At a distance of less than five paces between them, the pure power of a Body Refiner amplified by a burst technique was enough to strike fear into any cultivator.
Furthermore, Wang Yu's other preparations took effect simultaneously.
A thousand meters away, within the concealment of a formation, the Grand Yin Nourishing Corpse Coffin rapidly enlarged. The Grand Yin Corpse leapt out and without ceremony offered a distant bow towards the Five Poisons Old Demon.
*Yin Corpse's Curse of Descending Malignance!*
A top-tier Corpse Path curse technique for weakening an enemy's state! A fifty percent reduction—even a Nascent Soul cultivator would suffer, though for the curse to take effect, the gap in cultivation couldn't be too wide.
Fortunately, the Five Poisons Old Demon could not exempt himself.
After the Yin Corpse completed its bow, its task was done. It jumped back into the coffin. Next, the Thunder Corpse made its appearance.
Wang Yu's strike, infused with **[Asura's Killing Intent]**, was a Demonic Dragon Fist targeting both body and spirit simultaneously. The Yin Nether Demonic Dragon, materialized from blood qi and wrapped in currents of killing intent, shot forth!
It slammed the Five Poisons Old Demon into the air before exploding violently.
At that moment, the Thunder Corpse vaulted across the thousand-meter distance. Boundless lightning converged upon its body. With a thunderous boom, a mushroom cloud erupted from the ground.
The Five Poisons Old Demon was smashed back down. Simultaneously, Wang Yu activated the final use of the Heaven Thunder Talisman Treasure. The nearly-instantaneous pillar of heavenly thunder descended once more, blasting the Five Poisons Old Demon even deeper into the earth.
This whole combo gave him no chance to react. This time... Wang Yu felt eighty percent confident. He refused to believe a loose cultivator at the seventh layer of Core Formation could be that formidable.
As he remained vigilant, the dust and smoke gradually cleared.
From within the dozens-of-meters-deep circular crater, a cacophony of different sounds suddenly arose.
Frog croaks, insect chirps... and the hissing of snakes.
A toad, a centipede, a scorpion, a lizard, and a snake.
These were the five poisons as commonly understood, and also the life-bound poisonous beasts of the special cultivation method **[Five Poisons Sutra]** practiced by the Five Poisons Old Demon. It allowed for the simultaneous refinement of five life-bound entities.
This was the source of his strength. Using his life-bound five poisons to perform his clone technique, he was unbeatable in both combat and exploration.
Poisonous beasts and gu insects seemed similar but were two entirely different existences.
"Five Poisons Rotation Art!"
A vast wave of multicolored poisonous smoke erupted violently from the deep crater, transforming into the phantoms of the five poisonous beasts. The Five Poisons Old Demon stood amidst them, gasping for breath.
His condition was far from good.
His originally withered appearance had turned skeletal, like a skeleton draped in human skin. Beneath the skin, a multitude of squirming insects burrowed about, devouring flesh and blood while restoring his injuries.
The charring from the lightning and the wounds inflicted by the Thunder Corpse's claws were rapidly healing.
Wang Yu's expression grew increasingly grave.
The Five Poisons Rotation Art seemed to be a versatile divine ability. Not only did it possess considerable offensive power, but it also aided in healing injuries and defending against enemy attacks.
Such a legacy didn't seem like something a mere loose cultivator was qualified to possess.
He recalled the Listening Wind Pavilion's intelligence: the Five Poisons Old Demon had been active in the Sky Demon Bone Forest for over three hundred years. In such a mysterious place, obtaining some fortuitous encounter was plausible.
No wonder he had looked down on Wang Yu's Nascent Soul inheritance; perhaps he already possessed his own.
"—Brat."
Having fallen for the double-layered trap, the Five Poisons Old Demon was indeed severely wounded, but not necessarily at death's door. Now riding the five-colored poisonous smoke, his eyes fixed on Wang Yu, he spoke.
"Your trump card isn't bad, and your cunning runs deep.
