Daily corpse cultivation grants experience to a Corpse Keeper, and after nearly three months of accumulation, Wen Jiu was on the verge of reaching level 2. He wasn't sure what benefits this level-up would bring, but it was highly likely that he would gain another slot for mutating a corpse. His original plan had been to cultivate Xue Mo San Qian's corpse into his second Three-Fiend Walking Corpse. Two such corpses would grant him two postnatal corpse techniques, significantly increasing his strength.

However, the person who had stolen Xue Mo San Qian's corpse was at the late-stage Qi Refining realm. The elder who gave chase was also at late-stage Qi Refining. Moreover, he had noticed that both of them were flying on magical artifacts. If he relied solely on corpse control to pursue them, there was no way he could catch up in this lifetime.

The only fortunate thing was that the corpse aura mark left by his Three-Fiend Walking Corpse, as long as it wasn't used for Blood Corpse Escape teleportation, had an extremely wide sensing range. Though the further the distance, the blurrier the perception, he could still vaguely track it—more than enough to follow their trail.

With that in mind, Wen Jiu prepared to set off with his Three-Fiend Walking Corpse in pursuit. However, just as he turned around, he noticed that the people from the Tianzuo Alliance and the Blood-Clothed Tower were also scattering in all directions, as if this had all been prearranged.

"So the attack at the base of the mountain was just a feint. The real target was him!" The fact that this person had managed to infiltrate Feixian Peak unnoticed and snatch Xue Mo San Qian's corpse right under the nose of the main peak elder was proof of extraordinary strength.

Thinking quickly, Wen Jiu started leaving corpse aura marks along his path to facilitate Blood Corpse Escape teleportation. He placed a mark every four or five li.

Before long, he had chased over twenty to thirty li, but under the cover of night, there was still no sign of the two.

Through the Three-Fiend Walking Corpse's perception, he could tell that Xue Mo San Qian's corpse was moving farther and farther away at an astonishing speed. Determined to reclaim it, he pressed on. But just as he was about to continue the pursuit, the Three-Fiend Walking Corpse sensed that the stolen corpse had suddenly stopped moving.

Wen Jiu immediately picked up speed, closing the distance while remaining cautious not to get too close.

The direction they were heading was beyond Dead Man's Peak—into the world of ordinary mortals.

As he drew nearer, he finally caught sight of the person who had taken Xue Mo San Qian's corpse, as well as the main peak elder. But he only dared to observe from a distance, prepared to use Blood Corpse Escape at any moment to flee.

Because at that moment, in the mountainous terrain, besides the thief who had taken the corpse, there were two other late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. The three of them had formed a triangular formation, encircling the main peak elder.

A trap?

Wen Jiu's expression shifted slightly.

But he did not leave immediately.

His Three-Fiend Walking Corpse still had about eighty percent of its corpse aura left, meaning he could use Blood Corpse Escape multiple times. This was what gave him the confidence to stay and watch.

If chaos broke out, he might just have a chance to snatch back Xue Mo San Qian's corpse.

—

In the mountains, birds and beasts scattered in alarm.

Ye Chen stood calmly atop a needle-leaf-shaped flying artifact, scanning the three opponents as if he did not regard them as a threat.

Of the three, the leader was the one who had stolen Xue Mo San Qian's corpse.

He wore black robes so dark that even moonlight failed to illuminate them, and beneath his face-covering veil, a pair of murky yet sharp eyes gleamed.

However, he did not strike immediately. Instead, he spoke in a slow, measured tone.

"Tianzuo Alliance, Dao Protector of the Shan lineage—Mu Yuanlong. I have long heard of the infamous 'Iron-Faced Executioner' Ye Chen, known for his unparalleled skill and unyielding justice, a pillar of the Supervisory Hall. But meeting you today… I must say, I am greatly disappointed."

"Daoist Mu, you are mistaken," said the one-eyed old crone to Ye Chen's left with a sinister smile. "Those who are strong in force are often weak in thought. Our dear Ye Daoist here has been relying on the reputation of Dead Man's Peak to run rampant for quite some time. It's only natural that he has become a little… oblivious."

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Her cultivation level was fully revealed—late-stage Qi Refining, seventh layer.

The burly man beside her, draped in a giant serpent whose human-like head stared forward with eerie intelligence, grew impatient.

"What's the point of all this talk? Kill him, and our names will spread throughout the entire cultivation world of Dead Man's Peak!"

His cultivation, too, was blatantly displayed—not for intimidation, but because he was ready to attack.

Ye Chen swept his gaze over the three of them, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever.

"Tianzuo Alliance, Shan lineage—three Dao Protectors."

His words were cut off.

Because in the very next moment, he lunged forward.

With a flick of his hand, he summoned a magic treasure—an axe on one side, a hammer on the other. The moment the weapon appeared, the killing intent around him became tangible, transforming into a blood-red aura that moved in sync with his strikes.

The sheer pressure of his murderous intent instantly suppressed the three opponents, making Wen Jiu, who was watching from afar, secretly alarmed. He even glanced back, wondering if he should retreat a little more.

