Chapter 557: Mysterious Broken Sword

Those battle corpses and dry corpses, though already spent, now displayed an even more eerie power.

From their foreheads, thread‑like substances as fine as hair drifted out slowly; these threads were densely covered with complex, ancient runes, as if containing some forbidden power.

These threads seemed alive, dancing in the air, and in unison they drifted toward the huge formation in the sky.

The formation in the sky seemed to have a mysterious attraction to these threads; they wove and merged in the air, forming crimson light beams that resonated with the runes on the formation.

As more and more threads joined, the formation in the sky began to emit a low rumble, as if responding to some ancient summons.

At the formation's center, a huge crimson wheel slowly appeared, composed of countless runes and threads, turning slowly and radiating a heart‑pounding power.

This wheel seemed like a gateway to another world; the crimson energy pouring from it like a waterfall ceaselessly flooded into the Battle Corpse King's body.

Bathed in this crimson energy, the Battle Corpse King's body began to undergo an astonishing transformation.

Its armor, already cracked, was swiftly repaired by the energy and became even sturdier and more ferocious.

Its eyes blazed with blood‑red light, as if two blood moons were rising in its sockets, emitting a chilling, murderous glare.

At that moment the Battle Corpse King's aura surged; its power seemed bolstered by some mysterious force, becoming greater and more terrifying.

The cultivators sensed the Battle Corpse King's change, and a unprecedented sense of crisis welled up in their hearts.

If they did not act quickly, once the Battle Corpse King fully absorbed the crimson wheel's energy, the entire Tianji Shengyu would face imminent doom.

"We must stop that crimson wheel!" the cultivator leader's voice echoed across the battlefield, his eyes filled with resolve and firmness.

The cultivators immediately responded, gathering their strength to launch a final assault.

Some cultivators began setting up powerful formations, hoping to sever the link between the battle corpses and the crimson wheel;

while others readied their treasures to strike the wheel directly, aiming to weaken its power.

Longling, the abbot of Xiguangsi, and Daoist Qingxu—three mighty figures—also felt the urgency and began to unleash their ultimate techniques.

Longling's White Bone Dharma Appearance grew larger, each white bone flashing with a deathly cold light.

The abbot of Xiguangsi's Vast Giant Buddha Golden Light blazed brighter, and the resonant Buddhist chant echoed through the clouds.

Daoist Qingxu's Three Pure Ancestors Dharma Appearance became more substantial, and the undulations of his Dao power grew deeper.

The three powerhouses joined forces, leading the cultivators in a final charge.

Their sole goal was to destroy the crimson wheel and cut off the Battle Corpse King's source of power.

"Boom—"

On the battlefield, the cultivators' attacks fell upon the crimson wheel like a rainstorm, each strike carrying their yearning to survive and their hatred of evil.

Under the assault, the crimson wheel began to tremble, its rotation slowing, and the crimson energy it emitted grew unstable.

The Battle Corpse King sensed the threat, let out a earth‑shaking roar, and tried to stop the cultivators' actions.

Empowered by the crimson wheel, its power grew even more ferocious, each attack bearing destructive force.

"Bang—"

The sky was stained deep red by the eerie glow of the crimson wheel, as if even the heavens were weeping blood.

The battle between the cultivators and the Battle Corpse King had entered its most horrific stage, every inch of land soaked in blood and resentment.

Bolstered by the crimson wheel's power, the Battle Corpse King became like an invincible demon god.

Each of its punches carried the force of thunder, warping the space around its fist and emitting a piercing tearing sound.

The dry corpses, as if possessed by evil spirits, had the soul‑fire in their sockets burning more wildly; their claws were razor‑sharp, and each strike delivered deadly poison and a putrid stench.

The cultivators' treasures proved fragile before the Battle Corpse King; some, upon touching its armor, emitted wails and shattered into fragments.

The cultivators' arts, under the Battle Corpse King's violent power, were like guttering candles in the wind, flickering on the verge of extinction.

On the battlefield, cultivators were occasionally struck by the Battle Corpse King's attack; their bodies instantly corroded by resentment into pools of black blood, their souls unable to escape, being sucked into the crimson wheel to become part of its power.

The dry corpses' assault was equally deadly; feeling no pain or fatigue, they surged wave after wave against the cultivators' defenses.

