Chapter 1139

Upon seeing the blood-red Immortal Talisman, an omen of karma, in Young Master Shi's Life Palace, Mò Huà's gaze narrowed slightly, and his thoughts raced.

The Demonic Immortal Talisman is a life-preserving talisman, as renowned as the Righteous Path's Lifespan Talisman, used to protect direct lineage prodigies. Similarly, only Demonic Patriarchs in the Cavernous Void Realm or higher, whose lifespans are nearing their end and who have lost hope of achieving the Grand Dao, can condense it by drawing upon the essence of the Demonic Path. To date, Mò Huà had encountered numerous Lifespan Talismans, and he had personally shattered no less than five. However, Mò Huà had only seen a Demonic Immortal Talisman once before. That was years ago, outside Lizhou City, when he encountered the Demonic Sect's Saint Son, who had a blood-red mark on his forehead.

Mò Huà's gaze turned slightly cold. "Is this Young Master Shi also a Demonic Saint Son? Even if not... to have an Immortal Talisman planted on him signifies that he must have a direct bloodline Demonic Patriarch. He is clearly a highly-anticipated demonic genius, an heir to a major Demonic Sect, and possesses an extremely noble status... Such a person is worth breaking my vow to kill..."

Mò Huà couldn't help but feel a surge of murderous intent again. But the next instant, he forced himself to calm down. Making a killing move against this Saint Son would undoubtedly trigger the Immortal Talisman, summoning the blood-red Dharma Aspect of a Demonic Cavernous Void expert... Although constrained by Third-Grade Heavenly Dao restrictions, this Demonic Immortal Dharma Aspect would only appear for an instant. Yet, that brief moment of Cavernous Void pressure would be enough to utterly obliterate his physical body... In his current state, he was completely unqualified to contend with a Cavernous Void expert. Moreover, this was in Lizhou, specifically in Xiaoyi City, which was unlike the Ganxue State territory. There was no Fifth-Grade Dao Discussion Mountain Formation, which protected Sword Discourse disciples, to shield him from the destructive power of a Cavernous Void Dharma Aspect. Setting aside whether he could even kill this "Saint Son," even if he succeeded, he would still be implicated and perish. Even if he miraculously survived, he would face the endless, bloody retaliation of the Demonic Sect.

Mò Huà cast a fleeting glance at Young Master Shi, then reined in his murderous intent.

Young Master Shi felt a chill spread through his body, which then receded as quickly as it came. He felt as though Mò Huà's single glance, in a mere flash, had pulled him back from the precipice of life and death, leaving him both startled and enraged. No one had ever looked at him with such eyes before. No one had ever dared to look at him like that. And no one had ever made him feel such apprehension. Young Master Shi's face grew even paler, tinged with a flush of anger: "Damn it!"

For some reason, the Bronze Corpse was deterred. Young Master Shi simply abandoned his Golden Bell Corpse Control technique and instead channeled the white corpse energy in reverse into his own flesh, undergoing self-corpse transformation to unite man and corpse. His body grew taller, his long robe tearing to reveal robust, pale muscles. His claws were like jade, his eyes crimson like gems, and his long hair hung over his shoulders, making him resemble a yaksha. Then, like a phantom, he rushed towards Mò Huà, bringing with him a chilling corpse aura.

With an empty hand, Mò Huà clenched his fist. A flash of water light appeared, and a Water Prison condensed out of thin air, precisely binding Young Master Shi in his "corpse-transformed" state. Young Master Shi roared, exerted his full strength, and with a sudden shake, broke free from the Water Prison technique, continuing his advance. But before he could travel a few *zhang*, array patterns on the ground lit up, and stone spikes reversed their direction, forming a prison that firmly locked Young Master Shi once more.

"An array?" Young Master Shi's gaze turned cold. He imbued his muscles with corpse aura, invigorating his physical body, then unleashed a powerful sweep with his iron arm, destroying the cage and breaking the array, continuing his charge towards Mò Huà. This time, his speed was greater, his movements more fierce. But just as he was about to get within three *zhang* of Mò Huà, Mò Huà pointed two fingers, consecutively launching three fireballs. Around the fireballs, sinister black and gray malevolent energy swirled, making them formidable to behold. Their lock-on was incredibly precise, and their speed astonishing, making them impossible to evade. Young Master Shi could only cross his arms defensively in front of him, taking the full impact of the three fireballs head-on. The flames exploded, and the residual force pushed Young Master Shi back three steps. But the scorching flames did not burn through his skin. The chilling malevolent energy was also neutralized by the even more sinister corpse aura emanating from his body.

