"I wouldn't dare claim thorough knowledge. I did indeed come across the name 'Heavenly Corpse Sect' in an ancient text, but the book was rather vague on the subject, giving only a general overview."
Baiyun Shanren briefly summarized what the book said and explained, "The Heavenly Corpse Sect was a demonic sect from long ago. It wasn't a major demonic sect, having only minor fame in its era. Its disciples excelled at corpse refining, and their refining techniques were exceedingly unique—instead of utilizing yin qi, they drew upon earth fiend qi. The refined corpses they produced had physical bodies far tougher than those created by other corpse refining arts. For that reason, the Heavenly Corpse Sect established numerous branches in places rich in earth fiend qi for disciples to refine corpses. Later, for reasons unknown, the sect vanished without a trace, and their corpse refining methods were lost to time as well. Originally, I was dubious and treated it merely as a tale, but seeing this darksteel medallion and these unique baleful corpses confirms that the ancient text spoke the truth. It seems the Heavenly Corpse Sect likely provoked a formidable enemy who severed their heritage and sealed their stronghold as well."
Hearing the lore behind the Heavenly Corpse Sect, Qin Sang had an epiphany. He looked down at the ashes on the floor, thinking to himself that it was no wonder these baleful corpses were so strange. He pressed further, "Fellow Daoist Baiyun, is this place a branch altar or the main headquarters of the Heavenly Corpse Sect? Could there be refined corpses inside comparable to Flying Yakshas?"
Baiyun Shanren shook his head. "It shouldn't be the headquarters; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many low-level zombies along the perimeter. The book mentioned that even the sect master of the Heavenly Corpse Sect back then was merely a Golden Core Master, and branches were historically overseen by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Thus, at most, we may encounter stronger baleful corpses deeper in, but it's impossible for a Flying Yaksha to be present."
Hearing this, the tension in everyone's hearts eased considerably.
Refined corpses were ultimately unliving things. Without a cultivator manipulating them, no matter how powerful a baleful corpse might be, its abilities had limits. Once their group reunited, even if they couldn't defeat them, escaping would not be difficult.
A Flying Yaksha, however, was another matter entirely. It was a mighty refined corpse on par with a Golden Core Master, possessed of virulent corpse poison and mastery over five-element escape arts. Ghostly and unpredictable, no number of Foundation Establishment cultivators could withstand a single blow from it.
Wu Yuesheng frowned, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Merely a branch altar? In that case, there probably aren't many treasures inside. It looks like we came all this way for nothing."
Qin Sang glanced at Wu Yuesheng.
Baiyun Shanren advised, "Even if there were a treasury, it would surely have been emptied long ago. We were nearly swallowed by the earth fiend qi; coming out unscathed is already good fortune. At worst, it's just an empty trip. Fellow Daoist Qingting and Fellow Daoist Yu prepared for years and meticulously crafted formation-breaking magic tools—they have far more reason to feel it wasn't worth it than we do."
After Baiyun Shanren put it that way, everyone seemed less disappointed.
As they spoke, the restrictions on the heavy darksteel doors were cracked, revealing a gap. After ensuring there was no ambush on the other side, the four filed through one after another.
Upon entering, all four were somewhat surprised. The spiritual power here was several times denser than before, already rivaling the cave abodes assigned to Foundation Establishment disciples at Shaohua Mountain.
Baiyun Shanren and the Liu brothers were considered somewhat famous among rogue cultivators, yet their own cave abodes fell short of this place.
"It seems we are nearing the branch's core area. Everyone, be cautious in all things," Baiyun Shanren cautioned, then added, "Liu Jiang and I will lead the way to guard against surprise attacks from baleful corpses."
Before Wu Yuesheng could speak, Qin Sang preempted him, saying, "I'll take the rear. Senior Brother Wu, help Fellow Daoist Baiyun watch over Fellow Daoist Liu. Any cultivator qualified to have a cave abode here was certainly not weak, and the refined corpses are not to be underestimated. Two people guarding him will be safer."
