The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World
Chapter 384: Dark Palace

In the Heavenly Metal Battlefield, Chu Xuan took a single step and returned to the Great Spirit Stone mine. He inhaled deeply and immediately felt the concentration of Spiritual Qi drop again. It had fallen to about one percent of its original level, nearly matching the Spiritual Qi concentration of Blue Star.

In such an environment, a cultivator's Spiritual Qi would drain away quickly. The higher the cultivation, the faster the depletion. It was like a diffusion effect—Spiritual Qi naturally flowed from areas of higher concentration to lower, seeking balance between the internal and external environments. It was likely that most Nascent Soul cultivators had already fallen back to the Golden Core stage, or even lower!

Chu Xuan couldn't help but imagine the sight of Nascent Soul cultivators whose powers had regressed to the Foundation Establishment stage. It was hard to fathom how they would fare. After a moment's contemplation, he activated the Lotus Escape Technique, suppressing his cultivation to the mid-Golden Core stage.

That was about right. If he were too high, he would draw attention. If he were too low, he would be underestimated. The mid-Golden Core stage was perfect.

Chu Xuan flipped his palm, revealing the Heart-Linking Stone. It was the appearance of cracks on the stone's surface that had prompted him to return to the Heavenly Metal Battlefield. He immediately made his way toward the prearranged meeting point, where he was to meet with Shang Xingchen and Wei Ji.

Before he could reach his destination, he felt the ground shaking violently beneath his feet.

"As expected, something big is happening."

Could it be the Dark Palace?

Chu Xuan frowned. Shang Xingchen had told him previously that the Dark Palace had emerged from underground, causing a powerful seismic disturbance. It was this continual shaking of the earth that had drawn the attention of cultivators.

Before long, he arrived at the meeting spot, where Shang Xingchen and Wei Ji were already waiting. Both seemed to have abandoned any thoughts of testing one another. Their expressions were serious as they looked toward Chu Xuan.

Shang Xingchen spoke first. "It's been two years, and the Dark Palace has finally shown some movement."

Wei Ji quickly added, "I noticed that the Dark Palace seems to have risen about three feet compared to two years ago."

Chu Xuan's brow arched slightly. "Three feet? Let's go take a look."

If the palace had risen by three feet, it must have expanded significantly from its underground position. Did this mean the palace had a subterranean portion as well?

Was this a good sign or a bad one? Time to find out.

The three of them ran at full speed, their footsteps echoing through the barren terrain. At this moment, they paid no heed to the consumption of Spiritual Qi. Reaching a vantage point near the palace to assess the situation was their immediate priority. From there, they could decide whether to strike opportunistically or make a quick retreat.

After a short while, the trio arrived at a small hill on the eastern side of the Dark Palace. The hill was barren, devoid of cover, offering a clear view of the surroundings. It was positioned a little over a hundred zhang from the palace, close enough for them to see the palace clearly with their naked eyes, even without relying on Spiritual Qi.

Chu Xuan scanned the area, noting that several others, including Shangguan He, Kang Jia, and Ximen Changqing, had also arrived. They had all kept their distance, observing the scene from afar, their hearts filled with a mix of nervousness and excitement. It was akin to a groom waiting to enter the bridal chamber, yet unsure what his bride would look like—would she be gentle and delicate, or would she have a broad frame and sharp features?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Chu Xuan focused on the Dark Palace for a long moment, then murmured, "This palace is indeed rising from the ground at a visible rate."

Shang Xingchen and Wei Ji exchanged a glance, their expressions full of doubt. They couldn't make sense of what was happening either.

Moments later, the heavy stone doors of the Dark Palace suddenly creaked open. Figures seemed to have been waiting for this moment, as they shot out from the palace as if propelled by some unseen force.

At the forefront were Heavenly River True Master and Tian Mozi, followed by several Nascent Soul cultivators—Xiao Xian, Su Jue, Dong Qi, and others. However, these figures appeared somewhat disheveled, and their usual majestic bearing was nowhere to be seen.

