With a crisp snap of the fingers from somewhere in midair.
The heavy black wooden coffin in the image suddenly gave a teeth-grinding creak.
The thick coffin lid slowly slid back, opening a gap two fingers wide.
Immediately afterward, a blue-black hand, so withered it was little more than skin and bone, with fingernails several inches long, shot out through the gap and clamped onto the edge of the coffin.
A dense, visible wave of corpse qi instantly surged out through the opening.
The corpse qi was a murky gray-black, and it forcibly drove back the surrounding poisonous miasma by several meters.
It all happened too fast.
The Man Faced Demon Spider in midair couldn't stop its downward momentum. Its enormous gray-white poisonous web had already dropped over the target.
A muffled bang rang out.
The blue-black hand suddenly exerted its strength, flinging the heavy coffin lid away. It slammed into the rocks nearby, smashing them to pieces.
A bizarre figure, its body wrapped in rusty iron chains and dressed in tattered hemp clothes, sprang from the coffin like a leopard.
The figure had no breath and no heartbeat. A nauseating stench of rotting earth rolled off its body.
The signature technique of the Corpse Yin Sect in the Renegade Immortal World: corpse refinement!
The poisonous web, potent enough to corrode even rock, landed squarely over the refined corpse.
The venom touched its skin and sent up waves of pungent white smoke.
If this had been any creature from the Douluo Continent, it would surely have been rolling on the ground in agony by now.
But the refined corpse couldn't feel pain.
It didn't even glance at the poisonous web covering it. Its two withered claws yanked outward as if tearing apart a rag.
With the sound of ripping fabric, the web that even Da Ming and Er Ming had praised to the skies was torn cleanly in half.
The instant the web ripped apart, the Man Faced Demon Spider's massive body came crashing down.
Its eight spear-sharp legs, carrying the force of a thousand jun, stabbed viciously at the refined corpse's chest and head.
A string of deafening metallic clangs rang through the valley.
Sparks flew everywhere.
The Man Faced Demon Spider's claws could pierce thick steel plates, yet when they struck the corpse's blue-black skin, they didn't leave so much as a white mark. Instead, the force of the rebound made its own legs tremble.
At that moment, the pale human face on the Man Faced Demon Spider's belly finally twisted into an expression of humanlike terror.
It tried to retreat and flee.
But the refined corpse gave it no chance.
It shot out both hands, one to either side, and clamped onto the Man Faced Demon Spider's front legs like a pair of iron pincers.
Then, amid a hair-raising sound of flesh and bone tearing apart.
The refined corpse ripped the Man Faced Demon Spider's two thick front legs right off its body.
Dark green fluid sprayed everywhere like a fountain.
The Man Faced Demon Spider let out a shrill scream, its massive body thrashing and rolling violently in the mud.
Only then did the pale-faced young man in black slowly turn around.
He pulled a white handkerchief from his robes, covered his mouth, and gave a couple of light coughs. His eyes were full of disdain.
"A lowly poisonous beast that hasn't even formed a core dares to ambush me on the road?"
The young man's voice was hoarse, chilling to the bone.
"Still, your venom is just good enough. It'll do nicely to nourish my Iron-Armored Corpse. At least your death won't be wasted."
As soon as the young man finished speaking.
The refined corpse seemed to receive some kind of command. It lunged onto the Man Faced Demon Spider's back, opened its mouth full of fangs, sank its teeth into the spider's neck, and began greedily sucking out its blood essence and venom.
The Man Faced Demon Spider's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
In just a few breaths, the enormous thousand-year Ferocious Beast had been sucked dry, left as a shriveled husk. A gust of wind scattered it into fragments across the ground.
High above, blood-red words appeared once more on the Sky Screen.
[Explorer: Thousand-Year Man Faced Demon Spider, deceased.] [Cause of death: Encountered a disciple of the Corpse Yin Sect from the Renegade Immortal World. Its blood essence was drained by the Iron-Armored Corpse under the disciple's control, and it perished, body and soul.]
As the words appeared, the Man Faced Demon Spider's section of the screen gradually turned gray and then went completely dark.
