Collecting a Peerless Corpse

The people were clearly not as enthusiastic as when Zhang Huan first arrived. They wouldn't even provide the burial pit anymore, just brushing him off with pleasantries.

Zhang Huan grumbled internally, wondering if it had anything to do with his fifty-year deadline drawing near.

He had spent a lot of time preparing for the Quasi-Emperor tribulation, and with his frequent grave-digging, only a few years remained.

Zhang Huan stayed in his residence to meditate, not going anywhere during this period, focusing on developing his body's potential.

The recent Quasi-Emperor tribulation had attracted too much attention. Although he hadn't received the promised compensation from the person in charge, people had visited one after another.

Wanting to spread the news that he would be staying in his residence and was injured, Zhang Huan received several groups of visitors over time, temporarily putting aside his grave-digging activities until the aftermath of the tribulation passed.

Those who had just gone through a tribulation would need to recuperate for a while. Zhang Huan seized the opportunity to announce that he would be going into seclusion soon and would not receive visitors before heading to the battlefield.

His Dao injuries were not minor, so going into seclusion was a reasonable excuse, specifically to deceive the Underworld.

He heard from his visitors that people were heading to the battlefield more frequently lately, most likely Outer Saints. Anyone could tell something was amiss.

Some people were unhappy and had caused quite a stir, leading the Underworld to plan a lockdown, strictly controlling communication among Outer Saints. It was likely to be announced soon.

All the Saints felt a sense of unease, like birds startled by the mere rustle of grass.

This had little to do with Zhang Huan. The Underworld's actions were likely aimed at breaking up some secret alliance among the Outer Saints, like the group formed by Kun Great Saint previously.

He wasn't too worried about this, as he was clean and couldn't be traced.

What was more important to him was to divert the attention of the Underworld and everyone else. Lying low for a while would naturally achieve this, and then he could act when the time was right.

After seeing off his visitors, Zhang Huan activated the grand formation of his residence, officially announcing his seclusion.

Seasons passed, leaves grew and withered. Several years later, no one came to visit anymore.

Zhang Huan calmed his mind and digested his gains. He had completely mastered Quasi-Emperor power. His physical strength could easily tear through space, reaching its peak. His pure power seemed capable of killing a Great Saint with a single punch.

With a thought, he could tread upon the eight desolate lands, truly achieving the ability to traverse the void. Space and time no longer posed a distance barrier in his eyes; he could go anywhere within the universe.

Now, he no longer needed to suppress his aura. He had truly mastered it as if it were an extension of his own body. Even if cultivators passed by him normally, they wouldn't detect his presence at all, mistaking him for an ordinary person.

Only the truly powerful beings in the Starry Sky could vaguely sense the vast power hidden within his body.

Zhang Huan's cultivation was derived from the Heavenly Venerate inheritance of the Soldier Secret, which he casually named the Lesser Soldier Secret. He first forged a weapon embryo with Dao patterns, which had not yet been condensed but had a preliminary shape.

If a cultivator practicing the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art were to forge a weapon, it would most likely be the Great Dao Treasure Bottle, as it was the most compatible with the Demonic Cultivation Method, complementing each other and allowing the Demonic Cultivation Method to unleash its full potential.

In the future, when he condensed the Divine Embryo, the Great Dao Treasure Bottle would be transformed into nourishment along with his old body. Therefore, Zhang Huan didn't worry too much about it. He would consider his own weapon later; for now, the Treasure Bottle would serve as a prerequisite for the Lesser Soldier Secret.

He had also been cultivating the Ruthless Emperor's secret techniques and could now perform several simultaneously, with promising progress.

Zhang Huan opened his eyes and calculated. There were two years left until the deadline, and he felt the time was almost right.

These past few years, due to Zhang Huan deliberately spreading the news of his seclusion, many troubles had been avoided, and no one had come to his residence to seek an audience for a long time.

