162: Crisis and Reinforcements

"Altar Master, save me!" The captured black-robed Cultivator saw the newcomer and screamed hoarsely, as if grasping at a life-saving straw.

Qin Feng's gaze sharpened. He had no mercy for this kind of wicked Cultivator who participated in massacring villages and refining corpses. The ink plum sword remained still, but his left hand formed a sword shape with two fingers, pointing into the air!

A condensed stream of Hunyuan True Qi instantly pierced his glabella. The black-robed Cultivator's scream abruptly ceased, the light in his eyes scattered, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Heretics and demons who devastate life—everyone has the right to kill them." Qin Feng retracted his fingers and looked coldly at the purple-robed Altar Master. Even facing three Martial Kings, his Aura did not fall short.

"How audacious!" The effeminate smile vanished from the Altar Master's face, replaced by cold murderous intent. "You killed my subordinate and still dare to speak wildly. A Martial King level Physical Body is excellent Materials for refining a Golden Corpse! Today, I will keep both of you here to serve as my Corpse Puppets!"

Before he finished speaking, he fiercely waved the wide sleeve of his purple robe!

"Buzz buzz buzz—!"

A massive black cloud of insects suddenly surged out, emitting a scalp-numbing sound of beating wings, enveloping Qin Feng and Ji Ruxue! These insects resembled beetles but were entirely black, with sharp mouthparts, and gave off a faint, putrid smell as they flew.

"Be careful! They are Corpse Poison Corroding Beetles! Being bitten or inhaling their scale dust will result in severe poisoning!" Ji Ruxue cried out sharply, clearly recognizing the creatures.

"Finger Sword Among Flowers: Scattered Petals!" Qin Feng did not dare to delay. He pointed his sword-fingers repeatedly, and countless dense, petal-like Sword Qi erupted, meeting the insect cloud and attempting to shred it. Where the Sword Qi passed, many Corroding Beetles were cut apart, but their numbers were simply too great, and some could even withstand one or two streams of Sword Qi, pressing forward relentlessly.

"Catch!" Ji Ruxue quickly flicked a medicine packet from a small leather pouch at her waist. Her True Qi shattered it, and pale yellow medicinal powder diffused, forming a barrier. The pungent smell of realgar mixed with other insect-repelling herbs spread. The Corpse Poison Corroding Beetles that flew into the powder's range instantly became disorganized, squeaking strangely as if they had met their nemesis, and their offensive slowed slightly.

"Hmph, mere tricks." The Altar Master sneered coldly. The skull prayer beads in his hand violently struck each other, emitting a sharp, grating sound, as he chanted obscure incantations.

"Roar—!!!"

The ground suddenly shook! Centered on him, dense black Qi gathered from all directions and surged into the earth. The next moment, a large patch of ground in front of everyone violently exploded!

One, two, three... a full thirty Silver Corpses, shimmering with silver light and radiating fierce Auras, burst forth from the ground! Following them were many more Bronze Corpses, whose movements were slightly stiff but whose numbers were astonishing—a rough estimate placed them at over two hundred! Finally, there was a dense, black mass of ordinary Walking Corpses, howling continuously and seemingly endless, numbering at least two thousand!

Silver Corpses in the front, Bronze Corpses in the middle, and Walking Corpses like a sea, forming a terrifying and silent Death Legion! Dense stench of corpses and Death Qi shot into the sky, darkening half of the firmament!

This shocking scene plunged the surviving Green Ox Village villagers into complete despair; even the strength to flee seemed to have been drained from them.

"Run!" Qin Feng roared at the distant villagers behind him. At the same time, his entire body's True Qi surged, and he stood back-to-back with Ji Ruxue, facing the oncoming impact of this mountain of corpses and sea of bones.

"Trying to run? Too late!" The Altar Master sneered, ordering the two Early Stage Martial King Deacons on his left and right, "Stop them!"

