Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One: Corpse Control!

The Blood Vein Ring rippled with strange waves, ancient runes engraved within them drifting slowly like fish swimming through the sea.

Brilliant rainbow light burst from the ring, and an evil, primordial aura spread throughout the underground tomb.

Countless ancient runes moved within the ripples of the Blood Vein Ring like shoals of tiny fish.

The first ancient rune suddenly touched one of the male Heavenly Corpses.

An astonishing scene unfolded.

The ancient rune seemed to come alive. It attached itself to the corpse, traveled swiftly across its body, and then slipped into the depths of its mind.

More ancient runes alternately touched the two Heavenly Corpses.

One rune after another seemed to acquire life. They burrowed into the minds of the two corpses and connected with the seven Life Seals within them. It was like some wondrous incantation, transforming the minds of the Heavenly Corpses and granting them an entirely new form of life.

Suddenly, additional marks appeared within the gray-white pupils of the two Heavenly Corpses.

Those marks were precisely the Life Seals Shi Yan had previously struck into them.

The Life Seals revolved within their pupils, releasing vigorous vitality. Gradually, the two corpses acquired color in their faces, along with fluctuations that resembled life.

The two Heavenly Corpses stood motionless, yet faint light radiated from their skulls.

Human expressions slowly appeared upon their faces.

The two corpses looked bewildered, unable to understand what had happened, their eyes filled with confusion.

Before long, all the strange phenomena vanished. The Life Seals no longer appeared in their pupils, and the marvelous runes ceased to flicker within their skulls.

Shi Yan stared blankly at the two Heavenly Corpses, his expression solemn and filled with astonishment.

The radiance of the Blood Vein Ring faded, as though it had returned to normal. Yet, as its master, Shi Yan discovered that when his spiritual power entered the ring, he could somehow sense the two Heavenly Corpses.

Holding the Blood Vein Ring in his hand and sending his spiritual power into it, he could clearly feel the corpses' confusion, as well as faint emotional fluctuations within their minds.

The Heavenly Corpses had gained new life, and consciousness had begun to form within them. Yet their minds were still extremely simple, as though their intelligence had not fully developed.

“Shi Yan, what… what exactly is happening?” Xia Xinyan, clad in crimson armor, gazed at the two bewildered Heavenly Corpses with brilliant, disbelieving eyes. “They seem to possess faint fluctuations of life. How is that possible?”

“Fluctuations of life? What does that mean?” Shi Yan asked, frowning deeply.

“Only a Corpse King that has existed for ten thousand years can develop consciousness, possess a truly extraordinary life force, and gain the innate ability to wield the power of the five elements.” Xia Xinyan shook her head repeatedly, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion. “These two Heavenly Corpses cannot possibly have developed a living consciousness in such a short time. It is absolutely impossible!”

“Only Corpse Kings can develop consciousness and regain the energy of life?” Shi Yan was stunned.

Xia Xinyan nodded firmly, her face filled with terror. “We truly have no hope of escaping this calamity. Heavenly Corpses are already beyond our ability to deal with. And these living Heavenly Corpses… who knows how terrifying they might be?”

Shi Yan’s expression changed, and he immediately became vigilant.

The two Heavenly Corpses remained bewildered. After an unknown period of time, they suddenly turned their heads toward Shi Yan. Within their pupils, the palm-shaped mark of the Life Seal quietly appeared.

Shi Yan was horrified.

As the two corpses looked toward him, two strange fluctuations suddenly traveled out from the Blood Vein Ring. Those fluctuations had actually come from the two Heavenly Corpses themselves.

They were remarkably friendly, as though the corpses regarded Shi Yan as an intimate companion. They even seemed to contain a questioning intent.

The two Heavenly Corpses were asking him what they should do.

Looking into their eyes and sensing the strange fluctuations within the Blood Vein Ring, Shi Yan immediately understood this bizarre fact.

“Control the other corpse slaves.”

Shi Yan drew a deep breath and condensed his spiritual power into a single wave, sending it into the Blood Vein Ring on his finger.

The Life Seals in the pupils of the two Heavenly Corpses suddenly brightened.

Both Heavenly Corpses let out shrill cries.

The human corpses and earth corpses scattered throughout the tomb abandoned Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan and gathered around the Heavenly Corpses.

Under the shrill cries of the Heavenly Corpses, the human corpses and earth corpses became extremely obedient. They were controlled by the two Heavenly Corpses. As the cries continued, the marvelous fluctuations of life emanating from the Heavenly Corpses suddenly spread throughout the entire tomb.

Deep beneath the earth, within the underground tomb, the coffins in dozens of stone chambers were opened one after another by the corpse slaves. Every corpse slave that had not yet emerged from the chambers crawled out and gathered around the two Heavenly Corpses.

Xia Xinyan’s face turned pale as she shook her head and sighed. “It seems we really are going to die here.”

“Xinyan, if you died together with me, would you feel that it wasn’t worth it?” Shi Yan suddenly turned around and smiled brightly, his expression calm and composed.

Xia Xinyan was slightly taken aback. After a moment, she gave him an exasperated yet amused look. “I truly don’t know what to say about you. At a time like this, that’s what you’re worried about?”

“Tell me. If you died with me, would you feel that it wasn’t worth it?” Shi Yan stared at her stubbornly.

