Can you still recognize me after a headshot?

In just two breaths, Lu Yuan had already stood up.

He spat out a mouthful of blood foam; the wounds on his body had already turned into light red scars and were fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His life force continued to circulate within his body, scouring away deep-seated internal injuries.

The ruptured meridians and shattered fascia were all recovering rapidly under the scouring of his life force.

The Corpse Demon walked out of the Mountain God Temple, its blood-colored gaze landing on Lu Yuan as it let out a hoarse voice.

"Your blood... is very special, I like it! I've changed my mind; you must die today!"

"Planning to nag me to death with your mouth, are you?" Lu Yuan said with a tone of disdain.

The Corpse Demon did not waste words and lunged forward to kill.

This time, Lu Yuan did not meet it head-on; he dodged to the side, and a crystal spike instantly condensed in his hand, though he did not rush to fire it.

Previously, the crystal spikes had only been imbued with the Heaven-Opening property, but at this moment, he was pouring Heaven-Opening Power into the spike.

Soon, a faint, ethereal red glow appeared on the surface of the crystal spike.

A sound of air being torn rang out, like a bolt of red lightning.

Under the effect of Heaven-Opening, cracks appeared on the Corpse Demon's scales, and the crystal spike nailed into its right shoulder blade, getting stuck in the bone.

The Corpse Demon let out a roar, though it was unclear if it felt pain, but its right arm's movements showed a clear lag.

Lu Yuan did not advance recklessly; he retreated rapidly, continuing to kite the enemy.

Crystal light condensed rapidly in his palm, and this time, another wisp of red glow appeared on the surface of the crystal spike.

The second crystal spike nailed into the exact same spot; the Corpse Demon's right shoulder shuddered violently, large patches of scales shattered, and black pus-blood gushed from the wound.

"Damn you! How dare you hurt me!"

The Corpse Demon roared and reached out with its claws, the black-glowing talons stabbing straight toward Lu Yuan's heart.

Lu Yuan did not dodge.

Puchi!

The talons pierced through his chest, black fingernails slicing through skin and flesh, puncturing bone; it was only an inch away from crushing his beating heart.

However, at this moment, an arm-thick Sharp Crystal Spike was already pressed against the Corpse Demon's face.

On the surface of the crystal spike, wisps of red light flickered and vanished, the aura of destruction overflowing from it more terrifying than any before.

"You—"

The red light in the Corpse Demon's eyes trembled violently.

Lu Yuan did not give it another chance to speak.

He thrust the crystal spike forward with force.

The sound was very soft, like poking through a piece of paper.

Then, it pierced through its skull, exiting from the back of its head.

That unrecognizable face disappeared completely, leaving only a hole the size of a fist.

The Corpse Demon's body stiffened.

The talons that had pierced Lu Yuan's chest remained where they were, but they had lost all their strength.

[Killed Mystic Realm thousand-year Corpse Demon, obtained purple trait [Indestructible Bone]]

Lu Yuan kicked out, and the Corpse Demon's body fell heavily to the ground.

As the talons were pulled out, blood gushed from his chest; the five bloody holes were bruised black, a shocking sight.

Severe pain struck him suddenly; he staggered a step, his internal life force circulating frantically.

Powerful vitality surged from his blood, rapidly repairing the crushed bones and muscles, and even the bruised, blackened wounds began to fade at a speed visible to the naked eye.

However—

The pain!

The intense agony made his vision go black in waves.

He slumped to the ground, his whole body stiff, gasping for air in large gulps.

Ten breaths later, the severe pain receded like a receding tide, and his injuries were completely healed.

The gold trait [Resurrection] is truly strong, but the pain is also truly painful!

With the death of the thousand-year Corpse Demon, the yin energy of the Corpse-Raising Ground leaked out in a massive surge, and the dark clouds above Cangyun Ridge finally showed signs of dissipating.

It was as if an invisible giant hand had torn an opening, and a ray of golden sunlight shone through the crack.

The dark clouds began to churn, like a death throe.

But in the end, they could not withstand the sunlight pouring down like a waterfall, and the entire mountain peak was illuminated in a transparent golden hue.

At the mountainside.

Zhao Ping and the other two were sitting on a giant rock, circulating their energy to heal their wounds.

The sunlight fell, dispelling the chill that had clung to their bodies.

Su Ding'an looked up as the sunlight pierced through the dark clouds and spilled down in a great expanse, feeling a sense of clarity throughout his entire body, even his breathing becoming much steadier.

"This is—"

He stood stunned for a long while before he finally reacted.

The Corpse Demon was dead?!

