Struck by Corpse Poison, Blessed in Disguise

"Roar!"

The Corpse King roared in fury, and corpse energy gushed from the knife wound in his abdomen. The wound kept writhing, trying to heal, but under the constant burning of the Sha Qi and Fire Poison, it not only failed to heal but gradually widened.

"This Corpse King must have been close to reaching the Bone Refining Realm before he died."

Qin Ming's heart sank.

This Corpse King possessed great power, but fortunately, his "Savage Bull Strength" technique Perfect Mastery, and his brute strength was already comparable to that of the Late Flesh-Refining Realm.

Qin Ming didn't engage the Corpse King in a direct confrontation. Right now, killing the Wraith and Dry Corpses to accumulate Free Attribute Points was the most important thing. He would max out his martial arts skills before turning his attention back to the Corpse King.

Qin Ming moved like a dragon, rushing into the Ghost Fog and wreaking havoc on the Wraith.

These Wraith were originally bandits from Clearwind Stronghold. After their deaths, their resentment lingered, and their souls remained within their bodies. They were later transformed into Wraith by Red-Clad Female Ghost.

In the blink of an eye, three more Wraith died under Qin Ming's blade.

The Red-Clad Female Ghost in the Ghost Fog was utterly enraged.

Last time, Qin Ming wiped out all of her Wraith subordinates. This time, she finally managed to refine more than a dozen more, but in the blink of an eye, nearly half of them died at Qin Ming's hands.

"Hiss--"

A ghostly voice pierced Qin Ming's eardrums and exploded in his mind.

In an instant, countless illusions appeared before Qin Ming's eyes, and he stood frozen in place, completely motionless.

The Red-Clad Female Ghost used the same trick as before: Ghost Howl.

This time, however, she didn't choose to possess Qin Ming's body. Instead, she watched coldly from the sidelines, waiting for Qin Ming to be torn to pieces!

From within the Ghost Fog, the Corpse King emerged, his ten long, purplish-black armor blades gleaming with a sinister light, leaving a long white trail in the air wherever he passed, seemingly capable of splitting the entire space in two.

With the Corpse King's strength, Qin Ming 'Late Skin-Refining Realm physical body simply couldn't withstand it; he would be instantly disemboweled.

Just as Qin Ming was about to die from this attack, at the critical moment, Qin Ming pushed the Savage Bull Strength within his body to its limit, forcefully breaking free from the illusion. Then, he transformed into a swimming dragon, frantically dodging attacks.

Even so, the Corpse King's sharp armor still pierced through Qin Ming's chest.

With a snap, the Heart-Guard Mirror made of giant Centipede scales was pierced through.

Qin Ming looked down and realized something was wrong.

Not only was his Heart-Guard Mirror shattered, but the opponent's long armor also slashed a wound on his body. The wound turned purplish-black at a visible speed and showed a tendency to spread outwards!

Corpse Poison!

Qin Ming's expression changed drastically.

This is terrible!

He immediately gritted his teeth and used the Butcher's Knife to cut out the wounded flesh, but it was too late; the Corpse Poison was spreading rapidly.

Fortunately, most of the Corpse Poison was found in the scraps of flesh that had been removed.

"Hehehe, looks like you can't escape today."

The eerie laughter of the Red-Clad Female Ghost entered Qin Ming's ears from all directions, causing Qin Ming to feel a splitting headache.

Get out of here!

Qin Ming roared, pushing his internal Qi and Blood to its limit. Strangely enough, the discomfort was actually suppressed quite a bit.

"My Martial Uncle is right, Qi and Blood can indeed destroy Ghost Monsters!"

After his body recovered slightly, Qin Ming immediately rushed into an alleyway.

He could only deal with one of the Corpse King and the Red-Clad Female Ghost at a time, but now that the two of them had joined forces, he could only flee in disarray.

"Luckily, I upgraded both 'Savage Bull Strength' and 'Wandering Dragon Step,' otherwise I would have been defeated!"

