In terms of speed, Han Li’s golden streaks clearly outpaced the gray threads by a fraction. With a series of muffled thuds, three gleaming golden swords embedded themselves into the chests of the three corpses.
At the same time, the Soul-Severing Threads reached Han Li, poised to entangle him. However, with a low shout, a seven-colored halo shimmered into existence around his body, effortlessly repelling the gray threads.
“Seven-Colored Spirit Light!” The black-clad beauty in the distance froze momentarily at the sight.
Han Li, expressionless, flicked his fingers toward the three corpses from afar.
Three thunderous cracks resounded as golden arcs erupted from the small swords, forming crackling nets that instantly enveloped the corpses. Sparks of electricity scattered wildly.
Without so much as a groan, the three corpses disintegrated into nothingness under the golden arcs. Yet, within the golden radiance, three murky black masses of energy emerged.
These masses were repeatedly torn apart by the golden arcs but continuously reformed, seemingly indestructible under the Divine Annihilation Lightning.
Han Li frowned at the sight.
“These are the true forms of the refined corpses. They’ve fused their corpse-tainted energy with their own essence, making them nearly impossible to destroy outright. We can only seal them temporarily with restraints,” the black-clad beauty suggested, delighted by Han Li’s success as she retracted her barrier and flew over.
“No need for such measures. Who knows what sinister abilities these things possess? Ordinary restraints might not hold them. Best to end this once and for all.”
“End it once and for all?”
The woman looked puzzled, but before she could grasp his meaning, Han Li suddenly slapped his spirit beast pouch. A streak of black light shot out, circled once, and landed on the ground, revealing a small, glossy black monkey—the Soul Devourer Beast!
Awakened by the corpse energy, the beast had been in a state of excitement. The moment it appeared, without waiting for Han Li’s command, it snorted through its large nostrils.
A radiant mist sprayed forth, sweeping up the black energy within the golden arcs and effortlessly drawing it back into the beast’s gaping maw.
After gulping several times, the Soul Devourer Beast pounded its belly with its fists and leaped about joyfully, clearly exhilarated.
The black-clad beauty stared in stunned silence.
While spirit beasts capable of devouring ghostly entities were rare, they weren’t unheard of. But a small monkey that could effortlessly consume corpse-tainted spirits was something she had never encountered. Moreover, the only spirit beast resembling a monkey with such abilities was the legendary Emerald-Eyed Spirit Ape, which bore no resemblance to this creature.
As the woman stood dumbfounded, Han Li inspected the Soul Devourer Beast and, finding it unharmed, relaxed.
Instead of immediately recalling it, he pondered briefly before beckoning.
Obediently, the beast flipped backward and perched motionlessly on Han Li’s shoulder.
“Let’s go. I wonder if Brother Fu and the others have captured the Shadow Horse yet,” Han Li remarked coolly, glancing at the black-clad beauty.
“They should have by now. The Corpse Wolf was already injured by you, Brother Han, and couldn’t have gone far. Besides, they had the assistance of Fellow Daoists Yuan and Bai,” the woman replied, suppressing her curiosity about the beast with a smile.
Han Li nodded, about to suggest they depart immediately, when suddenly both he and the woman stiffened, their expressions shifting dramatically.
Exchanging wary glances, Han Li flicked his sleeve while the woman reached for her storage pouch. Each produced a formation disk and examined it.
“Fellow Daoist Yuan’s mark is gone. What about yours, Fellow Daoist Chang?” Han Li asked gravely after a deep breath.
“The mark I placed on Fellow Daoist Yuan has also vanished. Could something have happened to him? But they only just left us!” The woman’s face was a mask of disbelief.
“Hard to say. Perhaps Brother Fu encountered a powerful enemy, or Fellow Daoist Yuan was caught off guard by some trap. Certain formations can sever our spiritual marks,” Han Li replied calmly.
“You’re right. Let’s hurry over. According to the marks, Senior Brother Fu hasn’t gone far,” the woman urged anxiously.
Han Li nodded in agreement.
The two then transformed into streaks of light, speeding through the passage ahead.
After navigating seven or eight turns and flying over ten miles, they emerged into a vast open space littered with piles of discarded ore.
Cautious, they slowed their flight.
But after advancing another hundred yards, the ore piles abruptly gave way to a small plaza.
