Chapter 152: Chapter 151: Yi Hong Battles the Iron Corpse, Ming Yu Fights the Poison Corpse

Gu Zhao, Yunyang, Taoist Yan Song, and Taoist Ming Yu followed Taoist Yi Hong inside.

A glint flashed in Rong Wen’s eyes. He hadn’t expected so many of them, and all with such profound Magical Power. That hulking man in green robes had possessed considerable Dao Practice, yet he hadn’t even managed to escape and return.

When they saw Rong Wen, Gu Zhao and the others exchanged surprised glances. The man’s Evil Qi was practically boiling, even more intense than the Stone King’s.

But upon seeing them enter the cave, the Stone King actually calmed down. He looked at Taoist Yi Hong. "Here to kill me? Perfect. My Ten Thousand Ghosts Banner is still short a few Fierce Ghost Souls. You’ll do nicely to make up the numbers."

"Too much talk for the battlefield!" Taoist Yi Hong snapped, unleashing a backhanded slash.

The next moment, an endless, chilling Yin Evil Qi suddenly filled the stone cave. The frigid energy, tinged with a bluish-black hue, instantly saturated the entire space. The Taoists found they couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces, and even their spiritual perception was greatly diminished.

The Stone King’s laughter echoed in their ears. "You’ve got some nerve. Ever since I perfected my Refining Technique and established myself in Stone King Cave, no one has dared to be so insolent within its walls."

"Well, then today’s your day," another laugh rang out in response.

The next moment, a chorus of voices—some old, some young, some clear, some teasing, some majestic, some lighthearted—chanted in unison, "Heaven and Earth Profound Sect, Root of Ten Thousand Qi. Vast Cultivation for Billions of Years, Prove My Divine Techniques."

Five points of golden light blazed to life like torches. It was as if five firecrackers had been tossed onto a calm lake. The endless golden light seared the surrounding Yin Evil chill like the sun, completely preventing the frigid Qi from getting close.

"What?" The Stone King, who had been sitting calmly behind his desk just a moment ago, was now both shocked and furious. His eyes shot a cold glare, fixing on Taoist Yi Hong at the forefront. "What Magic is this?"

"The Taoist Divine Technique, the Golden Light Divine Curse!" Taoist Yi Hong strode forward, his Yanyue Saber descending in a Powerful Slash of Hua Mountain aimed right at the Stone King’s head.

The Stone King snorted in fury. Facing the Yanyue Saber chopping down at his head, he actually threw up both arms to block it with his forearms!

CLANG!

A deafening clang of metal on metal echoed through the cave. The impact sent Taoist Yi Hong’s Guan Saber rebounding, forcing him back a step. The Stone King was knocked backward, flipping his stool and stumbling two or three steps before steadying himself.

They glared at each other, both taken by surprise.

Taoist Yi Hong’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the frigid, malevolent Corpse Qi radiating from the Stone King’s body. ’Incredibly tough,’ he thought.

"I have refined this corpse body to be like stone! It’s as hard as metal, impervious to fire and water, and completely Invulnerable!"

With a stomp of his foot, the Stone King blurred into an afterimage, instantly appearing before Taoist Yi Hong. He swiped a hand toward the Taoist’s face. "Die!"

CLANG!

Taoist Yi Hong swept his saber horizontally, striking the Stone King in the ribs with the hilt. He used the momentum to simultaneously push himself back, narrowly dodging the clawed hand.

"Not bad. You could be considered an Iron Corpse," Taoist Yi Hong nodded. He circulated his True Qi, infusing it into the Yanyue Saber in his hands. The entire blade began to emit a soft glow.

"Let’s see how many of my slashes you can block!" Taoist Yi Hong spun the saber around his body. The resulting wind pressure bore down on the Stone King from all sides, cutting off his escape. With a piercing, frigid shriek, the blade flew straight for his neck.

The Stone King had no weapon; his body was his greatest weapon. As fierce as the Yanyue Saber’s attack was, he still dared to try and catch it with his bare hands. But halfway through the motion, he caught nothing but air. The Yanyue Saber twisted in mid-air, arcing around from the side to slash across his neck. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

CLANG! The Stone King was sent flying again. However, with a body as hard as metal and his protective Corpse Qi, he remained uninjured.

Even so, after just two exchanges, the Stone King was already at a disadvantage in terms of both technique and power.

