Chapter 266: Ruins

A flash of the blade vanished, sinking into the Black Armored Combat Corpse’s neck.

The world seemed to stand still.

Behind the Black Armored Combat Corpse, the towering Corpse Body Dharma Aspect swayed, trembling uncontrollably and on the verge of collapse, seemingly unable to withstand the blow.

The massive head of the Dharma Aspect tumbled from the sky.

CRACK!

A sharp crack rang out from the Black Armored Combat Corpse.

A horrifying gash had been carved into its neck at the seam connecting the Battle Armor and the helmet, nearly slicing the Taisui Battle Armor in two!

Chen Shihu frowned slightly.

His strike had only pierced the Taisui Battle Armor; he still hadn’t managed to injure the Combat Corpse itself.

Furthermore, countless fine, black tendrils of flesh began to sprout from the gash in the Taisui Battle Armor. Thick and viscous, they wove together as if alive, repairing the armor on their own!

’The Taisui Battle Armor is truly incredible!’

A chill ran through Chen Shihu, and he swung his blade again.

CLANG!

This time, the Black Armored Combat Corpse raised its arm, blocking Chen Shihu’s blade with the limb encased in the Taisui Battle Armor.

A gash appeared on its arm, but the black tendrils of flesh swiftly covered it.

He couldn’t break through its defenses at all, let alone seriously injure the Black Armored Combat Corpse.

’What is happening to this Combat Corpse?’

’Is another expert from the Corpse Refining Sect controlling it from the shadows?’

Chen Shihu’s Divine Sense erupted outward, searching for the hidden Corpse Refining Sect expert, but he found nothing.

"AARGH!"

Just then, the hands of the young woman clinging to the Black Armored Combat Corpse’s head suddenly ignited with an eerie blue fire, radiating a cold, sinister aura.

The eerie blue flames instantly traveled down the helmet’s horns and spread across the entire Taisui Battle Armor.

In an instant, the Black Armored Combat Corpse was engulfed in towering flames!

Scorched by the eerie blue flames, the numerous black tendrils that were repairing the Battle Armor’s gash stopped moving and even began to retract.

Chen Shihu’s eyes lit up.

The Black Armored Combat Corpse seemed to sense the danger. It raised a huge hand and swiped viciously at Bai Chuchu’s skull!

Bai Chuchu and the tall, black shadow behind her kept a death grip on the horns of the Black Armored Combat Corpse’s helmet. Even in the face of the Combat Corpse’s attack, they refused to let go and dodge, as if driven by some incomprehensible obsession.

SPLAT!

The Black Armored Combat Corpse’s huge hand seized her, crushing Bai Chuchu’s head completely!

CLANG!

A blade flashed.

It was too fast.

Even though the Black Armored Combat Corpse raised its arm, it was a step too slow.

The blade struck the gash on the Black Armored Combat Corpse’s neck once more.

The black tendrils of flesh that had just woven together were instantly severed!

Chen Shihu clearly felt the sensation of his blade slicing through flesh.

This Combat Corpse had been refined with countless rare treasures, making its body as tough as a top-tier Magical Treasure. Even as his blade cut into the flesh, it met with immense resistance.

It finally struck the Combat Corpse’s neck bone with the sound of grinding metal, unable to cut any deeper!

Even after completely piercing the Taisui Battle Armor, he still couldn’t sever the Combat Corpse’s head!

Bai Chuchu had taken a direct hit from the Black Armored Combat Corpse. Her head had been shattered, but amidst a surge of blood mist, it reformed.

However, she looked far more weakened than before.

Ripples suddenly emanated from Bai Chuchu’s eyes. Her pupils vanished, replaced by two dark abysses brimming with sinister Ghost Qi. She let out a shriek and pulled upward with all her might!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

A horrifying cracking sound came from the Black Armored Combat Corpse’s neck bones, as if they were about to be torn apart!

Suddenly, Bai Chuchu’s figure shot backward. Her hands still clutched the pair of horns, and she was holding a huge Black Helmet.

