Han Li’s expression darkened immediately upon seeing the young woman’s reaction, his eyes flashing with cold light. Without a word, he raised his hand and hurled the jade box directly at her.
Though he didn’t understand why she would fear a mere talisman, since she clearly harbored ill intentions, he saw no reason to hold back.
The black-robed woman panicked even more at this sight. Without hesitation, she slapped the stone platform beneath her with one hand, attempting to rise and dodge. However, this movement evidently triggered some kind of restriction. The moment she rose about a zhang into the air, a flash of red light enveloped her, forcibly dragging her back to her original position, her face twisted in pain.
By then, the jade box had already shot to her front, emitting a clear chime before abruptly changing direction and flying straight above her head. The golden talisman on the box then erupted with dazzling light, releasing countless golden runes that drifted down toward the woman like falling leaves.
“No!”
The black-robed woman let out a despairing scream, her beautiful face contorting grotesquely. Unwilling to resign herself to fate, she swiftly raised her only arm to cover her face while desperately lowering her head, as if trying to bury her face in her chest.
The runes finally landed on her shoulders, and with a flash of golden light, wisps of green smoke immediately rose from her body.
The woman shuddered violently, letting out an ear-piercing shriek so shrill and inhuman that Han Li’s expression changed drastically. He involuntarily took several steps back, his palms slightly damp with sweat. One hand instantly gripped the spirit beast pouch filled with Gold Devouring Beetles, while the other tightened around the ancient treasure, the Jade Ruyi. His gaze remained fixed on the stone platform, his expression grave.
More runes descended, and thick green smoke billowed around the black-robed woman. Soon, the entire platform was engulfed in the haze, with only occasional flashes of golden light visible. The woman’s figure was completely obscured, but her agonized screams continued unabated—sometimes high-pitched and shrill, other times hoarse and savage, as if shifting between male and female voices, sending chills down one’s spine.
Han Li watched with growing unease, licking his lips before holding his breath. The moment the green smoke appeared, a foul stench filled the room. After inhaling just a couple of breaths, he immediately felt dizzy and nauseous, his heart pounding in alarm.
The smoke was highly toxic.
Just then, a series of sharp *crack* sounds emerged from the thick green fumes.
Before Han Li could discern the source of the noise, a *whoosh* echoed through the air.
A ghostly green claw suddenly shot out from the mist like lightning, its length wrapped in thin silver chains, viciously swiping toward Han Li, who had retreated to a corner of the stone chamber. The arm stretched unnaturally, extending several zhang in an instant, as if it were a serpent, aiming straight for Han Li’s protective barrier.
Han Li’s expression turned icy. He tightened his grip on the Jade Ruyi, preparing to activate its power, when the silver chains on the claw abruptly constricted. Sparks flew, and a scorching stench filled the air.
A pained growl rumbled from within the mist, and the claw swiftly retracted.
Han Li’s lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at the thick smoke, his expression flickering between uncertainty and wariness. After a brief moment of hesitation, he took two more cautious steps back until his back was against the azure stone wall. He channeled more spiritual power into the Jade Ruyi, reinforcing his protective barrier with additional layers of red and yellow light. Only then did his expression relax slightly.
After what felt like an entire cup of tea’s worth of time, the eerie screams from within the green mist gradually weakened. The golden talisman’s glow also dimmed, and the falling runes became sparse, a far cry from their initial intensity.
*”It seems this golden talisman can indeed suppress this thing—whether it’s a ghost or a demon—but its spiritual energy is limited. I wonder if it’ll be enough to fully subdue it.”* Han Li pondered silently.
Fortunately, his fears did not come to pass.
By the time the screams ceased and the green mist fell eerily silent, the golden talisman’s radiance had not yet completely faded.
Han Li glanced at the floating talisman but made no move to approach. Instead, he waited until the light finally dimmed, and both the talisman and the jade box plummeted into the green mist below. Only then did he act.
With a wave of his hand, he temporarily stored the spirit beast pouch away. His free hand formed a seal as he muttered an incantation, summoning a red light sphere the size of an egg before him.
