I couldn’t quite see what exactly it was—something emerged from the ground, over ten meters long, with a pitch-black body covered in shimmering scales.
The Bronze Corpse was completely ensnared by that thing and flung over ten meters away, crashing into several trees that immediately toppled to the ground.
I stood up from the ground, my hand bones still throbbing in pain, nearly crushed into a comminuted fracture by the Bronze Corpse. Glancing around, I noticed the jade ruler buried shallowly in the soil. Though I had inhaled a considerable amount of corpse energy, ever since consuming those various insects, I had become immune to such miasmas. After a short while, I recovered.
Another gust of wind swept by, followed by a sudden flick—I let out a curse as a massive tail swung toward me. I leaped aside just in time to dodge it.
What creature had such a huge tail?
Could it be the Serpent King? A colossal jungle python.
I stepped forward and dug out the jade ruler. By its glowing light, I finally got a clear look at the Serpent King. The entire ground had been overturned—had my earlier summoning conjured this monstrous serpent?
The Bronze Corpse was now entangled by the Serpent King, a massive python-like beast. Pythons possessed terrifying strength, capable of crushing an elephant to death. The scales of this Serpent King seemed tempered over centuries, making them incredibly resilient.
The Bronze Corpse was tightly coiled, its jaws snapping uselessly against the scales. The corpse energy it spewed couldn’t even singe the serpent.
Uncle Jianguo was still hanging from the tree. Worried he might get caught in the crossfire, I circled around and pulled him down, pressing my thumb against the philtrum to revive him. He groaned back to consciousness.
Staring at the chaos before him, Uncle Jianguo shook his head to confirm he wasn’t dreaming.
With firm conviction, he told me that no matter how powerful the python was, its strength would eventually wane—it was still a creature of nature. The Bronze Corpse, however, was different—it could possess boundless, inexhaustible energy.
At that moment, the Bronze Corpse remained locked in a stalemate with the Serpent King.
Neither had managed to destroy the other.
I dug out *The Compendium* from my bag and flipped through it, finally locating the section on Bronze Corpses. Using the jade ruler as a light source, I scanned the pages.
Aside from the Ancestor’s warning to flee upon encountering a Bronze Corpse, there was a tiny footnote written by someone named “Ye Guyi.” It stated that crafting a Bronze Corpse was extremely difficult, requiring specific conditions, and had been most popular during the Yuan Dynasty—favored by demonic sorcerers. I skipped the background details.
Finally, I found the method to subdue a Bronze Corpse.
Ye Guyi wrote that even the jade ruler’s power at its peak wouldn’t suffice. It required the aid of one of two entities—either an “Earth-Nourished Corpse” or a “Jade Corpse”—to fully eliminate the Bronze Corpse.
I thought to myself—*cramming at the last minute finally gave me a clue!* But then Ye Guyi added: Earth-Nourished Corpses and Jade Corpses were exceedingly rare in this world.
*Are all Ghost Sect teachings this unreliable?*
This Ye Guyi seemed to be Grandpa Long Youshui’s master—yet another person who had led me astray.
Closing the book, I turned to Uncle Jianguo with a heavy heart. “I just reviewed the book, but there’s no ready-made way to subdue the Bronze Corpse. Unless we find an Earth-Nourished Corpse or a Jade Corpse—and I don’t even know what those are. Uncle Jianguo, maybe we should just leave.”
But Uncle Jianguo refused. He pointed north—toward home, toward our homeland.
I cursed inwardly. *This is no time for noble sentiments.* Yet, tears welled up in my eyes—*must be dust or something.*
Uncle Jianguo, injured and coughing blood, picked up the gun that had fallen nearby and took position by the roadside, determined to destroy the nearly invincible Bronze Corpse.
I asked him, “If we die here, will anyone remember us?”
Uncle Jianguo lit a cigarette. “Someone will remember me. Fugui, Jinbao, Dazhuo, Shangqian, Wulong—they live on in my heart. And I’ll live on in someone else’s.”
*What bullshit.*
I scoffed. “Living in someone’s memory is worthless. Better to live in this world and remember yourself.”
Uncle Jianguo’s eyes moistened. “Xiao Qi, go. I won’t blame you. I’m a soldier—I can’t let the Bronze Corpse escape.”
Little Rascal and the kitten retreated to my feet.
Suddenly, Xie Lingyu shouted, “Xiao Qi! The egg on its head! Uncle Jianguo, shoot three bullets in a straight line on its forehead! Xiao Qi, drive the jade ruler in!”