Especially Heavenly River True Master and Tian Mozi—both were covered in rags, their robes torn and bloodied. Their appearances gave no hint that they were once mighty Deity Transformation cultivators. Their auras had clearly plummeted, now closer to the early Nascent Soul stage.

Chu Xuan observed their expressions carefully. There was fear in their eyes—something was pursuing them, forcing them to flee. Then, a monstrous ghostly hand suddenly shot out from the darkness.

This hand was enormous, stretching over twenty zhang in length. It was thin and skeletal, covered in a deep, unsettling black. Its fingers were adorned with needle-like hairs, like steel needles jutting out. The nails were longer than an entire finger joint, and the spaces between its fingers were filthy, indicating it hadn't been cleaned in ages.

The palm of the hand seemed to possess an immense pulling force. No matter how Su Jue and Dong Qi struggled to escape, they couldn't evade its reach.

With a single motion, the ghostly hand clenched around them.

Crack!

Both were immediately crushed, their bodies shattered into nothing. The hand casually tossed their remains into the Dark Palace.

A chilling, spine-tingling sound followed—an awful crunching noise, as if the body parts were being chewed. Every cultivator present could hear it clearly, the sickening sound reverberating in their minds.

Heavenly River True Master and Tian Mozi, their faces pale, finally seemed to relax slightly. As long as the ghostly hand didn't attack them, they were safe—for now.

Neither Tian Mozi nor Heavenly River True Master dared to hesitate for even a moment. They expelled Nascent Soul essence in quick succession, hoping to speed up their escape. However, as they did, their faces visibly paled, wrinkles deepened, and the toll of overexerting themselves became painfully apparent.

Just as they thought they might have a chance to break free, a thick, oppressive stench of death suddenly swept from the depths of the Dark Palace. In the blink of an eye, it expanded to cover a hundred-zhang radius, leaving the air heavy and suffocating.

Tian Mozi and Heavenly River True Master's expressions shifted immediately. They hadn't managed to escape yet! Then, a chilling, mocking laughter echoed from within the palace.

"Deity Transformation cultivators are far more appetizing than Nascent Soul cultivators," the voice sneered. "How could I let you escape?"

The deathly energy coalesced into a monstrous net that stretched across the sky, descending upon them with crushing force.

Tian Mozi's face paled even further. Without hesitation, he threw several spirit tools to block the incoming attack. But realizing the futility, he abandoned his physical body, wrapping his Nascent Soul around his divine consciousness and fled at full speed.

Heavenly River True Master, however, hesitated for a moment. His physical body, cultivated over a thousand years, was something no one would willingly abandon. Unlike Tian Mozi, who could possess a corpse puppet and return to life in another form, Heavenly River True Master didn't have such an option.

With gritted teeth, Heavenly River True Master tossed out his prized spiritual artifact. A massive, azure-blue urn unfolded in midair, and a torrent of seawater surged forth from it, aiming to push back the deadly death net.

Heavenly River True Master had encountered this deathly energy before in the Dark Palace and understood its power. He didn't expect to break through the net, only to slow its encroachment and buy himself some time to escape. But he gravely underestimated the power of the death net.

The seawater, once pure and azure, was rapidly tainted by the suffocating death energy. It turned a sickly, gray-black color as it churned in the urn, the life force of the water being swallowed up by the poisonous air.

The corrupted seawater surged back into the urn, and in a moment of agonizing silence, the urn itself began to groan under the strain. The faint consciousness it had once possessed began to fade away, swiftly snuffed out.

Crack!

Cracks formed across the urn's surface, splintering it under the overwhelming pressure. In Heavenly River True Master's horrified gaze, the urn shattered completely!

Pfft!

His life force drained as the destruction of his artifact tore into him. Blood gushed from his mouth as his flight speed dramatically dropped.

Instinctively, he tried to withdraw his Nascent Soul and divine consciousness to escape, but it was too late.

The deathly net had already descended upon him like a predator ensnaring its prey. It tightened around him with a deadly precision and dragged him into the dark recesses of the palace.

Crunch… Crunch…

The horrifying sound of chewing echoed again—this time, it didn't come from the front, but it seemed to vibrate deep within their souls.