Two days later at the hour of Mao, day and night intersected, and the morning glow broke through the dawn.

The light of the glow penetrated through the poisonous fog and corpse gas, sprinkling on the grave mountain, yet it cast a hazy gray luster, making it gloomy and dead silent.

On the side of the Dao Court, everyone went all out, beginning the final battle of suppression and annihilation.

Everything had already been properly arranged.

First, dozens of high-lethality second-grade talismans were activated.

Surging spiritual power condensed into immense lethality, forming either blade formations, gathering into fireballs, or transforming into water arrows, sweeping towards the grave mountain above.

The zombies on the grave mountain were directly submerged by the spiritual might of the talismans.

Large batches of zombies were chopped by blades, burned by fire, soaked by water, and finally eliminated by the power of the talismans.

After that, large batches of walking corpses surged forward again.

Yang Jishan waved his hand, and a line of cultivators walked out, forming seals and using various spiritual tools.

These spiritual tools either transformed into a hundred flying swords, condensed into ten thousand silver needles, or stirred up a sky full of fire rain, killing towards the tide-like walking corpses.

The walking corpses fell one by one, pierced by spiritual tools, or turned into flying ash.

After that, they still surged forward like a tide.

After that, the Dao Court side used talismans and spiritual tools together again.

Large batches of walking corpses were wiped out…

The Dao Court side, mostly originating from families or sects with long inheritances and deep foundations, was absolutely not comparable to Lu Chengyun, who relied on marrying in and climbing the social ladder.

When they truly used their trump cards, these zombies could not withstand them.

Under the firepower coverage of spiritual tools and talismans, large batches of walking corpses were simply wiped out.

A minority of iron corpses also found it difficult to escape the fate of being killed.

However, these trump cards were extremely precious and limited in quantity; there would always be a time when they ran out.

Half an hour later, after exterminating a portion of the zombies and weakening the enemy’s strength, they began a frontal charge and kill.

Yang Jishan glanced at Mo Hua beside him, his gaze somewhat worried.

Mo Hua nodded to him, indicating that he didn’t need to worry.

He was just tagging along and had senior brothers and senior sisters looking after him; being a little careful would prevent any danger.

Yang Jishan sighed, then looked forward, his expression cold and stern, and said solemnly:

“Kill!”

The Dao soldiers behind him also raised their knives and shouted together:

“Kill!”

The formations on the Dao soldiers’ armor activated, spiritual power surged, mutually resonating in unison.

Their shouts shook the forest peaks, their morale soaring to the sky.

The Dao soldiers lined up and charged, engaging in fierce combat with batches and batches of zombies.

It was like cold water entering hot oil.

The grave mountain above temporarily boiled violently…

Mo Hua, Bai Zisheng, and Bai Zixi followed Yang Jishan closely, prioritizing self-protection and not rashly taking action to avoid being caught in the corpse tide and unable to escape.

They only cast some spells at critical moments to relieve the surrounding battle situation.

This intense battle continued for a whole day…

Cultivators were constantly being injured or dying, or their hearts were being attacked by corpse poison, turning them into walking corpses.

Similarly, large batches of zombies were also constantly falling, including a minority of iron corpses and a large number of walking corpses.

But the number of zombies was still very large.

And Lu Chengyun was still nowhere to be seen.

Yang Jishan then took the lead, charging towards the deeper parts of the grave mountain, which was Lu Chengyun’s hiding place.

Other Foundation Establishment cultivators also followed Yang Jishan to kill.

The deeper they went into the grave mountain, the more desolate and gloomy it became.

The corpse group was denser.

There were more iron corpses, and the corpse poison was also heavier.

But everyone was going all out, and the corpse group fundamentally couldn’t withstand them.

In the evening, the various forces broke into the deeper parts of the grave mountain and at a mass burial site, they saw Lu Chengyun and the corpse king behind him.

Dozens of iron corpses protected him around him.

And outside, thousands upon thousands of walking corpses were still pouncing inside, as if guarding their “monarch”.

