Chapter 163: Tian Shi Sect

Novel:

Although Liu Jiang possessed a psychic sense, the winding stone paths made it difficult to pinpoint the exact direction. The two could only try their best to move downwards, ensuring they maintained the general direction.

After navigating the twisting paths for a considerable time, they soon entered another stone corridor. Before long, sounds of a battle suddenly echoed from its far end.

Amidst the monstrous roars of the fiendish corpses, faint shouts and calls could be heard, and the voices seemed somewhat familiar.

Hearing the commotion ahead, the two exchanged glances and immediately accelerated their pace, rushing forward. They had been inside for so long, and the only living things they had encountered in the cavern were zombie-like creatures; there had been no other living beings. Therefore, those fighting the fiendish corpses could only be their companions.

If Qin Sang had been alone, he would have concealed himself to investigate stealthily, without fear of being discovered. However, with Liu Jiang beside him, he abandoned that idea and fully unleashed his movement technique, rushing forward at top speed, unsure who was battling the fiendish corpses ahead.

"Who's there!"

Before they even reached the end of the stone corridor, a loud shout suddenly came from ahead, indicating that their presence had been detected.

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly as he recognized the voice: it was Daoist Baiyun!

"Senior Baiyun!"

Liu Jiang was even more delighted, his steps quickening abruptly. In a flash, he darted out of the stone corridor and saw another grand hall ahead, similar to the one Qin Sang had previously encountered. Its heavy dark iron gate was tightly shut, and the hall itself was extraordinarily chaotic, with a dozen or so zombies, cut in half, lying haphazardly. Two individuals were currently engaged in battle with fiendish corpses.

One of them was indeed Daoist Baiyun, while the other was Wu Yuesheng.

"Daoist Baiyun, Senior Brother Wu..."

Upon seeing Wu Yuesheng, Qin Sang's pupils contracted, but he maintained a casual expression as he greeted them, covertly observing the situation in the hall.

These two fiendish corpses were extremely powerful, even stronger than the one he and Liu Jiang had encountered. It was clear that Daoist Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng would need considerable effort to defeat them.

However, they were not fighting together. Instead, one was on the left and the other on the right, maintaining a significant distance between them.

Seeing that the newcomers were Liu Jiang and Qin Sang, the alert look on Daoist Baiyun's face softened slightly. "Liu Jiang, Daoist Qin, so you two met up."

Liu Jiang turned to glance at Qin Sang and said repeatedly, "Thanks to Senior Qin's help, I managed to escape with my life from the fiendish corpse. Otherwise, I would have perished by now."

"Thank you, Daoist Qin, for looking after Liu Jiang," Daoist Baiyun said, his expression subtly shifting as he nodded kindly towards Qin Sang.

Just then, Wu Yuesheng suddenly shouted, "Fellow Daoists, this is not the time for talk. Let's deal with these two fiendish corpses first. Junior Brother Qin, quickly come and assist me!"

Liu Jiang hastily summoned his Iron Lotus to help Daoist Baiyun attack the fiendish corpse. Qin Sang's gaze subtly sharpened. He stealthily moved to the other end of the hall, activated his Five Elements Breaking Sword, and joined Wu Yuesheng in fending off the enemy, though he kept a third of his power reserved for caution.

Since Wu Yuesheng was acting as if nothing had happened, Qin Sang chose not to expose him.

The reason Qin Sang did not expose Wu Yuesheng publicly was simply that Wu Yuesheng had only been lurking in the shadows without launching a sneak attack. Without concrete evidence, it would have been mere speculation. Furthermore, if he and Wu Yuesheng were to openly confront each other, it was uncertain whose side Daoist Baiyun would take; it was more likely he would stand aside, observe the conflict, and reap the benefits.

Now that he understood Wu Yuesheng's impure intentions and was prepared, Qin Sang was not truly afraid of him.

With the addition of Qin Sang and Liu Jiang, the two fiendish corpses could no longer maintain their aggressive stance. They were successively cut down and turned into two piles of ashes.

