In the Green Ooze Mountain Range, there was a swamp of poisonous Gu.

The barbarian soldiers of the Gaotu tribe had wrinkled, toad-like skin covered in poisonous spots. This was a result of the cultivation method passed down through generations in their tribe. After practicing such a method, their skin merged with venom, allowing them to breathe even in poisonous swamps and even absorb surrounding toxins for their own use. This was a particularly tricky, obscure, yet sinister barbarian inheritance.

At this moment, these Gaotu barbarian soldiers were lurking in the poisonous swamp, blending in with their surroundings. Only a group of Gaotu Golden Core barbarian generals, relying on their profound cultivation, stood barefoot on the surface of the green swamp, their faces contorted, coldly observing the barbarian soldiers from Suzaku Mountain.

The leader, covered in the most poisonous spots, had the most sinister gaze. His formidable cultivation was integrated with his poison arts, and even the air he exhaled seemed to carry a dark green venom. This person was the great general of the Gaotu tribe, named Gao Du. The Gaotu chieftain was muddled and had not waged war for a long time, so General Gao Du was now the strongest in the Gaotu tribe.

Gao Du, using his cultivation, stood on the surface of the poisonous swamp, his breathing echoing with the various foul and poisonous gases around him, creating a chilling aura.

Opposing Gao Du was Lu Gu, the great chieftain of the Shugu tribe, clad in battle armor. Behind Lu Gu stood a multitude of Suzaku Mountain barbarian soldiers, most of whom belonged to the Shugu tribe. The Shugu tribe was Mo Hua’s most trusted force, second only to the Shennu tribe.

At this time, Mo Hua, as a Shenzhu, was far from the battlefield, guarded by a retinue of bodyguards and protected by a large tiger, watching everything from a distance.

Gao Du’s gaze, filled with apprehension, swept over Mo Hua before turning to his most troublesome enemy—Lu Gu.

Gao Du sneered, “A defeated general, still daring to fight?”

Lu Gu’s eyes were cold as he spoke in a deep voice, “Gao Du, you’re hiding in the poisonous swamp like a toad. What kind of skill is that? If you come ashore, I’ll kill you within five hundred rounds!”

Gao Du scoffed, “Then why don’t you come down here? If you come into this poisonous swamp, I’ll poison you to death, you good-for-nothing, within five hundred rounds!”

The two exchanged a few more insults.

Lu Gu, unwilling to waste words, said, “I advise you to believe in the Divine Lord and submit to Lord Shenzhu as soon as possible.”

Gao Du sneered, “I don’t know of any Divine Lord.”

Lu Gu’s tone was devout: “The Divine Lord is the master of all gods in the Great Wilderness, with a body like gold and jade, radiating brilliant divine light. He has the horns of a Pixiu, the body of a Azure Dragon, formidable divine powers, able to pluck stars with his hand, transform sacred runes with his palm, condense sword light with his eyes, capable of slaying all heretics, and governing all gods of the Great Wilderness…”

Gao Du frowned, thinking that Lu Gu was truly full of hot air.

Lu Gu continued, “Lord Shenzhu is the executor personally appointed by the Divine Lord, wielding the Divine Lord’s authority. He will, in the name of the Divine Lord, save the wilderness from calamity and rescue the common people from suffering…”

Gao Du pointed at Mo Hua from afar and asked, “Is that your Shenzhu?”

Lu Gu replied, “Indeed.”

Gao Du scoffed, “I thought it was some important figure… Does my wilderness need him to save it? Self-important, what does he think he is? Calling himself a Shenzhu, a joke. I see him as nothing more than a greenhorn, who somehow got a tiger demon and is just putting on airs and swindling people…”

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Gu’s eyes. “Offending Lord Shenzhu is punishable by death!”

Before he finished speaking, he drew his Demon-Slaying Bone Blade and, with astonishing power, slashed at Gao Du.

Gao Du’s words were contemptuous, but he wasn’t careless in the slightest. He immediately conjured a pair of snake bone twin blades and parried Lu Gu’s great Demon-Slaying Blade.

