Chapter 42: The Innate Yin-Yang Nine-Palaces Eight-Trigrams Array!

Right now, outside the Qianyuan Cave.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Three ghostly figures shot forward rapidly. They landed at the cave entrance. Looking at the corpse cloud gathered above the cave roof, the three furrowed their brows, a trace of solemnity appearing in their eyes. Especially Wu Feng and Daoist Baihe, whose hearts were filled with deep dread.

"Such a dense corpse cloud. The number of corpses inside must be quite large."

At the head of the group, Fengyang wore a playful look upon his youthful face. Things were getting more and more interesting. With so many corpses gathered together, not a single sound of fighting had been heard. Corpses possessed no spiritual intelligence and fundamentally did not understand how to form cliques. It seemed this monstrous corpse truly possessed the ability to command other corpses.

"Senior Fengyang, why don't... why don't we come back during the day?" Wu Feng said, hesitating. He had crossed swords with Qin Feng before and was well aware of Qin Feng's strength and methods. Now that Qin Feng had so many subordinate corpses as well, the three of them would likely come out on the worse end. If they came during the day, there would be no need to fear it at all. During the day, corpses dared not show themselves, and their strength would be heavily suppressed. Therefore, there was no need for them to make a move against this monstrous corpse right now. Since they had already located the monster, there was no fear of it escaping anyway.

"It has already brought its corpses out." Fengyang's eyes narrowed.

"Thud... thud..."

At that very moment, neat, heavy footsteps rang out. Accompanied by thick corpse Qi, they emanated from deep within the mountain cave.

Immediately afterward, Qin Feng was seen leading three hundred and sixteen corpses, appearing in an orderly and neat fashion at the cave entrance. The peach tree demon and Mu Ruxue stood on either side of Qin Feng.

"Animals?"

"Animals can undergo corpse transformation too? Are you kidding me?!"

The eyes of Wu Feng and Daoist Baihe nearly popped out of their sockets. As everyone knew, corpse poison was incapable of infecting animals. Yet before their eyes were hundreds of animal corpses. Furthermore, these animal corpses were all at the leaping corpse realm, looking fierce and malevolent, extremely difficult to deal with. The tiger and the large black bear in particular gave off an intense sense of oppression.

"This corpse seems far more monstrous than you described, actually capable of causing animals to undergo corpse transformation." Fengyang frowned slightly, the killing intent in his eyes growing even denser. Such a monstrous corpse had to be eradicated. Otherwise, it would undoubtedly become a disaster for both the mortal and nether realms in the future.

Regaining his composure, he shifted his gaze to the peach tree demon and Mu Ruxue.

"A demon? A disciple of the Taoist sect?"

Fengyang narrowed his eyes slightly. "You must be the expert behind this corpse, right? I thought you'd be someone formidable, but it turns out you're only at the late Out-of-Body stage. Which sect do you belong to, daring to side with a corpse and assist the evildoer?"

"And which sect do you belong to?" Mu Ruxue's sharp gaze locked onto Fengyang. She could clearly sense the powerful aura emanating from him. This young man possessed immense strength!

"Dragon Tiger Mountain." Fengyang uttered the three words indifferently.

"Dragon Tiger Mountain?!" Qin Feng, Mu Ruxue, and the peach tree demon all felt a jolt in their hearts. This was one of the three great sacred grounds, the main altar of the Taoist sect. Every disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain was a favored son of heaven with formidable strength and boundless mystical arts. No doubt that was why, despite his youth, he had already reached the Soul Wandering stage.

"Ah-Feng, the enemy is a bit tricky. Although I've received the inheritance of the Wuji Celestial Master, I haven't mastered it yet," Mu Ruxue whispered softly in Qin Feng's ear. If she had mastered the Wuji Celestial Master's inheritance, she would have been able to trade blows with Fengyang. But the crucial point was she hadn't. She had only received the inherited memories—knowing how to cultivate the mystical arts, knowing the incantations and formulas, and so on. After all, not everyone possessed an eidetic memory like Qin Feng, able to learn something just by glancing at it.