At its center stood an enormous emerald bamboo, its upper end vanishing into the cavern’s ceiling while its base was encircled by a massive formation covering nearly the entire plaza. Around it stood over a dozen tall stone pillars, each chained to a desiccated black corpse—all eviscerated, much like the three Han Li had encountered earlier.
To their shock, beneath the bamboo sat a green-furred humanoid monster. It clutched a headless corpse in one hand, gnawing contentedly. The corpse’s attire unmistakably belonged to the burly Yuan.
Beside the monster loomed the massive Corpse Wolf, feasting on what appeared to be Yuan’s spirit turtle, now lifeless. The Shadow Horse still perched motionless atop the wolf’s head.
At this sight, Han Li’s heart sank.
The black-clad beauty paled, her gaze sweeping the area before she gasped, “Senior Brother Fu!”
Her eyes locked onto the air above, filled with terror.
Following her gaze, Han Li spotted two gray cocoons suspended mid-air, wrapped in layers of Soul-Severing Threads—far denser than those on the earlier corpses.
From one cocoon came continuous explosive rumbles, while the other remained silent but occasionally emitted faint crystalline light.
It seemed Fellow Daoist Fu and Bai Yaoyi were still alive, merely trapped.
Yet, in mere moments, three mid-Nascent Soul cultivators had been reduced to one dead and two incapacitated. Though outwardly composed, Han Li was inwardly shaken.
Despite her concern for Fellow Daoist Fu, the woman knew rescuing him now was impossible. After a brief glance at the cocoons, she averted her eyes, though her sleeve subtly concealed the Buddhist dharma wheel in her hand.
The green-furred monster ignored them, engrossed in its meal.
With two crisp snaps, it tore off an arm and devoured it voraciously.
Watching the mutilated corpse of Yuan, Han Li’s pupils contracted, his eyes tinged with blue light.
Just then, the Soul Devourer Beast on his shoulder let out a piercing shriek, its fur bristling as it glared at the monster, poised to attack.
Yet through the Soul Resonance Pearl within him, Han Li sensed not just excitement but overwhelming fear in the beast—as if facing a natural predator.
His caution deepened.
Hearing the shriek, the green-furred monster abruptly stopped eating. With a flick of its wrist, it hurled the mutilated corpse over twenty yards away, where it landed with a heavy thud.
Han Li and the woman exchanged uneasy glances.
Such monstrous strength!
The monster rose leisurely, lifting its head to regard them.
Now Han Li could see its features clearly.
At first glance, its face resembled a monkey’s—sharp and narrow—but upon closer inspection, it was vastly different.
No monkey had fangs several inches long, razor-sharp and bloodstained. Its eyes were a gleaming silver, devoid of pupils, lending it an eerie visage.
Most striking were the two prominent bulges on its back, like swollen cysts.
The monster’s gaze swept over them before locking onto the Soul Devourer Beast, its expression a mix of surprise and confusion.
Under its stare, the beast’s fur stood on end entirely.
With a leap, it landed several yards in front of Han Li, pounding its chest as black light erupted around it, its body swelling rapidly.
In moments, a towering, ferocious ape over thirty feet tall loomed in the cavern, the blood-red demon pattern on its back vivid and lifelike.
As the Soul Devourer Beast transformed, the green-furred monster recoiled several steps, its shoulders twitching.
With two sharp rips, a pair of silver-glowing wings, each over ten feet long, unfurled from the bulges.
“Silver-Winged Corpse!” the black-clad beauty gasped, her voice trembling with dread.
Han Li’s face paled.
The Silver-Winged Corpse was second only to the Golden-Bodied Moon Corpse among known refined corpses in the human realm—a being rivaling late-Nascent Soul cultivators in power.
Legends held that even late-Nascent Soul cultivators often fell to it in battle.
Born from a fallen corpse, it could traverse the heavens and the underworld with a single flap of its silver wings, wielding an innate mastery over wind and earth escape techniques. Its body was impervious to blades, its strength immense, and it excelled in illusions.
Its pupil-less silver eyes could ensnare weak-willed cultivators, bending them to its will unknowingly.
These details flashed through Han Li’s mind, each one tightening his lips further.
“Three came earlier, and now two more deliver themselves. I can’t recall how many years it’s been since I tasted fresh flesh. It seems today, I’ll feast to my fill,” the Silver-Winged Corpse declared, its voice eerily human.
With its wings unfurled, it no longer feared the Soul Devourer Beast’s aura, instead baring its fangs in a grotesque grin.
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