Chapter 383: Infinite Resurrection?

“Roar!”

An angry roar erupted from the bottom of the lake of corpse fluid, and something protruded out of its surface. In fact, Chen Ah Sheng was trying to push his way out of the black lake with both hands.

Corpse Child abruptly disappeared from the edge of the lake and reappeared right above Chen Ah Sheng’s head. Before the Half-Step Grandmaster could react, he raised his right foot and brought it down gently.

Corpse Child’s stomp was not even close to being as powerful as Chen Ah Sheng’s stomp earlier, but it still possessed the strength of many mountains. It pushed the Half-Step Grandmaster all the way back to the bottom of the crater.

Corpse Child’s face was completely bluish purple at this point, and the world around him seemed to be decaying by the second. But although the black lake was calming down, Corpse Child’s face was growing increasingly severe.

A few breaths later, a series of pops and cracks came from the bottom of the black lake. It grew louder and louder until it sounded like a thunderstorm.

A pair of arms punched through the surface of the corpse fluid again, and this time, it was unable to maintain its form. It split away in multiple directions and exposed Chen Ah Sheng at the center.

Chen Ah Sheng was currently covered in bluish purple spots and reeked of the stench of death, but as soon as he broke free from the corpse fluid, they began disappearing at a visible rate.

The Chaos Demon Ape was strong, resilient, flawless, and overflowing with vitality. As a result, not even the life-killing corpse fluid was able to affect it overly much.

After Chen Ah Sheng had broken free from the corpse fluid, he threw a mighty punch that ripped apart the astral wind surrounding Corpse Child and shattered him into bits.

It was a wasted effort though. Another Corpse Child floated out of a pool of corpse fluid, and he looked perfectly unharmed.

“I bet you can’t resurrect indefinitely!” Chen Ah Sheng snarled and raced toward Corpse Child, but he was only halfway there when the one-horned giant appeared and slammed into his side, hard. Like a pair of meteors, they crashed into a nearby cliff so hard it nearly fell apart.

“Graaaaahhhh! Just die!” Chen Ah Sheng grabbed the one-horned giant’s horn with one hand and his left arm with the other. Then, he ripped its arm right out of its sockets.

Crack!

Blood flew everywhere and caught on fire as soon as it made contact with the ground. Screaming in pain, the one-horned giant ripped its head out of Chen Ah Sheng’s grasp and slammed its horn into his chest.

The sharp pain brought out Chen Ah Sheng’s violent impulse in full force, and he caught the one-horned giant by the neck before it could withdraw. Then, he began twisting his body as if he would rip One Horn’s head right out of its neck.

One Horn sensed his intentions and struggled with all its might. However, it was unable to break free because its horn was still lodged inside Chen Ah Sheng’s chest.

“RAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Chen Ah Sheng let out a full-throated roar and pressed down on the one-horned giant’s arms, causing his head to move downward. At the same time, Chen Ah Sheng kneed him in the face with all his might.

Bang!

The attack flung the one-horned giant’s head upward, and caused its horn to slice right through Chen Ah Sheng’s flesh. However, it quickly came to a stop when it got caught in between his tough rib cage. Sensing an opportunity, Chen Ah Sheng kneed the one-horned giant a couple more times until the horn snapped in half, and the one-horned giant was sent flying.

“Is that all you got, small fries?!”

Chen Ah Sheng pulled out the horn lodged in his body and laughed madly. Then, he chased after the one-horned giant to dish out the final blow.

It was at this moment a sea of corpse fluid blocked his path, and countless rotten corpses rose from the black water. Chen Ah Sheng recognized some of the bodies. He saw Hou Zhen, Zhuang Chi, and many more faces that belonged to the Chaos Heaven Brigands. More importantly, even the weakest among them possessed the strength of an Astral Refiner.

Corpse Child was a literal one-man army.

Chen Ah Sheng was fearless, however. Like a true demon ape, he threw a flurry of powerful, brutish, and fearless punches at Corpse Child. So what if a sea of dead stood in his way? He would break them all with his fists. So what if the world stood in his way? He would shatter the world and forge a path with its remains!

