Chapter 259: Refining Myself

The Silver Carapace Corpse King appeared instantly, blocking Chen Luo’s path. Dense bone patterns materialized across its body, and this corpse puppet, crafted from White Jade Bone, was even more powerful than a normal Silver Carapace Corpse King. Particularly noticeable was its right arm, where dark, ominous bone patterns radiated an eerie, cold light. Facing the charging Corpse King, it raised its arm and struck head-on.

“A Silver Carapace Corpse King?!”

The Corpse-Raising Sect Master’s pupils constricted in shock. He hadn’t expected anyone else to possess such a powerful specimen.

Boom!

The two Corpse Kings collided violently. The impact created a tempest of corpse qi, cracking the ground below. After a brief stalemate, the arm bones of the Corpse-Raising Sect’s Silver Carapace Corpse King suddenly snapped with a brittle sound, breaking apart at critical joints like withered branches.

The right arm, still covered in black bone patterns, maintained its momentum after shattering the opponent’s arm and crashed into its chest. The force sent the Corpse King flying backward, slamming into the main hall of the Divine Lake Peak. The shockwave erupted, causing the hall to collapse.

“Impossible!” the Corpse-Raising Sect Master groaned, a dark Qi flowing from his mouth. His cultivating corpse had been injured, and as its controller, he suffered backlash. Already weakened from a recent clash with the Immortal Sect Leader, this confrontation further aggravated his wounds. Meanwhile, the Nine Poisons Valley Master’s attack arrived—a toxic wind that bypassed the cultivating corpse entirely, heading straight for Chen Luo.

They intended to poison the Corpse Controller to death.

Core Formation cultivators never fought directly. Their sole objective was to eliminate their opponent.

Composite Poison Technique—a Tier Three poison art! Watch out for the gas!

The thought flashed through Wang Mingde’s mind in the external brain. Chen Luo swiftly redirected the Core Formation cultivator’s consciousness, the familiar sensation of manipulating spiritual energy resurfacing. Though his range couldn’t match a true Core Formation expert, he could still protect himself.

With a flourish of his sleeve, nine Magic Swords shot forth from his cuffs.

Under the influence of the spiritual energy, the nine swords spun and enlarged, each blade connecting with the heavens. They churned the spiritual energy, creating a ring-shaped array. After completing the formation, Chen Luo retrieved the Soul Banner. Lin Feng’s spiritual soul, along with those of the Demonseed Sect Leader and the Black Carapace Daoist, emerged and swirled around him, accompanied by a dense swarm of banesouls, forming an ominous soulsword formation.

“An array master?”

A flicker of apprehension flashed in the Nine Poisons Valley Lord’s eyes. His figure darted twice as he retreated to the perimeter, maintaining a safe distance from Chen Luo. The cardinal rule when facing an array master was to avoid entering their formation. Once trapped, the outcome became utterly uncontrollable. Everyone knew of the legendary battle that had established his reputation.

“Just who are you, Fellow Daoist?”

When brute force failed, it was time to change tactics. Unfortunately for his opponents, Chen Luo had no intention of wasting time with them. Dark energy swirled around him as he replied coldly,

“A passerby.”

After repelling the Nine Poisons Valley Sect Master, Chen Luo swiftly recalled his cultivating corpses to guard against ambushes. The formation beneath his feet activated, causing his figure to rapidly dissipate. In mere moments, his body seemed to vaporize, vanishing completely.

“You let him escape?”

The Corpse-Raising Sect Master, regaining his composure, demanded with a grim expression.

“How dare a mere Foundation Establishment brat steal my treasure?!”

The Corpse-Raising Sect Master harbored another unspoken thought: he coveted Chen Luo’s cultivating corpses. He believed such a formidable Corpse King could only reach its full potential in his hands. The Silver Carapace Corpse King in his possession had already been refined to its peak. Unlike Chen Luo’s, its refinement technique was far superior. If he could seize it and nurture it, there might even be hope for further advancement.

Alas, reality rarely aligns with wishful thinking.

Without the Nine Poisons Valley Sect Master’s assistance, he had no chance of capturing Chen Luo. Though only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, Chen Luo controlled a Silver Carapace Corpse King, possessed abnormally strong spiritual sense, and, most critically, could manipulate the ambient elemental energies.

His skillful command over the battle displayed none of the clumsiness expected of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The final defensive formation, channeling primordial energy from heaven and earth, showed even greater mastery than that displayed by the two Sect Leaders.

“Settle your own grudges,” the Nine Poisons Valley Lord said, glancing at his opponent before darting toward the main peak of the God Lake Immortal Sect.

With the Immortal Sect Leader dealt with, their alliance had reached its end. Now came the division of spoils, their relationship shifting from cooperative allies to competitive rivals. Naturally, the Nine Poisons Valley Lord wouldn’t waste energy helping the Zombie Cult Leader against Chen Luo.

“It’s just a Pouch of Holding,” he thought. “The opponent has proven his worth and deserves it.”

What he truly desired were the resources of the God Lake Immortal Sect.

“Very well!” the Zombie Cult Leader sneered, summoning a casket. He guided his wounded corpse king back into it, then turned and left without looking back. With the corpse king injured and the Nine Poisons Valley Lord present, he knew he wouldn’t get a share of the main feast at the God Lake Immortal Sect. But the peripheral resources? Those he would definitely claim!

