Six months passed in the blink of an eye. Liu Lei had thought he would soon ascend to the heavens, but Lian Feng believed his cultivation journey should continue. After several delays, Liu Lei unwittingly found himself spending five years on the mountain.
During these five years, the once tumultuous vampire gradually settled into the tranquil promises and lofty futures that Lian Feng had described. Over this period, he delved into the deeper parts of the Heart Technique: the Blood Corpse Sutra, one of the four great secret arts of the Sect. To be a king among zombies, one only needed the basic techniques; however, to ascend to the Celestial Realm, mastering the Blood Corpse Sutra was essential.
"Ordinary cultivators are destroyed upon ascension, their bodies disintegrating and being remade in the immortal realm. But the nine-day blood corpse, cultivated through the Blood Corpse Sutra, ascends with its physical body intact, far stronger than ordinary immortals. The nine-day blood corpse possesses all the abilities of a zombie king and can soar through the nine heavens…" At this point, Liu Lei spread his wings and slowly began to rise into the air. "Hey, Lian Feng, I'm a Zombie King now, right? Look, I can fly. Does that mean I'm a nine-day blood corpse?" Liu Lei looked at him with eager anticipation.
"Of course not!" Lian Feng swiftly summoned a bolt of lightning, turning the arrogant vampire into a crispy bat.
Over the course of five years, Liu Lei had mastered the basics of the Blood Corpse Sutra. He could now forge weapons and refine pills—marking his entry into the world of cultivation. Over those years, he had manifested a protective heart armor, safeguarding the vampire's vital organ—the heart. Lian Feng also began to teach Liu Lei martial arts and Daoist techniques, and the once disgruntled Zombie King had trained all the third-generation disciples, now challenging the second-generation ones. Each time he called home, his parents urged the grown man to get married, a request that, though frustrating, still brought tears to his eyes as he remembered his human family from afar. During these years, he also had the chance to meet Xuanyuan Xuejian, the revered leader of the Sect.
Xuanyuan Xuejian was hailed as the foremost tyrant of the demonic path, tall and muscular, his mastery of the Sect's supreme technique, the "Tyrant's Way," near perfection. He was the strongest in the Sect. Had it not been for the myriad duties of the Sect and the looming threat of heavenly tribulations, he would have ascended to the Celestial Realm long ago. The unawakened vampire quickly bonded with the bold and charismatic Xuanyuan Xuejian, calling him "blood head," to which the straightforward Sect leader, amused by Liu Lei's antics, allowed him into the Sect's sacred domain—the "Devil's Cave," where the most potent defensive arts of the Sect were kept.
Without delay, Xuanyuan Xuejian grabbed Liu Lei by the neck and marched toward the cave, moving faster than Liu Lei could fly. Upon arriving at the entrance, he gave Liu Lei a swift kick to the backside and with a hearty laugh, sent him into the cave, shouting, "Go!" Liu Lei, though slightly embarrassed by the disrespect shown to his noble status, was exhilarated by the rare opportunity and eagerly searched for suitable techniques within the cave—an opportunity too precious to waste. Only Xuanyuan Xuejian and Lian Feng had the authority to grant access to the "Devil's Cave," where the Sect's highest techniques were recorded.
Within the cave, Liu Lei found two techniques: the Blood Refining Great Art and the Grand River True Solution. The Blood Refining Great Art was the Sect's first defensive art, utilizing blood as a conduit for immense power. It had not been successfully cultivated for nearly a thousand years, but it was perfectly suited to a vampire's nature. The Grand River True Solution, however, was a lost orthodox technique—a powerful skill that would ignite fierce competition if any righteous cultivators learned of its existence. Liu Lei, oblivious to its significance, simply found it lacking the usual demonic aura, and curious, began to practice it. He recorded the technique for later use. From the second year onward, Liu Lei no longer had to soak in the medicinal pool during the day, using his free time instead to practice various arts. With the addition of the new techniques, Liu Lei's strength grew exponentially, and he found a new sense of security within the Sect, which became a place of constant chaos as a result.
Though Liu Lei begrudged Lian Feng for keeping him on the mountain, he understood the reasoning behind it. Every day, apart from cultivating, he would rush to the "Devil's Cave," for despite his newfound strength, he knew he was still vulnerable against stronger opponents. The more skills he acquired, the better. During these five years, the righteous cultivators launched an attack on the Sect's headquarters. It was almost laughable—the conflict had begun when a third-generation disciple offended the descendant of a righteous elder. Upon returning to the mountain, the disciple was followed, and the righteous cultivators, unaware that they had entered the heart of the Western Yunnan Demon Sect, were annihilated before they even reached the gate. The one who took action was the formidable Grand Killing Elder, who had long been dormant in the Sect, eager for a chance to unleash his power.
