Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 427

A close call.

Swear words are stuck in my mouth, and I don't even have time to spit them out.

Before the blade even arrived, the piercing energy already began to tear skin and tendons apart.

The life-or-death gate on Zhao Yi's chest was operating at its maximum at this moment.

Finally, just before the knife pierced his body, he broke free from the lock-on aura and shifted his body slightly to the side.

"puff……"

The tip of the knife pierced the rock wall behind Zhao Yi.

It didn't completely disappear, and it stopped.

Zhao Yi pushed his reflexes to the limit, moving rapidly along the wall as the knife slashed across him.

It has no frills; as a knife, it only needs to be extremely sharp.

Zhao Yi dared not let it touch him.

Holding his breath and exerting all his strength, Zhao Yi had already reached the pinnacle of his physical abilities.

But human strength is finite; he couldn't hold his breath indefinitely.

Everything happened too fast; Zhao Yi's men had no time to react.

It was Lin Shuyou who acted promptly, or rather, preemptively.

Just as Zhao Yi was about to give up, Ayou appeared in front of him.

"boom!"

With one kick, he sent Zhao Yi flying.

The effort was to provide support for the Three-Eyed One, and there was absolutely no personal grudge involved.

The knife passed between the two men.

After a brief pause, the knife sped towards Zhao Yi once more.

While flying backwards, Zhao Yi only had time to catch his breath before he noticed that sharp aura had risen again and was approaching once more.

Zhao Yi would rather have been cut in half at the waist than face this vertical cut aimed at his hip.

The Liang sisters and Chen Jing decided to step in to help. Although they hadn't figured out how to do it, they were willing to help block the knife, even if it was just by standing in front of their leader.

Tan Wenbin stood in front of them, raising his arm to block them while glancing at them to keep them from causing trouble.

Runsheng appeared behind Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi noticed it, and at the same time, he also noticed Li Zhuiyuan standing behind Runsheng.

Without needing to say more, Zhao Yi understood immediately. He gritted his teeth, forcefully twisted his body in mid-air, and his extremely taut skin and flesh instantly broke apart, making a crisp sound, and thus shot upwards.

The blade moves upwards immediately.

Runsheng raised his arm, palm down, and slapped Zhao Yi's chest.

"boom."

Zhao Yi, who was just starting to rise in popularity, was photographed.

The knife paused slightly, then continued downwards.

Just before landing, Zhao Yi braced himself with one hand and forcefully pushed himself out.

By now, he had pushed himself to the limit, and even that was only a narrow escape from the downward slash of the blade.

The blade tip sank into the ground, and it tried to pull the blade diagonally, just like before.

Zhao Yi had already slowed down and landed close to the ground; there was no way he could avoid this diagonal slash anymore.

However, the diagonal pull was stopped.

Eight ordinary small array flags were arranged in a circle, and the knife landed exactly inside this circle.

Li Zhuiyuan made a pinch with his left hand, and the formation was activated.

However, while the power of the formation did suppress the sword briefly, Li Zhuiyuan sensed his consciousness being severed as the sword trembled slightly.

It is only because the boy had such an amazing foundation in this area that he was able to withstand it. If it were anyone else, they would have their brains "cut off" and become idiots in an instant.

Even so, the veins on the boy's left arm first became bulging, and then streaks of blood appeared.

Perhaps in the next moment, cuts will appear on your arm, flesh will tear apart, and bones will shatter.

This knife remains terrifying even when its owner is not around.

The evil dragon flew out from Li Zhuiyuan's right palm, hovering above the formation, and began to empower and suppress it.

The evil dragon's body was constantly shedding split scales, clearly indicating that it was also being cut up.

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes narrowed, and one by one, single eyes emerged from the bottom of the formation, wrapping upwards, bursting open, wrapping again, bursting open again...

The boy's eyes gradually turned red; he was testing his endurance against the knife.

Throughout history, this knife has slain countless prisoners; its sharpness was honed by those very "evil spirits."

This stalemate cannot continue. The temporary formation can only provide temporary suppression and cannot unleash its full potential and effectiveness. Maintaining the status quo is merely a piecemeal tactic.

