Martial Peak

Chapter 3768 – Soul Search

Translator: Silavin & Tia

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Leaving aside the Corpse Demon Clan’s individual strength, their Innate Divine Ability allowed them to refine corpses for their own use; therefore, the silhouettes that suddenly emerged from the swamp were clearly the Corpse Demon’s Corpse Puppet Army.

However, what made Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor fearful was that there were an abundance of Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors among these Corpse Puppets! There were not many Half-Saints of course, just two who were obviously corpses that the Corpse Demon had collected back in the Demon Realm.

On the other hand, there were as many as four Pseudo-Great Emperors among the Corpse Puppets! Moreover, the clothes of the four Corpse Puppets clearly indicated a very ancient style of dressing. These four did not seem to belong to the same era as themselves.

Recalling what the Corpse Demon said just now, Fu Ren Jie’s expression changed, “Damn! These must be the corpses of our Seniors who were buried in this place!”

The middle-aged man also came back to his senses, his expression instantly turning solemn. Nobody could have expected that the Corpse Demon would be able to locate so many Pseudo-Great Emperor corpses and refine them in such a short period of time after entering the Profound Heavens Temple.

Be that as it may, it was not surprising either. The Profound Heavens Temple had existed since the beginning of the world and the Grand Dao battle took place many times over that period. There were countless Pseudo-Great Emperors who died here. Not to mention that Corpse Demons were especially sensitive to powerful corpses. It was only natural that he would have a way of locating these remains.

Besides, the physical body of a Pseudo-Great Emperor was inherently powerful and would remain intact under the right circumstances even if they died countless years ago.

Even if a corpse was refined into a Corpse Puppet, it was impossible to draw out the full strength they used to wield before they died. It would be miraculous if they could even draw out 80% of their original strength. However, the number of the Corpse Demon’s Corpse Puppet Army was daunting. Just the Corpse Puppets of the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints alone numbered six. The others were High-Rank Demon Kings. Furthermore, there was also a Corpse Demon Half-Saint watching the situation from the side.

The situation had taken a turn for the worse. It was originally a two-against-one battle, and even if the Corpse Demon had a Corpse Puppet Army under him before, the two of them still stood a fighting chance to win. However, the balance of power had been overturned now that the Corpse Demon had refined four Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets.

“You’ve had a lot of fun chasing this King all day long.” After the Corpse Demon called out his Corpse Puppet Army, he calmly gazed at Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor, his expression overflowing with the sadistic pleasure of getting his revenge, his tone especially harsh, “Did you ever think you would end up in this state when you were chasing this King!?”

While speaking, he thrust out his hands in the direction of Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor. As if receiving some sort of signal, the surrounding Corpse Puppet Army tightened the circle around those two, forcing them into the middle of a siege.

Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor exchanged a glance with each other and their Divine Senses flickered for a moment. Then, they both turned and rushed towards one of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets. At this point, they could only hope to break out of this encirclement before making further plans.

The reason they chose one of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets was mainly because of how long they had been refined. The Corpse Demon had discovered the corpses of the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Profound Heavens Temple, so he only had a day to refine their corpses. Even if the Corpse Demon could forcefully control these corpses, he should not be able to bring out much of their strength.

In that tense moment, the two figures broke through the barrier of more than ten High-Rank Demon King Corpse Puppets and arrived in front of one of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets in an instant.

Under the control of the Corpse Demon, the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet threw a punch at Fu Ren Jie, but all three of them, Fu Ren Jie, the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor, and the Corpse Demon Half-Saint, couldn’t help frowning when that punch was thrown as the power of that punch seemed to be…

In the next instant, the two figures flashed past and the body of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet exploded into dust.

The Corpse Demon Half-Saint’s eyes widened with an incredulous look, unable to believe what he was seeing, “Wha…”

That was a Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet after all. Even if the refining process had been rushed, it should not have been this vulnerable. He felt as though he had found a great treasure when he discovered these corpses. Unfortunately, he had been discovered by Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor before he could study them carefully. Afterwards, he had refined these corpses while on the run from his pursuers; thus, even he was unaware of the state these Pseudo-Great Emperor corpses were in. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised that what he regarded as treasures were actually just paper tigers.

Similarly, Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor seemed to catch on to this point and did not leave after breaking through the siege. Instead, they glanced at each other and turned back. Spreading out, they each headed towards a Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet.

Two explosions rang out and the two Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets targeted by Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor exploded into dust.

These corpses were completely vulnerable.

Although their bodies emitted the aura of a Pseudo-Great Emperor during the refining process, it was only true for their outer appearance. They looked strong on the outside but were empty on the inside, like hollow shells. The amusing thing was that the Corpse Demon Half-Saint had used these four Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets as his trump card.

Looking at the face of the Corpse Demon Half-Saint, the two of them knew that he was just as surprised as they were. Fu Ren Jie grinned lightly and looked at the Corpse Demon, “You’re dead now!”

They originally thought that the opponent had managed to turn the situation around on them, so they had no choice but to flee for their lives. Who could have known that such an unexpected accident would occur? Without those four Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets, how could Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor fear this Corpse Demon?

[Perhaps it has been too long and the bodies of these four Pseudo-Great Emperors have long since decayed…] Fu Ren Jie thought to himself.

Likewise, the Corpse Demon had noticed that something was wrong. His thoughts flashed for a moment and the remaining Corpse Puppet Army rushed towards Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor. Meanwhile, he turned and fled instead.

