Chapter 830: People at the Point of Death

**Winds Rise Across Kyushu**

"Everyone must die!"

The Golden Corpse King's voice grated like metal, piercingly harsh. He stretched out a hand, grabbing towards Mu Qingyun, who had been repelled and whose aura still wavered. The sharp, elongated claws on his five fingers gleamed with a chilling light. No one would doubt that these claws alone could rival the top-tier artifacts in the cultivation world of Kyushu!

He didn't know what these humans had done, nor the mysteries of the Heavenly Mystery Pillars, but he clearly felt the changes in the earth veins of the Hun Tian Sacred Hall's mystic realm. As one of the Four Sacred Halls, the Hun Tian Sacred Hall had been the largest corpse-rearing ground for the Corpse Clan for a millennium, nurturing countless exceptional clan members. The massive Corpse Army now under Corpse Fiend's command owed much to the Hun Tian Sacred Hall's mystic realm.

Yet, such a place, almost a sacred site for the Corpse Clan, now suffered from exhausted spiritual veins and extremely thin spiritual energy. How could Corpse Fiend tolerate this? He had witnessed the strength of the Kyushu team members and knew how powerful they were. Thus, he had hidden among the corpses, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Although he hadn't achieved a kill, he had broken the Kyushu team's formation, so it wasn't a complete loss. If he could just kill one or two of them, he was confident he could capture everyone. The vast, ocean-like Corpse Army was not to be underestimated; no matter how strong these humans were, they wouldn't be able to cause any significant disturbance!

Faced with this attack, Mu Qingyun had no retreat. He urged his flying swords forward, streaks of sword light tearing through the void and sweeping towards Corpse Fiend. Corpse Fiend's body was rocked violently, and numerous sword wounds appeared on him. However, Corpse Fiend's body was incredibly tough; though the sword wounds were intricate, they could not inflict fundamental harm. Sword cultivators were known for their lethality, let alone a top sword cultivator like Mu Qingyun. Yet, even his techniques couldn't inflict truly effective damage on Corpse Fiend, demonstrating the extreme toughness of Corpse Fiend's body.

The aura of death rushed toward him. Just at this critical moment, a tower-like figure burst forth from the side, interposing himself between Mu Qingyun and Corpse Fiend. It was Yang Yuan! His robust figure was like an indestructible barrier, providing immense security at this crucial moment. His vital energy and spiritual power surged and mingled, as he held an artifact-grade greatshield before him, bravely blocking Corpse Fiend's fatal blow!

Only then did Mu Qingyun exhale slowly. For a moment, he had almost thought he was doomed! However, just as his mind began to relax, a strange sound emerged, and both Mu Qingyun and Yang Yuan's expressions changed simultaneously. *Crack, crack, crack...* A strained sound emanated from the artifact greatshield held before Yang Yuan. Corpse Fiend's sharp fingers had forcefully pierced five holes through it, and the chillingly gleaming claws penetrated the shield's barrier, coming into view.

"Impossible!" Yang Yuan's pupils dilated, his eyes filled with disbelief. There was no time for him to be shocked; the greatshield's luster quickly dimmed, losing its spiritual essence, and Corpse Fiend's large hand directly passed through the shield, his sharp claws piercing hard into Yang Yuan's chest. As a body cultivator, Yang Yuan's tempered physique was enough to withstand the spells of cultivators of the same level, but his proud physique was now as vulnerable as paper. He felt a sharp pain emanating from his chest, fearing that in the next instant, Corpse Fiend's sharp claws would pierce his heart, causing him to die on the spot.

A figure, seemingly enveloped in flames, suddenly shot out from beside him. As his body spun through the air, a blade light, as bright as a star, slashed directly towards Corpse Fiend's neck! The full power of this strike hadn't even fully unleashed, yet Corpse Fiend's golden eyes narrowed slightly. He clearly felt a threat from this strike. This blow might not kill him, but if it truly struck, he would definitely not fare well. So when the blade struck, Corpse Fiend retreated rapidly with almost no hesitation, instantly disappearing into the vast Corpse Army, his aura retracted, leaving no trace.

The figure that had burst forth landed in front of Yang Yuan; it was Lu Ye. He then slashed, obliterating a group of corpses in front of them. Yang Yuan staggered slightly, feeling cold all over. If Lu Ye had been even a moment late, he would undoubtedly be dead now. From the moment Ying Wuji encountered danger, the Kyushu team members rushed to assist each other, until Corpse Fiend's retreat just now—no more than five breaths of time had passed. Yet, these five breaths had brought several individuals present to the brink of death.

Traces of blood were clearly visible at the corner of Lu Ye's mouth; Corpse Fiend's punch had not been easy to endure. Yang Yuan's aura also became unstable. Although Corpse Fiend hadn't taken his life, he had directly injured him and, while doing so, injected primal corpse poison into his body. Fortunately, before arriving, everyone had received special elixirs refined by Hua Ci. Hua Ci herself could cure primal corpse poison, but the elixirs she refined weren't as potent; their effect was only to suppress the outbreak of the primal corpse poison, giving affected cultivators more time to seek treatment. Sensing the change within himself, Yang Yuan quickly took out the elixir and consumed it.

