Chapter 39 Red Clouds Disperse
Just as Chen Gan'er sensed the rising might of another Foundation Establishment cultivator, the master of that mighty power instantly appeared before them.
A ghost, now a mere skeleton, hovered in the air before them.
With its arrival, a vast cloud of mist followed, forming a vast expanse of white fog in its wake.
It faced the towering figure clad in red armor with a ghostly face, a distant standoff.
Chen Gan'er seized this opportunity to support the shaky Chen Xuanlin and retreat. A battle between Foundation Establishment cultivators was beyond their reach.
However, Chen Xuanlin's body was now impossibly old, and the excruciating pain made his steps slow, requiring only Chen Gan'er's support.
The red-armored giant seemed unprepared for the sudden appearance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, its eyes filled with scrutiny.
But the ghost, unwilling to delay, waved its bony hand, enveloped him in a cloud of mist, and charged towards the equally imposing red-armored giant.
The red-armored giant snorted coldly, and the crimson clouds in the sky moved with him. With a single step, he charged towards the undead, unleashing a powerful punch.
The
sound of their fists clashing resounded throughout Carrion Island.
The thud hurt Chen Gan'er's ears.
"Another ancient undead!"
the red-armored giant seemed surprised by the undead's extraordinary power.
But then he sneered,
"You've arrived just in time. I, the red-armored giant, greatly appreciate your soul. I'll take it."
But the undead, after all, was inanimate, unable to answer him, nor would he offer any harsh words. Instead, he clenched his bony hands, transforming the mist before him into countless water arrows, which he hurled at the red-armored giant.
The red-armored giant didn't shy away, the ghostly face on his red armor grinning grimly as he allowed the water arrows to pierce his armor, then met them with another punch.
A wall of water mist immediately formed in front of the undead spirit, but the red-armored giant, possessing immense ferocity, smashed through it, sending the undead spirit flying backwards dozens of feet before plunging deep into the earth.
When the mist dissipated, the red-armored giant remained unscathed.
Chen Gan'er, observing the battle from the sidelines, felt the red-armored giant's incredible ferocity, yet, knowing the undead spirit's impermanence, he felt a surge of worry.
If even this Foundation Establishment stage undead couldn't stop him, who else could? Should he rely on his clan
brother, who had devoted his life to the Chen family and was nearing the end of his life? Or on a mere cultivator of the second Qi Chain Stage, a mere second-level cultivator with low cultivation?
Thinking of this, Chen Gan'er clenched his fists.
...
The undead spirit, sent flying backwards, wasn't shattered by the red-armored giant's punch. Instead, it emerged from the pile of rubble and once again hovered in the air.
Only then did Chen Ganer discover that the bones of the undead were wrapped in dense water mist, making them look crystal clear.
Spiritual energy permeates the bone marrow, transforming it into bone—this is one of the fundamental abilities of a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage.
For example, Chen Gan'er, at the first level of Qi Linking, could only fight by enveloping his limbs in spiritual energy. Even after performing a few short spells, his spiritual energy would be depleted.
However, a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage is permeated with spiritual energy, storing it in every part of their body, allowing them to cast spells at will.
Whether the undead summoned by Chen Xuanlin could cast spells depended on whether their bodies still retained spiritual energy before death.
The undead before him, clad in rags, must have possessed considerable cultivation in life. Though only bones remained, the spiritual energy contained within them was still as vast as an ocean to Chen Gan'er.
The red-armored giant was not surprised but happy to see that the undead's power remained undiminished, and said: "
It is indeed an ancient undead spirit, hard to find in the world. I have decided to take your soul."
As the red-armored giant finished speaking, the red clouds in the sky surged into the red armor on his body. When the red clouds were completely absorbed, the ghost face on the red armor became more and more ferocious, as if it was about to break through the armor.
The two clashed once more. The red-armored giant, already formidable, now became even more ferocious.
Using pure physical strength, he blasted away the mist surrounding the undead, sending the undead seemingly retreating.
Chen Gan'er grew increasingly anxious, wishing he could go and help the undead. Unfortunately, with his current strength, going forward would be a death sentence.
Furthermore, the message tablet on the Sea of Death had foretold the presence of three cultivators on the island.
Only one had appeared; the other two were yet to emerge.
Just as Chen Gan'er was frantically worrying, a hoarse voice rang out from beside him.
"Gan'er... raise my hand."
He turned to see the white-haired Chen Xuanlin, struggling to raise his hand, something in his grasp threatened to fall.
Unfortunately, the excruciating pain from summoning his soul hadn't subsided yet. Even sweating profusely, he couldn't even raise his hand, let alone clench it.
Chen Gan'er immediately ran over to support Chen Xuanlin, saying,
"Brother."
Chen Xuanlin spoke again,
"Gan'er, lift my hand."
Only then did Chen Gan'er see clearly that Chen Xuanlin was holding a wooden token—the very same medium's wooden token he had obtained from the corpse floating in the Sea of Death. Suddenly, Chen Gan'er's mouth went dry.
"No wonder Brother was able to summon Foundation Establishment-stage undead. It turns out he was using that totemic wooden token,"
Chen Xuanlin said weakly.
"Don't talk nonsense."
The undead were already retreating, and the situation was critical. Chen Gan'er could only follow Chen Xuanlin's instructions, lifting Chen Xuanlin's trembling hand and helping him to form a fist.
Chen Xuanlin silently chanted a spell, and a black light appeared on the wooden token in his hand.
A piercing mourning sound echoed in the void, as if a mourning widow was hiding in the empty space.
The cry vanished as quickly as it came, like an auditory hallucination.
The inconspicuous black light in Chen Xuanlin's hand rushed toward the fierce battlefield like lightning,
instantly disappearing into the ghostly armor of the red-armored giant.
The red-armored giant was raising his fist to strike the undead, his eyes wide with rage.
But after the black light entered the ghostly armor, he stood still, his eyes widening, as if he had witnessed something horrifying.
The ghostly faces on the red armor no longer held a ferocious, resentful expression, but instead wore expressions of utter terror, as if they had also witnessed something horrifying.
After a moment, the ghostly faces on the red armor vanished one by one, their expressions shrouded in fear.
Then, clouds of red emerged from the armor.
These clouds drifted into the air, transforming into clusters of humanoid figures: men and women, young and old, perhaps hundreds of them.
When these humanoid red clouds first rose into the sky, their faces were bewildered.
Then, sensing something, they raised their hands, clasped their fists, and bowed to Chen Xuanlin before dissipating.
The sickening stench of decay from the Carrion Island vanished for a moment.
It all happened incredibly quickly.
From the moment Chen Xuanlin used the wooden command to emit a black light, to the moment the red cloud emerged from the ghost-faced red armor, forming a humanoid shape before dissipating, all took only a few breaths.
Chen Gan'er, stunned, didn't even have time to move.
His gaze inevitably turned to the red-armored giant, still standing still.
The ghost masks on the red-armored giant's armor had vanished, its imposing presence gone.
As Chen Gan'er watched in astonishment, the standing red-armored giant collapsed with a thunderous thud.
When the smoke and dust cleared,
a withered, frail old man emerged from the massive pile of armor