221: Chapter 221 The Sword Unveils All Things

Lian Mo's laughter had not yet faded before the Blood Fiend Great Art around his entire body was already being urged to its absolute limit.

Crimson blood light spewed forth from within his body, like a tangible blood river surging backwards, dyeing the surrounding hundred zhang of heaven and earth into a dark red.

The concentration of Evil Qi contained within that blood light actually caused several nearby Golden Core Demonic Cultivators to reveal looks of dread and hurriedly retreat, fearing they would be contaminated by even a trace of that blood fiend.

His hands formed seals, as fast as afterimages, and three Third-Stage Peak Corpse Puppets opened their eyes simultaneously.

The corpse qi was like ink, surging into the sky like beacon smoke, dyeing half the firmament a thick, pitch-black.

These three Corpse Puppets had all been Fake Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators during their lifetimes. After being refined into corpse puppets by the Corpse Refining Sect using secret techniques, the hardness of their bodies was comparable to top-grade defensive Magic Treasures. They possessed infinite strength, knew nothing of pain, and furthermore retained a portion of their combat instincts from when they were alive, making every single one a weapon of slaughter capable of running rampant across the battlefield.

The three corpses moved as one, tearing through the air like three streaks of black lightning, simultaneously pouncing towards Ye Gucheng from three directions.

Wherever their bodies swept past, the rocks on the ground were corroded by the dissipating corpse qi into scorch marks several inches deep, and a foul stench of corpse poison permeated the air, causing one to feel nauseated just by smelling it.

Ye Gucheng's expression remained unchanged as he held the zhanling sword horizontally across his chest, its tip trembling slightly like a dragonfly touching water.

A cyan sword lotus suddenly bloomed before him, its petals unfolding layer by layer. Every single petal was transformed from Sword Qi condensed to the extreme, carrying a fierce Sword Intent capable of destroying all things amidst the flowing cold light.

The three Corpse Puppets crashed into the sword lotus, erupting with earth-shattering roars.

The thousands of Sword Qi transformed by the sword lotus strangled against the bodies of the Corpse Puppets, unexpectedly producing the sound of metal clashing and scattering sparks like rain.

The might of that single sword strike was enough to slay ordinary Golden Core Late Stage Cultivators, yet it only forced the three corpses back a few steps.

The dark golden shells on the bodies of the three Corpse Puppets were covered in dense sword scars, yet not a single one injured their foundations.

"Quite tough." Ye Gucheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and his Battle Intent grew even stronger.

He held the sword in one hand, its blade pointing diagonally toward the ground. Spiritual power surged around him like a tide, and his white robes fluttered and snapped amidst the churning spiritual power.

"Your sword is indeed sharp, but my corpse puppets are not limited to just these three."

Lian Mo sneered, the black qi within his sleeves churning like boiling water as two more Third-Stage Corpse Puppets stepped out.

These two Corpse Puppets were even taller, one growing pitch-black bone wings on its back, while the other had both hands mutated into a pair of bone blades over three chi long, radiating a frigid, menacing light.

The five Corpse Puppets surrounded Ye Gucheng in a pentagonal position, their corpse qi interconnecting to form a Formation, vaguely creating a Corpse Puppet Trapping and Killing Formation.

Amidst the churning black qi, the figures of the five Corpse Puppets flickered in and out of sight, drifting unpredictably like ghosts.

Meanwhile, the battle cries had long since shaken the heavens across all other parts of the battlefield.

On the battlefield without the protection of a Formation, it could only be Golden Core against Golden Core, Foundation Establishment against Foundation Establishment, engaging in a hard-hitting, life-or-death struggle.

In an instant, the spiritual lights of over twenty Righteous Path Golden Core Cultivators high above the firmament fiercely collided with more than forty pitch-black demonic lights.

The roaring of divine techniques was deafening, and the spiritual light emitted by the collision of Magic Treasures exploded and scattered like fireworks, with fresh blood continuously raining down from high above.

Some Demonic Cultivators had their limbs severed by spiritual swords, their broken limbs falling to the ground; there were also Righteous Path Cultivators infected by corpse poison whose bodies rapidly blackened and festered, losing all signs of life as they plummeted from high altitudes.

Master Qingming fought five Golden Core Demonic Cultivators alone, cyan light cascading like a waterfall as he swung his horsetail whisk. His offense and defense were orderly, and every flick of his whisk could dissolve a Demonic Cultivator's attack into nothingness.

His expression remained as calm as water throughout, but the dense beads of sweat on his forehead exposed the exhaustion from the rapid consumption of his spiritual power.

The other two Golden Core Peak Cultivators of the Tianxuan Sect also displayed their respective Divine Abilities, entangling and fighting fiercely with the elites of the Demonic Path.

