It was a tombstone roughly forty meters in height and covered in weathered cracks. Still, Lu Yun was able to make out the scarlet characters etched into the stone: Tomb of the Venerated Sacrosanct Demon Sovereign.
It was written in the language of the primordial world of immortals, seemingly with fresh blood. The blood was still flowing, not yet dry even after such a long period of time.
The little nun and Wanfeng’s junior sister stood before the tomb, the latter looking ahead nervously. Their pale complexions made clear the magnitude of their severe injuries.
A swarm of powerful zombies slowly approached them.
“You fled with your tail between your legs after the sect head gave you a beating back in Dusk Province, Jiangchen Xie, and now you only dare bully those at a disadvantage to you. How shameless you are!”
Despite being roughly seventeen, the holy girl appeared more mature than her age, her curvaceous figure highlighted by a black chiffon dress. Holding an emerald bamboo staff that radiated with an intense glow, she kept the great number of zombies at bay.
Dressed in a black robe, a pale Jiangchen Xie flickered in and out of view among the dark shadows. His colorless lips curled into a vicious leer when she mentioned Lu Yun.
“Lu Yun is the head of the Star Demon Sect, and you are its holy girl. Consider me refining you into a battle zombie as prepayment of interest. Kill!”
At his command, hundreds of zombies charged and broke the light barrier erected by the bamboo stick.
The corner of her mouth still stained with blood, the daoist nun summoned a sword atlas with a wave of her hand that slashed at the zombies. However, her atlas paled in comparison to Lu Yun’s.
Lu Yun’s atlases consisted of a thousand and eighty immortal swords. As his cultivation improved, he’d incorporated more immortal swords within, especially after refining his replica, Xing Chen.
The daoist nun’s atlas, on the other hand, contained only three hundred and sixty-five immortal swords. However, since that was a powerful number that matched the days it took for the world to complete an orbit, she was still able to create a powerful sword formation.
Every cycle of the formation killed countless zombies. Back in the Sovereign Meet, her nascent spirit had been too weak to copy Lu Yun’s Sword Atlas. But when the void realm geniuses attacked Dusk Province, she’d already ascended to the returned void realm and copied the combat art when Xing Chen used it.
With inferior talent compared to Lu Yun’s, though, she could only incorporate three hundred and sixty-five immortal swords in a single atlas. Upon releasing five atlases, the dense sword energy within rained down on the zombies, tearing apart everything within fifty kilometers.
However, Jiangchen Xie was able to summon forth more zombies with a quick shake of his tattered Bag of Corpse Refinement. The little nun was now covered in bleeding gashes. She’d been injured to begin with, and exerting herself had only caused her wounds to open again.
The holy girl of the Star Demon Sect turned the bamboo staff into a flute, playing an alluring song that spread in all directions. Their enemies, however, were heartless zombies and immune to the music she played.
“Stop! Stop it at once!” Countless zombies crashed into the daoist nun’s atlases, sending her closer to collapse. “My master won’t forgive you for this!”
Facing the shadows of death, the daoist nun had no choice but to invoke her master.
“Your master?” Jiangchen Xie paused, and the speed at which the Bag of Corpse Refinement released zombies slowed. Those that’d already been released, though, still tore frantically into the atlases.
“The one who drove away the North Sea’s old lion in Dusk!” White as a sheet, blood seeped out at the corner of the little nun’s lips. The orderly sword atlases in the sky had been knocked awry by the endless swarm of zombies.
Jiangchen Xie’s expression darkened further to hear the girl’s words.
“That nun is your master?” he scowled. “Then I’ll have to eliminate you completely!”
Roar!
Countless skeletons emerged before the tomb of the Demon Sovereign, assembling in the air into a giant skeletal monster. It was so powerful that its presence alone instantly destroyed five of her atlases.
Throwing up blood, the little nun was slammed violently into the tomb.
“Despicable!” The holy girl turned her flute back into a bamboo staff and flashed over to guard the little nun, sweeping and waving the staff to knock away the lunging zombies. “Duel me if you dare! I can take on ten pathetic worms like you with one hand!”
Shouting, the holy girl knocked the zombies away with a flurry of hits, the staff moving so quickly it left numerous afterimages in the air.
This length of bamboo was similar to the one Wanfeng wielded, and powerful enough to keep regular zombies at bay. When facing the terrifying giant skeletal beast, though, her weapon was nothing.
“What did you say?!” Jiangchen Xie’s eyes blazed with crimson light. Pathetic worm?!
Those two words were the worst humiliation he’d ever suffered! They were a cut that had festered and almost caused a cultivation deviation!
He’d suffered the first failure of his life at Lu Yun’s hands in Dusk, and now the Star Demon Sect’s holy girl rubbed salt into his unhealed wounds. Overwhelming murderous intent that couldn’t be contained reared in his heart.
Rumble!
The newly-formed skeletal beast broke apart and an ocean of skeletons emerged out of nowhere.
“Die, die, die!! Die at once!!” Jiangchen Xie’s teeth were bared in a grim smile. The skeletal ocean circled around him like it was part of him. Just a single move was enough to create a tall, powerful wave of bones.
The daoist nun and holy girl watched in despair.
“We’re doomed… The skeletal ocean is the bearer of Hadal Bonefire…” Fear drained all color from the holy girl’s face. Even dao immortals might not be able to counter this ocean of bones. The Hadal Bonefire fostered within would burn anyone dead.
“You want to duel me? Come on then!” Jiangchen Xie cackled, his face shrouded in ghostly energy. “I’d planned on a killing spree after my skeletal method came into fruition. I’ll start off by slaughtering you base wenches first, then go after Lu Yun in Dusk Province!!”
Bam!
The ocean of bones turned into a giant vortex. At its center emerged a spark of stark-white flame. Closer inspection revealed that the bones within the waters had turned into skeletal beasts, snarling and baring their teeth.
In the blink of an eye, the ocean of bones swept over the little nun and the holy girl, along with the tomb of the Demon Sovereign at large.
“Who are you looking to kill?” questioned a chilling voice at Jiangchen Xie’s ear.
“Lu Yun!!” Jiangchen Xie couldn’t help but scream, reminded of his worst nightmares.