As Qin Ming ran, a wave of fear washed over him.

The female Ghost Howl in Red-Clad Female Ghost's howl was too powerful. Even though he was on guard, it was useless. If it happened again, without the Centipede scale Heart-Guard Mirror, Qin Ming was not confident that he could survive.

After crossing two streets, the sounds of fighting had ceased, but the Corpse King and the Red-Clad Female Ghost continued their relentless pursuit.

We need to get rid of them as soon as possible; there's no time.

The Corpse Poison had spread from Qin Ming's chest to his abdomen, and purplish-black veins were spreading out like flowers.

"Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy! I never thought it would come full circle back here."

Qin Ming gave a wry smile, quickly slipped into a large courtyard, and used his agility and familiarity with the martial arts school to move swiftly through the complex courtyard, disappearing in no time.

"He can't escape! We must find him at all costs!"

The Red-Clad Female Ghost manipulated the Ghost Fog, quickly enveloping the entire courtyard.

Deep within the compound.

Qin Ming leaned against the courtyard wall, his steps faltering. His face was dark, his lips were purple, and his limbs were beginning to stiffen.

"The Corpse Poison has spread."

Qin Ming gave a bitter smile. "Am I really going to be defeated here?"

Just then, he suddenly smelled the fragrance of rice, which was coming from a locked warehouse in front of him.

"There's a granary up ahead! I almost forgot!"

Qin Ming used Butcher's Knife to break the lock, pushed it open, and found a mountain of grain inside.

"Rice, millet... found it, Glutinous Rice!"

Qin Ming was overjoyed to discover a mound of glutinous Glutinous Rice.

Glutinous Rice can suppress Corpse Poison; there's hope!

Qin Ming hid the broken lock in the pile of rice, closed the door again, then took off his clothes, hugged them to his chest, and plunged into the pile of Glutinous Rice, sinking completely inside.

"Laugh!"

The moment Qin Ming came into contact with the Glutinous Rice, thick white smoke emanated from his body. The Glutinous Rice began to absorb the Corpse Poison, gradually turning black, and the Corpse Poison was finally suppressed.

At the same time, a burning pain came from all over his body. Qin Ming felt as if he had been thrown into a furnace and was being roasted, making him feel like he was dying. However, he could not make any sound or even move.

[Ninth-Rank Martial Arts: Iron Body Shirt (Fragment): (31/100) Not yet mastered]

Qin Ming was surprised to find that his Iron Body Shirt skill proficiency had actually increased during this ordeal.

"It can be considered a blessing in disguise."

Qin Ming looked at the constantly changing numbers on the panel and smiled bitterly to himself.

Not long after, the Iron Body Shirt row on the panel changed.

[Ninth-Rank Martial Arts (Incomplete): Iron Body Shirt (1/200) Beginner]

Wisps of faint airflow rapidly condensed on the surface of his body, forming a thin film. What shocked Qin Ming even more was that, with the mastery of the Iron Body Shirt technique, the Corpse Poison in his body had noticeably weakened.

"It's Qi and Blood!"

Qin Ming quickly found the reason.

Qi and Blood can suppress the spread of Corpse Poison!

Like the "Savage Bull Strength," "Iron Body Shirt" is Horizontal Training Martial Arts. After mastering it, one gains a boost to their Qi and Blood. Moreover, Qin Ming clearly felt that the Qi and Qi and Blood boost from "Iron Body Shirt" was higher than that from "Savage Bull Strength."

Looking at the remaining two hundred or so Free Attribute Points, Qin Ming, who had originally planned to add them to Xingyi Fist, now went all in without hesitation.

"Give me some more!"

"Buzz--"

Qin Ming was startled and looked at the panel again.

