C13 Magic Instrument

A two to three cubic meter fire cloud loomed overhead, rousing even the sluggish senses of the Prison Bone Corpse.

"It's awake. Engage now!"

Twelve Array Flags were brandished, and the fire cloud descended with a whoosh.

Roar!

The Prison Bone Corpse let out a bellow. The black club in its grasp, comparable to a baseball bat, swung fiercely. As it struck the fire cloud, an explosion erupted. The blast sent shockwaves rolling, yet they halted before the twelve Array Flags.

Still, the relentless heat wave pressed through, soaking the twelve practitioners in sweat. They dared not counter the heat with their Genuine Qi, as every ounce was needed to sustain the array.

Within the inferno, the Prison Bone Corpse's bone armor melted away. Like a demon from hell, it swung its mace, attempting to break free.

"Form a wall with the fire!"

In response to the Prison Bone Corpse's onslaught, the twelve shifted their Array Flags, the flames swirling to create a barrier.

Any normal creature would retreat from such a fiery barricade, but the Prison Bone Corpse was far from normal—it couldn't even be considered alive.

Undeterred by the fiery wall, it swung its mace with abandon, shattering even the mightiest fire cloud. The defensive wall crumbled effortlessly before its might.

As the flames dispersed, the Prison Bone Corpse sustained significant damage, yet it remained undaunted.

"Damn it!"

Confronted with the Prison Bone Corpse's fearsome might, the practitioners panicked. Dropping their Array Flags, they narrowly dodged its crushing blow, preserving their lives but at the cost of breaking the array.

The flames scattered, forcing everyone to fall back to avoid severe burns.

The Prison Bone Corpse could endure the Fire Cloud Array, but they could not. Such flames would scorch them upon contact.

Now, their ranks were in disarray. While the array had been compromised, it had remained largely intact, and with minor adjustments, they might have reactivated the Fire Cloud Array. But now, that possibility had vanished.

Confronted with the frenzied Prison Bone Corpse, there was no opportunity to activate any formations.

The group unleashed the ten Talisman Artifacts they had readied. Sword Qi and flames surged, striking the Prison Bone Corpse with a deafening explosion. Shockwaves rolled through the air, causing the underground cavern to tremble.

"Hmm?"

Above, a Deacon sensed the tremor, glanced toward its origin, then dismissed it, shifting his attention away without further concern.

In the underground cavern, amidst the settling dust, an ordinary Prison Bone Corpse burst forth. The group, having let their guard down slightly, was caught off guard by the sudden assault. A Law Enforcement Hall Disciple at the Qi Refining Level Four was seized by the Prison Bone Corpse. Before he could mount a defense, his neck was snapped.

Thud!

The body hit the ground, a dark aura spreading over it. Left unchecked, it wouldn't be long before another Corpse Stealer emerged, this one nearly at the Qi Refining Stage's strength.

With a hiss, a streak of sword Qi sliced through the air, severing the head from the corpse.

The one who decapitated his fellow disciple remained stoic as he explained, "This is the power of the residual treasure. It can create Corpse Stealers, and even Prison Bone Corpses."

As the dust cleared, at the epicenter of the blast, a towering and battered Prison Bone Corpse stood, clutching a wolf fang club. Its glowing red eye fixed fiercely on the group.

The club's hemispherical protrusion opened and closed like a mouth, ejecting small flesh orbs that assembled into another Prison Bone Corpse on the ground.

"Kill!"

Hee Ziang sprang into action. He charged at the severely wounded Prison Bone Corpse, steering clear of the one still forming. His palm transformed into a blade, gleaming with the light of the Palm Edge Blade—a secret martial technique.

Though this technique was of Secret Inheritance Level, it was a widely disseminated martial art, refined over thousands of years. In the Qi Refining Stage, its might was formidable, surpassing even the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique.

The Palm Edge Blade cleaved into the Prison Bone Corpse's thigh, dragging across with a grating sound, scoring a deep gash in the bone armor, but alas, it failed to penetrate the thick and sturdy bone armor.

The Prison Bone Corpse suddenly flicked its leg, sending him flying and spewing blood uncontrollably.

Immediately after, two sword energies surged, striking the gash Hee Ziang had inflicted, one after the other.

With a roar, the bone armor shattered, and the sword energies burrowed deep, grinding the flesh within into a pulp.

Despite the Prison Bone Corpse's anatomy being vastly different from a human's, the blow cost it half of its leg. It could barely prop itself up, unable to muster any strength, leaving only one leg to exert force.

Meanwhile, another Prison Bone Corpse had formed, while the original one had been disassembled.

"No!" someone with keen eyesight exclaimed. "Its bone armor is regenerating flesh and blood. Don't hold back! Strike with all your might while it's gravely wounded. The longer we wait, the worse it gets for us!"

It wasn't just the flesh and blood; the bone armor was also healing. Once alerted, everyone realized that the Great Prison Bone Corpse was mending its wounds.

Confronted with the full force of their assault, the newly-formed Prison Bone Corpse stepped forward, shielding the seven attackers. It withstood the barrage from the Spirit Talisman, Jade Talisman, and Talisman Artifact without retreating, even as its chest and thigh armor cracked.

The combined offensive from the four behind was effortlessly deflected by the Wolf Fang Club wielded by the Great Prison Bone Corpse, causing no harm.

"This must be a Magic Artifact!" one of them cried out, eyes blazing as they fixated on the Wolf Fang Club in the Great Prison Bone Corpse's grip, voicing the realization others had yet to express.

