Volume 13, Chapter 844 – Arrival at the Evil Spirits’ Lair

Wherever Cheng Hongling passed, her fierce Profound Ice True Qi spread wantonly. Everything in its path was frozen solid, even those strange wisps of Yin energy couldn’t escape, suspended mid-air like time itself had come to a standstill.

The divine senses of those present were restricted by the dense Yin aura, so they had no idea what was happening within. All they could hear was the rapid weakening of roars from within, and see streaks of blue sword energy cleaving through the darkness like rays of dawn, tearing apart the frozen Yin energy with overwhelming force, soaring toward the heavens.

BOOM… BOOM…

The frozen Yin energy collapsed in massive sheets, like towering city walls crumbling, letting out thunderous booms that shook the sky. Real sunlight finally managed to pierce through, shining upon this devastated land that had been corroded for centuries by the Yin miasma.

“So this is an immortal? This kind of heaven-rending, earth-shattering power is beyond the reach of mere mortals.”

“No wonder everyone throughout history has sought the path of cultivation. With such terrifying strength, one could truly do as they please in the cultivation world.”

“The terrifying thing is, this is just a doppelgänger. Who knows how powerful her main body must be? With a living, breathing immortal watching over Lingxi Sect, perhaps unity will truly come to the cultivation world.”

“As the saying goes: when one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to the heavens. I must get my son into Lingxi Sect. Even if he can only work as a menial servant, it would still be worth it.”

Over a million spectators murmured in awestruck chatter.

Even the most ordinary cook among the Lingxi Sect’s entourage couldn’t help but wear a proud smile upon hearing such praise.

As the Yin aura surrounding the Floating Corpse River gradually “settled”, the horrifying face it had concealed for centuries was revealed to all.

Now, the land for a hundred miles surrounding the river had been completely corroded by the Yin energy. All that remained were stretches of black ash, as though it had been ravaged by a massive fire. Not a trace of green or life remained. Not even a rock the size of a fist could be found.

All that existed were dense clusters of frozen evil spirits… some of them terrifying entities like Golden Zombies and Golden Skeletons. Any one of these could have single-handedly wiped out a sect, and just standing there was enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

But even more horrifying than these… was the Floating Corpse River itself.

Rеаԁ οո KαtRеаԁinɡСαfe

Having consumed countless lives over the centuries, the river no longer flowed with its infamous red water of legend. Instead, it churned with a viscous, blood-red sludge, thick like lava, filled with fragments of animal corpses and congealed blood. Countless evil spirits were being spawned within it, struggling to crawl out. From afar, it looked like the sewer of a slaughterhouse: revolting in appearance and radiating a nauseating stench.

“Ugh…”

Many women couldn’t bear the sight and vomited on the spot. Even the men turned pale, unable to look directly.

Cheng Hongling calmly flew toward the Floating Corpse River, her expression unchanged. She was no pampered noblewoman. Before Qi Huang had ever appeared, she had carried the Honghua Sect forward all on her own and had seen far too many gruesome horrors.

GURGLE… GURGLE…

Suddenly, the waters of the Floating Corpse River began to churn violently, like a cauldron brought to a boil. Countless evil spirits emerged, heads breaking the surface and scrambling toward the banks. Among them were Golden Zombies, Golden Skeletons, and even a few early-stage Flying Corpses from the adjacent territories.

BOOM… BOOM…

The endless army of evil spirits clambered ashore along the hundreds of miles of riverbank, gathering into a massive force. Like a black tidal wave, they surged toward Cheng Hongling. The ground trembled faintly beneath their countless steps.

“Heavens! How could the Floating Corpse River be this terrifying? Thank goodness the immortal was determined to cleanse this cursed land. If left unchecked, how would we ever resist them?”

“Exactly! That Crown Prince is utterly inhumane. All for the sake of his throne, he ignores the lives of the people!”

“Hmph! Now I finally understand how Tianyun Kingdom fell to such a state. Let war break out. Without the royal family, we might finally have a future.”

All around, the citizens of Tianyun Kingdom whispered fearfully.

Yet Cheng Hongling’s pace never slowed. The fluctuation of her True Qi grew ever more intense, spreading in shockwaves that froze everything within reach. No evil spirit could get within ten feet of her.

