Chapter 165: Strange Death Corpse

While fiendish corpses are stronger than regular zombies, they are also inanimate and lack intelligence. The fiendish corpses encountered earlier were all hideous in appearance and sluggish in demeanor, driven only by instincts of bloodlust and slaughter.

Could it be that this fiendish corpse had been absorbing and exhaling spiritual energy within the cave dwelling for ages, thus developing intelligence?

Having activated the Celestial Star Tear for protection in advance, Qin Sang still felt uneasy. He grabbed a handful of spirit talismans from his mustard seed pouch and secretly gripped the Soul Devouring Cone and Profound Yin Thunder in his hands.

These two magical artifacts were one-time use items and extremely valuable, but what were they compared to his life?

The vast hall was even more majestic than the two Qin Sang had encountered before. Its two heavy profound iron gates were incredibly tall, and the ancient corpse patterns on them appeared even more malevolent. A pair of fierce eyes stared at the path, unnerving all who approached.

Upon entering the hall, a strong sense of oppression rose within the three of them. They looked around the hall before them with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. The hall was also incredibly chaotic. Shattered pillars, broken stones, and other debris were scattered everywhere, and the floor and walls were covered in crisscrossing gouges. It was clear that a major battle had taken place, yet there were far fewer bone fragments, and no other fiendish corpses were visible.

In the corner to the left of the hall lay a strange set of remains. This skeleton leaned against the wall, with a clear blade wound on its sternum. Specifically, at the heart's location, the ribs were completely severed; this was likely the fatal injury.

Stuck in the ground in front of the skeleton was a black iron stake. The stake was covered in dust, and on it, faint patterns of soaring dragons and clouds could be discerned, along with numerous fine cracks. It looked like a magical artifact, damaged to such an extent that it was uncertain if it could still be used.

Surrounding the iron stake were dozens of densely packed, shattered, pale stone fragments. These were all spirit stones that had been depleted of their spiritual energy and subsequently shattered. The placement of these stones was very methodical, resembling some kind of formation.

Throughout the entire hall, only this one skeleton remained intact, drawing the most attention.

Qin Sang's gaze swept over the skeleton, and he noticed a palm-sized black pouch beneath its hip bone. The pouch was wide open, allowing an easy view inside, which was empty. It was not a mustard seed pouch.

The skeleton's left hand tightly clutched an ancient token. It was identical to the profound iron token Baiyun Shanren had found, its back facing upwards and bearing the three characters 'Heavenly Corpse Sect'; even the handwriting was identical.

However, this ancient token was silver-white, and even thick dust could not hide its brilliant silver nature.

At Shaohua Mountain, the waist tokens of Foundation Establishment disciples differed from those of Qi Condensation practitioners, serving as a mark of status and identity. This skeleton's status within the Heavenly Corpse Sect, during its life, must have far surpassed that of those outside, so it was normal for it to wear a different token. Qin Sang glanced at it and paid it no further mind.

The same applied to Baiyun Shanren and Wu Yuesheng, as they quickly found Liu Jiang.

“Fellow Daoist Liu!”

Baiyun Shanren stared at a corner of the hall and suddenly cried out in anguish.

Qin Sang followed his gaze and was also slightly startled.

The fiendish corpse stood behind a broken stone pillar, hidden in the shadows. Its hand plunged into Liu Jiang's chest, grasping his heart, and lifted him whole. A pair of fangs were deeply embedded in Liu Jiang's neck as it ravenously devoured Liu Jiang's blood and vital energy. Scarlet blood dripped from its mouth.

Drip, drip...

The scent of blood filled the air; the scene was incredibly horrifying.

Liu Jiang's eyes still held lingering horror and fear, unable to close in peace. In that brief moment, his vital energy had been completely drained by the fiendish corpse, and his entire body visibly shriveled, turning into a dried corpse.

From the two places where the fiendish corpse had wounded him—his chest and neck—dark green corpse poison rapidly spread throughout his body, beginning to corrode his bones and emitting a strong putrid smell.

A person who was alive moments ago had met such a gruesome end in the blink of an eye.

Thwack!

With a crisp sound.

After the fiendish corpse finished draining Liu Jiang's vital energy, it flung Liu Jiang's corpse far away. It extended its scarlet tongue to lick its lips and stared greedily at the three of them, as if seeing three incredibly delicious blood-meals.

Finally seeing the fiendish corpse's appearance clearly, Qin Sang's heart sank slightly. He had been right in his earlier observation; this one was indeed very different from the other fiendish corpses.

A dense aura of earth fiend energy also enveloped its body, but looking past it to discern its true form, one would realize that, aside from its nails, fangs, and blood-red eyes, it bore no resemblance to a fiendish corpse at all.

Other fiendish corpses, refined by earth fiend energy, had their flesh and blood condensed to become comparable to metal, greatly increasing their defense. But this came at the cost of their physical bodies becoming unrecognizable, appearing clearly like evil spirits.

Yet, this fiendish corpse still maintained its appearance from when it was alive. Though its face was incredibly pale, its features sunken, and its expression twisted, it was evident that it had been a rather handsome young man in life.

After absorbing Liu Jiang's blood and vital energy, a flush of color appeared on its body, and its sunken skin slowly plumped up. Especially after its face recovered, it looked almost indistinguishable from a living person.

This bizarre sight greatly astonished Qin Sang. He couldn't help but wonder if it could still be called a fiendish corpse, or if some corpse had developed sentience after ages of refinement, or if it was a special corpse-refining technique of the Heavenly Corpse Sect?

“Hoo-hoo…”

The fiendish corpse licked the blood clean from its hands, let out a series of strange laughs, and stared at the three of them with blood-red eyes, its greed growing increasingly intense.

Seeing Liu Jiang's wretched corpse, Baiyun Shanren's face filled with sorrow. He immediately took out his wooden staff, glared fiercely at the fiendish corpse, and roared, “Kill it!”

Baiyun Shanren raised his wooden staff, spiritual energy surging wildly into the magical artifact. He abruptly pointed its tip at the fiendish corpse, and a vast expanse of flowers, grass, and green trees materialized out of thin air.

Whoosh!

The grass blades and tree leaves instantly withered, transforming into countless flying knives and sharp swords that rained down on the fiendish corpse like a torrential downpour. A cultivator with slightly weaker cultivation, if unable to dodge in time, would instantly be riddled with holes like a hornet's nest.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Only crisp sounds could be heard as the grass blades and tree leaves shattered into pieces and dispersed into countless green lights. After the chaos, the fiendish corpse had vanished.

Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly, and he loudly warned, “Fellow Daoist Baiyun, be careful!”

Before he finished speaking, with a loud 'boom', Baiyun Shanren's figure shot backward. He held his wooden staff level, blocking the fiendish corpse's sharp claws, but he could not withstand the immense force and was pushed back several steps.

Despite Baiyun Shanren's strike, the fiendish corpse remained completely unharmed.

Its nails were covered in corpse poison, glowing with a dark green light, and it continued to relentlessly pursue Baiyun Shanren. The three of them only saw a blur as one of the fiendish corpse's hands bypassed the wooden staff, nearly piercing Baiyun Shanren's chest.

Baiyun Shanren broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly swung his wooden staff, deflecting the sharp claws, and then swiftly retreated.

However, with this maneuver, their formation became advantageous.

Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng exchanged glances. They did not rush to rescue Baiyun Shanren, but instead immediately spread out to the sides, moving past Baiyun Shanren. In an instant, their formation changed, and the three of them formed a Tri-Talent Formation, surrounding the fiendish corpse in the center.