Chapter 1794: Corpse Person

“What is that?” Cao ErZhu whirled around, looking behind him.

Amidst the mournful wailing and howling, a figure appeared not far away, dressed in a tattered white cardigan with disheveled hair. The clothing was extremely old and worn. The figure was gaunt and incredibly tall, indiscernible as male or female, with skin so pale it looked like a corpse dead for three days.

Gulp. Cao ErZhu swallowed hard.

He could see the figure’s face clearly! As the ghastly pale human skin on its face peeled off with a scratching motion, it revealed nothing but white bone and wriggling maggots within.

“It’s truly a corpse!” Cao ErZhu was astounded.

During his half-year of training in the Ghost Buddha Realm, he had gained considerable experience and caught up on much of the common knowledge of the Spirit Refining Realm. Yet, even after adapting to monsters he once feared, such as fierce ghosts and specters, ErZhu found it hard to accept the creature—or rather, the *dead thing*—before him.

This was no longer horror. This was disgust, a profoundly twisted and bizarre revulsion that turned his stomach.

“My apologies, did I scare you?” The voice actually came from the corpse-like figure, even carrying a hint of apology—it was far too... human-like!

As it spoke, the corpse-like figure bent down to pick up its face-skin, roughly plastering it back onto its face. It continued, “Young man, to be frank, I intended to ambush you just now. But you are truly interesting, talking about grievances leading to offspring, and even egg-laying.”

“Hehehe, that’s just too amusing. It makes me feel an impulse to understand you more deeply.”

“I imagine your soul is purer and more delicious than any I’ve consumed before.”

“I truly can’t wait…”

From the corpse-like figure’s mouth dripped glistening threads, as if it were drooling excessively. In reality, it was the fluid left after chewing maggots.

Cao ErZhu shivered. He saw clearly: this corpse-like figure was probably only at the Spirit Refining Grand Void stage, yet it was different from all the fierce ghosts he had encountered in the Ghost Buddha Realm before.

It possessed sentience! This had never happened in the past six months. Fierce ghosts were like wild beasts, capable of being driven away with tactics—this was common knowledge among Ghost Buddha Realm practitioners. If such a “Ghost King” appeared, ninety-nine percent of practitioners would likely be caught off guard and unable to resist. Even if they reacted in time, most Grand Void practitioners couldn't defeat this kind of Ghost King. Because it also contained Holy Power within its body!

Cao ErZhu could perceive the truth with a single glance. This Ghost King had likely devoured many practitioners' souls and possessed the ability to consume and refine the unclaimed Holy Power of the Ghost Buddha Realm.

“It’s not a fierce ghost, but rather…”

“A Half-Saint level, King of Hell?”

Evidently, the corpse-like figure’s sentience was not low; it could not only think and communicate but also comprehend human emotional changes. It tried to stick its face-skin on once, but it didn't stick. It tried again while speaking, and it still didn't stick. By the end, with saliva dripping from its mouth, it utterly failed to stick it back on.

After several repeated attempts, the corpse-like figure stopped speaking, growing visibly agitated: “What’s happening? Why is this happening? My face…”

—It cared about its face!

Cao ErZhu was greatly astonished. But something even more surprising occurred. Seeing that it couldn't stick its face-skin back on no matter what, the corpse-like figure completely went mad, opening its mouth and letting out a piercing shriek: “Screech—!”

After its fit of madness, its gaze fixed on him. From its hollow eye sockets, two points of eerie green ghost-fire flared, and it gave a sinister, chilling laugh: “Young man, I’ll be taking your body.”

—What a polite corpse!

Cao ErZhu noticed that not only was it polite, but its movements were also quite graceful. The corpse-like figure wore only a tattered, long cardigan, revealing two rows of ribs on its chest. Yet, it smoothed down an imaginary hemline before its knees, as if flicking a non-existent long robe high behind it. Then, it shifted its weight, stepping forward with an empty stride. Its left skeletal hand lightly pressed the space before its chest, as if grasping something, while its right skeletal hand slowly drew something from an unknown place, pulling out a three-foot-long ghost-fire sword.

—What a cool move!

Cao ErZhu was stunned. This corpse, whether from its casual phrasing during conversation, the grace evident in its every movement, or its current stance with the sword angled— Aside from being a corpse! Aside from being a bit ugly! It perfectly embodied the 'immortal and daoist' charm Cao ErZhu imagined ancient sword cultivators possessed…

It must have been an ancient sword cultivator in life, right? After Old Immortal Mei died, he should look exactly like this!

“Pardon me.” The corpse-like figure nodded slightly, and its ghost-fire sword suddenly vibrated. One couldn't discern how it wielded the sword; its afterimage vanished from its spot, and it was already lunging with a sword thrust directly at Cao ErZhu’s face—a spatial leap!

“Clang!” The soul-sound exploded, like a heavy hammer shattering a dream in a blacksmith's shop, yet at this moment, it only stirred up a bit of dust around them.

Cao ErZhu held his palm horizontally before his face. The ghost-fire sword struck the center of his palm, blocked by a silently flowing purple electric membrane. As he looked, he could see the ghost-fire flickering in the eye sockets of the corpse-like figure, which was almost as tall as he was, clearly showing surprise and shock.

