Chapter 28: The Enraged Corpse Lord

Tang Zhen exerted every ounce of strength he possessed, frantically attempting to bolt from the room. Once he reached the main hall, his chances of escape would increase significantly, and the various furnishings scattered about would provide him with cover to dodge and hide.

Tang Zhen’s plan was sound, yet he had vastly underestimated the importance of the metal chest to the Corpse Monster Lord, and he had looked down upon the power the creature wielded. In the blink of an eye, the Corpse Monster Lord was upon him. His speed was nowhere near that of a Lord-level monster, and before he could even reach the doorway, the creature’s hulking frame blocked his path. With no escape, Tang Zhen had no choice but to retreat cautiously back into the room. Shielded by the quantum stealth screen, he watched the Corpse Monster Lord with bated breath, not daring to make a sound.

The Corpse Monster Lord was incandescent with rage. It had never expected anyone to dare infiltrate this place, let alone bypass the hidden guards and steal an item of vital importance during its brief absence. That object shared a unique connection with the creature; the moment that bond was severed, it had sensed it. It wouldn't have cared if other items—mere trifles it had collected by chance—were lost, but the consequences of losing this specific item were nearly unbearable.

"Damn it! I should have kept it with me at all times!" the Corpse Monster Lord thought, its fury mounting. Although it could not see the thief, it could sense a weak, foreign presence lingering in the center of the room. There was no doubt that this was the culprit.

"Damned thief, get out here!" The Corpse Monster Lord roared, striking without hesitation. A palm the size of a washbasin smashed toward the location of the presence, intending to crush the intruder into a pulp.

*Boom!*

The floor shattered and debris flew as the giant palm left the room in ruins, turning all the furniture into dust. Such a casual strike possessed terrifying power; this must be the special ability of a Lord-level monster above the sixth rank. Yet, after delivering the blow, the Corpse Monster Lord became even more enraged. In its perception, the weak presence had vanished instantly! It hadn't been killed; it had simply ceased to exist.

Damn it, he had vanished! He had actually dared to disappear with the key item intended for the sacrifice! If the Corpse King failed to descend because of this, and the grand plan of the Corpse Race was compromised, would it not be torn to pieces? The Corpse Monster Lord grew more terrified and more furious with every passing second, finally letting out a deafening roar. It was all because of this wretched thief. If it caught him, it would torture him for a hundred years before turning him into a corpse slave to suffer for eternity.

Once its rage subsided slightly, the Corpse Monster Lord began to contemplate.

There was still room to maneuver. Though the key sacrifice was gone, the Corpse King’s plan could not be delayed, so the only solution was to gather substitutes as quickly as possible. Originally, the Corpse Monster Lord had intended to complete its task discreetly, avoiding the attention of the world's indigenous powerhouses, but since things had come to this, it would have to play its trump card.

With this thought, a cruel light flickered in its blood-red eyes. It turned to face a massive statue and knelt with immense piety. Before it lay a bizarre black altar. Eight strange sculptures stood around the altar; upon closer inspection, they were carved from giant black bones and exuded a faint, bloody mist.

After finishing its kowtow, the Corpse Monster Lord slowly raised a finger. The sharp nail on the tip was three inches long, crystalline and keen as a military saber. It pierced its own heart with the nail, and a jet-black pool of blood erupted from the wound. The creature emitted a stifled groan of pain. The black blood landed on the altar, squirming as if it were alive. Then, the Corpse Monster Lord began to chant an incantation in a strange tongue. Moments later, the blood vanished, and countless plumes of black smoke shot out from the altar, flying into the brows of the statues in the hall.

"Awaken, my slumbering subordinates!" The Corpse Monster Lord stood and bellowed. The eyes of the statues simultaneously lit up with red light, and they began to stir. They let out eerie growls, their heavy footsteps echoing as they gathered together, following the Corpse Monster Lord to the entrance of the dilapidated building.