“Chaos Demon Ape Fist”

Every punch crushed countless corpses, and every kick or stomp crushed even more. It looked like he was gaining the upper hand, but he didn’t notice that a bluish black spot would appear on his body every time he destroyed a corpse. More importantly, these spots didn’t disappear like the ones that had afflicted him earlier.

The corpses rising from the black sea seemed endless. Every time he took out a horde, a new horde would emerge. As if that wasn’t enough, the one-horned giant had recovered enough to attack him once more. Although the one-horned giant had lost a horn and an arm, it was also fighting harder than ever before. Its whole body was bursting with crimson flames hot enough to melt earth and rock into lava, and it swung its axe wildly and viciously as a hurricane. The fact that the axe was also covered in flames certainly didn’t help Chen Ah Sheng one bit.

The one human and two ghosts were all Spirit Masters, so their battle was more than enough to change the weather and the landscape itself. Wherever they went, the sky changed, the wind howled, and the ground gave away like sand. They were leaving behind literal wastelands in their wake.

At first, Chen Ah Sheng was able to overcome Corpse Child and the one-horned giant with the powerful physique and vitality of the Chaos Demon Ape. But as Corpse Child’s strange power eroded his strength more and more, the scales slowly tipped in the two ghosts’ favor.

That said, the so-called “upper hand” was so slight that it easily could’ve gone either way. If one side was even a tiny bit careless, the other side could’ve easily exploited that carelessness and turned the tables around.

Luckily for Corpse Child, he never underestimated Chen Ah Sheng. He kept a tight rein over the situation and never let up. In the end, Chen Ah Sheng shattered the one-horned giant’s head with his fist, but the one-horned giant also managed to chop his heart to bits with his axe. Corpse Child seized the opportunity to extinguish Chen Ah Sheng’s mind with his strange power and finally ending this epic battle.

Chen Ah Sheng had died, but their victory was almost just as hollow. The Chaos Heaven Brigands had lost two Protectors, five Vajrapanis, and most of their forces. The only reason the other two Protectors and three Vajrapanis still lived wasn’t because they were strong, but because they were currently away on business. Otherwise, they would’ve died as well.

Corpse Child’s losses were just as bad. One Horn and Earth Ghost were both dead, and the two thousand yin soldiers he brought with him to the yang world were annihilated. Corpse Child himself was exhausted and injured, and this was evident from his appearance. For starters, he no longer looked like a child. His hair was withered, his skin was sagging and wrinkled, and he was covered in bluish purple spots. The corpse fluid beneath his feet was also incredibly shallow and barely the size of a puddle. It looked like it could dry up at any moment.

“Tsk tsk... to think you could have a day like this, Corpse Child. What a rejuvenating sight this is.”

The Heartless Brain emerged from the woods and stared at the weakened Corpse Child tauntingly.

“I’m surprised you didn’t run away. Then again, you’ve always been a smart one,” Corpse Child shot the Heartless Brain a baleful look.

“Haha, you see, I’m the kind of guy—I mean, ghost who keeps my promises, unlike that bitch who calls himself your dad!”

The Heartless Brain let out a strange cackle. “But I wonder if that bitch will appreciate your effort. After all, you lost everyone including that stupid giant of yours. Do you think that that bitch would blow his top and die when he hears about this? He’d certainly be doing everyone a favor! Ah, I can’t wait to see his face!”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but my father would be very happy with this outcome.” Corpse Child said slowly, “Our objective is to identify and slay the culprit who stole the yin gold, but we managed to get the mastermind behind the theft as well. In that sense, the mission was completed perfectly.”

“One Horn is a Rakshasha Ghoul, immortal and undying. Given enough time, it would be reborn in the Ghost Reservoir of the Yellow Spring.”

“As for Earth Ghost and the yin soldiers, the one thing Fengdu doesn’t lack is ghosts. It’ll take us little time and effort to rebuild our forces.”

“Therefore, your fake worry is unfounded. Not only did we complete our mission successfully, I’m sure that father will reward us handsomely for our efforts.”

