In the southwest of Hua Nation, within the Miao territory, lay a village ravaged by the Gu poison.
Ye Qingyan, clad in white, a treasured sword on her back, yet sporting wireless earphones, walked through the deserted village.
She scanned her surroundings, seemingly wary of something.
Ever since dealing with the Heavenly Nether Ghost King alongside Ye Ling, she had been active in the Miao region, earning commissions by assisting the local Dragon Division branches with various demonic and evil incidents.
Though Ye Qingyan's income from working with the Dragon Division was not as high as it was at the Red Dust Pavilion, she lived much more freely and had learned to enjoy life.
Due to her activities in the southwest, Ye Qingyan had also gained considerable renown among the cultivators in the region, even earning the moniker "White-Clad Sword Immortal."
This time, Ye Qingyan had accepted a commission from the Dragon Division's Southwest Branch to eliminate a Corpse King in this abandoned village.
Even though the Kyoto Dragon Division had encountered trouble, the southwest region was far from the capital. It had only been a little over a month since the incident in Kyoto, and the Dragon Division's Southwest Branch had not been significantly affected, still operating normally.
*Crack!*
As Ye Qingyan stepped on a dry twig, the silence of the village was broken. A piercing howl echoed from the depths of the village.
"It seems the intel was correct..."
Hearing the howl, Ye Qingyan's gaze sharpened. She quickened her pace towards the village's interior, simultaneously contacting the head of the Dragon Division's Southwest Branch via her wireless earphones. "Director Zhao, I've found the Corpse King you mentioned. Its aura is stronger than I anticipated. Prepare for aerial support at any time."
"No problem, Miss Ye. We've already pinpointed your location and can provide support anytime. Many of our brothers have fallen to this Corpse King, so please be extremely careful."
"Thank you for the reminder. I'll contact you again later."
Ye Qingyan replied, cutting off communication with the Dragon Division, and hurried deeper into the village.
As Ye Qingyan ventured further, the stench of decay in the air grew more potent, mingled with poisonous fumes. Ye Qingyan had to use her spiritual energy to cover her mouth and nose, shielding herself from the toxic gas.
Soon, Ye Qingyan followed the roars to the village square. There, a pile of corpses was stacked like a small mountain in the center of the square. Seated atop the corpse pile was a long-haired youth. His skin was entirely purple, half his face was decayed, and even his eyeballs were exposed, presenting a horrifying visage.
"That's the Corpse King? Its cultivation is actually at the eighth rank. It seems the Dragon Division's intel was also wrong!"
Upon spotting the Corpse King sitting in the village center, Ye Qingyan's expression turned grave. She immediately found cover and re-established communication with Director Zhao, whispering, "Director Zhao, your intelligence is flawed. That Corpse King is not at the seventh rank at all, but an eighth-rank monster! It will be quite a struggle for me to take it down, and this warrants a price increase!"
Director Zhao gave a wry smile. "Miss Ye, the price you're asking is already a third of our annual mission budget. The price you've quoted is the absolute limit we can offer. If the reward is any higher, I'm afraid I won't even be able to pay my men's salaries."
"The seventh and eighth ranks are not the same level. This mission poses a life-threatening risk even to me. And I've already given you a discount because we're acquainted. Moreover, you provided me with incorrect intelligence. It's only fair that I ask for more."
"Miss Ye, please understand, even the landlord has no more grain to spare... Besides, that Corpse King is still in its growth phase. If we don't eliminate it quickly, the consequences will be endless!"
"You can pay in installments; I don't mind."
"This... Sigh, alright... I can add fifty percent to the reward, paid over three years. What do you think, Miss Ye?"
"I think that's okay. Wait for my news."
Having successfully negotiated, Ye Qingyan cut off communication with satisfaction. Just as she was about to observe the Corpse King's specific condition, she turned her head and saw that the youth with the half-decayed face had, at some unknown time, silently appeared before her, staring intently at her!
That terrifying face sent a chill down Ye Qingyan's spine!
"When did it get next to me?"
Seeing the Corpse King suddenly in front of her, Ye Qingyan's skin crawled. An extreme sense of danger filled her heart!
Without daring to think further, Ye Qingyan quickly retreated, attempting to create distance between herself and the Corpse King youth.
"Roar—!"