Li Zhuiyuan thought to himself, "Brother Runsheng, blood sacrifice, I want to return it to its sheath!"

Runsheng was about to use his fingernail to cut open his palm and draw blood as Xiaoyuan had instructed.

But just then,

"Mwah~"

Like a wine cork popping out.

At Zhao Yi's chest, near his heart, the gate between life and death swung open, and the blood gushed out like a broken tap, free of charge!

This scene looks quite frightening.

Li Zhuiyuan notified Runsheng through the red line, but Zhao Yi didn't need to be notified at all to know what to do.

At this moment, Zhao Yi's eyes showed both hysterical madness and an overwhelming, uncontrollable ecstasy.

After being drenched in enough blood, the sharpness of the blade gradually diminished.

Li Zhuiyuan seized the opportunity and formed a hand seal;

The evil dragon followed Li Zhuiyuan's guidance, constantly tumbling and rolling.

"Seal off, ban, suppress—sheathed!"

The evil dragon opened its mouth wide and roared at the knife.

"boom!"

After one last struggle, the blade flew back.

The dust raised by the explosion had not yet dispersed and was still thick. The knife pierced through it and, from a distance, a clang was heard, indicating that it had been sheathed.

Everything returned to calm.

Zhao Yi got up, took a deep breath, and said to Li Zhuiyuan:

"You bastard surnamed Li, you tricked me!"

Lin Shuyou was able to anticipate and kick him in advance. This could not possibly be Lin Shuyou's own doing. It must have been a plan that someone surnamed Li had made in advance.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm not sure."

According to Ye Dui's account, that knife had once slashed Wei Zhengdao.

In the image the Emperor's shadow projected onto him, that sword had once cleaved him.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know that the knife would come out due to the explosion, but he had his suspicions.

Zhao Yi: "Not sure. Ha, then what are you sure about?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm certain that anyone else who is targeted by this knife like before, except for you, will die without a doubt."

Runsheng is at a disadvantage in terms of agility and cannot compete with speed.

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou can now unleash enough speed, but even with their own red line directing them, they are still too late.

Because this requires instinct.

In conclusion, only Zhao Yi among those present could have done it.

Zhao Yi: "Hey Li, don't think that just because you're flattering me now, I'll forgive you for the hurt you've caused me!"

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Zhao Yi.

Xu Ming came over and used plant roots to help Zhao Yi stop the bleeding, not daring to join the verbal battle;
The Liang sisters also came over to check the situation. They were actually very dissatisfied, but they didn't dare to show it to the boy.

Chen Jing looked at Yi Ge, then at Yuan Ge. A Jing just hoped they would stop arguing and make up.

Zhao Yi, seeing the look Li Zhuiyuan was giving him, raised his voice again in dissatisfaction:

"What are you doing glaring at me for? Do you think you're in the right this time?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Speak louder."

Zhao Yi's body immediately went limp.

He was about to kneel down, but the Liang sisters stood close to him and instinctively reached out to support him.

Zhao Yi made a kneeling gesture, but didn't actually kneel down. The gesture conveyed the meaning, and the atmosphere remained relaxed.

The Liang sisters were surprised that although their husbands had often been outmatched by younger men, they had never experienced such a lack of erection and such a rapid ejaculation. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yi then uttered three consecutive calls:

"Ancestors, ancestors, ancestors!"

The Liang sisters were stunned.

Xu Ming's hands, which were healing Zhao Yi's injuries, began to tremble. Was this a sign that the two sides were about to engage in a fierce battle?
Zhao Yi: "Ancestor, have you forgotten all the little things we did together?"
Ancestor, have you forgotten the sincerity I showed by coming as soon as I answered the phone this time?
"My little ancestor, have you forgotten that when my ancestor chose you, although he didn't say it, he certainly had the earnest hope that you would take care of me, the only heir of the Zhao family?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Here you go."

Zhao Yi immediately stood up straight and smiled.

This is why Zhao Yi volunteered to donate blood before Runsheng.