Liu Lei, born with the ability to control zombies, had never had the chance to test it, as there were no corpses to raise within the Sect. He had long since overcome his fear of the sun, strolling outside at noon without feeling any discomfort. However, the ability to control corpses had remained untested until now. When a few naive cultivators appeared, Liu Lei saw an opportunity to experiment. As he prepared to raise the fallen, Grand Killing Elder, hovering in the air, began wielding his immense black sword, cutting through the crowd with devastating force. The sword cleaved both bodies and trees, reducing them to fragments. Despite his strength, Liu Lei found himself unable to turn the broken bodies into zombies. With a growl, he called out to the Elder, "Elder, stop for a moment!" Undeterred by the admiring gazes of those around him, Liu Lei boldly approached the Elder, whispering in his ear. The Elder, who had been glaring in anger, suddenly smiled, gesturing for Liu Lei to leave. He then lifted his massive sword, its dark glow enveloping the invaders. A single roar from the Elder sent the sword crashing down, causing the invaders to bleed from every orifice before succumbing to death.
After that, it became common to see the fierce Grand Killing Elder training with Liu Lei—well, rather, with Liu Lei's zombies. From a distance, one could hear the Elder's raspy voice shouting, "Why does it keep falling down after just a few hits? This zombie of yours is pathetic, Liu Lei!" Everyone understood how Liu Lei had convinced the Elder to leave the corpses intact. Yet, the Elder was clearly not satisfied with the "reward" he had received.
To satisfy the Elder's demands, Liu Lei tirelessly worked to increase the strength of the twenty-seven zombies. He scoured the Sect's archives, wasting many of Lian Feng's treasured books, until finally, the Elder was appeased. The zombies were now powerful enough to challenge the third-generation disciples, and though they lacked consciousness, they had developed a combat instinct.
Five years passed swiftly for these cultivators and a vampire, almost unnoticed. Liu Lei had thought Lian Feng would keep him on the mountain longer, but instead, Lian Feng told him it was time to leave. Liu Lei stood stunned, knowing this moment would eventually come, but still filled with a sense of hope as he looked at Lian Feng. With a smile, Lian Feng nodded. "It's been five years. There's nothing more you can learn here. Staying longer would serve no purpose. It's time to return. I know that, despite being a vampire, you still long for your human family. It's time to visit them."
Liu Lei didn't respond to the rest of what Lian Feng said, only asking, "Must I really leave now?" Lian Feng's answer was firm but filled with a trace of reluctance. "You've been here for five years, and everyone likes you. Honestly, before you came, the Sect was stagnant, but you've breathed new life into it. However, you must go. Everything is settled now, and it's time for you to leave the mountain."
Liu Lei understood that there was nothing more to say. He knelt and offered three bows to Lian Feng. "Master!" he called out. Lian Feng shuddered, and Liu Lei continued, "Though you never said you would take me as your disciple, and I never asked to become your disciple, you are my master, my only master. Master, I am leaving!" After another deep bow, Liu Lei turned and walked to his room to gather his belongings. Lian Feng sighed softly, muttering, "The eighteenth disciple…"
That night, lying in bed, Liu Lei reflected on his time since becoming a vampire. Suddenly, he realized he was no longer the person he once was. Since his transformation, the fervor he once felt had faded, replaced by an emptiness that made him lazy. This laziness had slowly seeped into his personality over the past five years, making him far more easygoing than before. "It seems everyone likes the current me more. And honestly, I'm happier now," he thought quietly to himself.
When he left, Liu Lei didn't say goodbye to anyone. Instead, he threw a stone at the door of Xuanyuan Xuejian's room, attached with a note: "Blood Head, little brother's leaving. Wherever we meet next, we'll see." He then positioned the twenty-seven zombies in front of Grand Killing Elder's door, each zombie carrying a letter, which when read together spelled: "Little Liu's leaving. There's something I've wanted to say—Grand Killing, your name is terrible: Big Fool, haha!"
At the foot of Mount Diancang, Liu Lei looked back at the place where he had lived for five years. The peak where the Sect's headquarters stood had vanished, leaving only the continuous green peaks of Diancang. He turned to face the city ahead, with its countless towering buildings, and quietly said, "Dad, Mom, I'm home." But after becoming a vampire, could he ever truly return to being the person he once was?