252: A sea of ​​corpses

The moonlit rocky slope seemed to have become the boundary between the mortal realm and the underworld.

The pale moonlight struggled to penetrate the clouds, barely outlining the suffocating scene at the edge of the slope.

First to enter the field of vision was a "corpse tide" that seemed almost endless. The outermost layer consisted of densely packed, relatively slow-moving but terrifyingly numerous "Bronze Corpses." Their skin was bluish-black or grayish-brown, most were mutilated, and they emitted a thick stench of rot. Faint flickers of eerie green or pale white phosphorus fire danced in their eye sockets, and their low growls merged into a scalp-numbing hum. There were likely no fewer than three thousand of them! Like a moving, rotting swamp, they slowly crawled across the ground.

In front of the Bronze Corpses were several hundred "Silver Corpses" whose Auras were significantly stronger. Their movements were more agile, and many still retained the Martial Skill instincts from when they were alive, wielding rusted blades or using sharp claws as weapons. The Soul fires in their eyes were more vigorous, and their Death Qi condensed into a gray mist that withered all vegetation in its path. This was the backbone of the Corpse Demon Sect, a force sufficient to crush the defenders of many towns.

What truly caused Qin Feng and the others' pupils to contract were the four dark-gold figures at the front of the corpse tide, standing like metal sculptures—Golden Corpses! They were nearly half again as large as ordinary corpse puppets, their entire bodies gleaming with the cold metallic light of secret refinement. Shriveled muscles tightly wrapped around thick skeletons, with hideous bone spurs or armor plates covering their joints. With every step they took, the ground trembled slightly, leaving clear footprints. Crimson Soul fire burned fiercely in their deep-set eye sockets, filled with a desire for violence and destruction—a terrifying Aura comparable to a human Late Stage Martial King! The four Golden Corpses stood at the very front of the tide like four mobile fortresses, bringing an unparalleled sense of oppression.

However, the corpse tide was not the only threat.

On the high ground to the sides and rear of the corpse tide stood an even more magnificent and disciplined lineup of human Cultivators—the main forces of the Yin Demon Sect and the Corpse Demon Sect.

On the Yin Demon Sect side, Zhongli Wu, clad in black robes, was the core. He stood alone on a high broken rock. Although he didn't intentionally release his Aura, his invisible pressure as a Late Stage Martial Emperor was like a cold, deep sea enveloping the entire battlefield, making the air thick and heavy. Behind him, more than twenty figures stood in the shadows, each with a powerful and condensed Aura; even the weakest was a Late Stage Martial King!

Among them, five figures had exceptionally heavy and obscure Auras, with the faint pressure of the Imperial Dao flowing around them—they were Early Stage Martial Emperors! There were also three figures whose Auras were like hidden volcanoes; though not as vast as Zhongli Wu's, they far exceeded the Early Stage, clearly being Mid-stage Martial Emperor experts! These twelve Late Stage Martial Kings, five Early Stage Martial Emperors, and three Mid-stage Martial Emperors, combined with Zhongli Wu himself, formed a terrifying high-end combat group capable of easily wiping out an ordinary medium-sized Sect. They stood in silence like vultures waiting for prey, their cold gazes locked onto the depths of the rocky slope.

The Corpse Demon Sect side was led by the Sect Master, whose skin was a pale, sickly green. Beside him stood three Altar Masters in tattered black robes with strange and obscure Auras, all possessing Half-step Martial Emperor cultivation, each holding a Soul-summoning banner or a corpse-controlling bell. Further back were eight Protectors with fierce eyes and swirling Death Qi, all of whom were Mid-stage Martial Kings. But the Corpse Demon Sect's true deterrent, besides the boundless corpse tide, lay in the Heavenly Corpse that stood silently like an iron tower beside the Sect Master! It was even taller than the Golden Corpses, its bluish-black skin shimmering with a strange luster of metal and bone, surrounded by visible vortices of gray Death Qi. In its occasionally raised eye sockets, two clumps of eerie green Soul fire flickered slowly, each pulse seemingly driving the tides of surrounding Death Qi. A corpse puppet at the Early Stage Martial Emperor level! Its defense and strength were likely far beyond human Cultivators of the same rank!

