The Celestial Corpse Flame

Chapter 412: Stirring the Seas Beyond; The Celestial Corpse Flame

When the middle-aged man heard the elder’s words, a flicker of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

“Could it be that you’ve truly mastered that demonic art?” There was a hint of dread in his voice.

“Now that you’ve guessed it, things are simpler. If you lay down your arms obediently now, I might still let you live. As for the alternative… I trust you know the consequences well enough without me having to spell them out.” As the old man spoke, he extended a palm. With a sizzling sound, a pitch-black ball of flame materialized atop his hand.

“The Celestial Corpse Flame! You’ve finally mastered it.” The middle-aged man’s face was ashen, his voice dry. There was a hoarse quality of sheer terror to it.

Seeing this, Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin sneered. Then he turned his head toward Zileng1 and the others, speaking with cool arrogance.

“Listen well. This venerable ancestor is in an excellent mood today and is willing to offer you a path to survival. If you are willing to pledge your allegiance to Extreme Yin Island from now on, you may continue your idle cavorting as you please. However, any orders I give must be carried out faithfully and without hesitation. Otherwise, the fate before you will be utter dissolution—body and soul. Now, each of you will hand over a third of your primordial soul to these Soul-Branding Tablets, and you may leave safely.” With that, he reached into his robe and drew out several pitch-black wooden plaques, staring coldly at the group.

Han Li and the other cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.

No one was foolish enough to step forward and take the tablets; likewise, no one dared to openly refuse. Cowed by the man’s reputation, the hall fell into dead silence.

In truth, the Core Formation cultivators on Zileng’s side were few: aside from Han Li and Qu Hun, there was only that man named Meng and a hawk-nosed cultivator brought by Zhuo Ruting. The remaining six or seven—Zileng Floating Cloud, Madam Fan, and the others—were merely at the mid or late Qi Condensation stage.

As for Elder Chi Huo, who had been lurking within the dark cloud, he had long since silently released the three Hidden Kill Sect cultivators he had been holding captive. The group remained within the black cloud, equally silent.

“It seems you’ve all chosen death and the total destruction of your souls. Very well. This Venerable Ancestor will grant your wish!” A murderous chill settled over Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin’s features as he spoke.

The instant his words fell, the hawk-nosed cultivator standing behind Zhuo Ruting abruptly transformed into a streak of yellow light, shooting skyward and away from the group. As Zhuo Ruting watched in shock and fury, the light had already flown several hundred feet before a cold snort echoed back.

“Hmph. I, Feng, have no desire to oppose His Reverence, nor any interest in being ordered about. I’ll take my leave first.”

In those few words, the yellow light had already shot another hundred feet into the distance. Remarkable speed!

Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin’s eyes flickered with a dangerous light. With a casual flick of the hand that still held the black fireball, the orb vanished from his palm. It flickered once, then twice, before transforming into a thin streak of black light that instantly disappeared without a trace.

The others could only watch in bewilderment, but Han Li, who had seen the movement, felt his expression tighten.

At the same time, a scream rang out from the distant yellow light. A strange black flame erupted, shrinking rapidly before vanishing. In the blink of an eye, nothing remained but a dim, damaged flying blade.

“Hiss!” Han Li drew in a sharp breath.

The speed of that black flame was simply absurd!

He calculated that, if he were at a greater distance and fully alert, he might just have a slim chance of dodging it. But within a range of two to three hundred feet, he would have absolutely no means of evasion.

And judging by the power of that flame—reducing a man to ashes in an instant—it was more than a match for the “Green Sun Demonic Flame” of the Six Demonic Sects. Ordinary magical treasures would certainly be useless against it.

With the realization that his life could be ended at any moment, Han Li’s lips went dry, and his heart pounded violently in his chest.

It took considerable effort to suppress the overwhelming urge to flee immediately. He knew full well that if he made any rash move now, he would only die faster.

But handing over a third of his primordial soul was something he would never, under any circumstances, agree to. It would be akin to delivering his own life into his enemy’s hands.

If the opponent destroyed the portion of soul on the tablet, a cultivator missing that part of their origin would either become a simpleton, wandering through life in a daze, or suffer a mental collapse and die on the spot.

This vile technique of branding another’s soul could only be performed by Nascent Soul cultivators. Even Core Formation cultivators had no such ability.

Han Li forced himself to steady his mind and glanced around at the others, looking for any viable plan.

Not far off, the middle-aged Cultivator Meng, who had been grinning moments before, now wore a completely grim expression. Sensing Han Li’s gaze, he managed only a bitter smirk before turning back to stare heavily at Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin.

Zileng, standing at the front, still appeared calm, but her hands, clasped behind her back, were tightly twisted together—a sight that left Han Li speechless.

