Chapter 160: Death Fiend

Qin Sang carefully examined the wounds on the zombie, thinking to himself that it was indeed as he suspected. This zombie had not formed naturally; it was clearly a refined corpse, meticulously crafted by a cultivator.

After inspecting it, Qin Sang stood up and moved behind the stone door, his gaze shifting to the ground.

A complete skeleton lay prostrate on the ground. Judging by its posture, the person seemed to have died suddenly while running at full speed, collapsing to the ground. The remains were decayed and covered in dust.

Qin Sang's spiritual consciousness swept over the bones, revealing no wounds. The person must have either had their vital meridians shattered or their Nascent Soul directly erased.

He had intended to check if the person left any artifacts to prove their identity, but unfortunately, there was nothing on the skeleton. However, beside the bones lay a broken black coffin with a large hole torn open on its lid by sharp claws.

This coffin was likely a magical artifact used to contain a refined corpse. Perhaps due to a loss of spiritual energy or destruction by an external force, only a few pieces of decaying wood remained. The refined corpse sealed within had also broken free and escaped.

This implied that the zombie from earlier was this person's refined corpse, and the person was very likely a demonic cultivator skilled in corpse refinement techniques.

Qin Sang knew very little about demonic cultivators, mostly from hearsay. He had never heard of any demonic sect disciple in the Minor Cold Domain mastering corpse refinement techniques and sealing refined corpses in such coffins.

"I wonder if this person was an intruder or the owner of the cavern?"

Qin Sang frowned slightly, gazing at the deep, shadowy stone passage. Judging by the refined corpse, this person's strength during their lifetime couldn't have been very high, making such a magnificent dwelling unlikely.

Where there was one zombie, there were bound to be more. As Qin Sang ventured deeper, he successively eliminated several zombies of varying strengths. He also encountered several skeletons; some were as intact as the first, while others had shattered vital bones, suggesting death from severe injuries.

Was this a demonic sect's lair? If they specialized in corpse refinement, why wouldn't they choose a place rich in Yin energy instead of a desolate underground cave filled with Earth Fiend energy?

Qin Sang pondered in silence. The Earth Fiend energy pursued him relentlessly from behind, so he dared not linger, swiftly advancing deeper into the cavern. At the same time, he remained secretly vigilant, knowing that the presence of zombies might imply the existence of Fiend Corpses.

If this truly were a demonic sect's stronghold, the Outer Disciples in the Qi Refining stage would only be able to refine zombies, while Foundation Establishment disciples would possess the ability to refine Fiend Corpses.

Encountering a powerful Fiend Corpse would indeed be like facing a tiger at the front and a wolf at the back.

Even more terrifying was the Flying Yaksha; if such a monster existed deep within the cavern, none of them would survive.

After passing through several stone passages, Qin Sang encountered no one, nor did he see any traces or markings left behind. In a blink, he arrived at the end of another stone passage. Just as he was about to enter, his figure suddenly paused.

At the end of the passage was a stone hall. This was the first time Qin Sang had seen such a hall on his journey. Several stone passages converged at its entrance, and behind the hall were two imposing black heavy iron doors.

The heavy iron doors were tightly shut, etched with a pattern of an ancient corpse that Qin Sang had never seen before.

In the pattern, the ancient corpse was exceptionally tall, capable of flight, soaring through clouds and mist with surging fiendish energy behind it, yet it was distinctly different from a Flying Yaksha. The ancient corpse had a shriveled face, a pair of fangs several inches long, and dark eyes that seemed to possess sentience, exuding extreme ferocity and overwhelming demonic aura.

As his gaze met those unsettling eyes, Qin Sang's heart trembled slightly. He quickly averted his eyes, secretly astonished by the origin of the ancient corpse depicted in the pattern; merely its image possessed such a fierce aura.

The stone hall was in disarray, with broken stone chairs, stone tables, coffin lids, and scattered bones everywhere. Most notably, over a dozen refined corpses wandered within the hall.

