Chapter 884: Sneaking In
The most problematic ones were still Long Fei and Kui Dou. These two were descendants of Sovereign Martial Emperors. They were both very talented as well. If Xiao Chen started fighting with them, he would have difficulty freeing himself from them.
Difficult, very difficult. However, no matter how difficult it was, he had to destroy this Corpse Refining Pool today. If he did not challenge himself to the limit at a moment of life-and-death, he would have problems shaping his saber Dao.
Xiao Chen’s thoughts raced as fast as lightning. After a while, he figured out a countermeasure. He stretched out his hand, and a sculpture appeared in his grasp.
He had carved this sculpture from a branch of the Longevity Tree; hence, it was full of Spiritual Energy. This sculpture had white robes and black hair. Its eyebrows and gaze were very sharp, like a knife. It was a statue of Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen flicked his finger, and the sculpture instantly took form and exploded forth with a puissant aura. Then it headed for the sky above the rows of coffins, not saying a word as it sent out a punch.
Suddenly, countless strands of saber Qi trembled like feathers. When the punch landed, it immediately smashed hundreds of coffins.
Kui Dou turned around, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He exclaimed, “Xiao Chen!”
Without even thinking, Kui Dou pushed off the ground and turned into a beam of light resembling a sharp arrow. He quickly gave chase, charging at the white figure.
Long Fei folded up his fan and thought for a while. Then he said in the soft voice, “This Xiao Chen is really courageous, daring to barge in anywhere. Elders, please continue to stand guard here. When I catch Xiao Chen, I will refine him into a peak Sage Grade Demonic Corpse.”
“Young Master, as long as we are guarding this Corpse Refining Pool, not even a mosquito will slip in.” The four elders performed cupped-fist salutes as they looked at Long Fei.
In that instant of distraction, when these four elders were replying, Xiao Chen, who was wearing the Heavenly Sea Cloak, silently entered the Corpse Refining Pool with a ‘whoosh.’
The four elders turned away from Long Fei and resumed staring at the Corpse Refining Pool. The black Qi on the surface of the water surged as corpses rose up. It looked exactly the same as it normally did. The underwater formation continued to work and refine the various corpses.
The instant Xiao Chen’s body entered the Corpse Refining Pool, limitless death Qi permeated his pores and poured into his body. The black death Qi rushed around everywhere in his body, corroding his blood, bones, skin, internal organs, and flesh.
This death Qi silently caused him great harm. The amount of death Qi was simply too overwhelming.
Xiao Chen looked at his palm; it was now so withered that it was unrecognizable. Filled with wrinkles and death Qi, showing no signs of life, it was exactly like that of an old man past his prime.
He had underestimated the death Qi in this place. He quickly circulated the Heavenly Sage Laws in his body. Strands of purple energy emitting an electric light surged around his body, refining the black death Qi into nothing. The situation finally took a turn for the better.
However, the danger was not over yet. There was just too much death Qi in the pool; it was unending. While Xiao Chen negated one portion of death Qi, another two portions poured in during that time. There was simply no way he could remain in the pool for a long time.
Damn, I cannot stay here for too long. If I use my Heavenly Sage Laws on such a large scale, it will no doubt attract the attention of the four old men.
Just as Xiao Chen found himself at a loss for a solution and was feeling very anxious, a suction suddenly came from the Death Throne in his sea of consciousness. This suction pulled over all the death Qi, instantly slurping it dry.
The Death Throne was even like a greedy kid, seeming unsatisfied.
Xiao Chen’s body returned to normal, filled with life again. He rejoiced in his heart and instantly relaxed. He had not expected the Death Throne to have such an effect.
When he looked around in the pool, corpses filled his line of sight. This scene was very horrifying. The emotionless faces of the corpses sometimes seemed to be stuck face to face.
Suddenly, a demonic hand came out from below and grabbed towards Xiao Chen. He dodged quickly. The demonic hand grabbed a corpse next to him and pulled it to the bottom of the roiling Corpse Refining Pool.
---
Above the Corpse Refining Pool, the old man at the front left corner revealed a suspicious expression. He said, “Strange, I wanted to pull a corpse down to the Corpse Refining Formation just now. However, the corpse actually dodged.”
“Haha! That is not so strange. That person probably still has not died yet. Or perhaps it is just an involuntary movement of the body. We just have to let it soak in the Corpse Refining Pool for some more time,” another of the elders said.
“Hehe! The death Qi in the Corpse Refining Pool is so dense that it has turned liquid. Who would be foolish enough to jump into it?” The old man at the front right corner laughed sinisterly.
The elder who spoke first thought about it and agreed, so he did not say anything more. Then, he focused on working on the corpse that was caught in the Corpse Refining Formation.
---
Xiao Chen, who was in the pool, did not know that he had just had a close call. At this moment, he had already descended to the bottom of the Corpse Refining Pool. His feet were touching the floor, and an extremely complex and shocking formation made of blood lay before him.
Four corpses sat cross-legged in the formation. Beams of scarlet light entered them. They looked like cultivators cultivating, a very strange sight.
Ninety-nine Medial Grade Astral Cores sat where lines intersected in the formation. There was also a Superior Grade Astral Core at its center. Altogether, it had one hundred Astral Cores.
The formation lines made of blood at the center looked eye-catchingly red, alluring and sinister. This formation would not be that easy to repair.
Xiao Chen did not dare to act rashly and startle his enemies. He stood in a corner and observed for a long time. How should I break this formation?
The lines of blood were inlaid deep in the floor as if fused with it. Because of the protection of the formation, the floor seemed as hard as iron when he stepped on it, not budging at all.
