Chapter 168: What's Wrong with You?
Chapter 168: What's Wrong with You?
Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron.
Heaven-Earth Mystic Energy!
The so-called Vengeful Corpse, an existence surpassing the Golden Corpse, is not only different in its refinement process from the four types of corpses, but it also requires a unique method. Unlike the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron Corpses, which are crafted from pure corpses, the Vengeful Corpse is created by gathering mystic energy within a half-dead body over several years, or even a decade. This results in not only immense strength and speed but also a hint of a living person's spirituality, unlike the rigid and lifeless Gold and Silver Corpses. Moreover, it can manipulate earth vein mystic energy, rivaling the Primordial Energy True Force of the Organ Realms!
If it were just Gold and Silver Corpses, no matter how many there were, this team wouldn't fear them. At worst, they could retreat during the noon hour when the movements of the Gold and Silver Corpses are sluggish, making it difficult to catch up.
But the Vengeful Corpse is different!
It is a Corpse Refiner comparable to the Organ Realms, a completely different concept from the Gold and Silver Corpses!
"Not good."
A dangerous glint flashed in Xu Hongyu's eyes. She made a quick decision, flipped her body, and slashed out with a sword aura, colliding with two Golden Corpses. Instead of continuing the entanglement, she abandoned the Golden Corpses and charged straight towards the Sky Corpse Sect elder!
The opponent possessed such a Vengeful Corpse, making further combat hopeless. Xu Hongyu's only chance of victory lay in abandoning the Golden Corpses and attempting to assassinate the elder himself. Otherwise, even escape would be difficult!
However.
Facing Xu Hongyu's attacking sword, which carried the power of three blade forms.
Lai Long, with a calm demeanor, raised his left arm, revealing a withered left hand resembling a chicken claw. He extended two fingers, forming a sword, and with a flick and a sweep in the air, he collided with the sword aura, shattering it into pieces and trapping the blade.
"Since I can refine a Vengeful Corpse, my body has also been tempered by mystic energy. If you had mastered the Concept, perhaps you could have posed a threat to me. But with just this skill, you are far from being able to kill me."
Lai Long spoke calmly.
Xu Hongyu, despite the danger, remained composed and did not respond. With a flick of her wrist, her Flexible Sword slipped out from between Lai Long's withered fingers. With a wave and a flourish, countless sword auras filled the air, resembling a torrential downpour.
These 'raindrops' converged in the air, forming a mighty river that rushed down towards Lai Long.
"Useless."
Lai Long's expression remained calm. He extended his other right hand, which was hidden behind his back, and his hands crisscrossed in the air, colliding with the incoming sword auras. A clanging sound filled the air, and his withered palm seemed even more durable than gold and iron, showing no signs of damage during the clash.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the situation took a turn for the worse.
The Vengeful Corpse, shrouded in darkness, pounced forward, and with a single leap, it passed through the chest of a Demon Slayer Bureau guard, leaving a horrifying sight. The guard's body was pierced through, and even the iron plate inner armor was of no use, showing signs of corrosion and gaping holes.
Thump.
His eyes still held a look of shock, but his life force had vanished. The corpse fell to the ground with a thud.
"Oh no."
Xiao He's peripheral vision caught this scene, and her heart sank.
Although the Vengeful Corpse was powerful, it was also difficult to completely conceal its aura from a high-level expert of the Organ Realms. During the battle in the Purple Mist Mountain Range, most of the surviving Sky Corpse Sect members lacked control over Vengeful Corpses.
The majority of Vengeful Corpses had been destroyed in that battle, but unexpectedly, they encountered one here. With their current strength, they couldn't withstand the power of the Vengeful Corpse!
Swish!
Xiao He gritted her teeth and charged towards the Silver Corpse, disregarding the consequences. Even if it meant being injured by the Silver Corpse, she had to abandon it and rush towards Lai Long. She knew that their only chance of victory lay in killing Lai Long.
"Hmph."
However, Lai Long merely hummed in response to Xiao He's attack. He didn't even bother to react and casually pointed with his withered finger, bending Xiao He's Flexible Sword into an arc, forcing her to pause in mid-air.
Lai Long was slightly threatened by Xu Hongyu, who had reached the Bone Forging Realm, but Xiao He, who had only achieved Small Success in Sinew Transformation, posed no threat at all. Except for her vital points, Lai Long didn't bother to defend against Xiao He's attacks.
Ding ding dong!
