As their cultivation realms rose, cultivators' physical bodies likewise grew stronger. After Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators perished, their corpses would generally decay into White Bones after a century.
Golden Core Cultivators, however, had undergone the tempering of Heaven and Earth Vitality. Their bodies were far tougher than those of low-level cultivators, and even after death in meditation, they could be preserved much longer, without completely rotting away for one or two hundred years.
The mummified corpse before Song Qingming and Song Qingyu had clearly been here for at least several centuries, judging from its appearance, yet some traces of its build and features could still be made out. This was plainly something only a Golden Core Cultivator could achieve.
Hearing Song Qingming's words, Song Qingyu nodded slightly and sighed.
"This senior fellow cultivator was truly unlucky. Who knows what happened back then for a dignified Golden Core Cultivator to be ambushed by this demon tree and perish here?"
During their recent battle with the demon tree, the two had already sensed that it was not especially powerful among Golden Core Cultivators. Its cultivation was only at the Early Golden Core Stage.
A Black Tree Demon with such strength could bully a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Li Xiuning, but against a Golden Core Cultivator of equal strength, it was difficult to believe it could defeat and kill its opponent in a direct battle.
Song Qingming, who was bent over examining the corpse, immediately replied, "There are quite a few wounds on his body. They do not look like they were inflicted by this demon tree.
"He may have encountered those Ice Blood Bats from earlier, or some other powerful opponent. After being injured, he was carelessly ambushed and entangled by this demon tree, which ultimately led to his death