The Dao soldiers raised their shields, forming a human wall, resisting the outer walking corpses.

Yang Jishan and others then confronted Lu Chengyun head-on, preparing for the final encirclement and annihilation.

Lu Chengyun’s face was slightly pale, but his expression was still relatively calm.

He looked at Yang Jishan, his gaze slightly cold, then swept over the crowd and sighed:

“It’s indeed the Dao soldiers subordinate to the Dao Court, so many zombies couldn’t stop you…”

Yang Jishan said in a deep voice:

“Lu Chengyun, you’re at death’s door, hand over the corpse king and surrender quickly.”

Lu Chengyun shook his head, “With the corpse king, I still have a way to live. If I hand over the corpse king, I will undoubtedly die.”

Yang Jishan sneered, “You want to fight to the death?”

“If I don’t fight to the death, where is my way to live? The Dao Court won’t let me go, and neither will you.”

Lu Chengyun raised his eyebrows, and suddenly said strangely:

“But before the decisive battle, there is one thing I don’t understand.”

His gaze was slightly cold as he examined everyone one by one:

“I really want to know, among everyone present, exactly who spied on the secret of the corpse mine, saw through the formation I laid down? And can even force me into such a situation?”

The cultivators looked at each other without making a sound.

Yang Jishan’s gaze sank slightly, and his heart was also somewhat astonished.

Lu Chengyun didn’t know about Mo Hua’s actions at all?

Yang Jishan looked around again and found that Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were by his side, but Mo Hua was nowhere to be seen at this time.

Hidden?

“This hiding technique can even conceal him from me?”

Yang Jishan’s heart was slightly shocked.

Seeing that no one admitted it, Lu Chengyun couldn’t help but sneer:

“I thought he was a brilliant person who planned everything meticulously. I didn’t expect him to be a rat who hides his head and shows his tail!”

Hiding among the crowd, Mo Hua curled his lips when he heard the words, very disdainful.

This method of provocation was too childish and couldn’t cause any ripples in his heart.

The words he used to scold people might be more annoying than these.

Yang Jishan’s gaze condensed slightly, and he sneered:

“Lu Chengyun, your skills are inferior, and you’re just being temporarily sharp-tongued. You only have this much ability.”

Lu Chengyun released his divine sense and swept over everyone again, but still found nothing.

Among the cultivators present, there were cultivators with high cultivation, cultivators with good divine sense, and several cultivators who were clearly proficient in formations.

But there was no cultivator who could give him that strange and urgent feeling.

No one was like that weaving net, forcing him step by step.

Lu Chengyun shook his head.

Forget it, things have already reached this point, knowing or not doesn’t matter.

In a true life-and-death battle, strength is what matters. Some tricks are not worth mentioning.

Lu Chengyun looked at Yang Jishan, his eyes showing cold light as he said:

“You underestimate this corpse king…”

“This corpse king is mine, and no one can snatch it away!”

“Today, all of you will be buried here!”

“Your flesh and blood will become the sacrifice of the corpse king.”

“Let this corpse king complete its true transformation and become a true lord among evils, a king among corpses!”

Lu Chengyun’s expression was excited, and his eyes revealed madness.

Yang Jishan frowned, and a vague bad feeling arose in his heart.

Just at this moment, the corpse king behind Lu Chengyun suddenly changed its aura, becoming bloodthirsty and furious. The exposed skin gradually faded from an iron green color, transforming into a kind of deep ancient copper color…

Copper corpse!

Yang Jishan’s heart trembled.

Lu Chengyun wanted to refine this corpse king into a copper corpse!

Copper corpse was a grade, and corpse king was an identity.

Once the corpse king completely became a copper corpse, its strength would surge, and it could still lead the group of corpses. These people themselves would fundamentally have no way to deal with it.

With a copper corpse corpse king protecting him, they couldn’t kill Lu Chengyun at all!

Yang Jishan took out the Falling Sun Spear and shouted:

“Go all out! Kill all the zombies and Lu Chengyun!”

