Volume 4 Chapter 95

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Volume 4 Chapter 95: Fierce Battle (Part 5)

"Twelve become one, Death God Descends!"

As Number Two softly uttered these words, Xu Qingfan’s face changed dramatically.

Xu Qingfan had some understanding of the "Art of Refining Corpse" beforehand. Although it hadn’t caused as much devastation in the cultivation world as the "Art of Puppetry" or the "Great Method of Spiritual Transformation," it was still a notoriously evil cultivation method.

It is said that the ultimate level of the "Art of Refining Corpse" is to create a "Death God Clone." At that point, only a Mahayana Stage master could counter it. Besides the "Death God Clone," there are other powerful spells, such as "Death God Descending," which condenses death aura to form a "Death God Clone" in the world. While not as powerful as a true Death God Descending, it’s still immensely formidable. The only drawback is its very short duration. However, from what Xu Qingfan had learned from the information he gathered, the power of the "Death God Clone" was certainly not something they could withstand in their current situation.

Thinking this, Xu Qingfan launched himself at Number Two, hoping to interrupt him before he completed casting the spell. But this time, Number Three seemed reckless and unafraid, disregarding the corrosive power of the "Withered Qi" surrounding Xu Qingfan, and transformed into a dense blood mist to tightly surround Xu Qingfan.

The blood mist created by Number Three had the ability to devour the blood and flesh of living beings, terrifying to others, but it had no effect against the "Withered Qi" around Xu Qingfan. Whenever the two touched, the mist would be corroded and dissolved by the "Withered Qi." Yet, Number Three was under strict orders from Number Two and did not retreat, even as the pain became unbearable and his internal injuries worsened.

Watching as Number Two’s hand signs changed continuously, Xu Qingfan snorted coldly and said softly, "Do you think this can stop me?"

As he spoke, Xu Qingfan once again took out the "Five Spirit Bell." A large amount of Spirit Qi gathered at his fingertips, and he struck the "Five Spirit Bell" in succession.

"Boom… Boom… Boom…"

As Xu Qingfan struck it, the melodious and ancient sound of the bell rang out.

Although the "Five Spirit Bell" is a high-level Earth artifact, it possesses a rare force akin to a heavenly artifact. Over the years, Xu Qingfan found its ability to shake souls and disrupt the five elements more useful, especially in critical moments, where it could turn the tide.

With the first bell toll, the blood mist surrounding Xu Qingfan grew chaotic. With the second toll, the mist scattered, revealing Number Three’s true form, who fell from the sky with a pale face, coughing up green blood. On the third toll, Number Two, who was performing "Death God Descending," felt his Original Soul tremble, with internal organs churning, and suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood.

But just as Xu Qingfan was ready to strike the "Five Spirit Bell" for the fourth time, "Death God Descending" was finally completed.

In the sky, Deng Tianao Chou Xuan and others, struggling against the Twelve Corpse Generals, noticed the generals suddenly halted. The once subtle deathly aura began to intensify, and over time, it transformed from chaotic to synchronized, ultimately beginning to resonate.

Seeing this situation, both Chou Xuan and Deng Tianao realized something ominous might be happening. Despite the pause of the Twelve Corpse Generals’ movements being a perfect opportunity for an attack, they took no chances and swiftly retreated, taking Deng Lian, Master Guanghui, Ninglingzi, and others with them.

The only exception was Hu Ming, the elder of the "Five Elements Sect," who had been in the most disarray. Upon seeing the Twelve Corpse Generals pause, his body gleamed with golden light, forming countless sharp, golden weapons around him, launching a fierce attack on the generals, channeling all his previous frustration and anger into this strike.

"Boom…"

But before the golden weapons in the sky could reach the Twelve Corpse Generals, they exploded one after another with great force, engulfing the entire sky over Ningyun Mountain. Deng Tianao and Chou Xuan, having been prepared, managed to escape, though in a disheveled state, while Hu Ming, carrying Xiao Bieshan, was too close to the center of the explosion and was lost in the dazzling aftermath of sparks.

After the explosion, the death aura of the Twelve Corpse Generals did not dissipate with their bodies’ destruction but instead gradually merged with parts of the twelve corpses.

As this merging continued, a terrifying pressure emanated from the center of the smoke left by the explosion. This pressure was so frightening, it was as if the Death God had descended to the world, hidden within the thick smoke and coldly watching everyone.

The mere presence of the pressure made everyone on the scene feel a sense of powerless resistance, as if death was suddenly so near, and they could only close their eyes and endure it, unable to fight back.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan sensed the change in the sky and was greatly alarmed. Despite the enormous depletion of Spirit Qi within him from frequently using the Five Spirit Bell, he gathered the rest of his strength and struck it once more. At the second toll of the bell, Number Two spat out a mouthful of bright green blood. Although the chime made his injury worse, the corner of Number Two’s mouth revealed a satisfied smile.

Although Xu Qingfan’s bell almost caused a backlash on Number Two’s Death God Descending, it was ultimately successful. Despite the interference, resulting in an incomplete spell only half as powerful as usual, Number Two felt it was enough.

Sure enough, upon sensing the terrifying pressure from the sky, Xu Qingfan’s face changed drastically, realizing that Death God Descending had indeed taken shape.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Qingfan decided not to strike Number Two with the Five Spirit Bell again. The use of the bell expends a great amount of Spirit Qi, and with the previous attacks, his Withered Qi was significantly depleted. He knew that Death God Descending would not vanish with the caster’s death.

Rather than continue the attack and kill Number Two at the risk of being killed by Death God Descending due to exhaustion, Xu Qingfan decided to reserve some Spirit Qi to deal with it later. Number Two was severely injured and could be killed at another time.

