Chapter 1281: Killing Machine

The corpse of Shiguo tore out the Jin Dan of the Gao Tu tribe's barbarian general and then… swallowed it whole.

The Jin Dan, fused with the cultivator's life force, blood qi, and spiritual energy, was forcibly crushed between teeth.

The immense power contained within the Jin Dan exploded, distorting Shiguo's face and entire skull, yet still could not spare it from being chewed to pieces and devoured.

With his face a bloody pulp, Shiguo ate the Gao Tu tribe's barbarian general's Jin Dan as if chewing a "fruit."

This scene was horrifying.

Every barbarian general of Jin Dan realm present felt their dantian, where their hard-won Jin Dan resided, tremble faintly, a cold dread creeping in.

In their entire lives, they had never witnessed anything so bizarre.

Even demonic cultivators had never done such a thing.

And even more bizarrely, after consuming the Jin Dan, the corpse of Shiguo began to manifest ancient, ferocious beast patterns.

These beast patterns seemed "alive," absorbing the Jin Dan's spiritual energy and then returning it back to Shiguo's corpse.

These ferocious beast patterns appeared like "totems" on Shiguo's body.

And Shiguo himself seemed merely a "medium" for these beast patterns.

Shiguo was human; the beast patterns were an array.

But the beast patterns were alive, while Shiguo was dead.

This strange, disordered sensation settled over everyone's hearts.

Meanwhile, Shiguo, whose aura had been faint and whose spiritual energy had been utterly depleted, seemed replenished by the Jin Dan's power, radiating a deep, icy blue light, his aura surging instantly.

As if recharged and reborn.

"Watch out!" Gao Du barked sharply.

Another Gao Tu tribe barbarian general, who had been suppressing "Shiguo," paled in panic and tried to flee—but it was too late.

Shiguo's bloody, massive hand had already gripped his throat and twisted with force, deforming the neck.

This general had cultivated the Hundred Vipers Art, but his mastery was insufficient—he could not, like Gao Du, separate flesh and bone to "snake-dodge." Once seized by Shiguo, he could not break free.

And in the next instant, he met his doom.

His abdomen was pierced through; his Jin Dan, pulled from his dantian by Shiguo's hand, was swallowed like a monster.

The Taotie patterns on Shiguo's body glowed brighter, tinged with a sinister aura, as if a great beast were inhaling and exhaling.

Two tribal generals—his own trusted subordinates—had been slaughtered in such a manner; as a general, Gao Du was instantly enraged.

Ignoring his shock, he gritted his teeth and forcibly activated the Hundred Vipers Art; his hands became serpentine, bone blades coated in poison, charging back at Shiguo.

But these venomous, terrifying bone blades were firmly gripped by Shiguo's massive hand.

Having killed two generals and devoured two Jin Dans, Shiguo was now replenished with vast spiritual energy—his strength was extraordinary.

Gao Du, exhausted from prolonged combat, suddenly felt overwhelming pressure.

Worse still, Shiguo's left hand gripped his bone blade, while his right hand reached for Gao Du's lower abdomen.

The intent was clear—he meant to tear out Gao Du's Jin Dan.

Gao Du's blood ran cold; he broke free and retreated. Shiguo growled like a "monster" and chased after him.

Gao Du fought while retreating.

In the Swamp of Gu Poison, amidst a land saturated with deadly toxins, and on Gao Du's own territory.

He was being beaten and hunted down by Shiguo—a corpse already "immune to all poisons." He was in dire straits.

Seeing the dire situation, an elderly Gao Tu tribe elder spoke sternly: "Deploy the Hundred Demons, Thousand Toxins Net—block this monster!"

In the poison swamp, the water rippled; venomous vines suddenly spread like chains, weaving into a net that tightly trapped "Shiguo."

The net was woven from venomous vines, coated in deadly toxins, and teeming with parasites living within the vines.

Cultivating these parasites and forging this toxin net took over a hundred years.

It was the Gao Tu tribe's most treacherous trap and deadliest weapon.

Originally intended for critical moments—to trap and kill enemy leaders, such as Lord Lugu or Mo Hua, the "Divine Ritual Master."

Now, with Gao Du being hunted, they had no choice but to activate this Hundred Demons, Thousand Toxins Net to suppress Shiguo.

But the problem was, Shiguo was not alive. He was a corpse.

Parasites could not harm him; thousand toxins could not corrode him—because his flesh and blood were already "dead."

Parasites were useless; toxins were useless.

This Hundred Demons, Thousand Toxins Net was effectively half-neutralized, retaining only its "imprisonment" function.

It could only trap—it could not kill.

Even trapping him with the toxin net alone was insufficient.

The Gao Tu barbarian generals and numerous barbarian soldiers could only form battle formations, using the Hundred Demons, Thousand Toxins Net to take turns suppressing Shiguo.

With the barbarian soldiers' combined strength and the Hundred Demons, Thousand Toxins Net, Shiguo was indeed suppressed.