In addition to these two great Sects, in the shadows on the flank stood the Blood-Filled Tower manager, Blue Nightmare, along with three lean Martial King assassins he had brought, who seemed to blend into the night. Blue Nightmare himself was like a blurred phantom; standing there, it was difficult to pin down his exact position or Aura. Only his cold, vulture-like eyes occasionally swept over the battlefield with scrutiny and indifference.

Golden Corpses led the way, Silver Corpses came like a tide, and Bronze Corpses were like a sea.

Martial Emperor pressure was like a mountain, and the Martial King array was like a forest.

Furthermore, a Heavenly Corpse lay in wait, and assassins lurked nearby.

This lineup was more than enough to attack a heavily fortified town or Sect gate, let alone deal with Qin Feng's group of six (plus Ye Wuyou)!

On the high slope, Blue Nightmare looked down at the seemingly "thin" ambush circle on the rocky slope and let out a soft, mocking sneer: "Sect Master Zhongli, Corpse Demon Sect Master, to put on such a display for just those few little mice below... I'm afraid it might damage the reputation of your two Sects if word got out. In my opinion, the corpse tide under the Corpse Demon Sect Master's command alone is enough to grind them into powder."

The Corpse Demon Sect Master let out a raspy, strange laugh, clearly enjoying the flattery, but with a hint of bloodthirsty excitement: "Manager Blue Nightmare doesn't know that these little brats are very slippery and have repeatedly ruined our great plans. This time, we must ensure nothing goes wrong. I won't be satisfied until I've ground their bones to ashes and refined their Souls into corpse puppets! However... you're right, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? My boys, crush them for this Sect Master!"

He shook the bone bell in his hand, emitting a series of piercing sound waves.

The corpse tide below seemed to receive a clear command, and their growls suddenly intensified! The four Golden Corpses let out low roars simultaneously, their crimson Soul fires flaring up as they began to accelerate with heavy, thundering steps! The Silver and Bronze Corpses behind them surged forward like a black flood breaking a dam, carrying a deathly Aura that threatened to swallow everything as they swept toward the center of the rocky slope! The earth trembled, and Death Qi soared into the sky!

Zhongli Wu's gaze beneath his hood remained cold as he watched, not stopping them. He also wanted to see what tricks Qin Feng and the others could play in the face of this absolute superiority in numbers and strength. He waved his hand, and the Yin Demon Sect's Martial King battle array also began to slowly advance like a giant grindstone, coordinating with the corpse tide to complete the encirclement and eliminate any possibility of escape.

Pressure, like a collapsing mountain or a tsunamic wave, bore down on Qin Feng and the others at the heart of the rocky slope.

Hiding behind a giant rock, Xia Ya's palms gripping her greatshield were already covered in cold sweat. She swallowed hard and whispered, "Oh my god... this... this is too many, isn't it? It feels even scarier than that time at Green Ox Village..."

Xiao Chun hugged Little Fire tightly, her small face pale and her body trembling slightly, but her eyes struggled to remain firm. She remembered Qin Feng's instructions, her hand already pressed against the trigger of a certain trap.

Tao Yuanyi and Cold Peach Blossom's expressions were solemn to the extreme. They had experienced many storms, but such a lopsided disparity in forces was rare in their lives. With their Auras linked, they were already prepared for a fight to the death.

Ji Ruxue and Ye Wuyou stood back-to-back against the same rock, their faces looking extremely grim as they watched the surging corpse tide and the terrifying Auras on the distant high slope. Ye Wuyou gritted her teeth and said, "That old ghost Zhongli Wu really thinks highly of us..."

Qin Feng lay in a hidden spot, his heart beating like a drum, but his eyes were like tempered ice, sharp and calm. He rapidly scanned the advancing corpse tide, focusing primarily on the four Golden Corpses that were like battering rams and the faintly visible Heavenly Corpse behind them. Although the corpse tide was numerous, the greatest threats were always these high-level corpse puppets.

