Chapter 47 : Facing Two Alone, the Odds Still Favor Victory
Chapter 47: Facing Two Alone, the Odds Still Favor Victory
“Beyond saving!”
The white-robed female cultivator showed disdain. “Even if you are a Fourth Realm cultivator, once refined into a Corpse Puppet by a mere Qi Absorption cultivator, how much of your strength can you retain?”
That statement was not wrong.
Due to Fang Chang’s current strength limitations, both of his Corpse Puppets had their power somewhat restricted.
Someone like Zhao Yuntong of the Obsession Path was fine—high burst, high ceiling, low floor—so the limitation was not too obvious.
But Zhang Su’s Guanyin Path was balanced and upright. Once restricted, it showed clearly in a steady manner.
Fang Chang’s gaze wandered.
The night wind brushed past, carrying the fresh, pleasant scent of sandalwood from Master Zhang before him.
He saw her spread the resonance of her Immaculate Glazed Body, forming a pure, dustless sphere of protection.
Even when her weakness was pointed out, she remained calm.
She gently advised:
“This female benefactor, the person behind me possesses many methods far beyond ordinary rogue cultivators. He is by no means an ordinary Qi Absorption cultivator. Please do not act rashly and harm your own life.”
“Tch.”
Fang Chang clicked his tongue, pretending to be dissatisfied as he looked at Zhang Su. “Why are you exposing my weakness? This person has decent cultivation—I was thinking of refining another Corpse Puppet.”
Zhang Su looked distressed. “Benefactor Fang, the Corpse Refinement Path steals life from the living and death from the dead. Acting against the heavens like this may invite heavenly punishment—you must not continue!”
“What a joke!”
The white-robed female cultivator could not help but laugh coldly before shouting:
“It seems your master has been toyed with and manipulated countless times by this Corpse Refinement Path practitioner—she has long lost her own spirit!”
Fang Chang ignored her.
He continued speaking to Zhang Su:
“That’s a bit funny, Master Zhang. Do you think you alone can satisfy me?”
“You must not refine more corpses. Perform good deeds and accumulate virtue—this poor nun will bear all the sins. One Corpse Puppet is enough… I will also cultivate diligently and wholeheartedly protect you. Once you ascend the Great Dao, I will withdraw after fulfilling my duty.”
“So you want to monopolize me?”
Fang Chang shook his head with a smile. “But in the end, I am the dream of countless young maidens…”
Boom!!!
A fire crow suddenly turned and burst forth with roaring flames.
The resonance emanating from Zhang Su shook violently as streams of fire scattered.
“Hmph.”
The white-robed female cultivator snorted coldly. Heat waves spread from her body, and the smell of scorched vegetation filled the air.
The heat condensed around her, transforming into crimson energy, which then ignited into flames, forming fire crows with flapping wings.
A full nine fire crows illuminated the surroundings in blazing red.
She shook her head coldly. “Meeting me today is your destined tribulation.”
Fang Chang suddenly recalled his encounter with Cheng Hua.
There were some similarities between then and now.
The difference was that Cheng Hua had chosen to leave.
But the woman before him had chosen to act on behalf of heaven.
With a flick of her wrist, sword light like snow merged among the charging fire crows.
The next moment—
boundless red Thought-Flame erupted violently from beside her.
“There’s another expert?!”
Her expression changed slightly. She raised her sword and turned, colliding with a fast-moving black shadow.
Thought-Flame and magical power seemed compressed to the extreme. Upon impact, a surging shockwave exploded outward, causing waves of grass to roll.
Zhao Yuntong stood proudly, her dark yet alluring eyes glowing red like a malevolent spirit.
Thought-Flame wrapped around her body.
Her slender, pale hand tightly gripped the opponent’s sword blade, completely unharmed.
“Obsession Path…”
she said in a low voice.
Facing one against two…
Even if it was the Obsession Path, it was still only a Third Realm Obsession Path—and one refined into a Corpse Puppet.
The odds still favored her. The advantage was hers.
She had no intention of abandoning her sword to create distance.