The two struggled for a while, their forces intertwining, causing the surrounding swamp to boil and poisonous gas to surge back. Gao Du was clearly at a disadvantage.

Gao Du knew he was no match for Lu Gu in a direct confrontation. He immediately sank into the poisonous swamp, using its treacherous nature to restrict Lu Gu.

Lu Gu had no choice. Ignoring the swamp’s potent poison, he pressed forward, battling Gao Du in the mire. Fortunately, before the battle, he had consumed several antidote pills and applied an anti-poisonous herbal juice to his body, granting him a certain degree of resistance to poison.

Thus, the great chieftains and generals of both sides engaged in a fierce battle. This was also a custom in tribal warfare: when two armies met, the generals would first engage in a life-and-death struggle. The victorious side would gain a significant morale boost, giving them an advantage in the battle. If one could kill the opposing general first, the enemy soldiers would naturally flee, allowing the battle to be won with fewer casualties.

The current situation also dictated that the generals fight first. The poisonous swamp blocked the way, and the Gaotu poison soldiers were ambushed, so the Suzaku Mountain barbarian soldiers could not attack for the time being. Both Lu Gu and Gao Du were late-stage Golden Core cultivators, with strong abilities. If they truly fought with all their might, others would not be able to get close, as they could easily be caught in the crossfire, suffering severe injuries or losing their lives. Therefore, both factions could only face each other, watching their generals fight. The outcome between the generals would almost certainly determine the course of the battle.

In the poisonous swamp, the powerful forces of late-stage Golden Core cultivators raged, causing the poisonous water to boil, rotten wood to turn to ashes, and the entire terrain to be altered. All the poisonous creatures and water were churned together, forming a vortex that no one dared to approach.

After seven or eight hundred rounds of intense fighting, Lu Gu eventually could not endure it any longer. His raw strength was superior to Gao Du’s, but in the poisonous swamp, he couldn’t fully exert his cultivation. Conversely, Gao Du was “in his element” in the poisonous swamp, and his Hundred Viper Poison Art was even more sinister and ruthless. Lu Gu’s antidote pills were also losing their effectiveness; if he continued to fight, he would truly be exhausted and poisoned to death by Gao Du.

Lu Gu gathered immense power and unleashed a saber strike at Gao Du, intending to retreat. Gao Du had long anticipated that Lu Gu would not be able to withstand the depletion of his poison arts. Seeing Lu Gu’s strike, he advanced instead of retreating. A sinister grin appeared on his face as he charged towards Lu Gu’s saber, seemingly without regard for his life.

Lu Gu frowned, surprised. Just then, he saw Gao Du’s body suddenly twist like a python. His face, like a snake’s head, pressed against Lu Gu’s blade and darted towards him. Like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, its fangs dripping with poison, the snake-like Gao Du bit fiercely into Lu Gu’s neck. This was the terrifying aspect of his barbarian cultivation method, the Hundred Viper Poison Art, when cultivated to a high level. His flesh and blood contained potent toxins and could twist and deform at will, like a viper.

Lu Gu, caught off guard and struck by the cunning move, immediately felt a surge of hatred and retaliated with a backhand strike at Gao Du. Gao Du’s body transformed from a snake back into a human, evading the strike, retreating rapidly, and then standing far away, coldly smirking at Lu Gu.

Lu Gu staggered back several steps. After stabilizing himself, he popped a few antidote pills into his mouth, but he realized the poison had already seeped into his meridians, and his face instantly turned extremely grim.

Seeing this, Gao Du wore a sinister expression. “The great chieftain of Shugu tribe is nothing more than this. In the end, you are still my defeated general.” Gao Du smiled. “What? Didn’t your Lord Shenzhu say he would protect the Great Wilderness? How come he can’t even protect you?”

Lu Gu’s eyes burned with towering fury, staring intently at Gao Du, wishing he could kill him instantly. Gao Du, under Lu Gu’s gaze, looked smug.

But after a moment, Lu Gu’s pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had seen something. This subtle change did not escape Gao Du’s eyes. Gao Du initially thought Lu Gu was trying to bluff, but in the next instant, he suddenly felt an inexplicable, heart-pounding coldness on his back. It seemed as if something was standing behind him.

