Chapter 130: A Bizarre Change Between Life and Death

Underground mausoleum.

Inside the two massive coffins in the central chamber, a pair of Heavenly Corpses slowly sat up. A fierce, malevolent aura of death permeated the entire tomb.

These two Heavenly Corpses, one male and one female, looked to be in their forties. Their faces were ashen, and their bodies were shriveled. Both possessed cultivation levels at the Nirvana Realm, and their bodies were wreathed in a chilling, bone-deep aura of death.

As they sat up, their greyish-white eyes rolled slowly, fixing upon the spot where Shi Yan stood. The male corpse stood up slowly, opened its mouth, and exhaled a beam of white light condensed from death qi. As the light flew out, it exploded in front of him, scattering into countless tiny beams that struck the other coffins in the chamber.

These beams of light seemed to awaken the corpse slaves within; as soon as a coffin was struck, strange noises erupted from inside. Before long, corpse slaves began leaping out one after another, some with stiff limbs, others moving with uncanny agility, all converging toward Shi Yan.

The first seven corpse slaves to be awakened reached Shi Yan. His eyes were cold and menacing, his entire body brimming with the negative energies of violence, fear, madness, and slaughter. Wreathed in white mist, he exuded an aura of profound evil.

The seven corpse slaves surrounded him, though three hesitated to strike. These three had clearly not been refined for long; they had only been at the Human Realm in life. As they moved, their joints creaked with "clacking" sounds, suggesting their bones had not been fully tempered and that they were less than a hundred years old.

The other four, though seemingly wary of the overwhelming negative energy radiating from Shi Yan, slowly closed the circle. These four possessed a denser death aura, moved without the sound of clacking joints, and were significantly faster. With a cold expression, Shi Yan knew these were Earth Corpses, refined for over a century; their limbs were no longer stiff, and they retained the ability to utilize some of the martial arts they had practiced in life.

*Squelch!*

Behind him, a sharp weapon suddenly pierced through flesh. Shi Yan turned to see Xia Xinyan’s small sword run through the throat of a Corpse God Sect disciple. The man’s eyes filled with unwillingness as he toppled backward.

As the man breathed his last, his essence energy abruptly dissipated and surged into Shi Yan’s body. Including this one, Shi Yan had now absorbed the essence of three Hundred Tribulation Realm warriors. The negative energy, mixed with their hatred and resentment, filled his acupoints to the brim.

At this moment, three Corpse God Sect disciples were being shredded by the crushing force of the domain, their blood splattering as their life force faded. Two Earth Realm warriors from the Yin-Yang Sect were also trapped within the domain, their bodies glowing with red and white light as they resisted the crushing pressure. Though restrained, they remained uninjured, constantly using the light to battle against the domain's power.

The Magnetic Pole Domain, having fused with Yin energy, essence, and negative power, possessed terrifying strength. The two Earth Realm experts remained imprisoned, unable to break free.

The seven corpse slaves nearest to them did not attack immediately, instead choosing to keep Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan surrounded. Standing side by side, their expressions grim, the pair watched as more and more corpse slaves emerged from the surrounding chambers, their hearts sinking.

The mausoleum lay dozens of meters underground, and the air above was thick with a death aura so evil that it blocked all mental detection. Because of this barrier, the fluctuations of essence energy were well-hidden, and the people on the surface—Li Zhuang, Sui Yuru, and the rest of the Corpse God Sect—had not yet sensed the anomaly and continued to discuss their affairs outside.

"We are in grave danger," Xia Xinyan said coldly. "One Heavenly Corpse is already enough to overwhelm us, not to mention all these slaves."

One by one, the corpse slaves closed in. Within moments, nearly a hundred of them had surrounded the duo.

***

The three Corpse God Sect disciples finally lost their lives under the crushing force of the Magnetic Pole Domain, their eyes rolling back. Their essence flowed rapidly into Shi Yan, his acupoints growing numb as the negative energy within him surged even more violently from the essence of six Hundred Tribulation Realm warriors.

"Hold on! Just hold out for half a day, and I have a way to restore your martial soul!" Shi Yan shouted.

"What?" Xia Xinyan asked in shock. "Do you have some kind of medicinal pill?"

"No," Shi Yan shook his head. "Trust me! If we can just last half a day, I truly have a way to help you recover!"

Back in the Gloomy Forest, he had tested his body’s strange power on Di Yalan and Mu Yudie. That power did not just enhance his own martial soul and essence; it could help others awaken and restore theirs as well. When Mu Yudie’s musical martial soul had been damaged and her meridians shattered, that strange power had restored her completely. If it could mend a musical soul, it could certainly restore Xia Xinyan’s Reincarnation martial soul.

Once his acupoints converted that essence and channeled it back into his body, he could use that strange energy to heal her. He needed time—he just needed time!

Xia Xinyan was astonished, but she chose to trust him. "Very well, I will do my best."

With that, her verdant ring suddenly shimmered with a hazy green light. Several silver balls, each the size of a fist, appeared in her crystalline palm. As they emerged, she swung her arm, hurling them toward the approaching corpse slaves.

