Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

"Fortune favors the bold... but if the risk is too great, it becomes suicide."

Gu An remained in that squatting position, his body stiff as a stone, only his eyes, hidden in the shadows, were flashing with calculating light.

The three ghostly grasses trembled slightly in the wind, the ghostly patterns on their leaves seeming to mock him silently. Meanwhile, the pile of "rubble" to which their roots were anchored breathed steadily, like a colossal beast slumbering in the abyss.

If he wanted to give up, he could turn around now and, with the help of the Breath Concealing Pendant and the Corpse-Imitation Technique, he was 90% confident that he could retreat without anyone noticing.

However, this Yin Soul Grass is a miraculous medicine for stabilizing the soul. It is not only crucial for Shen Wan to suppress the poison and help him break the formation, but also one of the key auxiliary ingredients for refining the "Reverse Life Creation Pill". If they miss this cluster of top-quality fifty-year-old grass, who knows how much effort it will take to find it elsewhere? In this deadly place where every second counts, time is life.

"An armored corpse at the sixth level of Qi Refining..."

Gu An quickly weighed the options in his mind.

Although the armored corpses are incredibly strong and impervious to blades and spears, they are ultimately inanimate objects with low intelligence, relying mostly on instinct and the control runes within their bodies to move.

"Moreover, it was in a dormant state. This gave me the opportunity to strike first."

Gu An shifted his gaze from the three Yin Soul Grasses to the slightly heaving "chest" crevice of the armored corpse.

If you act quickly enough, subdue it before it fully awakens and sounds the alarm...

A crazy idea sprouted in his mind and then grew wildly like weeds.

Gu An took a deep breath, and the air, mixed with the stench of corpses, strangely excited him. The true energy of the Wood element within his body quietly circulated, flowing along his meridians to his fingertips, but he suppressed it tightly, not allowing a single ray of spiritual light to leak out.

With his left hand, his five fingers slightly bent, he hid them in his sleeve and held a dozen or so transparent [Mysterious Yin Silk] strands.

With his right hand, he flipped his palm over, and a specially made jade shovel slid into his hand.

"Three breaths."

Gu An set a deadline for himself in his mind.

If they fail to succeed within three breaths, they should immediately detonate the Thunderfire Talisman in their pockets to create chaos and escape.

thump...

The armored corpse completed a long, deep breath, just as it finished exhaling and before any new breath could be generated.

Gu An made a move.

Without any warning, he, who had been as still as a stone, instantly transformed into a gray afterimage.

His target wasn't the armored corpse, but the three Yin Soul Grasses!

The jade shovel cut into the rock crevices with the precision of a scalpel, precisely at the seams of the iron-clad corpse scales and the rotten soil where the Yin Soul Grass took root.

"rise!"

Gu An silently shouted to himself, and with an extremely subtle flick of his wrist, he gave it a swift and precise motion.

The three stalks of Yin Soul Grass, along with the soil around their roots, were pried out intact.

Success!

However, the moment the Yin Soul Grass left the soil, the seemingly lifeless pile of rocks suddenly trembled.

As a companion spiritual plant, the Yin Soul Grass and the Ironclad Corpse had long formed a strange connection in their energy. The grass being pulled was like hair being ripped out.

"roar--!!!"

A deep, muffled roar, as if it came from the depths of hell, exploded in Gu An's ears without warning.

The pile of "rubble" collapsed instantly.

Countless pebbles flew in all directions like cannonballs.

A terrifying ghost claw covered in black iron scales and with claws three inches long emerged from the dust with a suffocating, foul stench, aiming straight for Gu An's throat at an illogical speed!

Fast! Too fast!

This is not a stiff and sluggish low-level zombie at all. The agility of this armored zombie even surpasses that of a body cultivator of the same level!

Just as Gu An put the Yin Soul Grass into his storage bag, the ghost claw was already in front of him, and he could even see the bits of flesh and dried blood left under the fingernails.

There's no escaping it.

There was absolutely no room to maneuver in these narrow gaps between the rocks.

If the "Golden Light Technique" were used, the dazzling golden light at the bottom of the dim sinkhole would practically be telling everyone, "I am here."

"Let's give it our all!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu An's eyes.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, forcefully pushing off the ground with both feet and leaning his upper body slightly backward to avoid the vital point of his throat, while simultaneously crossing his arms to protect his chest.

The "Hundred Refinements Golden Body Technique" within his body began to operate with a roar.

His skin, which had been sickly grayish-white, suddenly took on a dark bluish-metallic sheen, and his muscles tightened like steel bars.