Mò Huà's gaze shifted slightly. Young Master Shi lowered his arms, sneering as he looked at Mò Huà, "Is that all you've got?" Mò Huà's expression grew increasingly indifferent. He twirled a fireball between his fingers, contemplating whether to disable Young Master Shi first... Killing him would trigger his Demonic Immortal Talisman. But if he merely crippled his limbs, rendering him temporarily immobile, it shouldn't cause any major trouble. Mò Huà's deep gaze scrutinized Young Master Shi, his thoughts constantly shifting. Young Master Shi's gaze was utterly icy.

Just then, Mò Huà's expression subtly changed, as if he sensed something. A flash of water light enveloped his body, and his figure gradually faded away. Young Master Shi froze, instantly realizing Mò Huà's intention. He angrily snapped, "Trying to run?!" Amidst the rampant corpse aura, Young Master Shi transformed into a streak of blood-red light and lunged fiercely towards Mò Huà. His jade-like claws, imbued with "corpse poison," tore towards Mò Huà's throat. Yet, Mò Huà merely cast a faint glance at Young Master Shi. His figure dimmed, then vanished completely.

Beneath Young Master Shi's corpse claws, the pervasive corpse aura shredded some nearby Lust Cultivators who were engrossed in their desires, leaving them bloody and mangled. However, Mò Huà's figure was nowhere to be found. Even when he extended his spiritual sense and meticulously searched, there wasn't a single trace. It was as if Mò Huà had truly "vanished into thin air," leaving behind not a single trace or spiritual fluctuation.

Young Master Shi frowned, thinking, "Who exactly is this person? So strange... can he really be merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

As he was pondering, a Golden Core aura suddenly emanated from a distance. A cultivator, dressed in brocade robes with a benevolent face like a wealthy old man, yet holding an eerie Corpse-Summoning Bell, walked in. Before tonight, he had been a "respected" Golden Core Patriarch of a prominent family in Xiaoyi City, renowned for his generosity and for treating all Foundation Establishment cultivators with an amiable warmth. Only tonight did he shed his disguise, reverting to his true form as the notorious Golden Core Archdemon of Yin Corpse Valley, a practitioner of murder and corpse refinement, utterly depraved. However, facing Young Master Shi, this "wealthy old man" Golden Core Corpse Cultivator was remarkably courteous.

Young Master Shi also nodded in greeting, saying: "Elder Fu..."

Young Master Shi didn't know Elder Fu's real name; he only knew that before entering the demonic path, the man had considerable family wealth, a plump physique, and always dressed like a wealthy old man in lavish brocade clothes, hence the respectful moniker "Elder Fu." Corpse refinement was inherently a demanding profession, consuming both manpower and resources. Without some family wealth and without raising some household servants, how could one even qualify to "refine corpses"? Corpse refiners grew rich, and the rich refined corpses; it was quite logical.

Elder Fu, with a smiling, benevolent face, cast a brief glance around, then asked with some surprise, "Young Master Shi, with whom were you fighting?"

Young Master Shi's gaze darkened slightly, "A young man of unknown origin..."

Elder Fu was even more surprised, "Foundation Establishment?"

Young Master Shi looked displeased and did not reply. Elder Fu secretly marveled even more. In this small Xiaoyi City, could there really be a Foundation Establishment cultivator capable of forcing Young Master Shi into his "corpse transformation" and then escaping safely right before his eyes? And it even seemed like he had caused Young Master Shi some difficulty? How truly strange... However, he didn't press for more details. All those qualified to contend for the Demonic Saint Son title were extraordinarily talented and exceptionally proud; being too inquisitive could easily lead to animosity.

Elder Fu said, "I'll send men to pursue and capture this Foundation Establishment cultivator, then bring him to Young Master for handling."

Young Master Shi coldly replied, "No need. Sealing the city is the main priority. As long as the city is sealed tight and everyone is killed and refined into zombies one by one, we won't have trouble catching this brat."

Elder Fu nodded. Not succumbing to fleeting anger and understanding priorities – such a temperament indeed suggested he could achieve great things. He turned his head and glanced at the ruined and bloody pleasure houses around them. "These..."

Young Master Shi said coolly, "Fairy Mei and I have an agreement: they extract vital essence and blood, and we refine corpses. Each gets what they needs."

"Good," Elder Fu nodded. After a moment of thought, he reported on the progress: "The corpse array is activated, and the city is sealed. The zombies are feeding, and I estimate they'll be mostly done in another two to three hours... At that time, we'll clean up, killing any stragglers, and no one will ever know what happened in Xiaoyi City. After that, we'll use the Yin Corpse Blood Array to refine the city. If things go smoothly and we're undisturbed, in about a month, Xiaoyi City will become a thorough 'Corpse City,' and the only Third-Grade 'Corpse City' within a thousand *li* radius. Using this Xiaoyi Corpse City as a base, our Yin Corpse Valley can exploit the chaotic situation to expand outwards, continuously promoting the Demonic Path of Corpse Cultivation and growing stronger... This Xiaoyi City will also become one of our Yin Corpse Valley's most important corpse cultivation strongholds in Lizhou. If this succeeds, Young Master, you will undoubtedly be even more favored by the Patriarch..."

