Chapter 2360: Death Legion
After the Death Altar was destroyed, over a million Tiannu corpses were still preserved.
All the corpses were handed over to Yanguang.
As the most talented necromancer in the Hell Realm over the past millennium, Yanguang's spiritual power had reached the sixty-fifth level. As long as he mastered enough high-level corpses and ghosts, even the number one strongman of the Death Clan, Yuan Fei the Great Saint, would have to be wary of him three parts.
Logically speaking, Yanguang, who was only seven hundred and fifty-nine years old, could have preserved his appearance and maintained a state of eternal youth.
However, he was extremely old, with half of his hair white and the other half black.
Cultivating the path of death had severely corroded his physical body.
Over a million Tiannu corpses floated in a void spanning several hundred miles, forming a sea of corpses.
Some corpses were sacred beasts, their bodies larger than mountains.
Other corpses were smaller than human bodies, shaped like crawling insects.
In the sea of corpses, clusters of ghostly blue flames drifted, illuminating the pitch-black world in a sinister and terrifying manner.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha stood within their respective spatial true domains, arriving at the edge of the sea of corpses. They restrained their auras and carefully concealed their forms.
"He can actually split into a hundred thousand spiritual avatars. This Yanguang is indeed no simple figure."
Zhang Ruochen stared at the old man in the sea of corpses. He held a bone staff and manifested densely packed avatars. All the avatars used their fingers to continuously trace runes, imprinting them onto the bodies of the Tiannu corpses.
"He is inscribing Death Curse Talismans. With these talismans, he can single-handedly control all the sacred corpses," Luo Sha said.
Zhang Ruochen was deeply shaken. "The corpses here were at least half-saints in life, and there are quite a few Great Saint corpses. Even in death, they can unleash formidable combat power."
One person controlling a million-strong sacred corpse army.
How shocking!
At that moment, how much combat power could Yanguang unleash?
Luo Sha said, "If this princess is not mistaken, the Death Clan has lost the Death Altar and has had to settle for a lesser plan. Yanguang will control the Death Legion as the vanguard to charge into Dark Star, smashing the fortress formed by over seven hundred Great Saint Tiannu. As long as Chi Di's arrangements on Dark Star are disrupted, the Upper Three Clans will have the opportunity to divide and conquer them."
"This is not a bad strategy," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha smiled. "That's why this princess wants to destroy their good strategy and borrow this Death Legion."
"It won't be that easy."
Zhang Ruochen pointed to the southeastern edge of the sea of corpses. "See that? Four Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints who have broken ninety-nine shackles are guarding there. Beside Yanguang is Lie Chang, who has reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm."
Luo Sha said, "That's why this princess brought you along. With your cultivation as Ruochen the Great Saint, dealing with them should be as easy as swatting a few cats and dogs."
"How could it be that simple?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "The Great Saint legion of the Upper Three Clans is less than a thousand miles away and can arrive in an instant. At the slightest disturbance, they will be alerted. Then, over a thousand Great Saints will attack together. How many can you, Princess, defeat?"
Luo Sha's crystalline white face showed a cunning expression. "Where have you hidden the cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan? How about you deploy them to hold back the Great Saints of the Upper Three Clans first?"
Zhang Ruochen turned his head and stared into her eyes. "I was just about to ask you, Princess, where are the Great Saints of the Rakshasa Clan? Surely not just a few dozen Rakshasa women accompanying you to the Seventh Dark Star?"
Neither Luo Sha nor Zhang Ruochen fully trusted the other, hiding their clan's cultivators in the shadows, unwilling to deploy them until the last moment.
"Then there's no choice. We can only watch as the Upper Three Clans use the Death Legion to breach the Seventh Dark Star and collect a large number of points."
Both were holding back, neither willing to give in, not wanting to be used by the other.
After a long moment, Luo Sha thought of something and blinked. "Don't you have a gourd? Why not use the gourd to forcibly collect the Tiannu sacred corpses here?"
"The gourd can't be used for now."
Zhang Ruochen added, "But I have another idea. Mo Yin, come out."
"Chi chi."
Vines of the Devouring Saint Flower extended like tentacles from Zhang Ruochen's back, coalescing into Mo Yin's seductive figure.
Zhang Ruochen sent a telepathic message to Mo Yin, giving her an order.
Mo Yin accepted the order and departed.
Luo Sha watched the direction Mo Yin had gone. "This Devouring Saint Flower is very powerful. Zhang Ruochen, you're still letting her retain her independent spirit and sacred soul, parasitizing inside your body? Be careful of raising a tiger to bring disaster."
"No need for your reminder. I know how to handle it," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha touched her sharp chin. "Where did you send her?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha glanced at the gourd at Zhang Ruochen's waist and smiled again. "Are the cultivators of the Undying Blood Clan all hiding inside this gourd?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged, but his heart trembled.