The others also knew the ferocity and no longer held back, rushing towards Lu Chengyun.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators fought with the iron corpses. The spiritual power was strong and fierce, and the corpse gas was thick. Just the aftermath shook the mountain rocks, which cracked inch by inch.

And as Yang Jishan killed towards Lu Chengyun, the half-copper corpse-ized corpse king also blocked in front of Lu Chengyun.

Its gaze was red, with copper skin and iron bones, thick and long fangs, and the corpse poison on its fingertips was a thick ink green color.

Every movement brought a gust of foul wind.

Yang Jishan went all out, but was still suppressed by the corpse king.

Several other Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby saw the situation and immediately took action to assist.

Among them were the thin old man with a grave expression and the middle-aged cultivator with a face full of unwillingness.

But even with multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators joining forces, they could only barely fight the half-copper corpse-ized corpse king to a draw.

For a time, everyone’s hearts were somewhat shocked.

If this corpse king truly became a copper corpse, they might all die here.

After dozens of rounds of exchanges, Yang Jishan’s heart jolted, knowing that this wouldn’t work. He gritted his teeth and said: “First kill Lu Chengyun!”

Lu Chengyun sneered when he heard the words.

The Qi Refining Dao soldiers were restrained by walking corpses, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were restrained by iron corpses, and these several high-combat power Foundation Establishment cultivators including Yang Jishan were still suppressed by the corpse king.

How could they kill him?

Yang Jishan’s gaze turned cold, and a red light flashed in his hand. Fierce flames steamed up from the Falling Sun Spear, its might shocking.

Lu Chengyun’s expression changed slightly.

“Stall for time!” Yang Jishan shouted.

Then he retreated several steps, leaving the attack range of the corpse king and coming to a safe position. His Qi Sea surged, and all his spiritual power was activated and integrated into the Falling Sun Spear.

On the Falling Sun Spear, spiritual power transformed into fierce fire, burning brightly.

And behind Yang Jishan, fierce flames condensed, as if condensing a small sun.

Lu Chengyun was shocked and immediately drove the iron corpses towards Yang Jishan:

“Stop him!”

The surrounding iron corpses bared their teeth and clawed, killing towards Lu Chengyun.

The corpse king also roared and rushed towards Yang Jishan.

The thin old man shouted: “Protect Commander Yang!”

Then he took out several copper coins, clamped them between his fingers, attached spiritual power, and then threw them all out, hitting the joints of the corpse king.

Between the copper coins, they transformed into ropes, binding the corpse king.

The middle-aged cultivator sighed, unwillingly took out a folding fan inlaid with jade and carved with gold, urged it with spiritual power, fanned several times, and then condensed into a wind wall, protecting Yang Jishan.

Every time he fanned, a bone of the fan broke.

The iron corpses rushing forward were blocked by the wind wall and couldn’t get close at all.

At the same time, several other Foundation Establishment cultivators also took action one after another. Some used spiritual tools to strike back at the iron corpses, and some relied on spells to restrain the corpse king.

After a few breaths, the Falling Sun Spear trembled.

All the surrounding flames suddenly contracted, compressing into the body of the spear.

Yang Jishan’s face was pale, but his gaze was extremely vibrant.

The thin old man immediately said:

“Control the corpse king, others get out of the way!”

The cultivators by the corpse king immediately retreated.

Several other Foundation Establishment cultivators then used spiritual tools such as golden locks, wood prisons, and water nets to fix the corpse king. Several spiritual cultivators then used spells to suppress the corpse king, making it unable to move.

Yang Jishan raised the long spear horizontally, and then the person and spear united, his Qi penetrating the rainbow, carrying immense power, directly stabbing towards the corpse king’s chest.

As the spear tip touched the corpse king, surging flame spiritual power exploded.

With a boom, a deep pit was blasted out of the ground.

The cracks in the mountain rocks continuously spread to the distance.

The aftermath of the power shook all the nearby cultivators and iron corpses away.

Firelight and smoke filled the air.

