As the corpses besieged Ye Cangtian, Meng Nan's expression shifted.
Despite Ye Cangtian's formidable strength, being surrounded by these corpse puppets was perilous. If Ye Cangtian were to expend too much energy, it would present an opportunity for Meng Nan to slay him personally.
The people of Feiyun Pavilion harbored similar thoughts. They wished for something to befall Ye Cangtian, so they could openly seize the Four Great Seals.
Thus, neither Xuefeng nor Feiyun Pavilion moved to assist him.
However, Qingyan, who was at the forefront, witnessing Ye Cangtian fighting ten opponents, charged forward without a word.
But as he advanced, a series of slicing sounds echoed.
In their sight, the incredibly resilient corpse puppets met their match in the Death Scythe.
In a short span, the arms of all ten corpse puppets were severed, leaving everyone stunned into silence.
From this moment on, they truly comprehended the terror of the Death Scythe.
*Bang bang bang...*
As a flash of dark golden light flickered, the heads of all ten corpse puppets were severed, and they all fell to the ground.
Ye Cangtian turned back, looking at the astonished gazes, and said with a smile, "My apologies, I accidentally stole everyone's credit. I'll be more careful next time."
*Ugh...*
Upon hearing this, everyone's mouths twitched.
While his words were somewhat impertinent, no one felt angered. Instead, they wished for such occurrences to happen more often.
Given Ye Cangtian's immense power, if he were to step in more frequently, casualties would undoubtedly be significantly reduced.
"Thank you, young friend, for your righteous intervention!"
On the other side, Qingyan, seeing the ten corpse puppets slain by Ye Cangtian, quickly stepped forward and cupped his fists.
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly, saying nothing. He knew that Qingyan's words were merely polite formalities.
Seeing this, Qingyan appeared slightly awkward but reacted quickly, leading everyone into the grand hall.
The hall was eerily desolate, filled with coffins, resembling a morgue.
As they entered, the lids of the coffins slowly creaked open with piercing sounds, and figures began to rise from within.
They were corpse puppets again!
However, these corpse puppets appeared far more formidable than those at the entrance, and there were at least fifty to sixty of them.
*Roar!*
With an enraged roar from the corpse puppets, they all sprang into action, charging towards them ferociously.
In an instant, the hall descended into chaos.
Due to the sheer number of corpse puppets and their indiscriminate attacks, all factions were forced to engage.
Casualties began to surge; weaker disciples were quickly slain, while stronger ones could barely resist.
Crucially, just like outside, the slain disciples soon rose again, transformed into puppets, and turned their blades against their former comrades.
Many disciples were annihilated because they couldn't bear to attack their fallen comrades.
Witnessing this, the powerful figures of all factions realized that this situation could not continue. Their own numbers dwindled while the enemy grew.
They had no choice but to step forward and wield their blades against their former allies.
Amidst the melee, Ye Cangtian protected the Hidden Group and the Yulong Mountain Villa, but his gaze flickered towards the Feiyun Pavilion as he finally spoke, his voice grim.
"Dihun, Hun Yi, these corpse puppets are most vulnerable to mental attacks. Does your Feiyun Pavilion intend to do nothing?"
As Ye Cangtian's voice carried, Dihun and Hun Yi's expressions changed drastically.
Frankly, seeing the current scene, neither Dihun nor Hun Yi had intended to intervene. Such a prime opportunity should be used to further deplete the strength of other factions. Even if it cost them some lower-ranking Feiyun Pavilion disciples, it would be worth it.
This was precisely their plan, and other factions hadn't noticed their inaction. But now, Ye Cangtian had disrupted their scheme!
By speaking out in this manner, if they didn't go all out, they risked facing a joint assault from all the factions.
With this thought, Dihun glanced at Hun Yi and nodded.
Upon seeing this, Hun Yi immediately understood and quickly commanded, "All Feiyun Pavilion disciples, heed my order, strike with all your might!"
At his command, the Feiyun Pavilion disciples who had been playing passively immediately became serious, and waves of mental energy surged towards the corpse puppets.
Simultaneously, after hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Master Butong and Yi Kong from Daxiong Temple stepped forward, their voices resonating with the Six-Character True Words mantra.
