A terrifying killing intent gleamed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes as the power emanating from the Abyss Ancient Sword grew increasingly fearsome.
“Swoosh.”
Seeing the Abyss Ancient Sword about to strike, with no way to evade, Shang Ziqi didn’t hesitate. His Flame Corpse and Cold Corpse split apart, the Flame Corpse clad in the three-colored treasure armor stepping forward to take the blow.
The three-colored treasure armor radiated brilliant tri-colored holy light, like three sacred rivers flowing slowly, encircling Shang Ziqi and forming a barrier that seemed impenetrable.
Unfortunately, this barrier couldn’t stop the Abyss Ancient Sword.
“Bang.”
The Abyss Ancient Sword slashed down from above, striking the three-colored treasure armor.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had aimed to sever Shang Ziqi’s head, but the armor’s influence altered the sword’s trajectory.
The three-colored treasure armor was indeed a remarkable treasure with boundless uses. It was no wonder that, despite Shang Ziqi’s mastery of *Three Corpses Refining the Dao* allowing him to split into three, he only possessed one such armor.
Though the sword’s trajectory was altered, the terrifying force it carried remained undiminished.
Despite the armor’s defense, a fearsome power penetrated through, directly impacting Shang Ziqi’s Flame Corpse.
The Flame Corpse was sent flying backward as if struck by a meteor.
“Pfft.”
As it flew, blood gushed from the Flame Corpse’s mouth, mixed with fragments of internal organs.
Anyone could see blood streaming from beneath the three-colored treasure armor.
If the armor were removed, one would see two intersecting gruesome wounds on Shang Ziqi’s chest—one deep enough to reveal bone, the other severing the sternum entirely.
Both wounds were infused with terrifying sword intent, wreaking havoc and preventing healing.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t pursue the Flame Corpse, instead turning and charging toward Shang Ziqi’s Origin Corpse.
From rebounding the five-colored merit divine light with the Hidden Mountain Demonic Mirror to injure the Origin Corpse, to wounding the Flame Corpse with the Abyss Ancient Sword, it all happened in an instant. Shang Ziqi’s Origin Corpse was still soaring upward, unable to stabilize.
With the Origin Corpse injured, its control over the Five-Colored Merit Stele weakened, reducing the stele’s ability to suppress time and space.
Leveraging the Fire God Armor’s power, Zhang Ruochen successfully executed a spatial shift, appearing instantly before the Origin Corpse.
“Not good.”
The Origin Corpse’s expression changed drastically, realizing the danger.
But even with this realization, it was too late to dodge.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was icy, his sword merciless.
“Swoosh.”
The Abyss Ancient Sword slashed down like lightning, its blade cloaked in fearsome crimson flames and mysterious purple light.
Though the Origin Corpse bore divine inscriptions, they couldn’t withstand the Abyss Ancient Sword.
“Pfft.”
Blood sprayed as the sword cleaved through half of the Origin Corpse’s body, even shearing off part of its head.
At the critical moment, the Origin Corpse shifted slightly, avoiding being bisected.
But it wasn’t out of danger yet.
Without hesitation, the Origin Corpse produced an object, hurling it at Zhang Ruochen with lightning speed.
“Die.”
“Boom.”
It was an ancient, slightly damaged bronze oil lamp, which exploded upon release.
Instantly, a terrifying sea of fire formed, engulfing Zhang Ruochen completely.
This fire was no ordinary flame, dark red in hue, with faint ghostly figures appearing within, emitting shrill wails that sent chills down the spine.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen enveloped by this eerie sea of fire, the Origin Corpse revealed a cold, sinister smile, unconcerned by its own injuries.
“It’s the Soulfire! Shang Ziqi is truly ruthless.”
Observing the dark red flames burning in the sky, an onlooker cried out in shock.
“What’s the Soulfire?” a curious cultivator asked.
Most onlookers were clueless, unfamiliar with the term.
The powerhouse who recognized the Soulfire looked grave. “Soulfire isn’t a naturally occurring flame but one artificially cultivated. Legend has it that in ancient times, an evil god gathered boundless yin and malevolent qi, using divine corpse oil as a catalyst, to create an extremely sinister flame—this Soulfire.”
“Soulfire doesn’t target the body but the soul. Once it latches on, it’s like a parasite, nearly impossible to expel. The victim suffers excruciating torment as their soul is gradually burned to nothing.”
“Later, this method spread, and some used the corpse oil of Saints, Saint Kings, or even Great Saints to cultivate Soulfire, which is equally terrifying.”
“Today, the method to cultivate Soulfire has been lost, and few know of its existence. I only came across scattered mentions in an ancient text.”
“I never expected Shang Ziqi to possess Soulfire, and it seems to be cultivated with Great Saint corpse oil. Trapped in that Soulfire sea, Zhang Ruochen is in grave danger.”
