Chapter 110: The Silver Corpse
Chapter 110: The Silver Corpse
The flickering campfire barely dispelled the darkness of the night.
Xiao He halted her movements, her hand already resting on the hilt of her soft sword, alert and vigilant as she scanned the surroundings.
Finally, the shadows in the dimness gradually emerged.
From all directions, about a dozen figures surrounded the makeshift wooden shelter that the two had built. Their movements were bizarre, stiff, and a putrid odor wafted from them.
As the first figure drew closer, illuminated by the firelight, its body appeared in an eerie ancient copper color, with sunken, decaying eyes, emitting a foul stench. Its limbs seemed difficult to bend as it moved.
Witnessing this scene, Xu Hongyu's pupils constricted slightly, but her gaze quickly swept the surroundings, and she spoke coldly, "Corpse Refinement? So, the Corpse Poison Jade that flowed into Yu City was not an ancient relic but a recent creation... Did you happen to obtain the secret art of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, or did remnants of the sect survive all these years?"
In the past, the evil thief Tang Quan had infiltrated the Yu Clan as a servant, hiding his identity for many years. Finally, he seized the opportunity to steal a copy of the Thunder Intent Map, a rubbing that the Yu Clan had unexpectedly acquired. However, he was still discovered by the Yu Clan as he fled. Although he managed to escape to the outer city, his hiding place was soon uncovered. She personally led the capture, but to escape, Tang Quan used a Corpse Poison Jade in front of her.
That was the first Corpse Poison Jade she had ever seen.
Although she had heard rumors of Corpse Poison Jade in Yu City before, they were not from the Southern District, and hearsay was often unreliable. So, she didn't take them seriously until she encountered one herself. She then began investigating the matter.
After the battle at the Black Crow Sect's headquarters, where she encountered the second Corpse Poison Jade, she returned to the Yu Clan and mobilized some of their informants for a deeper investigation. However, these inquiries yielded nothing, only revealing that the Corpse Poison Jade might have come from outside the city.
At that time, she didn't suspect the Heavenly Corpse Sect, as they had been eradicated centuries ago and had long faded into history, only mentioned in some record books. But later, when she personally seized a Corpse Poison Jade and had it thoroughly examined, she discovered it was not an ancient relic but a recently refined object. This led her to suspect that the sect's secret art had resurfaced.
And now, with the appearance of a Corpse Puppet, there was no longer any doubt.
The only uncertainty was whether the daring individual who used this art to refine Corpse Puppets had obtained the hidden legacy of the Heavenly Corpse Sect by chance or if they were remnants of the sect that had been hiding for centuries.
These two scenarios were entirely different.
If it was the former, it wasn't a significant matter. The Heavenly Corpse Sect's influence had once spread throughout the Great Xuan's various realms, and some broken legacies buried underground could be discovered by later generations, which was normal.
But if it was the latter...
The remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, despite the Great Xuan court's efforts to exterminate them, had remained hidden until the court's decline, only now resurfacing. This situation would be much more severe.
"No comment."
From the dark forest, a dry, raspy voice emerged, indifferent: "You have nothing to know, White Guard of the Demon Slayer Bureau. Hmph... You'll just make two new corpses for me."
As the voice fell, the nearby copper-headed, iron-armed Corpse Puppets that had been gradually approaching suddenly sprang into action. They exerted force in unison, their stiff bodies lunging towards Xu Hongyu and Xiao He, accompanied by a gust of wind.
However, both Xu Hongyu and Xiao He remained composed, their soft swords flashing in the firelight, releasing a rain of sword light. They clashed with the attacking Corpse Puppets from all sides.
The sword light burst forth upon the Corpse Puppets, clashing with a metallic clamor, sparks flying. Despite the onslaught of over a dozen copper-headed, iron-armed Corpse Puppets, Xu Hongyu and Xiao He's soft swords held their own, cutting through the Puppets' bodies and forcing them back.
Nevertheless, the damaged Corpse Puppets seemed unaffected. After being repelled, they lunged forward again, their bodies as sturdy as copper and iron, ignoring their injuries.
Xu Hongyu's gaze remained steady, and her soft sword slashed, releasing a continuous stream of sword light. With a swift stroke, she severed the neck of a Corpse Puppet, beheading it.
Thud!
The beheaded Corpse Puppet finally stopped, like a broken kite, falling to the ground.
"Just as the books described, Corpse Puppets are impervious to blades and guns. Only by severing their necks or destroying their heads, breaking the connection with the controller, can they be defeated."
Xu Hongyu observed the fallen Corpse Puppet, her heart echoing with understanding.
