Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 534 Great Treasure Obtains the Pill
"A third-tier, high-grade bronze corpse?!" Upon hearing this, Kang Xiangyi was so frightened that his legs trembled, and his old face was filled with shock and fear.

His reaction was the slowest among the group, while the reactions of the other cultivators varied.

The Grand Master Kang emitted a golden light, and Yang Baoshan's expression kept changing. In just a few breaths, who knows how many rounds of internal struggle he went through, he finally had a flash of inspiration in his hand and quickly summoned the Crescent Moon Zen Staff, which he then slammed towards the bronze corpse's burly body.

After hesitating for a moment, Cao Xianlu stood still. The ghost tiger tattoo on his neck suddenly lit up, the skin and flesh split apart instantly, and a vertical pupil suddenly became extremely bright, with green ghost fire gushing out from the pupil.

Jiang Qing secretly envied him for a while, thinking to himself, "Even when Cao Xianlu of the Netherworld Ghost Eyes was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, he still needed to accumulate power for a long time. This time, he was able to emerge in an instant as soon as he formed his core. That's quite remarkable."

However, just as Master Jiang was about to draw his sword to lend a hand, Wu Feng Shangxiu on the other side had other thoughts. Of the four Golden Core cultivators, only he was traveling alone. Headmaster Kang was both angry and furious, but when he caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but sigh:
"No wonder this fellow uses 'Black Wind' as his name. His wind manipulation technique is truly remarkable. No wonder he has suffered no serious injuries despite years of setbacks."

It took the combined efforts of Kang Dabao and the other two to finally stop the third-tier bronze corpse from falling back into the dark cave.

Seeing Wu Fengshangxiu leave alone, the one who was most angry and anxious was not anyone else, but his disciple Zhou Yun. He was not angry that his master had broken his promise, but that he had broken his promise by not taking him along.

However, since he was his own master, Zhou Yun couldn't bring himself to say those harsh words, no matter how anxious or angry he was.

Yang Baoshan, on the other hand, had no such scruples. He retracted the crescent-shaped Zen staff that had been forced back by the bronze corpse, ignoring the filthy slime on it, and immediately began cursing at Wu Feng's retreating figure:
"You wretched fool, do you really think it will abandon you after your men are exhausted and can't stop this nasty thing?! Don't you think the Yang family and the Fei family will come knocking on your door to cause trouble?!"

The principle was simple and clear, but Wu Feng Shangxiu, who had been intimidated by the power of the bronze corpse, simply ignored it:
"What do you mean by 'afterlife'? Only those who are alive have anything to do with what they have to do with their lives! At worst, they can find a remote place to become a hermit cultivator again!"

Sect Leader Kang knew that Yang Baoshan's persuasion was useless, because the former was used to seeing rogue cultivators like Wu Feng Shangxiu, and knew that for them, what were disciples, wives and children compared to their own lives?
However, since one person has already escaped, their chances of winning were already slim. They couldn't let Yang Baoshan follow suit, otherwise they would truly have no chance of survival.

Therefore, Kang Dabao still needed to speak carefully to appease the Yang family patriarch:

"Fellow Daoist Yang, this ugly creature hasn't been nurtured for long enough; it's clearly only recently advanced, and its foundation is unstable. If the three of us work together, we might not be without a fighting chance. If we each try to escape, this ugly creature will likely defeat us one by one, devouring us like food!"

Yang Baoshan held the crescent-shaped Zen staff, nodded for a while, but in his heart he kept cursing: "Yang Yongcheng, Yang Yongcheng, why did you have to go after this guy to cause trouble for Yang Baofeng? Now I, your old ancestor, have to repay this favor."

This guy's got no brains. This is a high-grade, third-tier bronze corpse! Even late-stage Golden Core cultivators would avoid its sharp edge! "Only a girl raised by a concubine will be loyal to you."

Kang Dabao was well aware that although Yang Baoshan kept casting spells and wielding his crescent-shaped staff, he never stopped thinking about escaping.

This is understandable, as Sect Leader Kang still shares the same thoughts. After all, if this bronze corpse is truly troublesome, then someone has to take the fall.

However, Wu Feng Shangxiu had already used up his chance to escape. The aura of the third-tier high-grade bronze corpse in front of him had not weakened, nor had it shown any invincible means. For the time being, it was not enough to cause the fragile alliance in front of him to fall apart.

Each cultivator harbored their own treacherous thoughts, and when their offensive failed, they prepared for defense.

The third-tier bronze corpse suddenly unleashed several pairs of sharp teeth with a fierce screech, causing rubble to fall from the cave ceiling.

