C14 Blood Jade Bead

As soon as the Two-form Hand technique was employed, it leveraged the incoming force and effectively neutralized the Great Prison Bone Corpse's strength, rendering it unable to lift or smash anything.

Of course, the Two-form Hand wasn't inherently that formidable. Against an opponent who had mastered fist strength within their Fist Technique, the Two-form Hand wouldn't be nearly as effective.

However, the Great Prison Bone Corpse was particularly susceptible to the Two-form Hand. Coupled with the protection of the Hundred Ring Armor, it was clear that the plan was to withstand the Great Prison Bone Corpse's onslaught from the outset.

While they managed to restrain the Great Prison Bone Corpse, their offensive was relentless. The creature's back was not just pockmarked and dented; flesh and blood were now visible.

Yet, they seemed to overlook the fact that the Great Prison Bone Corpse had more than one arm. Unable to free its Wolf Fang club and with its back under continuous assault, the Great Prison Bone Corpse abandoned its grappling strategy and extended its left hand to seize a man's head.

The Hundred Ring Armor clinked, its qi strength forming a protective barrier around his skull. Regrettably, within a few moments, the clinking ceased, and with a sickening pop, the head was crushed as if it were a water balloon.

"We're done for!"

The leader felt a chill run through his body. If the Hundred Ring Armor couldn't withstand the Great Prison Bone Corpse's savage might, they stood even less of a chance.

The Hundred Ring Armor was far more valuable than the Hundred Dao Talisman Artifact. A single piece of Hundred Ring Armor was worth more than ten broken Talisman Artifacts, and they had only managed to acquire one through their combined Contribution Points.

Furthermore, even if they had a second Hundred Ring Armor, there was no second practitioner who had mastered the Dynamic-static Clear Two-form Fist Technique to the level of harnessing Chaos Essence Qi Strength. Without it, there was no hope of subduing the Great Prison Bone Corpse.

The Prison Bone Corpse may have lacked intelligence, but it certainly possessed combat instincts. Combat wasn't a game; there was no taunting. To defeat an enemy, one would target the weakest first—those who could resist were less of a priority than those who could be easily taken down.

The Great Prison Bone Corpse lunged, its other leg powering up as well. In just a short span of a dozen breaths, the leg, previously mangled and bloodied, showed significant signs of recovery.

The creature possessed a horrifying ability to recover.

It moved with such speed that those it targeted had no chance to evade; its staff was already crashing down upon them.

"Flame Ignite the Heavens!"

With no time to dodge, he acted on instinct, raising his palm to catch the staff. Even if he couldn't hold it, he had to at least try to slow the onslaught.

Sadly, he had sorely underestimated the strength of the Great Prison Bone Corpse. The force of Qi Refining Level Five might have slowed the attack and lessened its power, but the residual force was still enough to shatter his skull.

The fourth Law Enforcement Hall Disciple was dead.

In the span of mere moments, four had perished. Overcome with fear, some thought of fleeing.

"Run, we can't fight this. It's unbeatable!"

Bang!

But before he could make his escape, the Great Prison Bone Corpse had leaped ahead, blocking the exit. Its wolf fang staff swept through the air, its teeth gnashing, tearing away the flesh and blood of the man too slow to turn, leaving behind a gruesome display of exposed bone and viscera.

"Ah!"

He died with a scream, instilling even greater terror in the others.

Cold sweat poured down as fear gripped everyone present. No one could witness such horror and remain unafraid. Wang Yue was no exception.

He had hidden himself here to seize an opportunity, but now, instead of seizing anything, he found himself ensnared in a deadly trap.

He was well-concealed, invisible to the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples, but the Prison Bone Corpse might not be so easily fooled. A monster that could sense a person's presence through several meters of earth could surely detect Wang Yue sharing the same breath of air.

For now, the Great Prison Bone Corpse's wrath was focused on the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples, sparing Wang Yue from discovery. But once the others were dead, Wang Yue's time would likely come.

Trapped with no escape, he prepared to fight for his life.

"Splitting Strike Talisman!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with regret.

Life or Talisman Artifact? Without a doubt, life was paramount. Yet, the necessity of sacrificing a Talisman Artifact for survival brought a pang of sorrow to those who had to make the choice.

The Splitting Strike Talisman's purpose was to fully unleash the power of the Talisman Artifact, transforming it into the same number of Spirit Talismans. Thus, the Hundred Dao Talisman Artifact became a hundred Spirit Talismans.

The Talisman Artifact would shatter upon a single strike, hence the name Splitting Strike Talisman, also known as the Splitting Strike.

The remaining six individuals each produced their Talisman Artifacts, clutching a thumb-sized green jade stone in their hands—a Low Grade Spirit Stone. Without hesitation or wishful thinking, they used the Spirit Stones to shatter their Hundred Dao Talisman Artifacts.

Whether it was a blaze of fire or a flash of swords, the radiance emitted under the surge of Genuine Qi posed a formidable threat to the Great Prison Bone Corpse.

"Roar!"

Everyone was taken aback by the simultaneous shattering of the six Talisman Artifacts, which posed such an immense threat to the Great Prison Bone Corpse that it hurled its Wolf Fanged Mace in response.

"Ah!"

As the Wolf Fanged Mace hurtled toward him, the man had no choice but to prematurely unleash the Splitting Strike Talisman. Hundreds of sword lights converged on the mace, clanging ineffectively against it.

The sword qi was fierce, piercing armor and slaying foes with the precision of a hair's breadth, yet it was no match for the heavy onslaught of the Wolf Fanged Mace.

The sixth person fell.

"Splitting Strike Talisman, release!"

