Large numbers of hundred corpse patchworks were drifting down the ley line.
They were packed together like schools of migrating fish, drifting downstream with the current.
Wing-Fire Snake and Jiao Mu Jiao continued to clear the path. The two summons worked in perfect harmony, slaughtering every hundred corpse patchwork they encountered.
Chen Zhou led Lian along the ley line.
As they progressed, the number of hundred corpse patchworks grew until they nearly choked the entire ley line. However, they were no match for the two seventh-stage fifth symbiosis contract summons, who systematically wiped out every single one that approached.
After traveling unobstructed for about half an hour, a colossal object finally appeared ahead.
Chen Zhou stopped.
The ley line flowed toward a massive, multi-colored rock.
The rock was oval-shaped, nearly a thousand zhang high and hundreds of zhang wide, radiating a dazzling seven-colored glow.
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—the seven colors intertwined like a giant, blindingly beautiful gemstone.
Yet, the surface was riddled with cracks oozing a viscous liquid that looked like blood or pus.
The liquid dripped from the rock, corroding deep pits into the ground where it landed.
The ley line was slowly merging into the rock, its emerald light being absorbed into the core of the massive stone.
Several deformed behemoths stood before the rock.
Each stood hundreds of zhang tall, cobbled together from countless corpses. Their features were distorted, with multiple faces mashed together, each displaying a different emotion—some weeping, some laughing, and others screaming.
These massive hundred corpse patchworks stood like mountains of flesh, emitting a thick, putrid stench.
The smaller hundred corpse patchworks that had followed the ley line instinctively walked toward these giants, merging into their bodies.
With each fusion, the massive patchworks continued to grow in size.
Nearby, many little demons were suspended in mid-air, bound by green silk threads.
They were the little demons from the underground city. Among them, Chen Zhou spotted Jian Huaishuang.
He was bound at the very center, wrapped in green threads like a butterfly caught in a web.
Most of his paper armor was shattered, revealing pale skin riddled with cracks that oozed grayish-white death qi.
Plague Rat was there as well, tied next to Jian Huaishuang. He was wrapped so tightly he looked like a ball of thread, with only half his head visible. His mouth opened and closed as if he were cursing, though no sound came out.
Below the suspended demons, Tao Tuantuan stood with a calm expression.
Dressed in pink with her hair neatly combed, she stood silently, watching the little demons hanging above her.
She looked at them like a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
“You’ve arrived.”
Tao Tuantuan’s tone was flat, as if she had expected this. Her face remained expressionless, and her eyes were as calm as a pool of stagnant water.
Chen Zhou didn’t reply.
He had very little death qi left, barely enough to maintain his Ghost Domain. His available combat strength consisted of Wing-Fire Snake, Jiao Mu Jiao, and Lian’s black-spot summons.
However, the giant hundred corpse patchworks behind Tao Tuantuan were each hundreds of zhang tall, formed from countless corpses. Their auras were roughly equivalent to the seventh-stage third contract level.
They were outnumbered, and the quality of the enemies was not to be underestimated.
“Save them first,” he told Lian.
Lian nodded and immediately activated Jiao Mu Jiao.
The black Jiao opened its mouth, letting out a low hiss before lunging at the nearest giant hundred corpse patchwork.
Simultaneously, Wing-Fire Snake’s ten-zhang-long skeletal frame left a scorched trail on the ground. Transparent flames erupted from its bone joints, transforming into a sea of white fire that surged toward the patchworks.
The simultaneous assault of two seventh-stage fifth symbiosis contract summons was terrifyingly powerful.
The black Jiao’s body acted like a massive black blade, piercing straight through the chest of one hundred corpse patchwork.
Its dark scales shimmered with a gloomy light. Carrying Lian’s infection ability, the moment it touched the patchwork, it transformed into countless tiny black threads that burrowed into the wound.
The rotting flesh of the hundred corpse patchwork began to blacken, and countless black spots erupted across its surface.
The behemoth let out a shrill roar, its massive body trembling violently.
The rotting corpses sewn onto its body began to fall off in chunks. However, the fallen corpses were not dead; they writhed and struggled on the ground, emitting screams and wails.
They sounded like they were calling for help, weeping, cursing, and begging for mercy.
The cacophony of voices was both piercing and horrifying.
Chen Zhou caught a glimpse of Jian Huaishuang above Tao Tuantuan’s head. The demon had suddenly opened his eyes.
Then, he gave a slight shake of his head.
The movement was tiny and almost imperceptible, but Chen Zhou saw it.
In a flash, he made his decision.
Wing-Fire Snake was opening its mouth, preparing to blast the infected patchwork with flames.
Chen Zhou immediately sent a command through his sea of consciousness. The direction of the flames shifted slightly, merely grazing the patchwork and setting half of its body ablaze.
The fire roared to life, and Withering Venom seeped into the patchwork’s body through the flames.
The colossal creature let out a deafening roar as half of its body disintegrated in the fire.
For a moment, it seemed as if countless souls were pouring out of its body like a swarm of disturbed moths, wailing as they dissipated in the flames.
Chen Zhou watched impassively, understanding why Jian Huaishuang had shaken his head.
The hundred corpse patchwork contained so many souls refined by Wan Xiu. It was truly a sinister creation.
As he thought this, a light chuckle suddenly echoed from the air.
“It has been a long time. It seems I have underestimated you once again.”
“I didn’t expect you to find this place.”
Wan Xiu’s voice was elusive, drifting in from all directions so that its source could not be pinpointed.
At that moment, Chen Zhou felt a surge of intense hatred erupting from within Tao Tuantuan.
It was an unforgettable, bone-deep hatred, the kind that made one want to devour the other person alive and scatter their ashes.
Chen Zhou instinctively looked over. In the distance, Tao Tuantuan’s face remained calm, like a mirror reflecting nothing.
She bowed toward the empty air with elegant composure.
“Welcome, Lord Wan Xiu.”
“This humble girl has prepared the sacrifices for Lord Qing Lu.”
Wan Xiu’s laughter rang out again.
“Well done, Tao Tuantuan. As expected of Wenqu incarnate, you are the most loyal soul I have ever refined.”
“Hahahaha.”
“You have remained dormant in Tianchi Province for eight hundred years. The quantity and quality of the sacrifices you’ve gathered far exceed my expectations. Lord Qing Lu is very pleased.”
“Once the matters in Tianchi are settled, I shall take you back to Central Province’s Sky-Monitoring to meet Lord Qing Lu.”
Tao Tuantuan lowered her head, her hair casting a shadow over her eyes. “Thank you, Lord Wan Xiu.”
But Chen Zhou could feel the hatred within her intensifying even further.
It was so thick it was nearly overflowing.
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