Chapter 169: Overwhelming Dominance
Chapter 169: Overwhelming Dominance
"So that's how it is."
After listening to Xiao He's account, Chen Mu sighed softly and gently rubbed Xu Hongyu's blue-black hair.
Xu Hongyu wasn't truly an emotionless person, or perhaps there didn't exist an absolutely emotionless person in this world. Even those who cultivated 'emotionless' concepts were merely walking on that path.
Xu Hongyu had been suppressing all her emotions since she was very young, and over time, a layer of cold ice had formed in her heart. However, there were still people in this world who could easily shatter this layer of ice, like Xu Hongyu's father, Xu Yichuan. Even though she had anticipated this, Xu Hongyu couldn't help but think, 'What if my father was still alive?'
Witnessing Xu Yichuan's transformation into a corpse refiner.
An indescribable sorrow welled up in her heart.
This also completely solved a long-standing mystery from those years ago. It was the Hao family's conspiracy that sent information about Xu Yichuan to the remnants of the Sky Corpse Sect, leading to his disappearance without a trace.
Chen Mu gently patted Xu Hongyu's back. He knew that saying more comforting words at this moment was pointless; the only thing to do was to accompany her in her sorrow. But he had something more important than sorrow to attend to.
"Let's go."
Chen Mu turned his gaze towards the direction where Xiao He and Xu Hongyu had fled. "The Hao family no longer exists; only the remnants of the Sky Corpse Sect remain. Let's go and put an end to this."
Xu Hongyu slightly lifted her head to look at Chen Mu. She wasn't crying, but a faint mist of water was swirling around her, visible to the naked eye. It was the Kan Water Intention, swaying with her emotions. She wanted to speak but hesitated.
Xiao He bit her lip upon hearing this. She knew that Chen Mu was very powerful, far stronger than Xu Hongyu, and had entered the Bone Forging Realm a few months earlier. But a malevolent corpse was still as formidable as a Five Organs Realm corpse refiner, even under the suppression of the daytime.
"What if it's night?"
Chen Mu calmly said, "The remnants of the Sky Corpse Sect are mere rats. Let's go."
These words made Xiao He hesitate. She knew that Chen Mu was a stable and cautious person who rarely took risks. Even if he felt anger for Xu Hongyu, it was unlikely that he would lose control.
Xiao He looked into Chen Mu's eyes, and a faint light flickered:
"Groom, you have already..."
She knew that Chen Mu had comprehended his Intention long ago, and his understanding in this aspect was unparalleled. Now, facing a malevolent corpse as powerful as a Five Organs Realm corpse refiner, he still had such confidence. It meant he had made a breakthrough in his Intention, reaching the second step!
The second step of Intention was enough to rival the Five Organs Realm and even a malevolent corpse!
Xu Hongyu also stared at Chen Mu in a daze, watching his retreating figure as he walked into the forest. For a moment, she felt a little dizzy, but she still held Xiao He's hand, and the two of them walked into the forest together.
...
In the forest, under a towering ancient tree, Xu Yichuan, now a malevolent corpse, was buried in the ground, with only his head exposed. Lai Long held a skull orb in his left hand and circled around Xu Yichuan's corpse.
From time to time, Lai Long shook the skull orb in his hand, causing drops of fresh blood to flow out and fall onto Xu Yichuan's head, slowly seeping into his body.
Around Xu Yichuan's buried corpse, Lai Long used fresh blood to draw a bizarre pattern, with several brown corpse pieces placed at specific points within the pattern. These pieces continuously emitted waves of malevolent energy, which condensed and intertwined, forming a stream that flowed from the ground into Xu Yichuan's body, constantly infusing his corpse.
Refining a mystic corpse required time. Lai Long wasn't refining a corpse but using malevolent energy and his essence blood to strengthen the suppression and control over Xu Yichuan's corpse, ensuring the corpse's consciousness didn't become too strong and resist manipulation.
As for Xu Hongyu and Xiao He, who had fled...
Lai Long wasn't too concerned about them.
By the time Xu Hongyu and Xiao He returned with the experts from Yu Prefecture, Lai Long would have already left.
Keeping Xu Hongyu and Xiao He was to potentially further stimulate Xu Yichuan's corpse consciousness and provoke a reaction.