With that, the first three explorers to enter the Renegade Immortal World had been wiped out to the last one!
Heaven Dou Empire, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's estate.
The magnificent Thunder Hall stood atop a precipitous mountain peak. Built entirely from precious lightning-struck wood, the hall's surface shimmered faintly with blue-violet electricity.
Yu Yuanzhen, the current clan leader, sat in the seat of honor, his hands gripping the armrests tightly.
His fingers had already gouged ten deep marks into the sturdy lightning-struck wood.
The renowned Thunder Douluo looked as though every wrinkle had been squeezed together. He stared without blinking at the dimmed screen in the sky.
Several core elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sat along either side of the hall.
Second Elder Yu Luomian swallowed dryly, breaking the silence.
"Big brother, what kind of evil sorcery did that young man who called himself a disciple of the Corpse Yin Sect use just now?"
Yu Luomian's voice trembled despite his efforts to hide it. "Those claws couldn't even pierce that dried-up corpse."
"Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan takes the greatest pride in the powerful physical defenses we gain through Martial Soul Possession. But compared to that so-called Iron-Armored Corpse..."
Yu Luomian didn't finish, but the elders present understood what he meant.
The parts of their bodies transformed by Dragon Transformation were certainly tough, but they could never withstand the full force of a thousand-year Demon Spider's thrust without a scratch.
Yu Yuanzhen took a deep breath and let go of the shattered armrest.
"The power system of the Renegade Immortal World is indeed strange and unfathomable."
Yu Yuanzhen rose and walked to the entrance of the hall, gazing into the distant sky with a profound look.
"Did you hear what that young man said just now?"
"He mentioned the Corpse Yin Sect and the Iron-Armored Corpse."
Yu Yuanzhen turned to face the elders and analyzed the situation gravely. "That means that in that world, refining corpses into weapons of war isn't an isolated practice. It's the tradition of a massive sect with a complete inheritance!"
At those words, the elders' faces turned deathly pale.
On the Douluo Continent, death was the end.
Even if a Titled Douluo perished, at most they would leave behind a Soul Bone. Their bodies would eventually return to the earth.
But in the Renegade Immortal World, corpses could be used a second time—and could even become stronger than they had been in life.
"Clan leader, if this method of cultivation spread to our Douluo Continent..." Third Elder rose, his forehead slick with cold sweat.
"Wouldn't that mean our buried ancestors and great masters would all become prized targets in someone else's eyes?"
Yu Yuanzhen closed his eyes, and a horrifying image surfaced in his mind.
If one day someone dug up the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's ancestral graves and refined the bodies of generations of clan leaders and elders into those pain-proof, indestructible monsters, then turned them against the clan...
This unreasonable way of fighting completely overturned the Soul Master World's tradition of judging people by their bloodlines and talents.
"Pass down my orders. Starting today, increase the guards at the clan cemetery and assign two Soul Saints to patrol day and night."
Yu Yuanzhen's eyes snapped open, a note of resolve flashing in them.
"Also, immediately send people to the major auction houses and underground black markets. If anyone is selling or researching any evil technique related to controlling corpses, report it to me at once!"
Faced with this unknown power that could upset the balance, even this Titled Douluo felt a pressure unlike any he had ever known.
Meanwhile, far out on the vast ocean, far from the mainland.
Sea God Island.
This island, regarded by countless oceanic Soul Masters as a sacred place in their hearts, basked year-round in warm sea breezes and brilliant sunlight.
A magnificent white Sea God Temple stood atop Sea God Mountain in the center of the island.
In front of the temple, an enormous Sea God Pillar pierced the clouds, radiating a gentle, sacred blue light.
Bo Saixi, High Priest of Sea God Island and a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, stood quietly beneath the Sea God Pillar, staff in hand.
She wore a luxurious red robe, and her sea-blue hair fluttered in the breeze. Her peerlessly beautiful face showed no trace of age, radiating a noble, holy aura untouched by worldly dust.
