Chapter 166: Xuán Huáng Armor and Escape Technique

The clang of swords echoed through the great hall.

With a flick of his finger, Wu Yuesheng unleashed a thumb-sized spirit sword. The sword rapidly grew as it flew through the air, simultaneously erupting with fierce crimson sword qi. This sword was named the Fiery Crimson Sword. Wrapped in sword qi, its true form was obscured, but judging by its formidable display, it was at least a meticulously refined high-grade spiritual artifact, if not a top-grade one.

The Reclusive Cultivator Baiyun, filled with extreme hatred for the malevolent corpse, stabilized himself and unhesitatingly channeled spiritual energy frantically into his wooden staff. He then hurled it forcefully. In mid-air, the staff swelled to dozens of times its original size, like a colossal verdant dragon-subduing wood, casting a vast shadow and striking the malevolent corpse with immense power.

Qin Sang, naturally, continued to wield his Five Elements Law-Breaking Sword. The Ten Directions Yama Banner was unsuitable for use in public, and the Ebony Sword was kept as a reserve, a precaution against Wu Yuesheng. Moreover, they had now arrayed themselves in a pincer formation. Should they encounter danger, they could quickly assist each other. With the malevolent corpse trapped in the center, they only needed to slowly wear away the fiendish qi surrounding it and seize an opportunity to slay it. There was no need to rush; the Five Elements Law-Breaking Sword was sufficient.

The fiery crimson sword qi, the wooden staff, and the Five Elements Law-Breaking Sword—three attacks launched from three directions, almost simultaneously, sealing off all escape routes. Even if the malevolent corpse were faster, it had nowhere to flee.

“Ho-ho…”

The malevolent corpse flickered repeatedly, darting wildly within the confined space, but each time it was forced back by the fierce assaults, unable to break through the encirclement. It seemed to sense danger, and a human-like agitation began to appear in its facial expression and sounds, making it even more bizarre.

‘Roar!’

With no escape, the malevolent corpse roared furiously at the three, its face contorted in savagery, and was immediately engulfed by the various spiritual artifacts.

‘Boom!’

A tremendous boom reverberated through the great hall, shaking the entire structure non-stop.

However, as the chaotic spiritual energy dissipated and they witnessed the scene in the center of the battlefield, the relaxed expressions on the trio's faces vanished instantly, replaced by utter astonishment. They saw that despite enduring the combined assault, the malevolent corpse appeared not to have a single injury, aside from being somewhat dishevelled.

The fiendish qi surrounding it had, at some unknown point, transformed into square black stones. These stones rotated ceaselessly around its body. The trio's combined attack shattered most of them, but their offensive was also nullified by these black stones. Moreover, after these black stones shattered, they merely reverted to fiendish qi, which then quickly re-solidified into new black stones, tightly encasing the malevolent corpse.

Relying on these black stones, the malevolent corpse withstood all three attacks head-on. Although there were wounds left by the sword qi, they were quickly healed by the fiendish qi, leaving the malevolent corpse completely unharmed in the end. Even though Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng were testing the waters and hadn't used their full strength, the attacks were still formidable. Especially as a combined assault by three individuals, even Foundation Establishment cultivators of the same realm, equipped with various spiritual artifacts and spells, would need to respond with their full power and dare not show the slightest carelessness in such a situation.

All three fixed their gaze on the strange black stones, their expressions varied.

“Could this be… the Profound Yellow Armor?” Wu Yuesheng murmured, somewhat disbelievingly, as he watched the black stones floating around the malevolent corpse.

Hearing Wu Yuesheng's words, Qin Sang was also suddenly reminded of the spell known as the Profound Yellow Armor. When he was choosing cultivation techniques at Baota Peak, he had perused many renowned spells that Foundation Establishment cultivators could practice. He couldn't afford to buy them, nor did he have the energy to cultivate them all, so he memorized the characteristics, weaknesses, and especially the methods to break these spells. His goal was to know his enemy and himself, ensuring victory in future encounters with powerful adversaries. Among these spells, the Profound Yellow Armor was undeniable; it was highly renowned.

