Chapter 555: Teammates, you've been screwed!

As the crimson mist in the stone coffin grew thicker and the malevolent symbols flickered more frequently, the cultivators felt an unprecedented pressure.

They knew they must act quickly, otherwise once the entity in the stone coffin fully awakens, the whole world will face catastrophe.

Under the cultivator leader's command, everyone swiftly set up layer after layer of strong defensive formations; these formations were composed of the finest talismans and spirit stones, flashing with various lights, forming an impregnable barrier.

At the same time, some cultivators with high cultivation levels began studying the malevolent symbols on the stone coffin, hoping to find a way to seal or destroy it.

Boom—

At that moment, the crimson mist in the stone coffin suddenly surged violently, and a powerful aura burst from the coffin, causing the surrounding space to begin twisting.

The cultivators felt an intense pressure, as if a mountain weighed on their chests, making it hard to breathe.

"Everyone be careful, it's about to come out!" the cultivator leader shouted, his long sword already drawn, its blade flowing with strong Spiritual Power.

Suddenly, the coffin lid was shoved open by a tremendous force, and a huge figure slowly rose from within the coffin.

This was a terrifying war corpse clad in ancient battle armor, with a ferocious face; its eyes flashed blood-red light, and the aura it exuded filled all the cultivators present with deep fear.

"You ants, dare disturb my slumber? Today is your doom!" the war corpse's voice thundered, making everyone's ears ache.

The cultivator leader took a deep breath and replied loudly: "Don't be afraid; for our future, we must carve a path of blood!"

The battle erupted instantly; cultivators unleashed their treasures and cast their strongest spells, launching a fierce assault on the war corpse.

However, the war corpse's power far exceeded their imagination; killing intent radiated from its entire body, each wave of its hand could easily tear space, effortlessly neutralizing the cultivators' attacks.

The war corpse snorted coldly, swung both hands, and a black pillar of light descended from the heavens, striking the cultivators' defensive formation.

Boom—

The formation began to crack under the light pillar's impact; cultivators hurriedly increased their Spiritual Power input, trying to stabilize the formation.

At that moment, a young cultivator suddenly charged out of the formation, eyes firm, his long sword flashing with brilliant light, thrusting straight at the war corpse's chest.

The war corpse smirked, casually swatted the young cultivator with a palm; the immense force sent him flying, he crashed heavily to the ground, his life or death unknown.

"No!" the cultivator leader roared, his eyes blood-red; he knew he could hold back no longer and must give his all.

The cultivator leader unleashed his natal treasure, a giant sword forged from millennium black iron, its blade covered in ancient talismans.

He poured all his Spiritual Power into the giant sword; the sword let out a deafening roar, and the space around its blade began to twist.

"Take my sword!" the cultivator leader bellowed, swinging the giant sword; a massive sword qi surged straight toward the Lord of the Netherworld.

In the war corpse's eyes a hint of solemnity finally appeared; it formed hand seals, and a black light shield materialized before it, trying to block the sword qi's impact.

The sword qi collided with the light shield, producing a heaven-shaking roar that made the whole world tremble.

Under the sword qi's impact, the light shield began to crack and finally shattered with a loud bang.

Although the sword qi weakened, it still struck the war corpse's chest, leaving a deep wound.

The war corpse let out an angry roar, never expecting these cultivators could wound it; a flicker of madness crossed its eyes, and it decided to hold back no longer, resolving to annihilate all the cultivators.

The battle entered a feverish stage; the cultivators knew they had no retreat and could only fight to the death.

All cultivators began casting even stronger spells, engaging the war corpse in a deadly struggle.

In the sky, the light of the spells intertwined with the war corpse's black light pillars, forming a heart‑shaking spectacle.

The earth quaked, mountains and rivers shattered, and the whole world descended into chaos.

At that moment, an elderly cultivator suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with wisdom.

He shouted loudly: "The malevolent symbols on the stone coffin are the key; destroy them and we can seal it!"

Upon hearing this, the cultivators immediately diverted some of their forces to begin attacking the malevolent symbols on the stone coffin.

Their strikes hit the symbols precisely; under the attack the symbols began to flash, emitting a brilliant light.

