Chapter 168: The Corpse King Arrives, Fugaku Breaks Through

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

In the depths of the ocean, amidst the deep blue water, more than a dozen figures sat cross-legged in silence. Each "Fugaku" was surrounded by a faint blue glow, which was particularly striking in the deep sea.

The Poisonous Woman had long since disappeared without a trace, leaving only some blood-colored energy drifting in the water.

Fugaku slowly opened his eyes; a flash of sharp light crossed his pupils. Looking around, the energy fluctuations within his clones had stabilized, his chakra had completely liquefied, and they had all reached the seventh level mentioned in the secret manual.

According to the secret manual, bottlenecks would begin to appear from here, and compared to other techniques, the breakthrough of the Xuan Hai Dao Zang was much more difficult.

However, Fugaku was not too worried.

From the eighth to the ninth level is called the Condensing Source Realm, and the most difficult hurdle among them is injecting spiritual energy into internal force.

Since chakra is originally a fusion of spiritual energy and physical energy, this gave Fugaku a natural advantage in this realm.

"It's time."

Fugaku took a deep breath and raised his hand to form hand signs. Instantly, the nearest clone dissipated into white smoke.

In a flash, a stream of scorching liquid chakra, like boiling magma, surged into the main body; even the surrounding seawater produced tiny bubbles due to the high temperature.

"Hiss"

A severe burning sensation swept through his body instantly; Fugaku's face twisted violently, and veins bulged on his forehead.

This energy was far more violent than he had imagined; every drop of liquid chakra seemed as if it would burst his meridians.

"Crack!"

Fugaku's body surface suddenly cracked, countless fine bloodstains appeared, and blood drifted away with the seawater. However, under the astonishing healing ability of Hashirama's cells, the cracked skin began to heal.

Two days of time, plus more than a dozen clones absorbing simultaneously, this accumulated energy had far exceeded his expectations.

If it were an ordinary person, their body would probably have been burst by this violent energy long ago.

Fugaku took a deep breath and began to prepare to dispel the second clone.

At the same time, hundreds of nautical miles away from Fugaku in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, a strange migration was unfolding.

"Splash!"

Groups of black shadows moved quickly in the deep sea, dense and endless, including giant zombies that had reached the Earth level and were about a hundred meters in size.

After all, unlike land, marine life is far richer than on land; after the virus spread in the ocean, the number of zombies wandering the seabed was several times more than on land.

Soon, their target appeared before them: a blood mist drifting in the ocean.

"Screech!"

A sharp shriek suddenly echoed through the sea area; a hundred-meter-long giant whale rushed out first, its rotting fins waving wildly, with eerie red light flashing in its eyes.

It opened its fang-filled giant mouth and lunged straight toward the blood-colored mist ahead.

However, just as it was about to rush into the blood mist, a terrifying suction force suddenly erupted.

"Crack!"

The giant whale zombie's huge body was instantly torn into pieces, turning into a blood mist that dissipated in the seawater.

The zombie horde following closely met the same fate, one by one being torn apart by this force.

However, more zombies continued to surge forward, rushing toward their deaths like moths to a flame.

In the blood-colored mist, the huge figure of the Poisonous Woman appeared and disappeared vaguely; the special pheromones she released spread through the seawater, attracting infected creatures within a hundred miles.

These zombies lost their minds under the temptation of the pheromones and actively swam toward the abyss of death.

The Poisonous Woman kept swimming; wherever she passed, these infected marine creatures would now become her nourishment.

……………………

Four days later, there was one day left until the prophecy.

In the conference room of the Imperial Palace.

"Tsk tsk, the special effects of that zombie movie released earlier are just too bad." A fashionable young man leaned lazily on the sofa, his fingers quickly swiping across a tablet.

The door to the conference room was gently pushed open, making a faint "creak" sound. An old man dressed in a gray Taoist robe walked in with a composed expression; behind him followed a stiff-moving little zombie, which was also well-behaved, following closely behind the Taoist priest.

The old man bowed with his hands clasped to everyone, "Yi Mei Daozhang of Longhu Mountain, I am late."

"Oh, I'm late, I'm late." An old man in a sanitation worker's uniform hurried into the conference room, a broom tucked at his waist, "I was cleaning outside and accidentally lost track of time."

"You're too polite, Master Ni." Tu Shu showed a slight smile; this seemingly ordinary sanitation worker was actually a veteran powerhouse of the Yanhuang Organization, a true member of the direct lineage.