"As you command!" The two black-robed Deacons moved, attacking from the left and right flanks. Their movement techniques were strange, leaving trails of afterimages. They were clearly skilled in Combined Attack Techniques; their Qi mechanisms were connected, and their might subtly stacked, making them comparable to a Mid-stage Martial King!

"Shadow Bind!" Ji Ruxue shouted sweetly. The shadows beneath her feet suddenly lengthened and split, like living black vines, wrapping around the ankles of the two Deacons, attempting to slow their speed.

"Dark Shadow Sleeve Blades!" At the same time, she shook both arms, and several streaks of black light silently shot out from her sleeves, aiming straight for the vital points of the two Deacons! This was her hidden weapon method as a top assassin: fast, precise, and ruthless, and tempered with potent poison!

The two Deacons hadn't anticipated that Ji Ruxue could launch such fierce hidden weapons while simultaneously controlling shadows. In haste, they swung the bone staffs in their hands to block.

"Clang, clang, clang!" A flurry of crisp metallic sounds rang out. The black lights were barely deflected, but the momentum of the two men's charge was also momentarily halted.

And in that instant of delay, the purple-robed Altar Master had already closed in like a ghost, striking out with a palm. His palm was black as ink, and a foul stench assaulted the nostrils, aiming directly for Qin Feng's face! Where the palm wind passed, the air emitted a "hissing" corrosive sound!

Qin Feng swung his sword to block. The Hunyuan True Qi collided with the Corpse Fiend Palm Force, resulting in a dull, massive boom. Qin Feng felt a chilling, immense force transmit through him, his arm slightly numb, and his body slid back several steps. The Altar Master's cultivation Realm was one minor stage higher than his, and combined with the strange Corpse Demonic Cultivation Technique, his power could not be underestimated.

More critically, the thirty Silver Corpses were already roaring and charging at the forefront. Behind them, the sea of corpses surged like a tide, now less than fifty zhang away! The ground trembled beneath countless footsteps, and the shadow of death completely enveloped them.

Determination flashed in Qin Feng's eyes. The Sword Heart within him hummed, his Sword Bone faintly glowed, and his Hunyuan True Qi began circulating in a nearly violent manner. He was preparing to use a highly draining Secret Technique to forcibly erupt and try to tear open a path.

Just at this critical moment—

"Qin Feng! Sister Xue! We're here!"

A clear, sharp cry came from the side and rear! Xia Ya was seen holding a Greatshield in one hand and pulling Xiao Chun with the other, pushing the Wind Spirit Illusion Steps to the maximum. Like two streaks of swift wind, they broke through the scattered Walking Corpses on the periphery and fiercely charged into the center of the battlefield!

Xia Ya's True Qi burst forth across her body, releasing her Half-Step Martial King Aura without reservation. She slammed the Greatshield heavily onto the ground with a "boom," scattering dirt and stones. A steady, weighty wave of Qi spread out from her center, actually shaking the first few charging Walking Corpses until they stumbled!

Although Xiao Chun's face was pale, her eyes were resolute, and she already held several kinds of medicinal powder and silver needles in her hand.

Their arrival was like a ray of dawn cast into utter despair!

Qin Feng's spirits lifted, and the pressure on him instantly decreased. A slight ripple also crossed Ji Ruxue's cold eyes.

The purple-robed Altar Master frowned, clearly not expecting the opponents to have reinforcements, and judging by her Aura, the shield-wielding woman was also close to the Martial King level.

"Two more coming to die? I might as well refine them all!" The Altar Master's killing intent intensified. Under his control, the sea of corpses surged from all directions like a black tide!

Qin Feng, Ji Ruxue, Xia Ya, and Xiao Chun—the four of them gathered together for the first time in the face of true life-and-death crisis.

Back-to-back, they faced the endless corpse tide and three wicked Martial King Cultivators.

Although the Four Symbols Battle Array had not been practiced to perfection, its embryonic form had appeared. In this desperate situation, only a bloody battle remained!