Chapter 26

The demon corpse is a highly sinister and vicious killing tool created by practitioners of the dark arts. It is called a tool because the demon corpse has no autonomous consciousness, no soul, and not even the soul fire that a zombie possesses. The demon corpse has no blood or soul fire in its body, but under the control of a dark arts expert, it can brutally kill people or beasts and absorb their blood and essence to strengthen itself. The longer it is refined and the more blood and flesh it consumes, the more powerful the demon corpse becomes. When it grows strong enough to be invulnerable to blades and immune to water and fire, it becomes a major headache for ordinary martial artists. Furthermore, many dark arts martial artists often soak the demon corpse in poisonous liquids for a long time or place it in a valley filled with toxic mists, allowing it to be eroded by the mists until it becomes extremely toxic, causing death upon contact for ordinary people!

Because the act of refining demon corpses is extremely vicious and goes against the natural order, dark arts practitioners are often treated like rats in the street, with everyone calling for their extermination in many places. Even many dark arts practitioners disdain associating with them. Standing halfway down the mountain, Shen Lang indeed saw many corpses scattered around, their blood drained and bodies completely rotten, a terrifying and ghastly sight.

"Tianniao City is the closest city to the capital of Zichu Kingdom. Without mentioning the other powerful sects around, it is within the territory of the Spirit Copper-level sect, Huanglong Sect. For a dark arts practitioner to dare come here and bring over a hundred demon corpses, this is quite suspicious."

Shen Lang's eyes darted around, and he took out a ghost mask he had used for fun before, putting it on his face. Then he leaped down from the rock and began to stealthily approach the people below, using the cover of the forest.

Huanglong Sect is the guardian sect of Zichu Kingdom, a Spirit Copper-level force, and is one of the three major sects of Zichu Kingdom, alongside Huajian Sect and Lihen Sect. Even if a dark arts sect wants to survive in Zichu Kingdom, they usually stay away from the territories of these three major sects. Because once such an incident occurs, it won't be long before many powerful forces, even experts from Huanglong Sect, are summoned. Coming so close to Huanglong Sect is practically courting death. At this distance, even someone like Shen Lang, who can't afford a spirit beast for transportation, can walk it in two to three days with a few divine travel talismans.

Therefore, such demon corpses appearing so close to the capital of Zichu Kingdom have almost never been seen before. When Shen Lang stealthily arrived, the trapped people were already engaged in a fierce battle with the group of demon corpses. Shouts and the clashing of metal resounded continuously, occasionally punctuated by the screams of women. Shen Lang held his breath, suppressed his aura, and scanned the scene. His eyes were immediately drawn to a woman in a blue dress.

This woman, who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, was a celestial beauty, with her black hair gently dancing, eyes like stars, and red lips and white teeth shimmering with a crystalline luster. Her neck was slender, her skin as smooth as ice, and her beauty was unparalleled. At that moment, she wielded a long sword, creating a blue glow as she moved, like a fairy among flowers, completely overshadowing the revolting demon corpses around her, drawing everyone's attention.

Shen Lang, though not a lecher, felt a sense of awe at the sight. After a while, he shifted his gaze to the others, sighing inwardly. This woman, with her beauty, was at about the Fifth Heaven of the Qi Martial Realm, comparable to Xue Dang. In this place, she was considered a formidable figure. She practiced a water-based cultivation technique, and her long sword was of high quality. Her attacks drove the demon corpses back step by step. In the time Shen Lang observed, she had already slain two demon corpses.

To her right was a middle-aged man with a pale, beardless face, the most powerful among the group. He wielded a large axe, moving with grace and power, each strike cutting a demon corpse in half. Given his strength, Shen Lang didn't dare to probe him with his divine sense, but he could feel his aura, estimating him to be at the peak of the Qi Martial Realm. This level of cultivation was almost on par with the city lord of Tianniao City. From his attire and movements, he seemed to be the bodyguard of the blue-dressed woman, indicating that she was of significant importance.

Apart from these two, the other two men and one woman seemed much weaker. The weakest woman, likely a maid, was at the Sixth or Seventh Heaven of the Force Martial Realm, and her screams were often heard. However, she was in the center of the group, making her the safest. The other two men, with their movements, seemed to be at the Second or Third Heaven of the Qi Martial Realm, similar to Shen Jianfeng. Although their cultivation was not weak, the demon corpses' defenses were too strong, and their swords often sparked against the demon corpses, making it extremely difficult to kill them. Many times, they relied on high-grade talismans to slay the demon corpses. However, with over a hundred demon corpses, their talismans were clearly insufficient. Moreover, many of the demon corpses were highly toxic, and after a long battle, they were forced to retreat, forming a small circle.