"Unbelievable! Lord Lu actually killed that Corpse Demon!" Su Ding'an's expression was filled with shock.

Zhao Ping and Lin Yang stared in a daze, while Li Qing leaned against a tree, unable to hide the excitement on his pale face.

Su Ding'an came back to his senses and slapped his thigh.

"Let's go! Let's go up and take a look!"

Mountain God Temple.

Lu Yuan walked into the main hall. Beneath the base of the statue, following the explosion of the Corpse Demon's coffin, a pitch-black hole had appeared.

Waves of cold, fishy wind surged from the opening, carrying a thick, putrid stench.

Golden light flickered in his eyes as he turned and jumped down.

The underground palace was not large, and most of the space had collapsed. On the surrounding stone walls, one could see dense, intricate runes, most of which had already shattered.

The sealing formation in the center was paved with bluestone, and a massive crack ran through the entire array.

The eye of the formation was a three-inch square groove, inside which hovered a palm-sized bronze bell.

The bell was dark yellow throughout, its surface engraved with tadpole-like scripts, and the characters "Corpse Suppressing" were faintly visible on its body.

Lu Yuan reached out to take it and channeled a wisp of spiritual power into it; an invisible pressure swept out from the bell.

He did not hear the crisp ringing he had imagined; instead, a low hum shook the entire underground palace, causing gravel to rain down from the four walls.

This was a magical artifact for Corpse Suppressing, but it was of little use to him.

However, since it could serve as the anchor for the formation, it was certainly no ordinary item. Taking it back to the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division might allow him to trade it for some rare treasures or merit points.

After putting the bronze bell away, he searched the surroundings once more, but found only broken artifacts and stone slabs carved with runes, none of which he could identify.

Confirming there was nothing else to gain, Lu Yuan turned and walked out of the hole.

"Lord Lu."

Several figures stepped into the temple gate and walked toward the main hall.

Su Ding'an looked Lu Yuan up and down several times, and only after confirming he had no injuries did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"My Lord, where is the Corpse Demon?"

"Killed."

"That's good..."

Su Ding'an chuckled twice, his gaze sweeping over the half-collapsed Mountain God Temple, and he soon found the corpse of the Corpse Demon.

Zhao Ping, Lin Yang, and Li Qing stood to the side, observing their surroundings with composed expressions.

When Li Qing's gaze fell upon the corpse of the woman in the purple robes, his expression suddenly turned subtle.

"Lord Lu... is this woman Liu Qingsi of the Longevity Cult?"

"I don't know her. You can still recognize her after her head exploded?" Lu Yuan asked.

"The head is gone, but this figure, with its peaks like gathered mountains, I recognize it," Li Qing said, a trace of embarrassment flashing across his face.

After a pause, he continued: "My Lord may not know, but Liu Qingsi had a connection with Xu Zhi, the Lone Cloud Sword of our Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division."

Su Ding'an's expression changed instantly.

"Lone Cloud Sword Xu Zhi?" His voice rose sharply. "The Demon Suppression Captain who was newly promoted at the beginning of the year?"

"Yes," Li Qing said in a low voice. "I heard that Xu Zhi once had an engagement with Liu Qingsi, and even the wedding date had been set. Who would have thought that this woman would be targeted by the demons of the Longevity Cult, who abducted her using evil arts."

"When she appeared again, Liu Qingsi had already become a hall master of the Longevity Cult, proficient in the arts of seduction and skilled at manipulating people."

"At that time, Xu Zhi was still a Demon-Suppressing Guard. He charged into that Longevity Cult stronghold alone with his sword, turning the place into a river of blood, fighting his way to the very depths to find Liu Qingsi."

"Who would have thought that an expert from the Longevity Cult would arrive at that moment, taking advantage of Xu Zhi's exhaustion to rescue Liu Qingsi. Since then, that woman had vanished."

"Xu Zhi returned to the Demon Suppression Division and fell into a deep illness. Afterward, he seemed like a different person. He trained desperately, hunted demons relentlessly, and was promoted to Demon Suppression Captain at the beginning of this year."

"But this woman... has always been a thorn in his heart."

"He once swore by his sword that he would kill Liu Qingsi and destroy the Longevity Cult in this lifetime."

"But now that this demoness has been killed by you, Lord Lu, I fear Xu Zhi will not be at peace and will surely come to you for an explanation."

"What a joke!" Lu Yuan let out a cold snort. "He couldn't even protect one woman; what face does he have to come to me for an explanation?"

"He's not at peace? No matter. Let him come, and I will give him a peace of mind."