A clatter of metal rang out, and suddenly several figures appeared beside the tall, gaunt man. They were of varying builds—some tall and imposing, others short and compact—but all of them exuded a thick aura of deathly qi. Their faces were uniformly ghastly: green-skinned with fangs, wild hair hanging loose, and expressions twisted into horrifying grimaces.
"Corpse refinement!" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the people of the Yellow Springs Sect to be proficient in corpse-refining techniques as well. None of the Yellow Springs Sect cultivators he had encountered before had possessed this skill. If anything, it suggested the sect's secret arts spanned several distinct schools—but regardless of which school one belonged to, none could be separated from the dead.
"Hm?" His gaze sharpened, locking onto one particular refined corpse among the group. He studied it carefully for a moment, and his expression darkened.
"You brat! I'll capture you alive, then refine you carefully and turn you into one of my finest soldiers!" The gaunt man snarled at Yang Kai with a vicious glint in his eyes. Though this young man had just demonstrated extraordinary combat ability, he was no pushover. With these refined corpses alone, even a Void King Realm third-stage cultivator would struggle against him—and could even be taken down if careless. He felt no real panic; if anything, Yang Kai's performance only made him more interested.
The strength of a refined corpse was directly tied to the power its living body had possessed. The stronger the cultivator, the more devastating the corpse became after refinement.
Yang Kai was not only formidable in cultivation but also possessed an exceptionally powerful physical body—the perfect raw material for corpse refinement that the man had been seeking for years without success.
He could barely contain his laughter. It was like searching the world over only to find what you wanted right at your doorstep. If he could refine this young man, his standing within the Yellow Springs Sect would soar immediately.
He moved the copper rings on his hand, and the refined corpses he had unleashed roared with savage fury. Thick deathly qi seeped from every inch of their skin as they lunged at Yang Kai with bared fangs and outstretched claws. Their nails, sharp as lances and utterly keen, gleamed an ominous green—clearly laced with potent venom.
A flash of fire erupted as a small flame bird danced forth, sweeping toward the refined corpses with graceful elegance yet an unmistakable air of nobility.
The first corpse it touched burst into flames instantly. The fire bird showed no sign of slowing as it darted toward the second corpse, and in the blink of an eye, several corpses were ablaze.
"Leave one alive!" Yang Kai barked. He suddenly reached out, seized one of the corpses by the neck, and hauled it toward him. The corpse struggled and resisted, its razor-sharp nails shrieking through the air as they jabbed toward Yang Kai's chest—but they struck as if against solid iron, producing a sharp metallic clang without so much as piercing his skin.
Liu Yan tilted her head slightly. Though she didn't know his intentions, she asked no questions and instead directed her flames to incinerate the remaining corpses in an instant.
"Pfft—"
The gaunt man spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes brimming with horror as he stared at Liu Yan in terror. "You… you people…" The veins in his eyes were bulging red.
Every one of those refined corpses could rival a Void King Realm cultivator in power. The strongest among them had been crafted from the body of a Void King third-stage expert. With that lineup, he had been confident that no one in the Hengluo Star Domain could stand against him—yet now a girl of seven or eight had nearly burned them all to ash, and the strongest corpse had been seized directly by the young man.
His vision blurred as the little girl flickered before him like a ghost, appearing right in front of his face and gazing up at him. In her bright, clear eyes, he could see the reflection of his own terrified expression.
He watched helplessly as she raised a delicate little hand and pressed it against his stomach—and there was nothing he could do to react.
"Keep him alive too," Yang Kai called over his shoulder.
Liu Yan's palm pulsed with a subtle burst of force, and the gaunt man's entire aura collapsed like a punctured balloon. He staggered several steps before collapsing to the ground, vomiting great mouthfuls of blood—nearly bringing up his own organs.
His dantian had been destroyed. His cultivation—obliterated! For a cultivator, there was no greater agony in all the world. To make matters worse, the destruction of his refined corpses had just inflicted damage on his mind and spirit. Half his life was already gone in an instant.
These enemies could have snuffed out his existence with a casual gesture. If they had actually gotten serious, who in the world could match them? Not even the Sect Master could, he reckoned.
Where had these two lunatics come from?
Yang Kai gripped the neck of the most powerful refined corpse, paying no mind to the razor-sharp nails scraping against his body. A complicated look flickered across his eyes.
The corpse, though restrained, continued to growl and struggle in a frenzy. Cracking sounds emanated from its neck—its bones were clearly broken—but it felt no pain, possessed no thoughts, and knew only to destroy everything before it. Even with shattered bones and torn tendons, it did not stop moving.
Yang Kai drew a slow breath and gently channeled his Divine Sense. Through gritted teeth, he shouted, "Dragon! Sky! Wound! Wake up!"
A stream of pure spiritual power carried his voice straight into the corpse's mind. Deep within the void, something seemed to shatter with a faint, resounding crack. The corpse, which had been thrashing about uncontrollably, suddenly grew much more docile. Though it still bared its fangs and brandished its claws, all the ferocity from before had vanished.
Its eyes shifted slightly, and its once-glazed gaze gradually began to sharpen—though only just barely.
Seeing this, Yang Kai immediately understood that its spirit was not entirely extinguished. Perhaps it was because the corpse had been refined too recently, or perhaps it was because the original cultivator had been too powerful. Whatever the reason, there was hope of awakening it. He promptly channeled another surge of spiritual power into its mind, carefully untangling its muddled consciousness and setting things right.
A full quarter of an hour passed before the refined corpse's eyes suddenly cleared with a trace of lucidity. The hands that had been flailing about stilled at last, and a strange expression appeared on its previously savage face.
"You… who are you…"