The last to enter was a burly man, exuding a fierce aura from head to toe. He was Hei Hu Sao Bo, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang.

"Since everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point." Tu Shu looked around, "News came from the South China Sea that the Corpse King's trail has been found. Qinglong and the rest of the Special Abilities Team, excluding me, have all headed to the South China Sea, hoping to intercept the Corpse King in advance. The security of the Imperial Palace will depend on all of you."

"Tsk." Hei Hu Sao Bo curled his lip disdainfully, "If it weren't for Yanhuang promising me an island, my Black Tiger Gang wouldn't bother with this kind of thing."

He scanned the conference room, "Wasn't it said that a Heaven-level Hunter would also come? Where is he?"

"He is in seclusion cultivating and hasn't emerged yet." Tu Shu answered calmly.

"Hmph, seclusion?" Hei Hu Sao Bo sneered, a flash of disdain in his eyes, "Could it be that he heard the Corpse King was coming and fled in fear?"

"Enough." Tu Shu raised his hand to interrupt him, his tone becoming serious, "What's most important now is deploying the defense line. We only have one day left, and the army is ready."

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly became solemn. Tu Shu was about to continue speaking when his expression suddenly changed.

"Boom!"

A loud bang came from afar, shaking the entire Imperial Palace. The floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room were instantly covered in cracks, dense as a spider web.

"So fast?" Master Ni jumped to his feet.

Another loud bang came, this time closer; the sky outside the window suddenly darkened, clouds covered the sky, and lightning rolled continuously within the clouds.

"Damn it!" Hei Hu Sao Bo slammed a fist on the table, the solid wood conference table instantly splitting into pieces, "What the hell is this? Changing the release schedule at the last minute?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several people moved quickly, flashing across the corridor and instantly landing on the top of the highest watchtower of the Imperial Palace. Looking out.

Countless zombies were surging from all directions; the dense, rotting bodies seemed endless, filling the entire street, and the whole ground was covered by these terrifying creatures.

The army had already begun a fierce counterattack, the sound of artillery fire echoing throughout the city. "Above!" Yi Mei Daozhang suddenly looked up.

Only to see the dark clouds in the sky rolling eerily; a huge black shadow emerged from the clouds. It was a giant black Vermilion Bird, its whole body pitch black like ink, its wings spread wide covering the sky. Rotting feathers constantly fell from its body, emitting a nauseating stench.

On top of that Vermilion Bird's head, a figure stood silently. He wore a black long robe, his pale face hidden in shadows, but that suffocating oppressive feeling clearly reached everyone's heart.

"Hmph!" Hei Hu Sao Bo drew the mountain-opening giant blade from his back in one motion, and a sharp blade light burst forth on the blade edge, "So this bird-man is the Corpse King?"

He held the blade with both hands, True Qi surging wildly within his body, "Jielong Blade Art!"

In an instant, a hundred-zhang blade light shot into the sky, terrifying Blade Qi tore through the long sky, and everywhere it passed the air was split in two. The power of this blade was enough to split the entire street in half!

"Bird-man! Get down here for me!"

The Blade Qi instantly slashed toward the black Vermilion Bird, but the Corpse King merely waved his hand, and the Blade Qi was easily dispelled.

"Is that all?" The Corpse King's voice came, carrying a trace of mockery, "The four great masters of Jing Cheng, nothing more."

"Indeed a peerless demonic fiend unparalleled in past and present." Yi Mei Daozhang narrowed his eyes, a trace of solemnity appearing on his aged face. He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, his Daoist robe fluttering without wind.

"Yin-Yang Return to Origin!"

With his movements, a Taiji pattern several hundred meters in diameter appeared in the air, black and white lights intertwining, enveloping the Corpse King and the black Vermilion Bird within.

Within the Taiji pattern, Yin-Yang Qi spun wildly, and the black Vermilion Bird was torn into two halves alive. "Still has some strength." The Corpse King chuckled lightly, suddenly leaping up and jumping down from several hundred meters in the air.

Bang! Both feet landed heavily, the ground instantly cracked, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward. The Corpse King slowly stood up, crimson light flashing in his eyes: "Humanity, bring out your true strength, this bit of power is truly too boring!"

