Chapter 61: Souls Return to the Homeland, Fallen Leaves Return to Their Roots

Such a grand and spectacular scene is the first time ever on the Divine Ghost Killing Arena!

Never seen before!

At the same time, they couldn't help wondering what on earth the origin of this Summoned Creature summoned by the Dragon Nation was.

Just a glance, and they could feel that unparalleled power!

This sense of power left them breathless.

Over at the Dragon Nation seats.

A spectator who had seen many Summoned Creatures suddenly had an epiphany and shouted:

"I remember now! I remember now!"

"This is corpse driving!"

"This is, the Xiangxi corpse driver is driving corpses!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding Dragon Nation spectators suddenly came to their senses.

It is said that, long ago, the people of Xiangji greatly valued falling leaves return to the roots,

but for livelihood they had no choice but to go far away to other lands.

Back then, the roads were treacherous; away from home, one had no relatives in sight, and it was common for people to die far from home.

At this time, the family of the deceased would beseech the local corpse driver,

using the corpse-driving method to send the deceased relatives from afar back to their hometown for burial.

According to legend,

Corpse drivers often operate at night, able to command corpses to move,

If one sees a corpse driver at work at night, they must quickly avoid them, otherwise they will invite great disaster.

People back then held corpse drivers in especial respect; even roadside inns would specially prepare resting places for them.

Even during the Anti-Japanese War period,

there were still many corpse drivers active in the mortal world,

allowing soldiers who died in foreign lands to also return their souls to their hometowns.

"But, I remember that corpse drivers, due to ability limits, can only drive at most a dozen or so corpses at once, but…"

Everyone looked toward the river, and saw that behind the old man followed actually thousands of corpses!

"Not only that, the formation of this corpse-driving troupe is also quite peculiar."

"Generally, corpse driving requires the corpses and the corpse driver to line up straight, making it quick and convenient. But the corpse-driving troop summoned by Zhang Cheng seems to be divided into three parts."

The Dragon Nation spectators stared at the corpse-driving troupe on the river,

their gazes gradually became solemn.

In the vast corpse-driving troop,

at the very front is the old man, serving as the corpse driver responsible for opening the way.

while at the rear are those thousands of corpses,

although they are not arranged in a straight line, their movements are neat and uniform, as if cast from the same mold, with a magnificent momentum and extraordinary valor.

However,

what most puzzles and makes the Dragon Nation spectators ponder,

is the middle section of the troop.

those corpses emanate an invincible aura, their eyes lacking the stillness that corpses should have,

instead they are full of resolve; the determination on their faces as they march forward is as if they regard death as homecoming.

Most crucially,

this troop,

is composed of fifty-six strands of black shadow!

Fifty-six!

This number is too profound for the Dragon Nation spectators.

Every Dragon Nation person basically knows what this number represents.

Nation!

Fifty-six nations!

Now, the number 'fifty-six' has appeared in the corpse-driving troop,

the Dragon Nation spectators' hearts immediately gave rise to a speculation:

Could it be…

Do these fifty-six strands of black shadow each represent a clan?

Upon thinking this, the Dragon Nation spectators almost instantly felt their scalps go numb and their bodies tremble slightly.

……

At the center of the arena,

The great demon Shuten looked at the corpse-driving troop, twisted his neck, holding in his hand an iron rod several tens of meters long, and gave a cold glance.

It's just a trick of feigning divine powers!

Wait until this king takes action and deals with you, old fool!

It gripped the iron rod tightly with both hands, exerting great force, muscles coiling ready to explode, then swung with all its might!

In an instant,

A wild gale howled forth from the iron rod, sweeping up the river water,

quickly transforming into a water spout connecting heaven and earth, within which lies terrifying power,

Far beyond any SS‑grade Summoned Creature we have faced before!

The water vortex covers an enormous area; if unleashed in a city, it could easily raze an entire town.

Such a terrifying technique surged straight toward the corpse‑hunting squad where the old man stood!

At that moment,

the old man also sensed the opponent's attack.

Yet his face remained as indifferent as before; he simply lifted the Soul‑Capturing Bell in his hand and gave it a gentle shake.

This time, the bell's tone was no longer the crisp chime of earlier,

but deep and weighty.

It resonated through the air,

like an ancient flood bell, humming loudly!

Immediately after, as the old man muttered:

"Souls return to their homeland, fallen leaves to their roots."

"Mortal vermin, those who block me shall die!"

He finished speaking.

The surrounding river surface roiled violently.

The old man struck his yin gong; the moment the mallet hit the gong surface, a thunderous boom erupted!