And yet, even this Peerless Douluo, who stood just one step away from godhood, watched the Sky Screen with deep apprehension in her eyes.
Standing respectfully behind her were the Seven Holy Pillar Guardian Douluo of Sea God Island.
Sea Dragon Douluo knitted his brows and leaned forward slightly, his burly frame tense with disgust.
"High Priest, the people of that Renegade Immortal World are far too vicious and despicable in their ways."
Sea Dragon Douluo clenched his fists. "They toy with the bodies of the dead, forcibly sealing souls or resentment inside the corpses."
"Such methods completely violate the laws of reincarnation laid down by Lord Sea God."
Sea Horse Douluo nodded in agreement. "Exactly. That murky corpse qi is an utter desecration of life."
"If someone like that dares set foot on Sea God Island, I'll purify him with the waves."
Listening to the indignation of the Titled Douluo under her command, Bo Saixi only shook her head gently.
"You're still looking at things too superficially."
Bo Saixi's ethereal voice drifted across Sea God Mountain, and the agitated Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo fell silent at once.
"You think those methods are filthy and despicable because you're judging them from the heights of your faith in Sea God."
Bo Saixi turned around, her profound gaze sweeping across them.
"Putting faith aside, have any of you considered that the young man controlling that Iron-Armored Corpse looked to be barely over twenty—and frail and sickly, too?"
"He had no Soul Power and didn't use a Martial Soul at all."
"All he relied on was a corpse-refinement method passed down through generations."
Bo Saixi raised her staff and pointed toward the sky.
"This is what makes the Renegade Immortal World so terrifying: they've broken through the limits of talent."
"Here, if you want to become strong, you must possess a top-tier Martial Soul, cultivate Soul Power day and night, and risk your life hunting high-level Soul Beasts."
"But in that Corpse Yin Sect, even if you're an ordinary, frail person, as long as you know the method and find a powerful enough corpse, you can instantly wield strength on par with a high-level Soul Master."
Bo Saixi's words poured over the seven Titled Douluo like a bucket of bone-chilling water.
Indeed, they had only seen how disgusting corpse refinement was, and overlooked the enormous benefits the method offered.
"High Priest, you mean..." Sea Dragon Douluo's expression changed drastically, as though he had realized something.
Bo Saixi sighed and turned her gaze back to the sky.
"That young man was only an ordinary disciple, and he had an Iron-Armored Corpse."
"What if it was an elder of their sect? Their sect master?"
"Might they have ancient corpses capable of matching a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—or even a Peerless Douluo?"
"If a sect that toys with life and death exists in the Renegade Immortal World, then the laws of that world must be far more brutal and vast than we can imagine."
"Their pursuit of power isn't bound by morality or faith."
At that thought, Bo Saixi couldn't help tightening her grip on the staff, silently praying to Sea God.
She had a feeling that the appearance of this Sky Screen would plunge the Douluo Continent into an unprecedented catastrophe.
Deep within a range of precipitous, unbroken snow-capped mountains in the north of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Thick snow covered this land year-round, and the temperature was so low that ordinary people couldn't survive here.
Between several towering peaks, thick iron chains connected a cluster of ancient stone buildings.
This was the secluded home of the Clear Sky Sect, once the greatest sect on the Douluo Continent.
The broad stone courtyard was swept by howling winds.
Tang Xiao, the current sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, wore a heavy bearskin coat as he sat around a stone table with five white-haired elders.
Their eyes, too, were fixed on the screen in midair.
When they saw the Iron-Armored Corpse tear the Man Faced Demon Spider apart with its bare hands, the short-tempered Second Elder suddenly slammed his palm down on the stone table.
Several fine cracks immediately spread across the hard granite tabletop.
"What a turtle shell!"
Second Elder stroked his beard and spoke in a voice like a bell. "That Iron-Armored Corpse is harder than refined iron."
"The Man Faced Demon Spider's legs didn't even leave a mark when they stabbed it."
"Third, Fourth, what do you think? If one of our Clear Sky Sect disciples encountered that monster, could the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer smash its bones?"
Third Elder, whose name had been called, furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment.
