251: Pre-battle refresh

Today's zi hour had passed, and all was silent, save for the wind of the wasteland sweeping across the rocky slope, making a strange wailing sound. The moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, letting only a few pale glimmers through, reflecting off the jagged rocks like the skeletons of dormant giant beasts.

Qin Feng lay prone at the preset command point, his mind sinking into the System. This might be the last intelligence refresh before the great battle; he held his breath, waiting for key information that could decide their life or death.

The light screen brightened slightly, and three pieces of intelligence arrived as scheduled:

[Yellow Intelligence]: Yin Demon Sect Master Zhongli Wu, with a Late Stage Martial Emperor cultivation. His Cultivation Technique leans toward yin, cold, and deathly silence; he is wary of the power of extreme Yang and rigidity, especially fearing pure and powerful fire-attribute power burning his Yin soul Foundation.

[Yellow Intelligence]: For this mobilization of the Corpse Demon Sect, besides the Sect Master personally arriving, several Altar Masters are in control. The main force consists of four 'Golden Corpses' (Late Stage Martial King strength), whose bodies have been repeatedly tempered through secret methods, making them hard to damage with ordinary Earth Rank sabers or swords, and they have extremely high resistance to water and fire. There is also one 'Heavenly Corpse' (Early Stage Martial Emperor), which is one of the Corpse Demon Sect's Foundations; except for Heaven Rank divine weapons or special attribute powers, it is extremely difficult to break its defense. Both share a common weakness: they fear the power of extreme Yang and rigid thunder. Thunder-attribute Cultivation Techniques or treasures can cause significant damage and paralysis to them.

[Yellow Intelligence]: Blood-Filled Tower Manager Blue Nightmare, with a Mid-stage Martial Emperor cultivation. His movement techniques are mysterious, and he excels at concealment and assassination; frontal assault is not his forte. His Cultivation Technique is yin, soft, and treacherous; he finds heavy and solid earth-attribute power, which can interfere with his form-shifting, quite troublesome.

Qin Feng's eyes flashed with sharp light! Weaknesses! And they were highly specific weaknesses!

Fire-attribute counters Zhongli Wu! Thunder-attribute counters the Corpse Demon Sect's main force! Earth-attribute interferes with Blue Nightmare!

He quickly recalled the items they possessed—Nine Tribulations Lightning-Struck Wood heartwood! Thunder Light Stones! These were thunder-attribute treasures obtained from the Medicine King Valley's vault! Although they didn't specifically Cultivate thunder techniques, stimulating the thunder power within was enough to pose a huge threat to the Golden Corpses and the Heavenly Corpse! The earth spirit pearl! Xia Ya Cultivates an earth-attribute Cultivation Technique; combined with this pearl, she might be able to counter Blue Nightmare's eerie movement techniques! As for the fire-attribute... Little Fire? No, it was still too young. But the Crimson Sun Dragon Blood Fruit was of extreme Yang fire attribute; perhaps... it could be temporarily stimulated?

"Xiao Chun!" Qin Feng immediately barked in a low voice, "Quick, feed the Earth Flame Essence we obtained last time to Little Fire."

"Xia Ya, split the Nine Tribulations Lightning-Struck Wood heartwood and try to make simple Thunder Talismans or attach them to arrows and throwing weapons! Distribute the Thunder Light Stones to Senior Brother Tao, Senior Sister Leng, and Xia Ya to be triggered at the critical moment! The earth spirit pearl is for you; let her fully activate the Earth Spirit Power to prepare for possible sneak attacks!"

"Also," Qin Feng took out another Medicinal Pill, which was the Bodhi Pill he had prepared for emergencies (it could significantly increase True Yuan recovery speed and mental focus for a short time), "Everyone, keep one under your tongue and swallow it at the critical moment!"

Everyone acted immediately, the atmosphere tense but orderly. Xiao Chun quickly processed the Materials, while Xia Ya placed the earth spirit pearl close to her body, with earthy yellow True Yuan faintly flowing. Tao Yuanyi and Cold Peach Blossom checked their poisoned weapons and Thunder Light Stones. Ji Ruxue and Ye Wuyou also arrived at the meeting point; though their injuries were not yet healed, their gazes were equally firm as they took the distributed Thunder Light Stones and Bodhi Pills.

Ye Wuyou looked at the busy group and the crude yet murderous ambush circle, her gaze complex as she whispered, "Qin Feng, Zhongli Wu and the Corpse Demon Sect Master are not easy to deal with, and the assassins of the Blood-Filled Tower are also hidden in the shadows... Are you really sure?"

Qin Feng didn't look back, his voice as cold and hard as iron. "I'm not sure, I'm just risking my life. If they want our lives, they must be prepared to have their teeth knocked out! Miss Ye, since you've chosen to stand here, please believe in us, and believe in yourself."

Ye Wuyou said no more, only tightening her grip on her dual blades.

Just then, from the distant horizon, came a dull and dense 'thump-thump' sound, like the beating of war drums, getting closer and louder, making the ground tremble slightly! It was the sound of heavy objects marching in unison!

"They're here!" Tao Yuanyi barked in a low voice, his spear already in hand.

Everyone immediately hid in their preset positions and held their breath.

Under the pale moonlight, a dense mass of figures, like a legion crawling out of Hell, was the first to surge into the edge of the rocky slope!

Leading them were four exceptionally tall figures, their bodies shimmering with a dull metallic luster. Their skin was shriveled and clung to their bones, and crimson light flickered in their eye sockets. Their movements were slightly stiff but powerful and heavy, each step crushing the stones on the ground—they were exactly the four Golden Corpses! The aura emitted by each was comparable to a Late Stage Martial King, carrying intense Death Qi and Evil Qi.

Following closely behind were over fifty slightly faster, grey-skinned or greenish-blue Silver Corpses. Their auras ranged from Grand Martial Master to Early Stage Martial King. They spread out like a tide, making unconscious rasping sounds, greedily sniffing for the scent of the living.

The Corpse Demon Sect's vanguard had arrived! They were in no hurry to go deep; instead, under the lead of the Golden Corpses, they began to spread out slowly and orderly, as if clearing the area and scouting for traps, also paving the way for the main force behind them. The crimson eyes of the four Golden Corpses scanned the dark rocky slope, faintly locking onto several directions where Qin Feng and the others might be hiding.

Death Qi and the smell of blood began to permeate the air.

Qin Feng crouched behind a rock, his eyes coldly watching the vanguard below advancing like a mountain of corpses and a sea of bones. His fingers lightly brushed over the 'Blood-Sealing Throat' poison coated on his ink plum sword. The first wave was also the one easiest to weaken with traps... He glanced at the direction where Xiao Chun and Xia Ya were hidden, then looked toward the further direction where the main force of Zhongli Wu and the others should be arriving.

The true test was about to begin. And their carefully prepared 'poison feast' and the 'weakness intelligence' they had just acquired would undergo the most brutal test in the upcoming bloody slaughter.

"Prepare..." Qin Feng's voice was sent into everyone's ears through a special transmission method.

All minds were tense, their True Yuan circulating secretly. The poisonous light on their weapons and the faint glimmers from the Thunder Light Stones and lightning-struck wood fragments flickered in the darkness.

The corpse horde drew closer.