The blade, once sheathed after being stained with blood, still bears traces of Zhao Yi's blood.

Whoever has the most blood on their head has the biggest advantage.

It was their first encounter, and neither of them was prepared. The man surnamed Li hadn't had time to make any arrangements, but next, that knife will surely be put back into his possession by the man surnamed Li.

In addition, the Li family has always been known for their style of protecting cultural relics, so how could they possibly leave this knife here without trying to take it away?
Zhao Yi wants this knife!

He personally experienced how terrifying the knife was, and thus understood even more how valuable it was.

Let alone exchanging three shouts of 'Ancestors' for this knife, if the Li family had any chance of relenting, he would be willing to shout for three days and three nights in the Li family's courtyard!

However, seeing that the man surnamed Li agreed so readily this time, Zhao Yi felt a little embarrassed.

He had deliberately gotten angry and questioned her earlier, intending to use a strategy of first criticizing and then praising her.

Unexpectedly, this time, I seemed to have truly felt a bit of elder's care for the younger generation from the person surnamed Li.

Li Zhuiyuan certainly knew how valuable that knife was.

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan would not have done something like giving away something of this caliber so openly and generously; he is not Chen Xiyuan.

But Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the red marks on his left arm. Just moments before, he was only a little bit away from putting his arm into the meat grinder.

Li Zhuiyuan can't even touch this knife now, let alone use it.

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou, whoever wields this knife, while swinging it to slash at the enemy, will also have their own flesh cut open by the same knife.

This knife is a classic example of the kind that hurts the user before hurting the attacker.

With Runsheng's physique, he could wield it a few more times and produce a noticeable fighting effect.

The problem is that this knife will not only completely cut away the grooves that A Li had carefully carved on Runsheng's body, but its characteristics will also conflict with the "Qin Family Observing Dragon Method," shattering and cutting off the flow of energy in Runsheng's body.

In the end, it turned out that only Zhao Yi could actually use this knife at the scene.

Because of his possession of the Black Dragon Skin, Zhao Yi had long ago developed a habit of tearing off his skin and exposing his "conscience" to the sunlight when he had nothing else to do.

He can withstand the knife's side effects to the greatest extent possible and unleash its true power.

Zhao Yi pounded his chest and pointed at Li Zhuiyuan:
"Brother Zhuiyuan, I know I got a great deal this time. Don't worry, next time if you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to ask..."

"No need to wait for next time, it's available this time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi couldn't help but gasp.
"This... so fast?"

Based on past experience, it's difficult to gain an advantage from someone surnamed Li without making unequal contributions.

Having gained such a huge advantage this time, the price I will have to pay will be...

Zhao Yi bit his lip and said, "It's no problem, just a word!"

Is it not a kind of happiness to be able to make an equal exchange for what you give?
What Li Zhuiyuan wanted was the precious "human skin" collected by the tomb's owner. This was the most important thing to the young man, something that could fundamentally improve Li Zhuiyuan.

Although the boy didn't know exactly where these "human skins" were hidden, he figured it wouldn't be a simple, peaceful place.

It is feared that the person who enters to retrieve the item will have to endure round after round of physical torture.

Li Zhuiyuan felt it was worthwhile to exchange the knife, which his team didn't need, for Zhao Yi to help him extract "human skin."

Ahead, the smoke and dust finally subsided.

Behind the blasted-open rock wall, a large banquet hall appeared.

The construction team has never been here before, and this place has never been invaded by foreign enemies in history. Therefore, except for a small area near the blasting point that is a bit dirty and messy, most of the area has been perfectly preserved in its original state.

As the group stepped inside, the ever-burning lamps were still on, so there was no need for flashlights for additional lighting. The surroundings were already a magnificent golden spectacle.

Zhao Yi asked somewhat nervously, "Mr. Li, I didn't notice any formations or restrictions here."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't have any either."

Zhao Yi: "Phew...that puts my mind at ease."

There doesn't seem to be any of these arrangements here, because logically, "it" should be sitting on the throne in the very center.

If it's just there, then what else is needed for decoration here?
Walking through the banquet hall, the gold and silver utensils, fine wines and delicacies are still there, as if a grand banquet had just taken place, but the guests are nowhere to be seen.