"But your cultivation is ultimately too weak. If that Talisman Treasure had possessed peak third-rank power, this venerable might have truly been caught off guard.
"Now—DIE!!!"
*Ding ling ling~*
The snake staff, which Wang Yu had been wary of all along, was not the old demon's life-bound magic treasure. It was the silver bell ring he now held in his hand.
It looked like a child's toy, but in reality, it complemented his life-bound Five Poisons beasts perfectly. The moment the bells chimed, the multicolored poisonous smoke transformed into rings of venom, attacking Wang Yu.
His Thunder Tattoo state had not yet ended.
His speed was incomparable to normal. With a single stomp, the earth cracked open violently. A giant rock stood upright like a seesaw, resembling a small mountain.
The instant the Five Poison Rings collided with it, thick dust scattered everywhere. Amidst flashes of lightning and thunder, Wang Yu and the Thunder Corpse flanked from left and right, bypassing the multicolored poison rings to launch another fierce assault on the old demon's main body.
—*Thunderous Bird's Cry!*
The Yin Nether Demonic Dragon, wreathed in lightning and blood mist, struck again. The Thunder Corpse roared.
Five bolts of lightning descended once more from the still-gathered dark clouds, forming chains that firmly bound the old demon's limbs and neck, forcibly pulling him into a spread-eagle position.
The Thunder Corpse was balanced in offense and defense, excelling at both close and long range.
Since advancing to the third rank, its innate divine ability was called **[Summon Thunder and Call Lightning]**!
It also possessed a 'Lightning Corpse Armor' not inferior to that of an armored corpse of the same rank, and 'Supreme Yang Lightning Malice' not inferior to that of a Yin Corpse. The unique abilities a zombie possessed had all undergone some variation in the Thunder Corpse's hands; it had no conventional weaknesses.
Its mastery of **[Thunder Control Art]** was especially sublime. These lightning chains were formed by that very art.
Wang Yu's strategy of a direct assault on the heart was simple and direct. But the Five Poisons Old Demon's combat experience was profound; how could he not be prepared?
The pincer movement successfully tore the Five Poisons Old Demon in half. As foul blood rain scattered, it transformed into droplets of poisonous blood.
While Wang Yu dodged backward, a multicolored poison ring struck him hard from behind. The searing pain and the agony of toxins invading his body instantly made it difficult for him to stand straight.
He whirled his head to look at the deep crater from the earlier blast.
Indeed.
The old demon, master of poison clone techniques, flew out from it once more. Wang Yu's spiritual sense probed repeatedly, each time receiving feedback that this was the true body.
He took a deep breath.
"Stay calm."
Admonishing himself internally, Wang Yu narrowed his eyes, considering countermeasures. He had anticipated the possibility of the ambush failing and had plans for subsequent responses.
But the other's tenacity even after falling into the trap exceeded expectations.
"Brat, do you feel an unbearable itch in your internal organs?
"This venerable's Five Poisons Rotation Art fuses five potent toxins into one. Almost no one can cure it. You can only wait to melt into a puddle of pus~ Jie jie jie!"
Wrong!
If the other party wasn't severely injured, he could have crushed Wang Yu swiftly and decisively. Instead, he was resorting to this tactic of slowly grinding him down with poison.
Was he wary of further trump cards? No!
His true body must have been critically damaged, to the point he even handed over his life-bound treasure, the **[Five Poisons Silver Bells]**, to this clone to use. He was still afraid of dying.
Thinking this, the pressure in Wang Yu's heart lessened considerably.
His initial goal was to heavily injure the Five Poisons Old Demon, rendering him incapable of pursuit for a while. Once the Stainless Jade Toad completed its metamorphosis and truly reached its complete form, the poisonous skull tracking mark on him could be easily removed.
With the Stainless Jade Toad's restraint over the poison path, he could even turn the tables and hunt the Five Poisons Old Demon. The old demon had merely caught him at an inconvenient time.
