Chapter 497: Ancestral Legacy
Chapter 497: Ancestral Legacy
Mo Hua used his spiritual sense to communicate with the Spirit Pivot Array within the King of Corpses, controlling it. In an instant, he sensed three conflicting yet coexisting dominant forces within the King of Corpses' body.
One was the common corpse control technique used by Corpse Refiners, mediated by the Corpse Control Bell.
Another was the evil Spirit Pivot Array's corpse control technique, with the array itself at its core.
The last one was the orthodox Spirit Pivot Absolute Array's technique for controlling spirits, the First-Rank Twelve Patterns, which Mo Hua had set up himself.
These three forces formed a triangular standoff, counteracting each other. In a short period, none of them could completely control the King of Corpses.
Mo Hua was a bit disappointed.
He had wanted to take complete control of the King of Corpses, manipulate all the Iron Corpses, and then join forces with Zhang Quan to kill Lu Chengyun. Afterward, he would turn on Zhang Quan and kill him too.
He wanted to borrow a knife to kill two people, or rather, two "corpses."
However, with the three forces in separate control, Mo Hua wasn't confident that he could suppress the Corpse Control Bell and the evil Spirit Pivot Array in a short time and completely dominate the King of Corpses.
But this was also within his expectations.
Mo Hua didn't forcefully activate the array to dominate the King of Corpses.
If he missed this strike, it wouldn't be enough to finish off Lu Chengyun, and it might alert him, exposing the methods Mo Hua had left within the King of Corpses.
While he couldn't control the King of Corpses, he could control the Iron Corpses.
Like Lu Chengyun and Zhang Quan, he began to indirectly control the Iron Corpses through the King of Corpses.
There were a total of twenty-four Iron Corpses in the altar.
Zhang Quan controlled eleven, and Lu Chengyun controlled thirteen.
With the help of the Spirit Pivot Array on the King of Corpses' heart meridian, Mo Hua secretly converted some of the Iron Corpses controlled by Zhang Quan and Lu Chengyun to his side.
Mo Hua's methods were subtle.
Lu Chengyun and Zhang Quan were in the midst of a fierce battle, so they didn't notice that some of the Iron Corpses under their control had already "betrayed" them.
Beneath the altar, within the Myriad Corpse Array.
Lu Chengyun had the upper hand, forcing Zhang Quan to retreat continuously.
Zhang Quan struggled to hold on, and his injuries gradually became more serious. The Iron Corpses he controlled also showed signs of decline.
Lu Chengyun coldly smiled and began to manipulate the Iron Corpses to join him in surrounding and attacking Zhang Quan, determined to kill him and eliminate this future threat! Zhang Quan must die!
He was the only one in this world who could control the King of Corpses!
A chilling light shone in Lu Chengyun's eyes, and the power of his sword light increased greatly.
Zhang Quan, with his copper skin and iron bones due to corpse transformation, barely blocked several swords, but he was still pierced through the left shoulder. As he cried out in pain, he exposed an opening, and another Iron Corpse punched him, sending him flying to the ground.
Lu Chengyun pointed, controlling an Iron Corpse to surround and attack Zhang Quan.
Zhang Quan struggled to get up, but it was already too late. He could only barely ring the bell to summon a few Iron Corpses to protect himself.
However, due to his depleted vitality and severe injuries, he could only summon four Iron Corpses, which were no match for the more than ten Iron Corpses under Lu Chengyun's control.
A calm yet murderous gaze shone in Lu Chengyun's eyes.
The Iron Corpses under his command were filled with a strong bloodthirst as they rushed towards Zhang Quan.
Several of them were blocked by Zhang Quan's Iron Corpses, and the two groups began to tear at each other. The rest rushed to Zhang Quan's front, their faces ferocious as they opened their bloody mouths wide, ready to devour him.
"Die!"
Zhang Quan's heart and gallbladder were about to explode from fear.
Facing imminent death, he mustered all his strength, waved his palm, and knocked back one of the Iron Corpses. Then, he flipped over and kicked another one away.
However, several other Iron Corpses had already pounced on him, grabbing his limbs with their long, sharp claws that sank into his flesh, holding him tightly.
Another Iron Corpse's hand claws swelled, and its sinister corpse poison aimed straight for Zhang Quan's heart meridian.
This claw strike would pierce his heart meridian, and there was no doubt that he would die! Zhang Quan's eyes widened in despair, and no matter how he struggled, he was powerless.
Just as he was terrified and confused, the deadly Iron Corpse's claws suddenly stopped.
The sharp claw tips were just a hair's breadth away from his chest.
He could even feel the sharpness, the coldness, and the stale aura of death.
Zhang Quan was stunned.
Lu Chengyun was also taken aback.
What was going on?
Had the Iron Corpse gone berserk?
Zhang Quan, having survived this crisis, calmed his startled soul and realized that not only this Iron Corpse but also several nearby Iron Corpses had stopped moving.
Although he didn't know why, Zhang Quan felt relieved. He immediately stood up and took a few big steps back, escaping the encirclement of the Iron Corpses.
Lu Chengyun frowned.
He moved his divine sense, once again attempting to control the Iron Corpses.
This time, the Iron Corpses moved according to his will, and there didn't seem to be anything unusual.
"What's going on...?"
Was it a conflict of control, or was there a flaw in the array?
Lu Chengyun couldn't figure it out, so he suppressed his doubts. The most important thing now was to kill Zhang Quan first.
Lu Chengyun once again controlled the Iron Corpses to surround and attack Zhang Quan.
However, what happened next still caught him by surprise.