Thus, General Gao Du finally gained a moment to breathe.

Gao Du did not waste time—he immediately swallowed pills and ate chunks of some unknown toxic beast's meat, then sat in meditation to restore his strength.

When his strength had recovered more than half, Gao Du opened his eyes—only to find that after so long, the Hundred Demons, Thousand Toxins Net could no longer fully contain Shiguo's corpse.

Gao Du was startled; with no time to hesitate, he personally charged in again to battle Shiguo.

With Gao Du, the general, bearing the brunt of Shiguo's pressure, the other barbarian generals and soldiers joined forces with the Hundred Demons, Thousand Toxins Net—and finally succeeded in suppressing Shiguo once more.

Shiguo's corpse, as before, gradually dimmed its blue glow, its movements slowing once more.

No matter how strong it was, it was still only a "corpse"—it could never truly stand against the Gao Tu tribe's general, twenty-odd barbarian generals, and a host of barbarian soldiers who cultivated toxin arts.

No matter how strong it is, it is still merely a "corpse," incapable of truly standing against the Gao Tu tribe's general, over twenty tribal generals, and a host of barbarian soldiers who have cultivated poison arts.

But he dared not let his guard down—the lesson of the past was still fresh before his eyes.

But he dared not let his guard down—the lesson of the past was still fresh before his eyes.

This corpse, when strong, kills people; when weak, it can "eat" people.

Moreover, eating people isn't the real fear—the real fear is that it eats "Jin Dan."

"Be extremely careful, subdue this thing, don't give it an opening…"

Gao Du barked the order.

Everyone replied, "Yes," but often, the more you instruct and warn, the more mistakes are made.

Especially in such a tense moment, facing a terrifying monster that eats Jin Dan.

A Gao Tu tribe barbarian general, slightly closer by half a zhang to the corpse of Shi Renxing, either from fear or exhaustion, let his leg weaken slightly and his mind wandered.

When he finally stopped and opened his eyes, he found the corpse of Shi Renxing's pitch-black hollow eyes staring at him.

The black eyes were like a chasm.

That sliver of blue light seized the soul.

The Gao Tu barbarian general, gripped by terror, forgot what he was supposed to do—and the next instant, searing pain pierced him.

His abdomen had been pierced through by the corpse's massive hands.

Then he watched helplessly as his own Jin Dan, cultivated over a lifetime, was ripped out bloody and devoured by the "monster."

His eyes filled with immense terror, yet he could do nothing—thump—he collapsed to his knees and died.

With the death of this barbarian general, a sudden uproar erupted, shaking the morale of the Gao Tu tribe.

Moreover, they had witnessed up close the scene of Shi Renxing devouring a Jin Dan, making them feel the taste of terror firsthand.

Gao Du was both shocked and furious, silently cursing these useless fools, yet a flicker of panic stirred within him.

For after consuming the Jin Dan, the once-weakened corpse of Shi Renxing flickered with strange blue markings and regained its strength.

Gao Du gritted his teeth and said, "Quickly, suppress it again! Be extremely careful—don't let it kill anyone else!"

Saying this, Gao Du activated his cultivation technique, dual-wielding bone blades, and charged toward Shi Renxing once more.

But this time, fear lingered in his heart, and his fighting became hesitant.

In contrast, Shi Renxing, having devoured another Jin Dan, pulsed with its Taotie pattern, and its spiritual energy began to recover.

And not only that—after these several brutal battles, its movements had become noticeably smoother, more varied.

It seemed to have adapted to this body. It was still growing stronger.

Gao Du was anxious, but as a general, he was trapped—he could only grit his teeth and continue fighting the corpse of Shi Renxing.

Under the combined assault of all, the familiar scene soon reappeared.

The corpse of Shi Renxing was suppressed again; its blue glow dimmed, its movements slowed.

Yet Gao Du felt no joy—on the contrary, his fear deepened, as if walking on thin ice.

For he knew: this corpse monster was about to "eat" another Jin Dan.

But no matter how cautious he was, it made no difference.

He was a general—high cultivation, rich combat experience—he could protect his own Jin Dan from being ripped out by Shi Renxing.

But he couldn't protect the Jin Dan of other Gao Tu barbarian generals.

Finally, in a moment of carelessness, blood sprayed—another Gao Tu barbarian general had his Jin Dan torn out and devoured by Shi Renxing.

Gao Du's spirit shattered completely.

It's over…

If you asked what special techniques or methods Shi Renxing's corpse possessed, it truly had none.

It was just thick-skinned, tough-fleshed, impervious to blades and poison, immensely strong, able to endure and strike, with simple, direct moves.

But the problem was: while it could endure and strike, it could also "eat" Jin Dan to replenish spiritual energy.

Gao Du could defeat it, but not kill it; to fully suppress it, everyone had to join forces and take turns exhausting it.

Without many joining forces, they simply couldn't outlast it.

Yet once they joined forces, it was as if they were handing "Jin Dan" straight to its mouth, feeding it.