After the smoke dissipated, everyone looked over, their expressions all shocked.

The corpse king was still not dead.

At the most urgent moment, it used its arm to block the spear.

The Falling Sun Spear pierced its arm, and the spear tip was stuck in its chest, but it obviously had no more strength. Its chest wasn’t even pierced, not even breaking the skin once.

The corpse king was covered in burn marks and suffered heavy injuries.

Its aura was much weaker, but in the blink of an eye, the corpse gas was gradually recovering…

Everyone’s hearts were alarmed.

Such a strong corpse king!

Yang Jishan’s heart also trembled, and he immediately said:

“Quick, take the opportunity to kill Lu Chengyun!”

The corpse king was injured and temporarily unable to move. Take this time to quickly kill Lu Chengyun!

Otherwise, if the corpse king recovered, they would fall into a stalemate again.

The cultivators in the crowd also came back to their senses and rushed towards Lu Chengyun regardless of everything, with knives, swords, and spells all out.

Lu Chengyun was greatly shocked.

What kind of spear is this?

It could actually suppress the corpse king?

Seeing the crowd rushing towards him, Lu Chengyun wanted to run, but without the corpse king, his strength was greatly reduced. He hadn’t run far before he was blocked by the thin old man with copper coins and entangled by several other Foundation Establishment cultivators in close combat.

Yang Jishan wanted to pull out the Falling Sun Spear, but the spear tip was tightly stuck in the corpse king’s arm and couldn’t be pulled out for the time being.

He gritted his teeth, endured the pain and threw down the Falling Sun Spear, then took out an ordinary long spear and killed towards Lu Chengyun.

Although Lu Chengyun’s Open Mountain Sword Art was not bad in terms of power.

But in front of so many Dao Court cultivators, it was still somewhat inferior.

Even with the help of the iron corpses, he could only barely hold on.

Just at this moment, Yang Jishan arrived.

Casting the Falling Sun Spear consumed an extremely large amount of power.

Yang Jishan’s face was pale and his aura was weaker, but he still held his breath, waved the long spear, seized Lu Chengyun’s flaw, broke his sword art, and kicked him to the ground with one foot.

Then he raised the long spear high and stabbed fiercely towards Lu Chengyun’s heart meridian.

Yang Jishan wanted to stab Lu Chengyun to death with one spear!

But this spear didn’t stab down.

Halfway through, it was blocked by several copper coins, and the spear tip deviated several points, only stabbing Lu Chengyun’s ribs, rubbing off a layer of blood skin.

Lu Chengyun took the opportunity to escape and was again protected by iron corpses.

Yang Jishan was furious, his gaze like a sword, and he turned his head to question the thin old man:

“Old man Wen, what do you mean?”

Without these several copper coins, he would have stabbed Lu Chengyun to death with that one spear just now!

But the thin old man’s expression was panicked, “You can’t kill him!”

Yang Jishan frowned and said coldly: “Why?”

The thin old man pointed towards the large pit, at the corpse king whose arm was pierced by the Falling Sun Spear and wasn’t moving, and said in a trembling voice: “Its blood already has a faint golden color…”

Yang Jishan’s heart jolted, and he suddenly looked over.

Only then did he discover that where the corpse king’s arm was pierced by the long spear, blood was flowing down along the long spear and dripping onto the ground.

This blood was originally ink green.

Now, it was stained with a layer of faint strange gold color.

Yang Jishan’s heart suddenly trembled.

“Evil transformation?”

“How could it be so fast?”

The thin old man said in a panic:

“It already has its own consciousness. Killing Lu Chengyun is equivalent to breaking its body’s shackles, that is the most terrible thing…”

The scene of the corpse king roaring and the blood-colored picture before the entire army was wiped out floated in his mind again.

Yang Jishan’s face was pale, he gritted his teeth tightly, and a chill continuously arose in his heart:

“Everything was calculated!”

“If the matter of the corpse mine didn’t leak, Lu Chengyun would always refine corpses, the grievances would deepen, and after decades or hundreds of years, the corpse king would evolve into a Dao evil…”

“And once the matter of the corpse mine leaked, Lu Chengyun would be surrounded and annihilated by the Dao Court.”