Xu Hongyu and Xiao He besieged Lai Long, with sword auras flying like raindrops, but Lai Long blocked them one by one.
Lai Long didn't even need to mobilize the two Golden Corpses to protect him. With a calm demeanor, he faced Xu Hongyu and Xiao He, allowing the two Golden Corpses to join the other battlefield, swiftly overwhelming the Demon Slayer Bureau's forces.
The situation had already been dire with the presence of a vengeful corpse, and with the addition of two golden corpses, their forces were nearly annihilated in an instant. Wherever the vengeful corpse went, lives were taken in the blink of an eye, leaving no chance for defense.
"Alright, it's your turn now."
Lai Long, seeing the last of his men fall in the distance, turned his gaze towards Xu Hongyu and Xiao He, his voice cold and detached.
Just then, both Xiao He and Xu Hongyu felt a powerful sense of crisis surge within them.
Without even turning around, they knew that the vengeful corpse was upon them, its strength rivaling that of the Organ Realms. Even though its power was diminished by the bright midday sun, it was still enough to easily defeat a Bone Forging cultivator with a single move.
In that moment, Xu Hongyu felt as if time had slowed down. Images flashed through her mind—her father, Xu Yichuan; Xiao He by her side; her sister, Yu Ru; and most prominently, Chen Mu's gentle face.
She hadn't found her father yet.
She hadn't returned to Yu City.
She couldn't die here...
Xu Hongyu had experienced life-and-death situations before, but never had her senses been as sharp as they were now. In this moment of unprecedented calm, a scene emerged in her mind—Chen Mu and her walking along a dry riverbed at the end of the Major Drought, a stream of water meandering through the cracked riverbed.
Echoing in her ears were Chen Mu's words, 'Supreme Goodness is Like Water. Water benefits all things without contention, and so it is close to the Dao.' At that moment, her thoughts became crystal clear, and all her killing intent and sharpness dissipated. She suppressed all subjective thoughts, becoming still like a meandering stream, flowing with the will of heaven and earth.
Whoosh!
A drop of water appeared on the tip of Xu Hongyu's sword, no longer a mere afterimage from the sword's glow, but a substantial manifestation of the power of heaven and earth, condensing into a drop of clear liquid. It accompanied her sword, tracing a meandering arc.
Lai Long's expression changed slightly.
Instead of using his fingers to block the sword directly, he quickly retreated, moving several zhang away to avoid Xu Hongyu's sword edge.
Xu Hongyu's sword did not stop. Like a flowing stream, it forced Lai Long back, and then it turned towards the vengeful corpse that was attacking from behind, colliding with the black, mist-shrouded hand of the corpse.
"This is..."
Xiao He, standing beside Xu Hongyu, witnessed this scene, her beautiful eyes revealing a look of surprise. There was no doubt that this was the Water Hexagram Intention, the Water Gate Map!
But her joy was short-lived, abruptly cut off.
Even in this life-and-death situation, with all her experiences and insights, and Chen Mu's words that pointed directly at the essence of the Water Gate Map, she had a sudden realization and took a preliminary step into the Water Gate Map. However, the power she could exert was still far from enough to match the strength of the vengeful corpse.
Crack!
The meandering stream was forcefully crushed by the surging black mist of the vengeful corpse. The black hand, enveloped in corpse aura, then proceeded to smash Xu Hongyu's sword, breaking it inch by inch.
Finally, Xu Hongyu was sent flying to the right by the impact, colliding with Xiao He. Together, they flew over ten zhang to the right, both crashing into a towering ancient tree and finally coming to a stop.
"Cough."
"Ugh..."
Blood trickled from the corner of Xu Hongyu's mouth, and a strand of blood also dripped from Xiao He's lips.
Lai Long watched from a distance, shaking his head slightly. "Your talent and comprehension are not bad. You managed to comprehend the Water Gate Map in a life-and-death situation. It's a pity your cultivation is lacking; you've only reached the initial stage of Bone Forging. If you had achieved the perfection of Bone Forging, perhaps you could have withstood my vengeful corpse to some extent during this midday hour."
There was a hint of regret in his voice.
Xu Hongyu had good comprehension and had even cultivated the Water Gate Map, but it was a shame she was a woman. Otherwise, she might have been able to refine a new golden corpse, and there might have been a chance to attempt refining another vengeful corpse.
Regret flashed through Lai Long's eyes, and he immediately controlled the vengeful corpse, directing it towards Xu Hongyu and Xiao He.