A figure, emanating a putrid stench, swept past the stalagmites and pounced towards them. Perhaps it was because Yang Baoshan's Crescent Moon Staff, being a mid-grade magic weapon, was the most conspicuous, that he was the most fortunate to be chosen by this ferocious creature first.

The ten dark, sharp fingers, like sword blades, grazed the crescent-shaped staff, sending up a flurry of golden dust.

Yang Baoshan's face darkened, the veins on the back of his neck bulged, and the collar of his short jacket was charred black by the corpse poison. In just one exchange, he was already at a disadvantage.

The third-tier bronze corpse pressed its advantage, its ten sharp fingers brushing past the monk's staff. It had already passed Yang Baoshan by half a body length, but then it stopped halfway. Without turning around, its spine twisted strangely half a turn, its neck turned back, and its huge head rattled, revealing a patch of dark, serrated teeth.

If Yang Baoshan were to bite down hard, even with years of elixir-making skills, he would lose half his life.

However, Cao Xianlu reacted quickly, a resolute look appearing on his face, his pupils glowing with blue flames, and his tiger-striped tattoo flickering in the ghostly blue phosphorescent light.

A ghostly tiger suddenly leaped out from behind it, and when the tiger roared, it seemed to dilute even the Yin energy on the third-tier bronze corpse.

The vertical pupil at the base of Ghost Tiger Mountain was extremely malevolent, spewing out large plumes of green flames that scorched the third-tier bronze corpse's black teeth, causing them to emit smoke, and the sharpness on the blades gradually faded.

Even with Cao Xianlu's best efforts, he couldn't save Yang Baoshan from danger. The third-tier bronze corpse, despite having a mouthful of missing teeth, still kept trying to bite Yang Baoshan's vital points.

This old cultivator, being a Golden Core cultivator for many years, would not sit idly by and wait for his death.

But when he flicked his finger, the crescent-shaped staff, already covered in scratches, shone with a dazzling spiritual light. In Yang Baoshan's opinion, this fierce power was perhaps the greatest he had ever displayed. Yet, as soon as he got close, he was easily knocked away by the ten sharp fingers of this third-tier bronze corpse. There was no trace of its former power in the way.

"That Wu Feng is quite alert!"

Yang Baoshan was both surprised and afraid, envious and wanting, but it was no use. So he brought out several more top-grade defensive magical artifacts to block.

For a third-tier, high-grade bronze corpse, such a thing was hardly better than a paper one. Even though Yang Baoshan fought with all his might, he could only hold out for half a breath, not enough time for him to escape.

It was at this critical moment that Master Kang used two golden beams of light, the result of his lifelong research, to save the old cultivator's life.

After escaping his predicament, Yang Baoshan breathed a sigh of relief. He was an experienced veteran of many battles, but he knew that this was not the time to express his gratitude.

Seeing that the third-tier bronze corpse's jaw had been shattered by the two golden beams of light from Master Kang, Yang Baoshan was just about to take advantage of the moment when the old power was exhausted and the new power had not yet been generated, and raise his staff to take advantage of the situation.

However, this ugly creature was far more powerful than he had imagined. Despite the injury to its physical body, its ferocity remained undiminished. The ghost tiger, which had also seized the opportunity, pounced, but it could not break through the corpse energy emanating from the black armor in front of it and was forced to pause.

In that instant, the ferocious creature found an opening. It opened its mouth wide, but this time it wasn't to bite; instead, large swaths of blackish-green corpse flames intermittently spewed out from it.

The methods of a third-tier superior bronze corpse are not to be underestimated. The black and green corpse flames were extremely swift, and soon spread throughout the entire cave. They even refined half of the Ghost Tiger's body, which was the first to be affected. Cao Xianlu, who was behind him, was in so much pain that his face turned purple and blue, and even his not-so-solid core body showed signs of collapsing.

The crescent-shaped staff did not miss its target; it struck the head of the third-tier bronze corpse at an angle, but only managed to cut off a few pieces of rotten flesh and a small portion of its right ear.

The bronze corpse didn't even show the slightest sign of anger. It simply raised its claws again, bringing with it ten black, fiery finger gusts, and aimed them at the now much fainter ghost tiger phantom.

This time, Cao Xianlu was almost powerless to retaliate. Sect Leader Kang raised his halberd to block, which slightly stopped the ferocious flames of the third-tier bronze corpse. However, although his butcher's weapon could wreak havoc among spiritual weapons, it was still not as sharp as a magic weapon.

Although Kang Dabao's halberd technique was superb, he could only barely force the corpse energy in front of the third-tier bronze corpse to the ground, leaving only a deep mark on its black armor. The latter channeled his energy into the armor, bent the tip of the halberd, and the halberd blade immediately shattered, scattering in all directions.