Chen Luo hadn’t fled far.

Lacking advanced遁术, he relied on the formation’s power to descend back to the ground. Dispersing the concealing black mist around him, he reverted to his guise as an elder of the God Lake Immortal Sect.

In the midst of the chaos, hiding here was the safest option.

If he could just endure this period, he could escape the Immortal Sect. By the time the two old fogies above realized it, they’d never find him. But before that, he needed to ‘inherit’ the Immortal Sect Leader’s cultivation technique. Only with that knowledge could he become the complete Immortal Sect Leader.

With the previous leader gone, the sect’s banner now rested squarely on his shoulders.

Such trust from my seniors!

Crack.

As Chen Luo pondered his next move, a sudden sound shattered the silence nearby.

He glanced over and saw a pale-faced Corpse-Raising Sect girl cowering timidly among the ruins. The noise had come from her stepping on a loose stone. From her robes, she was likely a disciple sent to participate in the Sect Grand Competition. Not one of the dazzling prodigies, just a barely noticeable bystander he hadn’t even registered before.

An enemy sect disciple—kill her.

He’d already offended the Corpse-Raising Sect Leader, and conflict with that sect was inevitable. Every member of the Corpse-Raising Sect was now his enemy.

Sensing Chen Luo’s murderous intent, the Corpse-Raising Sect girl paled visibly but gritted her teeth and slapped her Corpse-Raising Sack.

A flash of black corpse qi erupted, and a cultivating corpse surged forth from within.

In the next instant, a wave of late-stage Foundation Establishment power crashed over her. The Corpse-Raising Sect girl froze mid-motion, her face turning deathly white as she stood rooted in place.

Is this the power of Foundation Establishment?

Only by facing it directly could one truly grasp the chasm between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining.

“Hmm?”

Chen Luo lowered his raised hand, his gaze falling upon the cultivating corpse beside the girl, a flicker of memory in his eyes. He recognized it. This was the very corpse from which he had first learned the Iron Body Art. It was the mummy Daoist’s lifeblood. When Chen Luo had returned earlier, he had sought out his old friend, never expecting to find a clue here.

“Where did you get this cultivating corpse?”

The girl, who had already resigned herself to death, froze momentarily. Feeling Chen Luo’s gaze upon her, she shuddered and immediately replied:

“My grandfather gave it to me. He personally refined this corpse puppet. Only members of our corpse family can control it.”

“Your grandfather?” Chen Luo examined the girl closely, noting a faint resemblance to the mummy Daoist, particularly the familiar curve of her brow.

“Senior, did you know my grandfather?” The girl ventured hopefully.

“Where is he now?” Chen Luo asked, already convinced of her identity.

“My grandfather…” The girl hesitated, glancing nervously around.

With the departure of the two Core Formation cultivators, the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Three Sects erupted into another battle. The God Lake Immortal Sect members were fleeing, while the Corpse-Raising Sect and Nine Poisons Valley had turned from allies to bitter enemies, creating utter chaos. Chen Luo’s presence alone kept anyone from causing trouble; everyone clearly remembered how he had casually annihilated two Nine Poisons Valley Foundation Establishment cultivators earlier.

Left without Chen Luo’s protection, the girl knew she stood no chance of escaping alive.

The Corpse-Raising Sect’s most talented disciple had already been reduced to mincemeat, crushed to death by a Nine Poisons Valley Foundation Establishment cultivator with contemptuous ease.

She wanted to live.

She had to rely on Chen Luo.

Making her decision with a firm bite on her lip, the girl once again patted her Pouch of Holding. This time, she pulled out a pitch-black ironwood casket.

The casket, about two and a half meters long, was tightly secured with eight blackened coffin nails. Yellow talismans sealed the gaps between the lid and the frame. Etched into the lid was a blood-red charm, its patterns carved with fresh blood, designed to nourish corpses.

The girl swiftly removed the nails and peeled off the talismans before gently pushing the lid.

Click, click

The casket lid slid open, releasing a dense cloud of corpse qi. Chen Luo swept his divine sense across it and instantly recognized the face within.

It was the Dry Corpse Daoist he had encountered in Shan City.

But now, the Dry Corpse Daoist was truly dead. His body lay in a casket, being nurtured by corpse qi, showing faint signs of evolving into an Iron Corpse.

The old bastard had finally kicked the bucket.

“Grandfather died twenty years ago,” the girl said, lost in memory, briefly describing the circumstances. “After reaching Foundation Establishment, a strange power manifested within him.

“He drove us all out. When we returned, he had already used the Corpse-Raising Sect’s corpse cultivation techniques to transform himself into a zombie.”

A flicker of sorrow crossed her eyes as she spoke.

Foundation Establishment…

The old man had ultimately consumed that Pill.

But unlike Wang Tianji, he had acted decisively. Knowing his death was inevitable, he had transformed himself into a zombie. This way, even if he had successfully reached Foundation Establishment, the curse could only claim his soul, leaving his body as a trump card for his descendants.

“What about your family’s enemies?” Chen Luo asked casually.

He remembered how fixated the Dry Corpse Daoist had been on vengeance. Now that the man was dead, he wondered if that vengeance had been achieved.

“The Lu family still survives.”