A Motley Crowd

The eighty-odd surviving cultivators gathered in a valley ten li away from the exit.

Among them were peak experts of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, as well as cautious mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

In previous explorations of the secret realm, this would have been the moment of the most brutal slaughter, a time when conflicts between cultivators reached their deadliest peaks. However, this time, because of a pseudo-Tier 2 Bronze Corpse, everyone was forced to cooperate.

"Everyone, less than three hours remain before the exit closes! If you do not want to be trapped in this secret realm for the next thirty years, we must join hands and fight!"

"Bring out all your hidden trump cards! Summon your corpse puppets and fierce ghosts to engage the Bronze Corpse in close combat! Those with late-stage Qi Refining cultivation will use their Magical Artifacts for the primary assault, while those at the mid-stage will use talismans for support. In short, everyone must give their all!"

A disciple of the Crimson Blood Sect stood in the center of the valley, shouting at the crowd.

Then, a sinister voice rang out. "Xue Yao, you speak lightly. For eighty-odd cultivators to kill a pseudo-Tier 2 Bronze Corpse is indeed not a issue. But who can guarantee that no one will play foul tricks from behind? I fear that the moment we slay the Bronze Corpse, someone will launch a sneak attack. After exhausting ourselves to kill the creature, we might just end up paving the way for others, losing our lives for nothing."

These words struck a chord with many present, especially the mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators with lower cultivation.

They were weak. To survive seven days in this secret realm, they had relied entirely on extreme caution. For them, staying far away from unfamiliar, powerful cultivators was the ultimate rule of survival.

Now, being asked to fight side by side with these high-tier cultivators gave them no sense of security whatsoever.

No one could guarantee that someone wouldn't strike from the shadows.

Amid this mutual suspicion, the alliance that had painstakingly gathered showed immediate signs of fracturing.

Xue Yao roared, "Do you all want to be trapped in this tiny secret realm for thirty years? Moreover, do you think you can evade the hunting of that Bronze Corpse and the numerous Demon Beasts for three decades?"

"If we cannot leave this secret realm today, everyone faces a dead end!"

"I, Xue Yao, hereby pledge that whoever fights alongside me today, regardless of their strength, is my ally. As long as we remain in this secret realm, I will absolutely never strike at an ally, nor will I allow anyone else to attack them without cause!"

This declaration turned many heads.

Xue Yao was a core disciple of the Crimson Blood Sect, possessing a cultivation of Qi Refining Perfection. His resounding pledge tempted many wavering cultivators.

Immediately, more than ten Crimson Blood Sect disciples gathered behind him, including four cultivators of the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

Seeing this, the low-level disciples from the other two sects also began to shift their steps, walking over to join Xue Yao's ranks.

In the end, half of the cultivators chose not to join his team. Most of these forty-odd dissenters were late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

In other words, those who joined Xue Yao were mostly the weaker ones. Precisely because they were weak, they knew that only by pooling their strength would they have a chance to break through the Bronze Corpse's blockade.

Xue Yao looked at the forty cultivators behind him, a cold smile curling the corner of his mouth. He turned to face those who refused to join.

"I do not care what schemes you are plotting. But if anyone dares to pull foul tricks while we are locked in combat with the Bronze Corpse, I, Xue Yao, will slay them even if it means I fail to leave this Withered Blood Secret Realm!"

With those words, Xue Yao led his force of forty people, marching imposingly toward the exit.

Watching the retreating figures of the forty cultivators, the remaining forty-odd people swiftly scattered like loose sand by tacit agreement, vanishing into the dense forest.

"Senior Brother Xue Yao, are we truly going to risk our lives against the Bronze Corpse just to let those cowards behind us reap the rewards for free?"

Walking beside Xue Yao, a Crimson Blood Sect disciple transmitted his voice.

Xue Yao's expression remained perfectly calm as he replied via voice transmission.

"How could it be that simple? Who said we are going to fight the Bronze Corpse head-on?"