"Xiao Chun, listen for my command..." Qin Feng's voice entered everyone's ears through a special method, steady and resolute, "...Release!"

At the very moment the four Golden Corpses stepped into a trap zone that looked ordinary but was actually filled with runes carved from Nine Tribulations Lightning-Struck Wood heartwood and powered by Lightning Stones—and just as the bulk of the rear corpse tide surged in—

Xiao Chun forcefully pressed the hidden trigger!

Boom—!!!

It wasn't just one sound, but a continuous, thunderous roar that suddenly exploded as if heavenly lightning had descended upon the world!

In an instant, centered on those four Golden Corpses, countless blindingly bright silver-white electric snakes lit up the ground and air for dozens of meters around! These electric snakes were as thick as water buckets; some soared from the ground runes, some shot out from mechanisms disguised as rocks, and others were channeled by pre-arranged induction devices, weaving into an incredibly dense lightning net filled with the Aura of destruction!

The world turned a brilliant white! The deafening thunder drowned out the shrieks of the corpse tide!

To these corpse puppets driven by Yin Qi and Death Qi, the supremely Yang and fierce power of lightning was no different from their most terrifying natural nemesis!

Roar—!!!

The four Golden Corpses, bearing the brunt of the attack, let out roars of extreme pain and fury! The dark-gold luster on their bodies, which was enough to resist ordinary blades and axes as well as fire and water, flickered violently under the continuous bombardment of the wild lightning. Sizzling and crackling sounds filled the air as charred cracks rapidly spread across their sturdy bodies, and bluish-black smoke rose from the fissures. Their forward progress was abruptly halted as if they had hit an invisible wall, and they staggered back, the crimson Soul fire in their eyes flickering wildly in the lightning, their light dimming rapidly! Even with the strength of Golden Corpses, they suffered heavy damage and fell into a brief state of paralysis and confusion under this highly targeted and long-prepared lightning trap!

The Silver and Bronze Corpses behind them met an even more miserable fate!

Silver Corpses struck by the thick, stray electric arcs immediately convulsed. A massive amount of their Death Qi was evaporated, and billows of black smoke rose from their sturdy bodies. Their movements became extremely sluggish, and many simply froze on the spot, their Soul fires weakened, losing their combat capability. Sheets of Silver Corpses fell like wheat being mown down.

As for the most numerous and weakest Bronze Corpses, they were like snow encountering a blazing sun in this lightning Hell! Those directly hit by the lightning arcs exploded on the spot, sending rotten meat and broken bones flying everywhere; those caught in the aftershocks were also charred and smoking, collapsing in heaps. In just a few breaths, a large empty space was cleared in what had been the dense and aggressive vanguard of the corpse tide! A peculiar smell of char and rot mixed with ozone filled the air, making one want to gag.

This sudden and extremely violent lightning strike not only heavily damaged the Corpse Demon Sect's vanguard but also caused the expressions of Zhongli Wu, the Corpse Demon Sect Master, Blue Nightmare, and the others watching from the high slope to change simultaneously!

Looking at his four damaged Golden Corpses and the heavily depleted corpse swarm, the ghost fire in the Corpse Demon Sect Master's eye sockets flickered frantically in shock and anger: "Lightning-Struck Wood? Lightning Stones?! How could they have known in advance... and arranged it so meticulously?!"

The mockery on Blue Nightmare's face vanished, replaced by a hint of gravity: "They are indeed not simple... not only are they cunning, but their preparations are also incredibly thorough. It seems they anticipated we would use corpse puppets and accurately grasped the weakness."

The gaze beneath Zhongli Wu's hood grew even deeper. He spoke slowly, his voice icy: "Now, do you still think... it was making a mountain out of a molehill?"

He had originally thought Qin Feng and the others had only escaped repeatedly through small tricks and luck, but this carefully prepared and highly effective lightning trap clearly showed that the opponent had a meticulous plan and a profound understanding of their methods! This was definitely not just luck!