[Ninth-Rank Martial Arts (Incomplete): Iron Body Shirt (50/500) Minor Mastery]

[Free Attribute Points: 0]

[Pig-Slaying Saber Technique bonus: Defense increased by 20%]

After mastering the Iron Body Shirt to Minor Mastery, Qin Ming's physical defense increased by 20% compared to Martial Artists of the same level. Combined with the Iron Body Shirt skill itself, his defense was not far behind that of Martial Artist in the Early Flesh-Refining Realm.

More importantly, the Corpse Poison in his body was thus suppressed.

Qin Ming circulated his Qi and Blood, gradually expelling the Corpse Poison from his body.

Midway through, the Corpse King rushed in to search, but found nothing unusual. Upon discovering the pile of Glutinous Rice, he immediately frowned and left.

Time flew by, and it was already late at night.

Outside Qingshan Town, Yu Qing couldn't help but frown and ask, "Why hasn't anyone come out yet, Yang Zhi? Is this normal?"

Yang Zhi cupped his hands in apology, "Sir, they are probably rescuing people; that's normal."

In fact, Yang Zhi was also wondering about it in his heart.

Logically, this lowest-level Ghost Fog should be dealt with quickly, even if there are only a few Wraith. How could it have taken so long?

Unless something bad has happened.

Xiong San, standing not far away, looked rather grim, clearly having guessed this possibility as well.

"Xiong San, you better pray this didn't happen because of that little burden you brought in at the last minute, otherwise no one can save you this time."

Yu Qing said calmly.

Xiong San didn't speak, but his fist clenched slightly.

"Qin Ming, don't let your Martial Uncle down."

A hand slowly emerged from the pile of rice, and blackened Glutinous Rice rolled down the pile.

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside.

The Dry Corpses were searching for Qin Ming's whereabouts.

Qin Ming dressed, took the Butcher's Knife, and quietly went out.

Before long, he had dealt with the five Dry Corpse and one Wraith nearby, increasing his Free Attribute Points by 150.

"Three hundred more and I'll Greater Mastery Iron Body Shirt."

Qin Ming, hidden in the shadows, swiftly dispatched over twenty Dry Corpse. Just as he was about to succeed, a strong stench of decay wafted from behind him.

It's the Corpse King!

Qin Ming's successive killings of the mummified Dry Corpses were noticed by him, and he gave chase.

"Drink!"

Qin Ming channeled his Qi and Blood into the Butcher's Knife, activating the Cook Ding Dissects the Ox's Skill, and slashed the Corpse King's right leg joint.

But the Butcher's Knife was quickly jammed by the Corpse King's bones and could not go any further.

The Corpse King's physical body was above the Bone Refining Realm in his previous life, and his bones had been repeatedly tempered. To break through his body, one would need sufficient Qi and Blood, and Qin Ming was clearly not qualified yet.

Qin Ming!

A cold snort came from above, and the next moment, countless strands of black hair fell from the sky.

Huo Lan, dressed in red, descended from the sky.

"Huo Lan?!"

Qin Ming was greatly alarmed.

Wasn't Huo Lan killed by him long ago in the dense forest? How could she still be alive?

Seeing Huo Lan's red clothes, Qin Ming finally realized what was going on.

The Red-Clad Female Ghost possessed Huo Lan's body. Because Huo Lan's soul had not been destroyed, he had no choice but to share a body with the Red-Clad Female Ghost.

"Qin Ming, you killed my entire family, you slaughtered everyone at my Tiger Martial Arts Academy! Today, I will make you pay with your life!"

Huo Lan's voice was shrill, filled with resentment.

The Red-Clad Female Ghost had almost extinguished Huo Lan's resentment, but unexpectedly, Qin Ming's sudden appearance aroused even deeper resentment in Huo Lan's heart, which even surpassed the power of the Red-Clad Female Ghost and forcibly seized control of the body.

"I killed them because they deserved to die! Since you're still alive, I'll send you on your way, so you can join them in the afterlife!"

Qin Ming held the Butcher's Knife in a reverse grip.

Since he killed Huo Lan once, he can do it again! And a third time!