A string of Corpse Slaves emerged from the three tunnels of the subterranean mausoleum, standing amidst the stone buildings.

The moonlight was cold. The Corpse Slaves moved woodenly, scattering in a semi-circle, subtly encircling one of the tunnels.

Two Heavenly Corpses, one male and one female, also emerged from the cavern entrance without haste. Within the ashen-white pupils of these two Heavenly Corpses, seven tiny handprints slowly drifted, resembling seven distant stars held within their eyes.

After exiting the subterranean mausoleum, the two Heavenly Corpses suddenly let out a piercing shriek.

Within Burial Ground Ninety-Three.

In plot after plot of graves, coffins snapped open from within, and Corpse Slaves crawled out of the earth. Some moved sluggishly, others sprang out with the swiftness of a sprint, all converging toward the center of the island.

From the Burial Ground, the fearful cries of Yin-Yang Grotto disciples suddenly erupted, mixed with the hushed gasps of the Corpse God Cult disciples.

Summoning such a multitude of Corpse Slaves was a feat only achievable by an Elder of the Corpse God Cult at the Heavenly Position realm.

Seeing the Corpse Slaves pouring from the graves, the disciples of the Corpse God Cult paled in terror, assuming Elder Yin Hai, the master of the two Heavenly Corpses, had arrived. They frantically gathered towards the center.

After the two Heavenly Corpses shrieked, the Corpse Slaves in the Burial Ground awoke from their slumber and began to stream toward this location.

Guo Qi's expression twisted in shock, and he shrieked, "How is this possible?"

With Yin Hai absent, no one else could move those two Heavenly Corpses. Each Heavenly Corpse contained a Soul Imprint left by its master; unless summoned by the master, they would remain inert.

These two Heavenly Corpses moving freely utterly terrified Guo Qi.

Yin Hai was clearly not present, yet the Heavenly Corpses had acted on their own accord. This bizarre turn of events unsettled the core adherent of the Corpse God Cult, leaving him unsure of what catastrophe was unfolding.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru, both Dharma Protectors of the Yin-Yang Grotto, were privy to the secrets surrounding the Corpse God Cult's Heavenly Corpses. Seeing the masters absent yet the Corpses moving autonomously filled both their faces with dread. They suddenly felt the Burial Ground become unnervingly grim, as if steeped in a perverse atmosphere.

Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan were the last to emerge from the subterranean mausoleum.

Xia Xinyan still wore an expression of astonishment, her eyes clouded with deep confusion. Her mouth hung slightly open, wondering by what means Shi Yan had managed to seize control of the two Heavenly Corpses.

"Boy!" Guo Qi screamed, his face vicious, "What dark sorcery did you employ in the mausoleum?"

Shi Yan, enveloped in swirling white mist, didn't spare Guo Qi a glance. He fixed his gaze on Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru, saying coolly, "You two plotted quite cleverly—intending to use me as raw material for a living corpse, to be sold off to this Corpse God Cult. On your vessel, though I consumed some salted fish and fresh water, I labored daily; I never ate for free. Is this how you repay my efforts?"

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru’s faces darkened; they remained silent.

"Especially you," Shi Yan said, his gaze turning icy as he pointed at Sui Yueru. "I simply didn't wish to defile your filthy body, yet you, you bitch, plotted to have me refined to death while still alive! Your heart is truly venomous!"

"You seek death, boy," Sui Yueru frowned, her voice cold. "I don't know how you survived, but you certainly won't live past tonight!"

"Is that so?" Shi Yan grinned ferociously, suddenly pointing at Sui Yueru and roaring, "Kill them!"

The female Heavenly Corpse instantly lunged forward.

Wherever she passed, the strange energy in the nearby ravines coiled and surged, pouring into her body, causing a layer of silvery-white Corpse Armor to rapidly form over her frame.

The female Heavenly Corpse’s fingers morphed into sharp talons, each three feet long, gleaming with an eerie white light, as she lunged fiercely toward Sui Yueru.