Runsheng looked at the food and wine on the table, swallowing hard. It smelled so good and made his mouth water.

Ahead, there were two rows of armored figures, each with a different style of armor.

It was probably prepared for use in martial arts competitions to add to the festivities during the banquet.

Lin Shuyou: "These armor sets are really good-looking."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, it was a gift from Yang Guang."

It looks nice, but it's just ordinary armor. It's not made of special materials, and there are no engraved array patterns inside.

As we walked, we finally approached the center point.

The steps lead up to a throne, upon which sits an imposing suit of armor.

On the golden pillar beside the armor, a knife hung diagonally, dripping blood from the gaps in the scabbard, falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

As Li Zhuiyuan walked, he set up the formation.

Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou were also busy, constantly following behind and planting flags.

On Zhao Yi's side, he was also making small moves, since Li could immediately take over his arrangements once the fighting started again.

The main reason is that the sword had already put immense pressure on everyone, and when this armored warrior gets up, it will most likely be a true battle to the death.

However, there has been no movement on the armor.

The armor did not stand up, nor did it draw the sword, nor did it swing it at the crowd.

Zhao Yi: "Is it because the owner of the armor is currently being kept outside?"

This is the only explanation.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Go up the steps."

Runsheng went first, and the others followed the same pace, ascending step by step.

As Li Zhuiyuan passed by the knife, he stopped and glanced at it.

Zhao Yi: "Um, should I replenish some blood? It looks like I'm almost drained."

Li Zhuiyuan: "No need. Everyone remember, do not release any killing intent toward this knife. If you can't control yourself, then don't look at it."

We'll have to put this sword aside for now; the first thing we need to confirm is this suit of armor.

Runsheng and the others stood in front of the throne first, followed by Li Zhuiyuan.

The armor itself remained perfectly still.

According to Ye Dui's account, the tomb owner was wearing armor when he drew his sword to kill Wei Zhengdao.

But in the scene presented to him by the Emperor's shadow, when the tomb owner was cutting himself, the armor simply pieced itself together and stood up, like a ghost, with no visible body.

The reason for this shift from the real to the virtual has been troubling Li Zhuiyuan.

The boy felt that this was a key point.

Perhaps something happened to the tomb's occupant.

This turn of events is most likely related to Wei Zhengdao.

If the tomb owner had truly killed Wei Zhengdao with a single blow, it might not have needed to come looking for it now, and it wouldn't still hold onto the mistaken belief that Wei Zhengdao had deceived it.

Zhao Yi walked around to the back of the throne, and as if he had seen something, he immediately gave Li Zhuiyuan a meaningful look.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over.

Normally, the area behind the throne, which should be empty, was now in a state of disarray.

There were remnants of charcoal fire, traces of smoke, and piles of bones.

It looks like someone once lit a fire here to roast meat, and that person ate very carefully and cherished it. Every bone was not only gnawed clean of meat, but also chewed and sucked, not letting go of any bone nutrients.

Runsheng leaned closer, glanced at him, and his chest heaved as a strong sense of nausea and rejection washed over him.

Through the red thread, Li Zhuiyuan experienced the feeling of Runsheng.

Logically speaking, Runsheng shouldn't have reacted this way upon seeing such a scene; under normal circumstances, he should have felt "friendly".

In fact, the reason why Runsheng likes to eat "dirty things" is because he himself belongs to this ecological niche, similar to the "food chain" built by the most primitive devouring among the dead and evil spirits.

In short, Runsheng can eat things that he can digest and absorb, but this pile of bones that have been chewed into bits is inedible in his eyes. If he eats even a little bit of it, he will not absorb it, but be assimilated by it.

This means that the quality of the bone fragments is frighteningly high.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell once again on the suit of armor placed on the throne, and then slowly moved his eyes to the bone fragments on the ground in front of him.

A bold guess arose in Li Zhuiyuan's mind:

Could it be...?
Did Wei Zhengdao eat the tomb's occupant?
(End of this chapter)