"Haha—
"You old ugly bastard, you're afraid!
"Let me tell you, Lord Earth Store Demon Monarch gave me many more trump cards. If you don't want mutual destruction, then piss off!"
With another thunderous boom, Wang Yu launched another attack.
Two streaks of lightning howled forth. The Five Poisons Old Demon wanted to retreat, but his heart tightened. A pair of eyes brimming with killing intent abruptly appeared in his vision.
The mental assault of the Minor Asura Killing Fist completely detonated.
In the instant his body stiffened, the lightning-enshrouded figures from left and right tore him apart once more.
With clones continuously destroyed and his true body in a heavily wounded state, he too was under great pressure. The Five Poisons clones were not infinite; each required a portion of his power to use.
But at this moment, his true body desperately needed that power to suppress his injuries. The rampant supreme yang and supremely rigid lightning within him, along with the clinging, maggot-like lunar malice, were causing him significant trouble.
"Damn it."
Knowing he could only temporarily halt for now, the old demon did not send out another clone to harass. Instead, he spread his voice, continuing his pressure tactic of sinister laughter.
"This venerable will find your corpse. Having been infected by the multicolored poison, you won't live long."
To this, Wang Yu offered no response.
Confirming the other had no intention of continuing the fight, he stepped onto the Thunder Corpse's back, employing a corpse-riding flight technique, and sped off towards You Prefecture.
As for the multicolored poison inside him, he paid it no mind. The body of a third-rank Body Refiner would not be killed by poison below the fourth rank.
However, expelling it was difficult. He would have to endure the discomfort and tough it out until the Stainless Jade Toad awoke, which could then detoxify it. Perhaps this misfortune could become a blessing, strengthening his physique further.
Upon reaching the third rank, the Body Refinement path revolved around cultivating **[Divine Marrow]**. When his Dragon Spine was completely filled with divine marrow, it would signify he had reached the peak of the third rank.
Right now, he only had a thumb-sized cluster; he was still far off. He still needed nourishment from various heavenly treasures and a suitable environment for tempering. Fighting with his body was also a form of tempering.
Half an hour later, the burst state from the Thunder Tattoos completely ended. The thunder-script tattoos on Wang Yu's body gradually faded. He would need to absorb sufficient thunder energy before he could use them again.
Progress on the Wind Tattoos was minimal; they were temporarily difficult to employ.
However.
Just as he stopped to recover some true essence, a familiar figure approached, carrying a familiar corpse.
It was the true body of the Five Poisons Old Demon!
Wang Yu had also met the newcomer once before—the direct lineage female cultivator from the Thunderfire Temple he had jokingly called the "Taihu Noble Maiden," whose mastery of the Earth Shrinking Step was flawless.
At present.
She was exuding an aura at the peak of Foundation Establishment, yet carrying the corpse of a Core Formation seventh-layer cultivator...
Wang Yu's eye couldn't help but twitch.
"Please halt, esteemed one. What is the meaning of this?"
The Taihu Noble Maiden stopped and tossed the corpse between them, explaining.
"I was nearby, drawn by the thunderous aura during your battle, and recognized you..."
After a moment of silence, she continued.
"This demonic fiend committed countless atrocities and deserved death. I wished to ask you for more details regarding the Demonic Assembly. This corpse is a gift."
Wang Yu immediately grew tense. Even if the Five Poisons Old Demon had been heavily wounded, for a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator to not only accurately capture him but also kill him without suffering any injury...
Just to ask about the Demonic Assembly? Wasn't that a bit too frivolous?
For this Taihu Noble Maiden, Talisman Treasures were perhaps only among her most basic trump cards...
Wang Yu said helplessly,
"I've already told you everything I know. Didn't you go to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to purchase intelligence?"
"I did. But you possess the Earthly Nether Ghost Mask; you must know more information. I wish to know all about the Yin-Yang Demon Monarch and the deeds of the Demonic Assembly."
*(End of Chapter)*