A Magic Artifact!

Even the lowest grade Magic Artifact was on par with a Myriad Dao Talisman Artifact. Within the Myriad Qi Profound Sect, only a Deacon would possess such a powerful item.

For Outer Sect Law Enforcement Hall Disciples like them, who didn't even own two Hundred Dao Talisman Artifacts, the sight of a Magic Artifact was thrilling.

Hee Ziang, who had been lying to the side, stealthily shifted his body, finding a hidden nook to conceal himself. His gaze never left the Wolf Fang Club.

They had exhausted nearly all of their strategies. The newly created Prison Bone Corpse had already perished. Despite the Great Prison Bone Corpse's severe injuries, it remained capable of battle. The Wolf Fanged Mace swept through the air, generating a powerful gust that made the fabric of the bystander's clothing flutter violently.

What was once a revered magic artifact had been reduced to a mere heavy weapon in the hands of the Great Prison Bone Corpse, resembling a stone pillar as thick as a man's thigh.

Sensing that the Wolf Fanged Mace was proving ineffective, the Great Prison Bone Corpse stepped back. The protrusions on the mace opened and closed like a mouth, spewing out flesh and blood that enveloped the weapon, transforming it into a flesh-and-blood long blade.

The surface of this long blade was still coagulating as the flesh and blood began to ossify, eventually forming a massive blade over three meters in length.

With a tearing sound, the blade swept through the air, reminiscent of fabric being ripped apart. A Law Enforcement Hall Disciple, unable to evade in time, was bisected at the waist and collapsed to the ground, emitting a harrowing scream of agony.

The Great Prison Bone Corpse's power was indeed vastly superior to that of an average Qi Refining Stage cultivator, and it could likely rival a master at the Fiend Congealing Stage. Had it not been for the significant damage inflicted by the Fire Cloud Array at the outset, none of them would have stood a chance of survival.

"Use the Severing Talisman!" someone shouted.

In response, five Talisman Artifacts glowed brightly, casting a blinding white light that ensnared the bone blade in the Great Prison Bone Corpse's grasp.

"Sever!"

With a resounding snap, the bone blade shattered. The light shifted, attempting to bind the Great Prison Bone Corpse's neck, but to no avail. The creature tore through the restraint with ease, causing the light to scatter.

This was no ordinary light but the Qi of Mysterious Gold, akin to the sword qi within his lungs, capable of effortlessly cleaving gold and stone. Yet even this formidable force, when wielded by the combined might of the five Hundred Dao Talisman Artifacts, was effortlessly shattered by the Great Prison Bone Corpse. Such strength was clearly beyond that of the Qi Refining Stage.

"It's getting stronger. It seems that regenerating its flesh and blood not only healed its wounds but also enhanced its power."

The leader spoke, entertaining the thought of retreat for the first time.

"No, we can't retreat! My entire fortune is invested here. If we pull back now, all will be lost. Besides, escape might not even be an option. If it catches up, death is certain!"

His gaze hardened as he declared with finality, "Prepare for another assault! We must slay it!"

The shattered talisman was stowed away, replaced by the Fire Arrow Talisman, resembling a token. Both the Corpse Stealer and the Prison Bone Corpse harbored a certain fear of firelight, hence these were the tactics chosen.

The sound of rustling was followed by a barrage of fire arrows striking the Great Prison Bone Corpse repeatedly, creating craters upon impact and inflicting secondary damage.

The Fire Arrow Talisman was merely a set of ten Talisman Artifacts. Even though they were among the higher echelons of talismanic power, they still couldn't match the bone-shattering force of the shattered talisman.

Each Fire Arrow Talisman launched only five or six fire arrows before its Magic Power was depleted. Yet, even with the Magic Power spent, they didn't discard the talismans. Instead, they channeled Genuine Qi into them, transforming it into the talisman's Magic Power, and rekindled the fire arrows.

The mace flailed helplessly, managing to deflect only half of the fire arrows. The remaining arrows pummeled the creature, leaving its body pocked and cratered. Sensing its peril, the Great Prison Bone Corpse unleashed its full fury.

With only one leg to power its movement, it could still leap three to four meters at a time. The mace came crashing down, and the Law Enforcement Hall Disciple manipulating the Fire Arrow Talisman was instantly flattened by half a meter, his head and chest obliterated, leaving no doubt of his demise.

"Hundred Ring Armor!"

The Law Enforcement Hall Disciple nearest to the Great Prison Bone Corpse charged forward, tore open his robe, and revealed the Hundred Ring Armor concealed beneath.

The chainmail gleamed with a brilliant silver light, a testament to its nature as a Hundred Dao Talisman Artifact. The Hundred Ring Armor was designed to dissipate force, making it the perfect counter to a monster that relied solely on brute strength.

As the mace swept across, the Hundred Ring Armor vibrated, its rings jangling in unison. The mace's formidable power struck the armor but was systematically deflected, the force channeled through the body and into the ground.

The ground beneath his feet crumbled with a crunch, his shoes splitting apart as pebbles scattered. His body wobbled momentarily before he regained his footing, completely unharmed.

"Dynamic-static Clear, Chaos Essence Qi Strength, Two-form Hand!"

The Great Prison Bone Corpse was poised to bring its spiked mace down with a vicious blow when the man entwined his arm around it, employing the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique. He was evidently a master of the technique, having honed its power to perfection.

Wang Yue had only begun to grasp the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique and had yet to develop the associated fist strength. The Chaos Essence Qi Strength was the vital energy that powered the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique.