Chapter 1140

The sound of the formation exploding shook the entire immortal city. The city gates collapsed, and light shot into the sky.

In Xiaoyi City, the cultivators, who had been trapped in the tide of corpses under the cover of night, finally saw a glimmer of hope amidst the endless darkness. They rushed forward, vying with each other, surging like a tide towards the collapsed northern gate. Cultivators who had originally resigned themselves to despair and death now raised their swords and blades once more, condensing their spells. They fought against the corpse cultivators and iron corpses while retreating towards the north gate.

The cultivators of Yin Corpse Valley were enraged. Elder Fu, in particular, no longer maintained his amiable, wealthy businessman facade. His expression was venomous, like that of a stingy slave owner. The enclosure was broken, and the corpse slaves they had raised had fled. This was tantamount to tearing off a piece of his flesh. Not to mention, he had been mocked by the formation's trickery. His "clever" deployment of personnel had, instead, left a huge opening for others to exploit. It was truly a great humiliation!

"Who—who dares to ruin the grand plan of my Yin Corpse Valley? If I catch you, I will make sure you cannot live, nor can you die!" Elder Fu's tone was sinister and vicious.

Young Master Shi, standing nearby, felt his heart skip a beat and his pupils contract as he said, "Is it—that kid?"

Elder Fu looked at him.

Young Master Shi's gaze was stern as he slowly replied, "It's a young man with a handsome appearance, mysterious origins, who looks frail, but whose movements are elusive and unpredictable."

Elder Fu recalled the scene he had witnessed earlier at the Joyful Union Pavilion and asked, "Young Master, have you already crossed paths with him?"

Young Master Shi nodded, his expression not looking good. "For some reason, my Gold-Plated Copper Corpse couldn't do anything against him. Even when I activated the Corpse Transformation of the Profound Yin Art, I couldn't restrain him. This kid's movement technique is strange, and he's skilled at stealth. Moreover—" Young Master Shi frowned. "He also seems to be proficient in formations. During our fight, I don't know what method he used, but he stealthily set up a second-grade formation, and its power was immense. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but now that I recall, the formation he set up seemed to be the second-grade high-tier Gen Mountain Prison Formation—"

The more Elder Fu listened, the more alarmed he became. "This kid—is he in the Foundation Establishment realm?"

Young Master Shi's face darkened, and he nodded. "Yes, he's in the Foundation Establishment realm."

Elder Fu's face was clouded with gloom. A Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, and a second-grade high-tier formation master. He could also rely on his movement technique and spells to fight Young Master Shi to a stalemate. Even his rare type of copper corpse was helpless against him. What kind of person could this be? A direct descendant of a Void Glimpse realm patriarch from a righteous sect, or a candidate for a Saint Son of a demonic sect? Why would such a prodigious talent appear in this remote Xiaoyi City? Elder Fu's heart grew heavy for a moment, filled with deep thought.

But Young Master Shi took a step forward and declared, "I'll go capture him."

Elder Fu said, "Young Master, wait."

"There's no time to lose—" Young Master Shi said coldly. "I've fought him; this kid's stealth is superb, and his movement technique is also good. His overall methods are strange, but his direct combat strength is too weak. Besides a Fiendish Qi Fireball, he has nothing else noteworthy. I've seen through all his moves. If I act now, I'll surely be able to capture him."

Elder Fu's gaze slightly narrowed as he said, "Young Master Shi, don't forget your identity, and don't forget why we came to Xiaoyi City."

Young Master Shi's expression slightly darkened.

Elder Fu slowly explained, "The gates of Xiaoyi City have been destroyed, the formation broken, and the cultivators have scattered. Our Yin Corpse Valley's scheme can no longer be hidden. The matter of refining a 'Corpse City' will undoubtedly face numerous obstacles. The Daoist Court, righteous forces, are incompatible with us. Even some demonic sects won't stand by and watch us grow stronger. At such a time, Young Master Shi, you shouldn't rashly venture out and disregard the larger picture. It's not too late to mend the fence after the sheep have escaped. Kill as many as you can, and refine as many corpses as you can. The Xiaoyi Corpse City must still be built. This is the bigger picture. Some things, even if they can't be perfected, must at least be completed to the best of our ability first." Elder Fu spoke earnestly and with profound meaning.

