Chapter 132: Island Massacre

Corpse slaves emerged from the three openings of the subterranean mausoleum, gathering in the center of the stone structures. Under the cold, ghostly moonlight, the zombies moved with dull, mechanical steps, forming a semicircle and implicitly encircling one of the cave entrances.

Two Heavenly Corpses—a man and a woman—emerged from the depths at a leisurely pace. Within their grey-white pupils, seven tiny palm-print runes swirled slowly, as if seven stars were hidden deep within their eyes. Upon exiting the mausoleum, the two Heavenly Corpses suddenly let out sharp, piercing shrieks.

Throughout Burial Ground No. 93, coffins within the various graves began to burst open from the inside. Corpse slaves crawled out—some moving sluggishly, others with the speed of sprinting beasts—all converging toward the center of the island.

Cries of terror erupted from the disciples of the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven, mingled with the panicked shouts of the Corpse God Sect disciples. Summoning such a vast number of corpse slaves was a feat only possible for an Elder of the Corpse God Sect at the Heavenly position. Seeing the zombies pouring out of the graves, the disciples were aghast, fearing that Elder Yin Hai, the master of those two Heavenly Corpses, had arrived. They scrambled toward the center in a state of frantic dread.

Guo Qi’s expression shifted violently as he shrieked, "How is this possible?"

With Yin Hai absent, no one could command these two Heavenly Corpses. Each one bore a Corpse Soul Seal left by its master; they would not stir unless summoned. The sight of these two Heavenly Corpses acting on their own terrified Guo Qi. It was clear that Yin Hai was not present, yet the corpses had emerged of their own volition. This bizarre turn of events filled the core disciple of the Corpse God Sect with a deep sense of unease, leaving him clueless as to what had transpired.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru, the two guardians of the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven, were also well-versed in the secrets of the Corpse God Sect’s Heavenly Corpses. Seeing them move without their master, they were struck with dread. The burial ground suddenly felt exceptionally grim, as if permeated by an eerie, suffocating atmosphere.

Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan were the last to emerge from the subterranean mausoleum. Xia Xinyan’s face remained etched with astonishment, her eyes filled with profound confusion. Her mouth parted slightly, unable to fathom how Shi Yan had managed to usurp control over the two Heavenly Corpses.

"Boy!" Guo Qi shrieked, his expression ferocious. "What trickery did you pull inside the mausoleum?"

Shi Yan, wreathed in white mist, did not even glance at Guo Qi. He stared fixedly at Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru, saying coldly, "You two are quite calculating, planning to use me as material for living corpses and sell me to the Corpse God Sect. While I did consume some salted fish and fresh water on your ship, I worked hard every day—I never took a free meal. Is this how you repay me?"

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru remained silent, their faces dark.

"Especially you," Shi Yan’s gaze sharpened as he pointed at Sui Yueru. "I simply didn't want to perform on your filthy body, and you, you vixen, wanted to have me refined to death. Your heart is truly venomous!"

"You're courting death, boy," Sui Yueru frowned, replying coldly. "I don't know how you're still alive, but you won't survive the night!"

"Is that so?" Shi Yan sneered. He suddenly pointed at Sui Yueru and commanded, "Kill her!"

The female Heavenly Corpse lunged forward instantly. Wherever she passed, the strange energy within the nearby trenches swirled around her, infusing her body and rapidly covering her skin in a suit of silver-white corpse armor. Her five fingers were like sharp talons, three feet long and shimmering with an eerie white light, as she thrust them toward Sui Yueru with the force of a lethal weapon.

Terror flashed across Sui Yueru’s charming face. She screamed, "Impossible!"

Li Zhuang and Guo Qi were equally horrified, unable to grasp how Shi Yan could command the Heavenly Corpses.

"Let’s go," Shi Yan said with a grin, striding toward where the iron ship was anchored. The male Heavenly Corpse stood by his side, shrieking incessantly, while the corpse slaves emerging from the various graves gathered to clear a path for them.

"Kill! Kill them all!" Shi Yan ordered, his expression grim and icy.

Hundreds of corpse slaves suddenly went berserk, charging toward the disciples of the Corpse God Sect and the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven. The Corpse God Sect disciples, trembling with fear, frantically rang their bells and shrieked. Some of the charging zombies stopped at the sound of the bells, but others, being further away, seemed unaffected and continued their onslaught.

The Corpse God Sect disciples turned pale, frantically manipulating their bells and channeling their well-practiced corpse-control techniques. However, not all the corpses hidden in Burial Ground No. 93 belonged to them. Many of the century-old Earth Corpses were actually the personal property of the Corpse God Sect’s core disciples and guardians, temporarily stored here to absorb the death energy of the burial ground. These corpses bore their masters' soul seals and were immune to the control techniques of the local disciples. Furthermore, these corpses were typically of a much higher grade.

