The sect master recounted everything about the Poison Corpse Emperor, partly to intimidate the Reaper, and partly to rekindle the confidence of the assembled elders.
The reason was simple: if any elders were to defect at this juncture, it would pose a grave danger to the Five Poisons Sect.
As the sect master's voice echoed, the elders, who had been silent and apprehensive, began to stir.
The look of apprehension in their eyes had faded, and they all regained their courage.
It was true that the Reaper was a Heaven-tier expert, but they also had a Heaven-tier combatant in the Poison Corpse Emperor. The two could be considered to offset each other.
If that were the case, they would only be facing Xue Qi and her two companions. While troublesome, they were still confident.
After all, they had the advantage of numbers.
On the other side, witnessing the shift in everyone's demeanor, Ye Cangtian let out a soft scoff. "Are you all getting excited too soon? This Poison Corpse Emperor hasn't moved at all yet.
Could it be that it's been neglected for too long and has lost its combat ability?"
This...
At his words, everyone was struck as if by lightning, their faces turning instantly blank.
Indeed, ever since the blood coffin was opened, the Poison Corpse Emperor had not budged. This was illogical!
With that thought, all eyes turned to the sect master, awaiting his explanation.
Hmph!
Seeing this, the sect master let out a cold snort.
He looked at Ye Cangtian with disdain and said, "Reaper, you are indeed too young and inexperienced. Do you think the Poison Corpse Emperor acts so readily?
To activate the Poison Corpse Emperor, it requires human blood essence!"
As he spoke, the sect master heavily struck his chest, and a spurt of blood essence flew out, landing on the Poison Corpse Emperor.
In an instant, the blood essence seeped into the Poison Corpse Emperor's body.
The next moment, the Poison Corpse Emperor's blood-red and malevolent eyes snapped open, and it let out a furious roar, its voice reverberating throughout the entire hall.
Observing the oppressive aura of the Poison Corpse Emperor, Ye Cangtian's brow furrowed. From that single roar, he judged that this was definitely not something a mere Poison Corpse King could compare to.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian turned his head to look at Xue Qi and the others behind him. "Protect yourselves. This fellow might be a bit troublesome."
Xue Qi and the others nodded in response.
"Kill him!"
On the other side, the sect master had no intention of wasting more words with the Reaper. He directly pointed at the Reaper.
In the next instant, as if understanding the command, the Poison Corpse Emperor flashed and appeared before Ye Cangtian.
Swish, swish, swish...
A series of whistling sounds filled the air as the Poison Corpse Emperor's claws ferociously slashed towards Ye Cangtian.
With each swing, its speed was incredibly fast, its power immense, and its attacks targeted the most difficult-to-defend areas, making it incredibly hard to anticipate.
Fortunately, Ye Cangtian possessed immense mental power, allowing him to foresee the opponent's attack trajectories, thus repeatedly blocking its advances.
As the battle progressed, Ye Cangtian and the Poison Corpse Emperor moved faster and faster, the sounds of their clashes echoing ceaselessly.
Ye Cangtian also discreetly activated his Heavenly Eye. Beings like the Poison Corpse Emperor were extremely vulnerable to mental attacks.
He then unleashed a soul shockwave, causing the Poison Corpse Emperor's body to stagger slightly.
Ye Cangtian's expression immediately turned grim.
The Poison Corpse Emperor was not weak in terms of mental power. It had merely paused for a moment before recovering.
Despite his thoughts, Ye Cangtian had already seized the initiative. With two swift strikes from his Reaper's Scythe, he struck the Poison Corpse Emperor's chest, emitting a jarring sound.
This...
In the next moment, Ye Cangtian's expression grew even more solemn.
While he hadn't used his killing moves, his attacks were still formidable! Yet, upon landing on the opponent's armor, they had only resulted in two shallow scratches.
This armor was simply too monstrously tough!
With such incredible defensive capabilities, close-quarters combat was practically meaningless; he had to resort to killing moves.
However, the opponent's relentless, frenzied attacks made it difficult to find an opening for such moves.
"Heh heh, Reaper, you're out of moves, aren't you?"
"If you willingly stop now and pledge your allegiance to me, I can spare you!"
As Ye Cangtian was contemplating his next move, the sect master's voice reached him.