Young Master Shi paused, then after a moment of thought, felt a stir in his heart and nodded. "Thank you, Elder Fu, for your guidance—" He then frowned again. "But that kid—"

Elder Fu's expression also turned cold, and he said with a chilling tone, "This kid has ruined my Yin Corpse Valley's grand plan, thus incurring a great enmity. And to use petty tricks to make a fool of us is simply unforgivable. Furthermore, his background is somewhat unusual. I will have Elder Xu lead people to capture him. With several Golden Core Elders working together, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, he will surely not be able to escape, even if he had wings."

Young Master Shi's eyes showed a hint of covetousness as he said, "This kid is my prey."

Elder Fu nodded. "I will have Elder Xu try his best to capture him alive and hand him over for you to deal with."

Upon hearing this, Young Master Shi no longer insisted and nodded. "Good."

Elder Fu and Young Master Shi reached an agreement. With icy gazes, Elder Fu began to issue orders through the Yin Corpse Token: "All Golden Core Elders, return to reinforce the north gate! Elite disciples, listen to my command! Immediately control the walking corpses and iron corpses to form a 'corpse wall,' blocking the northern gate's opening and preventing the cultivators from escaping—All Yin Corpse Valley disciples, no longer hold back! Completely slaughter the cultivators of Xiaoyi City—"

He then secretly sent a message to Elder Xu of Yin Corpse Valley: "The situation has changed. I trouble Elder Xu to bring several other Golden Core Elders to guard the north gate and investigate a strange young man in the Foundation Establishment realm—This kid's stealth technique is excellent, and he's proficient in second-grade high-tier formations. You must capture him alive. If you cannot, his corpse must still be retrieved..."

Elder Fu's orders were relayed. The corpse cultivators of Yin Corpse Valley began a full-scale slaughter. The cultivators of Xiaoyi City also began their desperate escape for survival. Thanks to the time 墨画 bought by feigning an attack elsewhere, and the city gates broken open by a formation, they gained hope of survival. However, whether they would ultimately survive depended solely on their own fate. 墨画 could only help them this far.

Next, he too had to escape. Yin Corpse Valley was no pushover. Having tricked them and ruined their grand plan, he would surely incur their hatred and be hunted down. He had to leave as quickly as possible. 墨画 also concealed himself, blended into the crowd, and fled towards the north gate.

Passing through the northwest corner, he saw a familiar storeroom. 墨画 couldn't help but stop, swept his spiritual sense over it, and walked up to the storeroom. In front of the storeroom, among the scattered corpse heads, lay a short, plump corpse. This was Manager Wang's corpse. He was already dead, having died in front of the storeroom. His chest had been torn open, his internal organs hollowed out and consumed. Corpse poison was spreading, his skin was rotting, and a look of terror remained on his face.

墨画 turned his head and saw that the storeroom had been opened. Inside the storeroom, piles of coffins lay with their lids all pried open. The zombies within had long since climbed out. 墨画 now roughly understood how Manager Wang had died. Manager Wang had disliked the low spiritual stone pay at the inn, so he engaged in some illicit business, helping others transport coffins to the storeroom and guarding them personally. He probably hadn't expected that these coffins belonged to Yin Corpse Valley, and that they contained real zombies.

Even 墨画 himself hadn't expected it. The Yin Corpse Valley's "Corpse Storage" method was indeed covert, sealing the corpse qi completely without a trace. Furthermore, the storeroom itself had protective formations to prevent others from prying. Out of "politeness," 墨画 had not used his spiritual sense to pry into the storeroom's details, and thus had not detected that Manager Wang's "goods" were actually a pile of coffins and a group of zombies. Later, when Yin Corpse Valley sealed the city and the corpse disaster erupted, Manager Wang, as the "corpse guardian," naturally could not escape.

