216: Chapter 216 The Mysterious Yin Army!

"Jin Zhengyuan, how much longer do you intend to hide?"

Meng Qingcheng's voice was as cold as ice, yet it carried the unique pressure of a Core Formation True Person, exploding like a clap of thunder over the entirety of Jinxia Mountain.

After her words fell, there was a brief silence.

The next moment—

Boom!

From deep within Jinxia Mountain, a majestic surge of Spiritual Qi soared into the sky!

That Spiritual Qi appeared grayish-black, like a furious Dragon bursting from the earth and charging straight into the clouds, causing the clouds for dozens of miles around to churn incessantly!

Within the grayish-black pillar of light, a figure as thin as a stick slowly ascended.

It was an old man.

To call him a "person" was no longer quite accurate.

He was small and thin, his entire being seemingly reduced to a skeleton wrapped in a layer of withered skin.

His skin was grayish-brown, clinging tightly to his bones like a piece of parchment weathered by years of wind and sun.

His limbs were long and slender, his fingers like withered branches, but his nails were exceptionally long, shimmering with a faint, eerie black light.

Most heart-wrenching was his face.

High cheekbones, sunken eye sockets, and a pair of turbid, lifeless eyes that looked like two dusty gray glass beads, devoid of any Life Qi.

He wore a tattered black robe embroidered with eerie dark-red patterns, as if drawn with fresh blood. The robe hung loosely on him, making him appear even more frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

He exuded an aura of deathly stillness, decay, and decline.

It was as if he were not a living person, but a zombie forcibly awakened by some evil power.

"Old Ancestor!"

"It's the Old Ancestor!"

"The Old Ancestor isn't dead! The Old Ancestor is still alive!"

Below, the Jin Family Disciples saw this figure, and one by one, their eyes filled with tears of excitement as they shouted loudly.

Jin Zhengyuan, the Old Ancestor of the Jin Family, a False Core stage Cultivator.

Decades ago, rumors spread that his Lifespan had been exhausted and he had died within the Family's spiritual grounds. Because of this, the Jin Family fell from being a top-tier False Core Family and had been encroached upon and suppressed by surrounding forces all these years.

But now, he was still alive!

Though he looked as withered as dry wood, he was still alive!

As long as the Old Ancestor did not die, the Jin Family would remain!

The Jin Family Disciples' previously crumbling morale instantly soared. They roared, resisting the Lingxiao Sect Disciples' offensive with all their might, the light of hope reigniting in their eyes.

"Jin Zhengyuan, you really are still alive."

Meng Qingcheng looked down at him from above, her tone calm and devoid of any surprise.

She had long received intelligence that the Jin Family might be a hidden pawn of the Demonic Path. Personally leading the team this time was meant to investigate the truth.

Jin Zhengyuan did not answer.

He slowly raised his head, his turbid, lifeless eyes looking toward Meng Qingcheng in mid-air. His lips twitched slightly, as if he were smiling, yet also as if he were crying.

The next moment—

The aura around him began to climb frantically!

Early Stage False Core!

Middle Stage False Core!

Late Stage False Core!

Within that withered body, it felt as if a terrifying beast was Sealed, now breaking free from its shackles and releasing a heart-wrenching power!

However, as his aura climbed, Jin Zhengyuan himself was rapidly decaying.

His already small and thin body became even more shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The wrinkles on his skin grew more numerous and deeper, as if he had aged another few decades in an instant. His already dull complexion became even more deathly gray, like burnt-out ashes.

"Old Ancestor!"

Seeing this, the Jin Family Disciples below wailed in grief.

They knew the Old Ancestor was using his own life to fight for a way out for them!

Jin Zhengyuan's aura climbed all the way to False Core Perfection before finally coming to a stop.

He was only a single step away from true Core Formation.

But that step, he ultimately could not cross.

Meng Qingcheng watched him coldly, her red lips parting slightly:

"This is... the 'Wither-Flourish Life-Burning Technique'? You truly are a hidden pawn of the Yin Corpse Sect."

She recognized this evil technique.

An exclusive secret of the Yin Corpse Sect, it allowed one to forcibly increase their cultivation at the cost of burning their Lifespan and flesh. After performing this technique, regardless of the outcome, the caster would surely die.

Jin Zhengyuan did not deny it, nor did he even look at her.

He merely raised his withered branch-like arms slowly and waved them downward!

Rumble—

The entire Jinxia Mountain shook violently once again!

This time, it wasn't the mountain itself that vibrated, but the deep pond at the foot of the mountain that was shrouded in yin mist year-round!

That pond was named the "Yin Water Pool," a Forbidden Ground of the Jin Family for generations, where outsiders were never allowed. The outside world only thought it was a spiritual spring of the Jin Family, unaware of its true purpose.

At this moment, the pond water began to churn violently, as if it were boiling!

Gurgle, gurgle—

Huge bubbles rose from the bottom of the pond, releasing a thick, pungent Yin Qi as they burst, carrying a nauseating scent of decay!

"What is that?!"

A Lingxiao Sect Disciple looked toward the pond in shock and uncertainty.

The next moment—

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

Countless black shadows soared into the sky from the pond!

They were coffins!

Black coffins of varying sizes; some were as good as new, while others were decayed and broken. Every coffin was covered in dense blood-colored runes, emitting Yin Qi so thick it almost solidified!

As if controlled by invisible hands, they flew out from the pond and hovered densely in mid-air, blotting out the sun!

One, two, ten, a hundred, a thousand...

In the blink of an eye, the entire sky was occupied by these coffins!

Yin Qi permeated the air, and the stench of corpses filled the sky; the vegetation within dozens of miles withered and died at a visible rate.

The Spiritual Qi in the air was corroded by this Yin Qi, becoming turbid and making it difficult to breathe.

"This is... the Profound Yin Dao Soldier Grand Array!"

Meng Qingcheng's brow furrowed slightly, finally revealing a hint of solemnity.

She recognized this Formation.

One of the Yin Corpse Sect's guardian Formations, it used a thousand-year-old yin vein as its foundation and thousands of corpses as materials to refine immortal Yin Corpse Dao Soldiers. Once this array was fully activated, even a Core Formation Cultivator would have to keep a respectful distance!

To think the Jin Family had secretly arranged such an evil array beneath their ancestral land!

"Jin Family Old Ancestor, Jin Zhengyuan!"

Jin Zhengyuan finally spoke, his voice hoarse and piercing, like two rusted metal plates rubbing together:

"Leading the generations of the Jin Family's sons to experience the Immortal Master's Divine Ability!"

After his words fell—

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The sky full of coffins shook violently at the same time!

The blood-colored runes on the coffin lids suddenly lit up, emitting an eerie red light. Then, the lids exploded one after another, revealing the "things" inside—

They were corpses.

Well-preserved bodies, male and female, old and young, wearing the attire of various generations of the Jin Family.

Their skin was an unnatural greenish-gray, their eyes tightly closed, and their expressions peaceful, as if they were merely asleep.

But the next moment, they all opened their eyes at once!

They were eyes without pupils, only whites, emitting a faint green light!

"Roar—"

Countless Yin Corpses roared simultaneously, their voices sharp and piercing, like the wails of ghosts and howls of wolves coming from the Nine Serenities!