Chapter 618: Lord Xue Surrenders
They successfully sealed the death aura, and the new balance allowed Tiger Taoist to use his death aura-filled arm.
Thanks to the death aura’s enhancement, his right arm was at least ten times stronger than before.
In other words, Tiger Taoist profited a lot from this battle.
It was an incident that was supposed to have caused him to lose an arm. However, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. His arm remained intact, and it was more powerful than before. Apart from that, he had even managed to gain a new pet beast, the zombie dragon.
It went without saying that Tiger Taoist was awestruck by the outcome.
Fortunately, he regained his composure quickly. He knew better than anyone that if he had encountered this alone, his arm would have been gone forever. Who knows what that death aura might turn his arm into.
Corpse Taoist might have sprung back to life at any moment.
That remained a possibility, even now. Everyone saw just how bizarre his cultivation method was. It allowed him to hijack another’s body at will.
So long it was a zombified body, Corpse Taoist would be resurrected.
The sealing up of Corpse Taoist’s natal death aura was comparable to locking away this undead being for good. From now on, he would cease to be a threat because he couldn’t escape from Tiger Taoist’s arm. He was to serve as a slave and become part of Tiger Taoist’s strength.
The person who managed to pull off this stunt had to possess the capability of an immortal.
Hence, Tiger Taoist saluted Curator the instant he snapped back to reality.
“Thank you, Curator, for your assistance.” Tiger Taoist only fought Corpse Taoist for revenge and to teach him a lesson in his master’s stead. It was not odd for him to thank Curator in light of what happened.
To his surprise, Curator waved his hand casually.
“Corpse Taoist has been consistently been a thorn in my side, so his demise is good news to me. As for everything else, I only did what I could.”
His tone was nonchalant, and he did not sound like he wanted to take credit for the victory.
Tiger Taoist grew increasingly impressed by Curator. It was him who discreetly planned this attack. He was the one who informed Tiger Taoist and Jin Chi in advance so the former could get his revenge.
Corpse Taoist was gone now. He was incarcerated inside Tiger Taoist’s right arm and would be wielded as he pleased. Some might even consider this fate worse than death.
As the ant queen had taken Curator’s side, only Patriarch Xue Pao was left.
Jin Chi was still busy dealing with Lord Xue’s clone. They were engaged in a battle that could only be described as a clash between immortals. If Lin Jin didn’t use any powerful magic treasures, he would never be able to intervene in this battle.
“Curator, why don’t we go and help?” Due to his right arm and elevated combat ability, Tiger Taoist was eager as a schoolboy to try out his newfound abilities.
Lin Jin shook his head.
“That is only Patriarch Xue Pao’s clone. Nothing much would change even if we destroy him. The key lies beneath our feet.” Lin Jin pointed to the ground where Patriarch Xue Pao’s real body was hidden.
Tiger Taoist nodded. After experiencing the fight with Corpse Taoist, he would go with whatever Curator proposed. “Curator, please let me know what I should do next!”
He would heed Curator’s instructions.
Jin Chi had no problem keeping Lord Xue’s clone busy so Lin Jin pointed at the void. The drop of Cosmic Ink on his finger started spreading, and it took the form of a black door.
“Let’s go!” said Curator before stepping inside. Tiger Taoist followed him without hesitation.
Darkness flashed before their eyes and they returned underground once more.
When Lin Jin slashed open the ceiling earlier, the mountain did collapse due to the immense burst of energy, and the subterranean ant nest was completely decimated. However, half of the cave in which Patriarch Xue Pao’s body was stored remained standing.
Lin Jin already made precautions when he left a drop of Cosmic Ink here. Sure enough, the time had come for him to use it.
Before them was Patriarch Xue Pao’s body, the chubby blood giant.
As they approached the giant, Lin Jin noticed tiny cracks forming on the ground beneath its feet, and on the stone walls above its head. The cracks were blood-red in color, and they were translucent as if agate crystals were hidden underneath.
These must have been used to reinforce the cave.
Although the earlier attack was devastating, the fact that this cave remained intact proved just how tough the blood was.
This was also a reminder for them to not underestimate the toughness of Patriarch Xue Pao’s body.
Lin Jin continued forward while Tiger Taoist followed behind respectfully. He kept his eyes glued to their surroundings, in case there was any danger lurking around the corner.
Once Lin Jin was less than thirty feet away, a pool of blood gathered before him and then morphed into the figure of a human.
“Curator, why must we fight to the death? Why don’t we just stop here?” asked the human silhouette.
It was another one of Patriarch Xue Pao’s clones.
“Patriarch Xue Pao is very impressive. I’m surprised he can maintain control over multiple clones!” Tiger Taoist declared. He had learned the art of cloning too, and his mastery of the spell wasn’t that shoddy.
Yet, even at his level, he could only control one clone at a time as the spell greatly exhausted one’s psyche. Those whose minds weren’t strong enough couldn’t possibly control two clones at the same time.
Patriarch Xue Pao was the exception.
Lin Jin said nothing. He wasn’t surprised either because Patriarch Xue Pao was a Rank 7 monster. With a millenniums’ worth of cultivation, it should be normal for him to possess some unusual abilities.
After all, he had been locked away here for more than a thousand years. With so much time at his disposal, it only made sense that he started cultivating.
Lin Jin continued forward. “Why didn’t you say this when you guys had the upper hand earlier?”
That blood silhouette was starting to panic.
A deafening roar could be heard above, followed by Jin Chi’s battle cry. Their battle had just intensified.
The clone above ground was intended for combat, but it couldn’t possibly come down to their aid at this point.
“Curator, I know many secrets and can tell you all of it. What’s more, it was only Corpse Taoist who wanted to kill you. Now that he’s gone, I will cease all hostilities against you. There is no bad blood between us, so why must we fight to the death?” asked Patriarch Xue Pao in a last-ditch attempt to bargain for his life.
Sadly, Lin Jin didn’t want to hear it.
He had his hand on the sword’s hilt and it looked like he would draw the sword at any given moment.
Patriarch Xue Pao had seen the might of Lin Jin’s sword slash earlier. It would be problematic if his real body suffered such a cut.
Should that happen, and if the immortal’s aura was released, the immortal devouring beast would surely detect him and wipe him out.
After all, the immortal’s body was stuck inside his body, and it could not be removed.
“Curator, I can teach you the ‘Law of Carnage’. Once you cultivate it, your physical body will be indestructible.”
“I can also give you the powers I have nurtured from all over the world. From now on, you will be the world’s strongest man. You’ll even have the right to appoint emperors for every nation, and should you disapprove, they won’t be able to ascend the throne,” offered Patriarch Xue Pao.
“I also know the truth of the demise of immortals and where the immortal devouring beast came from…”
Patriarch Xue Pao was panic-stricken, but his last sentence made Curator stop in his tracks.