Lin Wudao and Su Yao had barely taken flight when a deafening boom suddenly erupted from the depths of Immortal Burial Valley, as though some ancient behemoth were awakening. The ground shook violently, enormous cracks spread like spiderwebs, and ancient stone steles came crashing down one after another. Amid the dense black mist, a streak of azure light carrying the scent of decay shot skyward, warping the air wherever it passed.
"This is..." Su Yao's expression changed abruptly, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on her gilt whip. "Could the immortal corpse from High Antiquity, said to be suppressed beneath Immortal Burial Valley, have emerged?"
Before her words had faded, the azure light dispersed, revealing a corpse in tattered immortal robes floating in the air. The immortal corpse's face looked lifelike, but its skin had an eerie bluish-gray cast. Its eyes were tightly closed, and a dark-gold rune was embedded between its brows. Barely visible chains wound around its body, covered in ancient incantations, and were now breaking apart inch by inch.
"This is bad! The immortal corpse has broken free of its seal!" Just as Su Yao finished speaking, the immortal corpse's eyes snapped open. A trace of scarlet flashed through them, and it let out a roar that shook heaven and earth. It raised a hand and swept it outward, sending an azure beam tearing across the sky straight toward Lin Wudao and Su Yao.
Lin Wudao swiftly swung the Chaos Sword, condensing the power of lightning and fire into a shield. The beam struck the lightning-fire shield in a burst of dazzling light, and the tremendous impact sent both of them flying backward. Su Yao steadied herself in midair and swung her gilt whip. The immortal Qi at its tip transformed into countless blades of light that shot toward the immortal corpse. Yet when the blades struck its body, they merely scattered showers of sparks without inflicting the slightest damage.
"This immortal corpse's flesh rivals a Law Treasure. Ordinary attacks are completely useless!" Lin Wudao's expression was grave. He noticed that the rune between the immortal corpse's brows seemed to have some connection to the Star Spirit-Guiding Formation Diagram. The black jade fragment grew hot against his chest, and the system's notifications sounded urgently: "Ding! Residual fluctuations of the Ancient Clan Sealing Technique detected. The rune between the immortal corpse's brows is the key to unraveling the Star Spirit-Guiding Formation! Warning! The immortal corpse is absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to restore its strength!"
At that moment, several figures arrived from different directions. Tianxuzi of the Heavenly Mysteries Sect led a group of disciples, the Xuantian Mirror in his hand blazing with light. Several mysterious cultivators were also present, dressed in strangely styled clothing and exuding peculiar presences. When Tianxuzi saw Lin Wudao, a trace of killing intent flashed through his eyes. "Brat, we'll deal with this immortal corpse first, then settle accounts with you!"
The immortal corpse seemed to sense the threat. It threw back its head and roared, snapping every chain around its body. It formed hand seals and muttered incantations, and the black mist in Immortal Burial Valley began surging madly into its body. Its presence climbed steadily, golden light spread over its originally bluish-gray skin, and its tattered immortal robes fluttered without wind.
"Attack together!" Lin Wudao shouted, pouring spiritual power into the Chaos Sword and unleashing "Thunder Dragon Breaks the Heavens." An enormous lightning dragon roared as it charged toward the immortal corpse. Tianxuzi also controlled the Xuantian Mirror to fire a golden pillar of light, while the other mysterious cultivators brought out their respective Law Treasures. For a moment, lights of every kind intertwined, illuminating all of Immortal Burial Valley.
Yet the immortal corpse neither dodged nor evaded, allowing the attacks to land on its body. It opened its blood-basin maw and swallowed the lightning dragon and golden pillar of light whole. Then it swept its hand back, sending an enormous azure palm imprint crashing toward them. Everyone hurriedly dodged. When the palm imprint landed, it blasted a bottomless crater into the ground.
"We can't keep going like this!" Looking at the fused Star Spirit-Guiding Formation Diagram in his hand, Lin Wudao had a sudden thought. He circulated the Mystic Heaven Creation Instruction, raised the formation diagram high, and chanted a mysterious incantation. The diagram blazed with light, and phantom stars appeared once more, resonating with the rune between the immortal corpse's brows.
The immortal corpse seemed to sense the threat. It stopped absorbing Spiritual Qi and turned to lunge at Lin Wudao. It moved with incredible speed, appearing before him in an instant and bringing its enormous fist down with the force of a thousand jun. At that critical moment, Su Yao lashed out with her gilt whip and wrapped it around the immortal corpse's arm, while Lin Wudao seized the opportunity to press the formation diagram between its brows.
"Break!" Lin Wudao circulated his spiritual power with all his might, and the phantom stars collided violently with the rune. The immortal corpse roared in agony, its body beginning to tremble violently. Seeing this, Tianxuzi ordered the Heavenly Mysteries Sect disciples to unleash their strongest attacks, and countless streaks of golden Sword Qi shot toward the immortal corpse.
The immortal corpse could hold out no longer. Its body exploded with a thunderous crash, scattering into countless fragments. Yet just as everyone thought the danger had passed, a streak of dark-gold light suddenly flew out of its remains and plunged straight between Lin Wudao's brows. A sharp pain swept through him, and a mysterious image appeared in his sea of consciousness: a palace hidden among the stars, its great doors tightly shut and covered in patterns identical to those on the Star Spirit-Guiding Formation Diagram.
The system notification sounded again: "Ding! Memory fragment of an immortal corpse from High Antiquity obtained. Star Palace coordinates unlocked. Abnormal energy fluctuations detected in the direction of the Jade Void Palace. The crisis at the Demon-Sealing Abyss is worsening!"
Lin Wudao had no time to examine the memory fragment. He turned to Su Yao. "We have to return to the Jade Void Palace immediately!" Just as the two were about to leave, Tianxuzi blocked their path. "Brat, you can't simply walk away with the immortal corpse's secrets!"
At the same time, the mysterious cultivators also closed in, their eyes gleaming with greed. A new crisis descended once again...