Chapter 521: The Praying Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind! The Mastermind Revealed! Summoning Wind and Rain! Impervious to Blades!

It then slowly stepped forward toward Li Yanchu. Its movements seemed impossibly slow, yet within the span of a single breath, it was already in front of him.

The Eight Trigrams Mirror, the Jiaoslayer, and the talismanic armor were all ten-thousand-merit-points treasures, and even the ancient alchemy furnace, still active, seemingly did not register the presence of this Daoist corpse. Otherwise, they would have instinctively protected their master.

The robed corpse sized up the young Daoist before it. A satisfied expression appeared on its desiccated face as it raised its shriveled arm, slowly reaching toward Li Yanchu. In the silent valley, this scene seemed particularly eerie and foreboding.

This mummified Daoist had been hiding within the valley all along. Even the third-realm Demon King, the Fire Qilin, wreaking havoc alongside Li Yanchu with earth-shattering blows and mountain-shaking strikes, had no effect on him.

Moreover, the corpse did not appear even while Li Yanchu was refining the Fire Qilin’s body. It wasn’t until Li Yanchu swallowed the Blood-Qi Pill, and his body erupted with dazzling red light, the surging life energy radiating outward, that the mummified figure stepped out from the coffin.

From the start, its target had been clear: Li Yanchu himself! It intended to use this living body to return to life.

The powerful treasures surrounding him weren’t human, and their senses were completely blocked by the robed corpse. Thus, in that moment, no one could stop this.

Just as the mummified Daoist’s hand was about to seize Li Yanchu, he suddenly opened his eyes and let out a cold smile. “I’ve got you!”

The next instant, he swung his blade, and a brilliant flash of steel cut through the air. Yet the mysterious robed corpse remained unharmed, only pushed back two steps.

It lifted its head slightly, looking at Li Yanchu with some surprise, unable to understand how the Daoist, immersed in the pill’s energy, had suddenly regained awareness.

Li Yanchu was slightly surprised that a single strike had not severed the corpse’s body. But with a flick of his hand, a pill imbued with vast blood and qi appeared.

“If I had taken this pill, you would have succeeded. So it seems it’s me you’ve been after.” Li Yanchu’s tone was icy.

Earlier, he had pretended to swallow the Blood-Qi Pill to lure out the hidden enemy in the valley. He had found it strange that the strong yin qi within Lingxi Temple had not harmed a single monk, and had led the monk all the way into the mountains.

He had a vague sense that some unseen hand was orchestrating events from behind the scenes. If his instincts were correct, that hidden hand would not remain idle forever. So he feigned taking the elixir, putting himself into a meditative state to bait the unseen manipulator.

Yet the robed corpse still surprised him. An indestructible body that even the Jiaoslayer could not pierce?! Even a Qilin with awakened bloodline could not withstand the Jiaoslayer, yet here stood this robed corpse.

The corpse tilted its head slightly, as if pondering. Then, it slowly raised its arm, and a powerful force surged from its palm.

Li Yanchu immediately felt himself being pulled, and, to his surprise, the pull was not only on his physical body but primarily on his spirit. The force was overwhelming, so much so that an ordinary second-realm cultivator could not resist it. There were no flashy techniques, just raw, mysterious power, reminiscent of his own Soul Snare.

Then, purple-gold qi erupted within Li Yanchu’s spirit. Instantly, the strange pulling force vanished. The purple-gold qi was a gift from the immortal of Mount Jinting’s Blissful Land, and it was able to protect his spirit.

Seeing it had no effect, the robed corpse suddenly clenched its fingers. A tremendous force gripped directly at Li Yanchu’s heart, as if it wanted to rip his heart straight out!

Li Yanchu’s blood surged violently, and a torrent of energy rose skyward, shielding him from the force, yet he still felt a deep unease in his chest.

Then, he raised his hand and swung the Jiaoslayer, and the blade struck directly at the Daoist’s neck!

Clang!

A tremendous sound rang through the heavens and earth, like a colossal bell. Sparks of fire scattered, yet the Daoist’s body showed not a single scratch. For the first time, the sharpness of the Jiaoslayer had been nullified.

The Eight Trigrams Mirror emitted a beam of divine light, but it was like a stone bull plunging into the sea; it was completely ineffective. Jiangshi are creatures without souls, and this robed corpse fell into that category.

Clang clang clang!

Murderous intent flared in Li Yanchu’s eyes; he feared nothing as he engaged the robed corpse head-on. Its body seemed indestructible, no matter how much energy he poured into the Jiaoslayer, it had no effect. Instead, the robed corpse’s punch sent Li Yanchu flying.

He stared at the mysterious corpse in surprise, confirming that its initial attack on the monks of Lingxi Temple had a deliberate purpose. Its power alone could have slaughtered all the temple’s monks!

Just then, the robed corpse suddenly formed a hand seal. A fierce wind blew through the valley as the clouds darkened, and in an instant, a torrential downpour began.

“Calling the wind and rain?!” Li Yanchu’s expression was one of shock.

He quickly felt the destructive potential: the wind could erode his meridians, the rain could contaminate his spirit. This was no ordinary weather manipulation; it was divine power!

Suddenly, two powerful auras flared around Li Yanchu.

Wind Tamer! Water-Repelling Pearl!

With these two mystical pearls, the robed corpse’s storm-calling ability was largely nullified.

“Five-Lightning Pure Yang, the True Law of Heaven and Earth, destroy!” Li Yanchu’s voice was like thunder.

Boom!

He struck the heavens with lightning, yet this sacred lightning meant to exterminate all evils was swatted aside by the robed corpse’s hand!

Watching speechlessly, Li Yanchu was stunned.

Then, the robed corpse lightly raised its palm, and a massive waterspout formed in the sky, charging straight at Li Yanchu.

The Wind Tamer and Water-Repelling Pearl activated, and a Water-Repelling Talisman also glowed brightly. With these three protections, the terrifying waterspout immediately vanished.

But then the robed corpse suddenly appeared, delivering a powerful punch directly to Li Yanchu’s chest.

Boom!

As Li Yanchu’s body was sent flying uncontrollably, pure yang lightning-fire energy radiated from his form. In that instant, he had already summoned the Daoist talismanic armor, which blocked the corpse’s punch just in time.

“What the hell kind of monster is this?” Li Yanchu’s gaze darkened.

He hadn’t expected this robed corpse to be so difficult to deal with! His mind raced, considering how to handle this mysterious corpse. He could either continue enhancing the Five-Lightning Talisman, or invoke the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman to call upon the power of the Spirit Officer Wang, or employ the Fire Virtue True Lord Command Talisman to summon the Fire Virtue True Lord’s Dharma form to subdue the corpse.

With so many trump cards, it was a dilemma. When the moment of desperation arrived, which card should he play?

In the end, Li Yanchu did not use any of these three methods. Instead, he reached for the Lord of Mount Tai's Seal.