The Stone King clapped his hands together, and an endless, frigid Qi once again surged from the cave’s walls and floor. Under his control, it converged and rushed toward Taoist Yi Hong, viciously eroding the Golden Light protecting his body.

"This Evil Qi is getting annoying," Taoist Yan Song said, shaking his head. With a dramatic flick of his sleeve, he spat out a jet of Wind and Fire. It swept through the cave, incinerating the billowing, bone-chilling Evil Qi and turning it into wisps of smoke that scattered on the wind.

At the same time, a portion of the Wind and Fire morphed into a fiery bird and shot straight toward Rong Wen, who was sitting off to the side.

"How dare you!" Rong Wen roared. A dense, turquoise mist erupted from his body, shrouding him. In a flicker, his figure reappeared on the other side of the cave. Simultaneously, with a flick of his fingers, he shot four emerald rays of light straight at Gu Zhao and the three other Taoists.

However, when those dark green rays, which pulsed with a potent, evil aura, struck the surface of their Golden Light Curses, they too turned into wisps of smoke and vanished into the air.

The exchange instantly revealed the differences in their Dao Practice. Taoist Yan Song’s Golden Light remained unchanged. The Protective Golden Light around Gu Zhao and Taoist Ming Yu dimmed slightly, while Yunyang’s dimmed the most.

"Poison gas?" Gu Zhao asked.

Taoist Yan Song nodded. "He’s a Poison Corpse."

There are many types of Corpse Ghosts. Most are simply souls animating a corpse that has been refined through various means, resulting in a stiff body similar to a zombie. Examples included Xu Kongting, whom they had first encountered, and the Stone King before them now.

But beyond that, there were all sorts of other Corpse Ghosts.

For example, Taoist Yan Song had also dispatched a Water Corpse while dealing with the River Demon, and Taoist Yi Hong had encountered a Giant Corpse in Shanglin County.

And this green-bearded old man before them, whose Dao Practice was no less than the Stone King’s and whose Evil Qi was even greater, was a Poison Corpse—one who had refined his body into a vessel of pure toxin.

Taoist Ming Yu glanced at Rong Wen, who was flickering about to dodge the Wind and Fire. He reached into his robes and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed out several paper figures.

The next moment, eight Celestial Warriors took form in a flash of light. Gripping sabers and swords, leveling spears and whips, raising axes and hammers, they positioned themselves according to the Eight Trigrams, trapping Rong Wen in the center.

"Die, fiend!"

The Celestial Warriors roared in unison. Their Qi Mechanisms linked together, creating an effect similar to a Dragon-locking Light Curtain. At the same time, an immense spiritual pressure bore down on Rong Wen in the center.

Rong Wen felt his Divine Soul falter, as if he were facing an irresistible, heavenly might.

"Who are you people?" Rong Wen couldn’t help but demand. He had lived for centuries, yet had never encountered a Mage who could cultivate such magnificent Magical Power, like a force of heaven itself.

But no one answered him. The only reply came from the weapons in the hands of the Celestial Warriors.

A Ring-Headed Saber, an Eight-sided Sword, a Muddy Iron Spear, a Hooked Scythe Spear, a pair of Bamboo Whips, a pair of Eight-Sided Maces, two Xuanhua Axes, and two Golden Gourd Hammers.

All offense and no defense, they charged forward relentlessly!

Trapped in the center and without a weapon, Rong Wen could only channel all his Magical Power to withstand the assault directly. At the same time, he unleashed a great cloud of poisonous mist, attempting to dissolve the eight Celestial Warriors.

The Celestial Warriors’ linked Qi Mechanism, along with the Spiritual Power and Incense that formed their Protective Bodies, allowed them to withstand the corrosive mist. Even if they were slightly tainted, it didn’t affect their ability to fight.

Sabers slashed, swords stabbed, axes chopped, and hammers smashed. A Thunderbolt would even crash down from time to time. Rong Wen was gradually overwhelmed. He turned to call for aid, "Brother Shi, help me!"

But when he looked, he saw Taoist Yi Hong’s saber slash down once more, cleaving through the Stone King’s protective Corpse Qi and opening a gash on his chest that billowed with black smoke.

As for the Yin Evil chill in the cave, it had already been almost completely burned away by the Taiyi Wind and Fire.