"Second brother, that's hard to say."
Third Elder was cautious. He recalled the scene and analyzed it.
"The Clear Sky Hammer is indeed the greatest Power Attack System tool Martial Soul under heaven. Nothing can match its explosive power."
"But that corpse doesn't know pain, and it has no vital points."
"Even if we crushed its chest with one swing, it could still strike back with its claws."
"Against an opponent that fights with its life on the line like that, Soul Masters are at a severe disadvantage."
At the head of the table, Tang Xiao's square face was also full of authority.
He raised a broad hand, signaling the elders to be quiet.
"Elders, what we should really be paying attention to isn't how hard that corpse is, but the young man carrying the coffin."
Tang Xiao's voice sounded especially low against the howling wind.
"I observed him closely just now. His face was deathly pale, and his steps were unsteady."
"No matter how you look at it, his constitution is terrible—worse than an ordinary person who regularly does farm work."
"On the Douluo Continent, someone like him wouldn't even qualify to awaken a Martial Soul. He'd be a good-for-nothing all his life."
Tang Xiao rose and walked to the edge of the courtyard, looking out over the bottomless precipice.
"But in the Renegade Immortal World, a sickly weakling like him can control a monster that can easily tear a thousand-year Soul Beast apart with its bare hands."
"What does that tell us?"
Tang Xiao turned around, his gaze sweeping like a torch across the five elders.
"It tells us that the laws of cultivation in that world don't care how strong your own body is."
"They knew how to borrow outside power, how to turn other resources into their own fighting strength!"
Tang Xiao's words plunged the elders present into a long silence.
The Clear Sky Sect had always upheld the principle that strength came first, and they were proud to possess the greatest tool-type Martial Soul in the world.
They firmly believed that only by constantly tempering their bodies and Soul Power could they climb to the peak of the martial path.
But today, the Corpse Yin Sect from the Renegade Immortal World had taught them a lesson.
There was no need to toil at training the body or desperately raise one's Soul Power.
As long as you found a good corpse and mastered the art of refining corpses, you could ascend to the heavens in a single bound.
For an ancient sect like the Clear Sky Sect, with a legacy stretching back hundreds of years, this powerful yet opportunistic method was undoubtedly a tremendous shock to their beliefs.
The Second Elder clenched his teeth and said each word slowly: "The Sect Master is right."
"The foundations of this Renegade Immortal World are unfathomably deep."
"We must prepare for the worst. If this kind of evil art ever spreads here, our Clear Sky Sect must have a way to deal with it."
Just as the great powers across the Douluo Continent were reeling with shock and suspicion over the Corpse Yin Sect's appearance,
the grand voice boomed without warning once more from the heavens.
[The first batch of explorers has been completely wiped out. Renegade Immortal World data collection progress: 0.1%.]
[Beginning the selection of the second batch of explorers.]
[Three candidates will be selected this time.]
As the grand voice rang out, countless people who had just let out a sigh of relief felt their hearts leap into their throats once again.
The first three hadn't even lasted half a day before they were all dead.
And now three more were going to be sent to their deaths?
[Preparing countdown.]
[Three, two, one.]
[Selection complete!]
Soon, the Sky Screen split into three separate images. Three brand-new names lit up alongside the shadowy figures of their owners.
[Heaven Dou Empire, Shrek Academy, Level 37 Battle Soul Elder, Dai Mubai!]
[Spirit Hall, Golden Generation, Level 52 Battle Soul King, Yan!]
[Heaven Dou Empire, commoner from Suotuo City, Cui Hua!]
At the sight of these three names, the eyes of the entire continent instantly turned toward them.
On the training grounds of Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai stiffened all over. His evil eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
Inside the Pope Palace in Spirit City, Yan, his body wreathed in dark red flames, jerked his head up, his face alight with fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, in an ordinary farmhouse in Suotuo City, Cui Hua had just finished feeding the pigs. Still clutching a battered wooden ladle, she was so startled that she fell right beside the entrance to the pigsty.
[Transmission begins in ten minutes.]