Standing at the threshold, the Corpse Monster Lord pointed in all directions and roared, "Clear the entire surrounding area! Bring back every monster and wanderer you encounter, then slaughter them to create a blood pool altar to welcome the arrival of the Corpse King!"

"Roar...!" All the corpse monsters let out a unified cry, their eyes filled with a lust for slaughter.

The Corpse Monster Lord chanted again, its body emitting a black-red mist that dispersed around the building. Once the mist stopped flowing, its massive frame trembled. At the same time, the air around the building seemed to warp again, and invisible black fissures slowly emerged. More black shadows materialized, densely packing the open space in front of the building.

After a flash of mystical light, the fissures vanished, and the clearing was filled with ranks of blade-and-shield ghost soldiers and corpse archers, led by ghost squad leaders, their hideous faces all turned toward the Corpse Monster Lord. The stench of decay was suffocating, and the killing intent was overwhelming. Beside the infantry, there were cavalrymen mounted on beasts resembling warhorses, clad in heavy armor like mobile fortresses stained with blood and flesh.

"Let me go, please, let me go!" A voice cried out. The corpse soldiers parted to reveal a dozen shadow scouts dragging several wanderers toward the Lord, forcing them to their knees in a row. Surrounded by a dense, terrifying horde of monsters staring at them with bloodthirsty, horrifying eyes, the wanderers were paralyzed with fear, pleading incessantly.

The Corpse Monster Lord looked upon its subordinates with satisfaction, cracking its blood-stained maw in a maniacal, crazed laugh. It drew a horse-slaying saber and swung it casually. Several heads of the terrified wanderers flew into the air. Reaching out, it grabbed a severed head and crushed it with a single squeeze of its fist, then gestured toward the direction of Black Rock City.

"Warriors, move out!"

*Thud!*

Tang Zhen lay sprawled on the floor of his home, dust-covered and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet his face was illuminated by a mixture of shock and pleasant surprise. He struggled to his feet, wiped the blood away, and collapsed onto his bed.

The experience at the building had been heart-stopping. Had he not teleported in time, he would likely have been smashed into pulp by the Corpse Monster Lord. Even so, he had been struck by the mysterious energy accompanying the creature's blow, and the blood on his lips was proof enough of his internal injuries.

Yet, the more furious the Corpse Monster Lord was, the more it proved that what he had taken was incredibly precious! The intelligence displayed by the creature, along with the faint, phantom-like growl he had heard when he grabbed the chest, convinced him that these were no ordinary monsters. If his suspicions were correct, a major event was looming on the horizon.

Setting aside his wild thoughts, Tang Zhen swallowed a piece of Ivy Ointment. Feeling his turbulent energy settle, he stood up with difficulty. With a wave of his hand, a strange-looking metal chest appeared before him. He had nearly lost his life for this box, and the Corpse Monster Lord’s obsession with it made him impatient to see what was inside. While the best place to open it would have been the Tower World, he knew that if he teleported back now, he would be caught red-handed by the Corpse Monster Lord. That was why he had fled at full speed after grabbing it; he was still worried about how to safely leave that cursed room the next time he returned to the Tower World.

He moved to the back of the chest and pried it open with a forceful tug. It opened with surprising ease—no traps, no hidden locks. It was hardly scientific! Tang Zhen muttered to himself, thinking that for such a guarded item, the security measures were remarkably lax. Could it be that the Corpse Monster Lord kept its private diary in here?

He peered cautiously into the chest, and at the first sight, his body froze.

The metal box was packed to the brim. There was a short sword, a black robe, several scrolls of peculiar colored paper, glass vials the size of a finger, and various other odds and ends. But none of these caught his attention; his gaze was completely fixed on the shimmering crystals inside.

"These are... these are...?"

Tang Zhen shakily picked up one of the crystals, held it to his eyes, and began to giggle like a fool. His laughter grew louder and louder until tears streamed down his face.

"Damn it! These are all brain beads! All of them are Grade 3 monster brain beads!"