Gao Du’s heart skipped a beat. Without moving his body, he turned his head like a snake towards his back, looked up, and saw a pair of dark, hollow eye sockets, and within those sockets, a strange blue light. Gao Du’s heart suddenly tightened. To be able to approach him unnoticed in the chaos of battle, and without any trace of a living person’s aura? What was it?!

While Gao Du was startled, he found his body tightly constricted by a pair of iron-vise-like arms. The immense force was almost unbearable even for him, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. Gao Du, alarmed, immediately retaliated. He repeated his old trick, activating his Hundred Viper Poison Art, transforming his body into a python, and opening his mouth to bite the assailant’s neck. But upon biting, it felt as if he had bitten a cold corpse, or perhaps hard steel. The venom seeped through his teeth, but it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.

Gao Du exclaimed in his mind: “A dead person? An iron corpse? A copper corpse? No… what exactly is this thing?” While he was in this state of surprise, the “corpse-like” entity continued to tightly constrict his body, seemingly intending to snap him in half at the waist. In a critical situation, Gao Du no longer hesitated. He pushed his Hundred Viper Poison Art to its limit, transforming his body into three venomous snakes that slithered out of the corpse’s lock. After escaping, the three snakes merged into one again, reforming into Gao Du.

Only then did Gao Du meticulously observe the “enemy” before him. He found its stature tall, its aura terrifying; it was neither human nor corpse, and faint blue light emanated from within its body. Its origin was completely indiscernible, not appearing to be something from the Great Wilderness. From its physical strength, it seemed to be at the late-stage Golden Core realm. Yet, it carried no aura of cultivation whatsoever. Gao Du’s face was grim.

Not far away, Lu Gu, looking at the tall “corpse,” seemed lost in thought, murmuring softly, “Brother…” A moment later, Lu Gu turned his head to look at Mo Hua in the distance, his gaze complex. Mo Hua sat elevated, his expression aloof, a strange blue light flashing in his eyes.

Simultaneously, the corpse of Shikou roared suddenly, its skeletal frame emitting a faint blue light, erupting with a terrifying aura like a fierce beast.

“Not good!” Gao Du was startled and immediately retreated. But in the next instant, poisonous water splashed nearby, and a black shadow flickered. The enormous Shikou, with incredible speed, approached Gao Du. Driven by the spiritual skeleton, an eerie fist slammed out. Gao Du was too late to dodge and could only raise his arms to block, but he couldn’t resist. He was sent flying by the punch, falling into the mire and splashing several feet of poisonous water.

Gao Du struggled to get up, but both of his arms hung limply; the bones inside his arms were already shattered. “Damn it, what a freak…” Gao Du cursed under his breath, silently activating his cultivation method. His arms transformed into long snakes, and after returning to their original positions, his bones were reconnected. Then, a chilling,腥風 (xīngfēng -腥風 means cold and fishy wind, usually indicating an evil or ominous presence.) suddenly arose. Amidst the flickering spiritual skeleton, Shikou charged at him again.

Gao Du had no choice but to grit his teeth and engage Shikou in a direct, head-on battle. Gao Du’s abilities relied most heavily on his poison arts, known for their insidious ruthlessness. Direct combat was not his strong suit, so he was at a disadvantage against Shikou’s corpse from the start. In less than a hundred rounds, three more of his bones were broken. The outcome seemed obvious.

However, after fighting for a while longer, Gao Du gradually adapted. He was also a general, having experienced countless battles, and naturally keenly observed that this “corpse,” while powerful, had very limited moves. It repeated the same few techniques, and their transitions were not fluid. It was as if a “resurrected” person had not yet adapted to their body, so its movements were very stiff and rigid. For a master like Gao Du, this was the biggest weakness. Gao Du slowly exhaled. Since he had seen through its moves, he gradually became more at ease.