Without hesitation, he flicked a finger toward it. The sphere shot forward with a *whoosh*, vanishing into the green mist.
Then, his brows arched slightly as he uttered a single word: “**Explode.**”
A thunderous *boom* erupted from within the mist. The green fumes were instantly blasted apart as if swept away by a gale, leaving no trace behind. At the same time, a wave of scorching heat filled the small chamber.
As expected, fire-attribute techniques were most effective against sinister miasmas and poisons.
The hot wind brushed past Han Li’s face, but he remained unmoving, his eyes gleaming with an odd light as he fixed his gaze on the now-cleared stone platform. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. He swallowed dryly, a chill running down his spine.
Lying motionless on the platform was a vaguely humanoid figure, its condition unknown.
The reason it could only be called “humanoid” was that, while it bore a rough resemblance to a person, its body was covered in thick, coarse green hair, and a nauseating stench of decay emanated from it.
Though its face was not yet visible, one thing was certain—this was no human.
Like the black-robed woman it had previously mimicked, it had only one arm. The claw at its end, tipped with jet-black nails, was unmistakably the same one that had attacked Han Li earlier.
What caught Han Li’s attention was the numerous thin silver chains tightly wrapped around the creature’s body. These chains not only bound its limbs but also pierced straight through its chest and back, as if sealing it in place with extreme force.
Without further thought, Han Li pointed at the swarm of flying swords above him. A dozen green streaks shot forward, slashing wildly at the monster.
A series of dull *clangs* echoed, yet the green-haired creature remained unharmed.
Han Li’s lips twitched into a wry smile, though he wasn’t particularly surprised. Given how meticulously this thing had been restrained, it was undoubtedly no ordinary foe. If his swords had actually managed to sever its head, *that* would have been shocking.
With a wave of his hand, he recalled the flying swords. Then, he took a few steps forward and flicked his sleeve lightly toward the monster.
A stream of azure light shot from his sleeve, wrapping around the creature’s body before gently tossing it aside, revealing its true appearance.
A skeletal, deathly gray face—little more than skin stretched over bone—greeted Han Li. Its half-open mouth revealed a pair of massive fangs, each protruding about an inch, presenting a truly horrifying sight.
“This is…?” Han Li studied the creature’s green fur and ghastly visage, a vague sense of recognition stirring in his mind. It reminded him of something he’d read about in an ancient text.
He lowered his head slightly, deep in thought.
“**Corpse Demon!**”
Moments later, his head snapped up, his eyes flashing with fear as he uttered the creature’s name. His mind raced, recalling the infamous legends surrounding this abomination—a terror dating back to the primordial era.
As the name suggested, a **Corpse Demon** was a type of zombie. However, it was vastly different from the walking corpses cultivated by necromancers or the ordinary zombies that gained sentience after long burial. The conditions for its formation were exceedingly stringent.
Though the exact process remained unknown, two prerequisites were absolute for a corpse to evolve into a Corpse Demon.
First, the deceased must have been at least a **Nascent Soul-stage cultivator** in life. Mortals or low-level cultivators could never transform into such a monstrosity.
Second, the cultivator must have possessed a **wood or earth-attribute Heavenly Spiritual Root**. Without this, the corpse would lack the affinity to draw upon the power of stone or vegetation, preventing its reanimation.
Beyond these, there was one more indispensable condition: the cultivator must have died with **overwhelming resentment**. Only then would their soul refuse to enter the cycle of reincarnation, lingering instead upon their corpse. Over time, under specific circumstances, the soul would fuse back with the body, refining it into the abomination known as a Corpse Demon.
This creature could be described as half-human, half-corpse—or perhaps half-corpse, half-ghost.
Unlike ghosts or ordinary zombies, it harbored no weakness to sunlight. Moreover, it retained most of its memories from life, instinctively practicing the cultivation techniques it once knew. And due to its death steeped in hatred, this fiend was anything but benevolent. Nearly all Corpse Demons were bloodthirsty by nature, delighting in slaughtering cultivators and imprisoning their souls within their bellies, torturing them endlessly with spectral flames for amusement.
In the ancient world of cultivation, this monster was a name that struck fear into the hearts of all.
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