The formation reformed, with the eight members supporting each other. However, it was no longer as smooth and fluid as before. This was because everyone had sustained injuries when the team's formation was broken, and the prolonged high-intensity combat had affected everyone's strength.

"Lu Yiye!" As the team's only spell cultivator, Lu Qing stood amidst the group, in the safest position. However, among the eight, he had eliminated the most corpses, a feat even Lu Ye couldn't match. The destructive power of wide-ranging spells was truly terrifying in this environment.

"I think we're going to die here. Any thoughts?" There was no hint of blame towards Lu Ye. Before setting out, everyone knew this mission was dangerous, but they hadn't expected the situation to deteriorate to this extent. Following Lu Ye was a personal choice, and Lu Qing had no intention of holding Lu Ye responsible for any consequences. As the crème de la crème of Kyushu cultivators of their generation, they possessed this level of responsibility and awareness. It was just that, facing life and death, he couldn't help but want to say something.

"I can't think of anything!"

Lu Ye continuously swung his blade, fiery red light flickering erratically. With every slash, large numbers of corpses collapsed, piling up in front of him. Yet, corpses continued to swarm endlessly.

"What rotten luck, dying alongside you of all people!" Lu Qing sighed softly.

"Hahaha, how exhilarating!" Feng Rulie, however, seemed to have gone mad. If Juji hadn't held him back, he would likely have charged out.

"Lu Yiye, I've actually put up with you for a long time!" Ying Wuji's two curved blades flashed as he killed corpses, shouting to vent his frustration, as if he wouldn't get another chance to speak. "You boss others around just because you're strong. Who do you think you are? If I couldn't beat you, I would have long ago beaten you to your knees, begging for mercy!"

"Hahaha!" Lu Qing laughed. "Among cultivators, strength is paramount, Ying Wuji. You're being a bit unreasonable!"

"You haven't spent time alone with him," Ying Wuji retorted. "If you had, you'd know how obnoxious that fellow is. He orders others to do all the dirty and tiring work while he hides in the back, enjoying himself. I, Ying Wuji, am also a dragon among men, yet this fellow treats people with such disregard; he's truly despicable and hateful!"

Lu Qing leisurely remarked, "Be careful, he might just cut you down right now."

Ying Wuji stiffened his neck. "What's there to be afraid of? It's just a matter of dying sooner or later!"

"Bold!" Lu Qing complimented Ying Wuji.

Ying Wuji then sighed again. "Lu Yiye, even though your character isn't great, you did save my life several times. I'm afraid I won't be able to repay those life-saving favors. Perhaps I'll repay you in the next life if I get the chance."

"As an ox or a horse?" Lu Qing teased.

"He wishes! Maybe next life, I'll be the one saving his life!" Ying Wuji clearly had some fanciful ideas about his next life.

"If you have the energy to talk so much, you should kill more corpses!" Lan Ziyi couldn't listen anymore. Although the group was still bravely fighting and resisting with difficulty, what was with this strange atmosphere?

Just then, an unexpected change occurred. Originally, when a corpse was killed, it was simply killed. But at this moment, after they killed the corpses, tiny specks of light, like fireflies, drifted out from the bodies, then swiftly converged on the backs of their hands. The situation was most evident for Lu Qing, who was using spells to kill enemies; large numbers of light specks floated from all directions, sinking into the back of his hand and disappearing. Lu Ye was next. All eight couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

Immediately after, everyone reacted, quickly immersing their minds to perceive their battlefield marks. The next moment, all eight revealed expressions of joy.

The battlefield marks, which had been unresponsive since their arrival in the Peerless Continent, had finally revived. The previous unresponsiveness was clearly because this place was beyond the range of Kyushu's Heavenly Mystery's influence. The Peerless Continent was not part of Kyushu but belonged to another realm entirely unrelated to it, hence the battlefield marks were useless. Now that the battlefield marks were responsive, it undoubtedly indicated one thing: Kyushu's Heavenly Mystery had established a connection with the Peerless Continent!

This made everyone realize something. Lu Ye's previous conjecture was correct: after the four sealed Heavenly Mystery Pillars were placed in the four mystic realms, absorbing the power of the earth veins and spiritual energy from those realms, Kyushu could precisely locate the Peerless Continent and establish the necessary connection. That's why the battlefield marks reacted, and why killing corpses caused specks of light to drift into the marks.

"Battle merits! These are battle merits!" Ying Wuji was thrilled, as he discovered that the specks of light were not bringing him achievements, but the far more valuable battle merits! In just this short while, he had already gained hundreds of battle merits. Even for people like them, gaining battle merits was not easy. The Cloud River Realm level was too low after all; battle merits could only be acquired in specific circumstances. So, upon realizing that killing corpses granted battle merits, Ying Wuji's excitement was immense. His excitement was immediately followed by regret. Before the battlefield marks became responsive, he had killed a considerable number of corpses, yet he hadn't received any battle merits.