The Profound Yellow Armor is an Earth-elemental spell that only Foundation Establishment cultivators can practice. Its cultivation difficulty is very high. Once mastered, spiritual energy can be transformed into armor to protect the entire body. Moreover, cultivators can control the armor plates to combine freely according to the situation, instantly shielding vital points all over the body, renowned for its impregnable and defensive capabilities.

The black square stones floating around the malevolent corpse had a faint yellowish tinge within them, and runes flickered on their surfaces. They revolved around the malevolent corpse like individual shields, moving with exceptional agility. Except for their black color instead of earthy yellow, they were remarkably similar to the Profound Yellow Armor. The Profound Yellow Armor was highly practical, and many cultivators practiced this spell. However, for a malevolent corpse to wield it was truly bizarre, even horrifying.

Malevolent corpses typically rely on corpse poison, fiendish qi, and their robust, pain-insensitive bodies; their methods are singular. Hence, despite this malevolent corpse's seemingly formidable strength, the trio weren't overly afraid of it. But who had ever heard of a malevolent corpse using spells?

Just then, the Reclusive Cultivator Baiyun's expression shifted as if he had suddenly recalled something. He quietly asked, “Fellow Daoists, don't you think the movement technique this malevolent corpse used earlier resembles a kind of evasion art?”

Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng were startled. Recalling the previous scene, they realized that the Reclusive Cultivator Baiyun's conjecture was likely true. The malevolent corpse's strength wasn't overwhelming. No matter how fast it was, it couldn't possibly move without the three Foundation Establishment cultivators detecting it, let alone being completely unperceivable. If it were an evasion art, it would make sense. The cultivation world has many spells like evasion arts, and there are quite a few unknown yet exceptionally stealthy ones. It was normal for such arts to evade their spiritual perception.

“The Profound Yellow Armor, and now a bizarre evasion art…” Wu Yuesheng's voice was a little dry. “What other spells does it know? It wouldn't also be able to use spiritual artifacts, would it? Are we supposed to call it 'Fellow Daoist' now?” With that, Wu Yuesheng let out a self-deprecating dry chuckle.

They no longer dared to treat the malevolent corpse as a mere inanimate object. If it could use various strange spells, coupled with its formidable body and terrifying corpse poison, it would be even more troublesome than a cultivator of the same realm. The three exchanged glances, their expressions growing a few shades more serious.

Just as the trio were filled with doubt and alarm, the malevolent corpse suddenly moved, once again employing that enigmatic movement technique, vanishing instantly from their sight.

Wu Yuesheng's expression suddenly changed drastically. He hastily formed hand seals, and the Fiery Crimson Sword shot skyward. Then came a crisp ‘thud,’ and the malevolent corpse's figure appeared beneath the Fiery Crimson Sword. Its ghostly claw slammed fiercely onto the sword's body, causing the spirit sword to tilt sharply.

They had kept their spiritual artifacts active, maintaining a covert guard. Wu Yuesheng hadn't expected the malevolent corpse to choose to attack the Fiery Crimson Sword. Although he reacted extremely fast, the Fiery Crimson Sword was still grazed by the malevolent corpse's claws. On the crimson blade, several clearly visible dark green claw marks appeared. The lingering corpse poison and fiendish qi on these marks seemed alive, clinging to the Fiery Crimson Sword and writhing, rapidly corroding the spiritual light on the sword and attempting to penetrate its core, to erode its very essence.

Corpse poison could not only harm people, but it could actually damage spiritual artifacts!

Witnessing this, Wu Yuesheng's face filled with horror. He immediately urged his spirit sword with all his might, and a raging inferno burst forth, counter-attacking the corpse poison. The corpse poison was quickly incinerated by the fierce flames. Fortunately, the Fiery Crimson Sword remained undamaged, but Wu Yuesheng's heart still pounded with lingering fear.