He had to admit, Luo Sha was indeed sharp-witted. It was hard to keep secrets from her.
Perhaps, before she even suggested using the gourd to collect the sea of corpses, she had already guessed that the Undying Blood Clan's Great Saints were hiding inside the Purple Gold Gourd.
Her earlier suggestion was just a test.
Zhang Ruochen flatly denied it. "Your suspicion is too heavy. I didn't use the gourd to collect the sea of corpses because it contains too many precious treasures. I can't easily let cultivators inside. Lie Chang and Yanguang are still in the sea of corpses."
Luo Sha smiled without speaking.
Zhang Ruochen quickly changed the subject. "There are over a million sacred corpses in the sea of corpses. Even if we seize them, do you, Princess, have the confidence to control them?"
"If Yanguang can do it, of course this princess can too," Luo Sha said.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Yanguang's spiritual avatars inscribed Death Curse Talismans on every sacred corpse.
"It's done!"
Yanguang, holding the bone staff, laughed heartily and withdrew his hundred thousand spiritual avatars. Instantly, his body erupted with a chilling and imposing aura. Waves of cold energy caused frost to form over hundreds of miles.
"Rise!"
Yanguang raised his bone staff and chanted a spell.
Immediately, the silent sea of corpses became chaotic.
All the sacred corpses stood up, emitting roars, killing cries, and mournful wails. They radiated powerful death energy, greedily absorbing the dark power released by the Dark Star.
A Death Legion had come to life.
Lie Chang, standing behind Yanguang with a heavy shield on his back, couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
As a powerhouse at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, he was quite proud and had not thought much of Yanguang. But now, he felt immense pressure—the pressure of death.
Lie Chang said, "Lord Yanguang is truly the number one necromancer of the millennium. Lord Bore has not misjudged you. Now, let us lead the Death Legion to attack the Seventh Dark Star and annihilate all the Tiannu."
Yanguang was quite pleased with himself. "With this sacred corpse Death Legion, who in the Heaven Hunting Battlefield can rival me? I will personally cut off Chi Di's head and prove to the gods that I am the most outstanding cultivator of this millennium."
"Congratulations, Lord Yanguang!"
"This battle will surely make you the greatest contributor of the Death Clan."
The four Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints who had broken ninety-nine shackles gathered with Yanguang and Lie Chang, flattering him.
Yanguang grew even more conceited, feeling that his status had already surpassed Yuan Fei the Great Saint, Bore, and even Wujiang, making him the number one figure of the Upper Three Clans.
Luo Sha gazed at the sea of corpses from afar. "Why hasn't the Devouring Saint Flower acted yet? If we don't move now, we'll lose the chance."
"It's coming."
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the night sky.
In the endless black sky, a dazzling blaze of fire flew over the sea of corpses, heading straight for the area a thousand miles away where the sacred fluctuations were most intense.
That was where the Great Saints of the Upper Three Clans were gathered.
The streaks of fire were countless starry rocks and asteroids, turning into a meteor shower.
Zhang Ruochen had learned this trick from Hong Futu—using the smallest cost to cause the greatest disruption. This would create chaos and tie down the Great Saints of the Upper Three Clans.
"Now, move."
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha burst forward at their fastest speed, charging into the sea of corpses.
There was no choice. This place was too close to the Seventh Dark Star, and the space was much more solid than on the Third Dark Star, making spatial displacement impossible.
The six Great Saints in the sea of corpses immediately sensed their auras.
"Careful, enemy attack."
Lie Chang shouted. The heavy shield on his back glowed with dark light, flying out on its own to smash into the two approaching figures.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen punched the heavy shield, sending out rings of violent energy waves.
The surrounding sacred corpses were all sent flying.
The heavy shield flew back.
Lie Chang caught the shield, his expression changing drastically.
"This power..."
The shield carried a force that could overturn mountains and seas.
His body uncontrollably flew backward, crashing through countless sacred corpses, sending white bones and broken bodies flying everywhere.
"They're yours to handle. Yanguang is mine to deal with."
Luo Sha's melodious voice rang in Zhang Ruochen's ears.
"Going after Yanguang alone?"
Zhang Ruochen suddenly turned his head, watching Luo Sha's graceful figure, which was as elegant as a startled swan. He found it hard to imagine how she could deal with a powerhouse like Yanguang.
Could the title of number one necromancer be undeserved?
Even without the Death Legion, Luo Sha might not be his match.
Moreover, surrounded by sacred corpses controlled by Yanguang, this was his home ground.
Even Zhang Ruochen had thought of a quick victory—taking out Yanguang before he could activate the Death Legion's power, rather than confronting him head-on.
Worried about Luo Sha, Zhang Ruochen abandoned the repelled Lie Chang and charged toward Yanguang.
"Formation."
The four Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints who had broken ninety-nine shackles each summoned a Monarch Sacred Artifact spear, stood in a special formation, and thrust their spears simultaneously at Zhang Ruochen.