The Grand Void Path used one’s three souls and seven spirits as a foundation, with the five organs and six entrails as a furnace, refining and purifying the “Qi” within the body while resonating with the Qi of heaven and earth.
Those unfamiliar might think the Grand Void Path did not rely on external objects.
But a sword could be both Dao and technique.
She followed the Grand Void Path, yet had trained in the sword far longer than in the Dao itself.
The sword in her hand was even more important than the Five Elements techniques.
Her thoughts passed in an instant as she prepared to twist her wrist and shake off the hand of the Obsession Path before her.
Suddenly—
from the corner of her eye,
she saw the Corpse Refinement Path practitioner who had been protected behind them.
He had picked up a slender tree branch from the ground, wearing a frivolous expression.
Her entire body trembled, her breath seized as if gripped by an invisible hand.
The faint friction of fabric against her skin suddenly became piercingly sharp. Her entire back tensed, goosebumps rising like needlepoints, climbing from her tailbone to the top of her head.
A Qi Absorption cultivator’s sword…
That was not even a sword.
Yet an indescribable terror instantly filled her heart.
“You…”
Without hesitation, she released her grip and abandoned her sword.
Before the blade even hit the ground, she had already transformed into a streak of light and shot into the sky, so fast that not even an afterimage remained.
“Ah?”
Zhang Su watched the streak of light disappear, her face full of astonishment.
She had thought a bitter battle would follow, but the opponent had suddenly abandoned her sword and fled without warning… what was this?
Zhao Yuntong seemed to sense something and turned to look at Fang Chang, who was holding a tree branch.
Fang Chang raised his hand and waved away the burnt smell before him.
He tossed aside the branch and said casually:
“Those sword cultivators always like to comprehend sword intent and sword rhythm, yet they fear it like a dragon lover who panics at the sight of a real dragon.”
“You understand the sword?”
“Not at all. Just playing around.”
Zhao Yuntong narrowed her eyes, not believing his nonsense.
Fang Chang picked up the abandoned sword and examined it closely.
The blade was over three feet long and no more than two fingers wide, emitting a warm glow throughout. The guard was forged into the shape of a blooming crimson flame, with layered petals.
“A B-grade hidden treasure, the Red Lotus Sword…”
He found it somewhat amusing and could not help but shake his head.
As he had said before, with just a glance, he could recognize most NPCs.
…But that woman just now, he truly did not recognize.
However, he did recognize this sword.
This was an item from Canglan Mountain.
Fang Chang walked forward and arrived at the place where the female cultivator had fought the Living Corpse Path practitioner.
The corpse, split into two, still lay on the ground.
Ignoring the smell of blood, he kicked the lower half of the Living Corpse Path cultivator.
“Get up.”
No response.
Zhang Su reminded him, “By observing the ten good deeds, one may ascend to the heavens and gradually reach the supreme true Dao. But those of external paths who kill and offer sacrifices, cultivating false merit by bathing corpses, will never find liberation.”
Fang Chang did not understand and ignored her.
He kicked again, harder. “You can put on a show in front of others if you like… but if you don’t get up and speak, I’ll burn you completely.”
After he spoke,
the broken lower half trembled and began to squirm strangely.
The sound of muscles and flesh squeezing together rang out as a head, only half the size of a normal human’s, crawled out from the torn abdomen.
That ugly face was surrounded by kidneys, with no hair and no eyebrows.
It grinned obsequiously.
“Big brother! Don’t burn me, don’t burn me!”
Zhang Su was startled and hurriedly retreated several steps, repeatedly chanting Amitabha.
Fang Chang inverted the Red Lotus Sword and stabbed it into the ground beside the small head.
“Tell me, who was that person?”
The small head chuckled, fear evident in its eyes as it glanced at the sword.
He had not seen what happened.
But he knew that someone who could seize that woman’s sword must be even more dangerous.
He quickly adjusted his attitude and began sighing.
“That was a cultivator from the Cui Family of Canglan Mountain. That madwoman somehow got hold of a list of evil cultivators in this area and has been killing them one by one!”