It seemed that Number Two had also seen through Xu Qingfan’s thoughts. He smiled slightly but didn’t say much, choosing instead to admire the fireworks in the sky with Number Three.

In the sky, as the smoke from the explosion dissipated, the hidden scene finally appeared before everyone’s eyes.

As the thick fog cleared, a three-story tall black shadow emerged before everyone. This shadow wore a wide black robe, held a massive black sword in its left hand, and a black book in its right. It was the legendary Death God wielding two Divine Artifacts: the "Death God Sword," which harvested souls, and the "Book of Life and Death," which recorded fates.

But what left the deepest impression were the Death God’s eyes. Hidden beneath a hood, its face seemed like a swirling mass of black mist, leaving only two red glows visible. Wherever these glows gazed, the person being watched felt a tingling sensation, as if paralyzed, with their soul ready to be drawn into the unknown darkness beneath the black robe.

At that moment, both the somber-minded Deng Tianao and the staunch Chou Xuan felt death creeping close.

Fortunately, the "Death God Descending" appeared uninterested in them, merely casting a cold glance as if warning them not to interfere with the upcoming battle. Then, it transformed into a black shadow, speeding towards the positions of Xu Qingfan and Number Two.

Seeing the "Death God Descending" approach, Xu Qingfan felt a slight shock and immediately maximized the defensive power of the "Five Spirit Bell" to shield himself firmly within.

However, the "Death God Descending" seemed to disregard Xu Qingfan entirely, zooming past the tense Xu Qingfan straight to Number Two’s side, hovering mid-air behind him.

Yet, the terrifying red glows kept examining Xu Qingfan with an unsettling gaze.

Number Two smiled slightly and asked, "Do you know what I’m thinking right now?"

Xu Qingfan’s mind quickly turned, and he immediately understood the current situation between them, as well as Number Two’s thoughts. He calmly said, "Are you thinking of leaving?"

Number Two nodded with a smile and said, "Yes, to be honest, not being able to kill you is disappointing, but I haven’t lost anything, so I’ll let it go. If you hadn’t struck that ancient bell at the last moment, you would already be dead. But because of your interference, the ‘Death God Descending’ wasn’t perfect. It could still kill you but at a cost of much effort, especially since you have that ancient bell for defense."

As he spoke, Number Two greedily glanced at the colorful shield formed around Xu Qingfan and then surveyed the Little Black in Xu Qingfan’s arms, seemingly amazed by the valuable items Xu Qingfan possessed.

Earlier, when ‘Death God Descending’ appeared, Little Black seemed agitated and had now regained clarity. It stood on Xu Qingfan’s shoulder, continually watching the ‘Death God Descending’ behind Number Two with a mix of excitement and fear.

After a pause, Number Two continued, "Because of this, although ‘Death God Descending’ can kill you, before it does, you could use the bell to kill me. This kind of situation that harms both parties isn’t my style. So let’s call it a draw this time. We go our separate ways to heal, and we’ll battle again the next time we meet. How about that?"

Hearing Number Two say this, Xu Qingfan felt a wave of helplessness. To be honest, throughout his cultivation journey, there weren’t many people Xu Qingfan wanted to kill, but Number Two was definitely one of them. The reason wasn’t that Number Two was a member of the "Ming" organization, nor was it because Number Two killed Hu Ming and Xiao Bieshan. It was because Number Two had unhesitatingly sacrificed Number One to save himself, which went against Xu Qingfan’s moral principles.

But Xu Qingfan also knew that when Number Two successfully unleashed ‘Death God Descending,’ the situation was clear: neither side could do anything to the other. They would either perish together or withdraw.

"Taoist Friend Xu, there is plenty of time in the future. Let’s let him go for now, and when we meet him again, we can finish him off. It’s not worth sacrificing any of us for such an evil cultivator."

Just as Xu Qingfan was hesitating, a voice suddenly appeared beside his ear. When Xu Qingfan turned to look, he saw Chou Xuan and Deng Tianao had somehow arrived behind him. Chou Xuan was supporting Master Guanghui and Ninglingzi, while Deng Tianao was supporting Deng Lian. The voice earlier was actually Deng Tianao’s transmission.

Seeing the exhausted Master Guanghui and Deng Lian, and thinking of the fallen Hu Ming and Xiao Bieshan, Xu Qingfan felt a sense of helplessness in his heart. Such a great price had been paid, yet only one enemy had been defeated.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan noticed a slight movement in Ninglingzi, who had remained still with closed eyes all along. He turned to ask Number Two, "I can let you go, but you must answer me one question first."

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, Number Two wore a triumphant smile and said, "I will answer all that I know."

Xu Qingfan frowned and asked, "Earlier, when you transformed, although for various reasons I did not experience your true power at that moment, I clearly sensed a powerful aura of death from you. What’s going on? As far as I know, living beings cannot possibly possess such a strong aura of death."

Number Two nodded and slowly explained, "I see no harm in telling you this. The remnants of the ‘Spirit Purging Cult’ in the East Sea were completely wiped out by me three hundred years ago."

Hearing Number Two’s words, Xu Qingfan was momentarily taken aback, but quickly understood the reason. The ‘Spirit Purging Cult’s’ ‘Great Method of Spiritual Transformation’ could merge the essence of heaven and earth with oneself. Number Two, upon acquiring the ‘Great Method of Spiritual Transformation’, actually fused with a zombie!

Seeing that Xu Qingfan was about to ask something else, Number Two suddenly interrupted, "I’m sorry. Although I don’t know if you’re stalling for time, the ‘Death God Descending’ I used has a time limit, so I must leave now."

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan wore a faint smile and slowly said, "I am indeed stalling for time, but it’s not because your ‘Death God Descending’ has a time limit."

Just as Number Two was slightly stunned, the two "Golden Armored Soldier Gods" beside the altar suddenly moved!