Young Master Shi's heart warmed, but his expression remained indifferent. He nodded and said, "Act quickly, don't delay. Delays can lead to complications."

Elder Fu replied amiably, "Understood."

The corpse cultivators of Yin Corpse Valley accelerated the city's massacre. The tragedy in Xiaoyi City was still intensifying. One cultivator after another met a gruesome end in the jaws of zombies, only to be implanted with corpse poison by the sinister corpse cultivators and reanimated by their bronze bells. Many cultivators resisted, but they were merely at the Qi Condensation or, at most, Foundation Establishment stage. Most came from small families or sects, with limited inheritances, and their spiritual artifacts and Dao techniques were unremarkable. They were no match for the orthodox Demonic Corpse Cultivators of Yin Corpse Valley, who possessed true lineage inheritances. Not to mention the seven or eight even stronger Golden Core Archdemons of Yin Corpse Valley, along with the Third-Grade Iron and Bronze Corpse puppets they nurtured. The city walls of Xiaoyi City were also completely sealed by Yin Corpse Valley cultivators using nefarious arrays. Such powerful arrays were simply impossible to break. Golden Cores stood guard, corpse cultivators massacred the city, and arrays sealed it off. There was simply no escape for anyone. Blood permeated the air. The corpse plague raged. And despair slowly enveloped Xiaoyi City under the cover of night...

In a tall building in the northwest corner, Mò Huà, concealed, sat on the rooftop, silently observing everything before him, his eyes filled with compassion. A moment later, he sighed, extended a fair hand, and twirled his fingers, calculating silently in his mind for a moment before murmuring: "It's almost time..."

In a magnificent hall in the center of Xiaoyi City, the surrounding cultivators were all dead. Elder Fu, in the center, had spread out a map of Xiaoyi City, observing the movements across the entire city as depicted on the map. Beside him, several corpse-path array masters were controlling the city-sealing array. Young Master Shi stood on a high platform, looking down at Xiaoyi City, which seemed to be engulfed by a nightmare, his face expressionless.

Everything was proceeding according to plan. The operation of the array was also entirely within their plans. This complex array was Yin Corpse Valley's customary formation for "sealing the city" and "massacring the city," passed down from their ancestors, and it was virtually infallible. This operation was also Yin Corpse Valley's first city massacre in many years, so they attached great importance to it, dispatching no fewer than seven or eight Golden Core Archdemons. This included three mid-stage Golden Core and one late-stage Golden Core cultivators, which was considered a sign of considerable respect. With such power, massacring an immortal city that didn't even have a single "Golden Core" cultivator was truly like using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken. Such a vast disparity in cultivation levels and realms virtually guaranteed that no accidents would occur.

The city was sealed, people were dying, and corpses were being refined... Everything was progressing as smoothly as flowing water. Until a strange fluctuation emanated from the core of the Yin Corpse Blood Refinement Array.

An elder evil array master frowned, "Something's wrong..."

Hearing this, Elder Fu looked up, his gaze shifting slightly as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"This array..." The evil array master's brow furrowed tighter. "I don't know if it hasn't been used for many years, or if there was a problem during its deployment... The flow within the array core seems problematic; some evil energy is flowing backward..."

Elder Fu shed his amiable expression, his face growing slightly cold. "Explain it clearly..."

The evil array master hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should speak. If he spoke and there was no problem, he would surely be punished. After all, Elder Fu, despite his seemingly amiable demeanor, was the most ruthless and treated people with utter disregard. But if there really was a problem and he didn't speak up, the consequences would be even more severe... Gritting his teeth, the evil array master slowly voiced his suspicion: "It looks like someone... tampered with it..."

The pupils of several Golden Core cultivators from Yin Corpse Valley beside him all constricted. Elder Fu's gaze also turned cold. "Are you certain?"

The evil array master hesitated, not daring to assert it definitively, merely stating the facts: "Based solely on the array core's structure and the flow of evil energy, yes, it appears so..."

At his words, a chill ran through everyone's hearts. They all understood what this implied. If the array had been tampered with, it meant that their sealing and massacring of the city had long been noticed. The fact that someone tampered with the array indicated "hostility" towards Yin Corpse Valley. They must have secretly dug a "pit" of unknown nature. The Yin Corpse Valley's city-sealing and corpse-refining array was a Second-Grade seventeen-pattern complex array, more difficult than even typical high-grade Second-Grade arrays. To be able to secretly tamper with a complex array of this grade indicated that this person's array mastery was undoubtedly extraordinary. At the very least, they were a high-grade Second-Grade array master. According to the general cultivation levels of array masters, a high-grade Second-Grade array master would be at least at the early Golden Core stage, or even mid to late Golden Core. A Golden Core cultivator, a Golden Core realm array master, tampering with their Yin Corpse Valley's city-massacring and corpse-refining array... "Who exactly is this person...?" "And what are his intentions?"

