Victor Cui, a mid-stage Grandmaster, was barely holding his own against a single Gold Armored Corpse. Master Deng, though a late-stage Grandmaster, was old, and his blood vitality had waned, leaving him far from his peak strength.
Facing two Gold Armored Corpses, Master Deng was struggling and gradually falling behind.
Meanwhile, Xue Hu was locked in a stalemate with the Black Fiend, unable to offer any assistance, as he was tightly restrained by a wolf demon.
In the Grandmaster battle, sand and stones flew, a single punch could shatter a boulder, a streak of True Qi could sever a tree, and a palm strike could leave a large crater in the ground.
The terrifying destructive power swept through the forest.
"Great Massacre Palm."
Master Deng struck out with a palm, his momentum surging, True Essence rolling, hitting a Gold Armored Corpse in the chest and sending it flying.
Such a terrifying strike, yet it failed to harm the Gold Armored Corpse.
Master Deng's heart sank. This Gold Armored Corpse was incredibly tough; his full-force blow only left a faint palm print on its chest.
"Jie jie, this is a corpse refined from a Grandmaster's body by our Yin Corpse Sect. It was already a Silver Armored Corpse a hundred years ago. Now, having transformed, its strength and resilience are beyond your imagination," Parker Yin laughed eerily, his voice echoing through the forest.
"Damn Yin Corpse Sect demons, you dare show yourselves after a hundred years of silence? It seems our Demon Slayer Division didn't wipe you out completely back then," Victor Cui shouted.
The Yin Corpse Sect was despised even among the Demon Gate, known for digging up ancestral graves. Who would tolerate that?
Every family had ancestors buried underground.
A hundred years ago, the Yin Corpse Sect's grave-digging and corpse-refining caused widespread outrage, leading to a joint extermination effort by the Taoist Sect, martial artists, and the imperial court. Countless were killed or injured, with only a few escaping.
Who would have thought that after just a hundred years, the Yin Corpse Sect would reappear?
"Hahaha, I will lead the Yin Corpse Sect to dominance. You three will be my first materials for corpse refining," Parker Yin laughed arrogantly.
"A bunch of rats hiding in the shadows dare to speak of bravery," Master Deng snorted coldly.
"The Yin Corpse Sect couldn't rise a hundred years ago, what makes you think you can now?"
"Qualification? I am the qualification!"
Parker Yin's aura surged, revealing him to be a Grandmaster-level expert.
The Yin Corpse Sect specialized in corpse refining. Parker Yin, at the peak of the Illumination realm, refined three Silver Armored Corpses into Gold Armored Corpses. The successful refinement boosted his own breakthrough to the Out of Body realm.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
In Taoist cultivation, the Out of Body realm corresponds to a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
Parker Yin joined the battle, coordinating with the two Gold Armored Corpses against Master Deng.
Master Deng was forced into a desperate situation, retreating step by step.
"Damn it, I didn't expect this demon to be at the Out of Body realm."
"Xue Hu, Victor Cui, you two must escape and issue the demon extermination order, rallying heroes across the land to slay these demons," Master Deng shouted.
If they didn't leave now, once he fell, none of them would escape.
"No, we can't leave you behind," Xue Hu refused decisively.
"Go now, I'll hold them off. Otherwise, we'll all die here," Master Deng scolded.
With the situation changed, they couldn't all die here.
"Go, report back to the Demon Slayer Division, and have them send experts to wipe out the Yin Corpse Sect remnants."
Victor Cui and Xue Hu knew that Master Deng intended to sacrifice his life to give them a chance.
"Go!"
Victor Cui steeled his heart, filled with sorrow. This intelligence failure had led to the unexpected appearance of the Yin Corpse Sect remnants. If they didn't leave now, they would all be wiped out.
With guilt and reluctance, Xue Hu and Victor Cui fled.
"Jie jie, such deep affection, sacrificing yourself to give others a chance to live. How noble," Parker Yin laughed sinisterly.
"Enough talk, demon. Prepare to die," Master Deng burned his blood vitality, facing three Gold Armored Corpses, a demon king, and Parker Yin alone.
