Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 527

"Is this the place? If it weren't for Junior Brother Kongmu's self-sacrifice to give us a glimpse, even if we passed by here, we would never have realized that there was such a hidden world inside."

"Senior Brother Hollow, do you need my help?"

"No need." A man with empty hands stepped forward, holding a Zen staff in his left hand and his right palm open. "The mystery lies in the unknown. Once this illusion is dispelled, the mystery will be revealed."

Golden ripples formed from the hollow master's palm, constantly changing their frequency to echo the "grotto-heaven" in front of him using the process of elimination. It was a clumsy method, but the most effective.

Soon, the response was successful, and a golden grid that was constantly expanding outwards appeared in front of the Hollow Mage. He began to try to open the door, and in an instant, some grids sank and some bulged.

Kongming and Konghui each focused their attention on the rear. If anyone approached at this moment, they would be killed. The secret here must not be discovered by outsiders, at least not now.

Three broken monks' corpses lay scattered before them, but the three masters of Qinglong Temple did not think this meant there were people inside; on the contrary, it meant there were no people inside.

Because if they were hiding inside and discovered that outsiders were spying on them, even if they came out to kill someone, they would definitely clean up the body thoroughly, instead of just leaving it at the entrance and attracting attention.

Moreover, the three dismembered corpses had clearly been disturbed; such acts as murder and looting were far too distant and low-level for the three masters.

Even if someone discovered this place before them, they must be someone of similar caliber. Would such a person be interested in killing three ordinary monks and then rummaging through their corpses?

Kongming: "They probably never imagined that they would die just one step away from their birthplace."

Kong Hui raised her hand, and a talisman flew out, landing on the three dismembered corpses. True fire ignited, burning the corpses and bloodstains into nothingness.

Now that they are the owners of this place, they still hope that the area in front of their house can be kept clean.

"Click...click...click..."

"Okay, the door is open."

The hollow-hearted monk who opened the door stood still.

The entrance was pitch black, with only a few blurry images visible; it must have been a hidden Zhenjun Temple.

Kong Hui continued to look behind him, while Kong Ming took the lead, turned around with his staff, bypassed the Kong Xin monk standing at the door, and was the first to enter.

Even if they are certain that no one is inside, the necessary vigilance and habits will still be maintained.

Kongming walked in, stood still, and tapped his stick down with a "thud" against the stone bricks, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Runsheng was buried underground right beneath the hollow stick.

Runsheng held the Yellow River shovel in his right hand, and his body was covered with sealing talismans.

Upon hearing the noise from above, Runsheng remained motionless, held his breath, and silently counted down in his mind.

Runsheng's mind began to echo with Xiaoyuan's words when making pre-battle arrangements:
"Although we have not officially met our upcoming opponent, we are not unfamiliar with them. After all, we have practiced against them countless times in the South Passage."

However, I'm telling you this not to tell you how many advantages we have. I hope you will now rid yourselves of all wishful thinking.

Remember, this time we are not facing the evil spirits we have encountered on the waves before, nor are we facing our peers on the river. This time our opponent is stronger than us, better coordinated than us, more experienced than us, and is not constrained by the environment or mechanisms, possessing full capacity for action.

This time, we are the absolute weaker party, just like the Shi Sheng master and apprentice who died at our hands not long ago. Only this time, we are the Shi Sheng master and apprentice.

Therefore, we cannot try to cooperate like them. If we really cooperate, we will most likely lose in the end, and we will lose very frustratingly.

Since we are the weaker party, we must adopt the tactics befitting a weaker party:

From the very beginning, give it your all and fight to the death!
Don't think that there will be a final battle waiting for us after this one. I want you to treat this as the final battle of this wave.

Clear away any traces of the array at the entrance to avoid alerting them. Make them think that no one is here, and then make your move after they have all entered.

Yayoi said that his grand-uncle, who was skilled in the Way of Cause and Effect, could not risk connecting with you immediately with the red thread, as he might sense it.

