"There's more big game?"
Watching the commotion in the Blood Pool, Lin Chen's face lit up. Whatever was in there was definitely stronger than the Corpse Bee King, and it had to contain even more source essence!
He'd just tried strengthening himself, but the system had still said he didn't have enough source essence. He already had 9,500 points. If he killed whatever was in the Blood Pool, he'd surely reach 10,000—and then he could strengthen himself again.
"Don't disappoint me!"
Lin Chen stared intently at the Blood Pool, waiting for whatever was inside. In his eyes, this thing was already the key to strengthening himself again.
"Oh no, the Corpse Puppet's about to emerge early!"
The big monk's face changed dramatically. The Corpse Puppet was at least Third Order, and might even have reached Fourth Order. Lin Chen was strong, but whether he could handle a Corpse Puppet of that level was still an open question.
The blood in the Blood Pool churned as if boiling, dwindling at a visible pace. In just a moment, a massive coffin appeared in Lin Chen's sight.
Strange runes were carved into the coffin. They seemed to possess some mysterious magic, making anyone who saw them instinctively want to keep staring.
"This is getting more and more interesting."
Lin Chen channeled his Blood Qi True Flame, and that so-called magic instantly vanished without a trace.
Suddenly, the coffin at the bottom of the Blood Pool began to rise slowly. When it reached ground level, a clattering sound rang out. The chains around the coffin had begun to move, and under their control, the entire coffin stood upright right in front of Lin Chen.
The big monk's face changed dramatically as he looked at the upright Bronze Coffin. He murmured, "It's the Corpse Puppet Sect. Damn it, how dare the Corpse Puppet Sect... No, it must be that traitor from the Corpse Puppet Sect!"
The Corpse Puppet Sect was a Cultivation Sect in Great Xia, and it was also under the jurisdiction of the Demon Suppression Division. How dare they make Corpse Puppets near a city?
But the runes on the coffin were unmistakably from the Corpse Puppet Sect. Since it couldn't have been someone from the sect, the only explanation was that it was the traitor who had left the Corpse Puppet Sect years ago!
"Leave, and I'll spare your lives!"
Just then, a hoarse, low voice came from inside the coffin.
"Huh?"
Hearing the voice from inside the Bronze Coffin, Lin Chen couldn't help but pause. "This thing can talk? We can communicate?"
Lin Chen had killed plenty of mutated beasts, even Second-Order Mutated Beasts, but this was the first time he'd encountered a monster he could talk to. Was this one of the Evil Cultivator's tricks?
"Mutated beasts above Third Order can already speak human language and hold a simple conversation," the big monk's voice sounded at the right moment.
"Once we get back, I need to spend more time browsing the forums!"
Lin Chen understood. This was another basic fact about the Cultivation World. He'd been so focused on finding mutated beasts that he hadn't paid any attention to information like this.
Clang~ Clang~
Perhaps sensing that Lin Chen and the big monk weren't leaving, the coffin lid shifted open and shut slightly, as if it would fly off entirely at any moment.
"Hey, don't get mad. I don't mean anything by it!"
"The Bronze Coffin's too cold. I'm afraid you'll catch a chill, so I'm adding some fire!"
Before the words had even left his mouth, Lin Chen charged forward, grabbed the coffin lid, and flung it away.
Inside the coffin, a gaunt Mummy, its frame looking somewhat malnourished, appeared before Lin Chen.
"You're courting death!"
The Mummy's eyes snapped open. With a roar, it swung its withered hand straight at Lin Chen's chest.
Boom~
A thunderous impact sent Lin Chen flying, leaving several bloody gashes across his chest.
"Damn, did you take something? You're skin and bones, and you still hit like that!"
The sharp pain in his chest made Lin Chen grimace. He hadn't expected the Mummy to be so strong.
"Little brother..."
Before the big monk could finish, Lin Chen turned to look at him. "You're little. Your whole family's little!"
The big monk paused. Was this really the time to argue about size?
But under Lin Chen's death glare, the big monk had no choice but to change his words. "Big brother, Corpse Puppets are born with immense strength and are impervious to blades and spears. You've completely ruined this Corpse Puppet's growth. It won't let you go!"
Lin Chen looked at the wound on his chest, already healed as good as new, and grinned with excitement. The Phoenix Undying Body didn't just let him condense Blood Qi True Flame; it also gave him an incredibly powerful ability to recover.
"Come on, kill me! Or I'll kill you!" Lin Chen channeled his Blood Qi True Flame and charged at the Mummy.
Boom~
Their attacks collided. The Mummy went flying, slamming into the concrete floor and smashing a huge crater into it.
Thud~
Before the Mummy could get up, a figure dropped from above and mounted it. Fists wrapped in Blood Qi True Flame rained down on its head.
"Immense strength, huh?"
"Impervious to blades and spears, huh?"
"Go on, scream! Why'd you stop?"
Watching Lin Chen pin the Mummy down and pummel it, the big monk couldn't help swallowing. He'd thought his own Vajra Temple was tough enough, but next to this guy, his temple was practically full of good little boys.
"Ow~ Ow~ Ow~"
"You dare ambush me? You've got a lot of nerve!"
As the Mummy struggled, it left several bloody gashes on Lin Chen. But that only sent Lin Chen into an even greater frenzy. The Mummy's head was visibly caved in.
"Enough!"
The dazed Mummy suddenly roared. A powerful wave of force burst out, sending Lin Chen flying.
In the crater, the Mummy got back to its feet, its entire head burned black and its features unrecognizable.
"Oh, you bastard, you still dare fight back?"
"Blood Qi True Flame, full power!"
Lin Chen unleashed his Blood Qi True Flame with all his might, becoming a man of fire as he lunged at the Mummy. The Mummy had only just gotten to its feet when Lin Chen knocked it back down again.
Thud~ Thud~
Fists as big as a sandbag slammed down, shaking the entire Unfinished Building.
"Get off!"
The Mummy tried to throw Lin Chen off again, but the instant it moved, Lin Chen pressed it down once more. Unable to get back up, it could only attack Lin Chen with its hands and feet.
"Ah~ You bastard, take it easy! That hurts!"
Injured and hurting, Lin Chen kept cursing as his fists flew faster and faster. The Mummy beneath him struggled less and less.
Not far away, the big monk watched the two of them engage in hand-to-hand combat and listened to Lin Chen's cursing. His face went blank.
Lin Chen was clearly stronger, yet he was fighting the Corpse Puppet at close range. What was more, his physique was no weaker than the Corpse Puppet's, but he was still shouting over every little injury. The contrast with his strength was just too great.
After who knew how long, the Blood Qi True Flame on Lin Chen's body had begun to dim. His injuries had long since healed, but he didn't stop until he sensed that the Mummy beneath him had gone completely still.
"Huh? Where's its head?"
Lin Chen picked up the headless Mummy and searched the crater in the ground. Then he looked at the big monk. "Did you see where this guy's head went?"
The big monk swallowed and ventured carefully, "Big brother, is it possible you smashed his head to pieces and burned it away with your Blood Qi True Flame?"
What the hell? Where had this killing god come from?
"Is that what happened?"
Lin Chen paused, then glanced at his status panel. Sure enough, he'd gained 2,000 points of source essence, along with a notification that he'd killed a Third-Order Corpse Puppet.
Lin Chen looked at his torn pants and the holes in his clothes. "What a loss. That was hundreds of Great Xia dollars!"
"You bastard!"
Lin Chen cursed and kicked the Mummy on the ground. It instantly turned into a streak of light and flew back into the Bronze Coffin.
Thud~
Under the force of the blow, the Bronze Coffin that had been standing upright toppled over.
Before you continue