This formation clearly was already merged with the Corpse Refining Pool, unbreakable and inseparable from each other. If Xiao Chen used brute force, he might end up producing the opposite of the desired effect, or even harming himself.
That’s it! An idea popped up in his head when he remembered the Death Throne in his sea of consciousness. He smiled faintly as he formed a plan.
Xiao Chen knelt and stretched out his hand to touch the scarlet formation lines. Vast death Qi instantly poured into the formation. The entire formation started to radiate an intense scarlet light, looking very alluring.
“What’s going on?!”
“A strong death Qi suddenly appeared in the Corpse Refining Formation.”
“This death Qi is too horrifying. We have to stop it. Otherwise, it will exceed the tolerance of the formation!” the four old men at the corners of the Corpse Refining Pool exclaimed in fear when they saw the pool water kicking up high waves continuously. Then, they stood up at the same time.
The pool trembled, and cracks appeared at the sides of the Corpse Refining Pool. The four old men’s expressions changed, and they quickly soared into the air together with the Demonic Corpses beside them.
In the next moment, there was a rumble, and the Corpse Refining Pool exploded. The entire Black Patterned Island trembled along with it. An endless torrent of death Qi surged out in all directions. A deep pit appeared in the ground, and the Corpse Refining Pool went up in smoke; the Corpse Refining Formation no longer existed.
---
After Long Fei and Kui Dou’s relentless pursuit, they finally caught up with “Xiao Chen.” They landed a punch on him, and he turned into sawdust filling the air.
This sight stunned the two of them, and they exclaimed in chorus, “We were tricked!”
The two quickly turned around and rushed back to the Corpse Refining Pool. However, before they managed to get far, they heard an intense explosion.
The entire Corpse Refining Pool went up in smoke. A storm of black death Qi soared into the clouds, forming a pillar of wind connecting the ground to the sky. Black Patterned Island shook violently. Loud rumbling reverberated without end.
Long Fei fluttered the folding fan in his hand, and strong winds gathered, forming a storm with the attribute of ruin surging out. This involuntary reaction clearly showed how intense the shock in their hearts was.
“The Corpse Refining Pool shattered? How can that be? Even if a grandmaster-level Martial Sage came personally, he would not be able to break the Corpse Refining Formation that easily. Furthermore, all the grandmaster-level Martial Sages left Dragon Wood Star long ago.”
Kui Dou’s face turned sullen. He looked in the direction of the Corpse Refining Formation and said, “It might be possible if Xiao Chen does it. Every time, this fellow always manages to do something that everyone thought impossible.”
“Xiao Chen? I don’t believe that he is really that incredible.”
Long Fei’s figure flashed, heading in the direction of the Corpse Refining Pool, and a ruin-attributed aura erupted from his body.
Kui Dou frowned. When he felt this aura, he said contemplatively, “Will of ruin. Long Fei actually comprehended such a will. He truly hid his skills well.”
---
At the Martial God Palace’s main camp on Dragon Wood Star, Huangpu Feng suddenly opened his eyes and soared into the sky, facing towards Black Patterned Island. Then, he looked at the black tornado connecting the sky and the ground. His eyes filled with incredulity.
The figures that flew up beside Huangpu Feng all had expressions of disbelief as well.
A moment later, Huangpu Feng said, “The Corpse Refining Pool has been destroyed! The foundations of the Corpse Race are gone. Activate the entire army and head for Black Patterned Island. Deal them one final strike!”
“We obey the Lord’s command!”
Instantly, warships with the Martial God Palace’s banner soared into the sky from the main camp, carrying the human cultivators. As they flew away, they gave off a strong might.
---
At the island the Muddy Sky Gate occupied, the Young Master of the Muddy Sky Gate, Qi Wuxue, was currently gathering a group of his sect members in preparation for heading off to the Martial God Palace’s main camp on Dragon Wood Star. When they saw the black wind pillar, they felt stunned as well.
“The Corpse Refining Pool! How could anyone have destroyed the Corpse Race’s Corpse Refining Pool? Without this Corpse Refining Pool, the Corpse Race will not have much combat prowess!” Qi Wuxue exclaimed, his face filled with disbelief.
Qi Wuxue’s face sank as he said sullenly, “Go to Black Patterned Island. The location of the final battle has changed. Victory or defeat will depend on this final battle.”
---
At Azure Monarch Island, the commander of the Corpse Race army, the Underworld Fire Sovereign’s descendant, Wei Hua, who was doing his best to break through the third line of the defense, looked back. When he saw the black wind pillar, his expression suddenly changed drastically.
Wei Hua did not know what was going on. He could not get any news from Xia Feng at all. Although he held the advantage, the opposition was much stronger than he had expected.
When he saw the black pillar, his mind immediately plunged into chaos. He shouted, “Retreat! Return to Black Patterned Island. We will fight again another day!”
Instantly, the massive army withdrew like the receding tide and quickly rushed towards Black Patterned Island.
Seeing the Corpse Race army, which had held the upper hand, retreat, the human cultivators all felt relieved. However, they were confused, unable to understand what was going on.
Only Qin Wu understood. When he saw the persistent black wind pillar, he sighed, “That fellow really managed to do it; he really destroyed the Corpse Refining Pool.”
When Bai Wuxue, Ximen Bao, Feng Xingsheng, Hua Dao, and Niu Deng, who were standing next to Qin Wu, heard this, they were stunned and somewhat bemused.
However, the Supreme Sky Sect disciples all rejoiced, feeling very excited.