When Hu Wenxin saw that corpse stand up, he immediately felt that something was wrong.
The moment he sensed the aura coming from the corpse, his expression turned even uglier.
Though he was a Fourth Stage cultivator, he had been trapped underground for countless years. He had only managed to survive by relying on the grand sealing formation of the Sword Palace and the Tortoise Breath Technique.
His remaining spiritual power was limited, and his actual combat strength barely reached the Fifth Stage.
His earlier display of power was only meant to intimidate the intruder, to strike first, to make the reckless youth hesitate, and then take advantage of that moment of fear to kill him with the least amount of effort.
What he hadn't expected was that this fellow was also of the demonic path, and had immediately taken control of a Fourth Stage corpse.
From Hu Wenxin's experience, the corpse clearly wouldn't last long.
But the key problem was... neither could he!
His supposed Fourth Stage strength was held together by sheer force of will. Once the fight began, it would only take moments before his facade shattered.
For an instant, his mind wavered.
In his view, the opponent must be engaged in psychological warfare. Controlling a Fourth Stage corpse would require enormous spiritual power. For a mere Sixth Stage cultivator, how could he possibly maintain it for long?
Whoever panicked first would lose!
If he gambled everything, perhaps he could outlast the other side...
With that thought, Hu Wenxin gritted his teeth, the red light in his eyes blazing even brighter, his killing intent surging.
Below him, Gu Fangchen moved with a thought, sending the corpse soaring upward, fearlessly confronting Hu Wenxin head-on.
Hu Wenxin, as an ancient demonic cultivator, indeed had great experience in combat and had judged the situation accurately.
The duration for which the Corpse-Evil Method could sustain a corpse depended heavily on how intact the body was.
These corpses within the Sword Palace had mostly decayed beyond recognition. Even at best, this one could last around ten minutes, and that was assuming Gu Fangchen's spiritual energy held out perfectly.
In truth, with his own spiritual reserves, he could barely sustain it for a single minute.
So under normal circumstances, Hu Wenxin's assessment was absolutely correct.
If he could hold out for one minute, he would win.
However, those were normal circumstances.
Hu Wenxin bit down on his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. The blood scattered in the air, transforming into crimson arrows that shot toward the corpse in a barrage.
Though the corpse's dead body was sluggish, it still retained a warrior's instincts. It pulled free the long spear still lodged within its torso and spun it with fluid grace, deflecting all the blood arrows one after another.
But Hu Wenxin sneered. The blood arrows abruptly turned in midair, striking into the corpse's body one by one.
"Detonate!" he shouted.
The blood arrows exploded simultaneously, blasting one of the corpse's arms clean off.
But the corpse felt no pain. It merely paused for an instant before charging forward again, wielding the spear like a sword and clashing fiercely with Hu Wenxin.
The air filled with flashes of scarlet light.
Hu Wenxin was gradually being pushed back, but when he saw the corpse's movements becoming sluggish, clearly a sign of dwindling spiritual energy, his heart leapt with joy.
Just as he thought!
That Sixth Stage brat's spiritual energy could only sustain it for this long!
Soon, he would refine him alive and let him taste what true hell was!
Hu Wenxin grinned maliciously and glanced down at Gu Fangchen, intending to mock him,
But what he saw left him stunned.
Gu Fangchen was calmly standing in the plaza before the palace, completely ignoring the battle above. He was methodically studying the four massive pillars surrounding him, tracing intricate formation lines on their surfaces with his own blood.
Sensing Hu Wenxin's gaze, the young man lifted his head. Seeing the corpse's faltering movements, he raised an eyebrow, its energy was nearly spent.
Hu Wenxin was ready to savor the youth's look of despair.
Instead, Gu Fangchen flipped his palm, took out a pill, swallowed it whole, and continued inscribing his formation.
His aura, which had been fading, surged violently. At the same time, his face turned pale, and veins bulged across his forehead.
Above, the corpse shuddered, its once-vacant eyes flaring with golden light. Its attacks suddenly became faster and fiercer.
Hu Wenxin: "..."
What the hell did that brat just take?!
A Fourth Grade Primordial Pill, it could instantly double one's strength! Didn't he know that such pills could cause the body to explode?!
That kind of pill was meant to be taken only in desperate, life-or-death combat. When its effect ended, the meridians would be severely damaged, requiring decades to recover.
And yet this kid wasn't even in that kind of crisis!
Was he insane?
But on the other hand, it also meant the youth was reaching his limit.
Hu Wenxin narrowed his eyes. Though the corpse was forcing him to retreat, his killing intent only grew sharper.
No matter how strong that pill was, it wouldn't last longer than ten breaths. This Sixth Stage brat couldn't possibly hold out beyond that!
Hu Wenxin took a deep breath. Fine, I'll risk it!
Gathering every shred of his spiritual power, he fought tooth and nail against the corpse, retreating step by step, counting silently in his mind.
One breath, two breaths... ten breaths!
Hu Wenxin roared inwardly, Fall!
A deafening crack echoed.
But what met him was not victory, only the corpse's sudden headbutt.
The long spear had broken during the fight, leaving only the corpse's martial instincts to continue its assault.
A violent impact.
Hu Wenxin was sent flying, crashing into the nearby palace wall.
The stonework collapsed around him with a resounding crash.
His vision swam as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Staring at the approaching corpse, his face twisted in disbelief.
Impossible!
He hurriedly dodged away, glancing down to see Gu Fangchen's entire body laced with crimson veins, his meridians clearly pushed past their limit.
Yet the man still raised his head and grinned up at him.
Hu Wenxin's expression shifted.
Madman! This bastard doesn't care if he lives or dies!
Why keep fighting?
Run!
He hadn't hidden here for all these years just to die meaninglessly.
In truth, Gu Fangchen didn't care about his meridians at all.
This body he had refined into a puppet was already riddled with flaws, incapable of proper cultivation. It didn't matter what damage it suffered, he would soon reshape it entirely anyway.
He was merely using the waste to its fullest.
Hu Wenxin turned to flee. But instead of escaping back the way he came, he bared his teeth in desperation and charged toward Xu Zhenguan, who had been hiding to the side.
The Sword Palace was filled with puppet mechanisms. Without recognition, any intruder was doomed.
He had to seize Xu Zhenguan's sword!
That blade, reforged from an ancient long sword, could make the palace's puppets regard him as one of their own. It was his only chance at survival.
Hu Wenxin reached out, struck Xu Zhenguan aside with a palm, and snatched The Finest Stream.
Little did he know, that was exactly what Gu Fangchen had been waiting for.
Gu Fangchen stomped his foot, his hands forming a seal as he chanted an incantation.
The four surrounding pillars blazed with light.
Yijian Method, activate!