墨画 sighed softly. "Dead—" Whether it was Manager Wang or Elder Ji, both had shown the "sign of death" on their glabella, and then they died. He had warned them, but it seemed to have been completely useless. Perhaps this was fate; when a person is destined to die, they will find every way to meet their end. Even knowing the cause and effect beforehand doesn't change much— 墨画 let out a soft sigh, feeling a hint of sadness and helplessness. Then he reached out and closed Manager Wang's terrified eyes. His figure faded, and he departed from the place.

Afterward, 墨画 did not linger and continued heading north. Upon reaching the north gate, 墨画 looked up and saw the ruined city gate and collapsed city walls. Through the large gap, cultivators from Xiaoyi City had already begun to escape Yin Corpse Valley's blockade, fleeing into the mountains and forests shrouded in darkness. Meanwhile, some corpse cultivators from Yin Corpse Valley were forming groups, slaughtering the fleeing cultivators. At the broken sections of the city wall, zombies were continuously piling up, forming a "corpse wall" to maintain the blockade of Xiaoyi City. The cultivators who had fled to this point also engaged in a final desperate battle with the Yin Corpse Valley's corpse cultivators.

The glint of blades and the flash of swords danced, and the light of spells flickered continuously. Amidst the surging corpse qi, human roars, shouts, and cries mingled with the growls of various zombies and the sounds of flesh being gnawed. Seeing this, 墨画, unable to bear it, began to secretly use fireballs to target and kill the Yin Corpse Valley's corpse cultivators. However, fearing the backlash of baleful qi, he didn't actually kill them; instead, he used fireballs to incinerate the arms or legs of these corpse cultivators. Afterward, other cultivators would naturally step forward to finish them off. At the same time, 墨画, using his spiritual sense to manipulate ink, drew numerous Ground Fire Arrays on the ground under the cover of night. As the ground fire roared and burst forth, it shattered the recently constructed "corpse wall" of Yin Corpse Valley into pieces.

The cultivators of Xiaoyi City, who had been caught in a desperate battle, were all overjoyed: "There's a master helping us! Thank you, Senior! Senior, your kindness is immense!—Now's our chance, quickly!"

As the crowd surged, the cultivators desperately fled. Some cultivators inevitably still died under the sharp claws of corpse cultivators and the gnawing bites of zombies, but more and more cultivators managed to escape Xiaoyi City. The Yin Corpse Valley's corpse cultivators, however, were utterly helpless against 墨画, who was hidden in the darkness like a ghost.

Just then, several powerful auras approached from afar. "It's the Elders! Elder Xu is here!" The Yin Corpse Valley corpse cultivators, who were suffering terribly under 墨画's torment, cried out loudly.

There were a total of four Golden Core cultivators from Yin Corpse Valley. The one leading them had thick eyebrows, a long beard, and yellow eyes, and was precisely "Elder Xu," as the Yin Corpse Valley disciples called him. Elder Xu, seeing the chaotic city gate and the dilapidated "corpse wall," immediately frowned. Then, he swept his spiritual sense, imbued with putrid qi, and indeed, from the darkness, discovered an extremely subtle yet distinct stealth aura.

"Impudent creature! Show yourself!" Elder Xu waved his hand, and the Golden Core evil energy condensed into an ancient bronze-colored corpse hand, striking a huge rock outside the city wall. The rock shattered, and dust billowed everywhere. Then, indeed, three zhang away, the figure of a young man appeared. The night was as dark as ink, obscuring his face, but merely seeing his slender and frail figure, one knew the youth was not old.

Elder Xu's gaze sharpened, and his heart trembled slightly. This was the person Elder Fu had instructed them to capture at all costs? So young, unexpectedly?

墨画 did not hide his tracks; instead, he openly revealed his figure, calmly observing Elder Xu and the others from the darkness.