"Why don't we let the corpse army hold him off while we run for it?" the peach tree demon chimed in quietly. At the mere mention of Dragon Tiger Mountain, its heart was trembling. Earlier, it had spoken boastfully, claiming it could handle the opponent once its injuries healed. Setting aside whether it actually could handle him or not, it lacked the sheer courage to try. Offending Dragon Tiger Mountain had grave consequences. Strike a junior, and out come the seniors. The sect could dispatch any random powerhouse to easily suppress it.

"That's our only option. We cannot fight the disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain head-on. Whether we injure or kill him, Dragon Tiger Mountain will not let the matter rest. With our current strength, opposing Dragon Tiger Mountain means we probably wouldn't survive a single week. Fleeing is currently the wisest choice." Mu Ruxue nodded in agreement. There was no alternative; circumstances forced submission, and one had to yield. With an ordinary sect, killing one meant nothing. But disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain were a different story—their sect possessed far too many powerhouses and grand masters. For all they knew, this disciple might be the most beloved little apprentice of some powerful elder on Dragon Tiger Mountain.

"Wu Feng, Baihe, form the array!" Seeming to read the thoughts of the peach tree demon and Mu Ruxue, Fengyang gave a low shout.

The next second, the two waved their hands.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Dozens of array flags shot forth, completely surrounding the perimeter according to the positions of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, and the Yin-Yang Five Elements. This was something the three of them had discussed before coming: to trap Qin Feng directly with a spell formation to prevent his escape. As for the array-setting method, Fengyang had imparted it to the two of them beforehand. As long as one understood the Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams, and Yin-Yang Five Elements, this formation could be set up. Among top-tier arrays, it was the easiest one to master.

"The Innate Yin-Yang Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Array!" Mu Ruxue's eyes narrowed slightly. Having obtained the inheritance of the Wuji Celestial Master, she recognized the intricacies of this array at a glance.

"This is a restraining array among top-tier arrays. We won't be able to break it in a short time; we have no choice but to fight them to the death!" Mu Ruxue said with a grave expression. She had hoped to use the animal corpses to stall the three of them, but now that plan was unfeasible. Wu Feng and Baihe had set up the array far too quickly, giving them zero chance to escape its radius.

"Whoosh!!!"

The moment the array activated, a black and white radiance merged into a dome-like barrier that continuously expanded in all directions, enveloping a radius of several dozen meters. The two beams of light chased and blended into one another, forming a pattern of the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams.

"Make your move!" Without wasting any more breath, Fengyang let out a low shout, stepping out the Dipper paces as he drew his sword and charged at Qin Feng. His speed was lightning-fast, closing the distance in an instant. Combined with top-tier Dipper-stepping footwork and incomparably sharp swordsmanship, he locked directly onto Qin Feng's position.

"Corpse army, hear my command! Kill him!!" Qin Feng shouted loudly, then stepped out the Dipper paces to rapidly retreat.

"Hiss!!"

Over three hundred corpses rushed forward like escaped zombies, swarming toward Fengyang.

"Humph! The Dipper-Stepping Star-Fighting Pace?! Mere parlor tricks, daring to show off your clumsy axe before a real master!" Fengyang sneered. His footwork shifted nimbly, using flexible movement to step directly onto the heads of the animal corpses as he closed in rapidly on Qin Feng. At the same time, his peach wood sword, glowing with golden light, flickered toward Qin Feng's left side.

"Whoosh!"

The peach wood sword whistled through the air, carrying a piercing sonic boom. Just as Qin Feng shifted his body to the left, his pupils constricted upon seeing the oncoming peach wood sword. True to his reputation as a disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain, he had actually predicted the trajectory of the Dipper-Stepping Star-Fighting Pace. Or perhaps the footwork he used was simply too weak, easily seen through by Fengyang.

Immediately, Qin Feng let out a low roar. With a mental command, thick fur sprouted all over his body. The soft, long hairs intertwined and wove together, forming an impenetrable black armor.

"Clang!!"

The peach wood sword struck the fur armor and was instantly deflected. Qin Feng was also knocked back several steps by the sheer impact.