Whenever an Iron Corpse was about to take Zhang Quan's life, it would hesitate for a moment, allowing Zhang Quan to escape.
After this happened several times, Zhang Quan also reacted.
These Iron Corpses were showing mercy!
Why?
Why do they spare me every time I'm in a desperate situation?
Zhang Quan furrowed his brows and sank into thought, suddenly realizing the reason.
He understood!
There was only one reason why the Iron Corpses would spare him at the last moment:
It was the old ancestor!
In the darkness, the old ancestor was secretly helping him!
Zhang Quan's thoughts raced.
This King of Corpses was refined day and night using the Zhang family's town clan bronze coffin and the family's secret corpse refining method.
Zhang Quan was incredibly grateful. He immediately knelt and kowtowed several times, his voice carrying as he expressed his thanks to his ancestor.
This act of kneeling surprised Mo Hua as well.
After a moment's thought, he understood and silently mocked Zhang Quan, "You shouldn't be thanking your ancestor, you should be thanking your 'little' ancestor."
Lu Chengyun's expression turned wary, and a chill ran down his spine as he realized the extent of the Zhang family's corpse refining techniques, allowing them to control iron corpses through their ancestors.
He had never even heard of such a thing!
With this new development, Lu Chengyun knew he couldn't let Zhang Quan live. Lu Chengyun brandished his fine sword, the sword light like a waterfall, as he unleashed his spiritual power against Zhang Quan once more.
Although Zhang Quan continued to retreat, his spirits were lifted.
"My ancestor is helping me! I won't die!"
Indeed, his ancestor's spirit in heaven was protecting him.
Whenever Zhang Quan's life was in peril, the iron corpse trying to kill him would 'malfunction', freezing in place momentarily.
Zhang Quan's face lit up with joy.
Lu Chengyun, however, grew anxious and even more wary of Zhang Quan's ancestor.
He stopped relying on the iron corpses and instead used his own profound arts and his high-grade sword to slowly wear Zhang Quan down, intending to finish him off.
In his focus on Zhang Quan, Lu Chengyun inadvertently exposed a large opening on his back.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up. Now was the moment!
He manipulated the array core, and at the same time, one of the iron corpses under Lu Chengyun's control suddenly 'betrayed' him. Its pupils constricted, eyes glowing blue, as its sharp claws lashed out like the wind towards Lu Chengyun's back.
This attack was fast, precise, ruthless, and extremely sinister.
The timing of the opportunity was perfect.
Lu Chengyun was caught off guard and couldn't react in time!
The iron corpse's sharp claws pierced through his back, and with a violent tug, shredded his robe.
Mo Hua's scheme succeeded, and he smiled, but halfway through, he sighed and became disappointed.
Lu Chengyun was caught off guard by the iron corpse's sneak attack, spitting out a mouthful of blood, but his body remained unharmed.
His shredded robe revealed a silver mesh armor underneath.
This silver mesh armor was clearly also a high-grade spiritual artifact.
The iron corpse's sharp claws couldn't penetrate the mesh armor and harm Lu Chengyun's meridians. They could only use their strength to shake and injure him.
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Lu Chengyun didn't consider these injuries serious, let alone life-threatening.
Mo Hua regretted the missed opportunity.
Lu Chengyun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his heart still pounding from the close call.
He had almost capsized in the gutter!
Without the silver mesh armor, the iron corpse's claws would have pierced his back, and the corpse poison would have invaded his body. Combined with the attacks from Zhang Quan and the iron corpses, he likely wouldn't have survived today!
His gaze was fierce, and his methods vicious!
This unknown entity, whether a person, a corpse, or a ghost, the Zhang family's old ancestor, was truly a formidable opponent! Or perhaps the Zhang family's corpse-controlling techniques held some mysterious ability?
A chilling sensation crept up Lu Chengyun's spine.
He had to end this quickly, before more complications arose!
Lu Chengyun's expression turned solemn as he focused all his attention on the battle. The sword light changed, and the color of his spiritual power deepened to a dark gray.
Zhang Quan's face paled as he recognized the sword technique, "The Lu family's founding sword technique! How have you cultivated it to such a profound level?"
Lu Chengyun smiled faintly, "And you recognize this sword technique?"
Zhang Quan's expression grew solemn.
Lu Chengyun said indifferently, "The founding sword technique... I obtained this high-level profound art from a jade slip buried with a Lu family elder. I've cultivated it diligently for several decades..."
Lu Chengyun held the long sword flat, and the sword qi split to both sides, the momentum as fierce as a mountain-cleaving river.
Lu Chengyun coldly said, "Usually, I don't use this sword technique to avoid attracting attention. Today, you have the honor of dying under this technique, which should be considered my blessing to you."
Zhang Quan's eyes turned cold, and he gritted his teeth, "Fine, let's see if your sword technique is more powerful or my corpse technique!"
The two were like fire and water, deciding not only their superiority but also their lives.
However, Mo Hua couldn't bear to listen any longer. He cursed Zhang Quan in his mind, "You idiot, of course, his sword technique is more powerful. What's so great about your corpse technique? You can't even beat my little senior brother..."
"You're about to die, and instead of running, you're here fighting to the death."
"He's already brought out his most powerful sword technique, and you still haven't figured it out. You want to compare who's stronger? You're beyond help!"
"When he's charging his sword strike, why don't you just run? What are you waiting for?"
"All you do is refine corpses all day, has it turned your brain to mush too..."
Mo Hua, this "little ancestor," was disappointed in Zhang Quan and berated him endlessly in his mind.
(End of Chapter)
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