Cao ErZhu gripped the ghost-fire sword with one hand, slowly shaking his head, and said earnestly, “Indeed, my dear corpse, you are very powerful.”

“However, you seem to have picked the wrong person; I’m not someone to be trifled with.”

No sooner had he spoken than the corpse-like figure arched its upper body backward, pushing off Cao ErZhu with its foot, apparently trying to use the leverage to pull its ghost-fire sword free and escape the terrifying situation. Cao ErZhu’s gaze remained steady as his left hand swiftly shot down, seizing the slender skeletal leg.

“Young man, I admit you possess some actual st—,” the corpse-like figure had more to say, but its voice abruptly cut off. As the ghost-fire flickered downwards slightly, the skeletal face, illuminated by the firelight, even seemed to express a hint of bewilderment and exasperation: “Perhaps there’s been a slight misund—”

Thunder exploded. Cao ErZhu had only applied a little gripping force, and the corpse-like figure’s skeletal leg instantly shattered, electrical currents like snakes rapidly climbing over its entire body.

“Sever!” The corpse-like figure immediately severed its own right leg, simultaneously releasing the ghost-fire sword. It then turned and fled backward, flying away while laughing loudly: “A gecko severs its tail and escapes distress!”

“The mountains are high and the roads are long, we’ll meet agai—”

It didn't finish speaking again. A sound of slicing through the air pierced from behind, clearly its own ghost-fire sword.

“Ridiculous.” The corpse-like figure stood on one leg in mid-air, turning arrogantly. “This is my sword. You intend to use it to harm—!”

It stopped short again, the ghost-fire in its eyes flickering violently. Because before it, there wasn't just one sword! The hulking figure standing far away hadn't even moved a step, yet it had suddenly transformed into a 'thousand-legged spider'. Countless purple lightning threads shot out from him, each connected to a thunderous sword. Aimed from the air, the sword tips were all pointing directly at it. And the ghost-fire sword had merely been an advance guard!

“Impossible, it must be an illusionary sword technique!” The corpse-like figure barely managed to utter this before it was too late to escape. The ghost-fire sword, with a 'boom,' pierced through its chest. The accompanying thunderous power exploded, tearing its entire body apart.

Intense agony conveyed the reality: this was no illusionary sword technique. That person was a Spirit Refiner, merely manipulating Spirit Refining swords, not performing a myriad-sword technique!

Severing its body like a gecko, it was still not too late. The corpse-like figure reacted with extreme speed, instantly severing its own neck. Only a skeletal head remained, soaring high into the air, leaving behind a cold chuckle: “It doesn’t hurt.”

Cao ErZhu was momentarily taken aback. This corpse might be weak, but its mouth was incredibly tough. He commanded the thousand-plus thunderous swords to pierce through the air, but the skull dodged left and right, surprisingly evading all of them.

“A bit strong, but not much…” Cao ErZhu found it rather peculiar. To call this corpse a master seemed wrong; it was useless, only good at tough talk. But to call it a novice also felt wrong; its spatial leap with one sword was performed with such effortless grace, no less skillful than 'Little Uke Bro'.

At the same time, this combat awareness…

“In life, he was definitely a master!”

Under his father's training for over twenty years, Cao ErZhu's combat awareness was almost unrivaled among the younger generation. It could be said that apart from 'Little Uke Bro', few in the world could compare. Yet, such a technique, piercing with a thousand swords, achieving precise strikes—this was a fundamental skill in cultivating manipulative Divine Will. Any other Grand Void practitioner, or even a Half-Saint, should have been riddled with thousands of holes by now. After this skull chose not to fight and began evading, apart from that initial confident turn, not a single one of Cao ErZhu's subsequent attacks landed!

“Its strength is poor, its Holy Power is minimal, and its appearance is truly ugly.”

“But its speech is extraordinary, its movement technique as well, and its combat awareness in the three realms is even more so.”

“It’s like…”

Cao ErZhu wasn't good at deep thought, but he could intuitively sense it. This corpse possessed the consciousness of a master, but it was paired with a trash soul and a trash body. He could even bet that, based on that intensely confident turn it made. If this corpse were to regain its strength from life, it might genuinely snatch the ghost-fire sword he controlled back from him!

“I can’t underestimate it.” Cao ErZhu’s expression became serious. Fearing an accident, he retracted all the spiritual energy he had released.

As the pressure eased, the skull on the other side sensed it almost simultaneously and immediately burst into wild laughter: “Young man, can’t you hold on any longer?”

“Then my assessment is: your attack speed is very fast, but the duration is a bit short. Quite ordinary, really.”

It truly possessed all the qualities of an ancient sword cultivator, even the additional sharp-tongued characteristic of 'Little Uke Bro'… Cao ErZhu couldn't help but feel a little annoyed and roared, “Punishment God Domain!”

The earth seemed to ripple with fleeting lightning snakes. The wind remained, the sky remained. It was as if this hulking figure had merely passed gas; nothing seemed to happen?