Once the door is opened, the first one to walk in will definitely be one of the martial monks. Martial monks have weak perception and not keen spiritual senses. By covering their entire bodies with sealing talismans and holding their breath, they can make it difficult for the monks to detect your presence.

Kūhō was poisoned to death by Yayoi. After the golden figure in the sky glanced at this place, two thick golden beams followed and merged into the sun, indicating that only three of the seven of them remained.

They should be divided into three team roles: pathfinders, protected individuals, and those who cut off the way. Normally, the pathfinders will be given the most time to check the situation inside, and the cut-off will enter together with the protected individuals before the door closes automatically.

I know exactly when the door will open and close.

Runsheng, once you hear the first person come in, start counting down. When the count is up, burst out of the ground and face the people protecting the monk behind him...

Since you're underground, you won't be able to immediately spot which of them has a golden ring scar on their head when you come out. So, choose the one who is the cleanest and tidiest, has the best complexion, and is the oldest.

The monk's first reaction will be to attack you; take the initial hit and be injured to activate your Death Instinct state.

"Twenty, nineteen, eighteen..."

As Runsheng counted down in his mind, Lin Shuyou sat cross-legged in a large flowerpot, his body covered in sand and sealed with talismans.

In addition, the talisman needles had been fixed inside the flowerpot beforehand. As long as Ayou shook his whole body, the flowerpot would shatter and all the talisman needles would pierce into his body.

Lin Shuyou also needs to count down, but not now. He will start counting down three numbers after he officially takes action with Runsheng.

Because Runsheng's attack is very likely to trigger the protective gear on Kongxin's body, if Lin Shuyou and Runsheng launch their attacks almost simultaneously, both attacks will be neutralized by the protective gear, resulting in a waste.

“Ah You, when you make your move, you should rush towards the Hollow Master immediately, ignoring the warrior monk at the front.”

Standing outside the door, Master Kongxin gently shook his staff. Konghui understood and walked backward to Kongxin's side.

Import and export operations are about to be closed.

Kongming has been inside for so long, there shouldn't be anything going on inside.

Kongxin picked up his staff and walked inside, followed closely by Konghui.

Kongming said, "Senior brother, there's nothing wrong here. It's a really quiet and peaceful place. If only we could have found this place as soon as we entered the True Lord Temple."

Upon hearing this, Kong Xin's emotions stirred slightly. Yes, in this way, none of the seven fellow disciples would have any accidents and could wait here for the final battle.

If I can attain Buddhahood, my six fellow disciples can also be preserved, and the essence of Qinglong Temple will not be lost.

After Kong Hui entered, the dark entrance gradually contracted until it closed.

At that moment, Hollow's brows furrowed.

Unlike Kongming, who was a martial monk, Kongxin had very sharp senses. There was no aura of any formations or restrictions inside, but there was a strange feeling.

He couldn't recall exactly what it was, yet he was certain it existed.

The reason why Kongxin could not quickly identify the talisman was that talismans are often constantly updated along with a person's growth.

When they first entered the temple to cultivate, even the basic talismans were considered precious and they were reluctant to use them. As their status and identity rose, the low-level talismans became useless, and the newly matched talismans became relatively precious. Although they were not reluctant to use them, they were limited to normal use. Now that they have reached their status, they rarely use them. They have top-grade and precious talismans, but they are also a valuable resource within the temple.

To put it bluntly, not everyone can be as generous as Grandma Liu, scattering a stack of purple talismans just to hear a thunderclap so as to report to the Heavenly Way.

Most people in the Xuanmen sect have never experienced the luxury of covering their entire body with talismans. The collective sensation of a large number of talismans makes it impossible for the hollow heart to distinguish what they are.

But his senses quickly penetrated the talisman and he detected the person hidden beneath it.

Hollow: "There's something buried..."

Runsheng: "Three, two, one."

"boom!"

Runsheng opened his eyes, his ventilators fully open!