“The large-scale battle between cultivators and zombies, the death of cultivators, the zombies eating people, in between life and death, blood gas and corpse gas gather, similarly urging the corpse king to evolve…”

“And Lu Chengyun’s death is the last key!”

“It’s the key to breaking the shackles and letting the corpse king become a Dao evil!”

“Once Lu Chengyun is killed, the corpse king will break free from restraints, instantly becoming a true ‘king’ among corpses, leading ten thousand zombies, transforming into a true Dao evil!”

“What a vicious scheme, what a deep calculation!”

“The key is that there isn’t the slightest trace of these things, everything happened naturally…”

And Lu Chengyun, including himself and these people, were all pawns…

This was a dead end!

The thin old man also understood, which was why his expression was so panicked.

Among the other cultivators, some had also figured it out, and there was a hint of despair in their eyes involuntarily.

Yang Jishan felt both nervous and fearful, and for a time his heart was a chaotic mess.

But he was the commander of the Dao soldiers, having experienced a hundred battles, and he had to be responsible for the lives and deaths of these brothers who fought alongside him.

The more dangerous it was, the calmer he had to be.

Yang Jishan forced himself to calm down and after thinking for a moment, gritted his teeth and said:

“Things have come to this, we can only capture Lu Chengyun alive.”

“Capture Lu Chengyun, use this to control the corpse king, and then make a long-term plan!”

This was the only way.

The thin old man also knew.

But killing Lu Chengyun was one thing, trying to capture him alive was another…

Just at this moment, a fierce low roar suddenly transmitted.

Everyone followed the sound and saw that the corpse king’s aura had already recovered and it was slowly standing up again.

In the grave mountain, blood gas, corpse gas, foul gas, and death gas filled the air.

Its injuries also recovered extremely quickly.

The corpse king’s gaze was icy cold. It pulled out the Falling Sun Spear from its arm, threw it aside, and then with several flashes, stood behind Lu Chengyun again.

For a time, the cultivators in the crowd felt bitter, and the look of despair on their faces became heavier.

Feeling the loyal corpse king standing silently behind him again, Lu Chengyun’s heart was much more at ease.

And seeing what had just happened, Lu Chengyun also understood.

He looked at Yang Jishan and laughed proudly:

“You dare not kill me!”

“That’s right, you dare not kill me!!”

“After you kill me, the corpse king will lose control.”

“If the corpse king loses control, it means that this entire South Yue City, all the walking corpses and iron corpses, will all lose control.”

“The corpse king becomes a copper corpse, leading the iron corpses and walking corpses, forming a terrifying corpse tide, slaughtering cities, killing people, eating people, and turning the dead into zombies!”

“This wave of corpse tide will gradually expand, sweeping the entire Small Wasteland State boundary, and spreading towards the surrounding second-grade state boundaries…”

“This is a great disaster!”

“Why didn’t this happen? Because of what?”

Lu Chengyun pointed to his chest, “Because I am still alive!”

“Because I am still alive, the corpse king listens to my command and doesn’t cause so much killing!”

“The cultivators in South Yue City can barely survive!”

“The entire Small Wasteland State boundary is free from suffering for living beings!”

Lu Chengyun’s eyes revealed madness, and he said in an excited tone:

“All of this is because I am still alive!”

“I am still alive!”

“And once I die…”

Lu Chengyun’s words stopped abruptly, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he lowered his head to look, then saw sharp fingertips penetrating out of his chest.

The fingertips were stained with blood and ink green corpse poison.

Yang Jishan, the thin old man, and all the other cultivators were horrified.

They saw a zombie take advantage of Lu Chengyun’s carelessness and pierce Lu Chengyun’s chest with a claw.

And this silent, secret killing, was precisely the “loyal” corpse king that had always stood silently behind Lu Chengyun!

The corpse king actually “rebelled”?!

(End of chapter)