One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chapter 245 The Corpse King

Nie Lingfeng's eyes were icy cold. He made a decision instantly. No matter what "sacred artifact" this "Council" wanted to find, they must not be allowed to succeed! Moreover, these corrupted and twisted "Guardian" corpse puppets must also be eliminated! Otherwise, if they escape or are controlled by the "Council," the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Duoduo," he whispered quickly to Chen Duo, "Do you see that blood pool in the middle? And those big guys wielding greatswords crawling out of it?"

Chen Duo nodded vigorously, her small face tense, her emerald green eyes fixed on the blood pool and the giant corpse puppets, filled with disgust: "I see it! It stinks! That pool... it stinks the most!"

"Can your 'fire' burn down that pool, or sever those 'blood vessels'?" Nie Lingfeng asked. The Phoenix True Fire's ability to purify filth is theoretically the most effective against these corpse puppets and blood pools driven by evil energy.

Chen Duo sensed it carefully, nodded, then shook her head: "The pool... is too big. My 'fire' might not be able to dry it out right now. But those red 'lines' (tainted blood vessels) connected to the stinking bones should be able to be burned off! Make them immobile!"

"Alright!" A sharp glint flashed in Nie Lingfeng's eyes. "Later, I'll distract those big guys and most of the corpse puppets. You find an opportunity to use your 'fire' to burn off the 'red threads' connecting the ordinary corpse puppets, making them stop. Then, we'll work together to clear out these 'stinking bones' first, and then deal with the people in the pool and the 'Council'! Understand?"

"Yes! Understood! Burn the 'red thread,' beat the 'stinky bones'!" Chen Duo nodded vigorously again, her little face full of pre-battle seriousness and a hint of nervousness, but more than anything, a firm determination that "finally I'll be fighting bad guys and stinky things alongside Nie Lingfeng." (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

"Let's do it!"

Nie Lingfeng let out a low shout and stopped hiding! His figure suddenly shot out from the shadows where he was hiding, like a cannonball, heading straight for the center of the cave! While in mid-air, the Qilin power within his body, which had just been bestowed by the altar and was now even more solid and powerful, erupted! A magnificent, majestic, and scorching dark golden flame, carrying the will of purification and suppression, instantly illuminated the dim cave, like armor burning on his body!

"roar--!!"

A roar filled with the fury of a Qilin erupted from his mouth, echoing like thunder throughout the enormous cave! This roar not only contained a sonic attack, but also carried the natural pressure and provocation of the Qilin bloodline against "filth" and "blasphemy"!

Immediate results!

Almost all the corpse puppets, whether they were besieging the "Council" team or were giant corpse puppets that had just crawled out of the blood pool, froze in unison! The dark red soul fire burning wildly in their empty eye sockets swayed and contracted violently, as if they had encountered a natural enemy! Their corrupted and twisted "instincts" were instantly attracted and enraged by this supremely yang, powerful, sacred, and majestic aura! More than two-thirds of the corpse puppets, including the few giant corpse puppets that had just crawled out and had the strongest aura, simultaneously let out inhuman howls mixed with pain, anger, and destructive desire. They abandoned their original targets and turned in unison, rushing madly towards Nie Lingfeng, who was shining like a golden torch and was lying on a protruding rock at the edge of the blood pool! Rusty weapons swung, decaying bodies charged, carrying a strong aura of death and evil energy, like a gray, deathly tide!

Meanwhile, the "Council" squad, which had been struggling to hold on, suddenly felt the pressure ease. The scarred captain stared in astonishment at Nie Lingfeng, who had suddenly appeared and drawn away most of the firepower. Especially upon sensing the chilling, all-purifying dark golden flame aura emanating from him, his expression changed drastically: "Who...who is this?! Not one of ours! Everyone, be on high alert! Maintain defense and observe the situation!"

They temporarily halted their assault on the passage, tightened their formation, and watched this sudden turn of events with vigilance.

Facing the dozens of corpse puppets surging towards him like a tidal wave (including three giant corpse puppets, each three meters tall and wielding greatswords and spears), Nie Lingfeng's eyes remained calm as still water. He lightly touched the rocks with his toes, and instead of retreating, he advanced, charging into the horde of corpse puppets!

"The true form of the Qilin—appears!"

With a deep shout, the dark golden flames on Nie Lingfeng's body suddenly surged and solidified! His figure seemed to rise slightly in the flames, his muscle lines became smoother and more perfect, full of explosive power, and behind him, a majestic phantom of a Qilin roared to the sky! His eyes completely transformed into burning dark golden suns, their divine light shining brightly as they opened and closed!

He didn't use the Snow Drinking Blade. Against these numerous but relatively simple attack methods and elementally countered "filthy" monsters, the Qilin True Fire's area-of-effect purification and overwhelming power were far more effective!

"—A prairie fire!"

Nie Lingfeng crossed his arms in front of his chest, then suddenly thrust them outwards! A scorching, violent, dark golden wave of flames, seemingly capable of incinerating the entire world, erupted in a fan shape towards the horde of corpse puppets surging forward! This was not icy blade energy, but a fire-based killing move he had created, centered on the Qilin True Fire and simulating the "Wildfire" technique of the Six Arts of Aohan! Wherever the flames passed, the air distorted violently, crackling and popping, and the thick, bloody, and evil aura was instantly evaporated and purified!