Under the dry corpses' claws, the cultivators' skin tore like paper, blood spraying everywhere.

Some cultivators, in despair, let out a final roar as their bodies were ripped to shreds by the dry corpses' onslaught, the scene gruesome to the extreme.

Resentment and deathly qi grew so thick they coalesced into black mist that behaved like living things, winding around the cultivators to drain their vitality.

Enveloped in the black mist, the cultivators' strength swiftly ebbed, their faces turning as pale as paper, until they finally collapsed upon this cursed land.

In this realm of death, the Battle Corpse King's figure loomed especially tall, like an incarnation of the Grim Reaper, each of its movements casting a shadow of death.

Its armor was smeared with the cultivators' blood, which formed horrifying patterns upon it, as if mocking the cultivators' impotence.

The whole battlefield turned into a terrifying purgatory; the cultivators' wails, the dry corpses' howls, and the Battle Corpse King's roars intertwined into a symphony of death.

"The formation can't hold; this resentment is too strong—what should we do?" a cultivator responsible for maintaining the formation shouted anxiously as he felt its tremors and cracks, sweat beading his forehead.

"The Battle Corpse King's power keeps growing; our attacks are nothing but a tickle to him!" a strong cultivator shouted after seeing his full‑force blow easily blocked, his voice tinged with resentment and fear.

"Our comrades' souls have been devoured by that wheel—we can't even save their corpses!" an emotionally rich cultivator cried out in grief after seeing a companion felled by the Battle Corpse King and his soul sucked into the crimson wheel.

"This battle has no end; our strength keeps draining while they grow ever fiercer!" an experienced cultivator felt his power waning, a flicker of despair crossing his eyes.

"Where is hope? Can we really win this fight?" a young cultivator, losing his bearings in the battle, spoke with confusion and panic.

"Could this be the legendary forbidden power? We must find its source!" a cultivator versed in ancient texts, sensing the abnormal power fluctuations on the battlefield, had his eyes gleam with a thirst for knowledge.

"Our arts seem useless against these monsters; perhaps we need to seek older incantations to fight them!" an elderly female cultivator, after trying many arts to no avail, spoke with trust in ancient wisdom.

"Although the dry corpses' movements are stiff, their attacks are uncannily precise—we must find their weakness!" a keen‑eyed young cultivator, while dodging their strikes, had his eyes flash with insight into the fight.

"The Battle Corpse King's power seems tightly linked to that crimson wheel; if we can disturb the wheel, perhaps we can weaken its strength!" a cultivator skilled in formations, studying the wheel's motion in the sky, spoke with confidence in his strategy.

"Although the battle is cruel, it has also made us more united; we must rely on each other's strength to survive!" a cultivator who had often been saved by comrades shouted gratefully, his voice filled with faith in solidarity.

"Fear only strengthens the enemy; we must stay calm and use wisdom to find a way to defeat them!" a cultivator who remained calm throughout the battle, analyzing the situation, insisted on the value of clear thinking.

"Although the dry corpses are many, they are slow; we can use our speed advantage to distract them!" a speed‑focused cultivator, after spotting their weakness, spoke with confidence in his swiftness.

"Even if our treasures are shattered, their fragments might become new weapons; we must use every available resource against the foe!" a cultivator who refused to give up after his treasures broke, picking up the shards, spoke with devotion to innovation.

A cultivator adept in fire arts formed seals with both hands, summoning scorching fire dragons that coiled in the air before swooping toward the Battle Corpse King, using intense heat to burn the rune‑wreathed threads and weaken their link to the crimson wheel.

Another cultivator, skilled in wind arts, swept his sleeves to raise fierce gales laced with blade‑sharp wind blades, striking straight at the Battle Corpse King's brow to sever those threads and halt the energy flow.

Furthermore, cultivators using water Divine Ability summoned a huge water dragon, whose body became as hard as ice under her command, fiercely striking the War Corpse King.

Meanwhile, an elderly cultivator in the rear used earth spell, summoning the power of the earth, as countless stone pillars and spikes suddenly protruded from the ground, attempting to pin the War Corpse King's steps, preventing agile movement, creating opportunities for other cultivators' attacks.

At the same time, cultivators skilled in lightning spell summoned bolts of lightning, like heavenly punishment, striking down from the sky to directly hit the War Corpse King, attempting to destroy its battle armor with lightning power and weaken its defense.