A surge of savage sound burst forth instantly, like concentric ripples, tearing the river surface and breaking the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon's water vortex.

The remaining shockwave, undiminished, slammed toward the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon!

Seeing the unfavorable turn, the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon intended to block with its iron staff, but as the impact approached, a wave of terror surged into its heart.

Not good!

It tried to evade, but it was already too late.

Bang!

The impact slammed into the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon's massive body, its terrifying force causing the demon's complexion to change dramatically.

A huge spray of fresh blood erupted; its body was hurled onto the river, retreating continuously until it finally slowed to a halt several thousand meters away.

However,

when everyone looked back at the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon,

it was a wreck: its sturdy body riddled with a blood‑filled hole, its face drenched in gore, the fingers gripping the iron staff twisted and broken, and the staff it once boasted about reduced to a tattered stick.

Lying motionless on the river, it seemed to have lost its breath.

Could it be...

failed?

"How could this happen? Our Great Xiong Nation's Wine‑Swallow Great Demon cannot possibly be defeated like this!"

"It's an SSS‑Rank Summoned Creature! How could this be? Impossible, I don't believe it!"

"Even if the Dragon Nation's Summoned Creatures are strong, to defeat our Great Xiong Nation's SSS‑Rank creature in a single move—how is that possible!"

"Everyone... everyone, stay calm. As far as I know, the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon has two lives,

the first life is weaker, but when the second life is activated, its power surges to unprecedented heights!"

Sure enough!

Immediately after,

the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon, which had been motionless moments ago, suddenly 'revived.'

It rose upright, turned its head, and scanned the surroundings, as if searching for something!

When the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon's gaze met Cang Jing Shanyi's, a burst of murderous frenzy erupted, and it flickered, appearing directly behind Cang Jing Shanyi.

Pfft!

Its claw pierced Cang Jing Shanyi's left chest from behind, extracting the still‑beating heart, and swallowed it whole!

It all happened far too quickly!

Cang Jing Shanyi didn't even have time to react.

But Meng Lingchuanxi, the person in charge, instantly realized that the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon... had gone out of control!

Under everyone's gaze.

The Wine‑Swallow Great Demon suddenly devoured Cang Jing Shanyi's heart!

Immediately after,

Fresh blood gushed from its body like a spring.

Its body regenerated at a visibly rapid pace, its strength soaring sharply,

its bright‑red flesh sprouting lizard‑like scales, and at its neck emerged the head of a handsome man!

According to legend,

the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon possesses two faces, even two bodies.

One is a ferocious demon form, just as it originally appeared.

The other is a dashing, handsome man.

Only by merging the power of its two bodies can its strength reach its pinnacle!

Records state that the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon was once beheaded by Cang Jing Guang, and that Cang Jing Shanyi, a descendant of Cang Jing Guang,

his bloodline and the Muramasa he wields constantly suppress it.

Now,

the Wine‑Swallow Great Demon has devoured Cang Jing Shanyi's heart, acquiring his powerful samurai lineage.

Even, he could wield the national treasure-level katana Muramasa.

At this moment, the Sake-drinking Great Oni's strength has undergone a qualitative leap, far surpassing its former peak!

Witnessing this sight.

Although the audience of the Great Hero Nation felt some worry, there was more excitement.

"Good, good!"

"I knew it, the Sake-drinking Great Oni would not fall easily; it is the legendary leader of the demon clan, one of the Three Great Demon Kings!"

"Now the Sake-drinking Great Oni wields Muramasa, its strength has broken through its limits; what right does the Dragon Nation's summoned creature have to compete with us!"

"Haha, from now on, in this ninth match, our Great Hero Nation will win this battle with an overwhelming advantage!"

"Dragon Nation is certainly not a match for our Great Hero Nation!"

The audience of the Great Hero Nation has already kindled the spark of hope.

The Sake-drinking Great Oni was originally an SSS-Rank summoned creature.

Now its strength has increased again, reaching a frightening new height.

Although it still belongs to the SSS-Rank, it far surpasses ordinary SSS-Rank summoned creatures!

At least, the Windmill Nation's SSS-Rank flying demon, now under the Sake-drinking Great Oni's command, cannot withstand even three moves!

"Die!"

The Sake-drinking Great Oni wields the enlarged Muramasa with both hands, raised high, the blade seeming to be smeared with blood-red flames,

Its sturdy muscles suddenly tensed, its eyes flashed with terrifying killing intent, then it exerted force with its arms and fiercely swung down Muramasa!

Swish!

A sharp blood-colored semicircle sliced out cleanly!