Chương 174: Chapter 63: The Naked Female Corpse of the Golden Core Realm

The interior of this ancient sepulcher was steeped in a bone-chilling gloom, an oppressive atmosphere so thick it felt like a physical weight against the skin. Had it not been for the irresistible allure of hidden treasures, the trio would have likely fled long ago, unwilling to linger in this desolate place for even a fleeting moment.

However, just as they reached a tentative consensus on their next move, a trilling, melodic giggle suddenly rippled through the stagnant air, echoing from every corner of the chamber.

"Hee-hee... my two little brothers, why such a hurry to depart? It wouldn't hurt to stay a while longer and share some intimacy with your elder sister, would it?" The voice was a jarring contradiction—low and raspy, yet laced with a sickeningly sweet coquettishness. It rolled through the lightless tomb like a shifting fog, making it impossible to discern its true point of origin.

Yang Dawei, Zi Luanxing, and Li Zhupu felt their complexions drain of color instantly, their expressions darkening with a sudden, sharp dread. They had never anticipated that another cultivator would be lurking within these ancient depths—much less one possessing the formidable aura of the Early Golden Core stage. The three instinctively drew together, forming a tight defensive circle.

Their magic treasures erupted in a kaleidoscope of dazzling radiance as they channeled their spiritual power, preparing for a life-or-death struggle at a moment's notice.

"Hee-hee, it seems these three little ones are of no ordinary pedigree. With so many treasures at your disposal, you might actually prove a bit troublesome to handle, wouldn't you?" The female voice drifted out again, her tone relaxed and playful, as if she were in no particular rush to strike.

"Who goes there, playing these ghostly tricks? Show yourself!" Yang Dawei shouted, his face a mask of grim defiance.

"Even a Golden Core cultivator should not underestimate us. If the three of us join forces, it remains to be seen who will be the hunter and who will be the prey!" As his voice faded, the mysterious woman fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into another fit of giggles. This time, the sound approached with terrifying speed, closing the distance from the shadows to their very backs in the span of a few breaths. Whoosh! Yang Dawei and his companions spun around violently.

As they stared at the figure emerging from the impenetrable darkness, their pupils constricted into pinpricks, and a tidal wave of shock crashed through their hearts. The hidden woman was entirely nude, her well-proportioned and voluptuous body—from her high, firm chest to the smooth curve of her abdomen—exposed without shame.

However, her skin was slicked with a thin, viscous layer of purple-black grease, and her eyes were a dull, sickly yellow, radiating a malevolence that struck primal fear into anyone who gazed upon them.

"A Tier 3 Corpse-Controlling Gu!" Zi Luanxing gasped, his voice cracking into a high-pitched shriek of pure horror. The female corpse let out a soft sound of surprise, her jaundiced eyes flickering with genuine astonishment. She smiled, though the expression was ghastly on her greased face.

"Oh? My little brother is quite well-informed. To think you recognized my true nature the moment we met."

"Since you know what I am, will the three of you surrender peacefully, or must I exert myself to break you?" Zi Luanxing's face was ashen, and he stumbled back several paces as if paralyzed by fright. Yet, in that exact moment of apparent weakness, he suddenly whipped his hand forward, flinging an object into the air while bellowing, "Strike now!" The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. As he roared, the projectile unleashed a violent surge of spiritual fluctuations.

It was a pitch-black orb known as the Gloom-Cloud Fire-Thunder Bead, now pulsing with a heart-stopping, obsidian luster—a treasure of devastating explosive potential. The female corpse's eyes flashed with a hint of disdain. As the bead hurtled toward her, she opened her mouth and spat out a globule of ink-black gas, so thick and viscous it looked like liquid shadow.

The bead plunged into the mist and instantly ground to a halt; its terrifying power was smothered in an instant, its internal fluctuations forcibly suppressed until it went dormant.

