Chapter 126 Record of Battles

Three corpses, heads severed and frozen solid.

On the other side, four heads, neatly arranged...besides the heads of the Poison Devil and his two companions, there was an extra one, that of Soul Eater Tang Ran.

"Impressive results."

Bai Xiu glanced at them and smiled, "If we can keep up this pace, it won't be long before all the 'Snow Cage' criminals are eliminated."

Gu Shen gave a wry smile.

Were the Snow Cage criminals difficult to kill? Yes, but not that difficult.

The hardest part was finding them.

These high-level transcendents, without fully understanding the difference in strength, attempted to launch a sneak attack relying on their higher realm, to alleviate the "Heavenly Sheath Curse," and just happened to encounter him, which led to their demise.

"Their bodies still contain fragments of the Heavenly Sheath."

Gu Shen said, "These people didn't even have time to share the curse before I killed them."

Bai Xiu carefully examined the three corpses.

Because they had just died not long ago, the source power in their bodies had not yet begun to dissipate, but the "source power fluctuations" of these three fourth-level transcendents were already very weak...the Heavenly Sheath fragments were absorbing their power.

"In fact, the Heavenly Sheath doesn't directly cause death."

Bai Xiu recalled the files he had seen earlier and slowly said, "In the past, there have been innocent people in the Snow Cage who were accidentally injured by the Heavenly Sheath...the most serious of them completely lost their transcendent abilities and became ordinary people."

Gu Shen nodded, "But for these escaped criminals...it's better for them to die directly than to lose their abilities."

"After all...this is the tundra."

The tundra environment was too harsh; ordinary people simply couldn't survive.

Without abilities, without source power...they would freeze to death in less than three days.

Gu Shen walked to the three corpses.

The source power in the bodies of the Poison Devil and his companions was slowly dissipating...but the speed was significantly reduced compared to when they were alive.

The reason was simple.

Heavenly Sheath fragments no longer worked after the host died.

"Chī."

Blazing flames enveloped his eyes, and the world in Gu Shen's eyes was disassembled...he saw that the bodies of the Poison Devil, Silver Eyes, and White-Haired Ghost were covered with dense wounds.

These were injuries left behind when the Snow Cage exploded!

Each of these wounds was not deep, but they were embedded with dense stone fragments.

"This is why they attacked the camp; if they didn't share the curse...the source power in their bodies would dissipate completely."

Gu Shen's expression was grave. He extended two fingers and opened a cracked wound on the Poison Devil's body.

"...?"

Bai Xiu frowned beside him.

Gu Shen wasn't thinking of directly extracting the Heavenly Sheath fragments like that, was he?

That was not something to do; touching the Heavenly Sheath could lead to misfortune!

But before he could remind him, Gu Shen had already done it. Although the movement of his fingers was slow, it was very firm. With his fingertips wrapped in blazing flames, he directly pinched a fragment through the void.

"Chī chī chī!"

The flames trembled wildly.

Gu Shen slowly pinched up this slender fragment with two fingers.

With a crisp "clang," this fragment was completely removed from the wound—

Outsiders couldn't see it.

But Gu Shen, who had personally come into contact with the Heavenly Sheath fragments, felt a strong sense of "misfortune" in an instant. This was not even sensed by his blazing flames...but from the extremely small Underworld Fire hidden in the center of his brow!

The "Underworld King Fire Seed" in the cemetery recognized him.

This small wisp of Underworld Fire was the gift of the Fire Seed, considered a sign of the future Underworld King!

Gu Shen couldn't use this "Underworld Fire" to unleash much powerful killing force, but as long as he could afford the price, it was no problem to exercise the Underworld King's authority to a certain extent.

For example, allowing some "departed ones" whose strength was lower than his own before death to stand up in the Pure Land in a different way.

For example, resisting toxins and misfortunes not as potent as the Golden穗花zhi du (Golden Spike Flower Poison).

These all fell within the scope of the "Underworld King's authority," and the small wisp of "Underworld Fire" in his brow was the key to activating these abilities.

The Heavenly Sheath's curse was instantly sensed by the Underworld Fire.

The swaying blazing flames instantly turned black—

When Bai Xiu saw this, the taciturn Xiao Xiu Zi (Little Sleeves) narrowed his eyes and looked at Gu Shen with some confusion, but ultimately said nothing. He could see that the Heavenly Sheath's curse was invading Gu Shen, and the latter actually possessed a "resistance force."

What kind of concept was this?

The wisp of "black fire" that Gu Shen was currently exhibiting gave Bai Xiu a sense of mental pressure.