He could hear various noises coming from behind him while at the same time, his heart bled as he felt his Soul Imprints disappearing one after another! That Corpse Puppet Army was something he had accumulated over the course of his entire life after all. It would seem that all of them would be buried here today. What’s more, losing his Corpse Puppet Army would mean that his strength would be greatly reduced as a result.

There was only one question circling deep in his heart. [What is wrong with those four Pseudo-Great Emperor corpses that I found!? Even with the erosion of countless years, there is no reason for them to be so fragile!]

When he urgently investigated the last of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet, he found that the corpse itself was completely rotten. He had made a huge mistake. At this point, he could no longer worry about the fate of his Corpse Puppet Army, all he could do right now was find one of his companions as soon as possible and join forces with them in order to stand a fighting chance against those two.

…..

An agonised scream rang out across the rolling grasslands. A Stone Demon Half-Saint half-knelt on the ground as his powerful lifeforce slowly bled out of him. He was covered in countless wounds and fresh blood was flowing freely from those injuries. The surrounding area around him was a mess, evidently caused by the fallout of a great battle.

Although the Stone Demon Half-Saint was severely injured, he would not die so quickly. He would even recover completely given the chance to treat his wounds. It was a pity that this was the Profound Heavens Temple where the Grand Dao battle took place. There were enemies and dangers on all sides, so who would give him the time to recuperate?

Beside him stood three figures in a triangle formation. Their Divine Senses were firmly locked on him so that a barrage of attacks would immediately rain down on him if he so much as moved a finger. Naturally, those three were Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. If they had not joined forces together, they would not have been able to back a Half-Saint into a corner so quickly.

“Tell us the secrets of the Profound Heavens Temple and we’ll give you a swift death,” one of the Pseudo-Great Emperors said coldly. Just like how Yang Kai had tried to inquire about the Profound Heavens Temple from the Sand Demon Half-Saint, many other Pseudo-Great Emperors had the same idea.

Everybody knew that the Demon Realm had Can Ye on their side. As a former Star Boundary Great Emperor who had once entered the Profound Heavens Temple and participated in the Grand Dao battle, Can Ye was sure to know exactly what secrets there were in the Profound Heavens Temple. Furthermore, what he knew would surely be passed on to the Half-Saints that entered this place.

“Heh heh…” The Stone Demon Half-Saint looked miserable, but even so, he laughed when he heard those words and a rebellious look appeared on his face. Sweeping his gaze over the three people surrounding him, he spoke in a hoarse voice, “I will only tell one person. Who should it be?”

The first Pseudo-Great Emperor coldly snorted at those words, “Don’t try to sow discord among us. Answer us truthfully and quickly! Otherwise, I’ll make you wish you were dead!”

The Stone Demon looked at him frostily, “What if I refuse to tell you? What can you do to me?”

“Stubborn bastard!” The first Pseudo-Great Emperor coldly snorted before turning to look at an elderly man next to her, she continued, “Old Chen, your Soul cultivation is the strongest among the three of us. We will have to count on you for this.”

The elderly man called Old Chen nodded in response, “Of course. Please rest assured, this Old Master swears on his Martial Heart that he will share whatever he learns with the two of you, if I learn anything at all. There will be no hidden secrets.”

“Many thanks, Old Chen.” The first Pseudo-Great Emperor and another man thanked him in unison.

“Please stand guard for me. While this fellow is an arrow at the end of its flight, he is still a Half-Saint. We must not underestimate him,” Old Chen stepped forward and walked towards the Stone Demon.

“Of course,” The other two responded and stepped forward together.

The Stone Demon panicked slightly, gritting gritted his teeth as he roared, “You want to search my Soul!? In your dreams!”

While saying that, a dangerous aura began to fluctuate all over his body.

“You wish!” The first Pseudo-Great Emperor shouted tenderly and with a shift of her body, she arrived at the Stone Demon’s side and placed a slender jade finger to the Stone Demon’s forehead. At the same time, the other man gave a soft whistle, one that sounded like some kind of bird song, but it was extremely pervasive and hypnotic.

The jade finger tapped against the Stone Demon’s forehead and his aura suddenly reduced considerably. In addition, the struggling look on his face weakened significantly after listening to that soft whistling sound. His dangerous aura calmed down a lot as a result.

Old Chen nodded lightly and walked over to the Stone Demon Half-Saint before whispering, “Look into my eyes…”

That voice seemed to contain some sort of peculiar power and the Stone Demon was already being suppressed by the two Pseudo-Great Emperors; thus, he involuntarily looked into Old Chen’s eyes upon hearing those words. Looking into that gaze gave him the feeling that the elderly man’s eyes were spinning and rotating in a strange manner that engulfed his entire mind. His expression instantly went blank.

If the Stone Demon had been at the peak of his power, Old Chen would not have been able to do anything to the other party even with his Soul Secret Technique. It was just that the other party had been beaten half to death by their combined power; moreover, his Spiritual Energy was being suppressed at the moment. How could he resist Old Chen’s technique?

The two Pseudo-Great Emperors standing next to them couldn’t help breathing quickly in excitement at the sight. What secrets were hidden in the Profound Heavens Temple? Where exactly was the Illusionary Heavens Furnace located? How exactly do they become a Great Emperor? These were all the things that they were eager to know. It was a pity that nobody in the Star Boundary could give them the answers, but the Stone Demon in front of them was the best person to obtain this information from.

It had only been a few days since the Profound Heavens Temple opened; therefore, the three of them would be ahead of many other people if they could get first-hand information from this Stone Demon. Whether or not they shared this information with other Pseudo-Great Emperors later would depend on the situation at hand.