The death of another comrade sent chills down their spines. They dared not maximize the Splitting Strike Talisman's power, opting instead to release it immediately.

Sword qi and fiery light swirled around them, forcing the Great Prison Bone Corpse to crouch defensively, shielding its head from the Splitting Strike Talisman's blows.

Crack!

A resounding snap echoed as the Great Prison Bone Corpse's left palm severed, dropping to the ground.

Another sound followed as a large chunk of bone armor from its leg was sheared off, exposing the dark red flesh beneath.

With the power of the Splitting Strike Talisman exhausted, they drew their next Talisman Artifacts, ready to harness their power once again.

Sensing the onslaught had ceased, the Great Prison Bone Corpse surged upward with a swift motion, soaring through the air. Its remaining hand clutched the leader's skull and, with a snap, crushed it to pieces.

The eighth had fallen. Now, aside from Hee Ziang who had taken cover, only three remained.

The three Talisman Artifacts, though composed of seventy to eighty talismans each, paled in comparison to the Hundred Dao Talisman Artifact. Unable to fully unleash the power of the Splitting Strike Talisman, the Great Prison Bone Corpse's palm came crashing down, reaping another life, while its own wounds grew more severe.

Its body was a map of trauma; not an inch was spared. Broken legs, severed arms, and a flipped spinal column exposed the dark red flesh beneath.

"Run!"

The will to fight had deserted the last two survivors. They had already edged closer to the exit and, without a moment's hesitation, they fled.

The Great Prison Bone Corpse gave chase. Despite being down to one leg, it was still slightly quicker than the escapees, but it couldn't quite catch up immediately.

As the Great Prison Bone Corpse pursued its quarry, Hee Ziang cautiously rose to his feet.

"The artifact is mine!" he declared, his face smeared with blood, as he approached the mace with a malevolent grin. He fondly stroked the weapon, nearly as tall as he was.

"Is it, now?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice from behind sent shivers down his spine.

"Wang Yue!"

Hee Ziang spun around, his arm whipping through the air as the gleam of the Palm Edge Blade shone brightly. His mastery of the Palm Edge Blade, capable of striking an inch off the ground at the Qi Refining Stage, was executed to perfection. A single inch of the blade's edge could be lethal.

Had Wang Yue been struck, he would have surely sustained grave injuries, if not death. But Wang Yue had come prepared, his fist charged with Explosive Strength, striking preemptively.

Boom!

The sound of the explosion echoed as the punch landed squarely on Hee Ziang's back. The Palm Edge Blade's attack was interrupted mid-strike, his flesh and bones bursting apart. He was flung away like a torn rag doll.

"You... You can't kill me... I am... I am a Law Enforcement Hall Disciple... You can't kill me..."

He gasped for air as he lay prone on the ground, unable to rise, yet he continued to mutter about the Sect Rule.

"Sect Rule?" Wang Yue chuckled. "It's only a violation of the Sect Rule if you can prove I was the killer. If you can't, then I'm innocent."

He dragged the spiked club toward Hee Ziang, who glanced back before desperately trying to crawl away. Despite knowing his injuries were too severe to move, he persisted.

The spiked club was extraordinarily heavy, and Wang Yue exerted all his strength to lift it. Releasing his grip, the club's weight crushed Hee Ziang's body.

As the club's teeth snapped shut, severing the broken spine and ribs, Wang Yue felt a genuine shiver of horror.

"Bizarre!"

He felt the club's handle and noticed something off. With a twist of his Hard Soft strength, there was a crack!

The handle's end was detachable from the club's body, and with a few turns, he tossed aside a fist-sized piece, revealing a dark red jade bead.

"What's this?"

Removing the Blood Jade Bead, he saw it was still connected to the Wolf Fanged Stick by several blood threads.

"Could it be that the Wolf Fanged Stick's ability to devour flesh and blood, and to spawn the Great Prison Bone Corpse and Corpse Stealer, is due to this jade bead?"

If so, this bead was not to be taken lightly, as it was either a magical artifact or one of the Celestial Materials and Earthly Treasures.

The blood threads snapped quickly, and without time to ponder, Wang Yue erased the fingerprints from the club's handle, reattached the cap, and bolted outside.

The Wolf Fanged Stick itself was a magical artifact, but regrettably, it was too heavy. Weighing nearly a thousand pounds, if he attempted to carry the club, he wouldn't stand a chance of escaping and would be beaten to death by the returning Great Prison Bone Corpse.

If one becomes too greedy, they must be prepared to pay with their life for that greed. Wang Yue had no intention of dying for a mere magical artifact.

"Oh, how wonderful it would be to have a spatial bag or a Storage Ring. Such a shame to lose a magical artifact!"

There were plenty of Talisman Artifacts on the corpse, but Wang Yue dared not take them. Who knew if they were marked in any way?

With twelve Law Enforcement Hall Disciples dead, the Deacon would surely conduct a thorough investigation. If it were discovered that he possessed the Talisman Artifacts of the deceased, he would be unable to clear his name, especially since he had indeed killed Hee Ziang.

The Sect Rule was clear: fratricide was the second most grievous offense, with betrayal being the first. Thus, one could imagine the Myriad Qi Profound Sect's stance on the killing of fellow disciples.

His purpose in coming here was to settle a score with an enemy, not to invite disaster upon himself.

Securing a blood jade bead that appeared to be a magical artifact was already an immense gain; he couldn't afford to be overly greedy.

He advanced covertly, cautiously trailing the Great Prison Bone Corpse, just as he had previously followed the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples. He remained hidden with great care until the sound of the Great Prison Bone Corpse's footsteps faded away.

Only when the footsteps of the Great Prison Bone Corpse were no longer audible did he emerge from his hiding spot and make a run for it.