Chapter 164: The Female Corpse Speaks

Chapter 164: The Female Corpse Speaks

In the distance, emerging from the chaotic blood mist were four native warriors. They wore Bone Garments and smeared Corpse Blood on their skin to mask their auras, standing guard at the Blood Realm Gate.

Last time, after Yue Mingsong stole the door panel, the native warriors had grown vigilant, strengthening their watch over the Blood Realm Gate. Among them was a white-haired elderly man who had reached the Transcendent Realm. After stepping out of the blood cave, he sat motionless outside the entrance and immediately began cultivating.

The higher one's martial cultivation, the more one could perceive the vast profundity of the martial path and the boundless potential of the body, driving oneself to greater discipline.

The Transcendent Realm was already considered an immensely powerful stage in martial arts. Experts of this level rarely showed themselves, as most were secluded in cultivation, serving as the pillars of their respective factions.

Ji Hanxing frowned slightly and said, "The natives have a Transcendent Realm expert guarding the Blood Realm. Let’s retreat to the woods and rest for an hour. If I can recover even thirty percent of my strength, I should be able to kill that Transcendent Realm native elder."

Ji Hanxing herself was a "One-in-a-Hundred-Million Talent," possessing formidable cultivation and vigorous Blood Qi. Though both were in the Transcendent Realm, she believed herself stronger than that native elder.

However, she had been severely wounded by the Black Lai High Priest, her injuries critical, sustained only by sheer willpower. Thus, she immediately sat down to begin healing.

Ning Xiaochuan also swiftly activated his cultivation technique, rapidly refining the vast Blood Qi within his body, hoping to restore most of his combat power within the hour.

The speed at which Ning Xiaochuan refined Blood Qi was directly linked to his mastery of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi. The higher his cultivation layer, the faster he could refine it.

If he could reach the Fifth Layer of Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, his Blood Qi refinement speed would double.

However, Heaven and Earth Profound Qi was exceedingly difficult to cultivate, and Ning Xiaochuan had yet to reach the fifth layer.

Just as Ning Xiaochuan was rapidly refining his Blood Qi, another disturbance occurred inside the Heaven and Earth Bag. A massive Mystic Beast Egg flew out, its shell crystalline and translucent, scattering droplets of light as it hovered above Ning Xiaochuan’s head.

It was actually absorbing the Blood Qi within Ning Xiaochuan’s body!

Nine cracks had already formed on the Mystic Beast Egg’s surface, emitting a faint fragrance from the fissures—reminiscent of flower pollen, a woman’s natural scent, and the concentrated aroma of medicinal herbs.

Yet, the egg had not fully shattered. The life force inside grew increasingly intense, surpassing even that of a Divine Body Realm martial artist. It felt as though a young deity was being nurtured within.

When the Mystic Beast Egg emerged, the Small Red Dragon rushed over, stretching out its claws to scratch eagerly at the eggshell.

It danced excitedly, flapping its tiny blood-red wings as it circled the egg, letting out a series of "ao ao ao" cries.

The Small Red Dragon’s calls alerted the four native warriors guarding the Blood Realm Gate, their gazes turning sharply toward the woods.

Yue Mingsong quickly pounced forward, catching the Small Red Dragon, covering its mouth, and pressing it against his chest.

"Lin Mu, go check what creature is making noise in the woods," ordered the Transcendent Realm Elder of the Native Warriors.

"Yes."

A Sixth Level Divine Body Realm Native Warrior, gripping a Bone Spear, cautiously entered the woods.

Thud!

Yue Mingsong swung a door panel, smashing it against the back of the warrior's head, knocking him unconscious. He then dragged the warrior into a pile of grass and hid him.

Half an hour passed, and the Native Warrior named Lin Mu still hadn't returned from the woods, making the remaining three Native Warriors increasingly anxious.

The Transcendent Realm Elder also sensed something amiss. He stopped cultivating, stood up, and fixed his gaze on the Yin-infested woods, detecting traces of Vital Qi rising from within.

Something’s definitely wrong.

His withered finger pointed into the void, causing ripples to form in the air as a beam of light, as thick as a bowl's mouth, shot out.

Clang!

A metallic collision echoed from the woods, like the violent strike of an iron bell.

But it wasn’t an iron bell—it was Yue Mingsong holding up an Iron Door Panel, standing like a 7-meter-tall shield, blocking the beam.

The Sixth Level Divine Body Realm warrior who had barged in earlier had also been taken down by him.

"How much longer do you two need to recover? That old man is coming this way, and I can’t hold him off!" Yue Mingsong grew frantic as he watched the Transcendent Realm Elder slowly approach, fighting the urge to turn and flee.

After half an hour of refinement, the Blood Qi in Ning Xiaochuan’s body gradually calmed. Some of it was absorbed by him, while the rest was taken in by the Mystic Beast Egg floating above him.

Ning Xiaochuan’s cultivation advanced once more, now just a step away from reaching the peak of the Seventh Level of the Divine Body Realm.

Having absorbed enough Blood Qi, the Mystic Beast Egg’s life force grew stronger, and a tenth crack appeared on its shell—yet it still hadn’t hatched.

Ji Hanxing, after consuming Yu Qianqian’s Intermediate Elixir and refining it for over half an hour, had her Elixir Qi spread throughout her body, recovering roughly thirty percent of her strength. Waves of intense Blood Qi erupted from her, and strands of Profound Qi surged from her pores, taking the form of tiny dragon-like wisps.