"Copperskin! Royal!"

"Clang—!!!"

A sickening clang of metal rang out, sparks flying everywhere.

Gu An felt as if his arms had been struck by a heavy hammer weighing ten thousand pounds. The terrifying force traveled through his bones and throughout his body, making his internal organs tremble.

"Thump thump thump!"

Gu An took three steps back, each step leaving a deep pit in the hard rocky ground.

He looked down and saw that the leather armor on his arms, which had been forged through countless trials, had long since shattered, revealing the dark blue skin beneath. On that hard, iron-like skin, five deep white marks were clearly visible, with even faint traces of blood seeping out.

"Such terrifying hardness! Such domineering power!"

Gu An gasped.

This is why he cultivated "copper skin". If it were an ordinary Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator, his arms and sternum would have been crushed to pieces by that attack.

A combat strength at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, truly living up to its reputation!

"roar!"

The armored corpse seemed somewhat annoyed that it had missed its attack.

It rose completely from the rubble, standing a full two zhang tall, its body covered in thick black scales with barbs at its joints. Its scarlet eyes were fixed on Gu An, devoid of any emotion, only pure bloodlust.

It gave Gu An no chance to catch his breath, bent its legs slightly, and suddenly sprang up, pouncing again like a black cannonball.

This time, its claws made a sharp, tearing sound as they pierced the air, clearly indicating that it was serious.

"A direct confrontation will lead to certain death."

Gu An made a judgment instantly.

Although his physical body was strong, it was far from being able to withstand a direct confrontation with the armored corpse. Another blow would surely break his bones.

But he wasn't just brute force.

Just as the armored corpse lunged into the air, Gu An suddenly swung his left hand, which had been hidden in his sleeve.

"go!"

Chi Chi Chi!

Dozens of almost transparent threads intertwined in the dim light to form an invisible net, which then enveloped the armored corpse in mid-air.

This is a top-grade Xuan Yin Silk that he carefully cultivated in Youying Valley and refined through special rituals!

Tough, sharp, and concealed!

Although the armored zombies are powerful, they are ultimately not very intelligent and have no idea how to avoid such unseen traps.

It crashed headfirst into the netting.

"receive!"

Gu An flicked his fingers in quick succession, manipulating the silk threads to tighten instantly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dark silk threads tightened around the joints of the armored corpse.

Its prized black iron scales spun with a teeth-grinding scraping sound as the Xuan Yin Silk cut through them. Although it failed to sever its limbs directly, the silk embedded itself deeply into the gaps in the scales, locking its joints firmly.

"roar!!!"

The armored corpse lost its balance in mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground.

It struggled frantically, the terrifying force pulling at the Xuan Yin Silk, making a creaking sound, as if the silk would snap at any moment.

Gu An's fingers were squeezed until they turned white and even cut his skin, but he held on tightly and did not let go.

The Xuan Yin Silk cannot trap it for long, at most three breaths!

But those three breaths represent the distance between life and death.

Gu An's eyes, narrowed to slits, were now filled with icy killing intent.

He flipped his right hand, and a seemingly inconspicuous dark green liquid droplet appeared on his fingertip.

These droplets, only the size of soybeans, exuded a sweet, cloying aroma that was almost unsettling.

It was the essence of "High-Level Bone-Corroding Poison" that he had extracted from Shen Wan's body over the past few days and then compressed and nurtured by his own poisonous skills!

"This beast is covered in copper skin and iron bones, making it difficult to be harmed by ordinary magical artifacts. But it is, after all, a refined corpse, and there must be a control center within its body."

Gu An recalled the records about the armored corpse in the jade slip that Shen Wan had given him.

The weakness lies in the "Corpse Control Talisman" deep in the throat!

That's the vital point that the Corpse Puppet Sect cultivators use to control these monsters, and it's also the only part of their bodies that isn't covered in scales—their bodies!

"Open your mouth!"

Gu An seized the moment when the armored corpse roared and struggled on the ground, opening its blood-red maw.

He flicked his right index finger sharply.

"stop--"

The drop of dark green venom transformed into an extremely thin green beam, shooting with pinpoint accuracy deep into the armored corpse's fang-filled maw.

"Glug."

The venom entered the throat.

next moment.

"Zzzzzzz—!!!"

A violent, corrosive sound, like boiling oil being poured onto ice and snow, came from the armored corpse's throat.

"Roar... Cluck... Cluck..."

The armored corpse's frantic struggles suddenly froze.

Its scarlet eyes widened suddenly, as if it had encountered some kind of extreme pain and confusion.