The Heartless Brain slapped his head incredulously, “Reward you? Your brain hasn’t been powdered one too many times, has it?”

Corpse Child tilted his head to one side. “This group is known as the Chaos Heaven Brigands, and they are one of the Thirteen Brigands who plagues Chu. The Chaos Heaven Brigands in particular have caused quite a lot of havoc in Tian Yong, Northern Xinjiang, and other prefectures. That doesn’t concern us though. What does concern us is the fact that they had amassed a massive amount of wealth and treasures. What makes you think father wouldn’t reward me if I present him these loot?”

“Oh, right. Money is the only thing that matters to that bitch. I don’t even know why a ghost would need that much money, but to each their own, I suppose,” the Heartless Brain exclaimed in realization.

“Are you done? If you’re done, then we’re heading back to Fengdu,” Corpse Child said.

“What is the meaning of this, Corpse Child?” The Heartless Brain immediately figured out what Corpse Child was planning when the Stranger began walking toward him. “I gave you everything you need and helped you to the best of my abilities, and this is the payment I get? Another eternity inside my jar? Just how shameless can you get, you ungrateful, backstabbing bastard!”

“What do you mean? I let you live and talk to your heart’s content for a whole day. You might not agree, but I’ve shown you plenty of benevolence already.” Corpse Child continued to walk toward the Heartless Brain. “Plus, you already received your payment. I don’t see how I’m being shameless or ungrateful.”

The Heartless Brain shuffled backward, but it was nowhere as fast as Corpse Child. “Aw... dude... come on, man! Let me stay here a little longer! If not, can you at least get me a bottle of wine before you pack me away? Too much? What about a sip? Not even a sip? Can I at least smell the alcohol?”

The Heartless Brain begged, but Corpse Child was unmoved. Seeing this, the Heartless Brain shrugged helpless before breaking into a sudden smile. “There’s no helping it, I suppose. Remember, you’re the one who asked for this.”

“Hmm?” Corpse Child paused in his tracks as a bad premonition suddenly struck him. The next moment, he felt the puddle of corpse fluid underneath his feet bubbling like boiling water and evaporating in just the blink of an eye. He blanched.

Realizing that he was in mortal danger, Corpse Child didn’t hesitate to jump to the side. Someone was faster than him, however. He grabbed Corpse Child’s head and slammed it into the ground.

Boom!

The hardened ground cracked from how much force tha man exerted, but he was just starting. He lifted Corpse Child’s head and slammed it back into the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, Corpse Child melted into a puddle of corpse fluid and seeped into the earth. Seeing this, the man sneered and said, “Seriously?”

He lifted his right foot exactly half an inch and brought it down. On the surface, it looked like the stomp did nothing at all, but under the ground, it was havoc. The corpse fluid was immediately pushed back onto the surface.

After the black puddle transformed back to Corpse Child, he said with a severe expression, “It’s you?!”

The man standing before him was none other than Jiang Chongshan—the thief that should’ve died a while ago.

“It’s me! Are you surprised?” Jiang Chongshan patted away the dust on his palms and grinned.

“It was all a ploy from the start. You got me.” Corpse Child’s pupils contracted into pins.

From the moment he saw Jiang Chongshan, Corpse Child realized that he had been fooled. No wonder he felt like something was off even before the battle began. The Chaos Heaven Brigands’ granary and treasury had caught on fire, but he wasn’t the one who ordered the sabotage. Jiang Chongshan had died a sudden death, but no one on his side had actually laid a finger on him.

It was all to enrage Chen Ah Sheng into battling them to the death. It was all so that Jiang Chongshan, the fisherman, would win it all.

“Thank you for your praise, but I’m just average.” Jiang Chongshan’s grin widened.

“You... You’re not one of the Chaos Heaven Brigands, are you?” Corpse Child asked suddenly.

“Huh! You’re definitely a smart one! I’m glad I didn’t give you a chance to think!” Jiang Chongshan remarked, but the absence of denial was itself an admission.