Chapter Eighty-Three: Master of the Game (Part Eight)

In the Thousand Ghosts Yin Fiend Formation conjured by the Black Ghost Daoist, countless chunks of flesh squirmed and reassembled, as if the body of the Corpse Adept, shattered into fragments, was about to coalesce anew.

Grandmaster Dayan spoke, “His soul has not yet dissipated; it’s simply been blown into hundreds of pieces. My Dayan Art cannot inflict a lethal blow upon him. No wonder he wasn’t afraid to perish alongside me before—so he had this technique as a safeguard. This divine art feels familiar, reminiscent of the secret methods from the Supreme Yin Corpse Sect. Could it be...?”

In the distance, a middle-aged Daoist from the Supreme Yin Corpse Sect witnessed the scene and made no move to assist, instead clicking his tongue in amazement. “I never expected he’d reach this level—fusing his Nascent Soul with his body. Not only does it conceal his weaknesses, but it grants him formidable means of self-preservation. Even if I don’t intervene, he’ll be fine. I’ll just watch as a bystander.”

Just as the Black Ghost Daoist steeled his resolve to detonate the Thousand Ghosts Yin Fiend Formation, intending to grievously wound the Corpse Adept, a transmission echoed in his mind from Zhou Xuanhong.

“Lend me the formation disk!”

The Black Ghost Daoist hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to trust Zhou Xuanhong. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the source of the formation toward the center of the array.

Zhou Xuanhong caught the formation source, pouring his vast divine soul into it, fully seizing control of the Thousand Ghosts Yin Fiend Formation. A surge of soul force rippled from within the fusion array, and countless souls merged into the formation, causing the black mist within to grow thick and frigid to the extreme.

These souls were all the living beings slain when the minor world was destroyed. Though their cultivation was low and they were weak, their numbers were vast. Zhou Xuanhong separated them from the fusion array and integrated them into the Thousand Ghosts Yin Fiend Formation, greatly amplifying its power.

Because these souls were not malevolent spirits, they required further refinement within the array. However, Zhou Xuanhong’s soul-refining technique was only at the introductory level; refining such a massive number of souls in time was impossible. So instead of strictly following the standard methods of the formation, he melded his own soul force into the formation alongside the souls.

Under the influence of his divine soul, these mindless souls condensed into countless miniature figures, which, through rudimentary refinement, merged to take on Zhou Xuanhong’s likeness.

In that moment, the entire Thousand Ghosts Yin Fiend Formation was filled with Zhou Xuanhong’s images. His formidable soul power instantly enveloped the entire formation, leaving the Corpse Adept’s Nascent Soul with nowhere to hide.

At this point, the Corpse Adept’s body had already begun to reassemble from the chest upward. In a few minutes, he would have been fully restored. Yet within those minutes, Zhou Xuanhong had ample time to annihilate him completely.

“Dao Rises: Dayan Art!”

Within the Thousand Ghosts Yin Fiend Formation, thousands of Zhou Xuanhong’s incarnations simultaneously unleashed the Dayan Art. Countless threads of fate intertwined densely, linking every fragment of flesh harboring the Nascent Soul. The entire array was filled with these threads, an overwhelming sight that even drove away the black mist within the formation.

Grandmaster Dayan clicked his tongue in admiration—this was the true Dayan Art. What he had learned from the stone stele was but a diluted, falsified version, only capable of targeting a single foe at a time. Now, Zhou Xuanhong had woven hundreds of thousands of threads in an instant. Though he had the aid of the formation and the souls, his mastery of the Dayan Art was beyond doubt.

“Spare me!”

The Corpse Adept was utterly panic-stricken. In his thousand years as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he had never felt such terror—death loomed over him, multiplied by hundreds of thousands of fragments. Only he could truly comprehend this fear.

Zhou Xuanhong was unmoved, murmuring inwardly, “If you live, my plan fails utterly, and I remain trapped in this state. I have no wish to become a formation spirit forever.”

A dazzling golden light erupted, and the Nascent Soul within every chunk of flesh was utterly destroyed. The half-formed chest collapsed powerlessly to the ground with a thunderous crash.

The Corpse Adept—fallen!

Space itself began to distort as endless corpse energy leaked from the flesh. On the ground, many yin-natured plants grew rapidly. The shadow of a giant slowly rose into the sky, fading as it ascended. The heavens, too, darkened, and gray rain began to fall.

Grandmaster Dayan sighed with some melancholy. “Heavenly portent upon the Dao’s extinction! It seems the Corpse Adept has truly perished.”

The Black Ghost Daoist, however, was overjoyed. “Hahaha! The Corpse Adept is dead, and my Ghostly Sect shall take the place of the Yin Corpse Sect!”

Zhou Xuanhong’s soul returned to the fusion array, handing the formation disk back to the Black Ghost Daoist and resumed operating the fusion array.

He absorbed the entire space once belonging to the Corpse Adept—body, soul, and even the land and the yin clouds were all consumed.

“Fellow Daoists, have you forgotten me?”

