Regardless of the Corpse Demon race's own strength, their innate divine ability was the refinement of corpses for their own use. The figures suddenly rushing out from the swamp were clearly the Corpse Demon’s refined corpse army.
What truly spooked Fu Renjie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Emperor was the fact that among these numerous refined corpses, there were not a few Pseudo-Emperors and even Half-Sages!
The number of Half-Sages was small—only two, presumably the Corpse Demon’s previous accumulations from the Demon Domain.
But the number of Pseudo-Emperor level corpses was a startling four! And judging by the attire of those four corpses, they clearly bore very ancient styles, seemingly from an era long past their own.
Recalling the Corpse Demon’s earlier words, Fu Renjie’s expression changed. “Not good! These must be the remains of seniors who perished here throughout the ages.”
The middle-aged man also came to his senses, his expression instantly grave. No one had expected that after such a short time within the Mystic Heaven Temple, this Corpse Demon would have located and refined so many Pseudo-Emperor corpses.
But it wasn’t entirely strange. The Mystic Heaven Temple had existed since the dawn of heaven and earth. The War of the Grand Dao had occurred numerous times, and countless Pseudo-Emperors had died here. A Corpse Demon possessed exceptionally sharp perception for powerful corpses and naturally had ways to locate them.
A Pseudo-Emperor powerhouse’s physical body was inherently powerful. Even after countless years, under fortuitous circumstances, the body could remain indestructible.
Although a corpse, once refined into a puppet, could not possibly unleash its full strength from life—at best, eighty percent was the ceiling—the sheer number of the Corpse Demon’s army was a force to be reckoned with. Six of the corpses alone were at the Pseudo-Emperor or Half-Sage level. The rest were all at the Upper Demon King stage, all while the Half-Sage Corpse Demon himself watched menacingly from the side.
The situation had taken a drastic turn for the worse. Originally, the two of them, fighting two against one, would have had a chance even against the Corpse Demon and his corpse army. But now, with four Pseudo-Emperor puppets added to the mix, the balance of power had completely flipped.
“You must have enjoyed chasing me all day!” After summoning his corpse army, the Corpse Demon looked leisurely at Fu Renjie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Emperor, his face alight with the satisfaction of long-awaited revenge. His tone turned vicious. “When you were chasing this Sovereign, did you ever imagine today would come!”
As he spoke, he spread his large hand, casting it towards the two. As if receiving an unspoken command, the surrounding corpse army surged inward from all sides.
Fu Renjie and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance. In the instant their spiritual thoughts brushed, they turned as one and charged towards a Pseudo-Emperor corpse.
With things as they were, their only option was to break out first and plan later. They chose a Pseudo-Emperor corpse primarily due to the short refinement time.
This Pseudo-Emperor’s remains had been found by the Corpse Demon within the Mystic Heaven Temple and had only been refined for a single day. Even if it could be clumsily controlled, its power couldn’t be too formidable.
Amidst the flashes of lightning and fire, the two figures burst through the interception of a dozen Upper Demon King corpses, arriving before that Pseudo-Emperor puppet in an instant.
Under the Corpse Demon’s control, the Pseudo-Emperor corpse threw a punch directly at Fu Renjie.
As the fist flew, Fu Renjie, the middle-aged Pseudo-Emperor, and even the Half-Sage Corpse Demon himself couldn’t help but furrow their brows. The power of this punch seemed…
In the next instant, two silhouettes flashed past, and the Pseudo-Emperor corpse’s body violently exploded into pieces.
The Half-Sage Corpse Demon’s eyes bulged. A look of utter disbelief crossed his face. “How is this…?”
That was supposed to be a Pseudo-Emperor puppet. Even if hastily refined, it shouldn’t have been this brittle. When he had found these bodies, he had treasured them like priceless gems, but before he could examine them closely, he’d been discovered and pursued by Fu Renjie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Emperor. He had fled while attempting to refine them, so he hadn’t had a clear picture of the Pseudo-Emperor corpse’s true condition.
Only now did he realize that the treasure he had held so dear was as flimsy as paper.
Fu Renjie and the middle-aged man had evidently noticed this too. After breaking out, instead of fleeing immediately, they looked at each other, then turned back. Separating, each charged towards another Pseudo-Emperor corpse.
After two thunderous booms, the two Pseudo-Emperor corpses targeted by Fu Renjie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Emperor burst apart, utterly incapable of withstanding a single blow.
Although these puppets emanated a Pseudo-Emperor aura, it was merely an illusion—a complete case of false strength on the inside, like hollow shells.
Ridiculously, the Half-Sage Corpse Demon had considered these four Pseudo-Emperor corpses his trump card.
Seeing the Half-Sage Corpse Demon’s expression, the two knew he was equally stunned by this turn of events.
Fu Renjie smiled faintly, looking at the Corpse Demon. “Looks like you’re in trouble now!”
He had thought the enemy would pull off a desperate reversal, leaving him no choice but to flee. Who could have predicted this surprise? Without those four Pseudo-Emperor puppets, what was there for him and the middle-aged Pseudo-Emperor to fear from the Corpse Demon?
Perhaps it had been too long… the four Pseudo-Emperor bodies they had found must have long since decayed beyond usability, Fu Renjie speculated.
The Corpse Demon clearly sensed the danger too. With a thought, the remaining corpse army swarmed towards Fu Renjie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Emperor, while he himself turned and fled.