"But if we do not repel it, how can we leave the secret realm?"

"Do we not have this group of cannon fodder right before us? Their only value is to delay the Bronze Corpse and buy time for us to escape."

Xue Yao swept a sinister glance across the forty people around him and continued his transmission.

"Send word to the fellow disciples we trust. Tell them to stay close to me. The moment the Bronze Corpse is tied down, we will rush straight into the exit."

The forty-man team approached the exit with great fanfare, instantly drawing the attention of the Bronze Corpse.

Seeing a large group of cultivators suddenly appear, the Bronze Corpse atop the ridge reacted like a ravenous wolf spotting a flock of sheep. Like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, it lunged straight down from the peak.

Xue Yao's face remained composed as he roared,

"Everyone, prepare! Release your corpse puppets and fierce ghosts to delay it!"

In an instant, over a dozen corpse puppets and more than ten fierce ghosts materialized out of thin air.

Baleful energy swirled around the corpse puppets, and Yin qi roiled from the fierce ghosts, transforming the area into a chaotic dance of demons.

Though these summons appeared numerous, most were not particularly strong.

First, the cultivators who had joined Xue Yao did not possess high cultivation. Second, everyone harbored selfish motives; the puppets and ghosts they released were far from the strongest assets in their possession.

Xue Yao said nothing to correct them. Instead, a contemptuous sneer touched his lips.

A motley crowd, he cursed silently.

These fools lacked capability yet were full of petty calculations. They truly deserved to be used as cannon fodder.

The Bronze Corpse crashed into the swarm of puppets and ghosts.

Before the overwhelming power of the Bronze Corpse, these summons were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

With almost every collision, a corpse puppet was shattered into pieces. With every swipe of its claws, a fierce ghost dissolved into smoke.

A blood-red long blade manifested before Xue Yao. Eerie, vivid crimson light flowed across its surface, looking exceptionally sinister.

"Strike!"

As Xue Yao formed a hand seal, the blood-red blade erupted with blinding light, shooting toward the Bronze Corpse with lightning speed.

Alongside his blood blade, the Magical Artifacts of the other four ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivators struck out simultaneously.

Facing the joint assault of five ninth-layer experts, the Bronze Corpse did not take the blows head-on. It grabbed two nearby corpse puppets and hurled them forward.

Then, it leapt high to the left, evading the trajectory of the weapons.

The two thrown puppets blocked two of the Magical Artifacts.

The Bronze Corpse's mid-air dodge caused two more to miss completely.

Only Xue Yao's blood blade successfully struck home, slashing into the creature's left shoulder.

The Bronze Corpse staggered, forcibly enduring the impact. The blade sliced through its putrid flesh, revealing a glimpse of copper-yellow bone beneath.

Before the creature could recover, a barrage of elemental techniques from the remaining cultivators rained down upon it.

Scorching flames, raging gales, freezing ice arrows, massive boulders, and sharp metallic blades...

Aware of the danger these techniques posed, the Bronze Corpse turned into a blurred afterimage, leaping left and right. Even as it dodged the elemental onslaught, it rapidly closed the distance to the cultivators.

A few clever individuals within the crowd realized the tide was turning against them. They quietly shifted their steps, edging toward the periphery of the group.

"Roar!"

A furious roar erupted.

Having endured a significant portion of the technique barrage, with chunks of its rotting flesh blasted away, the Bronze Corpse resembled an enraged beast that had entirely lost its sanity. Ignoring the remaining attacks, it forcefully rammed straight into the crowd.

With a single downward swing of its palm, a Corpse Demon Sect disciple's body instantly exploded into a spray of flying flesh and blood.

Xue Yao suddenly bellowed, "Go!"

The five Crimson Blood Sect cultivators closest to him immediately scattered, bypassing the rampaging Bronze Corpse and sprinting at full speed toward the exit.

Even before those five fled, the majority of the cultivators, realizing the situation was hopeless, had already scattered like startled birds and beasts.

88.181.249.5

ns88.181.249.5da2