The war corpse roared angrily, trying to stop the cultivators, but they had resolved to spare no effort, attacking the symbols with all their might regardless of life or death.

With a thunderous boom, the malevolent symbols were shattered one after another; a powerful aura burst from the coffin, sucking the war corpse back inside.

The coffin lid slammed down, burying the war corpse deep within; the heavens and earth shook violently, blood‑red lightning rolled, the land lay scarred, mountains and rivers lay in ruins.

Boom—

The massive coffin hit the ground, emitting a deafening roar as if even heaven and earth trembled.

At that moment the symbols on the stone coffin raged to the extreme, behaving like living things as they frenziedly flickered and wandered across the coffin's surface, emanating a power that made the heart pound.

Suddenly a crisp "crack" sounded, a fine fissure appeared on the coffin, and immediately this crack spread like a spiderweb across the entire coffin.

As the fissures spread, the crimson symbols on the coffin began to exhale thick blood‑mist, which formed a blood rain between heaven and earth, dripping down upon the land.

In the blood rain, countless wandering souls and wild ghosts, drawn by this evil power, surged from all directions, weaving through the rain and emitting excited shrieks and manic laughter, as if celebrating the arrival of something horrifying.

Immediately the surroundings filled with wailing ghosts and howling souls, a scene of heavenly sorrow and earthly misery, an apocalyptic tableau. All the cultivators were startled, sensing a supreme war corpse aura seeming about to break free from the ancient coffin once more.

This war corpse, a mighty being that once dominated the battlefield and whose grudge lingered after death, its emergence will bring endless disaster and terror.

The cultivator leader's face grew unusually grave; he knew that if he could not stop the war corpse's emergence, he would face an unprecedented catastrophe.

Within the blood rain, the war corpse's aura grew ever more intense, and the coffin's tremors became increasingly violent.

The cultivators could clearly feel that the power within the stone coffin was gradually becoming agitated; strong streams of resentment and killing intent seeped from its cracks, making the surrounding air icy and piercing.

At that moment, Longling's face turned grim, his voice echoing in everyone's hearts like a thunderclap.

"We're doomed! We were tricked just now! That war corpse isn't weak in wisdom; at first it was probably restrained by the ancient coffin's seal, so it wouldn't approach us. But as our attacks shattered the coffin, the seal that bound the war corpse vanished as well!"

Upon hearing this, all the cultivators around shuddered in their souls, faces filled with disbelief.

They all turned to look at the cultivator who had earlier suggested attacking the coffin; that cultivator was panting, his spine turning cold with fear.

If not for Longling's protection, that guy would likely have been dragged out and executed on the spot.

"The war corpse is powerful; is this damn cultivator trying to get us all killed?"

At that moment, a cultivator cried out in despair, his voice brimming with anger and fear, and the scene descended into chaos for a while.

Longling immediately shouted, "Now is not the time to assign blame! We must devise a plan at once, or else everyone will die here!"

His voice carried authority, allowing the cultivators present to calm down a little.

The cultivator who had made the suggestion turned pale, knowing his mistake could doom everyone, his voice trembling as he said: "I didn't know this would happen; I just... just wanted to help."

"Your help almost got our entire army wiped out!" a cultivator shouted angrily.

"Enough!" the cultivator leader interrupted the argument, eyes firm, "What we need now is unity, not mutual blame. Do you have any suggestions?"

Longling took a deep breath, wisdom flashing in his eyes: "War corpses are strong, but their power is not invincible."

Their existence is due to the seal in the ancient coffin and the resentment in the blood rain.

We can try to cut off their source of resentment, weakening their power.

"What should we do?" the cultivator leader asked urgently.

Longling pointed to the blood rain in the sky: "The blood rain is the carrier of resentment; we can try to stop its fall and simultaneously destroy the ancient coffin to prevent the war corpses from being born."

The cultivator leader immediately ordered: "Everyone, listen up! Immediately set up the Heaven-Shrouding Grand Formation to block the blood rain! At the same time, organize a team to follow me and destroy the ancient coffin!"

The cultivators sprang into action; some began to set up the Heaven-Shrouding Grand Formation, pouring their spiritual power into the formation, which quickly unfolded into a huge light curtain that blocked the blood rain outside.