BOOM…

Reαⅾ οո ΚatRеαdiոgСаfе

The trembling of the ground grew stronger. Cultivators in the sky watched in horror as dozens of the river’s tributaries began to writhe like serpents. Slowly, they detached from the earth, rising upright into the air, transforming into massive tendrils that reached up to the heavens. With terrifying might, they lashed out at Cheng Hongling, tearing the air and scattering the clouds with sheer force.

“Heavens! The Floating Corpse River… it’s alive?!”

“I thought it was just some powerful lone evil spirit causing trouble, but it’s the river itself? How can a dead thing move?”

“No wonder it’s ranked number one in the Cultivation World’s most dangerous places. If not for an immortal intervening personally, even generations of cultivators wouldn’t have been enough to cleanse it.”

The onlookers were frozen in terror.

“To think that Kaiyuan Planet still harbors a peak-Demonic Realm evil spirit… what a pity you encountered me!”

Cheng Hongling remained unmoved and flew forward.

The dozens of massive tendrils lashed down like a dark curtain. But before they could get within a hundred feet, they were frozen midair.

Cheng Hongling summoned her Blue Scale Sword and slashed backhandedly, dozens of sword beams swept out.

SHHH SHHH SHHH…

Massive arcs of sword energy, shaped like crescent moons, soared upward, slicing the frozen tendrils effortlessly into pieces.

“Impossible…”

A voice, neither male nor female, roared in fury from the direction of the Floating Corpse River.

Rеαd оո KαtReαdіngСafе

In the blink of an eye, Cheng Hongling appeared above the river. She tapped the air lightly with her lotus-like foot, and an immensely dense surge of Profound Ice True Qi poured downward, instantly freezing the stretch of river beneath her.

ROAR!

The Floating Corpse River let out a beast-like howl and thrashed like a giant python, trying to resist the freezing.

But the Profound Ice True Qi spread faster than a galloping steed, advancing upstream and downstream with lightning speed. Within mere seconds, it had frozen a river stretch nearly a thousand miles long.

Cheng Hongling’s powerful divine sense burst forth from her body like a blade, piercing into the river and locking down the frozen corpse.

“Rise!”

With a crisp cry, her divine sense surged… and unbelievably, she began to lift the entire Frozen Corpse River from the ground.

BOOM… BOOM…

As the river tore away from the earth, the entire land shuddered violently.

Cheng Hongling soared into the sky, biting her jade-like finger and quickly writing a series of ancient runes across the Blue Scale Sword. Each symbol radiated an otherworldly brilliance.

At the same time, everyone below noticed the sunlight above suddenly vanished again. Dense black clouds appeared out of nowhere, stacking upon one another to fill the sky like towering mountains, casting an oppressive weight on every heart. Then, thunder rumbled deep within as lightning bolts as thick as barrels snaked wildly through the clouds, seeking a place to strike.

“What’s happening now?!”

The over one million spectators below were petrified. Many cultivators couldn’t maintain flight and plummeted like birds with broken wings.

At that moment, Cheng Hongling moved. Ice lotuses bloomed beneath her feet with each step. Empowered by the Dancing Butterfly Movement Technique, she vanished like a phantom. Her Blue Scale Sword sliced down, sending arcs of sword energy deep into the frozen Floating Corpse River. From within, the unfrozen sludge began to leak out.

Rеαd оո КαtRеadіngCаfe

Then— CRACK! CRACK!

Streaks of violet lightning from the clouds finally found their target. They ripped through the sky in succession, striking the Floating Corpse River relentlessly. Conducted by the vile sludge, the lightning met no resistance, searing the evil spirits inside into ash.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Bolt after bolt of divine lightning fell, seemingly endless. The Floating Corpse River couldn’t withstand the onslaught. After barely ten breaths, it disintegrated entirely, reduced to dust carried away by the wind.

Cheng Hongling wiped the blood runes from her sword. Above her, the dark clouds gradually dissipated.

Below her, millions of onlookers stared up blankly, their faces filled with reverence, as if looking upon a living deity.

“Ten days from now, Lingxi Sect will continue the crusade against the Boundless Insect Kingdom.”

Cheng Hongling declared flatly.

Her goal was simple: to break the spirit of every last evil being on Kaiyuan Planet.

A day later, Qi Huang and the rest finally stepped out of the teleportation gate. The evil spirits’ lair, Wuwu Planet, unfolded before her eyes.