He was unwilling to leave his back exposed to Wu Yuesheng, preferring to shoulder any danger from behind on his own.
Suspecting nothing, Wu Yuesheng agreed.
With the formation settled, the four set off. The stone corridor was narrow. Baiyun Shanren and Liu Jiang walked at the front, while Wu Yuesheng trailed slightly behind, the two flanking Liu Jiang front and back, with Qin Sang bringing up the rear.
At Wu Yuesheng's insistence, they slowed their pace to carefully inspect every stone chamber they encountered. It seemed the number of cultivators qualified to establish cave abodes here had been limited; stone chambers were few, so it didn't delay them for long.
To their surprise, they did not run into a single baleful corpse along the way.
The stone corridor sloped further downward. Finding nothing of value, Wu Yuesheng grew increasingly impatient and demanded, "Fellow Daoist Liu, why haven't we found the others yet? Can you actually sense their location or not?"
Liu Jiang did not dare argue and could only offer a hushed explanation.
Baiyun Shanren smoothed things over, saying, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Wu. I can vouch for them. The brothers truly share a telepathic connection, and as their cultivation advances, this link only grows stronger. It's likely that the terrain here is intricate, and we haven't yet—"
Midway through his sentence, Baiyun Shanren paused and snapped his head up to stare deep into the stone corridor, his brow furrowing tightly. Just as the others were wondering what was wrong, Baiyun Shanren's face changed drastically, and he bellowed sharply,
"Watch out!"
Before his voice finished echoing, a black silhouette appeared before them without warning and flashed past with terrifying speed. They couldn't even make out what it looked like, catching only a glimpse of a dark shadow lunging like lightning toward Baiyun Shanren.
At the critical juncture, Baiyun Shanren hastily summoned the cloth pouch magic tool known as the Sky-Trapping Pouch to block in front of him. The next instant, a ghostly claw materialized out of thin air and slammed heavily against it.
*Bang!*
The Sky-Trapping Pouch shielded him in time, so Baiyun Shanren was unharmed, yet the monstrous force easily shoved him back, slamming him against the stone wall with a muffled groan.
Seeing this, Qin Sang was thoroughly alarmed and hastily recalled his Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword. Right after, a scream tore from Liu Jiang up ahead, and Liu Jiang floated into the air in a bizarre manner before vanishing into the depths of the stone corridor with a whoosh.
In that fleeting glance, Qin Sang saw a ghostly face emerge from over Liu Jiang's shoulder, gazing at them with what seemed like a bizarre smile. The black shadow clung tightly to Liu Jiang's body, vanishing along with him.
"A baleful corpse! Quickly, save Fellow Daoist Liu!"
Baiyun Shanren, being at the front, had seen it most clearly.
With the sudden crisis, he had only managed to trigger the Sky-Trapping Pouch to protect himself, allowing Liu Jiang to fall into the baleful corpse's grasp. Filled with deep remorse, he let out a grieved cry and gave chase immediately.
Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng exchanged a glance and, without hesitation, exerted their movement techniques to follow closely behind.
Though this baleful corpse was utterly bizarre and terrifyingly fast, snatching Liu Jiang away in an instant, they had no choice. The earth fiend qi was hot on their heels, making retreat impossible. They had to join forces to slay the baleful corpse or find a way out ahead.
Whether Liu Jiang was dead or alive remained unknown; if something happened to Baiyun Shanren as well, leaving just the two of them, the situation would become even more precarious.
As Qin Sang gave chase, he replayed the perilous moment in his mind, deeply shaken by the baleful corpse's prowess.
The baleful corpses encountered earlier were strong, but nowhere near this absurd. Liu Jiang's iron lotus had remained summoned the whole time, and he had been guarded front and back by Baiyun Shanren and Wu Yuesheng, yet he was dragged away by the baleful corpse without any ability to resist.
What unsettled Qin Sang even more was the eerie smile he had seen on that ghostly face in the final moment before the baleful corpse vanished.
He had seen it with absolute clarity; it was certainly no hallucination.
Chapter 163