Sect and Jinlong Temple—named Wan Wuying?!

Could this person standing before him be the supposedly dead Wuji Sect Golden Core Demonic Cultivator?!

The middle-aged man’s head snapped up, his eyes bulging in absolute horror.