Elder Xu frowned. "Kid, you're merely in the Foundation Establishment realm. I don't wish to bully the weak. You just need to tie your own hands and return to Yin Corpse Valley with me, and I will spare your life."

From the darkness came a contemptuous laugh. "Yin Corpse Valley? What is Yin Corpse Valley? Just a dirty, smelly place, a glorified mass grave. As for the Elders of Yin Corpse Valley, in my eyes, they're nothing more than decaying corpses in coffins, rotting mud in graves, half-human, half-corpse beings who are better off dead—"

These words were extremely arrogant, and his mouth was exceedingly malicious. Not only Elder Xu, but the other Yin Corpse Valley Elders, and indeed all the Yin Corpse Valley cultivators present, were so enraged their eyes turned red.

Elder Xu suppressed his anger. "You damn kid, you're asking for death!"

墨画 spat, then sneered, "Just you lot? You can't even see my shadow." Having said that, 墨画's figure completely vanished, merging into the darkness once more.

Within Elder Xu's spiritual sense, he only detected a faint, almost imperceptible figure rapidly fleeing into the distance. Its aura was extremely well-concealed, making it difficult even for him, a Golden Core demonic cultivator, to detect. Amidst his anger, Elder Xu felt bewildered: "What kind of stealth technique has this kid actually learned—"

However, now was not the time to ponder such things. Elder Xu's expression was grim as he ordered, "Catch this kid. Spare no effort to make him understand the price of insulting my Yin Corpse Valley!"

An Elder nearby asked, "Elder Xu, what about the city gate here—"

Elder Xu's sinister gaze swept around, and he said coldly, "Don't worry about the city gate. It doesn't matter if more or fewer of these cultivators die, but this kid absolutely must not be allowed to escape!"

"Yes!" Several Golden Core Elders of Yin Corpse Valley exchanged chilling glances. In all their lives, no one had ever dared to speak such arrogant words in front of them. This kid deserves to die! "Pursue!" The four Golden Core Elders of Yin Corpse Valley activated their movement techniques, enveloped in evil qi, and pursued 墨画 in the direction he had fled.

In the darkness, sensing the four deep and powerful evil auras pursuing him from behind, 墨画 slowly let out a breath. He had verbally abused them, used "taunt" to provoke the Yin Corpse Valley Golden Cores, making them chase him. Leading all four Golden Cores away. This way, with these Golden Core demonic cultivators drawn away, more cultivators from Xiaoyi City would be able to escape. This was the limit of what he could do. After this, the survival of Xiaoyi City's cultivators truly depended on fate; he could do no more.

And next, what 墨画 needed to do was lead these four Golden Core demonic cultivators of Yin Corpse Valley far away, then find an opportunity to shake them off. Among these four Golden Core demonic cultivators, one was at the mid-Golden Core stage, and three were at the early-Golden Core stage. Killing them was essentially impossible. But shaking them off wasn't as difficult. 墨画's spiritual sense was now twenty-one marks, and combined with his Dao-manifested spiritual sense, its intensity was far beyond that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator. Therefore, although he was only at the late Foundation Establishment realm, the stealth technique he employed was enough to deceive early Golden Core cultivators, and some mid-Golden Core cultivators with weaker spiritual senses. With his exquisite Fading Water Steps, he could also contend with early Golden Core cultivators. As for mid-Golden Core cultivators, due to the significant disparity in cultivation, direct confrontation would be quite stressful, but he could hold out for a while. These Golden Core Elders from Yin Corpse Valley, though seemingly ferocious, posed no significant threat to him.

From then on, 墨画 proceeded according to his plan. He continuously consulted the map Manager Wang had given him, heading south towards Great Desert City, located at the border of Lizhou and the Great Wilderness. At the same time, he would occasionally show himself, "baiting" Elder Xu and the other Yin Corpse Valley Golden Cores into pursuing him, while using his stealth and movement techniques to maneuver.