One of them urged an ancient mirror shimmering with silver light; wherever the mirror light swept, the Devilish Qi melted like snow. The other maneuvered a crimson long spear, thrusting forth like a dragon, with every strike carrying the fierce and mighty momentum to pierce through rivers and mountains.

However, the number of Demonic Cultivators was ultimately too great. Twenty-three people against fifty; even though top combat forces like Ye Gucheng and Master Qingming shouldered most of the pressure, the remaining Cultivators were still tightly entangled by enemies several times their number.

Righteous Path Cultivators continuously suffered heavy injuries and perished, and the defense line shrank constantly like a city wall repeatedly battered by a giant hammer. All Cultivators were forced back to the edge of the prefectural city's dilapidated city walls; a single step further back would mean the entire city's commoners.

Right at this precarious juncture, accompanied by an earth-shaking beast roar, Master Xuyun stood atop the shoulder of a Third-Stage Peak Spirit Beast giant ape covered entirely in golden scales, his hands forming seals as fast as flying.

"Body Integration!"

Human and beast merged as one, and golden light surged violently.

Master Xuyun's body grew several feet taller, his skin covered in golden scales, and his pupils turned into vertical slits, flashing with ferocious, beast-like light flames within them.

The power of Qi and blood roared and operated like a smelting furnace, and the sound of his heartbeat was like a war drum, vibrating the surrounding air until it hummed.

His aura instantly climbed, soaring all the way from the Fake Nascent Soul level, unexpectedly surpassing the scope of ordinary Fake Nascent Soul Cultivators and directly chasing after those veteran Fake Nascent Soul Cultivators who had stepped into the Fake Nascent Soul stage for many years with deep foundations.

"Die!"

Master Xuyun punched outward, and wherever the fist wind reached, golden light shot forth like a pillar.

The two Third-Stage Corpse Puppets ahead were directly struck head-on by this punch. The chest of one collapsed deeply, its massive body flying sideways over a hundred zhang away and shattering half a hill. The other was swept by the aftermath of the fist wind, the scale armor on its body cracking inch by inch, stumbling backward dozens of steps before barely managing to steady itself.

"Exhilarating!" Master Xuyun let out a loud laugh, his voice shaking the four directions as he rushed into the Demonic Cultivators' Formation like a golden god of war.

Both of his hands transformed into golden sharp claws, every strike carrying the power to tear apart heaven and earth. Wherever he passed, the Devilish Qi disintegrated like boiling soup pouring on snow, and the corpse puppets flew backward like snapped kites.

The spirits of the Righteous Path Cultivators were greatly boosted, and the originally precarious situation was barely stabilized.

The surviving Cultivators exhausted their very last sliver of spiritual power, launching a counter-charge behind Master Xuyun and forcibly forcing the Demonic Path's front line back by a distance.

As for Lian Mo, aside from sacrificing five Golden Core Corpse Puppets, an ink-black banner appeared in his hand.

That banner was embroidered all over with bloody runes, and with a flutter against the wind, a heart-palpitating fluctuation permeated the air. Even the air became viscous and heavy, as if an invisible crushing pressure was grinding against everyone's heart.

"Myriad Corpses Blood Fiend Banner!"

A Righteous Path Golden Core Cultivator gasped in shock, his voice carrying obvious terror.

This demonic banner was a Low Grade Spirit Treasure, refined using the essential blood of ten thousand Cultivators, possessing monstrous might.

Once unfurled, it could devour human souls, defile Magic Treasures, and transform a radius of several hundred zhang into a blood fiend purgatory.

If ordinary Golden Core Cultivators were touched by even a sliver of that blood fiend qi, at best their spiritual intelligence would be damaged, and at worst they would suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering on the spot.

Lian Mo waved the demonic banner, and heaven and earth changed color.

The rolling blood fiend qi surged in all directions like a tide. Wherever it passed, rocks turned into fine powder, and all vegetation withered completely.

Low-tier Righteous Path Cultivators were eroded by the blood fiend, their protective spiritual light rapidly melting away like boiling water poured on ice, and several people instantly turned into dry skeletons, unable to even emit a miserable scream in time.

Even Master Qingming was forced back repeatedly by the blood fiend qi, his expression as solemn as iron.

Facing the boundless soul-devouring tide and the siege of the five Golden Core Peak Corpse Puppets, Ye Gucheng's expression did not waver in the slightest.

With a transparent sword heart and a Divine Soul as firm as glazed glass, all soul-devouring and soul-bewitching techniques in this world were nothing more than blinding mists before a Sword Cultivator like him who had condensed an Innate sword body.

"Sword Opens All Phenomena!"