Chapter 228: Corpse Soul Gu Technique

Tuo Ba Hong was always the most eager one.

Whenever she saw his somewhat fawning look, the Empress's eyes would fill with a hint of disdain. It seemed that in her view, among men, only someone like Xu Yang, with both a kingly demeanor and deep tenderness, was worthy of her admiration. In contrast, those like Tuo Ba Hong truly couldn't measure up.

Xu Yang didn't refuse. With just a glance, he understood Tuo Ba Hong's intention. He pulled out his Dao Heart Whisk, floated cross-legged in the air, and within a few breaths, a golden Dao light gradually appeared. This light quickly enveloped the entire broken wall area where everyone stood.

"My heavens, there really is a change! This... this seems to be a fragmented map!"

Watching the patterns appearing on the broken walls under the golden light, everyone quickly grew more excited.

"This is the only break point where these lines converge. If I’m not mistaken, this should be the entrance!"

Xu Yang’s pupils suddenly lit up. The Dao Heart Whisk shot out, striking directly at the single break point on the wall.

Creak!

The first crack appeared, followed by a rectangular fissure as tall as two people that opened up. With a thunderous boom, a doorway was indeed carved into the broken wall, leading into the darkness.

At this very moment, the strong scent of blood in the air also grew heavier.

Xu Yang landed and, with the Empress, brought up the rear of the group, following Tuo Ba Hong and the others into the newly opened portal.

A bone-chilling killing intent filled the air. While it had no effect on Xu Yang and the Empress, it made the Seven and Tuo Ba Hong appear extremely serious.

As the group ventured deeper, the Dragon Slaying Battlefield indeed proved to be a world unto itself. It resembled an ancient tomb, yet it was far more expansive than the Imperial Tombs of the Ancient Desolation lineage. There were no treasures to be found; just endless piles of stones stacked everywhere, stretching beyond sight.

"Look, it’s dried-up bones! This must be the Dragon Slaying Battlefield! Thousands of years ago, the Heaven-Reaching Dao Sect probably slayed dragons here, right?!"

The Seven grew particularly restless. The one at the very front, carrying a bow and arrows, grew instinctively excited. He suddenly stepped forward, and a green light abruptly flashed on the ground!

"Watch out!"

Xu Yang’s insight was remarkable. The moment the light appeared, a blast of energy had already shot out from his hand.

The bow-wielding expert was thrown aside. Just as his feet left the ground, the ominous green light slowly drifted up, forming an incredibly horrifying, dark green skeleton, which then shattered into nothingness.

"Oh no! This is... the Bone Poison Array of the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage!"

Tuo Ba Hong gasped in alarm and immediately stopped, but at that very moment, not far to their left, another member of the Seven suddenly let out a piercing shriek. He quickly fell to the ground, convulsing, his entire skin surface completely enveloped by an eerie greenish-blue hue.

"Everyone spread out quickly! We must have entered this treacherous array; be extremely careful!"

Tuo Ba Hong also shot into the air, looking around with a panicked expression, showing no immediate intention of saving his teammate from the Seven.

However, the remaining three instantly rushed forward.

"Fifth Brother, how are you?"

The Soul-Realm expert lying on the ground was unsalvageable. His vitality rapidly diminished, and he literally transformed into a mere skeleton, losing his life.

However, no one expected this was just the onset of the danger! The other three members of the Seven ultimately were not spared, falling one after another miserably, as if being consumed by a terrifying necromantic power, enduring immense suffering before collapsing.

"How could this be?!"

Tuo Ba Hong hovered in mid-air, displaying an expression of immense grief. However, this time, Xu Yang did not remain silent. Instead, he fixed him with a cold gaze.

"How long do you plan to maintain this charade? Tuo Ba Hong, you are the true culprit who orchestrated their downfall!"

The Empress was taken aback, looking at Xu Yang beside her in disbelief, her beautiful eyes wide with astonishment.

"Are you saying... Tuo Ba Hong did this? But I didn't sense anything at all. We are so close; if he wanted to execute a powerful cultivation technique, there would surely be clues to track. How did you come to this conclusion?"

Xu Yang snorted coldly, "The answer is not here, but on the island we left earlier! If I’m not mistaken, those three who died at the gathering point should have already resurfaced from their graves by now. This terrifying, long-lost array covering us right now is their handiwork!"

Tuo Ba Hong was startled, but he made no immediate attempt to object. Meanwhile, the Empress grew increasingly bewildered.

"Let me explain it to you from the beginning. Besides their exceptionally potent killing methods, the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage is also proficient in a very ancient forbidden secret technique called Corpse Soul Gu Art! Simply put, you kill a person, implant this secret art into their corpse, and three days later, the corpse will revive.

Naturally, the one controlling the corpse is the caster's own will!

Tuo Ba Hong killed those three, and placed the Corpse Soul Gu Art on them. So, three days later, when we successfully eluded the pursuing Sea Generals and arrived underwater, the array on that island had already been activated by the three corpses of the Seven, under Tuo Ba Hong’s control.

Tuo Ba Hong chose to activate the array at this moment precisely because of the relatively confined terrain here, intending to trap us and ensure our demise.”

Xue Qinghan’s expression was icy cold. Firstly, she had not expected Tuo Ba Hong to be the true schemer. Secondly, the Empress was filled with shock that this lost secret technique of the lineage was wielded by Tuo Ba Hong.

"This treacherous array is certainly peculiar, but can it truly trap you and me with just this array alone?"

The Empress glanced at the greenish-blue light that occasionally appeared at her feet, a faint trace of disdain surfacing on her face.

Indeed, if it were merely this poison array, it certainly couldn't threaten them. But the next scene completely shattered the Empress's confidence.

The other four members of the Seven, who had just succumbed to death, abruptly straightened up. Enveloped in a greenish-blue light, they revealed grotesque grins, their eyes rolled back, and they gathered in the space like zombies.

"Thousand Corpse Gu Array! If I'm not mistaken, Tuo Ba Hong, you are not only an inheritor of the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage but also the ultimate master of its cultivation methods! The practice of the Thousand Corpse Gu Array proves that your hands are tainted with the blood of tens of thousands of lives!"

"Ah ha ha ha ha…"

Tuo Ba Hong cast off his previous humble appearance, completely transforming into the face of a bloodthirsty fiend.

"Well, Xu Yang, truly nothing can be hidden from you!"