Xiao He, witnessing Xu Hongyu's swift defeat of a Corpse Puppet, immediately followed suit, swinging her sword. However, her strike was slightly weaker, only managing to cut off most of the Corpse Puppet's head.
Even so, the Corpse Puppet exhibited issues, staggering and wobbling before collapsing to the ground, its limbs twitching uncontrollably, seemingly detached from control.
After identifying the puppet's weaknesses, Xu Hongyu and Xiao He's sword techniques became more precise and lethal, aiming directly at vital points. In an instant, several puppet corpses were either decapitated or rendered immobile.
However, at that moment...
The dry, raspy voice from the forest echoed once more, "The White Robe Guard of the Demon Slayer Bureau is indeed formidable. My copper puppets seem rather useless... Well, these inferior ones can only be refined to this extent."
The voice carried a hint of resignation.
Swish!
Xu Hongyu's eyes flashed with cold determination as she located the source of the voice. With a light tap on a tree trunk, she propelled herself into the air, transforming into a beam of light and charging directly towards the voice.
Although this was her first encounter with a corpse refiner and a puppet master, she had thoroughly studied various materials beforehand. She knew that among corpse refiners, there were classifications of gold, silver, copper, and iron, and that the puppet master's true strength was often not formidable. If the master was killed, all the puppets would lose control, becoming lifeless like broken puppets.
However, before Xu Hongyu could even enter the forest, a grayish-white puppet with a faint silver glow appeared in the darkness ahead. Its movements were noticeably more agile, and it swung a powerful punch with a force that seemed to surpass metal and stone. Even before it reached her, a fierce gust of wind struck her face.
Silver Corpse!
Xu Hongyu's expression changed slightly.
Among the four types of corpse refinements—gold, silver, copper, and iron—they generally corresponded to the four realms of a martial artist's skin, flesh, sinews, and bones. The copper corpses, like the ones before, had bodies as tough as copper and iron, and their physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary martial artists in the Skin Hardening Realm. They could withstand direct clashes with those in the Cross-Training Realm, but they lacked agility and possessed no martial techniques or skills. They relied solely on brute force, so a genuine master in the Skin Hardening Realm with knife skills could handle them in a one-on-one situation.
For someone like Xu Hongyu, who had achieved perfection in the Sinew Transformation Realm, defeating them was effortless.
But the silver corpse was different.
According to the records Xu Hongyu had studied, silver corpses not only had stronger bodies than copper corpses but also possessed greater explosive power. They were more flexible and less rigid than their copper counterparts.
Swish!
Xu Hongyu's movements were agile as she changed her sword form mid-air, transforming her stabbing motion into a sweeping arc. The two sword forms intertwined, creating a whirlwind that collided with the silver corpse's fist.
A deep, muffled hum accompanied the clash, and Xu Hongyu's sword light exploded upon impact.
"It's indeed a bit tricky," she acknowledged.
Xu Hongyu's attack had been ineffective, and she retreated with a leap, landing beside Xiao He. They exchanged a glance, their years of companionship allowing them to understand each other without words.
Chen Mu hadn't returned...
In the darkness of the night, they had no idea what was happening in the mountains. They didn't know Chen Mu's whereabouts, and if he had been ambushed, it would be dangerous for him to return alone.
The best course of action was to reunite with Chen Mu and then find an opportunity to withdraw. After all, they were outnumbered and unaware of the situation. There was no need to take unnecessary risks. However, if they left now, Chen Mu would be alone when he returned, and he might encounter an ambush, putting him in grave danger!
Before they could make a decision, a muffled bang echoed from the pitch-black forest.
A copper corpse flew horizontally like a cannonball, its body contorted and arched as if struck by an incredibly powerful force. It carried a gust of wind as it crashed into the battlefield, knocking aside the three copper corpses in front of Xiao He, and then sprawling haphazardly in all directions.
"Has the world descended into such chaos that even the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect dare to besiege the Demon Slayer Bureau?" a cold voice rang out.
Chen Mu's figure appeared from the direction the copper corpse had flown.
Upon seeing Chen Mu, Xu Hongyu and Xiao He's hearts were instantly relieved. Without hesitation, Xu Hongyu leaped towards Chen Mu, followed closely by Xiao He.
"Let's go!" Xu Hongyu called out calmly.
Before her words could land, she and Xiao He had already passed by Chen Mu's side.
With Chen Mu's return, there was no need to prolong the confrontation. They could quickly withdraw, as the Demon Slayer Bureau wasn't responsible for such matters. They only needed to report the intelligence to Yu City, and higher-ranked individuals in the Bone Forging Realm or above would handle the situation.
(End of Chapter)
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