The sound of the blood rain striking the light curtain was like rapid drumbeats, making hearts pound.

Another group of cultivators, led by the cultivator leader, rushed toward the ancient coffin, needing to destroy it again before the war corpses fully regained their strength.

The war corpses seemed to sense the cultivators' intent, letting out an earth-shaking roar; the ground trembled, and a multitude of dry corpses surged up around them, responding instantly like a tide toward the cultivators.

These dry corpses exuded a strong deathly aura; each of their attacks carried destructive power.

The cultivators engaged in fierce battle with the war corpses, relying on the formation and magic treasures to match wits and courage.

The battle was exceptionally brutal, with both sides suffering considerable casualties.

Relying on steadfast will and the desire to survive, the cultivators carved a bloody path out of the war corpses' encirclement.

However, although the ancient coffin was cracked, it seemed to have some mysterious force clinging to it, and the cultivators' attacks could only leave faint marks.

"What do we do? Our attacks have no effect on the ancient coffin!" a cultivator said anxiously.

Boom—

As the seal on the ancient coffin faded, an ancient and powerful force surged out; the dry corpses, like a parched riverbed receiving long-awaited rain, greedily began to absorb the coffin's power to recover.

Their bodies healed at a visible speed, the blood light in their eyes grew ever fiercer, and the aura they exuded became increasingly mighty.

"Hurry, seize the moment!" as a cultivator shouted loudly, all cultivators realized the urgency of the situation.

They knew that if they did not act swiftly, once the dry corpses fully recovered, they would face a far more terrifying enemy.

However, just as everyone prepared to strike again, they horrifiedly realized it was already too late.

After a violent shudder, the ancient coffin began to emit an eerie light; its whole body seemed to come alive, a huge demonic form coalesced from killing intent appearing before them, surging with mighty demonic energy.

This demonic form initially loomed like a mountain, oppressive; then the demonic energy drew inward, gradually shrinking, finally taking shape as a youth clad in armor.

He stood there, resembling a war god returned from an ancient battlefield; each piece of his armor emitted a cold sheen, his eyes glimmering both aloof and sharp, as if able to see into hearts.

"Ants, accept your punishment." the war corpse youth's voice low and powerful, each word like a heavy hammer striking the cultivators' hearts, leaving them feeling suffocated.

"No matter what monster you are, you will die!"

The war corpse snorted coldly, a flicker of contempt in his eyes: "Just you?"

He slowly raised his hand; the surrounding air began to twist, an invisible force spreading outward, making the cultivators feel an unprecedented pressure.

"Don't be afraid, we still have the Heaven-Shrouding Grand Formation!" a cultivator shouted loudly, reminding everyone they were not unprepared.

The Heaven-Shrouding Grand Formation wavered before the war corpse's power, but held on, offering the cultivators a sliver of protection.

The cultivators began to concentrate their spiritual power, strengthening the formation, while seeking the war corpse king's weakness.

The war corpse seemed indifferent to the cultivators' resistance, slowly walking toward them, each step making the earth tremble.

"Your resistance is futile; no one can stop me, and attacks are ineffective against me." the war corpse's voice brimmed with confidence, a hint of mockery in his eyes, as if toying with a group of helpless prey.

A flash of resolve crossed the cultivator leader's eyes; the cultivators' faces turned even paler.

"Use the forbidden technique..."

A cultivator said, that forbidden technique is their last trump card; once used, it will inflict irreversible harm on their bodies and souls, possibly even costing their lives.

The war corpse watched their movements, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile: "Your struggle will only make your death more painful."

The cultivator gave no response, merely glanced deeply at his companions behind him, then closed his eyes and began to chant the forbidden technique's incantation.

Other cultivators also began to chant the incantation; his body started to radiate dazzling light, a mighty power gathering among them.

In the war corpse's eyes, a hint of solemnity finally appeared, sensing the threat of this power.

As the forbidden technique completed, the cultivators' bodies turned translucent, gathering all their life force and spiritual power into a huge pillar of light that shot straight at the war corpse.

A terrifying aura raged unchecked between heaven and earth; at that moment all the cultivators felt their scalps tingle with shock, their faces filled with disbelief and fear.