Terror flashed across Sui Yueru’s charming face, and she immediately screamed, "Impossible!"

Li Zhuang and Guo Qi also stared in horror, their faces ashen with dread, completely baffled as to why Shi Yan could command a Heavenly Corpse.

"Let's go," Shi Yan flashed a toothy smile and ambled toward the direction where the iron ship was moored.

The male Heavenly Corpse stood beside him, issuing continuous shrieks. The Corpse Slaves emerging from the various graves gathered around, clearing a path for the male Heavenly Corpse.

"Kill! Slaughter all of them!" Shi Yan’s expression turned sinister, his voice low and cold.

The hundreds of Corpse Slaves suddenly went mad, charging directly at the disciples of the Corpse God Cult and the Yin-Yang Grotto.

The disciples of the Corpse God Cult gasped in terror, frantically shaking their small bells, each producing a piercing whistle.

A portion of the charging Corpse Slaves halted amidst the sharp, clear sound of the bells. However, another contingent, being further away, seemed unaffected by the disciples' bells and continued their relentless assault.

The faces of all the Corpse God Cult disciples changed; they wildly manipulated their bells, channeling the corpse-controlling arts they had mastered by rote.

However, not all the Corpse Slaves hidden in Burial Ground Ninety-Three belonged to these disciples.

Many of the hundred-year-old Earth Corpses buried here were the Corpse Slaves of certain core disciples and Dharma Protectors of the Corpse God Cult, temporarily interred here to absorb the surrounding necrotic and deathly energies for cultivation.

These types of Corpse Slaves possessed their master's Soul Imprint and were immune to the corpse-controlling techniques wielded by the disciples present.

Furthermore, these uncommanded slaves were typically of a higher rank.

Consequently, as this contingent of Corpse Slaves, under the command of the two Heavenly Corpses, unleashed a massacre upon the disciples of the Corpse God Cult and the Yin-Yang Grotto in the Burial Ground, the screams in Burial Ground Ninety-Three never ceased. The Corpse God Cult disciples who managed to arrive from distant graves witnessed their once-familiar companions transform into the most vicious weapons, baring their fangs against those who had so meticulously guarded them.

The Corpse God Cult disciples cried out, scrambling to flee outward. The Yin-Yang Grotto disciples fared even worse, trembling uncontrollably, paralyzed by the grotesque transformation of the Corpse Slaves.

Especially the female disciples, whose wills were shattered under the pressure, unable to utilize even eighty percent of their usual strength.

Burial Ground Ninety-Three was suddenly enveloped in a torrent of agonizing screams.

Sui Yueru was utterly disheveled, retreating step by agonizing step under the relentless pursuit of the female Heavenly Corpse.

The female Heavenly Corpse had possessed the cultivation of the second level of the Nirvana Realm in life. After a thousand years of refinement, she could unleash 120% of her inherent power. Upon engaging in combat, she instinctively employed her lifetime martial arts; her Corpse Armor radiated thick, deathly energy, rendering her impervious to blades and spears, while her razor-sharp claws were like divine implements, capable of crushing anything.

The martial artists of the Yin-Yang Grotto made rapid progress due to their dual cultivation practice.

However, their essence was never as pure as that of martial artists of the same realm. Generally speaking, Yin-Yang Grotto practitioners were slightly weaker than their counterparts in equivalent ranks.

Sui Yueru was no exception.

Though at the second level of Nirvana, her actual fighting strength was comparable only to a general martial artist at the first level of the Nirvana Nest. Facing a millennium-old Heavenly Corpse capable of deploying 120% of her former strength, Sui Yueru could not resist and was forced into a purely defensive posture.

Li Zhuang had no choice but to intervene, helping Sui Yueru fend off the female Heavenly Corpse.

