The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Viscous blood overflowed from the Blood Pool, spilling onto the ground. Surrounded by withered bones, the blood quickly coalesced into a jet-black crow of resentment. The crow was dark and featherless, but as it prepared to take flight, the resentful energy around it gathered to form a coat of feathers.

"Crows of resentment are forming constantly. I don't have the time to bother with them!" the Corpse Dove squawked, flapping its shriveled, fleshy wings.

Chen Dong surveyed the Blood Pool and the withered bones on the ground. The blood was a mixture from all sorts of creatures, with human blood making up nearly sixty percent. The same was true for the bones.

Instantly, a choice appeared from his Inner Realm Mystic Passage.

Virtuous: To gather the flesh, blood, and resentment of living creatures to create this wicked Blood Pool is an act of great evil. It must be slain!

Evil: This fiend is too fierce. You should follow your instincts!

"Brat, I wasn't supposed to wake for some time, but you disturbed my pleasant dreams. What should your punishment be!" the Corpse Dove shrieked.

Chen Dong chuckled, hiding his right fist behind his back and gathering True Qi.

The Corpse Dove puffed out its chest, revealing its ribs. "GAH~ GAH~!" it cawed with delight. "You'll pay with your life!" With that decisive declaration, its deep red eyeballs twitched. The Corpse Dove flapped its two shriveled, fleshy wings, and the countless withered bones on the ground shot toward Chen Dong like a rain of razor-sharp projectiles.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!!!

Several waves of bone spikes were all blocked by Chen Dong's Protective Celestial Spirits. Chen Dong leaped into the air, a flash of lightning sparked from his left hand, and a thunderbolt instantly shot toward the Corpse Dove.

"You've got a few tricks, brat, but you're no match for me!" The grating, bird-like voice echoed in Chen Dong's mind once again.

The Corpse Dove flapped its wings again, and a glob of blood flew out from the Blood Pool to block Chen Dong's lightning attack.

But Chen Dong's follow-up attack was already on its way. His right fist, which had been gathering power for some time, shot straight toward the Corpse Dove's decaying body.

"You treacherous brat! Even more cunning than me!" As the Corpse Dove spoke, it twisted in the air. Blood surged from the Blood Pool, forming a blood-red Eight Trigrams symbol that blocked its chest.

Chen Dong's fist struck the Eight Trigrams, shattering it. Countless droplets of blood scattered through the air, attracting the withered bones on the ground. Instantly, innumerable crows of resentment formed and swooped down to peck at Chen Dong.

A brilliant flash of lightning erupted. The crows of resentment fell from the sky one after another. Those that landed on the withered bones looked just like ordinary dead crows, while those that fell into the Blood Pool dissolved back into bloody water.

Chen Dong struck at the Corpse Dove with another lightning attack.

"Brat, lightning of this level can't hurt me!"

Just as the Corpse Dove said, it stood proudly amidst the withered bones, its head held high as lightning coursed through its body. A bloody glow still suffused its form.

Chen Dong's brow furrowed. 'This Blood Pool is constantly replenishing the Corpse Dove's resentful energy and power. It's too much of a nuisance.' Inscriptions of the Celestial Spirits appeared. An Outer Appearance Giant Hand condensed into existence and smashed its fist down toward the Blood Pool.

"No, no, no! You can't smash my nest! I'm getting angry!"

The Corpse Dove's words didn't stop Chen Dong in the slightest. The Outer Appearance Giant Fist smashed a hole in the Blood Pool, and a large amount of blood flowed out among the withered bones.

"OH! Damn you! You'll pay for this!" the Corpse Dove shrieked as it flew about. "If that's how you want it, I'll refine you into a Corpse Slave!" It flapped its two shriveled wings continuously. All the blood in the cave began to move, gathering into a giant sphere. The countless withered bones on the ground were drawn to the sphere, piecing themselves together in an orderly fashion until they formed a giant monster.

Its head resembled a horned, skeletal alligator snapping turtle, with ghostly flames flickering in its eyes. Its torso was built from the giant bones of a Hao Niu, with bony wings on its back, menacing claws on its four limbs, and a long, barbed tailbone.

Chen Dong searched his memories but couldn't recall any such creature. 'The Corpse Dove must have pieced it together itself,' he figured.

"My Corpse Slave, kill that brat for me!"

The Corpse Slave threw its head back and let out a silent roar, but an astonishing aura erupted from its body.

Chen Dong struck first. The Outer Appearance Giant Hand threw a punch at the Corpse Slave, and the gigantic creature retaliated with a swipe of its bone claw.

Fist met claw. BOOM! A tremendous roar echoed throughout the cave.

The Corpse Dove let out a strange cry. It hadn't expected the exchange to be a draw. In its mind, a single swipe of the claw should have sent Chen Dong flying.

"Corpse Slave, use your ultimate move!"

Upon hearing the command, the Corpse Slave unleashed a breath attack at Chen Dong. An astonishing wave of resentful energy, seemingly accompanied by countless vengeful souls, washed over him.

Chen Dong blocked with his Outer Appearance arm, but it was useless! He instantly condensed True Qi throughout his body, and his Protective Celestial Spirits became incredibly solid, the inscriptions upon them clearly visible.

The resentful energy was successfully blocked by the Protective Celestial Spirits, but the soul attack hidden within it passed straight through and struck Chen Dong's sea of consciousness.

Chen Dong was immediately struck by a splitting headache. Countless wails of all kinds echoed in his mind—the cries of men and women, of beasts and birds.

For a moment, the world went dark, and it felt as if everything had been turned upside down.

The Corpse Dove cackled. "Your aura is so powerful, yet your soul is pathetically weak! Today will be the anniversary of your death, brat! Corpse Slave, keep attacking! Strike while he's down and finish him off!"

Hearing the command, the monstrous Corpse Slave unleashed its breath attack again. The resentful energy was blocked by the Protective Celestial Spirits, but the soul attack struck Chen Dong's sea of consciousness once more.

AAAAAAAAGH!!!

Chen Dong clutched his head, his eyes bloodshot, and rolled on the ground in agony.

'It hurts, it hurts too much! It feels like those resentful spirits are gnawing away at my soul. If I take another hit like that, I'll either kill myself to escape the pain, or my soul will just collapse completely!'

Chen Dong gritted his teeth, watching the Corpse Dove dance about in glee. For the first time in his life, he felt the cold grip of death so near.