Chapter 618: Corpse Demon

**Volume 5: Gaining Renown**

Upon seeing the young woman's expression, Han Li's face immediately clouded over. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and without a word, he raised his hand and flung the jade box directly at her. He didn't know why she was so afraid of a mere talisman, but given her clear ill intentions, he saw no reason to be polite any longer.

The young woman in black grew even more alarmed at the sight. Instinctively, she slapped the stone platform beneath her with one hand, attempting to rise and evade. However, this action evidently triggered a restriction. She had barely risen a meter when a red light flashed around her, instantly pulling her back to her original spot, her face twisted in agony.

By this time, the jade box had reached the woman, emitting a clear chime. Its trajectory shifted, and it automatically flew towards the young woman's head. The golden talisman on the box then emitted a brilliant light, and countless golden runes flew out, gently drifting down onto the young woman.

"No!"

The young woman in black let out a desperate shriek, her lovely face twisting into a grotesque mask. Unwilling to simply accept her fate, she swiftly raised her single arm to cover her face, simultaneously forcing her head down as if desperate to bury her face in her chest.

The runes finally settled on the young woman's shoulders. With a flash of golden light, a plume of green smoke immediately billowed forth. The young woman's body convulsed, and an extremely shrill, ear-piercing shriek, utterly unlike any human sound, tore from her throat.

Han Li's expression changed drastically, and he involuntarily recoiled several steps. With slightly sweaty palms, one hand instinctively clasped the spirit beast pouch containing the Gold Devouring Beetles, while the other gripped the ancient jade Ruyi artifact. He stared at the stone platform with a grim expression, utterly silent.

As more runes descended, green smoke billowed around the young woman in black. Within moments, the entire stone platform was completely shrouded in the swirling mist. Aside from occasional flashes of golden light, the young woman's form was entirely obscured. Yet, the agonizing screams from within the green mist never stopped, at times high-pitched and piercing, then coarse and furious, constantly shifting as if between male and female voices, sending chills down one's spine.

Han Li watched, secretly unnerved. He licked his parched lips and held his breath. As the green smoke appeared, a putrid, fishy stench permeated the entire room. He had barely taken a breath or two before he felt dizzy and nauseous, a sensation that greatly alarmed him. These fumes were actually highly poisonous.

Just then, "crunching" sounds emerged from within the dense, emerald green smoke. Han Li froze, bewildered. Before he could even register the sound, a "whoosh" echoed. An emerald green claw, wrapped in thin silver chains, suddenly shot out from the mist like lightning, lunging fiercely at Han Li, who had retreated to a corner of the stone chamber. Its arm extended several meters like a python, just about to grip Han Li's protective light shield.

Han Li stiffened, tightening his grip on the jade Ruyi, just as he was about to activate it. However, the silver chains on the monstrous claw suddenly contracted, causing sparks to fly and a strong charred odor to erupt. A low, pained growl rumbled from deep within the mist, and the claw instantly withdrew.

Han Li stared intently at the dense mist, his lips pressed firmly together, his expression unreadable. After a moment's consideration, he still took two more small steps back, his face grim, pressing himself against the lapis lazuli wall. He also infused a considerable amount of spiritual energy into the jade Ruyi. Immediately, the red and yellow light shield around him solidified further. Only then did his expression slightly relax, feeling a bit more at ease.

After a full fifteen minutes, the strange cries within the green mist subsided. The golden talisman on the jade box also gradually dimmed, and the runes descending from it became noticeably scarcer, a stark contrast to the initial flurry. "This golden talisman can indeed restrain this creature, which appears to be a demon, not a ghost," Han Li mused to himself as he observed. "However, the spiritual energy it contains seems limited. I wonder if it can truly subdue it once its power runs out."

Fortunately, Han Li's worries did not materialize. When the screams finally ceased and the green mist became deathly still, the golden talisman's light had not yet completely dispersed. Han Li glanced at the golden talisman still hovering in the air. He didn't approach immediately, choosing to wait a bit longer until its light completely faded and both it and the jade box fell straight into the green mist. Only then did his expression shift, and he began to act.

With a single wave of his hand, he temporarily put away the spirit beast pouch. His now free hand formed a spell seal, and a low incantation resounded. Instantly, an egg-sized red orb of light appeared before him. Han Li eyed the orb, then, without hesitation, gently pointed a finger. With a "whoosh," the orb transformed into a streak of red light and vanished into the green mist. Then, Han Li's eyebrows arched, and he softly uttered the word "Explode!"