The male Heavenly Corpse remained within ten paces of Shi Yan, shrieking continuously, controlling the Corpse Slaves within the Burial Ground to carve a path for Shi Yan toward the moored vessel.

Shi Yan’s expression was detached, his eyes cold, as he walked toward the iron ship alongside Xia Xinyan.

Nearby, wisps of strange, negative power leaked from the bodies of the slain disciples of the Corpse God Cult and the Yin-Yang Grotto, flowing into Shi Yan's acupoints.

Shi Yan’s acupoints pulsed with a dull ache, his body shrouded in white mist. He concentrated fiercely, unwilling to relax his vigilance.

He continuously channeled his spiritual power into the Blood Pattern Ring, transmitting signals to the two Heavenly Corpses.

The mental feedback from the Heavenly Corpses, for reasons unknown, began to gradually weaken. The Corpses, having awakened a spark of self-awareness, seemed innately averse to external command and were starting to conceive thoughts of rebellion.

Shi Yan needed to continuously urge his spiritual power forward, carefully weaving harmless, benevolent fluctuations into the transmission to ensure the two Heavenly Corpses obeyed his will.

He was not as relaxed as he appeared.

"We must hurry!" Shi Yan suddenly gripped Xia Xinyan's small hand, his face turning somewhat pale, and his steps quickened abruptly.

His spiritual energy was dangerously depleted, giving him a dizzying sensation, and his control over the two Heavenly Corpses was becoming tenuous.

Xia Xinyan noticed Shi Yan’s distress. She remained silent, allowing him to hold her hand, quickening her pace to match his as they rushed toward the iron ship.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru, entangled with the female Heavenly Corpse, could only watch helplessly as Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan departed, unable to stop them.

The male Heavenly Corpse remained steadfastly by Shi Yan's side. Guo Qi dared not make any rash moves either; he allowed the pair to leave, though he covertly used his bell lock to transmit the situation back to the main headquarters of the Corpse God Cult.

Along the path, disciples of both the Yin-Yang Grotto and the Corpse God Cult were hunted down and killed by the uncontrollable Corpse Slaves.

Throughout the journey, Shi Yan absorbed the vital essence from at least twenty low-level martial artists. Most of these warriors were only at the Innate or Human position realm, possessing limited essence, so the influx did not cause the painful tearing sensation in Shi Yan's acupoints.

Soon, Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan finally reached the mooring location of the iron ship.

"Do you know how to pilot a ship?" Shi Yan suddenly remembered, his expression hardening. "If you don't know how to navigate, we'll need to take a few more hostages."

"No need, I know how to pilot it," Xia Xinyan replied, confidence shining in her beautiful eyes. She pulled Shi Yan toward the iron ship, moving quickly. "These ships draw power from Demon Crystals; they don't require manual rowing. You just set the direction on the compass, and the iron ship will sail automatically. As long as the Demon Crystal’s power isn't exhausted, the vessel can sail indefinitely. My Xia family possesses similar ships; I know how to operate them."

Shi Yan let out a breath of relief.

Thump. Shi Yan collapsed onto the deck, his face pale. "You take the helm. I will issue my final commands to the Heavenly Corpses."

The two Heavenly Corpses did not board the ship.

Shi Yan closed his eyes, mobilizing his remaining spiritual energy and channeling it into the Blood Pattern Ring.

The male Heavenly Corpse suddenly shrieked and charged directly toward Sui Yueru and Li Zhuang.

"Go!" Shi Yan commanded.

Rumble!

A tremendous roar echoed from within the iron ship as the massive vessel belonging to the Yin-Yang Grotto slowly began to move, pulling away from the Burial Ground.

Inside the Burial Ground, disciples of the Yin-Yang Grotto screamed in alarm.

Li Zhuang and Sui Yueru were too preoccupied to do anything but watch the iron ship depart, utterly helpless.

Shi Yan was dizzy and nauseous, his spiritual energy overdrawn. He collapsed limply on the deck, limbs splayed toward the sky.