After such a long period of quiet, Zhang Huan didn't believe the Underworld still had eyes on him. Even if they did, he could easily deceive them.

The promise made years ago was now coming into play.

Zhang Huan stood up and left openly, taking a leisurely stroll as if admiring the unique scenery of the Wasteland.

First, he went to the main hall to inquire why the promised healing item had not yet arrived.

With the time to go to the battlefield approaching, and still not having received what was promised, Zhang Huan reasonably chided the person in charge.

The other party made excuses, citing difficulties, and was unable to produce the item. Zhang Huan feigned helplessness and left dejectedly.

After leaving the hall, a cold smile appeared on Zhang Huan's face. He confirmed he wasn't being followed and headed straight for the Sea of White Bones.

He intended to finish this quickly and silently deal with the sentient old corpse in the main hall on his way back.

This place had already been set up with an Origin Arts grand formation. Once activated, no sound could be transmitted for a while.

Zhang Huan directly activated the formation, isolating his inner world. He stepped on the jagged white bones and, directly above the tomb, unleashed several punches. His Blood Essence was fierce and unparalleled, piercing straight down to open a bottomless path.

The Other Shore was where the old corpse resided. The deathly aura was like a potent poison, damp and murky green, floating in layers within the mausoleum. Coupled with the increasingly intense peerless aura, even a Great Saint would tremble with unease.

Zhang Huan waved his hand, fanning away the deathly aura, and broke through it with brute force. Enduring the pressure, he walked all the way to the sentient old corpse and stood before its coffin.

"Now, leave. Nothing will happen."

"One more step forward, and you die!"

A faint Divine Sense emanated from the coffin. It was a threat, its voice like a chilling ghost.

It did not wish to emerge, even at this point.

"Boom!"

Zhang Huan responded with his fist, striking the coffin heavily. Even though it was made of divine wood and as hard as refined iron, it was still shattered.

A disheveled old corpse jumped out. Its face was indistinguishable, only two bright red eyes shone menacingly through its hair. Its body was withered and brittle, like a skeleton covered in skin, as if possessed by something sinister.

"Kid, I'm going to tear you to shreds!"

Corpse Qi surged a thousandfold. The old corpse let out a mournful howl, its eyes filled with venom.

It was furious. Interrupted at such a crucial moment, its potential was completely wasted, and it had no chance of surpassing its past self.

The culprit was right in front of it. The old corpse exploded with rage, intending to tear Zhang Huan into pieces.

"As expected, its strength has greatly diminished."

Zhang Huan's confidence soared as he felt the aura emanating from the old corpse's body.

It had not inherited everything from its original body, and now its cultivation level was damaged, barely preventing it from falling from the Quasi-Emperor realm.

With this in mind, even if its previous life was some peerless Quasi-Emperor, Zhang Huan was not afraid and was confident he could destroy it!

After receiving a move from the old corpse, Zhang Huan retreated, flicking out the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar. He enlarged it, inverted its opening, and brought it down, sealing off the surrounding space tightly.

As an extra layer of insurance, he wouldn't use ultimate power, only the sheer hardness of the Demonic Jar to restrict the old corpse's range of movement.

First, he would give it nowhere to escape, then he would bring out the Soul Stabilizing Bead. Its withered yellow light illuminated the entire space. The old corpse covered its face and wailed as if in great fear, completely losing the deathly aura it had moments before, rolling around in a sorry state.

Under the bead's illumination, the Yin corpse's strength was reduced to less than a tenth. Even if the old corpse retained the laws of a Quasi-Emperor, it would be difficult to utilize them. With Zhang Huan's Quasi-Emperor level physical body, subduing it was enough.

He lunged forward, Zhang Huan hammered the old corpse's head, drawing bright red blood. The space itself vibrated under the force of his punches. The old corpse struggled and resisted, but it was all suppressed, unable to make waves.

It couldn't even skillfully use its secret techniques and divine abilities. The old corpse passively took hits, its spirit instantly collapsing. Fear and dread filled its eyes.

