Chapter 157: The Female Corpse and the Short Sword

Chapter 157: The Female Corpse and the Short Sword

A halo flickered twice on the surface of the Mystic Beast Manual before dimming and being completely absorbed by it.

The female corpse, slain by the Demonic Sword, transformed into a wisp of white light and flew into the Mystic Beast Manual.

"Huh? Could it be that the Mystic Beast Manual can not only subdue mystic beasts but also Corpse Fiends?"

Ning Xiaochuan immediately focused his mind into the Mystic Beast Manual. The female corpse hovered within the third space.

The entire space was enveloped in white light, with a stone tablet floating at its center. Inscribed on it were the words: "Third Mystic Beast Palace."

The female corpse's body, split in half by the Demonic Sword, slowly began to reform under the white light, merging back together until the wounds completely healed, leaving not even a scar behind.

Her clothes had already shattered, revealing a flawless, snow-white figure—jet-black hair, slender eyebrows, a delicate neck, alluring collarbones, full breasts, a slender waist, and straight, jade-like legs. It was a body so exquisitely crafted it seemed like a divine gift from the heavens.

However, the devastating blow from the Demonic Sword had left her severely injured. Though the power of the Mystic Beast Manual was healing her, she had yet to fully recover and remained in a deep slumber.

Ning Xiaochuan summoned her out of the Mystic Beast Manual, his gaze fixed on the short sword embedded in her chest. The blade had pierced through her body, puncturing her heart—the very weapon that had killed her.

The short sword was only about half a meter long, forged from bronze and now covered in rust. Yet, the edge still carried traces of Sword Qi, exuding a chilling aura.

Ning Xiaochuan cautiously extended a finger and lightly touched the blade.

Clang!

A tremendous force erupted from the sword, striking his finger and sending a numbing shock through his bones, paralyzing half his body.

Blood dripped from his finger, pierced by the Sword Qi.

Ning Xiaochuan staggered back three steps, circulating his Profound Qi throughout his body. It took him a full quarter of an hour to recover, his heart still pounding as he stared at the short sword once more.

The blade trembled violently, and from within it came Demonic Whispers, luring Ning Xiaochuan to pull it out of the female corpse's body.

The whispers were relentless, flooding his mind with strange visions. Unconsciously, he found himself stepping toward the female corpse, his hand reaching for the hilt of the short sword.

"No... no!" Ning Xiaochuan clenched his teeth, struggling to regain control of his body and pull his arm back.

An instinct told him that pulling the short sword out of the female corpse could unleash an unimaginable disaster.

This blade was demonic—far from ordinary.

In fact, Ning Xiaochuan suspected that the female corpse had been killed by the short sword itself. In other words, no one had wielded it; the blade had developed its own consciousness and taken her life.

But the short sword hadn't anticipated the female corpse's formidable cultivation. When it pierced her heart, she counter-suppressed it, trapping it within her body and sealing it with her power.

To be precise, the short sword and the female corpse were locked in a mutual suppression.

It was precisely because the female corpse had most of her power suppressed by the short sword that she couldn’t exert much strength and was slain by Ning Xiaochuan. Otherwise, given her cultivation, she might have crushed Ning Xiaochuan with just a single finger.

Of course, she no longer had that opportunity now. She had been subdued by the Mystic Beast Manual and become Ning Xiaochuan’s Corpse Slave.

Though Ning Xiaochuan dared not touch the short sword, he could still place his hand on the female corpse’s body. He gently pressed his palm against her chest, channeling his senses to probe the state within her.

"Boom!"

The moment his palm made contact, an overwhelming force erupted from the female corpse’s body, sending Ning Xiaochuan flying backward.

Yet, in that brief instant, Ning Xiaochuan glimpsed that her Martial Arts Heart Palace was not entirely shattered. Instead, it remained connected to the short sword, locked in a struggle.

Her Martial Arts Heart Palace resembled a nine-layered immortal tower, emitting ethereal immortal sounds. The short sword had pierced through the edge of the tower but was now suppressed beneath it.

"Could she still be alive?" Ning Xiaochuan found it unbelievable. "She’s been locked in this battle with the short sword for over two hundred years. Her clothes have rotted away, yet her flesh remains intact."

Had he not witnessed it himself, he would have dismissed it as some fantastical tale.

For two centuries, this struggle had raged on without pause.

The female corpse’s vitality was immense, yet the short sword was equally terrifying—a mere blade, yet capable of contending with her for two hundred years.

If the short sword defeated her, she would truly perish, her body decaying into dust.

But if she overcame the short sword, she might be reborn in flames, regaining her intelligence and undergoing a perfect metamorphosis. Her cultivation would surpass even what it had been two centuries ago, elevating her to an unrivaled pinnacle of power.

"Earlier, the short sword emitted Demonic Whispers, luring me to pull it free. That suggests it’s trying to escape—likely because it’s on the verge of losing to her."

Ning Xiaochuan recalled the female corpse back into the Mystic Beast Manual, letting her recuperate within its white radiance.