As Wen Jiu stepped backward, Mu Yuanlong suddenly summoned two ghostly figures—one white, one black—shrouded in eerie Yin energy.

"Well then, let us experience firsthand the legendary Thousand-Jin Overlord Axe that has made you famous in the Dead Man's Peak cultivation world."

At his words, the battle erupted.

The old crone tossed out a swarm of golden poisonous insects, which devoured the incoming waves of killing intent. The burly man, meanwhile, clenched his fists and, along with his giant serpent, charged straight at Ye Chen, seemingly intending to take the blow head-on.

The three of them clashed in an instant.

What surprised Wen Jiu was that Ye Chen, even facing all three of them at once, did not falter in the slightest. His axe and hammer moved in perfect harmony, effortlessly blocking their attacks—he even seemed somewhat at ease.

As the fight continued, Mu Yuanlong and his companions grew increasingly grim.

They had known that Ye Chen's Thousand-Jin Overlord Axe was infamous, with nearly ten late-stage Qi Refining cultivators having died by his hand. But they hadn't expected that even with their combined strength, they would still struggle this much against him.

Mu Yuanlong's Black-White Twin Fiends—both powerful ghost entities at late-stage Qi Refining—couldn't even withstand a single strike from Ye Chen's axe.

They were all at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. So why was the gap this vast?

"Stop holding back!"

Mu Yuanlong's voice was sharp as he swiftly pulled out an object from his storage pouch—a black Yin talisman.

The moment it appeared, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and an overwhelming chill swept through the battlefield, enough to make even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator shudder.

Seeing the talisman, both the old crone and the burly man hesitated for a brief moment before instinctively beginning to retreat while fighting.

The Tianyin Talisman. A first-grade high-quality talisman. Its power rivals that of a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Refinement stage. Its value is self-evident—priceless and unattainable—because, at present, the entire cultivation world of Dead Man's Peak lacks a talisman master of this caliber. Clearly, it was obtained from a secret realm.

However, just as the old woman and the burly man were about to retreat, Ye Chen pressed forward, his Thousand-Jin Overlord Axe striking down relentlessly. The two of them scrambled to defend themselves, attempting to create distance but failing miserably. Anxiety gripped their hearts.

Seeing this, Mu Yuanlong immediately commanded the Black and White Twin Fiends to join the fray, hoping to entangle Ye Chen and buy time for the other two to retreat.

"Ridiculous!"

Ye Chen sneered coldly. His Thousand-Jin Overlord Axe surged with killing intent, and with a single swing, he cleaved an approaching ghostly wraith in half. Mu Yuanlong, startled by the display of power, hastily recalled the remaining wraith.

Witnessing this, Wen Jiu couldn't help but feel a wave of shock. His understanding of this Main Peak Elder from the Overseer's Hall deepened. He didn't know how powerful the other Main Peak Elders were, but judging from Ye Chen alone, it was clear that even mid-grade spiritual roots didn't qualify one to enter their ranks. Only those with top-grade, single-attribute spiritual roots—like Du Feng—were worthy of their attention.

Fortunately, Wen Jiu had no illusions about being taken as a disciple by an elder. As long as he could reach the Main Peak and become an official disciple, gaining access to advanced resources would be enough.

As Wen Jiu's thoughts wandered, a chilling scream rang out. The old woman, enveloped by a swarm of venomous insects, had been struck by Ye Chen's axe. Her body was split in half at the waist, and she plummeted from her flying artifact. The poisonous insects instantly lost their control, scattering like headless flies in all directions.

Mu Yuanlong and his companion's expressions changed drastically. Their will to fight shattered, and they immediately steered their flying artifacts away in a desperate retreat.

But Ye Chen refused to let them escape.

His focus remained locked on Mu Yuanlong—because Mu Yuanlong carried the corpse of Xue Moqian.

As the three figures disappeared, Wen Jiu swiftly activated the Three Rivers Ghost Concealment technique and approached. Unfortunately, the storage bag had already been taken by Ye Chen, but Wen Jiu didn't mind. To him, the most valuable things weren't material possessions—it was the old woman's soul and blood essence.

After using Soul Capture and Blood Absorption, Wen Jiu resumed his pursuit. However, he didn't immediately sift through the old woman's memories. As he pressed forward, he quickly faced the growing depletion of his Yin techniques and corpse energy. Since the mortal world lacked spiritual energy, he had no choice but to consume spirit stones frantically to replenish his Yin techniques, though his corpse energy remained irrecoverable.

Fortunately, under the guidance of the Three Fiendish Walking Corpses, he sensed that Xue Moqian's corpse had stopped moving after fleeing for about fifteen minutes.

Wen Jiu hurried to the scene, only to witness an unforgettable sight.

The burly man, a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, was frozen in place by a talisman. Ye Chen leaped high into the air and brought his axe down, splitting him in half. Even the massive python beside him was severed, along with the high-grade first-rank artifact protecting him.

If Wen Jiu recalled correctly, this burly man had previously been able to withstand Ye Chen's attacks with his sheer physical strength—clearly a body cultivator.

Yet he had died so abruptly.

The conclusion was obvious.

Ye Chen had been holding back earlier.