It became a blazing radiance, illuminating all ten directions.
It vaporized the black baleful mist outright, and even the ghost fiend shrieked and fled.
"Sizzle... sizzle..." Wisps of bluish smoke kept rising from its right arm, which had been tainted by Holy Light.
Pain twisted its face. Its gaze toward Taiyi brimmed with terror and venomous hatred, betraying its deep wariness.
It kept retreating.
Suddenly-
It let out a piercing shriek.
It abruptly threw open the bronze coffin.
A dried, decaying corpse lay exposed within.
It plunged inside and fused with the remains.
It moved so quickly that even Taiyi had no time to stop it.
His expression changed slightly.
"Rumble..."
The suspended coffin thundered.
The decaying corpse abruptly opened its eyes.
Its aura was chilling beyond measure. Exuding a terrifying presence, it sat upright.
Its face was hideous and savage as it stared sinisterly at Taiyi.
"It actually possessed the corpse!"
Taiyi knitted his brows, his gaze turning grave.
Though the corpse had rotted badly, he surmised that it had been at least a mighty, renowned expert in life.
"Kill-"
A hoarse, sinister cry rang out.
Terrifying waves of Dao power swept forth, blasting toward Taiyi.
Boom...
He unleashed the Holy Light Technique.
It blocked the vast waves of Dao power.
"If that's how it is, then let's fight!"
He stepped forth with the Sun God Movement Technique.
Taiyi moved as swiftly as lightning.
Utterly fearless, he instead surged with fighting spirit and charged forward.
He had no intention of retreating. He would hold nothing back in a battle against this corpse possessed by the ghost fiend.
Boom... Bathed in Holy Light, he wielded the Sun God Fist, clashing with the corpse as it rushed straight at him.
His fist seals looked as though they had been cast from golden glass, dazzling beyond compare.
With every movement, he seemed like the true lord of the sun descended upon the world, inviolable.
His punches were tyrannical to the extreme, like a sun bearing down with scorching heat.
This supreme fist art recorded in the Sun True Scripture seemed made expressly for a sun sacred body like Taiyi's. It could suppress all things, unstoppable in its might.
Without fear or hesitation, he clashed repeatedly with the corpse.
He displayed the terrifying power of the sun sacred body.
The strength of his flesh was astounding. His blows actually drove the corpse back again and again, leaving both its arms somewhat twisted.
It was simply inconceivable.
Rumble...
As the two exchanged blows.
Waves of sound surged ceaselessly through the great hall.
The entire underground palace shook and rumbled with them.
Had Dao patterns not protected this place, it would surely have collapsed at the very outset.
"Let's see how long you can hold out!" Taiyi's gaze was piercing, his bearing utterly domineering as he attacked without pause.
He completely blocked the corpse's attacks and held a firm advantage.
The terrifying Holy Light also kept eroding the ghost fiend possessing the corpse, making it shriek repeatedly.
It kept retreating.
"Is this really all you can do? Looks like I overestimated you..."
Taiyi's gaze was cold, his expression mocking.
With one punch, he sent the corpse flying, unable to withstand him.
"Hum..." He swept his hands through the air, manifesting Nine Secrets: Dou.
Boundless Holy Light gathered, forming an enormous furnace.
It seemed capable of burning everything in the world to ashes.
It surged forward to suppress the corpse.
Clang...
The corpse shrieked and fought desperately to block it.
It actually blasted the enormous furnace of Holy Light away.
Crackle...
Yet in the next instant.
A vast torrent of true solar fire poured out.
The terrifying heat engulfed the entire palace, scorching even the void until it warped, unbearable in its intensity.
The flames burned the ghost fiend possessing the corpse, making it scream ceaselessly, utterly unable to resist.
In the end, it was reduced to drifting ash.
Clang-
At that moment.
Taiyi's expression remained calm.
He walked straight forward and searched the bronze coffin.
An intensely concentrated surge of cold baleful energy gushed out.
But the boundless Holy Light purified it at once.
To his disappointment, however, he found the bronze coffin empty, with nothing inside.
He was just about to explore the surroundings to ensure he had overlooked nothing.
Bang... But just then.
A plump figure, covered in dust and dirt, barged in.
Taiyi abruptly turned. Their eyes met, and both their pupils involuntarily contracted.
Upon seeing Taiyi, wreathed in Holy Light and already inside ahead of him, the newcomer gaped as though he had seen a ghost.
As he looked at the plump Daoist before him, with his ruddy face, broad shoulders, and thick waist.
A trace of surprise crossed Taiyi's face. He had already guessed the man's identity.
I never expected to run into this fellow!
"The Holy Light Technique... You're the Yaoguang Holy Son?"
Duan De stared at the man before him in disbelief.
He had thought he was fast enough, only to discover that someone had beaten him to the prize.
He looked at Taiyi, who was surrounded by one hundred and eight streams of Holy Light, like a Sun Deity walking the world.
Not just anyone was qualified to cultivate the Yaoguang Holy Land's unparalleled Secret Technique.
Moreover, cultivating this Secret Technique to such a level at his age was no casual accomplishment.
Only someone with extraordinary comprehension and peerless talent could achieve it.
Apart from the Yaoguang Holy Son, he could think of no one among the Yaoguang Holy Land's younger generation who could reach this level.
The vigorous youthfulness radiating from him proved he was certainly no ancient old monster.
"Ahem, I didn't expect a fellow Daoist from Yaoguang to move so quickly..."
Duan De forced a smile and said, "Since you've already gotten here first and claimed what's inside, let's not spoil the harmony between us. This humble Daoist will take his leave..."
"Daoist, that's a fine bowl you have..."
Taiyi bared his teeth in a smile. "Could you lend it to me for a look?"
A strange glint flashed in his eyes as he studied the battered bowl.
Yet he betrayed nothing on his face, watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, ready to strike at any moment.
"Ahem, what's there to see in a battered bowl? It's hardly worth mentioning..."
Duan De's expression changed.
He had not expected the other man to set his sights on his bowl.
He had gone to tremendous trouble to seal that supreme treasure inside. How had this fellow seen through it?
"Take your time exploring, fellow Daoist. This humble Daoist will be on his way." Sensing trouble, Duan De immediately turned to flee without the slightest hesitation.
Before you continue