Hearing this, many cultivators were stunned, shocked by the Soulfire’s sinister origins.
As the powerhouse noted, Shang Ziqi’s use of Soulfire against Zhang Ruochen was ruthlessly cruel.
Within the Soulfire sea, Zhang Ruochen initially paid it little mind, confident that the Fire God Armor would protect him from most flames.
But soon, he sensed something unusual—strands of flame pierced through the armor, invading his body and targeting his holy soul.
Just as Zhang Ruochen tensed, preparing to intercept the flames, an unexpected development occurred.
In his Divine Light Qi Sea, the divine sun formed by the Seven-Star Divine Ling’s Sun Leaf spun rapidly, releasing an intensely radiant yang aura that enveloped the invading Soulfire strands.
The strands sizzled, emitting wisps of black smoke.
In moments, the Soulfire strands vanished, leaving only a few traces of pure, refined qi.
“One counters the other, huh? Interesting,” Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly.
Since the Soulfire posed no threat, he saw no need to resist, letting it enter his body.
He could sense that the qi left after the Soulfire’s extinction was exceptionally pure and of high quality, perfect for his use.
“Zhang Ruochen, suffer and struggle slowly!” the Origin Corpse sneered cruelly.
Though it was a pity to use Soulfire cultivated with Great Saint corpse oil, eliminating Zhang Ruochen made it worthwhile.
Shang Ziqi knew the Soulfire’s terror and didn’t believe Zhang Ruochen could withstand it.
“Swoosh.”
Abruptly, Zhang Ruochen burst from the Soulfire sea, appearing directly before the gravely injured Origin Corpse.
The Origin Corpse’s pupils constricted, terror flashing in its eyes as it tried to retreat.
But Zhang Ruochen gave it no chance, the Abyss Ancient Sword slashing down swiftly and decisively.
“Pfft.”
This time, Shang Ziqi couldn’t evade. The Origin Corpse was cleaved in two.
Simultaneously, Zhang Ruochen extended his other hand, all seven acupoints in his palm activating, unleashing a surge of ferocious blood qi.
The Seven-Orifices Blood Nether Palm struck, its violent force slamming into the two halves of the Origin Corpse’s body.
“Boom.”
Without suspense, the halves exploded into a cloud of blood mist, the holy soul completely annihilated.
Thus, Shang Ziqi’s Origin Corpse was slain.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen opened his mouth wide, swallowing the entire blazing Soulfire sea.
His injuries hadn’t fully healed, and his holy qi wasn’t fully restored. The Soulfire would serve as a perfect tonic.
“Zhang Ruochen killed one of Shang Ziqi’s corpses and swallowed the Soulfire sea? What’s going on?”
“Both at the Dao Domain Realm, how could Zhang Ruochen so easily slay one of Shang Ziqi’s corpses?”
“Shang Ziqi was too careless, thinking the Soulfire could handle Zhang Ruochen, not realizing Zhang Ruochen is immune to it. He shot himself in the foot.”
“Not even fearing the Soulfire—what kind of monster is Zhang Ruochen?”
…
The onlookers were dumbfounded, hardly believing their eyes.
To them, Zhang Ruochen was overwhelmingly dominant, unstoppable.
“Zhang Ruochen, how dare you…”
Shang Ziqi’s Flame Corpse and Cold Corpse both radiated fury, nearly spitting blood in rage.
Losing the Origin Corpse was a devastating blow. Recultivating it would be immensely difficult, perhaps impossible, an unimaginable loss.
Holding the Abyss Ancient Sword, Zhang Ruochen gazed coldly at the Flame and Cold Corpses. “Why wouldn’t I dare? *Three Corpses Refining the Dao* gives you three lives? Then I’ll kill you three times.”
“I’ll make you die!”
Shang Ziqi was livid, his eyes bloodshot.
Immediately, the remaining two corpses sprang into action, attacking Zhang Ruochen from two directions.
The Flame Corpse produced an object—a bone talisman glowing with strange light.
As it neared Zhang Ruochen, the Flame Corpse swiftly unleashed the talisman.
The talisman’s surface erupted with intricate runes, frantically absorbing heaven and earth power, instantly forming a cage of runes that enveloped Zhang Ruochen.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen trapped, a smile spread across Shang Ziqi’s face.
But the next moment, his smile froze.
The figure within the cage faded rapidly, then vanished.
Clearly, the cage had only trapped a residual image of Zhang Ruochen, not his true body.
Zhang Ruochen’s figure appeared behind the Cold Corpse, the Abyss Ancient Sword slashing down casually.
Like the Origin Corpse, the Cold Corpse was cleaved in two, with no chance to react.