Facing an ambush by five Grandmaster-level experts, he could only sacrifice himself to give Victor Cui and Xue Hu, the younger Grandmasters, a chance to survive.
"Kill!"
Parker Yin's killing intent surged, his aura rolling, enveloping him in a sinister fog, like a vengeful ghost.
Master Deng, facing three Gold Armored Corpses and two Grandmaster-level experts, quickly fell even as he burned his essence.
"Demon Slayer Division, no regrets!"
Master Deng's dying roar reached Victor Cui and Xue Hu's ears.
Their fists clenched tightly, hating their own lack of strength.
The Great Wei's demon-slaying army's first expedition into Qingyuan Mountain ended in failure, with countless casualties.
Out of ten thousand, only a few thousand escaped, one Grandmaster perished.
Escaping to Suiyuan County, Victor Cui and Xue Hu's faces were grim, Master Deng's death a heavy blow.
Oliver Sheng stayed far away, not daring to show himself. He had fled the fastest during the retreat.
Out of ten thousand troops, only three thousand returned, all in disarray, their morale shattered.
The failed demon-slaying expedition and the reappearance of the Yin Corpse Sect, allied with the demon race, ambushing and killing Demon Slayer Division Grandmasters, caused an uproar throughout Ding Prefecture.
"The Yin Corpse Sect, missing for a hundred years, has appeared in our Ding Prefecture."
"Damn it, I need to check if my ancestral grave has been dug up."
"That rat sect has reappeared?"
"A hundred years ago, my ancestral grave was dug up. I'm going to kill those Yin Corpse Sect scum."
Victor Cui and Xue Hu, in the name of the Demon Slayer Division, called on all righteous individuals in Ding Prefecture to exterminate the demons, while reporting the failed expedition in Qingyuan Mountain to the Demon Slayer Division.
Many martial artists from various sects in Ding Prefecture responded, heading to Suiyuan County.
Swordsmen, hearing of the demon race's rampage and the Yin Corpse Sect's reappearance, headed there resolutely.
Taoists from the ethereal sects of Ding Prefecture also descended the mountains, heading to Suiyuan County.
When Magistrate Chen informed Oliver Sheng about the failed demon-slaying expedition in Qingyuan Mountain, Oliver was shocked, thinking how powerful these demons must be.
Three Grandmasters from the Demon Slayer Division, leading ten thousand troops into the mountains, yet one Grandmaster and seven thousand soldiers perished.
The Yin Corpse Sect, with Gold Armored Corpses, had emerged. Ding Prefecture, being a border region far from the political center of Great Wei, was indeed a place where all sorts of demons and monsters existed.
"You said the Demon Slayer Division issued a demon extermination order?" Oliver Sheng stroked his chin.
"What, you want to go too?" Magistrate Chen looked at Oliver, feeling a bad premonition.
"Such a lively event, I want to see the demon race for myself," Oliver Sheng said.
His Kill Points were running low; he needed to find a way to earn more, and the demon race seemed like a good target.
"My General Sheng, you'd better guard River West County," Magistrate Chen quickly said.
"Old Chen, your thinking is wrong. Guarding the border is for the common people of Great Wei, and exterminating demons is also for the common people of Great Wei. With the demon race rampaging in Suiyuan County's Qingyuan Mountain, how can I, as a general of Great Wei, sit idly by?" Oliver Sheng said righteously.
Magistrate Chen suddenly felt dazzled, as if the light of justice was shining on his face, so blinding.
"If you go to Suiyuan County, what about River West County?" Magistrate Chen was overwhelmed by Oliver Sheng's righteousness.
"I'll take only a thousand soldiers. With eight thousand soldiers guarding River West County, it's more than enough. Besides, the barbarians and Huns won't be coming south," Oliver Sheng said.
"Alright then!"
Magistrate Chen also wanted the demon trouble in Suiyuan County resolved quickly, so he could sleep peacefully.
Oliver Sheng led a thousand cavalry to Suiyuan County, responding to the Demon Slayer Division's call to exterminate the demons.
Forces from all over Ding Prefecture, including experts from the Demon Slayer Division, converged on Suiyuan County.
The once-desolate Suiyuan County town suddenly became lively, filled with those coming to hunt the demon race and the Yin Corpse Sect.