Chapter 263: Ominous Exotic Treasure

The Martial Cultivators who fell slightly behind were soon caught by the Combat Corpses chasing from below, dragged down, and submerged by the oppressive tide of corpses.

The Blood Qi surrounding the True Masters of the Martial Dao and the Body Light condensed by the True Masters of the Golden Core had both been greatly depleted. They could no longer resist the corrosion of the immense Corpse Qi and Corpse Poison.

Once swallowed by the tide of corpses, death was certain!

The number of casualties continued to rise.

RUMBLE!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, four figures suddenly shot into the air from a fissure in the ground.

Two of the figures were locked in a fierce battle, unleashing an earth-shattering clamor. The void trembled and even began to distort, rippling like the surface of a lake!

One of them was a rather tall man, clad in ferocious black armor. A twin-horned helmet covered most of his face.

He exuded a terrifyingly savage and primordial aura. With every move, he unleashed an incomparably immense power.

His opponent was surprisingly a beautiful young woman wearing a phoenix crown and wedding veil. Though she was slender and petite, she seemed to know no fear, clashing relentlessly with the man in black armor.

The aftershocks from their clash alone were enough to scatter the massive pillar of corpses that had just spiraled into the air!

Some Combat Corpses couldn’t dodge in time and were caught in the blast of their power. They were instantly torn to pieces, turning into a bloody mist with not even a bone left behind.

’This kind of power fluctuation...’

The fleeing Golden Core Realm Martial Cultivators felt their hearts and spirits tremble, their faces filled with terror.

This level of power was already beyond their knowledge and comprehension.

Even the Nascent Soul Realm experts like Yue Qianshan, Xiao Qingyu, and Xiahou Li turned pale when they caught a glimpse of this scene.

’Even the Returning Void Realm probably hasn’t reached this level.’

Among the four figures, one exuded a dense Corpse Qi. Its face was dark and sallow, and its long, sharp fingernails glowed with an eerie green light. Clearly a cut above the surrounding Combat Corpses, it roared at the beautiful young woman and suddenly charged forward to attack.

But this Combat Corpse had barely rushed up before it was beaten back by the beautiful young woman after just a few exchanges, forced to retreat in defeat.

Another figure, a gaunt old man with a withered, yellow face, stood in the air. He held a Bone Banner radiating a ghastly Yin Qi, his cold gaze fixed on the beautiful young woman, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Suddenly!

The old man seemed to sense something. His gaze shifted, landing on the group of figures fleeing toward the mountain entrance. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he chuckled sinisterly and waved the Bone Banner in his hand.

"You trespassed on the grounds of my Corpse Refining Sect, and you still think you can escape?"

A gloomy voice echoed.

All at once, dense streams of Corpse Qi flew out from the Bone Banner, transforming into countless screaming skulls that shot toward Yue Qianshan and the others at an astonishing speed!

The mountain entrance was right before their eyes.

But the Corpse Qi skulls released from the Bone Banner were close behind, having already locked onto everyone. No one could escape!

As the Corpse Refining Sect elder waved his Bone Banner, he kept a close eye on the beautiful young woman’s movements.

’Killing these people is as easy as flipping my hand. It’s not even worth doing myself.’

The reason for his action was to distract this woman, perhaps even overwhelm her, forcing her to reveal a flaw.

But the old man was disappointed.

The girl in the phoenix crown and wedding veil seemed completely oblivious to whether these people lived or died, showing no concern whatsoever.

’What’s the origin of this girl?’

The old man was secretly alarmed. ’She looks like a Ghost Soul that cultivated to enlightenment and revived a corpse, becoming a Nvba. But the many techniques she excels at are not limited to the level of a Ba.’

’We can also refine Combat Corpses to the level of a Ba.’

’But Combat Corpses have no consciousness, after all. They are completely under our control, just puppets.’

’Furthermore, after years of being refined with various ores, medicines, and even poisons, a Combat Corpse’s physical body will develop all sorts of abnormalities. It becomes neither human nor ghost, with a terrifying appearance.’

’But a Ghost Soul that cultivates to enlightenment and reaches the level of a Ba looks no different from a living person.’

Even though the girl didn’t care about the lives of the group, the old man did not withdraw his attack.

Seeing that they couldn’t escape, Yue Qianshan, Xiao Qingyu, and the others stopped in their tracks. They summoned their respective Treasure Artifacts and Magic, blasting them toward the swarm of Corpse Qi skulls.

When their Treasure Artifacts and Magical Treasures were tainted by the Corpse Qi, their halos quickly dimmed.

Even Top Grade Magical Treasures couldn’t withstand it, soon becoming incredibly dim and falling out of their control.

Some Low Grade weapons even developed spots like lividity marks. The Restrictions on them were destroyed, turning them into scrap metal.

The techniques of the Nascent Soul Realm experts were like paper in the face of the old man’s casual Corpse Qi—they couldn’t withstand a single blow.

Just as everyone was about to perish, an incomparably sharp, crimson saber light descended from the heavens, dyeing half the sky red.

The surrounding clouds and even the void itself seemed to burst into roaring flames at that moment!

Seeing this, the hearts and spirits of Yue Qianshan, Xiao Qingyu, and the other generals of Wu Country stirred with elation, their faces ecstatic.

"The Grand General is here!"

"Duke Chen!"

The original mountain entrance was sealed by the Corpse Refining Array. Although one Array Hub had been broken, the array was still active.

The saber light fell.

The hundred-odd coffin lids blocking the mountain entrance were shattered by the single strike.

The Corpse Refining Array trapping them had actually been forcibly destroyed by an external power!

Its power not yet spent, the saber light swept over the swarming Corpse Qi skulls.

"AARGH!"

The Corpse Qi skulls let out shrill, miserable screams as they instantly burst into flames, quickly burning to ashes and vanishing without a trace.

BOOM!

The entire mountain peak trembled violently.

Just one strike.

It had directly split the mountain in two, leaving a clear chasm in the ground!

The next moment, a tall figure appeared atop the mountain. He held a Long Saber, his face bearded, his gaze like a torch as he looked down upon the crowd below.

When Xiahou Li saw this man, he instinctively lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze for fear of attracting his attention.

’Chen Shihu is here!’ Xiahou Li was secretly terrified. ’This man hasn’t acted in a long time, having laid low in the border towns for many years. To think his combat power is this terrifying!’

"Grand General!"

Yue Qianshan, Xiao Qingyu, and the others bowed in salute toward Chen Shihu.

The other Martial Cultivators also quickly took the opportunity to escape.

Xiahou Li and the others from Wu Country mixed in with them, not daring to make a sound.

"You all head back first."

Chen Shihu said to Yue Qianshan and the others, his gaze fixed on the Corpse Refining Sect elder below, brimming with killing intent.

’This Corpse Refining Sect elder is strong.’

’But the one who truly made him feel wary was the Combat Corpse wearing the black Armor!’

’That black Armor on the Combat Corpse...’

’It looks like the Taisui Battle Armor, the legendary Ancient Exotic Treasure personally forged by the Desolate Emperor, which was later lost!’

Chen Shihu’s gaze narrowed, his heart jolting in shock.

The origins of this Taisui Battle Armor were immense; it was said to rank among the top ten Ancient Exotic Treasures.

Its main body was a Flesh Ganoderma that had lived through the eras of the White, Green, Black, and Red Emperors, cultivating to enlightenment. It had absorbed and devoured vast amounts of flesh and blood on countless battlefields, and thus contained an extremely potent Evil Qi.

Although it was subdued by the Desolate Emperor, who refined and forged it, the Evil Qi and killing intent within were preserved.

Wearing the Taisui Battle Armor, one would be empowered by its Evil Qi, growing braver with every battle and receiving a significant boost in combat strength.

But when the Taisui Battle Armor first appeared, blood rained from the sky, rivers flowed backward, and meteors fell—all sorts of inauspicious omens manifested.

Legend has it that the Desolate Emperor of old was wearing the Taisui Battle Armor when he ultimately fell in battle in the Land of the Longling Ruins.

Therefore, the Taisui Battle Armor came to be known as an inauspicious object and was subsequently lost to time.

’To think that this treasure has reappeared in the world, and on the body of a Combat Corpse no less!’