Chapter 179: Chapter 128: Birth of the Evil Corpse
Passing by Pan Yang’s corpse, Liou Yuan didn’t forget to pick up the map concealed within his clothes.
Liou Yuan didn’t take anything else from Pan Yang, as time did not permit.
Being surrounded by three living dead for trivial gains could easily spell trouble for him.
By the time the three living dead reacted, the blue streak of light that was Liou Yuan had already sped out of the valley.
Roar! After three frenzied howls, the belated three living dead rushed in the direction Liou Yuan departed.
The living dead have mighty physiques, but their speed is far inferior to Liou Yuan, who had achieved Small Success in Treading Flowing Waves.
Within a few breaths, Liou Yuan vanished from their sight.
The three living dead seemed to have been commanded, afraid to leave the valley of Corpse Nurturing Land, standing at the valley’s entrance growling resentfully toward Liou Yuan’s disappearing direction.
With the map in hand, Liou Yuan re-entered the Illusion Array, following the directions on the map, winding left and right.
He spent a stick of incense’s time to reach the underground cave where he and Pan Yang first entered this space.
The Teleportation Array still emitted a faint glow, indicating that the Star Stone energy Liou Yuan had previously input remained.
Liou Yuan stepped into it.
Buzz!
With the surge of array light, his body was submerged in the array’s might.
At the last moment before leaving the underground cave, Liou Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Though the process was thrilling, at least there were no fatal accidents."
"The harvest of two Jade Scrolls this trip is hardly a return empty-handed."
Liou Yuan smiled with satisfaction as his body disappeared within the array.
Below the crevice of a nameless lake.
As the nearby lake water twisted, Liou Yuan’s figure reappeared here.
The water pressure from all directions instantly enveloped Liou Yuan’s body.
Fortunately, he was prepared, his blood energy shook, transforming into a blood-colored curtain insulating him from the pressure sufficient to crush even a cultivator.
Before leaving, he also took care to place several stones over the Teleportation Array leading to Corpse Nurturing Land.
"When the time is right, I must return to Corpse Nurturing Land."
"There’s still a Foundation Establishment Magical Artifact there, and the reward of the Fixed Star Compass."
Liou Yuan currently had no inclination to touch the Alien Evil Corpse, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t in the future.
After finishing this, Liou Yuan no longer lingered, utilizing Treading Flowing Waves to shoot toward the lake surface.
With no Pan Yang to slow him down, his speed was several times faster than when he came.
In less than the time it takes for tea, he broke through the water surface.
When he and Pan Yang entered the Corpse Nurturing Land cave it was night, coming out outside was already high noon.
Splosh! The splashing water burst open on the water’s surface, transforming into bands of color under the sunlight.
The scorching sun did not cause discomfort upon Liou Yuan; instead, it felt warm and pleasant.
The outside world, in the end, remains perilous; despite the brilliant sunshine, the Star Evil detests sunlight but doesn’t mean it fears it.
Hence, during the Evil Star Shift, even in daylight, the outside world is even more hazardous than usual.
"Let’s go!" Liou Yuan squinted to adapt to the outdoor glare, darting decisively in the direction of Lingjun County.
Along the way, he occasionally encountered attacks from Star Evil lurking in the shadows, most fell under Liou Yuan’s sword.
Among the Star Evil were formidable ones; invariably encountering some late-stage Qi Cultivation Star Evil on the journey, fortunately, Liou Yuan’s Evil Eyes allowed him to sense them early and avoid them.
Occasionally, he fell into traps, surrounded by over ten Star Evil, relying on the agility of Stepping Wave Body Skill to break through the encirclement.
Fighting his way through, he finally saw the outline of Lingjun County’s city on the horizon before sunset.
The guards at the city gate, seeing Liou Yuan in tattered clothes and fairly disheveled, thought he was a human possessed by Star Evil.
It was only upon Liou Yuan presenting his Five Extremes Mountain disciple token and announcing his name loudly under shocked gazes did he affirm he wasn’t Star Evil, successfully entering the city.
With Liou Yuan’s safe arrival in the city, this trip of Han Zhenzi’s chance was successfully concluded.
Meanwhile, almost at the same time as Liou Yuan’s return to Lingjun County.
Sight returns to the Corpse Nurturing Land.
The three living dead hadn’t dispersed, standing in three directions, encircling the White Jade Platform at the center.
Despite lacking intelligence, the living dead now kneeled like humans.
Their eerie eyes fixed on Han Zhenzi at the platform center, filled with human-like fervor.
Roar! It’s unknown which living dead spoke first, breaking the silence of Corpse Nurturing Land.
The three living dead raised their voices, howling hoarsely in a cacophony painful enough to affect the eardrums.
Among the overlapping roars, a living dead made the first move, tearing open its own belly with fingers sharper than any magical artifact, letting its rancid organs spill onto the ground.
Then followed the second, then the third.
The three living dead eviscerated themselves, clutching their organs toward Han Zhenzi’s remains on the White Jade Platform, their fervor deeper.
The peculiar act seemingly performing some ancient ritual.
Disturbed by the ritual, a mysterious aura arose in the scene.
The green-haired remains of Han Zhenzi, seated on the White Jade Platform, suddenly opened its eyes.
Emerald green pupils not like the three living dead lacking sentience, bearing human-like cunning and ferocity.
His body suppressed by Han Zhenzi’s Foundation Establishment Compass, unable to move an inch.
Yet, at this moment, its pupils emitted a chilling emerald glow, looking toward the already devoured beyond recognition corpse of Pan Yang.