However, when Chen Mu, in his Sinew Transformation Realm, and Xu Hongyu, in her Bone Forging Realm, arrived, there wasn't much to kill, and even if they did, it would be difficult to refine a corpse.
Just as Lai Long was chanting and dripping the bizarre blood onto Xu Yichuan's head, absorbing it all, he suddenly paused, a look of confusion on his face, as he glanced towards the distant forest.
But upon careful perception, he didn't sense any abnormalities. He narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm giving you a chance to live, yet you still insist on rushing to your deaths?"
Then,
Xu Hongyu and Xiao He's figures emerged from the forest, both of them staring coldly at him.
Lai Long let out a soft hum, raised his hand, and the Golden Corpse of Xu Yichuan, which was buried in the soil, burst out. Some of the Malevolent Qi that had dissipated under the sunlight was now replenished, once again obscuring its features, making it difficult to discern its features.
"You must think that this Golden Corpse has consciousness and won't obey my commands. Do you really believe that you can kill me with such a flaw? You girls are too naive!"
The reason Xu Yichuan's Golden Corpse could resist him wasn't just because of its strong consciousness. The main reason was that it was noon, and under the scorching sunlight, the Malevolent Qi had diminished significantly, affecting its power greatly.
If it were night, no matter how strong the consciousness was, it wouldn't be able to resist his control.
Not to mention now.
With his refined blood strengthening his control, there wouldn't be any issues even in broad daylight.
"Fine, since you're eager to die, I'll send you on your way."
Lai Long looked at Xu Hongyu and Xiao He with a hint of indifference in his eyes. He didn't have a strong killing intent towards them, but since they were offering themselves up, there was no need to let them go.
With a thought,
Swish! Xu Yichuan's Golden Corpse, enveloped in black mist, transformed into an afterimage and rushed towards Xu Hongyu and Xiao He. It swung out a pitch-black giant hand, this time without any clumsiness or hindrance, about to strike the two women down.
But at that moment, a sigh echoed.
Chen Mu's figure appeared silently in front of Xu Yichuan's Golden Corpse. He raised his hand and grabbed it, and a force almost visible to the naked eye howled, instantly scattering the Malevolent Qi surrounding Xu Yichuan. With a light palm strike on its shoulder, in an instant, the entire body was slammed into the mud, leaving only half of its head exposed.
Xu Yichuan's Golden Corpse trembled violently from the strike, causing the ground to churn. Its face, now revealed again, showed the ferocious expression of a Golden Corpse, and it was about to pounce out from underground once more.
But.
Chen Mu merely shook his head.
"Forgive me, sir."
He struck out with his palm again, and in an instant, strands of lightning extended from his five fingers, converging into a visible bolt of thunder. Accompanied by the majestic might of the righteous path, it struck down with a resounding boom!
Boom!!!
All the gathered Malevolent Qi shattered under the thunder's might, creating a terrifying explosion that spread along the ground for nearly ten feet in all directions, visible purple lightning bolts digging out a deep pit!
With this strike, the Golden Corpse of Xu Yichuan, blasted out from the pit, trembled violently. Its Malevolent Qi was completely shattered, and under the sunlight, it stopped moving.
"Spleen!"
Lai Long's pupils had already contracted when Chen Mu appeared, and he let out a strange cry. Without any hesitation, he turned and fled into the distance.
An ordinary person might have mistaken the situation, but he was no ordinary man. The moment Chen Mu appeared and took action, he recognized the Primordial Energy True Force displayed by Chen Mu, which was undoubtedly a Spleen Realm technique!
What was even more terrifying was that the gust of wind that dispersed the Malevolent Qi from the Golden Corpse and the subsequent purple lightning were not ordinary techniques. He could clearly sense the might of the Concept, and it wasn't just the first step!
What kind of monster had arrived!
Lai Long's heart screamed in shock.
Chen Mu, who appeared to be the same age as Xu Hongyu, had unleashed the Primordial Energy True Force of the Spleen Realm. His control over Concepts was effortless, and with one strike, he scattered the Malevolent Qi of the Golden Corpse, and with another, he completely shattered the Fiendish Essence with thunder. Such power didn't even turn the Golden Corpse into dust, causing minimal damage to the corpse—a truly terrifying sight.
No wonder Xu Hongyu and Xiao He had suddenly returned!
"Hmph."
