Ironclad Corpse, Corpse Demon Cult

Green Bamboo Sword Sect, with peerless swordsmanship, has slain countless demons, earning widespread fame that echoes throughout the twelve prefectures of Yun Province.

Blood Lotus Cult

Paper Folding Sect

Bright Moon Villa

"What's the deal with the Blood Lotus Cult and the Paper Folding Sect?" Su Ye asked, his voice deep.

"The Blood Lotus Cult is a new force that has risen in the last few decades. They've been around for too short a time for me to know the specifics," Tang Heihu said, a look of recollection on his face. He continued, "Judging by their methods, they're most likely a demonic cult."

"As for the Paper Folding Sect, they have many strongholds in Yun Province. They manipulate paper to control souls, harming countless citizens. It's said they've been colluding with the Corpse Demon Cult for a long time."

Su Ye interjected, "Colluding with the Corpse Demon Cult? How much do you know about that?"

"I've heard that the Paper Folding Sect controls souls with paper, and the Corpse Demon Cult collects corpses. These two usually cooperate, making sure to exploit living people to their fullest."

Through Tang Heihu, Su Ye gradually got a clearer picture of many of the martial arts forces within Yun Province. He collected the three thousand taels of silver he'd been given as tribute and left the Black Tiger Gang.

"Please, take your time, Lord. Come back often."

In a private room at the inn, Su Ye opened his system panel, his gaze falling directly on the cultivation technique section: "Fierce Sun Art," Yellow Grade Low Rank.

This cultivation technique could only be cultivated to the third level of Meridian Opening, yet its requirements were not low. Only those who had reached Body Tempering Perfection were qualified to begin practicing it. Yellow Grade cultivation techniques, corresponding to the Meridian Mirror realm, all had this restriction.

Without hesitation, with a slight movement of his mind, he poured his remaining 583 Assistance Points into the "Fierce Sun Art."

[Consumed 80 Assistance Points. "Fierce Sun Art" - Beginner]

In just a moment, his body felt a change. An invisible warm current rose from his dantian, flowing through his meridians to his entire body. He felt a pleasant tingling sensation spread throughout him.

[Consumed 100 Assistance Points. "Fierce Sun Art" - Minor Accomplishment]

[Consumed 120 Assistance Points.]

A total of 450 Assistance Points were consumed. "Fierce Sun Art" - Perfection.

[Note: Realm is determined solely by the host's highest martial art.]

He felt his meridians swell, and his dantian, which had been full like jade at some point, seemed unable to ascend any further. Su Ye knew this was the bottleneck between the early and middle stages of Meridian Opening.

Under normal circumstances, even with the subsequent cultivation techniques in hand, breaking through this barrier would be extremely difficult. It was common for ordinary martial artists to be stuck in this realm for their entire lives.

He tried to circulate the true qi within his body. Instantly, a golden barrier of qi appeared on his skin. He then propelled the true qi outwards several meters, but it only lasted for a few breaths before slowly dissipating into the air.

"It seems I can only project true qi externally after breaking through to the Aperture Opening Realm."

He casually spent another 60 points to max out the newly acquired Demon Subduing Fist and Sky Rending Leg.

As for the "Meteor Hammer," he had no intention of wasting Assistance Points on this martial skill. He already had fist and leg techniques, and with his saber skills, he was equipped to handle various situations.

Not long after, Big Black flapped its wings and flew in through the window, chirping proudly, "Boss, I found them!"

Su Ye withdrew his thoughts. "There's no time to waste. Let's go now."

Saying that, he grabbed his Ghost Head Saber, flipped out the wooden window, and disappeared into the night sky within a few moments.

Late autumn. The ground was covered in withered yellow leaves. The distant mountains and forests were silent. The leaves crunched under his feet.

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Big Black circled in the night sky before swooping down and landing on a dead tree ahead.

"Boss, something's wrong."

"What is it?" Su Ye asked, frowning slightly.

Big Black made a shushing gesture with its wings and led Su Ye stealthily towards the back of the mountain. The mountain path was rugged and strewn with strange rocks, and the ground underfoot was unusually steep.