Although the Reaper's Scythe had struck the Poison Corpse Emperor multiple times, it had inflicted no significant damage. Currently, both sides were evenly matched.
But one must not forget that the Reaper was, after all, human. Both his stamina and spiritual energy were finite.
Therefore, if this battle continued, the Reaper would eventually be the one to fall.
It was for this reason that the sect master's face was already graced with a triumphant smile.
"Sect master, do you think you've won?"
"It's merely a Poison Corpse. Do you truly believe it can kill me?"
Upon hearing the sect master's words, Ye Cangtian's face showed disdain.
The Poison Corpse Emperor before him was indeed troublesome, but not invincible. Moreover, the recent soul shockwave had proven that soul attacks were effective against it.
With this knowledge, he was confident of his ability to defeat the Poison Corpse Emperor.
"Perhaps the Poison Corpse Emperor cannot kill you, but don't forget, within this hall, you still have three burdens!"
"What if I were to attack them now, could you stop me?"
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, the sect master's face contorted into an evil smile.
Indeed, if the Reaper focused solely on escaping, the Poison Corpse Emperor would have great difficulty killing him.
But if he fled, what about these three women?
Taking a step further, even if the Reaper managed to destroy the Poison Corpse Emperor, he would still have the three women as hostages, making the Reaper hesitant to act against him.
This was why he had set his sights on the three women, while also aiming to distract the Reaper.
"Hmph! You, as the sect master of the Five Poisons Sect, how can you be so despicable!"
"To deal with three women, have you no shame?"
Ye Cangtian's expression instantly turned icy as he spoke with contempt.
"What use is shame?"
"Besides, in your eyes, isn't the Five Poisons Sect considered a path of malevolence and heresy?"
"Have you ever seen a path of malevolence and heresy reason with you!"
The sect master chuckled sinisterly, then swept his gaze across the elders present. "Esteemed elders, the Reaper is occupied. Taking down these three women should not be a problem for you, right?"
"Your subordinate is willing to act and take them down!"
"Your subordinate is also willing to act on behalf of the sect master..."
As the sect master's words fell, the elders present eagerly volunteered.
In an instant, they seemed to view the three women before them as a piece of cake, as if delaying would mean losing them to someone else.
The sect master smiled slightly and said, "Don't fight amongst yourselves. Why don't you all attack together!"
Clang, clang, clang...
As the sect master's words concluded, numerous sect members drew their weapons and flashed towards Xue Qi and the other two.
On the other side, Xue Qi and Bing Yao were not to be trifled with. Sensing the escalating danger, they also drew their weapons and positioned themselves in front of Yao Bao'er.
Instantly, blades and swords clashed. Within a single exchange, Xue Qi had already disarmed an elder of the Five Poisons Sect.
In terms of power, Xue Qi's cultivation had reached the sixth heavenly realm. Apart from the second and third elders, no one else present was her match.
However, the sheer number of opponents, coupled with their formidable cultivation, meant that after a few exchanges, the three women were forcibly separated.
Consequently, among the three, only Xue Qi could still manage to cope, while Yao Bao'er and Bing Yao found themselves in increasingly dire and perilous situations.
Witnessing the plight of the three women, the sect master's face beamed with smug satisfaction.
He then looked at Ye Cangtian, who was still locked in fierce combat, and said menacingly, "Reaper, if you don't surrender now, I will be forced to take their lives!"
All the elders knew that the sect master wanted the three women alive to use them as leverage against the Reaper.
This was why they hadn't delivered any killing blows, and it was also the reason the three women had survived this long.
However, the sect master, seeing elder after elder fall into pools of blood due to their restraint, felt an immense surge of anger.
This was why he had chosen to threaten Ye Cangtian before the battle concluded.
Hmph!
Ye Cangtian's cold snort instantly echoed back.
"Sect master, are you perhaps overthinking things? Do you believe they are weak? Are they easily killed just because you say so?"
Huh?
Upon hearing this, the sect master's eyes darted around. Could it be that these three women possessed some hidden means of survival?
It shouldn't be the case!
They were already in a precarious situation. If they had any life-saving trump cards, they should have revealed them by now.
With this thought, the sect master's expression darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "Reaper, do you think such a cheap trick can fool me? Do you take me for a three-year-old child!"
After a pause, the sect master continued coldly, "Now, I will show you how I deal with them and make you pay for your actions..."