Chapter 25: The Attack

The night breeze felt cool and slightly chilly. Mu Yuan carried Zha Yun’er, riding the wind upward, moving silently and steadily closer to Yuan Longtai’s dwelling place!

As they got nearer, Mu Yuan sensed the intense golden light becoming stronger, piercingly bright. Within it was a surging, rolling Yin cold air, wild like crashing waves and swelling tides, almost matching the shock Shan Xiao had once given Mu Yuan!

“Such powerful force! Who knew we’d find something so formidable in this remote place!” Reaching the vicinity, Mu Yuan cast an invisibility spell to hide both himself and Zha Yun’er. Riding the wind, they landed in Yuan Longtai’s backyard!

Yuan Longtai, the leader of Feilong Village, lived in a spacious residence, though not as lavish as the Central Plains’ wealthy. His yard was filled with all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, filling the air with a rich, spicy fragrance. Wind stirred the flower shadows, moonlight flowed like water—everything was perfectly still!

But Mu Yuan had no mood to appreciate it now. He crept quietly to the source of the rising golden light and spotted an ancient, deep well. The well’s opening was about a meter wide, with golden light swelling and surging out. Once it burst past the opening, it rapidly expanded to grow to a full Zhang in diameter!

Looking closely, Mu Yuan saw the golden light rolling and roaring upward, lighting up the clouds. In its midst, it constantly flowed and surged like waves. Rays of light collided and rubbed against each other, creating endless changes that shifted into various ancient and plain Talismanic Seals. These mysterious seals slowly washed away the unfathomable Yin cold air within the golden light, turning it into balanced Yin and Yang energies. It seemed to be reversing life and death, leaving Mu Yuan utterly amazed!

“To think it could reverse life and death, grinding away the icy cold from the corpse and transforming it into gentle warmth—that technique is truly incredible!”

Mu Yuan wanted to move nearer for a better look at the secrets, but he spotted a few figures soaring through the wind from mid-air. Lights flickered around them, dazzling with bright colors—he knew Cultivators had arrived. Not daring to delay, he tightened the circulation of his Tide True Qi. Beside him, Zha Yun’er shuddered all over and tremored out, “It’s the mountain Cultivators! They’ve come to our village again!”

Seeing her trembling with extreme fear, Mu Yuan urgently asked for an explanation. Zha Yun’er said in a trembling voice, “Those are Cultivators from the nearby mountains. They covet our village’s methods for raising Gu Insects and refining flying corpses. They’ve come here several times already. Though the village leader repelled them with Gu-infused corpses, they still killed many of our people—it’s evil!”

Mu Yuan understood. The flashing lights in the sky had long alerted the night guards. Instantly, drumbeats boomed loudly. Villagers roused from sleep cried out. A buzzing sound rose, chaotic as a swarm of bees from a hive, echoing from every house. Under the bright moonlight, a dark cloud of Gu Insects rose like mosquitoes or black wasps. The beating of their wings combined in a strange tune to disturb everyone’s minds!

“So magnificent! All the Gu Insects unleashed at once—how terrifying it is!” Mu Yuan watched those figures dodging swiftly. Even as Cultivators, they didn’t dare face the front of the swarm. They attacked, Zhenqi swirling wildly, striking down the Gu Insects!

Cries filled Feilong Village. Lights and torches glowed in every home, turning the village as bright as day. Gu Insects flew everywhere, gathering together. A thick, stinky smell filled the air, making people gag and swirl Zhenqi into disorder.

In several spots around the village, gleaming flying corpses emerged. They wore strange clothes all over their bodies. Every move was stiff and stiffened, but their strength was huge. A simple wave of hands could break rocks—truly fierce!

The Gu Insects were powerful but posed no threat to the newcomers. Colorful Zhenqi light spread out, preventing the Gu Insects from getting close. The strength of the Gu lie in striking unseen, hurting people who aren’t prepared. In real conflict, they aren’t effective. The main reliance stayed on those few flying steel corpses!