"What a heartless little brother.. I only wanted to get close to you, yet you treat me with such cruelty? You've truly broken my heart," the female corpse lamented, her voice dripping with mock sorrow. Zi Luanxing's expression turned hideously grim. The Gloom-Cloud Fire-Thunder Bead was a high-tier consumable treasure; its detonation was comparable to the self-destruction of a Mid-grade magic treasure, yet this creature had neutralized it with effortless ease.

"Cousin, Daoist Li, be careful! The black mist she exhales can sever Divine Sense and wipe away the spiritual imprints on our treasures!" Yang Dawei's heart skipped a beat at the warning. He slapped his storage bag, and a deep-blue jade plate, the size of a man's palm, appeared in his grip.

"Swift!" He flooded the artifact with spiritual power, causing the jade plate to erupt in a blinding explosion of azure lightning. Arcs of electricity crackled and hissed from the plate, causing the female corpse's smug expression to falter. Lightning was the ultimate arbiter of divine punishment, possessing a natural suppression over all things; for a corrupted entity like a reanimated corpse, its destructive potential was multiplied manifold.

"Go!" Yang Dawei snarled, hurling the activated jade plate forward. Crack-boom! The jade plate shattered upon release, birthing a bolt of lightning as thick as a man's arm that tore through the gloom, thundering toward the female corpse with righteous fury. The creature let out a cold snort, her yellow eyes narrowing with caution as she opened her maw once more, spitting out a streak of obsidian light.

This dark bolt moved with a speed that rivaled the lightning itself, colliding with the azure strike in a deafening explosion of clashing elements. Boom! Boom! Boom! Thunderous roars shook the cavern as bolts of lightning cascaded in a blinding frenzy. Yet, the obsidian radiance spewing from the female corpse's maw was no ordinary art.

Under the relentless bombardment of heavenly lightning, the black light flared with renewed intensity, exuding a bone-chilling, spectral aura that grappled with the thunderous energy, refusing to yield an inch in this clash of polar opposites. Once the stored power within the Thunder-inscribed Jade Plate was utterly spent, the obsidian glow retracted instantly to the corpse's side. As the light dimmed, its true form was revealed: a pitch-black orb, reminiscent of a demon beast's inner core.

"My dear little brothers, my patience has its limits," the female corpse hissed, swallowing the orb back into her throat. Her voice was ice-cold, yet it quickly dissolved into a flirtatious giggle.

"Besides, I harbor no ill will in capturing you. Why struggle so desperately? Why not return with me and enjoy a lifetime of pleasure instead?"

"Hmph! We are human cultivators; our existence and that of the Corpse-Controlling Gu are fundamentally irreconcilable!" Zi Luanxing's face darkened with ruthless intent. With a flash of his escape light, he retreated several dozen feet, shouting, "Cousin, Daoist Zhupu! Hold her for a moment while I activate a supreme treasure to slay this monstrosity right here!" As he spoke, Zi Luanxing slapped his storage bag.

A brilliant silver arrow, roughly three feet long and seemingly forged from the purest essence of spirit-gold, appeared in his grasp.

"The Sharp Gold Breaking Arrow!" Yang Dawei's eyes lit up at the sight of the weapon.

"Cousin, focus on activating the artifact! I shall hold this creature back!" He surged forward, his escape light intercepting the corpse's path. Pointing a finger, he barked, "Dan Treasure, emerge!" A streak of light shot from his dantian, manifesting as a foot-long crescent moon blade. The artifact trembled violently before vanishing into a blur of lethal radiance. Wary, the corpse opened her mouth again. This time, she spat out a pair of hooks wreathed in a sinister, spectral miasma.

These high-grade treasures lunged forward, striking toward the incoming crescent blade. Boom! The high-tier Dan Treasure—the mysterious crescent blade—collided head-on with the twin hooks. Amidst the deafening explosion, a violent shockwave of spiritual power swept outward, ravaging the surroundings.