Chapter 371: Chapter 370: The Dead Corpse General_1
"There’s no need for you all to worry."
Sikong Yi flipped his palm and took out an Array Map. "I have an Array Formation here, named the Fusion Sky Devil Array, which can integrate the strengths of multiple Top Sky Apex Strong. If we use this Array Formation, we will surely be able to defeat this Purple Light Flood Dragon."
"This method is indeed worth a try." Shentu Yan’s eyes lit up.
"It’s hard to say. People from the Demon Way are always cunning. There might be traps hidden within this Array Map," Xu Feihong said, sweeping a glance at Sikong Yi and the others, his eyes filled with mistrust.
"Lord Xu, you’re overthinking. If I were to tamper with the Array Map, the end result would be that none of us could enter this underground palace. It wouldn’t be beneficial for either of us." Sikong Yi smiled. "Moreover, among you, there are experts extremely proficient in Array Formations. If I were to meddle with it, how could you not see through it?"
"Sect Leader Sikong makes a valid point. At a time like this, we should cast aside our prejudices and cooperate temporarily. After we defeat the Purple Light Flood Dragon, it won’t be too late to resume our conflicts," Shentu Yan ardently tried to persuade them.
"Then let’s give it a shot."
Feng Chi Yu, Lu Youzhen, and others, after hesitating for a moment, also agreed. After all, everyone wanted to enter the Human Emperor’s Underground Palace. Since there was a way, even a temporary alliance with the Demon Way was acceptable.
"Since everyone has agreed, let’s start comprehending the Array Map. We don’t have time to waste."
Sikong Yi tossed the Array Map to Shentu Yan, and the leaders of the Righteous Path immediately sat down cross-legged to begin studying the contents of the Fusion Sky Devil Array.
...
「Inside the Palace.」
After leaving the secret room full of Green Jade Gourds, Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan continued their journey through the maze for about half an hour. During this time, they naturally discovered quite a few chambers. Those chambers, however, did not house any particularly attractive treasures—after all, it was impossible for every stone chamber to contain such a massive quantity of Heavenly Origin Pills.
Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan slowed their pace, gradually emerging from the passage. Beyond the passage was an extremely vast hall, resembling a large square. Around this hall, several other passages converged.
The atmosphere in the great hall was somewhat eerie, with gusts of chilling wind. If not for the fact that this was the Human Emperor’s palace, Ling Chen might have suspected the presence of some foul entity.
On both sides of the great hall stood a line of guards clad in armor. These guards wore real armor and wielded real swords, looking just like living people.
Ling Chen approached one of the guards, his fingers probing the body beneath the armor. Underneath, it was a soft material, not metal, but extremely resilient.
In the center of the great hall, there was a throne, and upon it sat a figure encased in heavy armor.
Concealed by the heavy armor was clearly a skeleton, devoid of any signs of life.
If the surrounding standing guards were soldiers, then the one seated on the throne was evidently the general.
"Is this the Human Emperor?" Xu Ruoyan asked in surprise as she walked to the foot of the steps and looked up at the general on the throne.
"Of course not." Ling Chen shook his head, glancing around. "The Human Emperor was once the co-ruler of the Tianyuan Continent. He eventually Shattered Void and left the Tianyuan Continent. This corpse definitely isn’t him."
"Moreover, judging by its oppressive might, this corpse is far from reaching the Human Emperor’s level."
Even the corpse of a Supreme Expert like the Human Emperor, one capable of Shattering Void, would be unapproachable for people like them. His oppressive might would still linger in the world, forcing them to submit. In contrast, the residual oppressive might from the general before them was already very weak, almost completely dissipated, and clearly could not compare to the Human Emperor.
"The sword in this corpse’s hands seems quite good." Xu Ruoyan tilted her head, her gaze falling upon the sword clutched by the corpse. Despite being covered in a thick layer of dust, the blade’s edge was still chillingly sharp.
WHOOSH!
Ling Chen crouched down and blew a breath towards the sword’s blade.
The dust scattered, revealing the gleaming sword. A cold glint instantly illuminated the entire great hall.
"It really is a good sword!"
As a Genius Swordsman endowed with Sword Intent, Ling Chen could tell the quality of the sword before him at a glance.
On the blade, Ling Chen clearly saw two characters: "Thunder Shadow."
Thunder Shadow Sword.
Ling Chen closed his eyes and ran his hand along the blade, feeling the piercing Sword Light. His eyes suddenly snapped open. "It’s a Treasure Sword of the middle-grade Strange Treasure level!"
Strange Treasures, like famous items, are divided into lower-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. This Thunder Shadow Sword was a middle-grade Strange Treasure, two levels higher than his Cloud-hidden Sword.
Excited by the find, Ling Chen immediately reached out to take the Thunder Shadow Sword. However, when he gripped its hilt, he found he couldn’t lift it no matter how he tried; it seemed fused in place.
How is that possible?
His expression darkened slightly. Ling Chen was unwilling to give up when such a fine Treasure Sword was right in front of him, yet out of reach.
"Quick, give me a hand," Ling Chen called to Xu Ruoyan behind him.
Together, they exerted tremendous effort and finally managed to loosen the Thunder Shadow Sword slightly. But at that very instant, two red lights suddenly flared within the eye sockets of the heavily armored general’s corpse.
Not good!
Sensing the sudden surge of energy from the corpse, Ling Chen quickly pulled Xu Ruoyan back and retreated hastily!
SWISH!
Just as Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan had barely moved back, a sharp Sword Light instantly swept over the spot where they had been standing. The Sword Light struck the ground, directly tearing open a fissure a dozen to fifteen meters long.
"It’s alive?" Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan exclaimed in shock simultaneously.
However, Ling Chen had encountered an Elixir Corpse before in the Tienzong Ruins, so this wasn’t his first time seeing an animated corpse. Moreover, this was the Human Emperor’s Underground Palace, several tiers higher than the Tienzong Ruins.
BUZZ... BUZZ... BUZZ...
Not only the general’s corpse but also the guards lining both sides of the great hall began to move. They performed a standard sword-drawing motion and then charged at the duo like lightning.
"I’ll deal with the general! You hold off these guards!" Ling Chen transmitted his voice to Xu Ruoyan, as they were being attacked from both front and rear.
"Okay!"
A flash of blue light ignited in Xu Ruoyan’s pupils as she activated the First Layer of her Ice Heart Divine Soul. A frigid aura emanated from her body.
Her body moved with great agility as she wove through the group of guards. Her Cloud and Water Sword delivered continuous high-speed slashes. When the Sword Light struck these guards, it instantly froze parts of their puppet bodies, directly restricting their movements. Then, with a single strike, she lopped off a guard’s head.
These guards weren’t very strong, originally possessing only the strength of the Grandmaster Peak. Now, after so many years, their power had dwindled to less than a tenth of its former state.
While Xu Ruoyan could handle the guards with ease, the pressure on Ling Chen intensified dramatically. The dead general’s imposing presence felt like a small mountain. This dead general must have been a Top Sky Apex Strong before death, and a very high-ranking one at that. He can’t compare to the Human Emperor, of course, but in the Five Kingdoms’ Martial World, he would likely be considered an absolute top-tier Expert.