This wasn't because Gu Shen's mental strength was stronger than him.

But because the rank of this black fire—

Was too high!

"Is this the power of the God Throne?"

Xiao Xiu Zi (Little Sleeves) silently whispered, "It doesn't seem like the aura of Dou Zhan (Battle)...dark and gloomy, it's more like the Underworld King..."

His sleeves rolled, and crackling thunder faintly resounded.

The moment Gu Shen touched the Heavenly Sheath, he had already prepared to "rescue" him. The power of the 雷界行者 (Lei Jie Xing Zhe, Thunder Realm Walker) was more than just combat; he had displayed it in the cemetery.

Blazing flames could devour source power and transform chaos.

His Thunder Realm Walker could also do it.

This forbidden S-level ability could always create miracles when fully exerted.

It might not be impossible to resist the Heavenly Sheath curse.

Of course...Bai Xiu wasn't confident either. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't directly take the Heavenly Sheath fragments like Gu Shen; that was too risky.

For those ten-odd seconds, the blazing flames and the fragments formed an intense reaction.

Afterward, the dark flames in Gu Shen's brow gradually dissipated, and the Underworld King completed the mission of exercising his "authority," returning to Gu Shen's mind—

Bai Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that he didn't need to take action.

"How is it?"

Xiao Xiu Zi (Little Sleeves) asked with concern, "Did you successfully extract the Heavenly Sheath fragments?"

"Mm..."

Gu Shen nodded, took out a black silver box, put the Heavenly Sheath fragments into it, and said seriously, "This thing carries a strong curse and is very dangerous...it can fuse into the blood. Once stabbed, if it's not shared, there's a high probability of losing all abilities and eventually becoming 'mortal.'"

Just now, the confrontation...

Even the "Underworld Fire" had expended a lot of effort.

Of course, this was also because the amount of "Underworld Fire" was too small—

Leaving aside the volume, in terms of quality alone, the power of this "Heavenly Sheath" was indeed a bit frightening. His "Underworld Fire" was a god-level power, so what was the origin of the Stone Sword standing in the Snow Cage?

"After these fragments are extracted, if they are reorganized using spiritual power, they will become terrifying weapons."

Bai Xiu immediately realized the terror of the Heavenly Sheath.

"That's right..."

Gu Shen looked at the fragment in the black silver box and murmured, "If those transcendent criminals are all gathered by Han Dang...after extracting the fragments, he is likely to create an unprecedented 'Heavenly Sheath Weapon.'"

A forbidden weapon with the ability to dissipate source power.

This weapon, in Han Dang's hands, wasn't that scary.

What was scary was—

There were still two titled experts in their camp!

"Any titled expert is an important pillar of Central City and Changye..."

Bai Xiu frowned and said, "The appearance of the Heavenly Sheath Weapon will create many changes in the battles between titled experts."

Currently, temporary combat bases had been built on both the north and south sides of the tundra.

Central City and Changye had both sent powerful titled experts to garrison; this was the last line of defense for the encirclement and suppression mission!

"Gu Shen, I'll personally make a trip to the base."

Bai Xiu said seriously, "I will convey everything about your situation to the command post..."

Gu Shen had killed four high-level criminals with his own strength.

Yuan Zhong's death had brought out Han Dang's transaction.

Bai Xiu had already passed on this important information as soon as possible, but that wasn't enough. He had a hunch that he'd better go back in person and meet with Grandpa Gu.

"You go first...after the trivial matters here at the camp are dealt with, I'll be there soon."

Gu Shen didn't choose to set off with Bai Xiu.

There were still some matters to be dealt with at this temporarily stationed camp—

Mu Qingyang hadn't woken up yet.

Most importantly...these three corpses hadn't been dealt with yet.

With Bai Xiu here, it was inconvenient for him to display his true power.

After Xiao Xiu Zi (Little Sleeves) left, the tent became extremely quiet. There was only one "living person" left here.

Gu Shen arranged several Qing Zhong (Grave Mound) ancient text talismans in the four corners of the tent, outlining a simple array pattern, and then released his blazing flames to consolidate the barrier...after ensuring that no one would disturb him, he returned to the three headless corpses.

A familiar "impulse" emerged in his heart.

It had appeared once in the Linden Tree Forest—

Seeing these dead bodies, a desire inexplicably emerged in his heart; he wanted to make these "departed" stand up again.

Inside the tent, where no one could hear,

Gu Shen's voice sounded very softly.

"Stand up."

This was an order, and a divine decree.

The Underworld King, who controlled life and death, used his "authority."

