"Dead?"

Zhang Shaoyang frowned as he looked at Guiyun Wanderer in front of him. He was sure this strike had pierced through Guiyun Wanderer’s heart, dead beyond redemption.

At this moment, Guiyun Wanderer’s head hung down, with blood continuously flowing from his chest, almost covering the entire long sword.

No breath arose from his nostrils.

His entire body slumped weakly against the large tree, motionless.

A flash of coldness passed through Zhang Shaoyang’s eyes, "Whether you’re truly dead or just pretending, as long as I cut off your head..."

Without any hesitation, he withdrew the long sword sharply and swung it towards Guiyun Wanderer’s neck.

A cultivator might survive with a pierced heart.

But if the head is completely severed, death is certain.

"Crack...!"

As the long sword swung, suddenly, Guiyun Wanderer, who originally had his head down, abruptly lifted his head and opened his mouth.

"Whoosh...!"

A large mass of black mist spewed out from his mouth, while a nauseating stench immediately filled Zhang Shaoyang’s nostrils.

"Damn!"

Zhang Shaoyang roared in anger, unable to see anything in front of him; instinctively, he swung the long sword to repel Guiyun Wanderer.

But in that breath, he had already inhaled several strands of the black mist.

In an instant, he felt dizzy, his vision darkened.

"Poison!"

Fear gripped his heart, and he reflexively thrust the long sword once more in the direction of Guiyun Wanderer.

As long as he could kill him...

"Hehehehe..."

A series of icy laughter suddenly reached his ears; Guiyun Wanderer’s cold aura immediately invaded.

"What a naïve fool, did you really think I wouldn’t sense your killing intent?"

Guiyun Wanderer’s figure swiftly rushed forward; Zhang Shaoyang stabbed based on the sound, but unfortunately, he struck nothing but air.

"Born into Cultivation Clans, with the care of family elders, your cultivation journey unimpeded... truly, I’m envious of you."

"But alas..."

In the dense forest, Guiyun Wanderer was still covered in blood, but peculiarly, his wounds were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Moreover, under his clothes, upon closer inspection, his skin appeared grayish-white.

As if... like a corpse’s body!

"Hehehe..."

"I once cultivated a Secret Technique named ’Celestial Corpse Transformation Technique,’ altering my constitution to be half-human, half-corpse."

"Since then, I’ve feared no ordinary Magical Treasure."

"How could mere steel swords harm me?"

His figure flickered, eerily appearing in front of Zhang Shaoyang, easily evading the long sword, and struck Zhang Shaoyang’s chest with a palm!

"Thud!"

A mouthful of blood spewed out, and unlike before, what Zhang Shaoyang spat out this time was blackish-red blood!

Even his chest bore a pitch-black palm print, looking extremely terrifying.

"Die...!"

An instant of killing intent flashed through Guiyun Wanderer’s eyes as he continued to advance, clawing at Zhang Shaoyang’s neck.

He wouldn’t be like those novices, giving the enemy time to react.

To kill... one must act decisively!

However, peculiarly, in his panic, Zhang Shaoyang reached into his storage pouch and, with the fastest speed, slapped it against his chest.

"Hmm?"

Guiyun Wanderer frowned, not knowing what Zhang Shaoyang was doing.

But it didn’t deter his killing intent at all.

The Ghost Claw struck, the eerie cold aura enveloped Zhang Shaoyang entirely.

But right at this moment, a special white light suddenly flickered in front of Zhang Shaoyang.

Simultaneously, a black figure abruptly appeared in his view.

With a ’bang,’ Guiyun Wanderer’s claw unexpectedly hit this figure’s body.

The hard and cold form caused his right hand to tremble, and he instinctively retreated.

"Kill him! Cough cough... hurry, kill him!"

Zhang Shaoyang’s weak voice came through, still coughing violently.

Amidst the coughs, the figure had already moved, quickly approaching Guiyun Wanderer.

"Puppet?"

It was only then that Guiyun Wanderer had the time to examine this shadow, his eyes filled with shock.

"Spiritual Qi!"

"How can you possess Spiritual Qi!"

Puppet Xuan Ye.

Only after Zhang Shaoyang sacrificed his storage pouch did he gain a quarter-hour of its use.

However, after Puppet Xuan Ye appeared, the Spiritual Qi stored within its five mid-grade Spirit Stones was depleting at a visibly rapid pace.

Before long, it would become nothing but scrap iron.

"Quickly, cough cough cough, quickly kill him!"

Zhang Shaoyang continued to urge as Puppet Xuan Ye finally sped up.

It reached out and grabbed the Dragon-slaying Sword, slashing it directly down.

The Spiritual Qi flowed, and the Dragon-slaying Sword’s blade suddenly emitted a dazzling light, almost instantaneously slashing towards Guiyun Wanderer.

"Thud!"

Subconsciously, Guiyun Wanderer dodged with incredible speed, but he couldn’t completely avoid this slash.

His entire left arm was severed, along with several big trees behind him also being cut in two.

"Ah...!"

He screamed, his figure again turning into phantom-like shadows, swiftly fleeing this place.

Judging by its aura alone, this puppet was not inferior to how I was when I entered Spiritless Island.

At this moment, I’m not its match; escaping is the best strategy.

"Rumble...!"

However, at this moment, Puppet Xuan Ye raised its hand again, and the Blazing Fire Banner transformed into a fiery cloud, surging towards Guiyun Wanderer like waves.

"Gah~"

"Caw caw!!!"

Piercing cacophonous cries continuously sounded as numerous Nether Fire Crows flew out from the dense forest at this time.

Watching the ground where Puppet Xuan Ye was manipulating the Blazing Fire Banner, they charged forward without hesitation.

Spreading their vast wings and wielding sharp claws, attacking Puppet Xuan Ye fiercely.

"Gah~"

"Caw caw!!!"

The Blazing Fire Banner, driven by Puppet Xuan Ye, transformed into roaring flames that burned the Nether Fire Crows to charcoal, one by one.

"Puppet of the Human Race...!"

A cold snort suddenly sounded; the Golden Core Stage Nether Fire Crow had finally caught up, its slit-like pupils staring intently at Puppet Xuan Ye.

Its huge wings flared up as it charged aggressively forward, paying no mind to the fiery clouds.

"Boom!"

The fire cloud dissipated, intense flames sweeping over this Nether Fire Crow, could only scorch its feathers, incapable of harming its body.

With a "bang," the Nether Fire Crow’s body fiercely collided with Puppet Xuan Ye.

Sharp claws immediately left a clear mark on it, and the gigantic mouth opened, viciously pecking towards Puppet Xuan Ye’s head.

"Thud!"

"Hmm?"

The Golden Core Stage Nether Fire Crow raised its head, its eyes full of doubt.

The puppet had vanished without a trace, leaving its beak to strike a large mouthful of soil.

"Human Race..."

The Nether Fire Crow looked up, frowning at the poisoned and severely injured Zhang Shaoyang, its eyes brimming with killing intent.

"That puppet... it must have been your doing!"

It approached Zhang Shaoyang, looking at the panicked, chest-clutching Zhang Shaoyang, and without hesitation, stomped forcefully.

"Thud!"

This stomp carried enormous power, directly crushing down on Zhang Shaoyang’s chest.

Half of his body sunk into the mud, while the other half was smashed to pulp; his entire face turned purplish-black, with thick black blood spurting from his seven orifices.

"No, impossible!"

"I have the ultimate treasure on me, destined to be a future Immortal Monarch... how could this be!"

"Thud!!!"