After walking for a while, the terrain suddenly opened up. In the shaded area behind the mountain peak, five figures clad in black hoods appeared. A hoarse voice rang out.

"How are preparations coming? We need to refine a few Ironclad Corpses now."

Su Ye, hidden in the shadows, noticed that the speaker was in the center of the group. The person was thin and gaunt, their face obscured. A short figure standing to their left replied, "Steward Liang, the materials delivered these past few days have been too scarce."

"Including the one hundred and fifty from the mountain earlier, we've barely managed to gather five hundred. The four of us are like clever cooks with no rice, only able to produce ten Ironclad Corpses."

"Ten? And there's still half a month until the handover date. If you can't deliver the full hundred, you know the consequences."

The gaunt, black-robed man's eyes flashed crimson as he swept his gaze over the others and spoke again, "I won't delay you on materials. They will be delivered within these two days."

At this point, Su Ye had a plan forming in his mind. The "materials" these people were talking about were likely the missing individuals from the county town in recent days. He'd heard from Tang Heihu that there were at most a hundred people.

This extra quantity could only have been obtained by abducting people from various villages and towns. Could the county yamen's strange reactions be related to the Ironclad Corpses these people were discussing?

Suddenly, the black-robed man known as Steward Liang let out a loud shout, his gaze locking onto Su Ye's hiding spot. Instantly, the night sky lit up with a dazzling golden light.

It was Su Ye, who had been hiding in the dark, who had made his move. He felt no pressure from the individuals before him.

He had calculated this attack beforehand, targeting the person who posed the greatest threat to him, aside from Steward Liang.

The Ghost Head Saber blazed with golden light under the enhancement of true qi. The true qi cultivated by the "Fierce Sun Art" was domineering and scorching.

Su Ye's entire body was coated in golden light. With the combined power of his formidable physique and true qi, the Flowing Dragon Steps erupted with a speed fifty percent faster than before.

In a flash of lightning and sparks, he arrived in front of the closest black-robed figure.

A golden blade light, several feet long, slashed horizontally. Seeing this, several figures hastily raised their weapons to block. The sound of metal snapping followed.

The golden light effortlessly severed the steel claws in the right figure's hand and continued its path, slicing through the figure's waist.

In an instant, the two halves of the body fell to the ground, dark brown liquid mixing with black innards.

The stench of blood assaulted his senses, reminding Su Ye of the Wolf Demon he had killed shortly after he had transmigrated.

The black-robed figure lay on its back, revealing a pale complexion. Black veins faintly pulsed beneath its skin, its mouth rotted, and its teeth had already mutated into sharp points.

However, the black-robed figure, now only half its body on the ground, was completely unfazed. Its withered claws dug into the ground, and it lunged at Su Ye.

Without time to think, Su Ye swept his Ghost Head Saber horizontally again. He stomped his right foot on the pale, human-like face on the ground, forcing the Ghost Head Saber to push back the other four figures as he adopted a defensive stance.

Killed [Meridian Opening Early Stage · Corpse Demon], gained 64 Assistance Points.

Steward Liang, his face deathly pale and even more terrifying in the moonlight, gritted his teeth. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"You are people of the Corpse Demon Cult. Are you truly, as the rumors say, neither human nor ghost?" Su Ye's voice was cold.

Steward Liang's expression grew grave. "You actually know our origins. I'm afraid we can't let you leave tonight."

"Take this person down quickly. No leaks must get out."

"Kill!"

Knowing that the creatures before him possessed incredible vitality, Su Ye shifted his Ghost Head Saber sideways, changing his attack from a slash to a strike. He glanced at the restless Big Black, signaling him not to intervene and to simply observe.

In an instant, he unleashed his full power. Golden light radiated from his body, illuminating an area of several tens of meters. His body roared like a furnace.

The surroundings trembled. The ground beneath his feet sank several inches under the immense force exerted by Su Ye. The Ghost Head Saber in his hand became like a colossal hammer, smashing down.

At this moment, heaven and earth seemed to stand still. The four black-robed figures wore extremely grim expressions.

"This one's tough. Resist together."