The emerging creature, with its overwhelming force, wielded a Yellow River shovel and cleaved the hollow center.

This attack was delivered without any reservations, except for the lack of sustained momentum. However, since all the energy gates were open, the lack of sustained momentum had little effect. While it lost its ability to sustain combat, it gained the strongest burst of power in a short period of time.

The distance was too close. Faced with Runsheng's sudden appearance, Kongxin's first reaction was to pinch the Buddhist beads with his fingertips, and a golden barrier protected him inside.

"boom!"

Runsheng shoveled down, shattering the golden barrier and scattering the Buddhist prayer beads from his wrist.

Kongming immediately drew his stick and swung it at Runsheng. Runsheng sensed it, but he made no attempt to dodge. He simply continued to raise the Yellow River shovel, letting the stick strike his back.

"boom!"

Although the blow was delivered hastily, it was powerful and heavy. Runsheng felt a violent tremor between his skin and bones. Even though he managed to withstand it and wasn't sent flying, he was almost paralyzed and numb.

Fortunately, this blow also successfully triggered Runsheng's instinct to collapse. Runsheng's eyes turned black, and the torn skin and internal bone misalignment damage on his back quickly intertwined and reset, restoring the flexibility of the rest of his body.

Hollow stared at the man in front of him, his gaze solemn: The Qin family?

"Snapped!"

The flowerpot exploded, and shards of porcelain flew everywhere.

The talisman needle had already pierced Lin Shuyou's body. Ayou's vertical pupils rotated, his eye sockets filled with raging ghost fire, and he rushed towards the Hollow Master from the side at a terrifying speed.

This attack came at the perfect moment when Runsheng had broken through the hollow defensive device and Kongming had just struck Runsheng on the back with his staff. At that moment, Konghui was still behind the hollow device and had not yet had time to step forward.

If everything went smoothly, Ah-you's sudden advance might very well succeed. However, Master Kongxin thrust his staff forward, and the staff collided with Ah-you's golden mace. In an instant, Ah-you felt the pain of his internal organs shifting.

White Crane Boy: "Eek, this guy has practiced martial arts too!"

People only know that Master Kongxin of Qinglong Temple is skilled in the doctrines of cause and effect and destiny, but in fact, the master is also skilled in martial arts.

Runsheng's shovel strike came suddenly and with terrifying force, which forced Hollow Master to defend himself with a weapon as a precaution. Although Lin Shuyou's attack was extremely fast, it was not powerful enough to pose a direct threat to him.

Lin Shuyou braced himself, using his waist to twist and turn, intending to withstand all the pressure and launch a series of attacks.

Runsheng's Yellow River shovel has completed its second high-raised, force-gathering phase and is about to fall.

Kong Hui, who was behind Kong Xin, reached out and grabbed Kong Xin's shoulder and pulled him back. He then extended his own tin staff forward, and the molten tin spread out, forming a wall full of scriptures.

As he retreated, he chanted incantations, his aura rapidly increasing, and a terrifying pressure poured outwards.

Kongming, on the other hand, wielded his long staff, intending to deflect Runsheng and Lin Shuyou to the left and right. As a martial monk protecting his senior brother, his first reaction was not to kill the enemy, but to eliminate the threat posed by his senior brother.

Tan Wenbin stood up straight on the roof of the Zhenjun Temple.

After Xiao Yuan finished the tactical meeting, he asked everyone if they had any questions.
Tan Wenbin asked, "Brother Xiao Yuan, should we clean up those three corpses by the door?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No need."

At that moment, as the sealing talismans on Tan Wenbin's body rapidly fell off, he pressed his fingertips against his brow, blood flowing from his eyes. The four spirit beasts behind him roared in unison, their spirit bodies cracking. His attack was a Five Senses Awe-Induced Strike, disregarding the consequences for himself. However, the target of his awe-inspiring technique was not Kongxin, but the martial monk Kongming.

Kongming felt dizzy and his body slowed down.

