A burly man in imposing battle armor, with a long scar across his face, suddenly sat up in the coffin.
Even with his eyes closed, he appeared ferocious.
“Senior, this… is this a zombie? Can the dead come back to life? Did ancient people possess such abilities?” Yang Chen trembled all over as he watched the bizarre scene.
“No, it shouldn’t be a zombie? It looks more like the legendary corpse transformation.”
Bai Jing also shivered.
Truth be told, he could accept the骷髅石人 (kūlóu shírén - skeletal stone figures), as they were embedded with crystals and clearly man-made.
But the burly man before them was clearly flesh and blood, evidently an ancient powerhouse.
Furthermore, they hadn’t sensed any aura from him, and his skin was grayish-blue and lifeless, indicating he was undoubtedly dead!
“It’s not a zombie, nor a corpse transformation.”
“He must have been dead for countless years, his body incorruptible, and under the nourishment of energy crystals and formations, he has developed sentience…”
Jian Wusheng explained in a low voice, his expression turning serious.
Such an existence implied that the individual was exceptionally powerful in life, otherwise, it would be difficult for his body to remain incorruptible.
At the same time, he must have hidden his body within formations and crystals, seemingly seeking a way to be reborn.
However, it was newly formed sentience, and although it controlled a powerful body, it likely couldn’t unleash its full strength.
“This is possible, it’s somewhat hard to comprehend,” Yang Chen muttered after hearing this.
“There’s nothing that can’t be understood. Just like the Heart of the Ruins, it was originally inanimate, but after countless ages, it might still develop sentience,” Jian Wusheng said.
“Uh, Senior, what realm is required to achieve an incorruptible body? Are you capable of it now?” Bai Jing asked after a moment of contemplation.
Hmph!
Jian Wusheng didn’t answer, merely glaring at Bai Jing.
Ye Cangtian almost burst out laughing from the side.
What kind of question was that? Jian Wusheng wasn’t dead, so how would he know?
He looked at the ancient corpse slowly sitting up and frowned, saying, “Senior, should we retreat? Since he has developed sentience, he is considered a person. We don’t need to fight him, do we?”
Ye Cangtian had many thoughts. For instance, if they could befriend this person, and given that he was an ancient powerhouse, surely communicating well would be beneficial to them?
“You’re overthinking it.”
“The generation of sentience is extremely slow. Even with sentience, due to the lack of moral and ethical constraints, such sentience is often brutal and bloodthirsty!”
“Look at his current actions, and you’ll understand.”
Jian Wusheng glanced at Ye Cangtian and then spoke.
This meant that the armored strongman was no longer the ancient powerhouse he once was, merely a vessel with his body.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian’s gaze swept over.
He saw that the armored strongman had now opened his eyes, revealing blood-red pupils.
He reached into the coffin with his hands and retrieved a pair of battle axes.
One axe was black, the other white, both emitting a faint glow, clearly not ordinary items.
But in his hands, they instilled an immense sense of pressure!
“I am… Sui Tian! You dare disturb my long slumber, today… no one leaves!”
Flames of anger flashed in the strongman’s eyes.
Although the language was somewhat different, strangely, everyone could understand the meaning of his words.
Everyone was amazed, after all, this was an ancient powerhouse who had been dead for an unknown number of years, now seemingly resurrected and able to speak.
Even though Jian Wusheng said this was not resurrection but new sentience developed after millennia of incorruptibility, it was still enough to inspire terror!
Bai Jing and Yang Chen exchanged glances, while Ye Cangtian, standing beside them, suddenly sensed something and urgently warned, “Be careful, he seems to be going berserk!”
Ye Cangtian had been observing the opponent closely.
He had initially thought that since the corpse could speak, perhaps communication was possible, but reality proved him wrong.
Because the strongman’s eyes quickly turned completely blood-red, and his entire face became devoid of any emotion.
And just as he issued his warning,
They quickly saw the strongman opposite them instantly stand up and directly swing the giant axe in his hand, releasing it to fly directly towards Ye Cangtian and the others.
“Watch out!”
Bai Jing and Yang Chen shouted as they saw the giant axe flying towards them.
The flying battle axe was incredibly fast; even their eyes struggled to keep up with its speed. They only saw a flash of black light streaking towards them, seemingly aimed at themselves.
Clink!
At this moment, a crisp sound was heard.
Ye Cangtian, with swift hands, holding the skeletal dagger, instantly appeared before the two, forcefully intercepting the axe for them.
“Bang!”
As the giant axe flew towards them, it collided with the skeletal dagger.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian’s expression changed drastically. The seemingly casual strike from the ancient powerhouse contained immense force.
As a result, he was instantly sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall behind him.
“This…”
Ye Cangtian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. A mere casual blow had sent him reeling, his internal organs in turmoil. Such strength was probably comparable to that of a true Earth-level powerhouse.
“Those who follow me prosper, those who defy me perish!”
The strongman’s fighting spirit surged. The axe that had flown away returned to his hand, and the next moment, he continued to attack Ye Cangtian directly.
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly. Facing this seemingly emotionless strongman, a fighting spirit began to rise within him.
He also wanted to see how long he could withstand the attacks of this ancient powerhouse’s corpse, which still retained Earth-level strength!
He also wanted to see how much his own strength had improved after their experience on the island ruins!
He waved his hand, signaling Bai Jing and Yang Chen to leave the room.
“Then, we’ll leave this to Brother Ye and Senior Jian Wusheng!”
Yang Chen and Bai Jing hesitated for a moment before cupping their hands and departing.
The axe-wielding strongman was clearly very powerful. They wouldn’t be of much help even if they stayed. Besides, even if Ye Cangtian couldn’t hold on, there was still Jian Wusheng!
Seeing the two retreat from the room, Jian Wusheng looked at Ye Cangtian.
He had intended to say that he would handle it.
However, Ye Cangtian instantly charged towards the axe-wielding strongman, leaving behind a single sentence: “Senior, please wait a moment, let me spar with it first!”
“Be careful, don’t take it head-on!”
Sensing the aura of the axe-wielding strongman, Jian Wusheng’s expression was grave. As he uttered his warning, Ye Cangtian had already charged forward.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
A series of impact sounds ensued.
In just a few breaths, Ye Cangtian had clashed with the axe-wielding strongman several times.
Each time, he was sent flying backward by the opponent.
Each time, the opponent’s attack landed first, and Ye Cangtian could only defend passively!
This was because the opponent not only possessed great strength but was also surprisingly fast!