Slaying the Corpse

Chapter 37: Slaying the Corpse

However, this situation did not last long. Seeing that Chen Lin refused to engage in a direct confrontation, the Yin Corpse's pupils flashed with ghost fire. With a sudden leap, it soared into mid-air.

It had abandoned Chen Lin entirely, lunging straight toward Han Shuitong, who was busy battling another Yin Corpse nearby!

Han Shuitong's expression shifted slightly. Before the creature could even pounce, she abandoned her opponent, intending to dodge. The sheer power of this Yin Corpse was such that she would likely be killed or severely wounded if she took even a few hits!

"Where do you think you're going? Get down here!"

Chen Lin let out a cold snort. He slapped his Storage Bag with one hand, instantly producing four small flags, which he hurled into the sky!

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The four flags shimmered with radiant light, spinning rapidly in mid-air before vanishing into the four cardinal directions. The Yin Corpse in the sky suddenly felt its body grow heavy, and caught off guard, it plummeted straight to the ground!

Regaining its footing, the Yin Corpse tried to leap again, only to find it could no longer fly. Realizing that Chen Lin was behind this, it let out a savage roar and glared at him with pure malice!

"Awoo!"

Its hideous face was terrifying, and the deep ghost fire within its pupils turned violently turbulent; it was clearly on the verge of a berserk rage!

Staring into those eyes filled with chilling murderous intent, Chen Lin remained completely unfazed. With a cold laugh, he was the one to charge at the Yin Corpse first!

Throughout the battle, Chen Lin's previously stiff Thunder Flash Step and Six Prisons Mad Blade had gradually become proficient and fluid. He certainly would not pass up this opportunity to hone his strength. Furthermore, he was now fully familiar with the Yin Corpse's patterns; aside from its formidable physical body and the ability to fire beams of black energy, it seemed to have no other terrifying tricks. Once in close-quarters combat, those black energy beams could not be unleashed effectively.

Chen Lin's movements were agile and flowing like water. The veins on his arms bulged, and his hands, as large as palm-leaf fans, swung with the force of two small mountains. The Yin Corpse was no less impressive. The two entities—one demon, one corpse—clashed with such raw, physical ferocity that every strike and parry sounded like a bursting dam, causing everyone nearby to cast frequent, startled glances their way.

Time passed, and Chen Lin, caught in the heat of battle, felt an intense surge of excitement. His eyes flickered with a strange red glow, and he felt the blood in his veins boiling, desperate for release. Suddenly, while still locked in combat, he felt two massive waves of Death Energy surge into his body, granting him nearly 2,000 points of Death Energy out of thin air!

Chen Lin immediately realized that Situ Kong and the others had finally finished off the other two Yin Corpses.

"Haha, Brother Chen, well done! We're here to assist you!"

With a long shout, Situ Kong strode through the air. He flicked his Jointed Whip, the weapon whistling through the air with a sharp crack. The whip shimmered with a dazzling golden light as it lashed out to bind the Yin Corpse.

Seeing this, Chen Lin quickly retreated, and the Yin Corpse was caught squarely in the binding. Then, a strange figure appeared at the creature's side; it was Liu Han, who silently drove his dagger toward the Yin Corpse's throat!

Han Shuitong, arriving shortly after, was not about to be outdone. Without a word, she exhaled a breath of spiritual energy onto the jade sword in her hand. The blade erupted with a ghostly radiance, hovering in mid-air as two faint, shimmering formations appeared upon it. With a shrill whistle, it slashed fiercely at the Yin Corpse—it was a high-grade Dharma Artifact.

Chen Lin was slightly surprised. High-grade Dharma Artifacts were usually only bestowed upon direct disciples by the sect; registered disciples typically used mid-grade ones.

A low-grade Dharma Artifact contained one array, offering limited power; mid-grade artifacts contained two, and high-grade ones contained three. Anything exceeding three arrays fell into the category of top-tier Dharma Artifacts.

The three demons unleashed their thunderous techniques the moment they arrived, determined to annihilate the Yin Corpse!

Yet, the Yin Corpse possessed the cultivation of the Sea-Opening Realm. Although its status as a ghost meant its soul was incomplete, preventing it from unleashing the full power of its realm, its body had been tempered and nourished by Yin energy until it was practically indestructible. The whip, the jade sword, and the dagger struck it repeatedly, but they could not inflict a fatal wound in such a short time.

"Food... you... all must die!"

Though the Yin Corpse roared incessantly, the four attackers were like relentless grim reapers, pressing their advantage step by step. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before they broke through its defenses and slew it!

Suddenly, a white light flashed in Situ Kong's eyes. His body burst through his clothes as he revealed his true form: a Jade-Faced Fox over two zhang tall, with three fluffy, multicolored tails swaying behind him. His pupils glowed with intense white light as he spoke in human tongue: "Everyone, the spiritual energy here is thin. If we drag this out, it will be extremely disadvantageous for us. Let us end this quickly and reveal our true forms to finish it!"

"Agreed. While using our true forms consumes spiritual energy rapidly, the longer we delay, the more likely we are to attract the attention of powerful ghosts nearby. Delays lead to disaster!"