"Arrogant!" Ni Daye snorted coldly, stomped his foot, and his whole body shot toward the Corpse King like a shell from a cannon. Blood-red light rose from his right palm, explosive sounds ringing in the air: "Blood Transforming Palm!"

"Tian Gang Qi Third Layer · Power!" A violent aura suddenly burst from the Corpse King's body, his right fist carrying whistling air currents meeting Ni Daye.

"Boom!"

Fist and palm met, a terrifying shockwave instantly spread with the two as the center. The ground instantly sank several meters, rubble flying. The Corpse King's right arm suddenly burst with a large spray of blood, flesh and blood as if crushed by an invisible force.

"Hehe, not bad of a move," interest showed in the Corpse King's eyes, but the next second the flesh and blood on his arm recombined at a visible speed, instantly restored to its original state.

At this moment, a clear and cold voice sounded in the field: "Mirror Transformation of Heaven and Earth!"

In an instant, a strange power swept over the surroundings. The scene before the Corpse King's eyes suddenly changed, the entire ground instantly turned into a huge mirror, the surrounding buildings and sky as if fallen into a mirror world.

"A barrier?" The Corpse King looked around, only he existed in all directions.

"Sss!"

A blade light suddenly attacked from the side, Hei Hu Sao Bo's figure appearing in the mirror dimension, the giant blade in his hand carrying a sharp aura slashing toward the Corpse King.

"Jielong Blade Art · Bie Lou Zhan!"

Hei Hu Sao Bo roared, the blade light flickering unsteadily in the mirror dimension. The Corpse King was about to dodge, but saw Blade Qi whistling from different angles, actually forming an airtight blade net through the refraction of the mirror dimension! Unable to dodge, the Corpse King immediately crossed his hands in front of his body, blood-red Internal Force quickly circulating on his skin surface, forming a translucent protective barrier.

"Tian Gang Qi Fourth Layer · Defense!"

"Break for me!" Hei Hu Sao Bo shouted angrily, injecting a violent Internal Force into the mountain-opening giant blade in his hand.

"Pfft pfft pfft!"

The dense blade net instantly contracted, dozens of Blade Qi almost simultaneously slashing onto the Corpse King's body. Even with Tian Gang Qi protecting his body, the sharp blade light still left bloody marks on him. Blood splattered, blooming into one bewitching blood flower after another on the mirror dimension.

"Interesting." The Corpse King looked down at the wounds constantly bleeding on his body, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Actually able to break my Tian Gang Qi?"

"Yin Mist Thorns!"

At this moment, Yi Mei Daozhang's figure appeared and disappeared in the mirror dimension, his hands quickly forming seals. Black mist writhed like a living thing, transforming into countless fine sharp thorns piercing the Corpse King's body. Instantly piercing all the vital points of the Corpse King's whole body.

The Corpse King had not yet had time to react when a gust of strong wind suddenly came from behind. Ni Daye's figure appeared ghostly: "Blood Transforming Divine Palm!"

A palm covered in old calluses slapped toward the Corpse King's back heart, palm wind whistling, a bloody aura permeating the air. The Corpse King turned his body to dodge, the palm force brushing past his right arm.

"Crack!"

The Corpse King dodged the fatal blow, but his right arm burst open in that instant, flesh and blood flying everywhere, but this time the severed arm did not heal immediately.

"What?" The Corpse King frowned, "This old Daoist's yin and soft Internal Force actually can hinder my regeneration ability?"

The next second, countless attacks came from all directions, every strike precisely landing on the Corpse King's vital points. The mirror world was filled with lights of all colors, Blade Qi crisscrossing, palm force whistling, Dao arts circulating.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The Corpse King's body was soon covered with large and small wounds. Although some wounds were still slowly healing, the speed was no longer what it used to be. Blood dripped down his body onto the mirror dimension,

"Interesting, truly interesting!"

The Corpse King suddenly laughed to the sky, "But, it ends here! Tian Gang Qi Sixth Layer · Destruction!"

As the words fell, the Corpse King suddenly leaped up, surging blood Qi bursting from his whole body. Crimson energy condensed on his right fist, radiating a suffocating pressure like a blood moon.

"Boom!"

The blood-red fist seal crashed down, the entire mirror world violently shook, the land within a thousand meters rose and fell like waves, countless cracks spreading outward with the Corpse King as the center.

"Crack"

The crisp sound of glass shattering came from the air, the entire mirror world collapsed with a boom. Jing stood in the distance and groaned, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. The other three were also shaken by this force and retreated repeatedly.

