Corpse Poison

Mingzhu City, southern wall, below the city. →

Feng Laixian and Lin Benshi's battle continued. One man and one corpse had already been locked in fierce combat for more than half an hour.

Yet Feng Laixian showed no sign of weakening, as though this amount of exertion did not even count as a warm-up. Lin Benshi, being a Living Corpse, naturally felt no fatigue either.

But in truth, the battle was nearly over.

A Living Corpse was ultimately just a Corpse. Lin Benshi's bones had limited endurance and no ability to repair themselves. After repeated collisions, fine cracks had already spread throughout its skeleton. Within three more moves, even without Feng Laixian doing anything, its body would collapse on its own.

"Farewell, Senior Brother!"

Feng Laixian took a deep breath, his eyes reddening slightly as he spoke in a low voice.

But before he could strike, a massive boulder suddenly flew in from afar. He hurriedly retreated and watched as it landed before him, smashing a huge crater into the ground.

Seeing that the boulder held no traps or mechanisms, he punched it apart. Then he saw that the Living Corpses that had been charging and attacking the city ahead had all stopped, slowly parting to form a path.

Densely packed Living Corpses dragged thick chains as they stepped forward one by one. Behind them stood a majestic palace. →

"Hehehehe, I haven't returned in so long. Sure enough, Mingzhu City still reeks of decay—disgusting, utterly disgusting." The palace gates slowly opened, green ghostfire drifting out from within. Then a shrill, aged voice, somewhat like a duck's, came from behind the doors.

Feng Laixian narrowed his eyes and shouted, "May I ask which senior this is?"

"Kekekeke, senior? Young man, you're rather clever. I'm starting to like you," the shrill voice laughed.

Then a black figure slowly emerged from the palace. He wore tattered strips of black cloth and leaned on a bone cane. His face was gaunt and pale, like that of a living skeleton.

"Take a guess. If you guess correctly, I'll spare your life." He looked at Feng Laixian, squinting as he smiled with clouded eyes.

Feng Laixian sighed. "With such 'immortal grace and peerless beauty,' Senior, even if this junior guessed for a lifetime, I doubt I could guess it. Please enlighten me."

"Kekekeke, good child, good child. I like you even more now. Hehe, you'll stay behind forever and become my bird-bearing attendant!" the old man cackled.

In an instant, two Living Corpses charged out from the horde.

Both were human Living Corpses. One was tall and brawny, while the other was the complete opposite—short and thin.

"That's Indestructible Diamond Cheng Dujiao!" Feng Laixian immediately recognized the brawny Living Corpse.

Indestructible Diamond Cheng Dujiao had been quite famous thirty years ago. He had been a squad captain in the Patrol Team. After activating his ability, his body became impervious to blades and spears, and he possessed immense strength. Thus, the Awakened called him Indestructible Diamond. Cheng Dujiao was his nickname, much like Stinky Qiang was Qiu Qiang's nickname.

After transforming, Cheng Dujiao immediately charged at Feng Laixian with all his strength.

At the same time, from the corner of his eye, Feng Laixian noticed hooked sickle claws growing from the short, thin Living Corpse's arms. However, this corpse did not seem to be a native of Mingzhu City. It looked more like a savage, so Feng Laixian knew nothing of its background.

But none of that mattered.

Feng Laixian looked toward the old man atop the palace. In the next moment, dazzling red light erupted from his eyes, and his body was enveloped in a crimson glow. Terrifying red currents burst outward, forming rolling waves of air.

"The master is getting serious," Bai De muttered as he felt the heat wave rushing toward him.

Boom!

A tremendous bang rang out.

Cheng Dujiao and the short Living Corpse were each struck by a punch in an instant. A charred fist mark appeared on Cheng Dujiao's golden scales, while the short Living Corpse fared far worse—its upper body was blown away by a single punch, and terrifying heat still radiated from the severed remains.

"Old bastard, I called you Senior only because you'll die here tonight. Since you're so eager to die, I'll reluctantly make this quick and clean." Within the red waves of air, Feng Laixian looked at the old man atop the palace and sneered coldly.

Cheng Dujiao truly lived up to the name Indestructible Diamond. If he had still been alive, Feng Laixian's punch would indeed have seriously wounded him. But he was a dead man, so this injury meant little. As long as the Corpse was not completely destroyed, it could keep moving.

"Kekekeke, if you can do it, then by all means, give it a try, young man," the old man said with a sinister laugh.

At that moment, Cheng Dujiao lowered his head and viciously rammed Feng Laixian. A faint, eerie green glow shone from his golden horn. Cheng Dujiao's horn had originally been nonpoisonous, but after becoming a Living Corpse, it contained terrifying Corpse Poison. Without an antidote, anyone contaminated by it would be assimilated into a Living Corpse within minutes.

Beast King Fist: Taotie Lifts the Cauldron!

Feng Laixian blocked the horn's attack with one hand, then bent his knees slightly and hoisted Cheng Dujiao over his shoulder. With an enraged roar, he grabbed Cheng Dujiao and leaped into the air, spinning three times in rapid succession before violently hurling him into the ground.

The throw made the earth quake violently.

Cheng Dujiao smashed a huge crater into the ground and lay within it, unable to move.

All his bones had shattered, his scales had burst apart, and the horn on his head had snapped in two. Black fluid continuously flowed from the break.

"Old ghost, give me your life!"

After dealing with Cheng Dujiao, Feng Laixian immediately used Ape Step, flashing to the old man's side as if shrinking the earth beneath his feet.

He punched at the old man's head, but an invisible shield blocked the blow. A Living Corpse some distance from the palace exploded on the spot.

"As long as one of these precious children remains, they can take a blow for me. That was a bad move on your part!" the old man said with a sinister grin.

The surrounding Living Corpses immediately surged toward Feng Laixian. Several wielding polearms in particular instantly thrust their weapons into his blind spots.

Sshk!

Feng Laixian reacted with extreme speed. His feet stomped across several Living Corpses' heads as he rapidly retreated, but too many weapons attacked at once. Different weapons still pierced through both sides of his body.

However, gritting his teeth, he chopped through the Living Corpses' weapons with his hand. He flew backward like a great bird, and when he landed, half of a different polearm was embedded beneath each side of his ribs.

Without changing expression, he pulled the spear from his right side, then pulled the lance from his left and tossed both weapons onto the ground. His wounds visibly healed before the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, he had recovered completely.

"As expected of the Nation Guardian Tier Red Emperor Undying Body. Those wounds healed quickly," the old man said lightly, his eyes glowing with an eerie green light.

Suddenly, Feng Laixian's expression changed slightly. He felt as though something inside his body was taking root and sprouting.

He immediately grabbed the flesh around his waist and tore it away. Blood and flesh scattered as he ripped off pieces laced with Corpse Poison, but even more green threads spread wildly through his body.