As for Madam Fan, Zhuo Ruting, and the other Sublime Sound Sect cultivators, they had long lost all color from their faces. Though they managed to keep their composure, the terror in their eyes could not be hidden.

Han Li licked his lips and turned his gaze toward the Hidden Kill Sect group.

The middle-aged man, having witnessed the power of Extreme Yin’s black demonic flame, briefly registered the shock before half-closing his eyes in thought.

When Han Li looked over, the man spoke in a deep voice.

“Don’t let the old fiend frighten you. Since he’s possessing another body, this newly developed technique can’t be used many times. Otherwise, the possessed vessel will burst and die. Right now, our only option is to join forces against him.”

With these words, the middle-aged man deliberately cast a glance toward the cloud where Elder Chi Huo was hidden.

In his mind, only by joining forces with Chi Huo, another late Core Formation cultivator, could they hope to stand against the enemy.

Yet after his words, the black cloud remained utterly silent. Not a single sound emerged.

The strange stillness made everyone, including Han Li, feel a growing tension.

Zileng stared coldly at the cloud, saying nothing.

Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin gave a cold laugh.

He brought his hands together, then parted them again, producing two more black fireballs that hovered in his palms. The sight made everyone’s expression shift, their gazes fixed on the two orbs, watching for any movement.

At that moment, the black cloud began to churn violently, and a sharp, grating voice echoed from within—Elder Chi Huo’s voice, unmistakable.

“Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin, do you mean to make me submit as well?”

“Of course. Since this Venerable Ancestor has personally possessed a body to come here, everyone present will either die or acknowledge me as master. No one will be an exception.” Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin spoke flatly, his gaze fixed on the churning cloud.

“Excellent! Excellent! A mere possessed body dares to covet this Island Master’s loyalty! It seems I’ll have to test the might of your demonic flame after all.” Elder Chi Huo’s tone was brimming with barely contained rage. The dark cloud rolled with greater intensity, and the sound of thunder and crackling fire swelled within it.

Seeing that Chi Huo and Extreme Yin had finally reached a breaking point, the Sublime Sound Sect and Hidden Kill Sect cultivators all breathed a sigh of relief.

If this old eccentric would join the fight, perhaps they had a fighting chance after all.

After all, Chi Huo’s “Kui Water Demonic Art” was a famously powerful technique throughout the Chaotic Star Seas. It might prove a worthy counter to Extreme Yin’s demonic flame!

“Senior Extreme Yin, are you not afraid that the Star Palace will take notice if you so flagrantly use the Soul-Branding Art? As far as I know, the Twin Saints of the Heavenly Star have strictly forbidden you Nascent Soul elders from using this technique.” Zileng suddenly interjected with this question.

Even an old fiend like Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin showed a flicker of unease at the mention of the Star Palace and the Heavenly Twin Saints.

But he quickly regained his composure and let out a cold chuckle.

“Little girl, you certainly know a great deal. The Star Palace did issue such a prohibition against us, but that was in the past. Do you truly believe that the Heavenly Twin Saints would dare to leave Heavenly Star City so easily now? As long as the Twin Saints do not intervene, what can the rest of the Star Palace do against us?”

These words struck like lightning, leaving Han Li and the others stunned. Only the middle-aged man of the Hidden Kill Sect showed no surprise, clearly already aware of this.

Zileng’s heart sank like a stone, but she quickly steeled herself and spoke coldly to the middle-aged man.

“You and Senior Chi Huo will handle the old fiend. The rest will first deal with the traitors, then finish off the old fiend together!”

The middle-aged man was momentarily taken aback, but immediately understood. He waved at his subordinates.

“Do as she says for now. If we don’t drive the old fiend back, none of us will survive.”

With that, he turned a frosty gaze toward the enemy. At the same time, Elder Chi Huo’s dark cloud drifted slowly overhead to join his position, forming a tentative alliance.

The several Core Formation cultivators of the Hidden Kill Sect exchanged glances, then flew without a word to stand alongside Han Li and the others, fixing cold stares on the traitor Elder Zhao and his group.

Seeing that they no longer had to face the terrifying demonic flame of Extreme Yin directly, Cultivator Meng and the Sublime Sound Sect disciples looked visibly relieved. They brought out their magic tools and unleashed their treasures, ready for the coming slaughter.

But Han Li, standing at the very back of the group, was frowning deeply.

For some reason, the situation before him stirred an acute sense of foreboding—as if something terrible was about to happen.

Something felt off. Had Revered Ancestor Extreme Yin truly come alone, relying solely on his Possession Art to fight an entire group?

He licked his dry lips. With a flicker of thought, he quietly gave a few instructions to Qu Hun before finally unleashing his Green Essence Sword.