As his gaze swept over these refined corpses, Qin Sang's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he fixed his serious gaze on the one in the very center.

This refined corpse, like the others, was hideous, with a ghost-like face and fangs. However, it was much taller and more robust, perpetually wreathed in black energy, and its physical body was clearly superior to the other refined corpses.

"A Fiend Corpse?"

Qin Sang's heart sank. His suspicion had been confirmed; Fiend Corpses did exist deep within the cavern. The scattered bones likely included those of Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they were too shattered and mixed to be distinguished.

"Wait!"

Immediately, Qin Sang realized this Fiend Corpse was different from those of legend. The black energy surrounding it was not Yin energy but Earth Fiend energy!

Qin Sang scrutinized the Fiend Corpse with surprise. He had never heard of refining corpses using Earth Fiend energy before. He wondered what distinguished it from ordinary Fiend Corpses.

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Sang revealed himself at the entrance of the stone hall.

The heavy iron doors were tightly shut and clearly not as easily opened as the previous stone doors. To open them, he would undoubtedly alert the refined corpses, so he first needed to clear the hall.

The moment Qin Sang appeared, all the refined corpses in the hall were startled. Over a dozen ghost-faced, fanged refined corpses suddenly turned, their black eyes all simultaneously fixing on Qin Sang, creating an eerily strange scene.

"Go!"

Qin Sang had already summoned his Five Elements Law-Breaking Sword. Before the refined corpses could react, the sword swiftly thrust forward.

There was no need to exert full power against these refined corpses. The five spirit swords instantly separated, each drawing upon Five Elements spiritual energy, transforming into five streaks of sword light. They weaved through the horde of refined corpses with extraordinary agility. Heads dropped one after another, and in the blink of an eye, all the zombies were decapitated by Qin Sang and collapsed lifelessly, leaving only the Fiend Corpse remaining.

'Thud!'

The Fiend Corpse suddenly swung its spectral claw, striking the spirit sword that was thrusting towards it with lightning speed.

The spirit sword trembled slightly, its momentum abruptly halted.

The clash between the sword light and the spectral claw resulted in a stalemate. The fiendish energy on the spectral claw was largely dispersed by the sword light's impact, and though the sword tip pierced the claw, it only left a wound, failing to penetrate it completely.

Furthermore, after the spirit sword retreated, new fiendish energy immediately surged from the wound on the spectral claw. The wound visibly closed at a rapid pace, completely recovering in the blink of an eye.

It could actually regenerate using Earth Fiend energy. Qin Sang wondered if there was a limit to this ability.

Qin Sang was about to continue using two spirit swords to test the Fiend Corpse's abilities when his eyes suddenly glinted. Without a change in expression, he activated the Heavenly Star Tear, forming a protective shield that enveloped his entire body.

Then, holding nothing back, he unleashed all five Five Elements Law-Breaking Swords. Their five streams of spiritual energy converged, transforming into an overwhelmingly powerful beam of sword light that fiercely thrust towards the Fiend Corpse.

The Fiend Corpse reacted incredibly fast, crossing its arms to block the Five Elements Law-Breaking Sword. Countless streams of Earth Fiend energy surged from its body, rushing towards the sword as it let out an eerie, chilling shriek from its throat.

Simultaneously, Qin Sang drew his Blood Saber. His figure flickered, appearing behind the Fiend Corpse, and his saber light, like lightning, struck hard at its back. With his full power, he immediately left a wound on the Fiend Corpse's back.

As expected, Earth Fiend energy immediately surged from the wound.

Qin Sang's expression remained unchanged. He simultaneously controlled the Five Elements Law-Breaking Sword, continuously attacking the Fiend Corpse to keep it occupied.

Then, he continuously struck the same wound with his saber, blow after blow. Before long, the Earth Fiend energy became increasingly sparse, and the wound's recovery speed sharply decreased.