The brows of all the Yin Corpse Valley Golden Cores furrowed with grave concern. Even Young Master Shi's gaze was profound. A Golden Core cultivator could not be without backing; it would either be a family or a sect. If he was from a righteous path force, he would certainly be trying to thwart Yin Corpse Valley's actions. If he was from a demonic path force, he would definitely be trying to "prey on his own kind"... In any case, it did not bode well for Yin Corpse Valley. Not to mention, the place he tampered with was the array itself... The array was their lifeline.

"Where is the array's flow reversing?" Elder Fu asked.

"The East Gate..." the evil array master replied, looking at the array core.

Elder Fu nodded and turned, saying, "Elder Xu, Elder Ma... take an array master and go to the East Gate to investigate, to see if there's a problem with the array."

The two Golden Core cultivators from Yin Corpse Valley stood up and cupped their hands, saying, "Yes." They then led a Foundation Establishment stage, Second-Grade evil array master directly towards the East Gate.

Afterward, the others from Yin Corpse Valley waited anxiously in the hall. But after waiting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, even before the cultivators sent to the East Gate could identify a problem, the flow of array power in the core developed issues once more. The elderly evil array master's face changed. "The array patterns at the West Gate are also reversing their flow..."

Elder Fu's gaze darkened. He sensed a strange scent emanating from the depths of the night. But since a problem had arisen, it couldn't be left unresolved. He then summoned two more Golden Core Elders from Yin Corpse Valley, instructing them to take an evil array master and head to the West Gate.

After these individuals left, the more Elder Fu thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss. He kept feeling that someone was secretly toying with him... But everything before him seemed shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see clearly. After another incense stick burned, the situation changed again. This time, the evil array master's face turned completely white, and he exclaimed in shock: "Elder Fu, this is bad! The spiritual energy reversal at the North Gate is intensifying and growing stronger; it has already surpassed the critical point..."

Elder Fu was both shocked and enraged, his face devoid of any benevolence. He cursed inwardly, then said to the last two Golden Core Archdemons: "You two, take another array master and go investigate the North Gate."

"Yes." The two Golden Core Archdemons were about to depart. But Elder Fu suddenly jolted, saying, "No... I've been played..." Elder Fu pondered for a moment, his face twisting slightly. "Truly cunning and despicable."

"Don't go to the North Gate anymore..." Elder Fu said immediately. "Problems have arisen at the East, West, and North Gates. If you all go to investigate, your forces will be spread thin. This is all a ruse, designed to create a diversion and lure us away... Therefore..." Elder Fu's gaze sharpened. "Go directly to the South Gate! The true tampering by this array master must be at the South Gate! Send a message to Elder Xu and the others: if the East and West Gates are fine, then they should also go directly to the South Gate, just like you..."

The two Golden Core Archdemons suddenly understood, nodding and praising, "Elder Fu is brilliant!" Then these two Golden Cores, leading an evil array master, headed directly to the South Gate of Xiaoyi City, hoping to uncover the truth. In the grand hall within the city, only Elder Fu, a single Golden Core, and Young Master Shi remained.

Elder Fu's plump, pale fingers drummed on the tabletop. He was still deep in thought, considering whether his actions were correct and if there were any flaws. As he pondered, he suddenly noticed that something else was amiss. A chill gradually rose in his heart. Elder Fu's fingers trembled slightly. In that instant, he understood. "Still... I've been played..." The East and West Gates were a deliberate feint to make him think he was being "clever." The North and South Gates were designed to make him outsmart himself. Now, people had been dispatched to the East, West, and South Gates, but the North Gate, despite showing abnormalities, had nobody sent to investigate... By his reckoning, half an hour had passed, and the array's true reverse flow had been ongoing for a long time...

Just then, the elderly evil array master, still looking panicked, exclaimed: "Elder Fu, this is bad! The spiritual energy reversal at the North Gate is intensifying and growing stronger; it has already surpassed the critical point..."

Elder Fu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He immediately turned to look north and suddenly saw a pillar of fire shooting into the sky. The northern sky was instantly illuminated. Accompanied by a tremendous roar and intense spiritual energy reversal fluctuations, Xiaoyi City's North Gate, along with large sections of its walls, were blasted into fragments by the array's reverse flow. The city gate, unprotected by powerful Golden Core Archdemons, was instantly breached. A massive breach was torn open in the previously sealed Xiaoyi City. The light from the array's explosion, like a brilliant beacon, hung in the sky. It illuminated the shocked faces of Yin Corpse Valley's corpse cultivators and pointed out a path to life for the despairing cultivators within the city...