It wanted to escape but couldn't find a way out. Zhang Huan grabbed and suppressed it, reaching into its mind with a secret technique. Its soul hid, trembling.

"So easily, it's truly beyond expectation."

Zhang Huan exhaled and muttered to himself.

He had expected to go through a fierce battle, but he didn't expect the soul nurtured within this old corpse to be so weak. It had the strength of a Quasi-Emperor but didn't know how to use it. When encountering cultivators of the same level, it could only be passively beaten.

After subduing it, Zhang Huan examined the soul and discovered that the spirit nurtured within this Quasi-Emperor corpse had never fought before. It had always stayed within the body and hadn't even fully inherited the original body's memories.

"That's understandable, after all, it was nurtured within a corpse, and it hadn't even successfully possessed the body yet, so it was inherently incomplete."

This situation meant that although it had gained some of the previous life's fortune, it lacked the corresponding experience. It could only fight based on instinct, which is why it was so unbearable.

However, no matter how unbearable it was, it was not something an ordinary Great Saint could contend with. The might of a Quasi-Emperor, even when used instinctively, was enough to easily kill a Great Saint.

According to the Demonic Box's estimation, this Quasi-Emperor predecessor was at least at the sixth level of the Quasi-Emperor realm.

After hitting it for so long, only superficial injuries were inflicted, protected by laws. Zhang Huan spent a considerable amount of time before he could pull the soul out of the body.

For such a powerful being, if its origin were completely devoured by Zhang Huan, it would undoubtedly help him ascend to an extremely powerful level. Even forming Corpse Pills would yield several.

Now that the Quasi-Emperor body was in hand, Zhang Huan looked at its soul and flicked his fingers, embedding a restriction within it.

He intended to refine this soul directly to maximize its value.

There was still some time before the Underworld opened, and Zhang Huan himself couldn't move conveniently. He could use this old corpse to dig up some more tombs for future use, ideally emptying the Underworld.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Given the Underworld's actions, Zhang Huan had no intention of showing mercy to this Yin corpse from the Underworld.

A wisp of his divine soul entered the old corpse. The clone stood up and looked at himself. Zhang Huan surveyed the old corpse's body from both perspectives and set up several more restrictions.

After severing the clone's superfluous memories, Zhang Huan parted ways with it. One returned to his mansion, and the other went into hiding.

As he left, he retrieved the Origin Arts array, completely erasing any trace of his presence.

For the remaining time, the clone wandered through the Wasteland, rapidly moving between different tombs thanks to its Quasi-Emperor cultivation, reaping abundant harvests. It condensed over a dozen Corpse Pills.

At the same time, Zhang Huan was continuously comprehending the laws that only true Quasi-Emperors could possess.

Unconsciously, the clone wandered to a cliff. Below, military banners fluttered, exuding a strong killing intent. This place was a military camp of Ghost Soldiers and Underworld Generals.

Zhang Huan felt a sudden realization. He remembered that when he asked about the old ghost from the Ruthless Bloodline he had killed, the Female Saint had told him it was here.

This person held an irreconcilable grudge against Zhang Huan and had once tried to put him to death.

He had originally planned to settle the score later when he left, but now that the clone had arrived in person, Zhang Huan's killing intent began to rise.

Descending from the sky, Zhang Huan asked the highest-cultivated Underworld General in the camp. The other's forehead was beaded with cold sweat. Knowing he was facing a powerful being, he dared not offend. He immediately ordered his subordinates to investigate.

Soon, news arrived: the old ghost was currently in the military camp. The Underworld General ordered his capture. The next moment, an explosion sounded from a residence in the camp. Amidst the flames, a figure shot out, flying towards the distance.

In his hand, he held a crystal-clear disc, seemingly enhanced by a secret treasure, and he flew extremely fast.

"Hmph, you think you can escape like this? You think too little of me!"

