"Roar!"
The path of death—a core junction in the Three Absolute Slaughter and Soul Annihilation Array—was a place so perilous that even a Golden Core cultivator would be obliterated within moments.
Yet at this moment, a skeletal figure with glowing red and green eyes dashed through as if it were a simple trail, unhindered and unscathed.
"Hehe, why the rush, little one?" A familiar, sultry voice rang out as ripples spread through the air. The mysterious woman appeared in front of the creature, her captivating smile masking her true intent. "Why not stay and chat with this elder sister for a while?"
"Roar!"
The skeletal figure—none other than the corpse puppet controlled by an unknown force—let out a guttural growl. Despite its mindless state, its glowing eyes revealed a hint of fear as it faced the woman. Even its stiff visage betrayed traces of panic.
But suddenly, as if triggered by an unseen impulse, the puppet let out a maddened roar and lunged at her with ferocious speed.
"Heh, what a simpleton. Stripped of two souls and six senses, you've been reduced to a fool," the woman remarked coldly, her demeanor changing in an instant. "If it weren't for my need to buy some time to activate the array, I wouldn't waste words on a lowly creature like you."
Her gaze turned frosty. "Your master's leftover trinkets? Let's see how they fare when used against his own servant."
As her figure faded into the ether, the skeletal puppet was left to face the deadly mechanisms of the array.
"Roar!"
"Boom!"
The path echoed with deafening roars and the relentless strikes of the array's lethal defenses.
Elsewhere, Xiao Chen's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Twelve-Leaf Purple Heart Grass... and a Ten-Leaf Mist Water Treasure Lotus!"
He stood before a small herb garden no more than ten paces across, momentarily overcome by the sight.
The Purple Heart Grass was a rare spiritual herb that grew a single leaf every thousand years. While its effects were negligible below three leaves, a fully matured twelve-leaf specimen could revive even those on the brink of death, as long as their soul had not fully dissipated.
The Mist Water Lotus, a celestial treasure, alternated between a solid flower and a vaporous mist every twelve hours. At ten leaves, it became the Mist Water Treasure Lotus, with the power to refine the body, improve one's spiritual root, and elevate a cultivator's innate potential to unimaginable heights.
Xiao Chen's joy was tinged with regret. If only I had spiritual roots, even the most meager ones, this lotus could transform me into a prodigious talent. Building my foundation would then be as simple as flipping a hand.
Shaking his head to dispel such thoughts, Xiao Chen focused on the opportunity before him.
Extending his spiritual sense, he carefully examined the faint energy shield surrounding the herb garden. A smile tugged at his lips. The woman is overly confident in this shield. It's only meant to prevent the dispersal of medicinal essence and attract more ambient spiritual energy—not for defense.
Even so, he approached cautiously. Placing his palm on the barrier, he gently infused it with spiritual energy.
Crack!
The barrier shattered effortlessly, releasing a wave of rich, intoxicating fragrance that instantly invigorated him. Xiao Chen felt as though he had returned to peak condition with just a single breath.
"Truly the treasures of a millennium!"
Using a set of jade boxes from his storage pouch, Xiao Chen carefully harvested the herbs, layering them with sealing talismans to prevent their essence from leaking. Once satisfied, he moved forward with renewed vigilance.
Deep within the jade platform, the mysterious woman's eyes snapped open. A glint of icy anger flashed across her face.
"That brat has a treasure capable of nullifying my formations?" she muttered. "First, he breaks my constraints; now, he dares take what's mine? Oh, little brother, it seems our debts are piling up."
Back in the haunted cavern, the corpulent Daoist, Liu, staggered as his defenses faltered.
"Lady Jin! I can't hold much longer—these ghost kings are too powerful!" he cried out. His face was deathly pale, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
The Black-Gold Spirit Gourd floating before him had grown dull, its protective black mist thinning until only a fragile veil remained.
Surrounding them, three towering ghost kings unleashed wave after wave of spectral techniques, their ghastly attacks hammering the black mist and draining Liu's energy further.
The old woman's expression was grim as eerie patterns swirled beneath her papery skin. Her frail hands moved methodically, conjuring a sinister black mist that coalesced into a grotesque ghostly face on her forehead.
With a decisive gesture, she extended her hand, letting the ghost face latch onto her finger.
"Gwah!"
The face's chilling cries echoed through the cavern as it hungrily absorbed her blood and spiritual energy. Her vitality visibly drained, but the ghost face grew darker and more menacing, with streaks of crimson adding to its malevolence.
Once satiated, the ghost face let out a piercing shriek and launched itself toward the ghost kings.
The three spectral entities recoiled, their soulless eyes flickering with fear as they retreated under the ghost face's relentless assault.
"Daoist Liu," the old woman rasped, "these ghost kings are formidable, but their intelligence has been stripped. Otherwise, they wouldn't have given me the time to complete this technique."
Liu nodded, swallowing a handful of pills to recover his strength. "I sensed at least seven ghost kings earlier, yet only three have appeared. Whatever's going on here, we've bought ourselves a little more time."
The two exchanged wary glances before pushing forward, the ghost face driving the specters deeper into the cavern.
In another chamber, Xiao Chen's eyes were fixed on a small tree less than three feet tall. On its branches hung a single azure fruit, shaped like a human infant, exuding a faint, otherworldly fragrance.
"An Infant Transformation Fruit!"
This legendary treasure could grant mortals unparalleled memory across reincarnations and amplify a cultivator's spiritual consciousness, saving them centuries of arduous cultivation.
Xiao Chen's excitement was tempered by caution. Activating a spiritual vision technique, he scanned the tree carefully and spotted a tiny green serpent camouflaged among the leaves.
The Infant Serpent—a venomous creature born alongside the fruit—was deadly beyond measure. Even the lightest scratch from its fangs could kill a cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage.
Summoning a protective shield, Xiao Chen retrieved a jade box and prepared for the task. With a flick of his wrist, he launched a fireball toward the tree, hoping to distract the serpent.
The serpent's tiny eyes snapped open, glinting with icy malice. Its body, thin as a needle and no longer than an inch, shot toward Xiao Chen like a streak of green lightning.
Snap!
The serpent pierced through his shield with ease, striking his hand before he could react. A sharp sting spread from the wound as Xiao Chen's body went rigid. He fell to the ground, his face pale and motionless.
The serpent slithered back to the tree, its tiny form upright as it gazed at him with mocking disdain.