Liu Han let out a cold shout. His eyes flashed with gray light, and his head shifted, transforming into that of an eagle with a sharp, crimson horn. His body contorted and elongated, serpentine and winding—he was an Eagle-Headed Horned Viper!

Han Shuitong's expression tightened as well. Her body shifted, transforming into a bizarre, giant spider with two wings.

Chen Lin's eyes flashed, and without hesitation, he shifted his form!

His body grew nearly a zhang tall, with hideous, blood-colored wings sprouting from his back. The wings were covered in dense runes, and two demonic horns spiraled from his head. Two scythes, symbols of the God of Death, stood coldly across his chest, their blades etched with red patterns that shimmered with an eerie, chilling light.

"Starry Chessboard!"

The white light in the eyes of the fox-formed Situ Kong flashed as he unleashed his innate ability!

Instantly, the faint stars above the Yin Prison brightened imperceptibly. The next moment, pinpricks of starlight appeared, spreading across the sky like a chessboard. It was a mix of illusion and reality, impossible to discern, forming a cage that locked the Yin Corpse in place!

Situ Kong's demon body trembled as he shouted urgently: "Everyone, strike now! Aim for its head and destroy the soul fire! I can only hold this for three breaths!"

A ghost's fatal weakness was its head; once decapitated, the soul fire would extinguish.

Trapped by the starlight cage, the Yin Corpse could not move. It struggled violently, but could not break free in time. Seeing Situ Kong trembling as if in agony, it was clear he couldn't hold on for long. The others moved at once.

"Wandering Snake Ghoul Shadow!"

Liu Han unleashed his innate ability simultaneously. His entire body twisted and wound like a dragon-snake, erratic and cunning. For a moment, his serpentine form seemed to be everywhere at once—a speed-enhancing ability. His two fangs dripped with lethal, shimmering venom as he spat it toward the Yin Corpse's neck, hoping to corrode its skull.

The giant spider that Han Shuitong had become spat a strand of emerald-green silk from its abdomen. The silk seemed to burn with nether-fire, wrapping around the Yin Corpse's head and pulling tight. The neck hissed as it began to melt!

The various attacks were like a violent storm, a surging flood!

In those three breaths, everyone unleashed their greatest techniques, determined to slay the Yin Corpse!

Finally, Chen Lin ceased holding back. He saw that three breaths would only severely wound the creature, not kill it, so he made his move.

"Shattering Nirvana Finger!"

Over 200 tons of force condensed onto his scythe, and he slashed fiercely at the Yin Corpse's neck!

Epiphyllum Shadow—this strike was like a butterfly dreaming of flying flowers, as swift as a bolt of lightning!

Chih!

At last, the Yin Corpse's head soared into the sky. Black blood sprayed onto Chen Lin, and the hideous head continued to roar in mid-air, even as the ghost fire within its pupils gradually dimmed.

The Yin Corpse's blood seeped into Chen Lin's body.

"Gene Theft in progress... Theft successful... Stealing innate divine ability... Theft failed."

Chen Lin's muscles, skin, and bone marrow greedily drank in the Yin Corpse's blood. His physical body grew even more solid, comparable to metal and stone, while his strength surged violently by nearly ten tons—a total of 210 tons of force!

At the same time, a thick stream of Death Energy rapidly burrowed into Chen Lin's body.

20,798 points of Death Energy!

Chen Lin was stunned for a moment, followed immediately by wild joy in his heart. A ghost at the Sea Opening Realm had actually brought him such a massive harvest!

A full 20,000 points of Death Energy!

"Haha, good! Brother Chen is truly formidable!"

Seeing that the Yin Corpse had finally been slain, Situ Kong laughed heartily. Suddenly, his entire body shuddered as he transformed back into his human form and tumbled from mid-air; it was clear that unleashing his innate divine ability just now had exhausted all of his spiritual energy.

Liu Han and Han Shuitong also shifted their forms, simultaneously reverting to human shape. Judging by their weary, pale expressions, it was evident that their consumption had been quite significant as well.

As Han Shuitong transformed into her human form, she was completely naked, her figure graceful and moving. Yet, with a calm expression, she took a robe from her Storage Bag and donned it in a leisurely manner, showing not the slightest hint of avoidance or modesty.

Liu Han and Situ Kong were the same; they did not even glance at Han Shuitong as they each put on their own clothes, as if such occurrences were quite common among the Demon Race.

Chen Lin transformed back into his human form, but he found this scene indescribably strange. If a human woman were to act as Han Shuitong did, she would likely be branded as shameless and unbearable.

"Oh? A Yin Corpse at the Sea Opening Realm? Splendid, splendid! To think that just after stepping out of the center of the Demon Prison, we would encounter such a stroke of luck. Junior Sister Lan Xin, you are about to step into the Sea Opening Realm; this Yin Corpse Fire Seed will be of great benefit to the immortal arts you cultivate. Not bad, not bad at all!"

Suddenly, a man's voice rang out from mid-air, causing the expressions of Chen Lin and the others to shift.