’Did she rip its head off?’

Chen Shihu was secretly dumbfounded, but then he saw clearly.

The Black Armored Combat Corpse’s head was still perfectly intact.

It was just that between his own repeated strikes severing the Taisui Battle Armor and Bai Chuchu’s sheer violence and refusal to let go, she had managed to yank the Taisui Helmet right off!

The Taisui Battle Armor was now in two pieces.

Without the cover of the helmet, the Black Armored Combat Corpse’s true face was revealed.

Even though it had been refined into a Combat Corpse and was suffused with the aura of death, its face was not ferocious. On the contrary, it was refined and handsome, with a broad forehead that seemed to hold boundless wisdom.

For a corpse to still have such a distinguished appearance, one could only imagine what an extraordinary person he must have been in life.

Even after taking off the helmet, Bai Chuchu wasn’t finished. She charged at the Black Armored Combat Corpse once more.

The Combat Corpse’s eyes shifted, landing on Bai Chuchu nearby. It then glanced at Chen Shihu before suddenly raising its fists and throwing two punches, one at each of them!

As it raised its fists, the giant Dharma Aspect behind it mimicked the motion.

BOOM! BOOM!

The three Dharma Aspects violently collided in mid-air!

The Black Armored Combat Corpse’s Dharma Aspect was already on the verge of collapse. Unable to withstand this head-on collision, it disintegrated completely, spreading dense clouds of Corpse Qi and Corpse Poison in all directions.

Chen Shihu’s Dharma Aspect surged with Blood Qi to block the incoming Corpse Qi and Corpse Poison. He focused his gaze and saw that the Black Armored Combat Corpse had turned and fled into the distance without so much as a backward glance.

’After it!’

Without the protection of the Taisui Battle Armor’s helmet, the Combat Corpse’s head was now a fatal weak point.

If he let it escape now, there was no telling what kind of disaster it would cause in the future!

Carrying his blade, Chen Shihu gave chase. His Body Technique was incredibly fast, yet possessed an unfettered, graceful quality.

Clutching the Taisui Helmet to her chest, Bai Chuchu also pursued the Black Armored Combat Corpse.

The Black Armored Combat Corpse fled east, toward the Longling Mountain Range, its Body Technique no slower than that of Chen Shihu or Bai Chuchu.

Chen Shihu and Bai Chuchu chased for some time but were unable to close the distance.

After chasing for a while longer, the temperature ahead began to rise steadily. A vast ruin appeared at the edge of their vision. The surroundings were desolate and uninhabited, the ground was parched, and space itself seemed to warp.

It was deathly silent, and a pervasive Yin Qi filled the air.

Forget birds or beasts; there wasn’t a single insect or rodent to be seen!

Chen Shihu seemed to realize something. His expression turned solemn, and he quickly halted, shouting, "Fellow Daoist, stop! You can’t go over there!"

But even before he spoke, Bai Chuchu had already slowed her pace.

She stared at the ruins ahead, seemingly sensing something, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes.

As they watched, the Combat Corpse plunged headfirst into the ruins.

It didn’t get far before a huge fireball fell from the sky, its speed and power terrifying.

The Combat Corpse hastily dodged.

Soon, a second and then a third fireball descended from the sky.

In the blink of an eye, a massive rain of fire began to fall from the sky, blotting out the sun!

Strangely, while a great deluge of fire fell upon that area, there was no sign of it anywhere else in the Longling Mountain Range.

No matter how fast the Combat Corpse’s Body Technique was, it couldn’t evade the downpour. It was soon swallowed by the rain of fire and vanished from sight.

’What a shame.’

Chen Shihu shook his head to himself.

The other half of the Taisui Battle Armor was lost in there, and it would likely be impossible to retrieve it now.

Bai Chuchu’s figure swayed, her face pale. She looked as if she could barely stay upright.

"Are you alright? May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?"

Chen Shihu asked in a low voice.

Bai Chuchu shook her head slightly. Without offering an explanation or even looking at Chen Shihu, she clutched the Taisui Helmet and departed.