*Boom! Boom! Boom-boom-boom!*

Explosions rocked the underground mausoleum. The silver balls radiated brilliant light, detonating upon contact and tearing many of the corpse slaves to pieces. The Human Corpses, refined for less than a hundred years, were shredded by the blasts, unable to withstand the power. The Earth Corpses, however, were much tougher; though scorched black by the explosions, they remained mostly intact.

The two Heavenly Corpses, still inside their large coffins, did not move, but they let out a shrill, piercing cry.

Under the command of that cry, dozens of Human and Earth Corpses went mad, clawing and snarling as they lunged at Shi Yan.

Shi Yan’s expression was cold. The Magnetic Pole Domain, having finished off the three disciples, shifted and materialized abruptly in front of him. Ten Human and Earth Corpses charged into the invisible domain, trapped by its crushing force. They thrashed wildly, their faces twisted, but they could not break free.

Drawing a deep breath, Shi Yan allowed his body to petrify. With a ferocious expression, he channeled the Finger Gun technique and dove into the swarm of slaves.

*Boom-boom-boom! Bang-bang-bang!*

Shi Yan rampaged through the corpses. Relying on the durability of his petrified form, he unleashed a barrage of attacks. In his berserk state, his strength skyrocketed, and the evil power surging within him sent the corpse slaves flying.

The Human Corpses were sent spinning with every blow, unable to withstand the force of his assault. The Earth Corpses, though iron-hard, were knocked back by his frenzied charges, only to scramble back to their feet and throw themselves at him again.

The Earth Corpses were incredibly sturdy; some even possessed natural "corpse armor" on their chests and abdomens, born of dense death energy, which even his Finger Gun could not pierce. Having mostly been at the Hundred Tribulation Realm in life, they could exert their full power, and despite his furious onslaught, they remained unharmed, surging toward him again and again.

Two Earth Corpses suddenly emerged from the crowd like venomous snakes, moving with uncanny speed to appear behind Shi Yan. From their palms, which were thick with death aura, protruded bone-like daggers. They struck, stabbing deep into Shi Yan’s back.

*Bang! Bang!*

Shi Yan felt a sharp, piercing pain in his back. While his petrified body could withstand the blades, the impact was beginning to take its toll.

More Earth Corpses began to use their martial arts from life, channeling death aura as essence to fire beams of greyish-white light from all directions.

*Boom!*

Caught in the middle of the swarm, Shi Yan finally struggled, forced into a retreat by the relentless barrage.

Xia Xinyan wore a set of fire-red armor, which shimmered with scorching heat and intricate, ancient patterns. Threads of rainbow light flickered through the armor like lines of fire. The armor emitted a hazy glow; though she stood motionless, the corpse slaves dared not approach her, seemingly terrified of the red light.

"Come here!" Xia Xinyan cried out.

Shi Yan’s expression was savage. Biting his lip, he executed the Life and Death Seals.

Hand seals formed rapidly in his palms—a Life Seal in one, a Death Seal in the other. He did not combine the fourteen seals, instead launching them in two separate directions.

*Rumble!*

The seven Life Seals shot out, and the corpse slaves they struck exploded instantly, unable to withstand the impact. The seven Death Seals, however, struck the slaves to no effect; they continued to charge forward, undeterred.

Shi Yan was both shocked and delighted. Shocked that the Death Seal had no effect on the undead, but delighted that the Life Seal’s power was devastatingly effective against them—it even pulverized the Earth Corpses in a single hit.

The Life Seal contained vibrant vitality, which seemed to be the natural nemesis of such dead things! Once touched by the Life Seal, whether Human Corpse or Earth Corpse, their bodies would disintegrate. It was as if the seal triggered a self-destructive urge within them, and the death-laden slaves could not withstand it.

*Boom! Boom!*

Shi Yan, heartened, abandoned the Death Seal and unleashed a barrage of Life Seals. Every Human and Earth Corpse he touched exploded on the spot, finished for good.

Just then, the two Heavenly Corpses flew out of their coffins. A gleam of excitement flashed in their greyish-white eyes.

They lunged forward, tossing the other corpse slaves aside, and stood with chests bared, making no attempt to dodge the two Life Seals Shi Yan fired at them.

*Boom! Boom-boom!*

The fourteen Life Seals struck the two corpses. Unexpectedly, they did not explode. Instead, the seals vanished into the bodies of the Heavenly Corpses, glowing brilliantly until they drifted into their minds.

*Whoosh!*

A strange sound resonated from within the minds of the two Heavenly Corpses. The Life Seals appeared as clear projections inside their skulls, rotating slowly along a peculiar trajectory.

A strange vitality began to grow within the minds of the two Heavenly Corpses. These two corpses, dead for a thousand years, seemed to have regained life.

This was a life entirely different from that of a human!

Shi Yan was stunned, staring blankly at the transformation of the two Heavenly Corpses, unsure of what had just occurred.

At that very moment, the Blood Vein Ring on his finger suddenly erupted with a brilliant rainbow light!