The Corpse King youth roared at Ye Qingyan, forming its fingers into claws and lunging at her with incredible speed!
Ye Qingyan, unable to dodge, had her sleeve torn directly, and her arm bore ferocious claw marks, which began to fester at an alarming rate!
"This fellow's claws are highly venomous!"
Ye Qingyan glanced at her injured left arm and quickly pressed a pressure point on her shoulder, blocking the poison from spreading towards her heart.
Yet, even with Ye Qingyan's swift reaction, one of her arms was already rendered useless.
If it were an ordinary cultivator who had suffered such a claw attack, they would likely have died on the spot!
After missing its first strike, the Corpse King youth did not cease its assault. Instead, it charged at Ye Qingyan like a bullet, reaching her in the blink of an eye and bringing down another claw!
Ye Qingyan hastily drew her sword from her back to parry the Corpse King youth's attack.
*Clang!!!*
The Corpse King youth's claws collided with the sword, sparks flying. Ye Qingyan, enduring the immense force of the Corpse King youth, was sent flying backward, her sword flying out of her hand!
The Corpse King youth pressed its advantage, instantly vanishing from its spot and reappearing behind Ye Qingyan, its claw reaching for her back, seemingly intending to rip out her heart!
"Taiyi Sword Shield!"
Ye Qingyan quickly circulated her cultivation technique, condensing her protective true qi, and once again withstood the Corpse King youth's attack head-on. Simultaneously, she used the Corpse King youth's momentum to rapidly create distance between them!
Ye Qingyan landed in the square, looking at the Corpse King roaring at the sky in the distance. She retrieved a pill from her怀 and swallowed it, gritting her teeth, "Damn it... This Corpse King's speed, reaction, and strength are all superior to mine. I still quoted too low a price."
Ye Qingyan was filled with regret, but she had no time to haggle further. She formed a hand seal and said quickly, "Taiyi Sword Formation!"
*Hummm—!*
The sword that had fallen in the distance flew into the sky, splitting into thousands of white light swords!
A massive sword formation rapidly took shape in the air, enveloping the Corpse King youth.
Upon unleashing this formation, Ye Qingyan's internal spiritual energy was drained by more than half, leaving her face incredibly pale.
The Corpse King youth also sensed a great threat from Ye Qingyan's sword formation, beginning to roar more ferociously. A large amount of purple toxic mist erupted from its body, spreading outwards.
Where the toxic mist passed, even stones were corroded, and the air was filled with a dangerous aura.
"This poison vat, will it ever end?"
Ye Qingyan knew she couldn't survive in the toxic mist and had to end the fight quickly. She rapidly channeled her internal spiritual energy, and the light swords suspended in the air rained down upon the Corpse King youth!
However, the moment Ye Qingyan's light swords touched the toxic mist, they were all corrupted!
"Even spiritual energy can be corrupted?"
Seeing that her sword formation couldn't harm the Corpse King youth at all, Ye Qingyan's heart was filled with immense shock!
"Roar—!"
In the instant of Ye Qingyan's shock, a roar pierced her eardrums. The Corpse King youth had already charged out of the toxic mist and was in front of her, its sharp claws ruthlessly reaching for her heart!
"No! I can't dodge!"
Ye Qingyan watched helplessly as the Corpse King youth's claws drew closer and closer to her heart. She wanted to evade this fatal blow, but her body could not keep up with her reactions.
She could only watch as the Corpse King youth attacked her.
"To think I would die at the hands of this nameless ghoul, how ironic..."
Knowing she couldn't dodge the attack, Ye Qingyan gave up struggling, allowing the Corpse King youth to strike.
"It's just a pity that before dying, I didn't get to properly say goodbye to that guy..."
Ye Qingyan's mind flashed with Ye Ling's image. She then closed her eyes, awaiting her heart to be ripped out by the Corpse King youth.
*Bang!*
At that moment, a loud noise erupted in front of Ye Qingyan. However, the severe pain she expected did not come.
"What happened?"
Ye Qingyan, filled with confusion, slowly opened her eyes. She saw a person she never expected to appear here!
Her pupils contracted sharply: "It's you!"
Ye Ling stepped on the Corpse King youth's body and smiled at Ye Qingyan, "Qingyan, long time no see."
Ye Qingyan's mind went blank!