The combined force of the four was even stronger than Lie Chang the Great Saint's full-power strike.
Zhang Ruochen extended his left arm and casually slapped out. A palm print the size of a cloud landed on the four.
"Bang, bang."
Blood mist burst from their bodies, and they were thrown back like scarecrows.
They were shocked beyond words. Four of them joining hands couldn't withstand a single blow from the attacker?
Ignoring them, Zhang Ruochen flew to a spot not far from Yanguang and Luo Sha, letting out a soft exclamation.
Yanguang and Luo Sha stood ten steps apart, facing each other without moving, in a very strange state.
"Such a strong spiritual power field. Luo Sha is engaging Yanguang in a spiritual power duel."
Zhang Ruochen stopped ten steps away, not advancing further.
Spiritual power duels were dangerous and could not be disturbed.
Lie Chang and the four injured Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints charged again, each erupting with formidable death energy.
"Bold enough to break into this place. Who are you?"
Although Lie Chang knew the intruder had deep cultivation, the intense battle fluctuations here would bring the Upper Three Clans' cultivators in an instant, so he was fearless.
"Withdraw from the Heaven Hunting Battlefield voluntarily, and you may keep your lives," Zhang Ruochen said, turning to face them.
Because Zhang Ruochen had been too fast earlier, they hadn't seen his face clearly.
Now they saw him, and their faces turned pale with fear as they involuntarily stepped back.
"Zhang Ruochen!"
"Why is this killing star here?"
"What do we do now?"
...
Zhang Ruochen remained calm. "I'll count to three."
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
As soon as the words fell, Zhang Ruochen raised his left arm above his head, then suddenly pressed down through the air.
His five fingers burned with blazing divine fire.
Ten cyan dragons coiled around his fingers and palm, roaring and howling.
Before the palm print even descended, its powerful momentum and heat had already shaken Lie Chang and the other five, making their bodies tremble and unable to move.
"How can he be this powerful? Is Zhang Ruochen really still just a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint?"
Everyone was shocked and terrified.
Unable to withstand the pressure, fearing that Zhang Ruochen would kill them with a palm strike, they almost simultaneously shouted, "I withdraw from the Heaven Hunting Battlefield."
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen tore open a spatial rift and slapped all five into it, sending them into the void world. He muttered, "Let the gods behind you personally enter the void world to save you."
Although the space here was stable, with Zhang Ruochen's spatial mastery, tearing open a rift was still possible.
The area where the Dark Star was located was beyond the coverage of the Myriad Realm Divine Eye, so it couldn't hear their voices and teleport them out of the battlefield.
"Pfft."
Yanguang, who was dueling with Luo Sha, spat out a mouthful of blood. His aged body hunched over as he coughed violently.
Luo Sha's graceful figure flashed, rushing to Yanguang's front and striking the top of his head with her palm.
"Whoosh."
Nine spiritual power chains shot out from her palm, piercing into Yanguang's body, locking his spiritual power and sacred soul.
Yanguang struggled violently, roaring unwillingly, "No, impossible! I am the number one necromancer. My spiritual power ranks in the top five on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. How could I lose to you?"
"Your spiritual power is indeed strong, but inscribing Death Curse Talismans on over a million sacred corpses has drained you too much. Otherwise, this princess would have needed more effort to deal with you."
Luo Sha flicked her sleeve, sweeping Yanguang away like a fallen leaf toward Zhang Ruochen. "Send him off the battlefield."
Without hesitation, Zhang Ruochen sent Yanguang into the spatial rift as well.
"It's useless. I've placed Death Curse Talismans on all these sacred corpses. You can't control them... you can't control them..."
Yanguang's body disappeared into the void space, and the spatial rift closed again.
"Others can't control them, but that doesn't mean this princess can't. You call yourself the number one necromancer, but do you really think you are?" Luo Sha said with a playful smile, gently shaking her head.
Then, she spread open her jade-white palm. Like the surface of water, a black lotus floated out.
It was the Yin Spirit Lotus.
The Yin Spirit Lotus was a divine-level treasure for controlling yin evil spirits. It only grew on the bodies of divine corpses, blooming and maturing after draining all the power from the divine corpse.
Zhang Ruochen, standing guard nearby, suddenly felt an extremely dangerous sensation, like a knife at his neck, life and death hanging by a thread.
"Who?"
He spun around sharply, staring behind him. His eyes were sharper than two divine swords.
The Truth Realm Form, Spatial True Domain, and Virtual Time Domain all manifested in an instant, and white divine fire burned on his body.
On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, there were few people who could give him such a dangerous feeling.
...
(Note: The author mentions that QQ Reading event winners have been contacted via QQ friend requests and SMS. If anyone hasn't received the message, they can join the "Wangu Shendi" QQ group 542913113 and contact the author "Feitian Yu," who is an admin.)