"Kacha Kacha..."

Layers of solid ice melted away, and the intent of silence covering the bodies of the Poison Devil and his two companions actually began to dissolve and dissipate.

The three words that Gu Shen spoke word by word actually made these three headless corpses "awaken"!

The weakest Silver Eyes took the lead and sat up.

Then it was the White-Haired Ghost, and finally the Poison Devil—

All three corpses had been decapitated. Within the scope of Gu Shen's "authority," they ushered in "rebirth," but this rebirth was not a true resurrection that reversed the iron laws of life and death.

They couldn't make a sound, nor did they have their own minds.

Their strength after resurrection had also greatly declined.

"The strongest Poison Devil has probably only retained the strength of the seventh layer of the Deep Sea...a whole major stage has fallen...with this kind of strength, it's impossible to display a domain..."

Gu Shen looked at the "miracle" he had created.

After these three people were resurrected, the consumption speed of the stored source power in his Pure Land obviously accelerated.

"The Pure Land is real...after I advanced, the Underworld King's authority can gradually be exercised..."

After verifying this guess, the thought that had been hanging in Gu Shen's heart finally fell.

After these three were resurrected, without receiving orders, they began to move slowly.

The Poison Devil directly reached out towards his head, picked it up, and wanted to put it back on—

Gu Shen coldly opened his mouth, "Roll back."

"Buzz!"

The divine decree descended again, and the Poison Devil put his head back in place.

Under the suppression of the Underworld King's authority, the three corpses acted obediently. They had staggered to their feet earlier, and then slowly fell back down, but in Gu Shen's mind, a vague wave of thought came.

"They are asking me to give them the freedom to act."

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes. This was the first time he had used the Underworld King's authority.

After being resurrected, the Poison Devil and his companions had no hatred or resentment—

They had directly become pawns in the Underworld King's Pure Land.

Their fate was firmly grasped in Gu Shen's hands.

If Gu Shen wanted them to live, they couldn't die; if Gu Shen wanted them to die, they couldn't live.

"After these three are resurrected...although their strength has greatly declined, they can be considered a force." Gu Shen finally understood why the previous Underworld King had desperately wanted to cultivate the Pure Land.

The Underworld King had made sufficient preparations in the Maze and the Styx River.

Once he possessed the Pure Land, all these departed ones could "stand up"!

Stand up and be used by him!

What fanatical believers, what death-defying warriors, were no match for resurrected departed ones...as long as he had enough source power, these dead could continue to stand up.

With the Underworld King's reserves...

In a very short period of time, he could possess an army of his own.

光明城 (Guang Ming Cheng, City of Light)?

This was the place in the Western Continent where incense was the most prosperous, and the "holy land" that the successive God Thrones of Light had worked so hard to establish over many years.

But once the Pure Land was created...

The Underworld King would soon possess his own "Paradise."

Gu Shen simply tried this power that could be called evil.

Perhaps because they had been stabbed by the Heavenly Sheath fragments before death, the amount of source power in the Poison Devil and his companions had dissipated a lot. The moment they were resurrected, the dissipation of this source power stagnated, which meant that the "rules" considered them no longer in a state of death.

Miracle.

This was a miracle.

Gu Shen had originally wanted to rely on the "Underworld Fire" to resist the Heavenly Sheath curse and pull out the fragments of the Stone Sword one by one, but now it was no longer necessary.

Under his will...

These three headless corpses began to remove the fragments for themselves.

Soon, the black silver box was filled with dense Heavenly Sheath fragments.

All the powers in this world are balanced. The stronger the power, the greater the price that needs to be paid—

The Underworld King's authority was indeed heaven-defying, but it would bring great negative effects to the user's spirit!

Soon.

Gu Shen realized that a situation similar to the Linden Tree Forest had appeared in his mind. His will began to become turbid, and his thoughts were no longer clear.

He quickly circulated his breathing technique to stabilize his mind, then took a deep breath and issued a new order to the Poison Devil and his companions, who were trying to move.

"Lie down!"

He withdrew his authority.

The three headless corpses immediately lost all their aura, dead beyond dead.

"Hū..."

The Heavenly Sheath fragments had been completely removed.

There was still one last thing left.

Gu Shen summoned the blazing flames and whispered, "Devour all this source power."

He wouldn't take the Poison Devil and his companions into the Pure Land. The source power in these three corpses would gradually dissipate, and now was the best time to devour them. After all, they were three fourth-level individuals, and this source power was not a small amount.

The blazing flames received the order and pounced.

The tent was immediately filled with fire.

This was a feast.