The seven or eight ordinary corpse puppets at the forefront were the first to be engulfed by the dark golden wave of flames! Their tattered armor and dried flesh were as fragile as paper in the face of the Qilin True Fire, instantly turning charred, carbonized, and disintegrating! The dark red, foul-smelling "blood vessels" connecting them were also scorched by the flames, hissing and quickly breaking and drying up! These corpse puppets let out a series of short, mournful howls before turning completely into charred ashes, scattered all over the ground.

However, the three giant corpse puppets displayed even greater resistance. Their tattered armor seemed to contain even stronger energy, and their dark red soul flames were more condensed. Facing the sweeping wave of flames, they neither dodged nor evaded, but instead roared, their rusted greatswords and spears, imbued with thick, foul blood and evil energy, fiercely slashing and thrusting towards the center of the flame wave—Nie Lingfeng!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three muffled booms! The wave of flames collided with the greatsword and spear, unleashing an astonishing energy shockwave! Dark golden flames and dark red, tainted blood energy intertwined, annihilated, and exploded wildly! The shockwave sent even more ordinary corpse puppets rushing towards them flying!

Nie Lingfeng swayed and slid back half a step, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. The power of these three giant corpse puppets far exceeded expectations, almost equivalent to the level of those "elite samples" in the Yaoxing Society base! Moreover, their combat instincts were formidable, and their teamwork was impeccable. They were clearly elites from the "Guardian" guard back then, and even after being corrupted and twisted after death, they still retained some combat skills.

But would he back down? His fighting spirit burned even brighter!

"Again!"

His movements were as swift as lightning. He no longer clashed head-on with the giant corpse puppets, but instead pushed the "Wind God Movement" technique to its limit, weaving and darting among the puppet horde! The dark golden flames sometimes transformed into sharp palm strikes and fist strikes, shattering and purifying the approaching ordinary corpse puppets; at other times, they condensed into scorching finger winds, precisely targeting the gaps in the armor, joints, or the soul fire burning in the eye sockets of the giant corpse puppets! His attacks were fast, accurate, and ruthless, carrying the domineering purifying properties of the Qilin True Fire. Each strike dimmed the tainted blood energy on the giant corpse puppets, slowing their movements for a moment.

Meanwhile, Chen Duo also made a move.

In the instant that Nie Lingfeng drew away most of the firepower and created chaos, her petite figure, like a nimble swift in the forest, silently darted out from the shadows and quickly approached the ordinary corpse puppets with filthy blood "vessels" connected to them, who were "awakening" or trying to surround Nie Lingfeng from the flanks.

Instead of attacking the corpse puppet itself, she targeted the dark red, writhing, foul-smelling blood vessels that stretched from the blood pool and connected to the corpse puppet like umbilical cords!

"Phoenix True Fire - Lines of Erosion!"

Chen Duo rapidly formed hand seals, golden flames swirling in her emerald eyes. She took a deep breath, condensing the Phoenix True Fire within her body, which had recovered considerably, into dozens of golden fire threads, thinner than a hair yet solid and radiating pure, intense purifying power, which shot out from her fingertips!

These golden fire lines did not go straight, but rather, like living serpents, drew graceful arcs in the air, precisely entwining and slicing through the filthy blood vessels connecting the corpse puppets!

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss—!!!"

A series of incredibly soothing purifying sounds echoed! The Phoenix True Fire, as the purest and most yang flame capable of purifying all evil, possessed an almost primal, restraining effect on these "vessels" composed of the most filthy and malevolent energies! Wherever the golden flames passed, those dark red, writhing vessels, as if exposed to frost under the scorching sun, quickly turned black, dried up, and broke! From the breaks, foul-smelling, dark green pus spurted out, but before it could even touch the ground, it was evaporated and purified by the residual heat of the golden flames!

As the blood vessels were severed, the ordinary corpse puppets that had been baring their fangs and claws, attempting to pounce on Nie Lingfeng or Chen Duo, suddenly froze! The frenzied dark red soul flames in their eyes dimmed and went out rapidly, like light bulbs without power. Deprived of the continuous supply of energy from the filthy blood pool, these long-dead bodies could no longer maintain "activity," and like puppets with their strings pulled, they scattered on the ground, turning back into real, silent skeletons.

Chen Duo moved with incredible speed, her figure swiftly shifting along the edge of the cave. Golden fire lines, like the strings of death's harp, relentlessly reaped the fragile "vessels." In just a dozen breaths, more than twenty ordinary corpse puppets were cleanly and efficiently "de-energized" by her, turning into a pile of real, withered bones and trash.

Her surprise attack and efficient "cleanup" immediately attracted the attention of the three giant corpse puppets that were fighting with Nie Lingfeng, as well as the "Council" squad in the distance.

The giant corpse puppet roared in anger. One of them, wielding a spear, abandoned Nie Lingfeng and turned to hurl the rusty spear at Chen Duo, who was "severing blood vessels," like a javelin! The spear tore through the air, carrying a shrill shriek and thick, foul blood energy, and shot straight at Chen Duo's back!