Inside the main hall, Li Zhuiyuan put away his domain, and A Li quickly formed hand seals.

Earlier, Lin Shuyou had caused the pot to explode, scattering broken porcelain everywhere, including at Kongming's feet. He didn't notice that some of the broken porcelain pieces were different from the usual ones.

Blood porcelain rapidly condensed, and the Corpse-Driving General was summoned behind Kongming. The same sealing technique used by the Corpse-Driving Master to imprison the fleshy humanoid in the Little Hell was now applied to Kongming.

At this moment, Kongming's body was imprisoned.

At this moment, Runsheng and Lin Shuyou, who should have been wielding shovels and maces to smash the tin wall and continue their attack on the hollow, turned around and smashed their shovels at Kongming. The other man reversed his body and flew backward, striking Kongming's head with his golden mace.

A sudden sense of alarm arose in Kongming's heart. He finally realized that the other party's target was not his senior brother, but him, Kongming!
Runsheng and Lin Shuyou simultaneously recalled Xiaoyuan's prior instructions:
"Remember, after launching one round of attacks on the hollow target, the second round of attacks should be directed at the front row of monks, just like the first round, in a tiered order, staggered between them, not all at once."

Yayoi said he didn't know if his grandmaster, Hollow, had practiced martial arts, so he assumed that, like Yayoi, he had.

"It's better to cut off one finger than to injure all ten. In the first round of surprise attacks, make sure to kill at least one of them!"

We cannot give them a chance to regroup; once we enter a team fight, our chances of winning are too low.

Kong Hui was focused on defending her senior brother Kong Xin and didn't have time to rescue Kong Ming.

Hollow opened his mouth and exhaled golden mist, which gathered in the staff and was then amplified violently by the staff. He raised the staff, and as soon as it landed, it would create a barrier. Once the barrier was created, Kongming's crisis would be resolved.

Inside the True Lord's Hall, Li Zhuiyuan held a compass in his left hand, while a vicious dragon circled around him. Silver needles had already pierced the back of the boy's head, fully stimulating his soul.

Outside, the moment the hollow Zen staff struck the ground, Li Zhuiyuan also slapped his hand onto the dragon-patterned compass.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

Hollow Eyes widened in surprise. The barrier he had just released vanished in an instant, as if a gentle breeze had blown by, to everyone nearby.

What made Kongming's pupils shrink even more was that giant eyes condensed beneath his feet, quickly closing and strengthening the restraint. The guy who had just broken his own barrier was actually able to multitask and cast an instant-cast array on Kongming.
Kongming, who was heavily sealed off and unable to move, finally saw the Yellow River Shovel with its life force fully open.

Kongming took a deep breath, focusing his energy in his chest.

"boom!"

Runsheng's solid shovel strike landed squarely on Kongming's chest, causing a dent and splattering of blood. However, Kongming's breath had not yet dissipated, and he had actually survived the blow thanks to his warrior monk physique.

This scene stirred something within Runsheng's dark eyes.

No wonder Xiao Yuan adopted such a humble yet desperate approach to planning this battle; the older generation from these top-tier forces are indeed frighteningly strong.

However, in order to survive Runsheng's terrifying shovel attack, Kongming had previously fully activated his physique, and now it was inevitably weakening. Just then, Lin Shuyou, who had deliberately avoided attacking Runsheng, arrived.

This kind of teamwork, practiced in the dojo, is specifically designed for monks: first break their defenses, then follow up with attacks to inflict damage.

Lin Shuyou's golden mace struck Kongming's forehead with a "crack" sound, and blood flowed out, but it did not shatter.

This monk's forehead is incredibly hard!

Kongming roared, believing he had withstood Lin Shuyou's strongest attack and was preparing for a second wave of physical enhancement, determined to break free from all his restraints at all costs.

But Ah You's golden mace is not just a single strike. His strongest attack may not be astonishingly powerful, but the constant sacrifices from the evil spirits of the underworld make every strike his strongest.

