Chapter 365: Lingering in This Life, Buried for the Rest of My Days

The Daozi of Tai Si's magic was eerie; this shapeshifting technique was nearly impossible for an opponent to defend against upon first encounter.

Xu Qing heard the opponent's soft chuckle and stored it in his memory.

However, this was no time for contemplation, as the burning corpse was rapidly lunging towards him.

Xu Qing knew well that the burning corpse, being entangled with the Daozi of Tai Si, naturally possessed formidable strength.

Therefore, he didn't dare to be careless. He swiftly retreated, forming massive waves with his hand seals. These waves surged forward, directly striking the burning corpse, which was rushing towards him with a ferocious aura.

Simultaneously, the coffin formed by his shadow instantly appeared, and Xu Qing merged into it as he retreated.

A deafening roar echoed in all directions as waves of magic swept across, engulfing the burning corpse.

At this moment, Xu Qing, merged with his shadow and completely shrouded in black, his eyes gleaming with sharpness, chose not to charge forward but to retreat once more.

This time, his speed instantly surged, reaching the peak of a five-heavenly-palace physical body. Simultaneously, he swiftly raised his right hand and threw a punch forward.

Almost the moment his fist landed, the waves in front of him instantly collapsed from an internal explosive force.

The magical seawater violently rolled back and shot in all directions as a burning figure burst out from within.

The figure's speed was too great; Xu Qing couldn't see it clearly, only vaguely perceiving that it was treading on the spreading waves and had arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye.

It was indeed the burning corpse, its eyes filled with ferocity.

Amidst a deafening roar, the burning corpse threw a punch that collided with Xu Qing's right fist.

Xu Qing's body trembled as an astonishing force erupted from the opponent's fist, sending waves of impact through his entire body. Even with his current physical strength, he couldn't resist.

As his body rumbled, he stumbled backward again, retreating directly into the muddy wall of the deep pit, leaving a deep indentation.

"It truly has the combat power of a Six-Palace!"

"But it didn't chase Zhang Siyun," he mused. "This indicates it lacks intellect and acts purely on instinct, like a wild beast. However, as long as it operates on instinct, everything is manageable!"

"It only focuses on me," he thought. "Even though it was clearly faster than me after I punched, it still struck my fist. This further proves the corpse's simple mind."

Xu Qing's breathing quickened slightly as his mind rapidly analyzed the situation.

He sensed the terror of the burning corpse; its magical techniques were passable, but its physical body was truly astonishing.

Its physical strength had already reached the Six-Palace level. Even with Xu Qing merged with his shadow, possessing a peak five-palace physical body, he still had no power to counterattack.

He couldn't clearly perceive the opponent's speed, nor was his strength as great.

However, the environment here would limit the opponent's speed. The deep pit wasn't very wide, so as long as he focused all his attacks forward, Xu Qing would have a counter, no matter how fast the opponent was.

Therefore, he didn't try to dodge, as that would leave him vulnerable from all sides.

He chose to retreat rapidly, burying himself deep within the muddy wall. With the muddy wall behind him and muddy walls to his left, right, and above, only the front was open.

At the same time, the Poison Prohibition Pill in his third heavenly palace vibrated rapidly, unleashing an endless supply of poison that spread through Xu Qing's body and was concentrated in front of him.

The moment Xu Qing buried himself deep in the muddy wall, the burning corpse roared again. Red flames erupted from its entire body, transforming into a gaping, menacing mouth of fire that lunged to swallow Xu Qing.

Xu Qing didn't dodge. With his back against the muddy wall, he curled into a ball like a hedgehog, resisting with all his might.

As the flames dissipated, the burning corpse's aura surged. It rushed forward, leaving an afterimage, and in an instant, it was in front of the muddy wall, throwing another punch at Xu Qing.

Amidst the roar, Xu Qing's face turned pale. The muddy wall behind him collapsed, and his body was pushed further in by the immense force. However, the burning corpse also recoiled, and for the first time, beyond its madness, its eyes showed apprehension.

Its right arm was currently decaying!

Furthermore, a red lightning bolt arrived instantly as it recoiled, piercing through its body. The burning corpse shrieked as a large number of red lightning bolts surged within its body, crystallizing its flesh wherever they passed and emitting extreme coldness.

After the red lightning bolt completed its attack, it rapidly returned to the collapsed muddy wall, revealing the iron skewer within, which then floated in front of Xu Qing.

At this moment, Xu Qing spat out a mouthful of blood. All the black energy on his body rapidly gathered at his brow, forming the shadow's eye.

The shadow's eye stared intently at the corpse.

Beneath the shadow's eye was Xu Qing's calm face. His eyes, imbued with a chilling aura, stared at the burning corpse, his fighting spirit intense.

He knew his physical body, magical techniques, and speed were all inferior to the opponent's, but he first used the muddy wall to restrict the battle to the area directly in front of him.

This forced the opponent's attacks to be confined to that one spot.

This fighting method was, of course, devised because Xu Qing had judged that the burning corpse lacked the intellect of a cultivator.

Additionally, his Poison Prohibition Pill, a trump card far more potent than his physical body, was concentrated in front of him. As long as the opponent attacked, it would be poisoned, and all he needed to do was persevere and wait for the poison to take full effect.