It wasn't that these two corpses were stronger than Xu Yichuan's vengeful corpses, but rather, Xu Yichuan had previously unleashed his powers under the scorching noon sun, dispersing much of his vengeful energy. At this moment, he hadn't fully recovered, but these two vengeful corpses, buried deep underground, were in their prime state.
However...
Facing the two newly emerged vengeful corpses, Chen Mu didn't even spare them a glance. He lifted his hand and slammed it down.
Thick, pure Yuan Gang True Force erupted from his palm, transforming into 'Wind', 'Thunder', and 'Fire' in the void. Then, they merged back into one, condensing into a raging inferno intertwined with thunder, forming a colossal hand that slammed down with terrifying might, directly crushing the two vengeful corpses.
Boom! Boom!!
The two vengeful corpses barely had time to resist for a breath before the vengeful energy on their bodies exploded, and their entire bodies shattered. They quickly burned in the raging flames, turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating.
One palm had annihilated two vengeful corpses!
"This..."
Xiao He stared at this scene, completely stunned.
She had previously followed Xu Hongyu in the Purple Mist Mountain Range and participated in a large-scale battle involving hundreds of people. She had witnessed the power of vengeful corpses, and indeed, they were capable of entangling even those at the Five Viscera Realm. Even among the true disciples of various sects, few could boast the ability to annihilate a vengeful corpse with a single blow. But here, in front of Chen Mu, they were so fragile, easily defeated!
Although it was broad daylight, and the scorching sun had dispersed some of the vengeful energy, by this time, it was no longer noon, and the sun's suppression of the vengeful energy had lessened. Still, the ability to annihilate two vengeful corpses with a single blow was awe-inspiring.
She had initially thought that Chen Mu might have broken through one of the Wind or Thunder Intentions, reaching the second step and possessing strength comparable to the Five Viscera Realm. But what she witnessed now was far beyond that—even the true disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, like Gu Hong, whom she had encountered in the battle at the Purple Mist Mountain Range, would likely pale in comparison!
Chen Mu didn't want to waste any time.
Nor did he want any unexpected occurrences.
As he crushed and annihilated the two vengeful corpses with a single palm, he didn't even pause at the spot but immediately pursued Lai Long. The two vengeful corpses were left behind, engulfed in the raging inferno and thunderous destruction.
With just one step, he caught up to Lai Long's withered and diminutive figure.
"He actually has Departure Fire, damn it!"
"Who are you?!"
Lai Long's eyes revealed a hint of disbelief, mixed with a touch of shock. Chen Mu's strength was undoubtedly at the level of a true disciple from a major sect, and among them, he would be ranked at the forefront.
Chen Mu didn't respond to Lai Long's question. Instead, he calmly reached out to grab Lai Long's neck.
A flash of ferocity appeared in Lai Long's eyes. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and with a sudden force, crushed the skull orb in his palm, causing it to shatter and explode into a thick cloud of blood. The cloud enveloped his entire body.
His shriveled limbs and body rapidly inflated at a visible speed. Then, he spun around and punched toward Chen Mu, unleashing a dense and dark vengeful energy that formed a visible fist-shaped imprint.
"Corpse Malevolence Seal!"
He let out a roar.
Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged. His right hand continued its momentum, but in midair, his fingers curled into a fist, colliding with Lai Long's concentrated and refined Corpse Malevolence fist imprint.
Boom!!!
Thunder rumbled, and flames raged.
The Corpse Malevolence was a type of Utmost Yin energy, capable of eroding and contaminating various kinds of pure energy. However, both the Thunder and Departure Fire were absolute counters to it. The former suppressed all evil, while the latter was inherently Utmost Yang and Fiery.
The concentrated Corpse Malevolence fist imprint, first struck by the thunder, shattered and turned into fragments of black mist. As it tried to spread toward Chen Mu, the raging fire engulfed and burned it, emitting a sizzling sound as it rapidly collapsed.
The might of the thunder and fire didn't stop there. It struck Lai Long's body, sending him flying horizontally.
"Ah..."
Lai Long let out a painful roar. His body, which had expanded, quickly shrank at a visible speed as he flew backward, eventually colliding with a tree as thick as a hug. His entire body embedded itself into the tree trunk.
His dry white hair was completely burned, and his body was covered in scorch marks from the thunder, embedded in the tree trunk. For a moment, he could only breathe out, unable to inhale.
(End of Chapter)
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