“No.” Xia Xinyan pondered for a moment amid the tomb filled with corpse slaves before speaking indifferently. “You may be infuriating, but you’re also interesting. Dying together with you is neither worth it nor unworthy. I simply haven’t thought that far. I only… regret a few things.”

“Regret?” Shi Yan laughed. “It doesn’t matter what you regret. There will always be a chance to make up for it.”

As long as they survived, they could make up for their regrets. I’ll give you that chance. Kill them!”

Shi Yan suddenly pointed toward the two Earth-tier warriors from the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven who were restrained by the Magnetic Annihilation Field. With a gesture of his hand, the field vanished, and the two warriors plummeted from midair.

Xia Xinyan stared at him in astonishment, unable to understand what madness had seized him.

In the next instant, the two Heavenly Corpses shrieked again.

Nearly a hundred corpse slaves charged forward frenziedly. Yet instead of attacking Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan, they rushed past them and pounced upon the two Earth-tier warriors from the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven behind them.

Xia Xinyan covered her mouth, her delicate body trembling with shock and disbelief.

At the headquarters of the Corpse God Sect, within the Corpse God Hall, countless varieties of corpse slaves had been carved into the walls. Tiny characters covered the bodies of many of them, glowing with white light as they drifted over the corpses like fireflies.

Coffins were arranged throughout the hall, and an elder of the Corpse God Sect sat atop each one.

The elders sat cross-legged or gazed intently at the tiny characters moving across the corpse slaves, silently committing them to memory. Wisps of strange energy rose from the coffins and slowly entered their bodies.

Within the Corpse God Sect, elders who had rendered meritorious service were permitted to remain in the Corpse God Hall for three, five, or seven days, depending on the magnitude of their achievements.

Every coffin in the hall contained a strange energy that greatly benefited the cultivation of the sect’s elders. Even three or five days were enough to advance their strength considerably.

The tiny characters drifting across the corpse slaves on the walls recorded the Corpse God Sect’s many profound and wondrous secret arts.

Spending several days in the Corpse God Hall brought the elders innumerable benefits. This was why the elders of the Corpse God Sect remained utterly loyal to the sect and constantly sought opportunities to render further service.

On one of the coffins sat a gloomy old man of extreme age. His hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on his face ran like ravines.

He suddenly changed color and violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Elder Yin Hai, what happened?” A dignified, hoarse voice came from deep beneath the Corpse God Hall.

The ancient man’s expression grew sinister. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, “Sect Master, the two Heavenly Corpses under my control have broken free. The Corpse Soul Seals I left within them have shattered.

“My connection with them has gradually weakened, and… and they have even revealed hostility toward me!”

“Elder Yin Hai, have you cultivated until you went mad? Heavenly Corpses do not possess independent life. How could they feel hostility? Do you think your Heavenly Corpses are Corpse Kings under my control?”

The displeased snort from beneath the earth made Yin Hai tremble.

“Forgive me, Sect Master. I would never dare speak nonsense.” Yin Hai knelt upon the coffin, his head lowered as he hurriedly said, “It is true! I can truly sense it. Those two Heavenly Corpses have sent hostile emotions toward me. Though they are separated from me by millions of miles, my senses cannot be wrong. Please investigate this carefully, Sect Master!”

“How many years have those two Heavenly Corpses been refined?”

“Two thousand three hundred and fifty years.” Yin Hai remained kneeling and answered respectfully, “Twenty years ago, Sect Master personally bestowed those two Heavenly Corpses upon me. Both possessed cultivation at the Second Heaven of Nirvana. Heavenly Corpses that have existed for two thousand three hundred and fifty years could never possibly develop a living consciousness.”

The figure beneath the earth pondered briefly before asking indifferently, “Did you place them in a burial ground for corpse preservation?”

“Burial Ground Number Ninety-Three,” Yin Hai replied with utmost respect.

“Number Ninety-Three…” The leader of the Corpse God Sect murmured before saying calmly, “I will send a message there now and inquire about the situation. If there truly is a problem, go and investigate.”

“I understand.”

At Burial Ground Number Ninety-Three, the Earth-tier warrior of the Corpse God Sect who was still discussing details with Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru suddenly heard an urgent ringing from the bell chain at his waist.

His expression changed, and fear appeared in his eyes. He abruptly closed them and gripped the bell chain tightly with both hands.

Ten seconds later, he suddenly rose to his feet, his face filled with shock.

“There has been an incident involving the Heavenly Corpses below!”

“Guo Qi, what happened?” Li Zhuang asked in astonishment.

“I received a message from the Main Sect. Elder Yin Hai’s two Heavenly Corpses have broken free of his control. The Main Sect ordered me to go below immediately and investigate the situation.”

The man named Guo Qi suddenly placed the bell chain in his mouth and let out a fierce howl.

The howl reverberated across the entire island.

All the disciples of the Corpse God Sect were startled when they heard it. They hurried toward the stone tower at the center.

“We’re going down to take a look.”

Guo Qi did not dare delay. He leaped from the stone tower and hurried to enter the tomb.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru exchanged a glance. Their faces were filled with astonishment as they descended from the stone tower and rushed toward the underground tomb together.

“There’s no need to come down. We’ll go up ourselves.”

Shi Yan’s lazy voice suddenly drifted out from the depths of the underground tomb.