The middle-aged Daoist of the Supreme Yin Corpse Sect looked displeased. He had assumed that, even if the Corpse Adept could not win, he would at least be immortal, but Zhou Xuanhong had dealt him a slap in the face. Being stationed far away and separated by the formation, he’d been unable to aid in time—and, truthfully, he’d never been truly eager to help. Had he stood with the Corpse Adept from the start, even the combined might of Zhou Xuanhong and his two allies would have struggled to hold them off.

The Black Ghost Daoist hurried to cover the man’s face with pleasantries, grinning obsequiously. “Perish the thought, fellow Daoist! May I ask your name? I’ve only just ascended to the Nascent Soul stage and am hardly worthy.”

The middle-aged Daoist gave him a cool glance. “My surname is Tan. There’s no need for false modesty; we are all Nascent Soul cultivators here. Now that the Corpse Adept is dead, I’ve heard rumors of a merger between the Yin Corpse Sect and the Ghostly Sect—that’s your business, not mine. But one minor world has already been destroyed, and the remaining one must not suffer any mishap. Do you understand?”

The Black Ghost Daoist nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, of course!”

Too impatient to waste words on the oily Black Ghost Daoist, the middle-aged Daoist turned to Grandmaster Dayan and cupped his fists. “Fellow Daoist Xu, the Form-Yan Sect is now but a name. What are your plans? Would you consider serving as a guest elder in the Supreme Yin Corpse Sect?”

Grandmaster Dayan returned the gesture and shook his head. “I’ve been bound for too long. I wish to see the world beyond. If ever I grow weary, I’ll come to the Supreme Yin Corpse Sect—perhaps you’ll keep a place for me, Daoist Tan.”

The Daoist nodded. “Indeed. Even our sect did not foresee that such a legendary figure from millennia past would still be alive, nearly causing a catastrophe.”

He then turned his gaze to the fusion array, a cold smile on his lips. “One great scourge has been eliminated, but now there remains an even greater threat. If this youth does not die, he’ll pose a dire danger to my sect. Do you two intend to stop me?”

The Black Ghost Daoist, holding the Thousand Ghosts Yin Fiend Formation, planted himself before the fusion array, chuckling. “What are you saying? We all see that, strong as this boy is now, it’s all due to the formation’s power. Each use drains its energy, and when the minor world within is fully refined, his strength will be no more than an early-stage Nascent Soul. As a formation spirit, he cannot progress—he’s no threat to a colossus like your sect.”

Grandmaster Dayan also moved to stand before the fusion array. “I, Xu Rong, am no great hero, but this young friend has brought me new hope. I will protect him this time.”

Behind them, three more figures appeared to stand guard for Zhou Xuanhong—Luo Tuan, Xu Yuan, and Xu Yuhan.

Luo Tuan cupped his fists and spoke with dignity, “Senior, I am a direct disciple of the Grand Radiant Golden Immortal Sect. For the sake of my father, Luo Shengling, might you spare my friend?”

At these words, even the late-stage Nascent Soul Daoist was moved. “You are his son? In that case, you do have some standing. Yet, with the schemes and methods he has shown, should he ever turn against my sect, even our elders would have cause for concern.”

Soon, another figure flew over—a disciple of the Yin Corpse Sect, freshly advanced to the Golden Core stage.

Tu Shaoyan was somewhat embarrassed. Lacking both power and connections, he had no choice but to step forward; after all, his soul-blood remained in Zhou Xuanhong’s grasp. Through that soul-blood bond, he had benefited from Zhou Xuanhong’s insight into the laws of heaven and earth, advancing directly into the Golden Core. Yet if Zhou Xuanhong died, he would perish as well.

“And who are you?”

Tu Shaoyan coughed. “Senior, I am his servant. I must stand up for him.”

Just as the middle-aged Daoist was about to lose his temper, another voice rang out, “Is the battle over? It seems, Zhou, that you deceived me!”

The newcomer was a handsome young man, holding a fox in his arms, observing the fusion array from not far away.

The middle-aged Daoist frowned. “Young Lord Gu, why are you not at the Beast Pavilion? What brings you here? Are you meddling in the affairs of the human race?”

Gu Zhen laughed lightly. “Such a grand accusation. Don’t misunderstand; I’m merely here for the spectacle. Whatever you need to do, proceed—I'm well aware of the rules.”

At that moment, the fusion array ceased absorbing. Another great pit appeared where all matter had vanished.

Zhou Xuanhong’s spirit form reconstituted and, pointing toward the distant army of the Yin Corpse Sect, he established a thread of fate with one among them, ignoring all others.

Within the army, Old Ghost of the Corpse Mountain was seized with terror, forced to watch helplessly as a beam of light pierced his body, which then exploded, flesh and soul drawn into the fusion array.

He was utterly powerless to resist!

Just as, eleven years before, he had slaughtered a group of new Form-Yan Sect disciples with similar ease—the cycle of cause and effect, inexorable retribution!

Who could have imagined that, in only eleven years, the ant he once ignored would grow to slay a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in a single exchange?

No one present had expected Zhou Xuanhong’s sudden action, and his next words left all who heard them in stunned silence.

“Senior Tan, my wife—was she truly possessed?”