The Bronze Corpse wasn’t fully formed yet—its face still had a weak point.
I glanced at Uncle Jianguo. “Can you make that shot?”
He spat out his cigarette butt. “I ranked second in the entire army’s marksmanship.”
*Second place is close enough to first.* I nodded. “Then I’ll go!”
Uncle Jianguo checked his magazine. “Three bullets left. I’ll fire when you say.”
In the dim light, spotting the slight irregularity on the Bronze Corpse’s head was hard enough—firing three precise shots with a pistol lacking a scope was nearly impossible.
The Serpent King’s grip on the Bronze Corpse weakened. The corpse began tearing at the serpent’s scales. I stepped forward. “Big Serpent, you’ve done enough. Don’t let it hurt you—get out of here!”
The Serpent King, having answered my summons, loosened its coils and slithered away, its body bleeding.
The Bronze Corpse exhaled hot vapor, its eyes gleaming like brass. Uncle Jianguo steadied his pistol behind me.
I chanted silently, *Jade ruler, jade ruler, I’m a disciple of the Ghost Sect. If you fail me now, I’m dead.* The jade ruler’s blue glow intensified.
Taking a deep breath, I started cursing at the Bronze Corpse. “You son of a bitch, couldn’t even die properly! Asking for trouble? Well, today’s your unlucky day—I’ll blast you to hell!”
Insults worked on malevolent spirits, but against a Bronze Corpse, they were useless. I was just psyching myself up.
The Bronze Corpse lunged, kicking me square in the chest. I barely raised my arms in defense.
*Damn it!* I was sent flying like a soccer ball. *Bronze Corpse, if you played in the World Cup, you’d be top scorer!*
I crashed into a tree, blood trickling from my lips. No chance of getting close now.
Gritting my teeth, I spat blood onto my hand and smeared it on the jade ruler. The scent of fresh blood drew the Bronze Corpse back toward me.
The ensuing fight was chaotic—I survived purely by the Ancestor’s grace.
With the blood-smeared jade ruler in hand, I attempted another grand hand seal, muttering incantations. The ruler pulsed with red and blue light. The Bronze Corpse charged, its shoulder slamming into me. I braced myself—*if the Ancestor doesn’t come through now, his legacy ends here.*
This time, instead of being sent flying, I was pushed back, my feet plowing furrows in the dirt. “Uncle Jianguo! Three shots—now!”
Uncle Jianguo inhaled deeply, steadying the pistol with his left hand to counter the recoil. His right index finger pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Three bullets flew as if guided. His aim and execution were flawless—this wasn’t something just anyone could pull off.
Given the poor lighting, without his near-top marksmanship, we’d have been doomed.
The Bronze Corpse, locked in combat with me, didn’t notice the bullets until they struck—three in a perfect line on its forehead. Black ooze seeped from the wounds. The corpse howled, staggering back.
Seizing the moment, I drove the bloodied jade ruler deep into its skull.
The Bronze Corpse shrieked, thrashing in a final, desperate assault. Its bronze hue began fading. Just as I thought it was finished, its iron grip clamped around my throat.
My lungs burned for air. My neck felt seconds from shattering—
Then, green vines erupted from the ground, coiling around the Bronze Corpse and immobilizing it. A girl in green robes descended from the rooftop, seizing the corpse’s arms.
Even in its death throes, the Bronze Corpse struggled with unnatural strength, spewing black miasma. The girl, pristine and unafraid, lifted the corpse and slammed it down like a yo-yo. The vines drilled into its flesh like diamond-tipped augers.
For the first time, the Bronze Corpse seemed to feel pain.
The girl hoisted it again and smashed it into the ground. The impact shook the earth.
She yanked out the jade ruler and tossed it back to me.
I was stunned. This Bronze Corpse—reduced to a helpless child by a girl in green? Uncle Jianguo and I exchanged disbelieving glances.
With one foot planted on the corpse, the girl wrenched its left arm off with a sickening tear, then repeated the motion with the right. The Bronze Corpse was torn asunder.
From the kneeling, motionless Dao Jiumiang came a scream—hands clutching her chest. The bond between a corpse-refiner and their creation was intimate; the Bronze Corpse’s destruction wounded her soul.
As I studied the green-clad girl, I noticed an uncanny resemblance to Xie Lingyu. Though dressed differently, their auras aligned.
*Could she be Xie Lingyu’s shadow?*
Then Lin Danan’s voice rang out:
*”That’s the demoness sister!”*
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