Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 166: Xuanhuang Armor and Evasion Technique

The sound of a sword's whistle echoed throughout the grand hall.

Wu Yuesheng flicked his finger, and a spiritual sword, no larger than a thumb, shot forth, slicing through the air. As the sword caught the wind, it expanded rapidly. At the same time, a surge of crimson sword qi erupted from its blade, sharp and overwhelming.

This sword, named the Crimson Flame Sword, was enveloped in sword qi, making its true form difficult to discern. However, its formidable presence made it clear that, even if it wasn't a top-grade artifact, it was at least a meticulously refined high-grade one.

Hermit Baiyun, filled with intense hatred toward the malevolent corpse, steadied himself and, without hesitation, channeled a surge of spiritual power into his wooden staff. He hurled it with great force, and as it flew through the air, it expanded dozens of times in size, resembling a massive piece of verdant Dragon-Subduing Wood[1]. The colossal staff cast an imposing shadow as it descended upon the malevolent corpse.

Qin Sang, as expected, continued to control his Five-Elemental Breaking Sword. The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions was not suitable for public use, and he kept his ebony sword as a contingency, prepared for Wu Yuesheng's moves.

They had already formed a triangular formation, creating a pincer-like situation. If any danger arose, they could swiftly come to each other's aid. The malevolent corpse was trapped in the center, and the plan was to slowly wear down the Earth Malevolent Qi surrounding it, waiting for the opportune moment to deliver a killing blow. There was no need for haste—the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword was more than enough.

Three attacks—fiery sword qi, the wooden staff, and the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword—struck from three directions simultaneously, leaving the malevolent corpse with no escape. No matter how fast it moved, there was no way out.

Hurr… hurr…

The malevolent corpse's figure flashed rapidly in the confined space, darting frantically, but each time it was forced back by the relentless assault, unable to break free from the encirclement. It seemed to sense the danger, and its expression, as well as the strange sounds it made, grew increasingly agitated, displaying an unsettling semblance of human-like anxiety.

With no way to flee, the malevolent corpse snarled viciously at the three of them, only to be immediately swallowed up by their combined attacks.

Boom!

A thunderous sound reverberated through the grand hall, causing the entire structure to tremble violently.

However, when the chaotic spiritual power dissipated, and the scene at the center of the battlefield became clear, the relief on the trio's faces vanished, replaced by shock and disbelief.

The malevolent corpse, though looking a bit disheveled, appeared entirely unscathed after enduring their combined strikes.

The Earth Malevolent Qi surrounding its body had somehow transformed into chunks of black stone, which now circled around it continuously. While most of these black stones had been shattered by their attacks, the offensive force had been entirely absorbed by them.

Moreover, once these black stones broke apart, they reverted to Earth Malevolent Qi, which rapidly coalesced into new stones, forming an impenetrable barrier around the malevolent corpse once more.

Thanks to these stones, the malevolent corpse had withstood all three attacks head-on. Although it bore some minor injuries from the sword qi, they were quickly healed by the Earth Malevolent Qi, leaving it completely unharmed.

Even though both Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng had held back some of their strength to test the situation, the combined power of the three strikes should not have been underestimated. Especially when such a joint assault would have forced any Foundation Building cultivator at the same level, no matter how many artifacts and spells they had, to respond with full force, not daring to show the slightest negligence.

The three of them fixed their gaze on the peculiar black stones, each showing a different expression.

"Is this... the Xuanhuang[2] Armor?"

Wu Yuesheng murmured in disbelief as he stared at the black stones swirling around the malevolent corpse.

Upon hearing Wu Yuesheng’s words, Qin Sang suddenly recalled the spell known as Xuanhuang Armor. When he had been choosing his cultivation arts at Treasure Tower Peak, he had reviewed many of the well-known spells available to Foundation Building cultivators.

Though he couldn’t afford to buy them, nor did he have the time to master them all, he had memorized their characteristics, weaknesses, and, most importantly, their methods of countering them, hoping that, in future encounters with powerful enemies, he could know his opponent and gain the upper hand.