For a moment, the deep pit became relatively quiet. The burning corpse stared intently at Xu Qing, its expression both agitated and apprehensive, as the decay on its right hand continued to spread.

Finally, it let out a roar, its agitation overcoming its apprehension. Its body swayed, and its Six-Palace combat power erupted once more, unleashing a torrent of flames that surged towards Xu Qing. Simultaneously, it charged out again, straight for the muddy wall.

In an instant, roars echoed, sounds spread, and shrieks intertwined within them.

A moment later, the burning corpse's figure abruptly recoiled with astonishing speed, hovering in the air outside.

Its right arm had completely melted, and its body was severely decayed due to the spreading poison. Although its expression was still mad, its apprehension was clearly stronger, with a faint hint of fear also present.

In front of the muddy wall, Xu Qing was bleeding from all seven orifices, and blood spurted from his mouth. Inside him, the purple crystal rapidly circulated to aid his recovery, allowing him to endure longer.

In front of him, a dense poison permeated the air, corroding its surroundings and emitting unusual substances.

Xu Qing paid no attention to these things. At this moment, he stared at the burning corpse, his eyes filled with intense killing intent.

But he remained motionless. Inside the muddy wall, he raised his right hand and beckoned to the burning corpse.

"Come, continue," he challenged.

The burning corpse instantly became agitated, emitting roars, but the hesitation and apprehension in its expression remained strong.

Seeing this, Xu Qing pressed his hands against the muddy wall beside him. As he stood up, the power of his poison prohibition abruptly spread outward, adopting an offensive stance.

He didn't know why Zhang Siyun, despite possessing Six-Palace combat power, had been entangled with this burning corpse for so long. But he understood wild beasts and knew that this was when they were most easily frightened away.

This was especially true for beasts that acted purely on instinct.

So, rather than continuing the entanglement, it was better to let the opponent leave on its own.

This proved to be true. Almost the moment Xu Qing adopted an attacking stance and his poison prohibition power erupted, the apprehension in the burning corpse's eyes intensified, and its body instinctively recoiled.

Finally, it let out a few roars and surged upwards, choosing to leave.

Xu Qing spat out a mouthful of blood, looked up at the area above, then lowered his head and coldly gazed into the depths of the pit below, the chill in his eyes intensifying.

He knew the Daozi of Tai Si was very strong and had previously analyzed that the opponent was connected to the Red Moon, making him aware of the danger.

But if he left this matter unresolved, Xu Qing would be unwilling.

"This is the Grand Clarity Severed-Yin Pillar, part of the Sword-Wielding Court," he thought. "If the opponent truly has something strange and it erupts here, there will naturally be someone to handle it. Though there's danger, however... if I don't even dare to take a look and seek an opportunity, I might as well just return to Southern Phoenix Continent!"

At this moment, the deadline for the assessment was approaching. Xu Qing's eyes showed determination as his body flashed, and he dashed straight to the bottom of the deep pit, rushing forward at full speed.

Along the way, he released his poison prohibition, letting it spread in all directions to ward off the burning corpse that might be following him.

As he continued to descend, he once again saw paper money!

Sheets of paper money floated out from the bottom of the pit and drifted around him.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he decided to cling to the muddy wall, cautiously climbing down.

Time passed quickly, and soon only half an hour remained until the end of the assessment. Most disciples had already chosen to crush their jade slips and leave.

Few cultivators remained in the deep pit, and even fewer at this depth—only Xu Qing and the Daozi of Tai Si.

As he delved deeper, there was more paper money, a stronger stench of blood, colder chilling and anomalous energies, and the sound of opera became increasingly clear.

Another incense stick's worth of time passed, and Xu Qing, who had been steadily descending, suddenly paused.

He leaned motionless against the muddy wall, his eyes narrowed, placing himself in stealth, as he gazed at the area hundreds of zhang below.

He saw a strange structure: a wooden house.

It was dilapidated, a decaying wooden house that seemed to have endured countless ages.

The wooden house was pentagonal in shape.

From each corner, a gray iron chain extended, connecting to the distant muddy walls.

Suspended by these five iron chains, the wooden house hung in mid-air.

Inside the wooden house, a faint red light emitted from an oil lamp by the window.

And through the wooden house's window and the decayed cracks above it, one could see the figure of a woman in a red opera costume inside.

She sat by the window, extending a hand as white as jade, scattering paper money outwards. The sheets of paper money drifted out, carried by the chilling aura, and floated upwards.

Xu Qing saw the paper money, the hand, and the oil lamp emitting red light from within the window.

The moment he saw the paper money, he understood the origin of all the paper money he had seen along the way. The instant he saw that hand, a strong premonition of danger instinctively arose in his mind.

But the moment he saw that oil lamp, everything transformed into a violent tremor in his heart.

Because that oil lamp... was actually a Life Lamp!

And the sound of opera gently rose from within the wooden house at this moment, echoing throughout the confined, dark deep pit.

"Wandering in this life, buried for eternity, who awaits in the cycle of reincarnation..."

The voice was poignant and beautiful, imbued with a soft, eerie coldness.

He wondered who it was singing for.

Perhaps it was for Xu Qing, or for the Daozi of Tai Si who was also present, or perhaps for an unknown entity deeper within the pit.