# Chapter 2926: The One Who Suppressed the Old Corpse Ghost
Zhang Ruochen, Huang Yanchen, and Bai Qinger, who were at the bottom of the Rain Chen Temple, ultimately could not escape.
"Clatter, clatter!"
The Corpse God, whom Aji called "Old Corpse Ghost," awakened just as the three were about to leave, straining the serpent-shaped chains loose and letting out a long roar from his mouth.
The roar's sound waves struck their physical bodies, capable of injuring their souls.
All three of them felt the sound waves, like the palm of a God Venerable, slashing against them, enough to shatter their bones and flesh, and scatter their souls into oblivion.
The Divine Realm World that Chi Yao and Bai Qinger had erected turned into grains of dust flying away, and all the defensive powers they had unleashed were instantly dispersed.
Zhang Ruochen relied on the Buddha Emperor Relic, transforming his physical body into a golden body, standing in front of them.
With his right hand forming a finger seal, he thrust out a sword strike.
The Six Divine Swords formed the Six-in-One Sword Startling God Formation, clashing against the sound waves, divine power, and energy surges—for a moment, ten thousand swords flew simultaneously.
But still, it was unstoppable!
All three were sent flying, crashing into the underground stone walls, their souls suffering severe trauma, their consciousness becoming blurred.
Lying on the ground, in a semi-unconscious state, Zhang Ruochen suddenly saw the Old Corpse Ghost exhale a stream of air from his mouth, forming a corpse-qi-shrouded river that swept the three of them toward his mouth.
"No..."
Zhang Ruochen struggled to regain consciousness, gritting his teeth.
No matter how powerful the Old Corpse Ghost was, he would never accept his fate, never be willing to die here.
Zhang Ruochen propped himself up and stood. Strands of corpse qi enveloped him, like billions of chains binding him, pressing his spine to bend, his bones emitting cracking, grinding sounds.
"It's the Yang Escape Nine Arrays!"
Zhang Ruochen discovered that what imprisoned the Old Corpse Ghost was not only the serpent-shaped chains on the flame pillar but also the nine Space Divine Arrays left behind by the long-gone Fangcun Master.
The Yin Escape Nine Arrays were located on the ground of the Rain Chen Temple.
The Yang Escape Nine Arrays were pressed directly onto the Old Corpse Ghost's body.
If not for the greatly weakened power of the Yang Escape Nine Arrays, the Old Corpse Ghost could never have unleashed such tremendous strength.
"Desire Sword!"
Zhang Ruochen shouted with all his remaining strength.
From the Xuan Embryo below his abdomen, a soul sword radiant with ten thousand lights flew out, severing all the corpse qi entangling around him.
This Desire Sword at this moment was the desire to survive.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Chi Yao with one hand and Bai Qinger with the other, transforming into a streak of light, brushing past the tip of the Old Corpse Ghost's nose, and crashing into the Yang Escape Nine Arrays.
Only by a hair's breadth had the three of them been swallowed into the Old Corpse Ghost's belly.
For other cultivators, even entering the Yang Escape Nine Arrays would be extremely perilous. But with Zhang Ruochen's mastery of space and his understanding of the Yang Escape Nine Arrays, it was naturally like a fish in water.
It didn't take long for him to gain control of the formation.
Chi Yao, with the White Cang Blood Soil within her, recovered first. Standing in the formation, she looked down and said, "On his shoulder!"
Zhang Ruochen stared at the Old Corpse Ghost's left shoulder and saw Yu Longxian.
Yu Longxian's body, compared to the Old Corpse Ghost, was no larger than a grain of sand. She walked on the Old Corpse Ghost's shoulder, climbing upward step by step, as if ascending a high mountain, heading toward some unknown destination.
"Does she have independent consciousness?" Chi Yao was both shocked and puzzled.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Perhaps it's the Old Corpse Ghost's consciousness controlling her."
Everything was too bizarre!
Yu Hun, who should have died two or three million years ago, had transformed into an Old Corpse Ghost.
Yu Longxian, who had been dead for a hundred thousand years, had crawled out of her grave on her own, and now seemed to possess consciousness.
In the Hell Realm, this wasn't considered particularly strange!
In the Santu River, countless dead bodies daily gave birth to consciousness and wisdom, transforming into members of the Corpse Clan.
But those Corpse Clan members, no matter how powerful they were in life, now had to start cultivating from scratch. They couldn't possibly retain such powerful cultivation and combat strength like Yu Longxian and the Old Corpse Ghost.
Moreover, that was the Santu River.
The Santu River was recognized as the number one place of strangeness in the Hell Realm, the greatest mystery since ancient times, something even the Heavenly Venerable couldn't comprehend.
Bai Qinger sat cross-legged, with the Earth Demon Sparrow flying above her head. Though very weak, her eyes were sharp and fierce. "It should be the power of the Heavenly Venerable Divine Source. Only the power of a Heavenly Venerable could be so bizarre to this extent."
Zhang Ruochen extended two fingers and placed them on Bai Qinger's wrist.
Earlier, Blood Howl True Lord had been invaded by the Old Corpse Ghost's corpse qi, turning into a mindless ferocious beast, so Zhang Ruochen was naturally somewhat worried about her.
"I'm fine. A mere bit of corpse qi can't overcome my spiritual will." Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen found that she was unharmed, so he released his hand. Then he looked around but didn't see Luan Eagle True Lord. Presumably, he had followed the Black Heart Demon Lord and escaped at the first opportunity.
Chi Yao stared downward, saying, "Something's wrong. We need to leave this place as soon as possible."
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
The Old Corpse Ghost struggled more and more violently, his roars unceasing, breaking the serpent-shaped chains on his body one after another, shattering them into scrap metal.