And soon, he discovered an even greater flaw in this corpse: high consumption. Although he didn’t know the principle, Gao Du could sense that every time this corpse threw a punch, a faint blue light flickered within its body. He surmised that there must be some peculiar “spiritual power drive” at play. And since this corpse’s strength was so formidable, the spiritual power it consumed must also be immense. High spiritual power consumption inevitably meant it couldn’t sustain a prolonged battle. As it fought, its strength did indeed begin to wane. Having seen through these flaws, Gao Du again breathed a sigh of relief. This made things simpler…

Gao Du then decided to wear down this “corpse.” Once its spiritual power was depleted, it would naturally become useless. So, Gao Du patiently engaged Shikou’s corpse in a war of attrition. In the entire poisonous swamp, only Gao Du was fighting Shikou’s corpse. The barbarian soldiers of Suzaku Mountain dared not enter the poisonous swamp. The barbarian soldiers of Gaotu tribe also dared not interfere in such a battle. Gao Du alone bore the pressure brought by Shikou’s corpse.

Shikou’s corpse was tough-skinned and thick-fleshed, felt no pain, feared no injury, was immune to poison, and was unafraid of any perilous swamp. It was purely a “killing” tool, fighting fearlessly. Apart from its rigid moves and the consumption of spiritual power, it had no other weaknesses. Gao Du’s head-on confrontation was indeed very strenuous. But even so, because of the two “major flaws”—”rigid moves” and “huge consumption”—the battle situation gradually became clearer.

Sure enough, half an hour later, the blue light on Shikou’s corpse gradually dimmed, and its movements became much slower. This was a sign that its spiritual power was nearing exhaustion. However, Gao Du’s condition was not much better. He had first fought with Lu Gu, incurring mutual injuries, and then was ambushed by Shikou’s corpse. He had been fighting until now, even overdrawing his Hundred Viper Poison Art several times, and his witchcraft power and vital energy were almost depleted.

Seeing Shikou, with its blue light almost gone and nearly unable to move, Gao Du was also close to his limit. He turned to a few Golden Core barbarian generals from the Gaotu tribe nearby and said, “You all come over and jointly subdue this half-dead thing. I want to cut open its chest and see what the hell it is…”

“Yes, General!” Two Gaotu Golden Core cultivators saluted and then attacked together. One used a saber, the other used chains. With Gao Du, the three Golden Cores combined their efforts and indeed quickly subdued Shikou’s corpse. This was deep in the poisonous swamp. Gao Du had helpers. But on the Suzaku Mountain tribal side, no one could help Shikou. They could only watch helplessly as Shikou’s corpse was bound by chains, had a blade held to its neck, and was motionlessly subdued by the Gaotu tribe. Lu Gu’s expression was grave. The blue light in Shikou’s corpse’s eyes also completely vanished.

Gao Du, seeing this, finally let out a sigh of relief. This eerie corpse had finally run out of power and stopped moving. Now, all that remained was to…

Gao Du took a shallow breath. For a fleeting moment, he relaxed his guard. It was only for an instant, but in the next moment, an alarm suddenly blared in his heart, and his hair stood on end. When he turned to look, he saw that the strange blue light, which had originally extinguished in the hollow eye sockets of Shikou’s corpse, suddenly rekindled and brightened. Gao Du’s eyes widened abruptly.

“Not good! Quick…” Gao Du couldn’t finish his sentence before he heard a “poof” sound, and a geyser of blood erupted before his eyes. The chains on Shikou’s body snapped. With just one punch, it tore through the abdomen of a Gaotu Golden Core barbarian general. This Gaotu barbarian general, only at the mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, was caught off guard and instantly killed by Shikou at close range, with no time to react.

“Damn despicable yin…” Gao Du was furious, but before he could finish his curse, he witnessed an even more horrifying scene: Shikou’s corpse, after punching through the Gaotu barbarian general’s abdomen, reached inside and, from the Dantian area three inches below the general’s navel, pulled out, flesh and sinew, a bloody, radiant… Golden Core.

Then, before anyone could react, Shikou’s corpse, in plain sight, put that living Golden Core, a fusion of blood and spiritual energy, directly into its mouth. With a “crunch,” it chewed it up. Then… it swallowed it. In that instant, everyone’s expressions were horrified, their faces pale.

(End of Chapter)