At this moment, the vengeful corpse, having been exposed to the sunlight for an extended period, had its surrounding black mist significantly diminished. As they stood beneath the ancient tree, Xiao He, who had been supporting Xu Hongyu, suddenly froze, and Xu Hongyu stood motionless, her eyes fixed on the approaching vengeful corpse.
In the 1691st chapter of the novel, a shocking revelation unfolds!
The air was shrouded in a gray haze.
A pair of pupils were pitch-black, yet one could still vaguely discern that the deceased was once a very handsome man, with a commanding and dignified presence.
Even though the face had undergone significant changes due to the malevolent aura's erosion, to Xu Hongyu, it was still instantly recognizable. She stood there in a daze, the broken soft sword slipping silently from her hand.
Whoosh!
The malevolent corpse, expressionless, extended its hand, enveloped in pitch-black malevolent aura, and was about to pierce through Xu Hongyu's body.
A drop of bright red blood fell from Xu Hongyu's lips, and as she stared at the face so close to her, countless emotions flashed through her eyes. Finally, she merely formed a word with her lips.
Pat.
The drop of blood that fell from Xu Hongyu's lips quietly landed on the malevolent aura surrounding the black hand, and it was instantly corroded and disintegrated by the aura, emitting a sizzling sound.
But at that very moment, the black hand, enveloped in malevolent aura, suddenly slowed down and came to a halt right in front of Xu Hongyu's chest.
Then, the entire body began to tremble uncontrollably, and its thoughts became chaotic.
"Huh?"
Lai Long seemed to notice something astonishing and watched from a distance, his gaze shifting between Xu Hongyu and the malevolent corpse. A distant memory stirred within him, and he said, "This malevolent corpse, its name before it became a corpse was Xu Someone or Other... Could you be a direct blood relative of his?"
"Even if you are related by blood, and even if the malevolent corpse still retains a trace of its former consciousness, it can almost resist my control... Good, good, this consciousness is so strong that I had underestimated it. After becoming a malevolent corpse, it still has the potential to gather and transform malevolent energy, achieving the state of a Mystic Corpse."
A hint of surprise gradually appeared on Lai Long's face.
At this moment, Xu Hongyu was also staring at the scene in a daze. The malevolent corpse seemed to be forcefully resisting something, and the large hand pressing against her body trembled continuously before finally lunging forward, but at a very slow pace.
"Miss!"
Xiao He, witnessing this, suddenly reacted and pulled Xu Hongyu away, causing her to stumble but successfully evading the slow strike.
The black hand, shrouded in malevolent aura, pierced directly into the towering ancient tree, causing it to wither at a visible rate.
Crack!
The malevolent corpse struggled to pull its hand out of the tree and swung it towards Xu Hongyu again, but it was still extremely slow.
"Miss, let's go, quickly!"
By now, Xiao He had fully regained her senses and dragged Xu Hongyu, who was still in a daze, away from the scene, while the malevolent corpse struggled to take a few difficult steps before convulsing in place, unable to catch up.
Lai Long, however, didn't pay any attention to Xu Hongyu and Xiao He's escape. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed on the malevolent corpse, circling around it while muttering to himself.
...
Hundreds of meters away.
Xiao He, pulling Xu Hongyu away, finally reached a safe distance. Xu Hongyu, who had been silent, took a step forward and followed Xiao He's pace, moving further away from the scene.
Seeing this, Xiao He's heart felt a little relieved, but she also felt a pang of pain for Xu Hongyu. However, she knew that now was not the time to comfort her mistress, and they needed to escape to a safer location.
Although.
Although they had anticipated this outcome, when it finally happened, even Xiao He's heart struggled to bear it, let alone Xu Hongyu herself.
Xiao He clenched her jaw and followed closely behind Xu Hongyu, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, she thought of Chen Mu, wondering what he would say if he were here.
But just as she was thinking this, a familiar voice, like a dream, echoed in both Xu Hongyu and Xiao He's ears.
Xiao He's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, causing Xu Hongyu to stop as well.
Both of them looked ahead, and there, Chen Mu was walking towards them, wearing a simple gray cloth robe. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a shadow behind him in the forest.
"What's going on?" Chen Mu asked, looking at the two of them.
The third chapter is complete, and I've written about 12,000 words. My cough is due to chronic bronchitis, and it's been several years, but it can't be cured, so I can only take it one day at a time.
(End of Chapter)
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