When Master Kang saw this, his face darkened, but he remained calm, for he had already prepared a backup plan. Unexpectedly, a sword light shot out from behind him, followed by a spear, a knife, a staff, and a mace.

The initial sword light was quite sharp, and the sword itself was also agile and swift.

The spirit sword, gifted by the Chen Gong Sect, shot swiftly through the cracks in the corpse's aura and the gaps in its armor plates, carved out by Sect Leader Kang with his butcher's knife. It finally broke through the magical seal on the inanimate object's chest and drew out a dark line of blood.

However, apart from the flying sword weakening the third-tier bronze corpse's aura even further, the other four spiritual artifacts failed to achieve their intended purpose.

Zhou Yun, being merely a True Cultivator, showed no outward sign of fear. However, his inner terror was even greater, and he had to distract himself to conceal it. Kang Xiangyi, on the other hand, was a seasoned Pill Master. He was surprised that his own abilities were not as terrifying as those of Jiang Qing, a mere True Cultivator. However, the exquisite talisman he held in his hand was reserved for self-preservation and he dared not use it now, so he could only maintain a slightly embarrassed expression.

The group of Golden Core cultivators beside them never imagined that the three of them would still be of use, and each of them felt something strange.

"Jiang Qing's swordsmanship is so outstanding. Given time, Chongming Sect will surely produce another outstanding figure!"

It's easy to imagine that for a mere late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to unleash such a stunning sword strike, he must have expended a great deal of energy. Although Yang Baoshan saw Jiang Qingdu huddled behind the formation, taking pills and regulating his breathing, he made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes.

However, time was of the essence, so Yang Baoshan could only sigh inwardly before picking up his crescent-shaped staff again for assistance.

However, this magic weapon had been tainted by the corpse energy of a third-tier bronze corpse. Now, not only are golden dust falling from the magic weapon itself, but its power has also been reduced by at least half.

Despite the fact that his natal magic weapon, nurtured for a hundred years, had ended up in such a state, Yang Baoshan had no time to be angry. He simply pinched his fingers to form a sword and waved it repeatedly, determined to carve a hole in the third-tier bronze corpse without paying any attention to the magic weapon itself.

Although the golden light from Master Kang's eyes came later, it landed on the third-tier bronze corpse even before the crescent-shaped staff. The arrogant black-green corpse flames immediately lost their power upon encountering the golden light.

The Golden Eye of Truth rushed into it, just like the first snow meeting the blazing sun, forcing the large plumes of corpse flames to dissipate.

Even the third-tier bronze corpse, upon witnessing this scene, showed a hint of surprise in its eyes, which were originally filled with cruelty.

If he still had any sense left, he might have exclaimed in surprise, "This fellow was hiding his true abilities all along!"

However, the third-tier bronze corpse was ultimately just a stupid, undead creature with low intelligence. When it saw the golden light coming towards it, it could only cross its arms, clearly intending to abandon its Taoist magic and rely solely on its powerful physique for self-defense.

This was exactly what Sect Leader Kang wanted. Just as the Golden Eye of Truth had destroyed all the protective energy in front of the third-tier bronze corpse, the former had already stepped close. The Eight Desolations Mountain Suppression Technique, which was already at its perfect state, was ready and suddenly burst forth.

The thunderous roar of those massive fists striking the third-tier bronze corpse nearly caused Zhou Yun and Kang Xiangyi on the other side to lose their composure and suffer a qi deviation on the spot.

Cao Xianlu's eyes widened in surprise, even more so than when he first saw the third-tier bronze corpse appear: "This Shannan Dao actually has a body cultivator with even stronger abilities than me?!"

He was already too weak to fight any longer. If he hadn't fled by now, it would be considered that he had done everything he could. How could he possibly have the ability to pursue the enemy after their victory?

However, others were still helping out.

Just then, the bronze corpse's sharp whistle began to ring out, but Jiang Qing, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes. He then ran his fingers along the spine of the sword from end to end, and a clear sword cry was emitted almost simultaneously with the brilliant sword light.

However, this time things did not go as Jiang Qing wished. The time it took for the heavily injured third-tier bronze corpse to stabilize its position was much faster than the cultivators had expected.

Although its arms, which were folded across its chest, were filled with broken bones, the ferocity of this inanimate object remained undiminished.

But then, blackish-green corpse flames erupted from its mouth again, the fierceness in its eyes intensified, and the flesh between its brows burst open, from which a ghostly green corpse pill, no bigger than a fingertip, emerged. Its eerie green light flickered like a firefly, yet it could pierce a person's body with a chill!