Lin Shuyou spun around like a wheel, repeatedly smashing the golden maces in his hands onto Kongming's head.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

Although Kongming's head did not explode like a watermelon, it shrunk as if it were being squeezed for juice, with all sorts of colors, red and white, overflowing and splashing.

A generation of Qinglong Temple warrior monks were killed in this way by Lin Shuyou knocking a blow to the top of their heads.

Inside the hall, Li Zhuiyuan let out a long sigh of relief.

It was really hard to kill, but at least it's dead.

This time, the boy practically gave Shi Sheng and his apprentice a live lesson on how to fight against a stronger opponent. When designing his tactics, he treated the Hollow-Hearted Mage as himself within his own team.

As expected, the side that is confident in its strength will always consider cost-effectiveness. They will not fight freely at the first moment, but will instinctively follow the rhythm of the team formation.

"Junior brother!"

Kong Hui let out a roar and charged forward at the tin wall. Run Sheng swept his Yellow River shovel and smashed it down. Lin Shuyou didn't take any rest either. He gritted his teeth and ignored the burden on his body. He raised his mace again and smashed it down at the tin wall with Run Sheng.

"boom!"

The tin wall is cracked.

But Kongxin, wielding his Zen staff, swept it forward, a mixture of power, technique, formation, and boundary within the staff, leaving Runsheng and Lin Shuyou unsure of which to defend against, and the two of them were sent flying backward.

After landing, Runsheng quickly regained his balance, then reached out and grabbed Lin Shuyou's golden mace, pulling Ayou back to help him stabilize his position.

Hollow Heart stopped looking at his opponent and instead glanced into the hall out of the corner of his eye.

If the Qin family members have appeared here, then the one who just neutralized the barrier with me must be the young head of the Qin and Liu families.

"What kind of evil spirit are you? You shall be brought to justice and executed!"

Hollow Heart hurled his staff, which pierced through the outer wall of the True Lord Hall and pointed directly at Li Zhuiyuan and A Li, who were sitting inside.

Li Zhuiyuan was neither alarmed nor tried to dodge; he simply watched calmly as the staff flew toward him with terrifying force.

"Crashing... crashing..."

The sound of a river came, and a black river rose up in front of the boy, rushing towards the Zen staff. Although the Zen staff was as powerful as a rainbow, its strength was gradually worn away by the continuous demonic energy.

Deep within the Black River sat Yayoi, her entire face covered in demonic patterns, with only a golden ring remaining around her right eye.

After finalizing the battle plan, Li Zhuiyuan met with Yayoi alone.

“Yayoi, I don’t know how powerful your hollow grandmaster is. If Junsheng, with his Qi gates fully open, cannot suppress him in terms of power, you will have to fall into demonic possession immediately.”

"Little monk understands."

"Don't go in too deep yet. Retain the last bit of your Buddha-nature and let it continue until this wave ends. That way, I'll still have a chance to save you."

"Thank you, senior."

Sensing that his staff was losing momentum, Master Kongxin reached out and summoned it back. The staff flew back, but it was accompanied by a surging black river that rushed straight towards him.

With a hollow Buddha hand seal, he smashed open the black river.

After the Black River exploded, it reformed in front of them, the water surface split open, and Yayoi's figure emerged from within.

Kong Hui: "Yayoi, you've actually fallen into demonic possession? Then Junior Brother Kongfa must have also fallen victim to your evil deeds...Yayoi, you traitor who betrayed your master and ancestors and strayed into the demonic path!"

Hollow: "Yayoi, the sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but there is always a shore to return to. Your grand-uncle promises you that if you suddenly realize your mistakes, your grand-uncle will forgive your past and grant you all your requests!"

"Yayoi has only one request."

"you say!"

Yayoi, radiating demonic energy, clasped her hands together, her demonic eyes gleaming with a strange and ferocious light, yet her voice was utterly upright and devout:

"Please, Grandmaster Uncle, that you have passed away today."

(End of this chapter)