Like throwing a meat bun to a dog—the more you throw, the less you have left.

And Gao Du's prediction was correct: from now on, every single "Jin Dan" of the Gao Tu tribe became meat buns.

With the top-tier combatants no longer suppressing it, Shi Renxing's corpse became truly "unrestrained."

Its moves were simple—a punch, a kick—and precisely because of that, they were brutal and lethal.

As its Taotie pattern flared, nearly every punch, every kick, claimed a Gao Tu soldier's life.

The crowd's attacks could pierce its skin, corrode its flesh—but they could never kill it.

It was already a "dead man"—how could it die again?

A typical late-stage Jin Dan cultivator, no matter how powerful, couldn't withstand a human wave tactic, endless rounds of chaotic battle and exhaustion.

But Shi Renxing's corpse was different.

It could eat "Jin Dan," and it relished fighting in the human tide—killing while eating, like an endless machine, never dying, never wounded.

Especially against large numbers of barbarian soldiers, as long as Shi Renxing didn't fall, it could keep killing forever.

But Shi Renxing was already "dead," so it would keep killing—until every enemy lay dead…

This was a corpse that appeared plain and unremarkable, yet utterly terrifying—a pure "slaughter machine."

In the poison marsh, Shi Renxing stood like a small mountain, its grotesque Taotie patterns glowing with eerie blue light, eating and killing simultaneously, like an ancient beast walking through a hell of corpses, slaughtering all living things.

And moreover, Shi Renxing grew stronger the more it killed, stronger the more it ate.

The more it killed, the more agile its limbs became, its moves simpler, its kills faster.

The more it ate, the more its Taotie patterns were fully activated, gradually fusing with its bones, becoming one.

Shi Renxing grew more and more like a human-shaped "Taotie" monster.

Seeing more and more men die, Shi Renxing growing ever stronger, Gao Du, as a general, felt as if plunged into an ice cellar—his will to resist vanished completely.

Gao Du fled.

With Gao Du's escape, the other soldiers of the Gao Tu tribe completely collapsed.

Shi Gu, bearing the Taotie pattern, resembled a "killing machine," and nearly shattered the third-grade Gao Tu tribe single-handedly.

Not just the Gao Tu tribe—everyone was filled with terror and despair.

Even the barbarian troops of Zhu Que Mountain grew pale and trembling with dread.

Lord Lugu, as the Great Chief, now stared at his brother Shi Gu's current state, his face filled with shock and numbness.

Only Mo Hua remained calm from start to finish.

Seeing the Gao Tu tribe routed and the front line breached, Mo Hua's gaze was cold as he waved his hand and ordered:

"Put on the Poison-Repelling Armor, advance and annihilate the Gao Tu tribe…"

"Yes, Divine Shaman Lord!"

The barbarian troops of Zhu Que Mountain swiftly donned dark green-patterned barbarian leather armor.

This Poison-Repelling Armor was specially forged at the instruction of Mo Hua, the Divine Master, to traverse the poison swamps of the Lü You Mountain Realm.

Though highly resistant to poison, this Poison-Repelling Armor offered poor defense in other aspects; if the Zhu Que Mountain barbarians were ambushed by the Gao Tu tribe while crossing the poison swamps, they would suffer catastrophic casualties.

But now, with the Gao Tu tribe shattered by Shi Gu, who bore the Taotie pattern, and their general Gao Du defeated and fleeing, this was the perfect opportunity to cross the poison swamps.

All of this had been foreseen by Mo Hua.

Lord Lugu, poisoned by a hundred venomous vipers, temporarily suppressed the poison within him and also donned a set of Poison-Repelling Armor, walking at the front to personally lead Zhu Que Mountain's army into the Swamp of Gu Poison of the Lü You Mountain Realm.

The Divine Shaman army began its advance.

This was the first time in thousands of years that the Lü You Mountain Realm, teeming with deadly toxins, had been so massively invaded by an "outsider."

In the entire history of the mountain realm, this had never happened before.

Once they crossed the Swamp of Gu Poison, this nearly impassable natural barrier, the poison mists and poison forests beyond would be comparatively simple.

Under Mo Hua's guidance and with Lord Lugu leading from the front, after another half-month of brutal fighting, the main base of the third-grade Gao Tu tribe was breached.

The severely wounded general Gao Du was captured alive; the Gao Tu Great Chief fled, and the remaining troops surrendered.

Thus, the Gao Tu tribe, the largest tribe of the third-grade Lü You Mountain Realm, was conquered.

Mo Hua also verified, through "combat" and the corpse of Shi Gu, the feasibility of the Twelve Meridians Taotie Spirit Bone Ultimate Array.

This also proved he had preliminarily comprehended and mastered this array, created by a mysterious Great Lord Wuzhu of the Great Wilds, possessing twenty-four patterns at second-grade rank, imbued with the cruel Taotie principles, and of an extraordinarily daunting difficulty.

And this Taotie Spirit Bone Ultimate Array would soon become his…

Core Formation.

(End of Chapter)