The aura emanating from him grew stronger and stronger.
The Yang Escape Nine Arrays began to shake, the formation inscriptions flickering incessantly.
"The Old Corpse Ghost must have devoured the Colorful Garment God, greatly increasing his power. He's about to break free!"
Zhang Ruochen looked around, searching for a way to escape.
Bai Qinger said, "We can try entering the Earth Demon Sparrow!"
Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao's gazes simultaneously fell on the stone sparrow flying above Bai Qinger's head.
"No good. The Old Corpse Ghost is too powerful. Even if the Earth Demon Sparrow is a divine artifact, I'm afraid it can't escape before him." Chi Yao said.
"Boom!"
More than half of the serpent-shaped chains on the Old Corpse Ghost's body had broken. He extended a rotting divine hand, striking the underside of the Yang Escape Nine Arrays, destroying a corner of the formation.
Bai Qinger said urgently, "There's no other choice now! With the three of us combining our power to activate the Earth Demon Sparrow, we should have a chance to escape. Or, we could first flee into the starry sky and enter that black divine temple."
Bai Qinger pointed to the unfamiliar starry sky above.
There, a majestic and imposing divine temple floated in the void, exuding a sacred and mysterious feeling, as if ancient gods dwelled within.
"Let's go!"
Zhang Ruochen was the first to rush into the Earth Demon Sparrow.
Chi Yao hesitated no longer and, together with Bai Qinger, followed him inside.
Under the joint activation of the three, the Earth Demon Sparrow grew larger and larger, its stone body radiating brilliant divine light.
"Roar!"
The Old Corpse Ghost let out a long howl, dense lightning surging from within his body, breaking all the serpent-shaped chains on him. The Yang Escape Nine Arrays could no longer suppress him; the divine power he erupted shattered them into pieces.
The nine arrays were all destroyed, turning into nine balls of flame.
Standing in the Celestial Pivot Pool inside the Earth Demon Sparrow's belly, Zhang Ruochen sensed the terrifying power fluctuations of the Old Corpse Ghost, his expression becoming deeply grave. Was this power at the Great God level, or had it already surpassed Great God?
A God Venerable's divine corpse, dead for so long, how could it still be this powerful?
The Old Corpse Ghost swung his rotting hand, striking through the air toward the Earth Demon Sparrow.
The divine light on the Earth Demon Sparrow's surface was blasted apart.
Just as the rotting hand was about to land on the Earth Demon Sparrow, the Old Corpse Ghost suddenly let out a mournful long cry.
It was that flame pillar!
The flame pillar became brighter than ever before, firmly pinning his corpse body in place, preventing him from escaping.
He had broken all the chains, shattered the Yang Escape Nine Arrays, but could not break free from the flame pillar.
"Whoosh!"
The Earth Demon Sparrow rushed through a layer of light barrier, arriving below the black divine temple, stopping on the suspended square outside the temple.
Chi Yao and Bai Qinger were both alarmed and uncertain. It had been too close—only a hair's breadth away from being struck by the Old Corpse Ghost. Even hiding inside the Earth Demon Sparrow, they might not have withstood such formidable divine power.
Zhang Ruochen flew out from the Earth Demon Sparrow's mouth, landing on the sparrow's back peak, gazing at the flame pillar in the distant void.
The Old Corpse Ghost's divine body was over ten thousand miles long.
But the flame pillar was over a hundred thousand miles long.
Only standing in this distant starry sky could one fully see the scene there. The Old Corpse Ghost's back was pressed against the flame pillar, his divine body burning, unable to escape.
"This power..."
Zhang Ruochen felt an intense familiarity. His gaze moved upward, and at the top of the flame pillar, he saw a heroic figure. That figure seemed to have stepped out from ancient times, radiating an unparalleled aura.
Zhang Ruochen had seen this figure before, in the River of Time.
"Great Venerable! Great Venerable, is that you? Have you come from the past to this time and space?"
Zhang Ruochen shouted excitedly.
The figure standing on the flame pillar turned around, glanced at him, revealed a smile, then leaped up, flying straight toward the black divine temple.
Zhang Ruochen's blood boiled, his emotions intense. He had finally met his ancestor, crossing time and space to encounter him.
But after the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable landed on the suspended square, he paid no attention to Zhang Ruochen at all. He looked up at the plaque at the top of the black divine temple, then, alone, ascended the steps, walked into the temple, and disappeared.
No matter how Zhang Ruochen called out, the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable seemed completely unable to hear him.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Chi Yao and Bai Qinger flew out from the Earth Demon Sparrow, like two twin fairies, their beautiful eyes warily scanning their surroundings.
Zhang Ruochen stared fixedly at the black divine temple's door, saying, "I saw the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. He went inside!"
"The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable? That's impossible. The Great Venerable fell over a million years ago." Chi Yao knew Zhang Ruochen would never joke about such a thing, so the shock in her heart was beyond words.
"Could there be a powerful illusion here?" Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, saying, "It's not an illusion. I truly saw him! Moreover, the Old Corpse Ghost is suppressed by the Great Venerable's power, which is why he can't escape from the flame pillar. Perhaps..."
Zhang Ruochen thought of a possibility—perhaps what he had just seen was merely a projection left by the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable a million years ago.
Back then, the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had searched for the Immortal, traversing secret realms throughout the universe. It wouldn't be strange for him to have come to the former site of the Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable.
But why had only he seen the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable?
And earlier, the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had clearly looked at him.
"Could the Great Venerable be trying to lead me into the black divine temple?"
Zhang Ruochen stared intently at the black divine temple's door, took a step forward, and walked up the steps, stepping exactly where the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had stepped before.