Thus, when these corpses—acting under the orders of the two Heavenly Corpses—began a slaughter, the screams in Burial Ground No. 93 never ceased. The disciples who had arrived from the surrounding graves found that their once-obedient tools had become the most ferocious weapons, baring their fangs at their own keepers.

Disciples of the Corpse God Sect screamed and fled, while those from the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven were even more pathetic, shivering in terror and paralyzed by the sudden transformation of the zombies. The female disciples, in particular, had their resolve shattered and could not even muster eighty percent of their usual strength.

Burial Ground No. 93 was suddenly shrouded in shrill, agonizing screams. Sui Yueru was in a sorry state, retreating steadily under the relentless pursuit of the female Heavenly Corpse. During her lifetime, the female Heavenly Corpse had reached the second level of the Nirvana Realm; after a millennium of refinement, she could unleash 120 percent of her original power. Once in combat, she instinctively utilized the martial techniques from her life. Her corpse armor was impervious to blades and spears, and her talons were as sharp as divine weapons, capable of rending anything.

The martial artists of the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven progressed rapidly due to their dual cultivation, but their essence was far less pure than that of other warriors of the same level. Generally, they were weaker than their peers. Sui Yueru was no exception. At the second level of the Nirvana Realm, her actual combat ability was only equivalent to an average first-level Nirvana warrior. Facing a thousand-year-old Heavenly Corpse capable of unleashing 120 percent of its peak power, she could do nothing but defend passively. Li Zhuang was forced to step in to help her fend off the female corpse.

The male Heavenly Corpse remained within ten paces of Shi Yan, shrieking constantly to control the zombies and clear a path to the ship. Shi Yan, his expression indifferent and his eyes cold, walked toward the iron ship side-by-side with Xia Xinyan. Nearby, strands of strange, negative energy drifted from the fallen disciples of both sects, flowing directly into Shi Yan’s acupuncture points.

Shi Yan’s points throbbed with faint pain. Wreathed in white mist, he focused his attention, not daring to relax for a moment. He continuously channeled his mental energy into the Blood Vein Ring to relay signals to the two Heavenly Corpses. For some reason, the mental feedback from the corpses was gradually weakening; having developed their own burgeoning consciousness, they seemed naturally repulsed by the commands of others and were beginning to resist. Shi Yan had to constantly exert his mental energy, weaving harmless, friendly intent into his commands to keep them compliant. He was not as relaxed as he appeared.

"We must hurry!" Shi Yan suddenly tightened his grip on Xia Xinyan’s hand. His face was pale, and he quickened his pace. The excessive consumption of mental energy left him feeling dizzy, and his control over the two Heavenly Corpses was slipping.

Xia Xinyan sensed that something was wrong with Shi Yan. She said nothing, letting him hold her hand as she quickened her pace, moving swiftly toward the iron ship.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru were pinned down by the female Heavenly Corpse, watching helplessly as Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan departed. Guo Qi, with the male Heavenly Corpse still hovering near Shi Yan, dared not act rashly. He could only watch them leave, secretly using a bell to relay the situation back to the Corpse God Sect’s main headquarters.

Along the way, many disciples of the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven and the Corpse God Sect were hunted down and killed by the uncontrolled corpse slaves. Shi Yan absorbed the essence of at least twenty low-level warriors. Most of these had only attained the Xian Tian or Ren position; their limited essence did not cause Shi Yan’s acupuncture points to feel as though they were tearing.

Soon, Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan reached the spot where the iron ship was docked.

"Do you know how to operate the ship?" Shi Yan asked, his face darkening as he suddenly realized this. "If you don't, we’ll need to take some captives."

"No need, I know how," Xia Xinyan said, her beautiful eyes filled with confidence. She pulled Shi Yan onto the ship and said quickly, "These ships use monster crystals as their power source; they don't need manual rowing. As long as you set the direction on the compass, the ship will sail automatically. As long as the energy in the crystals holds out, it will keep moving. My Xia family has ships like this; I know how to control them."

Shi Yan let out a sigh of relief.

"Thump." As he reached the deck, Shi Yan collapsed, his face pale. "You handle the ship. I’ll give one last order to the Heavenly Corpses."

The two Heavenly Corpses did not board the ship. Shi Yan closed his eyes, channeling his remaining mental energy into the Blood Vein Ring. The male Heavenly Corpse suddenly let out a piercing shriek and lunged at Sui Yueru and Li Zhuang.

"Go!" Shi Yan commanded.

"Boom!"

A massive roar erupted from within the iron ship. The enormous vessel of the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven began to move, slowly pulling away from the burial ground. On the shore, the disciples of the Yin-Yang Grotto-Heaven wailed in alarm. Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru, overwhelmed by the female Heavenly Corpse, could only watch in despair as the ship drifted away, unable to do anything to stop it.

Shi Yan felt dizzy and lightheaded from the total exhaustion of his mental energy. He lay sprawled on the deck, utterly drained.