Chapter 835: How to Fight Like This?

Lan Ziyi's expression turned solemn as she sensed the powerful aura within the grand hall. During the previous battle involving the Eight Provinces' team, the Golden Corpse King had briefly appeared and wounded Yang Yuan, but no one truly knew the extent of his power, as the situation at the time was too chaotic. It was only now, clearly feeling his aura, that Lan Ziyi realized this entity was significantly more powerful than the three Corpse Commanders. Was this still within the realm of the Cloud River stage? Even for a hegemon-level master, it seemed a bit exaggerated. Moreover, if the Golden Corpse King was truly as powerful as she sensed, he should have been able to annihilate the eight-person team when they were besieged by the Corpse Race earlier. Why hadn't he done so? Instead, he had vanished after being repelled by Lu Ye. Perhaps there was an unknown reason behind this.

While Lan Ziyi was pondering, Lu Ye, who was beside her, stepped forward and began to move ahead. Giant A, without a word, followed closely, appearing ready to follow Lu Ye without hesitation, even if it meant facing a mountain of blades or a sea of fire. Lan Ziyi could only steel herself and follow.

The grand hall's doors swung open, like the maw of a beast, swallowing the three figures.

As the light faded from bright to dim, Lu Ye squinted slightly, scanning the hall. He saw at least dozens of mutilated corpses scattered around, clearly those of the cultivators from the Nine Provinces who had ventured here, mistakenly believing there were treasures, only to be slain by the Golden Corpse King. Many of the corpses had wide, staring eyes, their remaining gazes filled with terror, evidently having experienced immense horror before death.

At the far end of the grand hall, an unassuming Corpse Race member sat on a chair, resting his chin on one hand, his gaze leisurely surveying the area below. He looked not like he was waiting for a dragon slayer, but rather for a long-lost friend.

Lu Ye looked up, meeting the Corpse King's gaze. The Corpse King's golden eyes clearly showed disappointment, and a voice like grinding metal emanated from him: "Only three of you? Where are the others?" Although many cultivators had arrived from the Nine Provinces, the only ones who truly mattered to him were the original eight-person team. It was Lu Ye's group of eight he had been waiting for. He hadn't expected only three to appear, with five others missing. This naturally disappointed him. Unnamed fury surged within his chest; how dare a mere three individuals cause trouble here!

"Three are enough to kill you!"

The moment Lu Ye finished speaking, Giant A took a massive stride. His towering, iron-like body, imbued with an indescribable sense of pressure, rapidly charged towards the Corpse King. His movements weren't particularly fast; at first glance, his bulky physique even gave an impression of clumsiness. Yet, in just two or three steps, he was already upon the Corpse King.

Lan Ziyi was startled, surprised that the battle would commence so abruptly, with only a single exchange of words between the two sides. However, her reaction was swift. As Giant A moved, she launched herself from the flank, her slender, tall figure transforming into a flickering rainbow light, creating an elusive impression.

"Presumptuous!"

With a furious roar, the Golden Corpse King abruptly rose. Facing the immense pressure brought by Giant A, even he dared not remain seated in response. The two figures, now inches apart, simultaneously threw a punch at each other. Comparatively, Giant A's punch was heavy and powerful, while the Golden Corpse King's punch seemed to lack any momentum. No one would have doubted that with such a blow, the Golden Corpse King would suffer broken bones or even be utterly obliterated. Yet, what was shocking was that the moment their fists connected, it was Giant A, more than two or three times the Golden Corpse King's size, who was sent flying backward. In a pure contest of strength, Giant A, a body cultivator, was utterly defeated! A visible wave of energy rippled out, impacting all directions.

At this moment, Lan Ziyi had already attacked from the flank, unleashing her usual fierce storm of blade light towards the Golden Corpse King. A clanging sound echoed as she struck the Corpse King an unknown number of times in that instant. However, to Lan Ziyi's dismay, her barrage of strikes only left shallow white marks on the Golden Corpse King's body, failing to wound him in the slightest! Although she had mentally prepared herself, expecting the Golden Corpse King's physical body to be stronger than that of the Iron Corpse Commander, its current level of strength was truly exaggerated. When she had previously fought the Iron Corpse Commander, she had at least managed to injure him. In comparison, the Golden Corpse King and the Iron Corpse Commander were on entirely different levels! Facing this tempest of slashes, the Golden Corpse King reached out and grabbed. Lan Ziyi's spinning figure involuntarily halted because one of her long blades had been seized by the Golden Corpse King.

Lan Ziyi's expression changed. In this situation, she either had to abandon her blade and retreat, or she would be pulled close by the Golden Corpse King in the next instant, which would lead to a terrible outcome, even for someone ranked second in the Cloud River realm. Normally, abandoning her blade and retreating would be the best, and only, choice. But at this moment, she didn't. Instead, her body spun in mid-air because she saw Lu Ye's figure.