It seemed that this group still had control of the situation, with the protective light barriers from their defensive spirit artifacts effectively protecting them, and the number of demon corpses was decreasing. Breaking through the encirclement was just a matter of time. However, the reality was different. Outside the battle, two demon corpses stood motionless.

From their appearance, these two demon corpses seemed similar to the others, with hollow eyes and emaciated bodies. One even had a broken thigh, with the bone protruding, a terrifying sight. However, the most powerful middle-aged man was paying the most attention to these two demon corpses, often glancing at them with a wary look.

Just as Shen Lang was observing these two demon corpses, the one with the broken thigh suddenly turned its head and "looked" in Shen Lang's direction!

"Spirit Corpse!" Shen Lang was startled, not expecting to encounter a spirit corpse with intelligence! At this level, even if the middle-aged man was at the peak of the Qi Martial Realm, without a powerful magical treasure or something to counter the spirit corpse, he would be helpless against it! And it wasn't just one, but two!

What shocked Shen Lang even more was the two weak auras coming from the pile of corpses behind them!

"There's something even more powerful!"

"Li!"

Just as Shen Lang's gaze sharpened, the demon corpse with the broken thigh let out a fierce cry, leaping high into the air and charging toward the tree where Shen Lang was hiding! The middle-aged man's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he also looked toward the tree.

"Hmph, you've targeted me?" Shen Lang's body turned, and he kicked his right foot up, striking the chest of the leaping demon corpse. A loud "boom" echoed, and cracks appeared in the rock beneath Shen Lang's left foot, while the demon corpse rolled in the air and returned to its original position.

"This demon corpse is indeed strong, with such immense power." Shen Lang, holding the Heavenly Water Blade in his right hand and rubbing his numb thigh with his left, stepped out and chopped off the head of a charging demon corpse.

The middle-aged man, changing his expression, said loudly, "My friend, we are from the Water Family of the capital of Zichu Kingdom. We encountered these demon corpses and acted out of anger, but ended up trapped here. Please lend us a hand, and we will surely repay you later."

"You overestimate me. Even with my help, it's almost impossible to escape from these demon corpses." As Shen Lang spoke, he kicked a demon corpse away and slashed another's neck.

These weaker demon corpses were not a concern for him, but their numbers were too great, and they were highly toxic, making a single mistake fatal. Most importantly, the creatures behind the two spirit corpses!

None of the people here could match them!

"Hmph, where did you come from, you brat? You're boosting the morale of the demon corpses and demoralizing yourself! If you don't want to help, go away and don't interfere with us!" A young man in a brocade robe on the left of the beautiful woman said with a hostile tone.

Another young man in black agreed, "That's right. Uncle Zhou is a peak Qi Martial Realm expert. These demon corpses are nothing. It's just a matter of time before they are all slain!"

"Alright, then I apologize for the disturbance." Shen Lang smiled, slashed a demon corpse, and with a few quick movements, he left the battle. Being on the outskirts and with his agile movements, it was easy for him to leave.

The people on the battlefield were stunned, not expecting the masked man to leave so easily!

The beautiful woman, in a hurry, said, "Sir, please don't take my friends' words to heart. They didn't mean it. We hope you can help us escape this predicament... We have already sent out a message. If we can hold on for a while, experts from Tianniao City will come to our aid, and everything will be resolved."

However, Shen Lang seemed determined, ignoring her words and walking away from the battlefield with his blade.

"Miss, these demon corpses are endless, and the ground is now covered with toxic liquid. They may not be able to hold on much longer. We must capture the leaders first. Let's each take one of the spirit corpses!" Uncle Zhou said anxiously. "You don't need to seek glory. Just hold one of them for a while, and I will do my best... sacrificing a spirit artifact to slay one, then come to your aid!"

The woman's face flushed as she looked at the two men who had spoken. She was startled to see that their faces and those of her maid, Caiyin, were enveloped in a black mist, their expressions dazed and their steps unsteady!

And at their feet, green, revolting liquid had spread everywhere!

"Alright! Uncle Zhou, let's take a chance and not delay any longer!" She shouted, "Caiyin, Uncle Zhou and I will clear a path for you. The three of you run up the mountain. These demon corpses are slow and won't catch you."

"No, Miss, we can't leave you behind!" The maid, Caiyin, cried.

"Run first, and we will follow. If you don't run, none of us will make it out." The beautiful woman called out again.

The man with the blade, Shen Lang, who was slowly moving forward, suddenly turned around and said, "It's too late. You can't run now."

"You!" The beautiful woman was furious. This man not only refused to help but also made such a cold remark, which was outrageous!

She turned and raised her voice, "The three of you, go now! It's an order!"

After saying this, she shouted, "Uncle Zhou, let's go!"

The two of them activated their spirit artifacts, cutting a bloody path through the demon corpses and leaping toward the two spirit corpses...

"Capture the leaders first!"

...