"Phew!"

Wu Yuesheng let out a sigh of relief, walked over, and bowed to the three, expressing his gratitude. "Fortunately, the three of you arrived in time. Originally, there was only one fiendish corpse in the hall, but another appeared out of nowhere. I almost met my end here."

After some polite exchanges, Qin Sang learned that Daoist Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng had only just met as well and, due to the pressure from the fiendish corpses, had not had time to catch up. Being in an unknown and dangerous place, encountering companions was always a good thing. Hearing that Liu Jiang could sense the locations of Liu Shan and Qing Ting, everyone immediately decided to proceed with Qin Sang's plan to meet up with them.

While they were deciphering the restriction on the heavy dark iron gate, Daoist Baiyun looked at the three and mused, "Fellow Daoists, as you've traveled here, have you made any discoveries or figured out what this place is?"

Liu Jiang gave a wry smile. "I was only focused on escaping with my life; I wouldn't dare look at anything else. Has Senior Baiyun noticed something?"

"The treasures in the cavern must have been plundered, leaving behind only skeletons and zombie-like creatures. Like Daoist Liu, I found nothing. I can only guess this is the former stronghold of a demonic sect proficient in corpse-refinement techniques."

Qin Sang chimed in, then casually turned his head to ask Wu Yuesheng, "Senior Brother Wu, what about you?"

Wu Yuesheng let out a dry chuckle and, after a moment of hesitation, replied, "I did make a minor discovery, though it's in a different regard. It's because I'm quite bold; while escaping for my life, I stopped multiple times or even turned back to investigate. I found that the speed at which the baleful earth qi intrudes has slowed considerably compared to the beginning. My guess is that the baleful earth qi in this cavern wasn't originally this dense; it was sealed by a restriction for an unknown number of years, accumulating over time, and only gained such a terrifying momentum once it was released. Now, most of the baleful earth qi has surged out of the cavern and will soon dissipate completely. Only a small portion is flowing into the grotto. We just need to wait patiently for a while, and the danger will resolve itself. Moreover, the baleful earth qi lacks staying power, so the speed at which it breaks through restrictions will become progressively slower. We don't necessarily have to rush further in. We might as well search as we go and see if we can figure out what this place truly is, so this trip won't be in vain."

Qin Sang secretly nodded. What Wu Yuesheng said was largely consistent with his own earlier suspicions, but he hadn't dared to turn back to investigate and confirm. If he had been carelessly engulfed by the baleful earth qi, it would have been a certain death.

Daoist Baiyun also nodded slightly. "Daoist Wu is right; I've long had a similar suspicion, but I lacked Daoist Wu's courage to go back and confirm. Furthermore, I did find something... All the treasures on these individuals were indeed plundered, and the stone chambers were also empty. However, even the most meticulous plans can have oversights. In a corner of one stone chamber, I discovered an iron token. The token bears the three characters 'Heavenly Corpse Sect.' Do any of you fellow Daoists have any recollection of this demonic sect?"

As he spoke, Daoist Baiyun took out a black dark iron token from his mustard seed pouch and showed it to them.

The token was heavily rusted, clearly an ancient artifact, and only about the size of a palm. Its front depicted an ancient corpse, identical to the pattern on the heavy dark iron gate. On its back, the three large characters 'Heavenly Corpse Sect' were written in elegant, flowing script.

This token was highly likely a waist plaque representing the identity of a Heavenly Corpse Sect disciple.

Qin Sang recalled the ancient texts and legends he had read. He remembered a few prominent demonic sects skilled in corpse refinement, but none of them were called the Heavenly Corpse Sect. He looked at Wu Yuesheng and Liu Jiang, both of whom wore confused expressions, clearly having never heard of it either.

Wu Yuesheng thought for a moment but had no clue. He then said repeatedly, "Daoist Baiyun, you seem quite confident, so you must have some knowledge about this demonic sect. Please don't keep us in suspense; enlighten us quickly."

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