Zhang Huan growled in a low voice. He took a step, shattering space, and reached the old ghost's side. Zhang Huan grabbed its neck and struck it towards the Sea of Suffering, crippling its cultivation.

"It really is you! You've actually advanced to Quasi-Emperor?!"

The old ghost cried out in unwilling disbelief, its eyes filled with shock. It couldn't believe Zhang Huan had not only advanced but also come to the Underworld for revenge.

"Dead people don't need to know so much. Go reunite with your son."

Zhang Huan gave it no further opportunity. His fingertip pierced its body, devouring the origin it had collected.

"Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art. No wonder you're in the Underworld..."

The old ghost said with its last bit of strength, as if it had figured something out, before its soul truly scattered, vanishing without a trace.

Just as Zhang Huan had speculated, the old ghost's ability to advance to Saint King in the Underworld was inseparable from its Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art. It had also been a guest in the tomb owner's home, collecting origin.

After its death, several Sacred Artifacts dropped. Zhang Huan glanced at them; the speed at which the old ghost had escaped was closely related to one of them.

He put them away for now, to see if there was anything useful to him later.

With his old grudge settled, Zhang Huan had no further lingering thoughts in the Underworld. While being a guest and comprehending Quasi-Emperor laws, fifty years quickly passed.

On this day, an Imperial Edict on the table emitted golden light, floating in the air, containing an undeniable will, empowered by infinite laws.

It informed Zhang Huan that he needed to proceed to the main hall as soon as possible, without delay, and that violators would be severely punished.

Zhang Huan glanced at it, raised his right hand, grabbed it, and flicked his finger, sending it flying towards the horizon.

Taking advantage of this moment, his clone returned and quickly entered the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar, concealing its form.

The mansion was as usual. Zhang Huan had nothing to bring, so he walked out of the door, his escaping light turning into a meteor as he rushed towards the main hall.

By the time he reached the main hall, seven or eight people were already waiting there. They were all external Saints, with varying levels of strength; some were still only at the Saint realm.

"They're here. Now that everyone's gathered, follow me."

A supervisor looked at Zhang Huan, nodded with satisfaction, and gestured for everyone to follow.

He explained that the Underworld was extremely far from that star region, so far that a Saint might never reach it in their lifetime. Therefore, they had to travel to a Domain Gate to directly traverse space and be teleported there.

The Underworld had already set up a corresponding Domain Gate there. They would use it as a base to station themselves. Once teleported, someone would immediately guide them, so there was no need to worry about anything else.

Zhang Huan nodded. For a Great Saint like himself, traversing the endless void required careful consideration. It was even more so for Saints. Having a Domain Gate was excellent, as it could ensure safety for travel.

This way, it would be much more convenient for him to disembark midway. The others teleporting with him were all weaker than him, so they wouldn't hinder Zhang Huan.

With that, this trip would end smoothly.

He followed the supervisor through pavilions and elegant chambers, heading upwards towards the top of the main hall, until he reached the top floor he had never been to before.

A teleportation portal stood tall above the clouds, piercing the starry river. It was probably a thousand miles long. Although it was only a thin layer, it contained profound principles and was crafted from countless rare treasures, possessing immense power.

"Alright, let's go."

The supervisor led them to stand within the Five-Colored Altar and activated the Domain Gate with extraordinary means. Space flickered, and countless scenes flashed within the gate before it connected with another Domain Gate, revealing a stern and chilling camp and a waiting crowd.

"."

The altar glowed, as if sensing a distant call. A passage ascended to the heavens, and then it took Zhang Huan and the others, making them disappear and fly beyond the celestial domain, traversing through the void.

"Just a little longer. When we reach the halfway point, far from both locations, I'll make my move."

Zhang Huan suppressed his restless thoughts, telling himself to act at the most opportune moment. He held the Demonic Jar in his sleeve, accumulating power.

It seems like an extra sentence was added at the end of the last chapter; I was writing in a daze.