"Is that all your skill?" The Corpse King stood with hands behind his back, looking down at the four from above, "Better to quickly submit to me, so as not to lose your lives in vain."

"Ptooey!" Hei Hu Sao Bo spat out a mouthful of blood, wiped the corner of his mouth, "Stop putting on airs here!"

Ni Daye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze sweeping over the other three, and said in a deep voice, "Having seen the power of the opposition, don't hide your strength anymore!"

"Just as I intended." Jing spoke coldly, quickly forming hand seals with both hands. In an instant, the entire space twisted and deformed, a strange power rapidly spreading with him as the center: "Void of Heaven and Earth!"

The ground beneath the Corpse King's feet suddenly twisted and deformed, space as if torn apart. The surrounding scenery rapidly receded, replaced by a gray void world.

All senses vanished without a trace at this moment. Sight, hearing, touch were all deprived, as if the entire world was left with only a void.

"Haha, what a novel experience" The Corpse King split his mouth into a grin, without a trace of fear in his tone.

"This time see where you escape!" Yi Mei Daozhang stepped forward, both hands forming seals simultaneously. Two completely different light spheres appeared in his palms, one black and one white, mutually generating and restraining: "Yin-Yang Locking the Universe!"

The black and white light spheres instantly turned into two beams of light, respectively winding around both sides of the Corpse King's body. The Daoist chanted the incantation in his mouth: "Hunyuan as one, Dao and art united! Yin-Yang initially opened!"

"Boom!"

The black and white powers suddenly split, directly tearing the Corpse King's entire body into two halves from the middle! The terrifying tearing force made fine cracks appear in space.

Amidst the splashing flesh and blood, a smile curved at the corner of the Corpse King's mouth: "Hehe, such powerful Dao arts."

"Blood Transforming Divine Palm!" Ni Daye's figure suddenly appeared above the Corpse King, blood-red light rising from his palm, slapping down with one palm. Before the palm force arrived, the air within a hundred meters was already twisted and deformed.

Hei Hu Sao Bo shouted loudly, his aura suddenly surging: "Dragon Devouring Divine Art · Devouring Heaven and Earth!"

He held the blade with both hands, and suddenly dense runes appeared on the blade body. These runes spun wildly, absorbing the energy of the surrounding space, transforming into a massive Blade Qi.

The three attacked the Corpse King from different directions, each strike containing the power to destroy heaven and earth.

However, at the moment the attacks were about to hit, time seemed to stand still.

"The warm-up is over." The Corpse King narrowed his eyes, glancing at the attacks howling toward him, a strange arc curling at the corner of his mouth, "Let you see what true power is."

"Tian Gang Qi Ba Chong, unite!" The Corpse King's voice suddenly rose, "The Ninth Layer: God!"

"Boom!"

A shocking blood aura erupted around the Corpse King, his whole body seeming to become an ancient god or demon. A blood-colored Air Wave swept across heaven and earth, dyeing the clouds above the Royal Capital blood-red.

"Reverse Breaking Fist!" The Corpse King roared in anger.

He threw a punch, space twisting and deforming under this strike, terrifying power sweeping out like a tsunami, the ground cracking instantly, countless fragments of stone flying through the sky.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Four figures flew backward like kites with broken strings, plowing a trench hundreds of meters long on the ground. The surrounding buildings kept collapsing, smoke and dust filling the air.

Yi Mei Daozhang struggled to crawl out from the ruins, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression solemn: "He actually... entered the God Realm."

Hei Hu Sao Bo knelt on one knee, the giant mountain-opening blade deeply inserted into the ground barely supporting his body. His face was pale, cold sweat constantly sliding down: "Damn it, I want to run away now."

The Corpse King stood with his hands behind his back, his blood-red robe moving without wind: "All of you, attack together!"

At this moment, a majestic aura suddenly pierced heaven and earth from afar, that aura so powerful it made even the Corpse King's eyes narrow.

"Boom!"

A brilliant Light Pillar shot into the sky, tearing a huge Crack through the blood-colored sky, dark clouds gathering wildly, lightning flashing back and forth among the clouds.

"What?!" The Corpse King abruptly turned his head toward the direction of the Light Pillar, a look of Disbelief flashing in his eyes, "Someone is actually breaking through..."

(Chapter End)