Facing a late-Golden Core Spirit Corpse Sovereign was already beyond what the pudgy Daoist and the elderly woman could handle. Now, with the addition of the corrupted Bone Guardian, despair filled their eyes as they exchanged a hopeless glance. Despite their wealth of magical treasures, pills, and talismans—far exceeding that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators—they had nearly exhausted their resources. They were at their wit's end.
"I, Liu, have walked the Dao for over three hundred years, bathed in blood and deceit, surviving through sheer cunning. My friends and foes from those days are long dead, and I've lived to this day satisfied enough. But if I'm to die now, I'll make sure to take this monster with me!"
The pudgy Daoist's face flushed unnaturally, his previously dim eyes regaining a sharp gleam as his robes fluttered despite the still air. His aura surged wildly, stopping only at the mid-Golden Core stage.
Feeling the overwhelming power coursing through his body, he was filled with a fleeting sense of invincibility. Yet, bitterness crept onto his face. Shattering his Golden Core and burning his primordial spirit granted him immense power for a brief time, but once this energy dissipated, his very soul would burn out, condemning him to obliteration and denying him even the chance of reincarnation.
"Daoist Jin, though I now possess mid-Golden Core strength, I alone cannot defeat this abomination. If you flee, death is certain." With that, he gave the elderly woman a calm glance, his spiritual pressure rising sharply as he charged at the Spirit Corpse Sovereign.
The elderly woman sighed. "I had only a few decades of life left to begin with. This battle has drained my blood essence and injuries have taken their toll. Even if I survive, I'll never have the chance to refine a longevity pill." Her eyes hardened with a venomous glare. "Monster! If not for your interference, I'd have secured the Demon Lord's miraculous pills by now. My lifespan and cultivation could have soared, giving me a fair chance at the Nascent Soul stage! You've ruined everything. If I'm to die today, I'll drag you down with me!"
With a resolute gleam in her eyes, black flames of nothingness erupted around her, shrouding her in pain as her body quivered.
The Voidfire of the Soul—a forbidden ghost-cultivator technique.
As the eerie flames consumed her, the elderly woman's aura surged to terrifying levels, her hatred growing more intense with each moment.
"Daoist Liu, I'll assist you!"
Boom!
One late-Golden Core cultivator and two mid-Golden Core cultivators—all burning their souls and Golden Cores—unleashed devastating power. Their clash with the Spirit Corpse Sovereign sent shockwaves through the air, twisting space itself with rippling distortions.
"Master, they've fallen into your trap. What should we do next?" Chu Kuang's gaze burned with fervor as he observed the battle outside through the glowing barrier.
"Wait," the woman replied, her eyes flickering with rare anticipation. Yet, she suppressed her emotions with a deep breath. After countless years of confinement, her long-awaited moment of freedom was near. Nothing—not man, god, or Buddha—could stand in her way.
Sitting cross-legged outside the barrier, Xiao Chen opened his eyes. His clean, youthful face glowed faintly before returning to normal, his dark eyes deep and profound. With the aid of pills, his spiritual energy and divine sense had been fully restored to their peak.
Rising slowly, he gathered his spiritual power and fixed his gaze ahead. He couldn't discern the exact events outside, but the overwhelming spiritual pressures from three combatants earlier had shaken him to his core. Their destructive powers felt capable of tearing the heavens apart.
"Though I've gained much here, whether I leave alive remains to be seen."
Xiao Chen took out dozens of low-grade talismans with his left hand and three high-grade talismans obtained from the black-robed man at the market with his right. He hoped they could buy him enough time to escape.
Boom!
Suddenly, a violent crash echoed through the air. Even with Xiao Chen's advanced divine sense, the impact left him momentarily disoriented.
Crack!
The sound of something shattering brought Xiao Chen back to his senses. The protective barrier before him had been torn open, revealing a fissure barely wide enough for a single person to pass through. It was slowly closing.
Xiao Chen's eyes sharpened as he swiftly activated his light-body technique, shrinking his form to dart through the gap.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Xiao Chen barely had time to celebrate his escape when an overwhelming wave of spiritual pressure slammed into his chest. His vision darkened, and he almost coughed up blood.
Startled, he quickly erected several layers of spiritual shields and summoned his defensive artifact, regaining some composure.
Looking ahead, he saw three figures radiating terrifying spiritual energy locked in a ferocious battle several hundred meters away. Despite the distance, the residual waves of their clash made Xiao Chen's face pale. Even a glancing blow could gravely injure him.
"This place is too dangerous. I must leave at once!"
Making sure he hadn't been noticed, Xiao Chen cautiously activated his light-body technique again, moving stealthily toward the exit.
"Hmm?" The elderly woman frowned mid-battle. Her clash with the Spirit Corpse Sovereign had inadvertently opened a hidden chamber. A faint medicinal fragrance wafted through the fissure, sending a jolt through her heart.
"If there's truly a divine elixir in there, perhaps I won't have to die here today!" Her heart leapt with joy. Noticing that the pudgy Daoist was oblivious to the discovery, she quietly sighed in relief.
However, her divine sense caught Xiao Chen trying to escape. Her brows furrowed, and with a casual wave, she sent an unassuming spell his way.
A casual attack from a Golden Core cultivator could annihilate even a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator instantly. She intended to kill Xiao Chen on the spot.
Mid-flight, Xiao Chen's heart sank as a wave of imminent danger surged within him. Spinning around, he saw a dark, ghastly claw streaking toward his back.
"It's over!" Despair filled his heart. A Golden Core cultivator's strike could obliterate him ten times over.
Yet, at that moment, a cold, emotionless voice rang out:
"Daring to offend me—your life is mine to take."
The words were icy and distant, devoid of warmth.
Space twisted, and just as the ghostly claw descended, Xiao Chen vanished into thin air.