Longling then exerted the power of her White Bone Dharma Aspect; the White Bone Dharma Aspect danced in the air, each strike carrying a breath of death, countering the War Corpse King's attacks while attempting to sever those fine threads with White Bone power.

The Vast Giant Buddha's golden light, presided over by Xiguangsi, shone brilliantly; the Buddha's palm struck down, each strike bearing the power to suppress all, attempting to cleanse the War Corpse King's resentment with Buddha power, weakening its strength.

Daoist Qingxu's Three Pure Ones Ancestor's Dharma Aspect then released Dao power, attempting to cleanse the runes on those fine threads with the Daoist supreme Divine Ability, blocking the energy transmission of the blood-red giant wheel.

The cultivators each employed their strengths; though their Divine Abilities differed, their goal was unanimous—to defeat the War Corpse King, those attacks like a splendid fireworks display illuminating the entire battlefield.

However, just as the battle reached a stalemate, an observant cultivator on the battlefield discovered an unusual object—a broken sword.

This broken sword was half-buried in the soil, its surface mottled with rust, appearing ordinary yet hiding an unknown secret.

This cultivator, named Yunyouzi, renowned for extensive knowledge and sensitivity to antiquities, noticed that whenever a War Corpse or Dry Corpse approached the broken sword, faint light seemed to emanate from the rust on the blade, accompanied by a barely perceptible undulation.

Although this undulation was faint, for War Corpses and Dry Corpses it was like encountering a nemesis, causing them to flee in all directions, daring not to approach.

Yunyouzi immediately reported this discovery to Longling and the other cultivator leaders.

They quickly gathered around, began to carefully examine the broken sword, and tried to understand the power behind it.

After discussion and experimentation, they surmised that the broken sword might be an ancient Dharma Implement, the rust on it not ordinary iron rust but a special seal capable of emitting a power that suppresses War Corpses and Dry Corpses.

"This broken sword may be the key to turning the tide of battle!" Yunyouzi exclaimed excitedly, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes sparkling with the light of discovering treasure.

Longling and the other cultivator leaders immediately ordered the cultivators to redirect the battle to the broken sword's location, using this mysterious power as a defensive line.

The cultivators began an orderly retreat, while employing spells and Divine Abilities to restrain the War Corpse King's and Dry Corpses' pursuit.

As the battle progressed, the War Corpse King also noticed the presence of the broken sword, a flicker of apprehension crossing its eyes.

It attempted to command the Dry Corpse corps to flank the broken sword and attack from other directions, but the cultivators had already used this opportunity to reorganize their defenses, making the broken sword the core of the battle.

The cultivators encircled the broken sword, forming a new formation.

They began chanting an ancient incantation, attempting to activate the power within the broken sword.

As the incantation proceeded, the rust on the broken sword began to glow gradually, the undulation becoming more pronounced, even forming an invisible force field on the battlefield that repelled War Corpses and Dry Corpses.

The War Corpse King roared angrily, trying to break through this force field, but whenever it approached the broken sword, the undulation grew stronger, as if countless chains entwined its body, preventing its power from being fully exerted.

Seeing this, the cultivators' morale surged. They began to cast spells more confidently, engaging in a new round of contention with the War Corpse King and the Dry Corpse legion.

The power of the broken sword became their new hope, and also a sharp blade against the darkness.

Boom—rumble…

As the power of the broken sword was activated, the situation on the battlefield began to undergo subtle changes.

"This power, it is purifying the surrounding resentment!" a cultivator exclaimed in delight, as the black mist around them gradually dissipated under the broken sword's power, and the Dry Corpses' movements grew sluggish.

Under the influence of the broken sword's power, the Vast Giant Buddha of Xiguangsi shone with even more brilliant golden light; the Buddha's palm strike doubled in force, each able to slightly suppress the War Corpse King's offensive.

Daoist Qingxu's Three Pure Ones Ancestor's Dharma Aspect was also strengthened, the Dao power undulation resonating with the broken sword's power, causing the surrounding cultivators to feel a warm force flowing within their bodies, their injuries rapidly healing.

A cultivator skilled in lightning arts merged lightning power with the broken sword's power; the released lightning was no longer mere destructive force but carried purifying light, and when it struck a Dry Corpse, the resentment on its body was swiftly cleared, its body turning to ash.