Chapter 418 - 416: Corpse Fusion

Chapter 418: Chapter 416: Corpse Fusion

The one who launched the surprise attack was, of course, Shen Changchuan.

It was a simple tactic.

First, he had Xiaojin reveal itself to kill the patrolling Corpse Refining Sect disciples, luring the Second Elder out of the Protective Array.

Then,

while the elder was preoccupied with Xiaojin,

Shen Changchuan, who was already prepared, used a Tier Two Concealing Technique at the Perfection level. He slipped behind his foe and unleashed a surprise attack with a burst of Tier Two Magic,

striking him from behind.

It was a simple plan,

but a highly effective one.

In his subconscious,

the Second Elder already considered this canyon his temporary base of operations.

Furthermore, Xiaojin’s entirely golden body led the elder to assume it was a Demon Beast native to Golden Wind Valley.

This was because Demon Beasts in Golden Wind Valley, constantly bathed in a trace of Geng Metal Qi, typically developed pale gold skin and shells.

That was why,

the moment he saw Xiaojin attack,

the Second Elder instinctively assumed that some stray Demon Beast had stumbled upon and attacked their post.

Coupled with the fact that he was in his own base,

a false sense of security lay hidden deep in his subconscious.

He never expected

that this was all just a trap to lure him out for an ambush!

And the result

was spectacular.

With just one strike,

the Second Elder, a cultivator at the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer, was grievously wounded!

However,

Shen Changchuan remained floating in mid-air,

his gaze fixed grimly on the large crater smashed into the canyon wall where the Second Elder had fallen.

Instead of pressing his advantage,

a faint green light emanated from his body as he gathered his power, remaining on high alert.

This was because,

within the dust-shrouded crater,

his opponent’s aura hadn’t weakened. On the contrary, a sinister and bizarre energy began to spread, faintly tainting the dust with the color of black smoke.

This was exactly why Shen Changchuan was being so cautious.

’If I press my advantage carelessly, I could fall into a trap.’

’This strike has already given me the upper hand,’

’so there’s no need to rush.’

’I should assess the situation first.’

In the span of a few breaths,

these thoughts flashed through Shen Changchuan’s mind.

Just then,

a fierce wind howled through the canyon,

quickly dispersing the dust kicked up by the Second Elder’s fall.

The scene within was revealed.

There,

in the center of a massive, collapsed crater in the cliff wall, dozens of yards wide,

stood a tall and burly figure in tattered clothes. Wisps of black, steam-like energy coiled from its body, and a bizarre, dark aura radiated from it, so powerful that it forced the howling winds back.

His face, though indistinct, was unmistakably that of the Second Elder!

Looking at his physique,

it was a full size larger and more muscular than before!

"Hsss... you damned little whelp! You’ve actually forced me to this state!"

The Second Elder’s scarlet eyes locked onto Shen Changchuan in the sky, filled with sinister resentment. His voice, hoarse and rasping like a broken bellows, echoed through the air.

On his now-brawnier body,

at his waist,

a huge gash pierced him front to back, tearing through pale flesh to expose the stark white of his ribs.

One could even see from the wound that the previous blow had missed severing his spine by a mere hair’s breadth!

Clearly,

Shen Changchuan’s surprise attack had indeed dealt him a devastating blow!

At the same time, however,

not a single drop of blood flowed from the Second Elder’s wound. Even the surrounding flesh was completely bloodless!

The exposed flesh was pale and dry like kindling, yet incredibly tough.

It gave one the impression that

his body was no longer that of a living being,

but rather a corpse!

"Corpse-Body Unity!"

High above, Shen Changchuan stared at the scene, grimly uttering those three words.

From the information he had extracted from Elder Wu’s memories,

he was able to deduce a few things.

The Second Elder’s current state was likely the result of using a profound Forbidden Technique unique to the Corpse Refining Sect.

As for the specifics of the Forbidden Technique,

Shen Changchuan couldn’t know them due to a Restriction in Elder Wu’s mind that prevented its secrets from being passed on.

But he did know one thing:

The Forbidden Technique’s primary function was to allow a user to temporarily merge with their lifebound refined corpse. This allowed the Cultivator to superimpose the corpse’s power onto their own, resulting in an explosive increase in strength!

Shen Changchuan also knew that

the Second Elder had refined a Silver Armored Corpse to the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer.

This was precisely why he had chosen to lure the elder out and ambush him, rather than face him in a direct confrontation.

He wasn’t confident he could face two Soul Emergence Seventh Layer opponents at once.

It was far better to set a trap

and aim for a one-hit kill.

If it succeeded, that would be for the best.

If not, his situation could hardly get any worse.

What Shen Changchuan hadn’t expected, however,

was that his plan would only be half-successful.

The ambush itself was a success.

He had managed to grievously wound his target.

But,

after being so heavily wounded, his opponent had decisively used the Forbidden Technique without a moment’s hesitation.

Achieving Human-Corpse Unity,

he had not only used the Forbidden Technique to suppress his injuries but had also stacked their power, his strength soaring to a level just shy of the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer!

’This Forbidden Technique has severe side effects. It causes irreversible damage to a Cultivator’s body, and if the fight drags on too long, there’s even a chance his body will permanently transform into a corpse...’

’He shouldn’t be able to maintain this state for long. A battle of attrition would be to my advantage.’

’But the question is, can I afford a battle of attrition?’

Shen Changchuan glanced down at Xiaojin, who was positioned at the entrance to the Secret Realm, preventing any other Corpse Refining Sect disciples from entering to sound the alarm.

The thought couldn’t help but cross his mind.

This had been part of the plan from the beginning.

Based on the information from Elder Wu’s mind, the Corpse Refining Sect’s Sect Leader and another Elder at the Seventh Layer Realm had likely entered the Secret Realm Ruins.

That was why, before making his move,

Shen Changchuan had instructed Xiaojin to guard the Secret Realm entrance after luring out the elder, ensuring no one could get inside to pass on a warning.

The plan had gone more or less as expected.

But,

even so,

Shen Changchuan knew

he absolutely could not afford to get into a battle of attrition with this man!

The longer the fight dragged on,

the greater the chance of something unexpected happening!

He had timed his attack carefully, waiting until just after a Corpse Refining Sect disciple had passed through the spatial entrance into the Secret Realm Ruins.

But even so, Shen Changchuan couldn’t be sure

how long it would take for the people inside to realize something was wrong!

’I have to end this quickly!’

Within a few short breaths,

Shen Changchuan had already made his decision.

As it happened,

his opponent had the very same thought.

’After using this Forbidden Technique so many times over the years, my body has already mostly turned to that of a corpse. I can’t fight for long... I have to end this quickly!’

Though it all took some time to describe,

it all happened in the span of just a few breaths.

BOOM!

The Second Elder stomped his foot into the crater floor. The hard rock shattered, and propelled by the powerful recoil,

he shot up like a cannonball, tearing a path through the air. He charged toward Shen Changchuan, unleashing a punch with the force of an avalanche!