“Haha…” Such thoughts flashed through the skull’s mind. Just as it was about to mock, it felt a sudden numbness in its skull, losing all vision.

“Boom!” Suddenly, a vast expanse of ten thousand miles was completely covered by a sea of purple lightning. Within the rolling waves of lightning, formed by the Punishment God's Tribulation, various colossal thunder beasts could be vaguely seen rising and falling, radiating immense ferocity. However, Cao ErZhu hadn't even truly exerted his strength. The skull had already been pulverized into dust by the invisible aura, even before the sea of lightning fully appeared.

“That weak?” Cao ErZhu had been on guard against any unexpected turns. He hadn't expected there to be no surprises at all; the corpse-like figure truly wasn't a master. The pitiful Holy Power he had instantly perceived within it wasn't a disguise; it was its entire reserves. What was Holy Power, anyway? The Punishment God's Tribulation was the original Divine Will, comparable to Ancestral Source Power. Mere Holy Power would have long since vanished into thin air amidst the rampaging sea of lightning.

“No—!” But abruptly, a heart-wrenching voice echoed, full of pain and torment: “Impossible, impossible!”

“How can someone so young be this powerful?”

“Who are you, who exactly are you? No, I can’t die, I mustn’t die, if I die, there will be no more chances, no…”

It spoke incoherent words. The more Cao ErZhu listened, the more he felt this was a true master. The skull’s spiritual essence should have been utterly annihilated by the Punishment God's Tribulation, yet now a remnant consciousness could still scream… If this wasn't a master, what was?

“Heart Thunder Retrace!” With a change in technique, the sea of lightning faded. Instead, in the distant void, lightning elements gathered, piecing together a blurred, distorted purple cloud of smoke. This was the consciousness of that ancient sword cultivator corpse-like figure.

Cao ErZhu generally didn't make a move, but when he did, he never showed mercy—this was a principle his father had taught him. He immediately clenched his fist: “Explode!”

He could easily crush this remnant consciousness. After all, even at its peak, setting aside its extreme reactions, the corpse-like figure’s combined frontal combat power was inferior to the sheer quality of a single Punishment God's Tribulation.

Something unexpected happened. The power of Heart Thunder Retrace applied to the corpse-like figure’s remnant consciousness not only didn't explode it but, on the contrary, seemed to be corroded and dissolved away by something. Even the connection between the power and his own self was silently severed.

“What’s going on?” Cao ErZhu’s face showed vigilance, knowing his guess must be correct: this corpse-like figure was about to mutate.

“Ah—!” Sure enough, the remnant consciousness let out a miserable scream, and amidst a series of twisted struggles, it exploded with a 'boom!' It didn't die; instead, it seemed to have exploded its 'sentience,' reverting to its primal, bestial self.

A terrifyingly imposing giant fierce ghost, over a hundred zhang tall, suddenly descended. It had seven black horns on its head and six arms growing from its ribs, each covered in horrifying barbs.

“I can’t let it mutate…” Just as Cao ErZhu was about to act and repel the ghost, he realized that even after transforming into its true form, the fierce ghost was still in agony. Its six arms clutched its head, as it stumbled backward, screaming incessantly: “No! No! Don’t…”

“Let me go!” “Release me…”

Clearly, it wasn't asking Cao ErZhu to spare it. The unknown 'torment' didn't cease because of the corpse-ghost’s screams. In response, wisps of black mist began to emanate from the fierce ghost’s body.

Cao ErZhu’s pupils contracted. What did he see!

“Ancestral Source Power?” If he remembered correctly. Black, chilling, corrosive, annihilating—weren't these the characteristics of the Ancestral Source Power of Death?

“No!!!” The corpse-ghost finally erupted in a cry of pain. At that moment, the ground trembled. Cao ErZhu’s Heart Thunder Retrace was pushed back, and his Punishment God Domain crumbled in an instant.

Heaven and earth changed color. As terrifying pressure descended, day turned into night. Behind the corpse-ghost, with a hiss, countless sinister ghostly energies emerged. Then, from the decaying earth, a phantom human figure slowly floated up.

“A Holy Image?” “No, a Half-Saint isn't this strong. This is the pressure of a Saint Emperor; is this a Saint Emperor's Image?”

A roar echoed in his mind, and blood already trickled from his seven orifices. Cao ErZhu felt his knees tremble, almost collapsing, yet he stared, wide-eyed, fixed on the image.

The image finally solidified! Compared to the hundreds-of-zhang-tall fierce ghost, it was only the height of a normal human, utterly insignificant beneath the ghost.

“Who?!” Cao ErZhu demanded, his voice ringing out, unable to ignore the terrifying might. “Who are you?”

The image awoke, faint eerie blue light glowing in its eyes, followed by a faint cross-shaped red glow appearing between its brows. It slowly raised a hand…

As it moved, Cao ErZhu was finally able to shift his focus from its almost indiscernible face to other details. This person was extremely plain, dressed in a simple white cardigan robe, with a sword at their waist and a lantern in their hand.

Thanks to 'One Punch That Smashes This World' for the generous reward!