The shattered corpse aura reappeared, and the broken armor reformed from a sticky mass. Although Jiang Qing's sword light was cunning in its direction, it could no longer harm this inanimate object in the slightest.

Kang Dabao could see that this third-tier bronze corpse's actions were not without cost. He ignored the excruciating pain in his golden eyes and sighed inwardly, "This ugly thing is really willing to sacrifice so much. Such a depletion of its vital energy could probably undo the effects of half a century of nurturing in the dark cave!"

"A third-tier, high-grade bronze corpse, even with our combined strength, is proving difficult to defeat!"

After a moment's thought, Master Kang didn't stop his actions. He continued to wield the broken halberd and charged forward, brandishing the newly acquired River Luo Black Armor. Then, he suddenly shouted:
"Let's go!"

At the crucial moment, even Jiang Qing did not hesitate for a moment, and still turned away with a heart full of worries. The others were even more relieved, and only silently thought to themselves, "This Sect Leader Kang is truly righteous and chivalrous," before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

However, the broken halberd of Sect Leader Kang was no match for the enraged third-tier bronze corpse. With a single stroke of a finger, the halberd split in two and swung back into Kang Dabao's hand.

The latter had no time to feel sorry for the wind; he simply used the Heluo Xuanjia to deflect the wind that had spread to his chest, and then turned around and offered up another treasure.

The moment the Taiyi Bronze Mirror appeared, the Soul-Splitting Sword Qi within shot out rapidly. It was comparable to a strike from a mid-stage Golden Core sword cultivator, directly knocking away all the ferocity from the third-tier bronze corpse, leaving it riddled with openings.

Judging from the ferocious expressions on the faces of these inanimate objects, there was no trace of their former arrogance.

The Grand Master Kang's eyes flashed with golden light again, and he unleashed several more attacks before finally destroying the unstable third-tier high-grade bronze corpse, leaving only a dark green corpse pill in Kang Dabao's hands.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, lamenting that if it weren't for the combined efforts of all the cultivators earlier, which indeed forced this ugly creature to deplete its own vital energy, then even though this unstable third-tier high-grade bronze corpse was far less troublesome than cultivators of the same tier, it would still be beyond his ability to defeat.

Not to mention putting on an act in front of others, feigning righteousness, just to monopolize this top-grade third-tier corpse pill.

"Hmm, let's search thoroughly for a while longer before leaving. There might still be some hidden treasures in this cave."

————Outside Kang Changping Cave

"Seventh Palace Master, the several high-ranking cultivators who just rushed out were almost all injured. Why didn't you stop them? Instead, you tried to escape with them!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivator who asked the question had lost all his spiritual energy and was panting heavily, looking extremely disheveled.

But as soon as he said this, he was glared at fiercely by a fat gaiter beside him.

A monk in a floral robe standing next to the latter, having received instructions, nearly slapped the fool who had asked the question to death with a palm-sized hand covered in pale yellow Buddhist light.

However, not everyone is as violent as the monk in the flower robe. A kind-hearted cultivator offered some explanation: "There must be something powerful in this cave, something that ordinary Golden Core cultivators cannot defeat. That's why several high-level cultivators, including Kang Xiangyi, were all running away in panic."

After this explanation, although the Foundation Establishment cultivator's cheeks were still burning, his heart warmed a little, and he secretly sighed:

"It turns out that I was only saved because of the Seventh Palace Master's decisive actions! He is truly grateful and will never forget this kindness!"

The moment this thought crossed his mind, all hatred he felt for the monk in the flowery robe who had attacked him vanished, and he even felt a sense of gratitude.

The portly gacha master standing to the side didn't care what this mere Foundation Establishment cultivator was thinking. He only muttered to himself, "Where did Chenping County get such a cave dwelling before? If it weren't for someone from the Kang family of Chenjiang reporting to us, I might have really been deceived by this little Kang family!"

However, he was only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. Seeing that the previous people, who were all of higher cultivation, were still in such a sorry state, how could he, as a mere patroller, possibly have the ability to monopolize the opportunities within the cave?

Without a second thought, the portly monk took out the spiritual silk and wrote down his purpose. First, he wanted the Yunze Witch Lord's Palace to send more reinforcements; second, he needed to give the Chenjiang Kang clan a further warning, as the Fire Gang Sect alone might not be enough. Now, it seemed there was little need to worry about appearances.

Just after the fat monk sent out the talisman, Peng Daoren, who was waiting for news in the demon land, was suddenly awakened from his cultivation. He saw that another black line on the five fingers of his left hand had broken off, and his face turned icy cold.
(End of this chapter)