Chapter 261: Escape

JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE!

The sound of the Corpse Heart Bell grew more and more urgent. The Combat Corpse trapped in the cage roared incessantly, slamming against the surrounding bars.

The cage groaned and creaked, on the verge of failing to contain the Combat Corpse.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

A few strange sounds echoed from mid-air.

Several eerie glints of light flashed through the darkness, stabbing toward Bai Chuchu in the air.

Bai Chuchu’s figure flickered, and she dodged them with ease.

BOOM!

At that moment, the Jade Coffin in the air crashed heavily to the ground with a tremendous bang, causing the entire square to tremble slightly.

CRACK CRACK CRACK!

Spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on the Jade Coffin.

A viscous, foul-smelling Corpse Oil began to seep from the cracks. With a WHOOSH, the entire Jade Coffin burst into flames, forming a ball of flickering, ghastly green Ghost Fire!

BOOM!

The coffin lid was suddenly blown off from the inside by an immense force, and an incomparably sharp, ancient, and malevolent aura surged forth.

Under the pressure of this aura, the surroundings abruptly changed. Lu Bai felt as if he were submerged in an ocean, bobbing up and down.

As far as the eye could see, there was a boundless sea of blood!

Within this sea of blood stood a terrifying, towering mountain made of countless corpses and bones, reaching all the way to the heavens.

Even the Eye of Illusion was useless against it!

BOOM!

Following a world-shattering explosion, the crack-covered Jade Coffin shattered like pottery.

Countless shards, imbued with terrifying power, shot out in all directions. A portion of them flew straight for Lu Bai!

The speed was too fast, the power too horrifying.

If those shards hit him, Lu Bai’s body would surely be torn to pieces.

But Lu Bai was trapped deep in the sea of blood. Beneath the surface, it felt as if countless large hands were forcefully dragging him down by his feet.

He was completely powerless to break free, let alone dodge.

Just then, Bai Chuchu, holding the True Dragon Heart, flickered into existence before him. She waved her wide, red sleeves, blocking the incoming shards.

However, the Illusion Realm of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood still hadn’t vanished!

‘Is this a Corpse Ghost’s Ghost Realm?’

‘No!’

Lu Bai quickly dismissed the thought.

He had killed a Corpse Ghost before. That ghost’s Ghost Realm was nowhere near as terrifying as this, nor had it exerted such immense pressure on him.

A towering mountain of corpses, a boundless sea of blood.

Before this mountain of corpses and sea of blood, Lu Bai felt utterly insignificant, like a speck of dust.

‘This Combat Corpse is even more terrifying than a Corpse Ghost! Is its combat strength on par with a Returning Void Daoist? Or a Daoist Monarch Dharma?’

Lu Bai’s eyes widened. He struggled desperately in the sea of blood, fighting against the force pulling him down, his mind racing with thoughts.

He was certain that if it weren’t for the Ancient Mirror and Bai Chuchu standing by his side, he would have long since been swallowed by the sea of blood!

Back on the square, in the center of the coffin’s ruins and amidst the flames, a figure slowly, rigidly, rose to its feet. The Corpse Qi it emitted was so dense it was almost tangible!

Bai Chuchu’s expression was grim.

Meanwhile, in Lu Bai’s vision, the initially calm surface of the sea began to rise slowly, as if something terrifying was about to burst out from the depths!

The next moment, the bloody sea suddenly churned with monstrous waves!

A colossal black figure rose from the sea of blood, its feet planted on the seabed. Its upper body emerged, clad from head to toe in pitch-black Armor, like a Demon God.

The black Armor didn’t seem to be made of any metal. It wasn’t smooth like a mirror; instead, its surface had the rough texture of cooled lava, covered in fine, bizarre patterns. The towering pauldrons were shaped like the skulls of roaring beasts.

This Battle Armor didn’t look like it was worn.

It seemed to have formed naturally, fitting the being’s body perfectly, without a single seam.