Among those spells, Xuanhuang Armor was impossible to ignore due to its immense reputation.

Xuanhuang Armor was an earth-based spell that could only be cultivated by Foundation Building cultivators. It was notoriously difficult to master, but once successfully cultivated, it allowed the practitioner to transform their spiritual power into protective armor that covered their entire body. The armor pieces could be freely controlled according to the situation, instantly shielding any vulnerable part of the body. Renowned for its impenetrable defense, it was a spell that specialized in protection.

The black square stones floating around the malevolent corpse had a faint yellow hue within them, with flickering runes etched on their surfaces. They spun around the malevolent corpse like shields, moving with extraordinary agility. R?ã????s?

Aside from their color being black rather than the expected earthen yellow, they were nearly identical to the Xuanhuang Armor.

The Xuanhuang Armor was highly practical, and many cultivators practiced this spell, but seeing it wielded by a malevolent corpse was both bizarre and terrifying.

Typically, a malevolent corpse relied solely on corpse poison, malevolent qi, and its strong, pain-free body. Its methods were simple, which was why, despite its fearsome appearance, the three of them were not overly concerned about it.

But who had ever heard of a malevolent corpse using spells?

At that moment, Hermit Baiyun seemed to remember something. His expression shifted as he said quietly, "Fellow Daoists, don’t you think the movement art that this malevolent corpse used earlier looks like some kind of evasion technique?"

Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng froze, recalling the earlier scene, and realized that Hermit Baiyun’s suspicion was likely correct.

The malevolent corpse wasn’t strong enough to crush them, and no matter how fast it was, it shouldn't have been able to move so swiftly that none of them, as Foundation Building cultivators, could sense it, or even see it clearly.

If it had used an evasion technique, that would make sense. In the immortal cultivation world, there were many evasion techniques, some of which were obscure but highly concealed. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of these techniques managed to evade their spiritual perception.

"Xuanhuang Armor, and now a strange evasion technique…"

Wu Yuesheng’s voice turned dry. "What other spells can it use? Can it even use artifacts? Are we going to have to call it a fellow Daoist?"

With that, Wu Yuesheng let out a bitter laugh, mocking himself.

Now, none of them dared to treat the malevolent corpse as a mere dead object. If it could use various strange spells, combined with its powerful body and terrifying corpse poison, it would be even harder to deal with than a cultivator at the same level.

The three of them exchanged glances, each showing a more serious expression than before.

As they stood there in confusion and uncertainty, the malevolent corpse suddenly moved, once again using that eerie, unpredictable movement art, vanishing from their sight in an instant.

Wu Yuesheng’s face changed drastically, and he quickly formed a hand seal. The Crimson Flame Sword shot into the air.

A crisp clang was heard, and the figure of the malevolent corpse appeared beneath the Crimson Flame Sword, its ghastly claws striking the sword’s blade with tremendous force, sending it tilting sharply.

They had kept their artifacts ready, remaining on guard. But Wu Yuesheng hadn’t expected the malevolent corpse to choose to attack the Crimson Flame Sword. Although he reacted quickly, the sword was still scratched by the corpse’s nails.

Clear, dark green claw marks appeared on the crimson blade, and the remaining corpse poison and malevolent qi clung to the Crimson Flame Sword like living creatures, wriggling as they gnawed at the sword’s spiritual light, trying to burrow into its core and corrode the sword’s essence.

Corpse poison could not only harm people; it could even damage artifacts!

Upon seeing this, Wu Yuesheng’s face filled with shock, and he hastily poured all his energy into the spiritual sword. In an instant, blazing flames erupted from the sword, fiercely counterattacking the corpse poison.

The poison was quickly incinerated by the flames, and luckily, the Crimson Flame Sword remained unharmed. But even so, Wu Yuesheng still felt a lingering fear.

1. This is a legendary wood from a Chinese myth. ?

2. Xuanhuang is used to describe the color of the world, with "xuan" meaning dark, describing the sky, and "huang" meaning yellow, describing the earth. ?