Giant A had just been sent flying by the Golden Corpse King's punch, but Lu Ye used Giant A's body as cover to get close. His blade, sharp and fierce, aimed straight for the Golden Corpse King's eye socket. He had discerned the Corpse King's formidable physique and was specifically targeting its weak points. No matter how strong the Golden Corpse King's body was, its eyes were ultimately vulnerable. Facing this strike, the Golden Corpse King abruptly leaned back, causing Lu Ye's blade to miss its mark. Lu Ye then followed through with a downward slash, heavily striking the Corpse King's face, immediately sending sparks flying. Simultaneously, the leaning Golden Corpse King kicked out. Lu Ye formed a palm with one hand, spiritual power surging in his palm, transforming into a defensive spiritual pattern, which he held horizontally across his chest. Although he barely managed to block the attack, he was still sent flying by the brutal force.

Meanwhile, leveraging the brief opening created by Lu Ye, Lan Ziyi's body spun, her spiritual power erupting. This caused the Golden Corpse King's large hand, clutching her long blade, to involuntarily loosen its grip. Before Lan Ziyi could pull back, the Golden Corpse King had already capitalized on the moment, smashing a fist onto her blade. The ferocious power almost sent the long blade flying from Lan Ziyi's hand. Her expression changed drastically as she hastily retreated, dissipating the force. Looking back at the Golden Corpse King, her gaze was extremely grave! He was strong, impossibly strong; her earlier feeling hadn't been wrong! Her combined attack with Lu Ye and Giant A had launched an assault, yet they couldn't harm the Golden Corpse King in the slightest. Instead, he had defeated them individually in a flash. It was unbelievable, yet she had to believe it. How could they fight this?

In an instant of engagement, Lan Ziyi had already considered retreating. Such a powerful being simply couldn't be dealt with by a mere three or five people; defeating him would require a large number of combatants to slowly wear him down! She turned to look at Lu Ye, expecting him to realize this. However, Lu Ye, despite being repelled, charged forward once more, his determined expression unwavering. Giant A followed closely, taking huge strides that caused the palace to shake violently. Seeing this, Lan Ziyi gritted her teeth and charged forward with her twin blades. Despite their opposing factions and their previous disagreements with Lu Ye, she had no intention of abandoning her companions in such a moment.

Inside the grand hall, spiritual energy surged relentlessly. The three figures crisscrossed, attacking and being struck back, only to charge forward again, taking turns in a continuous assault. The violent aftermath of their clash caused the ancient hall to crumble, turning into a pile of ruins. The Golden Corpse King displayed absolute dominance. Even against the combined forces of the three, he held the upper hand, never even moving more than ten feet from his chair. No matter how ferocious the attacks Lu Ye and his companions launched, he easily deflected them. He didn't use any treasures; his physical body was his most formidable weapon, and the power unleashed by his every punch and kick was terrifying. Had the three not been exceptionally strong, they would have perished on the spot long ago. Even so, their situation was precarious. After only thirty breaths of combat, all three had sustained injuries. Even Giant A, with his mighty physique, had cracks appearing on his skin like porcelain, from which blood flowed.

Lan Ziyi's aura also began to fluctuate erratically. She was about to signal Lu Ye to retreat. Things had come to this; they couldn't push any further. Regardless, they had at least tested the Golden Corpse King's true strength on this trip. It wouldn't be too late to return for an encirclement once they gathered enough people. However, before she could speak, she noticed a peculiar change in Lu Ye. Lu Ye's aura seemed stronger than at the beginning, and both his striking speed and power had noticeably increased. Moreover, this improvement was still ongoing. "Hmm?" the Golden Corpse King murmured, filled with doubt and surprise.

If Lan Ziyi could detect Lu Ye's changes, the Golden Corpse King, who was directly confronting Lu Ye, naturally could as well. Only then did he realize that this human had not been fighting with his full strength from the start! This was not entirely true, however. Facing a powerful enemy like the Golden Corpse King, Lu Ye would never hold back. The power he initially displayed was simply his normal performance level. The current enhancement was due to the benefit provided by the Blood-Stained Spiritual Pattern. Previously, when the Eight Provinces' team faced the massive Corpse Horde, Lu Ye sustained numerous injuries. He deliberately avoided taking any healing pills or using his spiritual power to heal, solely to preserve these wounds. Before clashing with the Golden Corpse King, he had already inscribed the Blood-Stained Spiritual Pattern on himself. As the spiritual pattern continued to function, the aid it provided him naturally became more and more evident. The Blood-Stained Spiritual Pattern was one of his trump cards, but it wasn't easy to activate, and he hadn't used it often until now. This was because most of the enemies he encountered could be quickly dispatched, not allowing enough time for the Blood-Stained Spiritual Pattern to take effect. However, against the Golden Corpse King, the Blood-Stained Spiritual Pattern's potential effect was significant.

So, at this very moment, under Lan Ziyi's astonished gaze, Lu Ye took a direct hit from the Golden Corpse King but wasn't sent flying as before. Instead, his body merely drifted back a few feet before he regained his footing. "There's a chance!" Lan Ziyi's eyes lit up. If Lu Ye's strength continued to increase, then perhaps the three of them could indeed defeat the Golden Corpse King!