A loud "bang!" echoed from within the green mist. The mist scattered instantly as if swept by a gale, vanishing without a trace, while a wave of intense heat permeated the entire small room. Indeed, fire-attributed cultivation methods were most effective against these evil, poisonous mists.

The hot wind blew against his face, but Han Li stood motionless, his eyes glinting with an unusual light as he fixed his gaze on the stone platform where the mist had dispersed. At the sight, his heart suddenly lurched. He swallowed hard, feeling a sudden chill. On the stone platform, a humanoid entity lay prone and motionless, its fate unknown. It was described as a "humanoid entity" because, despite its human-like shape, its entire body was covered in dense, coarse green fur, and a strong, putrid odor of decay emanated from it. Although he hadn't clearly seen its face, it was definitely not human. And like the young woman in black it had previously manifested as, it possessed only one arm. The sharp claw with long, black nails was unmistakably the one that had attacked Han Li earlier.

What Han Li noticed was that the monster was now wrapped in countless thin silver chains. These chains not only bound its limbs but also pierced through much of its chest and back, clearly designed to completely immobilize it. Without a moment's hesitation, Han Li pointed at the flying swords hovering above him. Instantly, a dozen streaks of green light shot forth, savagely slashing at the monster. As a result, a series of dull "thump-thump" sounds emanated, and the green-furred monster remained unharmed.

Han Li grimaced slightly, a wry smile touching his lips, yet he felt little surprise. After all, given how rigorously this demonic creature was imprisoned, it was clearly no ordinary being. In fact, if he had managed to decapitate it with a single blow, *that* would have surprised him.

Han Li then gestured to the flying swords, recalling his magical artifacts. He took a few steps forward and gently flicked his sleeve towards the green-furred monster. Instantly, a swathe of green light shot from Han Li's sleeve, gently enshrouding the monster's body before silently letting it fall, revealing its true form. A gaunt, deathly-gray face, resembling a skull, appeared before Han Li. From its half-open mouth, a pair of large fangs protruded about an inch, looking utterly terrifying.

"This is...?" Han Li studied the green fur covering the monster's body, then its face. He felt a vague sense of familiarity, as if he had encountered it in some ancient text. He immediately lowered his head slightly, lost in thought.

"Corpse Fiend!"

Moments later, Han Li abruptly lifted his head, a hint of fear in his eyes, and uttered the monster's name. Simultaneously, his mind raced, recalling the terrifying legends about this vicious spirit, a creature renowned even in ancient times.

A "Corpse Fiend," as its name implies, is a type of zombie. However, it differs significantly from the walking corpses cultivated by spiritual practitioners or the ordinary zombies that gain sentience after being buried deep underground. The conditions for their formation are extremely stringent. Although the complete method for the formation of this vicious spirit remains unknown, a corpse capable of evolving into a Corpse Fiend must have met two specific conditions during its lifetime. First, the individual, before death, must have been at least a Nascent Soul stage cultivator; mortals and low-level cultivators cannot transform into Corpse Fiends after death. Second, the cultivator must possess wood or earth-attributed spiritual roots, specifically Heavenly Spirit Roots. Without these, there is no possibility of them gaining sentience and reviving through the power of stone and wood.

Furthermore, another essential condition for a Corpse Fiend's formation is that the cultivators must have died with profound resentment. This prevents their souls from returning to the cycle of reincarnation after death, causing them to linger on their corpses. Over a long period, combined with other fortuitous circumstances, the soul can then re-fuse and refine with the corpse, thus forming the monster known as a Corpse Fiend.

This monster can be described as half-human, half-corpse, or half-corpse, half-ghost. This monster lacks the fatal weakness of ghosts and zombies – fear of sunlight. Furthermore, it retains most of its memories from life and is innately capable of practicing its former cultivation techniques. Because they die with intense resentment, these vicious spirits are naturally formidable; almost all are inherently bloodthirsty. After slaying cultivators, they particularly enjoy trapping the victims' souls within themselves, slowly tormenting them with corpse fire for their own amusement. This monster, from a long time ago, was a creature that filled everyone in the cultivation world with dread.