Under the combined mental attacks, shrill screams echoed incessantly.
While the corpse puppets' defenses were incredibly robust, their mental fortitude was extremely fragile.
With the full might of the Feiyun Pavilion disciples and Master Butong, these corpse puppets and controlled bodies could no longer resist and finally fell to the ground.
Silence returned as all corpse puppets were eliminated, yet a sense of joy was absent from everyone's hearts.
In such a short time, their force of over a thousand had been reduced by more than two hundred. The remaining strength was at most seven to eight hundred, a devastating loss.
On the other side, Ye Zheng Hao approached Ye Cangtian, nudged his shoulder, and whispered, "Big Brother, look at the Feiyun Pavilion; their expressions are getting uglier by the second!"
Ye Cangtian had already noticed this.
He glanced at Ye Zheng Hao and smiled, "They've made their move; why shouldn't you let them stew in their frustration a bit longer!"
Ye Zheng Hao grinned mischievously, "Heh, you're right."
Saying so, Ye Zheng Hao followed Ye Cangtian and the main group towards the second level of the palace.
Upon reaching the second level, they first encountered a vast, empty corridor. At the end of the corridor was a single large door.
Pushing the door open, they found themselves in a grand hall. Seated on the main throne was a man, broad-shouldered, with crimson eyes and skin of a reddish hue.
In appearance, he was quite similar to the corpse puppets they had encountered earlier.
The difference was that the man wore imposing armor and bore an evil smile on his face.
"You have finally arrived. Allow me to introduce myself; I am the master of this Han Shi Hall, Han Ba! And the most loyal servant of the master!"
"Firstly, on behalf of the master, I congratulate you insects for making it this far."
"Secondly, as a reward, I shall keep you all here, to become new corpse puppets!"
The man's gaze swept over them as he spoke with a sinister tone.
He then made a welcoming gesture and said, "Now, you may discuss amongst yourselves who will be the first to step forward and meet their demise!"
As his words echoed, all eyes turned to Qingyan, as he was the organizer and the most senior figure present.
For him to designate the combatants, it was unlikely anyone would object.
Feeling the weight of their gazes, Qingyan's expression grew solemn. This was a difficult position to be in, but he couldn't refuse.
With that in mind, his gaze naturally fell upon Hun Yi of Feiyun Pavilion.
Firstly, Feiyun Pavilion had been causing trouble throughout their journey, harming disciples from many factions.
Secondly, Hun Yi had consistently lurked in the shadows, indicating a cunning and ruthless disposition.
Having him make the first move would also help deplete his strength, reducing the threat he posed in the future.
"Qingyan, what do you mean by that?"
"Our Feiyun Pavilion just exerted its full effort to eliminate so many corpse puppets; our consumption is extremely high!"
"Are you trying to use Han Ba's blade to eliminate threats by having me act now?"
Sensing Qingyan's gaze, Dihun became instantly enraged.
Han Ba was clearly a formidable opponent. If he were to engage now, he risked expending too much energy, potentially suffering severe injuries.
How could he contend for the ultimate treasure after such a setback?
Therefore, he absolutely could not agree to this, and fortunately, he had a valid reason to refuse. Now, he even felt a sense of gratitude towards Ye Cangtian.
On the other side, hearing Dihun's words, Qingyan's expression turned somewhat grim.
He had to force a smile and said, "Dihun, you misunderstand. I did not intend for you to act. I merely wished to hear your opinion, to see if you thought it would be appropriate to make a move!"
There was no other way; Dihun had already exposed his intentions.
If he persisted, others would accuse him of using and discarding them, damaging the reputation of the Yan Yu Lou.
Thus, he had to think on his feet and change the subject.
Listening to Qingyan's words, Dihun inwardly sneered. This old scoundrel was passing the buck, pushing him to offend others. However, since that was the case, it wasn't too bad!
With this thought, Dihun slowly spoke, "The ten corpse puppets outside the hall were dealt with by Ye Cangtian, and the corpse puppets on the first level were handled by Feiyun Pavilion and Daxiong Temple. Therefore, this place should rightfully belong to the factions that have not yet acted!"