Thus, in a game of cat and mouse, they traveled for nearly a thousand miles. When 墨画 felt it was enough, he planned to shake off Elder Xu and the others and proceed to Great Desert City alone. However, he soon realized something was wrong. It seemed he couldn't shake off Elder Xu and the other Yin Corpse Valley Golden Cores. Whether it was his stealth technique or his Fading Water Steps, or even taking the time to set up some stealth formations, he simply couldn't evade Elder Xu's pursuit. The only thing that proved useful was the Divine Mist Formation. But the Divine Mist Formation had a limited range and was fixed in place. Elder Xu and the others, being Golden Core cultivators, controlled iron and copper corpses, releasing poisonous corpse qi to conduct large-scale "mountain searches," forcing 墨画 out.

After fleeing another few hundred miles, Elder Xu and the others still clung to 墨画's trail like "maggots on bone." It had always been 墨画 who, relying on his spiritual sense advantage, pursued others like this. This was the first time he had been pursued in such a manner by others. 墨画's brow furrowed slightly, feeling that there must be something strange going on.

So, after traveling another hundred miles, he reached a small hilltop in a second-grade provincial boundary, and 墨画 stopped. In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Elder Xu and the four Golden Core cultivators from Yin Corpse Valley caught up. Seeing 墨画 stop moving, the four were somewhat surprised, but after a slight hesitation, they slowly fanned out, sealing off all directions and completely surrounding 墨画.

墨画, alone and surrounded by four demonic Golden Core cultivators, maintained a normal expression, showing no fear or unease. Instead, he opened his mouth and asked, "How did you manage to catch up to me?" His demeanor was as if he had surrounded the four demonic Golden Cores himself.

Elder Xu sneered, "How could a mere brat like you fathom the methods of my Yin Corpse Valley?"

"Yin Corpse Valley's methods?" 墨画 paused. "What kind of method can see through my stealth? And track my movements?"

Elder Xu sneered but remained silent. His left hand held a corpse-summoning bell, while his right twisted a corpse talisman resembling a bloody net. The other three Golden Core corpse cultivators also had their methods ready: some rang their bells, some activated their lifebound swords, and some transformed their arms into corpse limbs, with killing moves poised to strike.

墨画 knew there was nothing more to discuss. With a light tap of his foot, the ground suddenly lit up. Surging golden light and ground fire exploded in succession right beside 墨画's feet. A second-grade high-tier formation!

Elder Xu and the others were startled. They had no choice but to retreat a step, simultaneously activating their corpse transformations or summoning their copper and iron corpses to protect themselves. This was a second-grade provincial boundary, with heavenly restrictions. Even as Golden Core cultivators, they couldn't be too careless.

A booming sound echoed, and light shimmered. After the explosion subsided and the formation's fluctuations faded, Elder Xu and the other three finally revealed their figures. Looking around, 墨画's figure was nowhere to be seen. Clearly, the kid had already taken advantage of the formation's explosion to make his getaway. The four Golden Core corpse cultivators had burn marks on their clothes and slight scorches on their skin. Their injuries weren't severe, but their anger burned even hotter.

Elder Xu's brow was tightly furrowed, his heart filled with confusion: "This formation clearly exploded right beside the kid, so why wasn't he hit? Also, when did he even begin setting up this formation? What level has this kid's formation mastery reached—" The more Elder Xu thought about it, the more alarmed he became. "With such astonishing formation attainments, this kid absolutely cannot be let go!" He formed a hand seal and slapped the ground. Moments later, the ground rose, and an earth-colored "zombie" no taller than an arm emerged. This "zombie" moved its mouth, speaking something to Elder Xu. Elder Xu nodded slightly, then with a cold gaze, pointed in a direction and said, "This way, continue the pursuit!" The four Golden Core corpse cultivators once again pursued 墨画.

Meanwhile, seven or eight li away. 墨画, concealed, hadn't fled for long when he detected Elder Xu and the others catching up again, and a slight irritation flared in his heart. "Still chasing—Do you really think I—don't dare to kill you?"