The control rune in its throat was drawn with special yin-attribute material, which is most afraid of this kind of deadly poison that can corrode spirituality.

High-level bone-corroding poison, specifically designed to destroy the spirit, corroding bones and eroding the soul!

Black smoke billowed from the armored corpse's mouth and nose, accompanied by a nauseating, burnt smell.

Its body, as hard as iron, convulsed violently a few times, and then the red light in its eyes quickly dimmed.

"Bang!"

Its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The originally taut Xuan Yin silk also relaxed.

Gu An stood there, panting heavily. His back was already soaked with cold sweat, and his left hand fingers were covered in blood—wounds inflicted by the backlash from the Xuan Yin Silk.

"Dead?"

Gu An did not immediately step forward, but instead picked up a stone and smashed it hard on the head of the armored corpse.

when!

Nothing happens.

Only then did Gu An finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Killing a monster far above its level, especially an armored corpse known for its defense, is an impossible task for ordinary cultivators.

But he did it.

It relies on scheming, intelligence, and, more importantly, the ruthlessness honed on the brink of life and death.

"This place is not safe to stay for long."

Although the commotion was brief, the burst of spiritual energy and the zombie's roar must have attracted the attention of the surrounding patrol teams.

Despite the soreness in his arm, Gu An quickly walked to the side of the armored corpse.

He didn't have time to dissect the entire corpse; the scale armor, though valuable, was too heavy and easily exposed.

With a flash of his dagger, he skillfully pierced the corroded hole in the iron-armored corpse's throat, twisted it forcefully, and then flicked it sharply.

A bead the size of a fist, grayish-white in color, and exuding a strong, chilling aura rolled out.

[Second-Tier Low-Grade Corpse Pill]

This is the condensed essence of the armored corpse, a top-grade material for refining certain insidious magical artifacts or special elixirs. On the black market, this thing is worth at least fifty spirit stones!

"It's been sent."

Gu An grabbed the corpse pill, and the icy, bone-chilling touch invigorated him.

He stuffed the Corpse Pill along with the Yin Soul Grass into his storage bag, quickly cleaned up the traces at the scene, and retrieved the broken Xuan Yin Silk.

At this moment, the sounds of hurried footsteps and the low growls of zombies could be heard in the distance.

"Who's got the guts to cause trouble in Pit 3!"

"Quick! It's over there!"

Several powerful auras were rapidly approaching from the other end of the landfill.

Gu An glanced in that direction, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Instead of running away, he rolled on the spot, getting covered in rotting mud and rotten flesh.

Then, he formed hand seals, and the Corpse Control Technique within his body was activated to its maximum.

His chest, which had been rising and falling slightly, stopped abruptly, his face turned ashen like a corpse, and his body emitted a strong, fresh stench of death.

He staggered to his feet, his eyes becoming vacant and lifeless, and blended into the group of low-ranking zombies wandering aimlessly not far away.

"roar……"

Gu An mimicked the zombies around him, letting out a muffled growl as he shuffled away from the scene of the incident.

After a while.

Several disciples of the Corpse Puppet Sect, dressed in black robes, rode bone horses to the pile of rubble.

Looking at the armored corpse on the ground, its throat corroded with a large hole, clearly dead beyond any doubt, the group exchanged glances, their faces extremely grim.

"Who did this?!"

"A single, decisive blow... destroying the core of the corpse puppet... that's ruthless!"

"Could it be that a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Righteous Path Alliance has infiltrated?"

"Impossible! The outer formation hasn't been broken! And there's no obvious magical fluctuation on this corpse; instead, there's a... incredibly strong poison gas!"

The group spent half a day investigating the scene, but only found some messy footprints and a pile of broken stones.

Not far behind them.

A seemingly ordinary "walking corpse" was dragging its heavy steps, blending into the horde of corpses, and gradually disappearing into the depths of the vast gray fog.

Beneath the "walking corpse's" lowered eyelids, a glint of triumph flashed.

"First hurdle passed."

"Next, it's time to go back and suppress the poison for Shen Wan."

Gu An silently calculated in his heart.

With these three Yin Soul Grasses, Shen Wan's poison injury could be temporarily suppressed, and he could even recover some of his combat strength.

With this corpse pill, perhaps we can refine some other life-saving items.

More importantly, through this battle, he became more proficient in using the "Corpse Control Technique" and gained a better understanding of the weaknesses of these monsters.

In this territory of the Corpse Puppet Sect, this "fake corpse" might be living a more comfortable life than the real corpse.