In the center of the chest plate was a deep, vertical indentation that looked as if it had formed naturally. It resembled an unhealed scar, or perhaps a closed vertical eye.

Lu Bai swallowed and subconsciously looked up.

He saw that the figure’s head was covered by a menacing and domineering helmet, deep and black, seamlessly integrated with the Battle Armor.

On either side of the helmet were two thick, twisted, and enormous horns, sharp enough to pierce the heavens. They resembled the horns of a primeval demon bull, radiating a primitive, barbaric violence, as if they could easily shatter mountains and tear open the sky.

The helmet snugly covered its forehead, brow ridge, and the bridge of its nose, yet perfectly revealed its eyes and full lips.

Where its eyes should be, there were no whites, no pupils—only pure, pitch-black darkness.

Lu Bai felt his vision, his soul, his very being stripped away, as if everything was being devoured by that endless darkness. His consciousness began to blur!

His Blood Qi began to circulate on its own.

The Ancient Mirror vibrated, suddenly releasing an eerie light that transformed into a massive dark vortex, resisting the force.

Lu Bai quickly came to his senses.

Bai Chuchu suddenly raised her hand and placed the True Dragon Heart into the eerie light.

Under the glow of the eerie light, the originally enormous True Dragon Heart rapidly shrank, eventually turning into a streak of light that entered Lu Bai’s chest.

“Go!”

Bai Chuchu shouted lightly, placing her palm on Lu Bai’s chest and activating the Ancient Mirror in some unknown way.

The eerie light from the mirror’s surface suddenly changed, and a rift once again tore open in the void not far in front of them.

Bai Chuchu pushed Lu Bai into it with a surge of force from her palm, but she herself remained outside the rift, gazing at him calmly, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

“Let’s go together!”

Lu Bai said hurriedly.

He had originally felt some resistance and fear toward Bai Chuchu.

But in this situation, the Combat Corpse from the Jade Coffin was clearly terrifyingly powerful.

‘This Corpse Refining Sect nest, the so-called Corpse Refining Array, and even the True Dragon Heart—they were probably all meant to temper this one Combat Corpse!’

Worried for Bai Chuchu’s safety, Lu Bai had blurted out the words completely subconsciously.

Hearing this, Bai Chuchu was overjoyed. She gave a sweet smile and said, “You go first, hubby. I’ll come find you in a bit.”

Before Lu Bai could say anything more, the rift in the void closed.

In his last glimpse, Lu Bai saw the Combat Corpse clearly.

The Combat Corpse was not as colossally terrifying as the one in the sea of blood. It was the size of a normal Martial Artist, with a Storage Pouch at its waist. Clad in black Battle Armor and a menacing helmet, its eye sockets were deep and dark, like two black holes. It was already charging toward Bai Chuchu!

A wave of dizziness washed over him.

Before Lu Bai could recover, he suddenly fell out of the void.

Lu Bai quickly activated ‘Feathered Ascension to Immortality.’ Wings unfurled, he stabilized himself and surveyed his surroundings.

“This place is…”

Standing at a high vantage point, Lu Bai tried to get his bearings.

He had actually left Longling Canyon!

‘Is this spatial travel?’

‘This must be one of the Ancient Mirror’s abilities.’

Both times Bai Chuchu had used its power, she had placed her palm on his chest, using a special kind of force to activate the Ancient Mirror.

‘This technique is incredible.’

‘It’s the ultimate skill for escaping!’

‘Too bad I don’t know how to use it.’

‘I’ll have to ask Bai Chuchu about it when I get the chance.’

‘It seems she knows the origin of the Ancient Mirror. I’ll ask her about that, too.’

‘I hope nothing happens to her.’

Lu Bai murmured to himself. With a flicker in his eyes, he suddenly soared into the air and sped toward the Border Army Camp.

The only person in this area who might be powerful enough and able to help Bai Chuchu in time was probably Chen Shihu.

Besides, Yue Qianshan, Xiao Qingyu, and the others were still trapped back there. He had to get Chen Shihu to intervene as soon as possible!