Five attackers approached. Three stayed behind to deal with the Gu Insects and steel corpses, while the other two flew straight to Yuan Longtai’s home. Flexible and fast as lightning, their speed was extreme. Loud rumbling laughter came from one middle-aged Cultivator in a bright yellow robe, booming like thunder, echoing loudly, “Village Leader Yuan, hand over the Golden Silkworm Gu and the Golden Corpse now, or tonight your village will drown in blood!”

“Hmph, Leng Fenghai! You’ve disturbed me here many times, yet you never succeed. If it’s not meant for you, don’t covet it!”

A hoarse voice sounded from the well’s depths. Then Mu Yuan heard an explosive bang like thunder. A tall figure gleaming with golden light flew out from the well. Clad in steel armor, it gripped a silvery white long spear. Like a meteor hitting the night sky, it charged straight at Leng Fenghai!

“Good! The power of the Golden Corpse is truly strong! Ha-hahaha!” Leng Fenghai boomed with laughter. With a wave, he unleashed two whirling gusts, Zhenqi swelling rapidly to clash with the Golden Corpse’s spear!

The Golden Corpse was immensely strong, and its spear technique was highly skilled. It wielded the spear like a white dragon leaping out of the sea, golden light flashing on the tip. It burst forth countless spiraling spear shadows. Unlike the rigid, slow moves of normal Iron Corpses, it moved fluidly, agile in rise and fall—on par with any Cultivator.

The other Cultivator with Leng Fenghai saw him pinned under the Golden Corpse’s storm-like attack. He flung his sleeves and drew a sharp sword in one hand. Joining the battle, the two humans and the corpse fought in a wild tangle.

Mu Yuan saw the two Cultivators, swift and sharp with sword techniques. Occasionally, the Golden Corpse’s silver spear pierced through their defense, crashing onto Leng Fenghai’s palm with a clang like metals striking. Yet Leng Fenghai only winced slightly without injury, which shocked Mu Yuan!

“This strong? The Golden Corpse is enormously powerful, and its silver spear is very sharp. Such impact, yet nothing happened to him! Even if I reached the Qi Refining Third Layer perfection and perfected my Dharma Body, I probably couldn’t match that!”

Amazed by Leng Fenghai’s tough body, Mu Yuan guessed he had at least passed the third layer and entered the Spirit Refining stage. The mysteries after Spirit Refining—the Yin Spirit of the fourth layer or Yang Spirit of the fifth—both expanded the spiritual sense and broadened the sea of consciousness. After that, a Qi Refining Practitioner could turn physical to virtual, owning Divine Sense barriers and power like fitting mountains into mustard seeds. Essentially, they merged refined treasures into their Divine Sense, stored in the Mud Pellet Palace. No longer needing to keep items on the body or manifest them externally with Zhenqi to use them—they truly grasped the way of refining artifacts.

With Mu Yuan’s Dragon Soul Sword, being an innate soul-refined weapon, it could switch between form and formlessness with a thought. Thus, even at the Qi Refining Third Layer, Mu Yuan could draw it inside his body. It stayed coiled in his Dantian, like Zhenqi itself. When using it, he could release Sword Qi with a gesture, no physical object needed.

Seeing this attacker had truly gone beyond the third layer perfection into Spirit Refining, Mu Yuan dared not delay. With a slash, he unleashed his own wave of Sword Qi—bright with lightning crackles and thunder rumbles. Its force far exceeded that of the unknown Spirit Refining Cultivator!

Before the two waves of Sword Qi collided, Mu Yuan’s Dragon Soul Sword inside his Dantian suddenly trembled fiercely, buzzing continuously. Mu Yuan panicked, swiftly wrapping the powerful killing force of Dragon King’s Dynamic Force around his whole body. Instantly, a layer of electric radiance covered him like clothes, shining with authority, brilliant as a deity!

This exposed his form. As the battle started, Mu Yuan lived by ‘less trouble is better than more’ to avoid future attention. During the lightning cloak and flash, he activated the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Replacing technique, shifting his face to an imposing, square-jawed look. He then moved with king-like majesty, radiating unquestionable command!