Ji Hanxing placed her hand on the Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear, her cold eyes locking onto Ning Xiaochuan. "Leave the elder to me. The two at the cave entrance are yours. We strike simultaneously—fast and decisive. We can’t afford to alert other Native Warriors."

Ning Xiaochuan stored the Mystic Beast Egg into the Heaven and Earth Bag and condensed a red short sword from Profound Qi. Standing up, his sharp aura radiating, he nodded solemnly.

Ji Hanxing was slightly surprised. In just half an hour, Ning Xiaochuan’s cultivation had improved significantly. The Northern Abyss Divine Art is truly formidable. This kid’s future potential is limitless—he might even become a major threat to the Marquis.

Boom!

Ji Hanxing pulled the Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear from the ground, her body catapulting into the air as she soared over 60 meters high. Reaching the peak of her ascent, she plummeted downward with immense speed, thrusting her spear toward the Transcendent Realm Native Elder below.

The Transcendent Realm Native Elder sensed danger and looked up to see Ji Hanxing descending from the sky. The Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear in her hands scraped against the air, igniting flames, making it seem like a meteor crashing toward the earth.

"Profound Ice Qi!"

The Transcendent Realm Native Elder extended both hands, conjuring a void barrier resembling a floating cloud in the sky. The cloud was formed from Freezing Energy, altering the air's temperature and coating the distant trees in frost, turning the surroundings into an Ice and Snow World.

"Boom!"

The Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear pierced through the Profound Ice Qi with a force capable of tearing through clouds and sun, impaling the Native Elder into the ground. Crimson blood splattered onto Ji Hanxing's armor, staining it red.

Just like that, a Transcendent Realm elder was slain.

Ji Hanxing shook her armor and unleashed a wave of Freezing Energy, encasing the elder's corpse in ice.

"Crack!"

The frozen mass shattered into powder under the Profound Qi radiating from her body—utterly erasing all traces.

She lifted the Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear and glanced toward the Blood Realm Gate, only to find Ning Xiaochuan had already outpaced her. The two formidable Native Warriors lay in pools of blood.

Ning Xiaochuan briefly met her gaze, a dazzling light gathering between his brows before shooting out two streaks of Blazing Flame, incinerating the corpses into ashes.

The four of them, along with the small red dragon, stepped into the blood-mist-filled cave, entering the mysterious and perilous Blood Realm.

Yue Mingsong held an iron plate in his hands, locking onto their position. "Theoretically, the Blood Realm's gate should have two layers. We've only entered the outer gate, crafted by the Native Warriors. There's also an inner gate, naturally formed by the Blood Realm itself. However, the Yin-Yang Furnace likely isn't stored within the inner gate, so we don't need to venture there."

"All that talk, yet nothing useful," Ji Hanxing said coldly, her eyes flashing with the urge to cut out Yue Mingsong's tongue.

"I was just explaining things for everyone's sake," Yue Mingsong replied innocently.

"Shh!"

Ning Xiaochuan raised a silencing gesture, pressing his ear against the stone wall. From within the rock came eerie, shrill cries—like a wailing ghost or the mournful weeping of Corpse Fiends—enough to send chills down one's spine.

At the same time, the Mystic Beast Manual tucked in Ning Xiaochuan's chest emitted a faint glow, and a voice emerged from within:

"Help me seize the Yin-Yang Furnace, and I shall grant you a great opportunity."

It was a woman's voice.

Ning Xiaochuan quickly retrieved the Mystic Beast Manual, inspecting its three mystic beast chambers. The first housed the Double-headed Stone Beast, the second the Tai Sui Cub, and the third—the Female Corpse.

Though Ning Xiaochuan could understand the Double-headed Stone Beast and the Tai Sui Cub, he had never heard them speak human words. That left only one explanation.

The Female Corpse had spoken.

Yet when Ning Xiaochuan carefully observed her, she remained motionless, weak and asleep, absorbing the Mystic Beast Manual's power to heal her injuries.

"Legend has it that any martial artist who reaches the Earthly Venerable Realm can master the power of mental transmission. Could it be that the Female Corpse just sent me a mental transmission?"

The Yin-Yang Furnace is an eighth-grade Mystic Artifact, a treasure of heaven and earth, capable of transforming Yin Soldiers into Blood Fiend Generals while also nurturing Corpse Fiends and enhancing their cultivation. Could it be that the Female Corpse sensed the presence of the Yin-Yang Furnace here and wanted Ning Xiaochuan to help her find it, so she could suppress the Short Sword embedded in her body and achieve rebirth?

"What's wrong with you?" Yu Qianqian asked.

Ning Xiaochuan quickly stowed away the Mystic Beast Manual and shook his head lightly. "It's nothing. Listen to the sounds coming from the stones—they’re the voices of many Yin Soldiers and Corpse Fiends. If we follow the sounds, we should be able to find the Yin-Yang Furnace."

Yue Mingsong had once suggested that the Mystic Beast Manual might be a super Profound Qi artifact. Naturally, Ning Xiaochuan couldn’t recklessly reveal such a treasure, lest it bring fatal danger upon him. So, he had no choice but to keep it hidden from Yu Qianqian.

Ji Hanxing, Yu Qianqian, and Yue Mingsong all pressed their ears lightly against the stone wall. Indeed, they heard the agonized wails of Yin Soldiers and Corpse Fiends, sending chills down their spines.