Once she had been subdued, the ten Nether Knights ceased their attacks on Ning Xiaochuan. They lacked physical bodies, existing only as suits of armor animated by ghostly flames.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!"

Suddenly, the ten Nether Knights transformed into streaks of light, flying into the Mystic Beast Manual. They materialized as ten swirling black energies, encircling the female corpse as if still guarding her.

"What kind of existence are these Nether Knights? Perhaps Yue Mingsong might know something."

Ning Xiaochuan shook Yue Mingsong awake from where he lay unconscious on the Double-headed Stone Beast’s back.

"Cough… Senior Sister, don’t kill me! Don’t—huh? Where’s Senior Sister?" Yue Mingsong groaned as he sat up, wincing in pain while scanning his surroundings for the female corpse and the Nether Knights.

"We’ve escaped," Ning Xiaochuan said, choosing not to mention that he had sealed the female corpse away in the Mystic Beast Manual. The whole affair was too bizarre—even he hadn’t fully grasped what had happened.

Logically speaking, only mystic beasts can be stored in the Mystic Beast Manual. Although the female corpse can't exactly be considered human, she isn't a mystic beast either—so how was she also absorbed into the Mystic Beast Manual?

"Escaped, as long as we escaped, that's good enough." Yue Mingsong let out a sigh of relief.

Ning Xiaochuan sat atop the Double-headed Stone Beast, continuing deeper into the Corpse Cave, casually voicing his doubts.

Yue Mingsong, leaning against Ning Xiaochuan while circulating his energy to heal, explained, "Among the many Yin Evil beings, the Nether Knights represent 'guardianship.' In truth, whether it's the Nether Knights, Blood Fiend Generals, Yin Soldiers, or Corpse Fiends, they are all manifestations of the will within the deceased—what we call the soul."

"Different wills give rise to different forms of Yin Evil. The Nether Knights embody 'guardianship,' the Blood Fiend Generals embody 'bloodlust,' the Yin Soldiers embody 'attack,' and the Corpse Fiends embody 'indomitable spirit.' In essence, they are all Yin Spirits born from the bodies of the dead."

Ning Xiaochuan nodded in understanding. It seemed those ten Nether Knights had emerged from the female corpse, representing her will to protect herself. Wherever the female corpse was, they would be there as well.

Yue Mingsong suddenly thought of something and said, "Your Northern Abyss Divine Art is so formidable—why not teach me a move or two?"

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head with a smile. "It can't be taught."

"Then let me become your disciple—from now on, you'll be my master. Even just the first layer would be enough!" Yue Mingsong felt the Northern Abyss Divine Art was simply too powerful, practically the greatest martial art in the world.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "It truly can't be passed on."

Yue Mingsong still refused to give up, thinking to himself that there would be plenty of time in the future—he had to learn at least a fragment of it from Ning Xiaochuan.

The Corpse Cave was extremely deep, filled with numerous coffins. The further they ventured, the more expansive the space became, as if they had arrived at an ancient burial ground.

At the same time, outside the Emperor's Tomb Forest, a large group of martial artists appeared, all clad in the robes of the Emperor's Martial Palace.

Han Fu, leader of the Emperor's City's Law Enforcement Team, along with half of the alliance leaders and society heads from the "Four Alliances and Five Societies," including the leader of the Cloud Alliance and the head of the Tianli Society, arrived with a large number of students from the academy, gathering at the edge of the Emperor's Tomb Forest.

"Native experts have gathered in large numbers within the Emperor's Tomb Forest—something earth-shattering must have happened here. The Deputy Headmaster said that the celestial phenomenon of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons has appeared. Perhaps the Emperor's Tomb is about to open!" Han Fu led thirty-six elite members of the Law Enforcement Team as they stepped into the Emperor's Tomb Forest first.

"Hmph! These natives actually dare to trespass into the Ghost Dream Wilderness? This time, we'll make sure they never return—this place will become their burial ground!" The leader of the Cloud Alliance stood atop a chariot pulled by three fifth-rank mystic beasts, allowing it to hover above the ground, towering over everyone else.

The leader of the Cloud Alliance was the eldest disciple of the Cloud Marquis, named Xiao Cheng. At thirty-four years old, he sported a meticulously trimmed mustache and exuded an imposing aura of authority.

A large number of experts from the Cloud Alliance also arrived at the Emperor's Tomb Forest, advancing toward its center.

They had been dispatched by the academy to suppress the native experts and uncover the truth behind the disturbances within the Emperor's Tomb Forest.

"But what if a Witch King-level figure from the natives also enters the Emperor's Tomb Forest?" someone voiced their concern.

It must be understood that those who can be crowned as Witch Kings among the Natives possess cultivation at the Martial Venerable level, far beyond what this group of students could hope to contend against.

"What is there to fear? With the Dragon Warriors Battalion and the Dragon Elephant Divine Martial Battalion guarding the borders, it is nearly impossible for a figure of the Witch King's caliber to enter the Ghost Dream Wilderness," Han Fu declared resolutely.

All the students of the Emperor's Martial Palace entered the Emperor's Tomb Forest.