Chapter 101: Return to the Surface

Chapter 101: Returning to the Surface

On the ninth day, massive boulders rained down relentlessly upon the iron armor. Since the armor was incomplete at this moment, and Chu Jie’s attacks exceeded its capacity, the lingering soul trapped inside suffered considerable damage.

Meanwhile, Duan Kun and the others launched their own assaults. Their spindle-shaped magical weapons spun furiously, tearing apart the armor’s arm and leg in an instant.

The metal pieces clattered to the ground, though they appeared undamaged.

Wu Long and his group joined in, seven of them striking in unison. Seven streams of radiant light from their treasured weapons blasted the armor’s other arm and leg apart.

Now, the floating iron armor consisted of only the breastplate.

The blue lingering soul curled up within the breastplate.

Occasionally, more boulders fell from above. At that moment, the massive stone supporting the chamber plummeted down, carrying with it a corpse clad in black.

The black-clad corpse landed motionless. Though it had endured countless years, it remained immortal.

Its tattered black garments concealed its face, preventing anyone from discerning its features.

In the grand hall, even the bodies once encased in golden armor had long since dissipated, yet this black-clad corpse remained indestructible. A foreboding sense crept into Chu Jie’s heart.

Suddenly, the lingering soul within the breastplate shot out, darting toward the black-clad corpse.

Chu Jie’s expression changed drastically. He immediately controlled the Savage Cauldron, retracting all surrounding iron armor, then shouted, “Everyone, retreat quickly!”

At the same time, the blue lingering soul fully merged into the crown of the black-clad corpse.

Chu Jie led his group running out of the shattered hall. They had to return swiftly to their stone chamber and escape this place as soon as possible.

Anxiety gripped Chu Jie’s heart. That lingering soul had likely lost all rationality. Having first inhabited the iron armor and now returning to the black-clad corpse, it was bound to unleash a cataclysmic slaughter far beyond their ability to withstand.

As they fled the hall, the black-clad corpse’s finger twitched. Beneath its hood, two blue flames flickered where its eyes should be. The lingering soul, drawn by the presence of living beings, followed Chu Jie to the hall’s center, now fully returning to the black-clad corpse.

The corpse suddenly levitated, its body still harboring vast reserves of power. At that moment, it erupted violently.

An overwhelming aura tore through everything in sight. The dilapidated hall collapsed piece by piece, turning to dust under the might.

Chu Jie and his companions just barely reached their stone chamber.

Since the black-clad corpse had long since died, it was merely the lingering soul controlling the body now. By the time its aura reached the chamber, it had weakened and could no longer damage it.

Moreover, Chu Jie’s stone chamber was intact and protected by spiritual light. Even if the black-clad corpse came personally, it would be difficult to break through—at worst, it would consume some of their mystical crystals.

Entering the chamber’s main hall, Chu Jie used the throne to return to the chamber’s core, sealing the stone door and preparing to lead everyone away.

Duan Kun and the others felt as if they had barely escaped death. Without this stone chamber’s protection, even with golden armor, their survival would have been impossible.

“Who is that black-clad corpse? How could it be so powerful?” Duan Kun murmured.

Wu Long and the others sat cross-legged, pale-faced, trying to calm themselves.

Inside the stone chamber, Chu Jie added a thousand mystical crystals to a hollowed indentation, activating the chamber’s movement.

They had to leave quickly; lingering would mean death at the hands of the black-clad corpse.

The stone chamber surged forward, becoming a streak in the pitch-black tunnel. Chu Jie pushed the chamber to its utmost speed, soon losing sight of the black-clad corpse. He exhaled in relief.

But before he could relax entirely, the corpse reappeared behind them, pursuing relentlessly.

Enveloped in blue light, the black-clad corpse floated, its tattered garments flapping as it advanced, launching several strikes of black energy. However, the chamber’s spiritual light shield nullified these attacks, leaving the stone chamber unharmed.

Seeing this, Chu Jie’s mind raced.

They couldn’t outrun the corpse by fleeing alone. But if he could use the chamber itself to confront it—like the time they rammed the dark-faced warrior—perhaps they could prevail. The black-clad corpse, controlled by a mere lingering soul, possessed great attack power and speed but likely lacked strong defenses. After all, it was an ancient corpse whose protective spiritual light probably faded long ago. A forceful collision might shatter the lingering soul.

Suddenly, the stone chamber halted mid-speed. Under Chu Jie’s command, it dashed back toward their previous path.

He rapidly increased the chamber’s velocity, surpassing even the speed at which they had rammed the dark-faced warrior.

The chamber’s rapid movement blurred into afterimages, the interior hall shaking violently.

Duan Kun and Wu Long looked alarmed, uncertain of what was happening outside.

“What’s going on? Why are we turning back?” Duan Kun asked.

Chu Jie, fully focused, had no time to answer.

Wu Long’s face turned serious as he recalled their earlier encounter at high speed. He guessed the plan.

“Boss, maybe we’re going to ram that corpse!” he said.

Duan Kun nodded. “Everyone be careful. Don’t get hurt. Stand firm inside the hall—don’t get thrown out.”

Last time, someone was flung out at high speed and injured, so Duan Kun cautioned them.

The black-clad corpse charged at the stone chamber at incredible speed. Chu Jie judged it was acting on instinct, confused and irrational as just a lingering soul.

Clearly unaware that Chu Jie’s chamber was reversing course, the corpse continued its high-speed assault.

With a deafening roar, the stone chamber collided with the black-clad corpse’s body. Unable to stop due to its momentum, the corpse crashed hard against the chamber’s wall.

The chamber, protected by spiritual energy and already moving swiftly, only dented slightly. Its magical energy soon restored the structure. The impact’s recoil flung the corpse dozens of yards away.

The chamber’s wall acted like a massive bat, knocking the black-clad figure cleanly aside.

“Not sure if it’s finished yet!” Chu Jie pressed on, driving the chamber forward to crush the corpse repeatedly.

The chamber sped over and back several times.

“This should do it,” Chu Jie frowned.

If this were a normal person, they would’ve been pulverized by now. Even the dark-faced warrior, despite golden armor, was severely injured.

The black-clad corpse, controlled by a lingering soul without bodily defenses, should have been subdued.

From a distance, Chu Jie watched the corpse motionless on the ground.

“The corpse is down, but I can’t tell if it can still move,” Chu Jie’s voice echoed in the hall.

Duan Kun suggested, “This corpse is too strange. I think we should leave. It probably won’t move for a while.”

Chu Jie had wanted to investigate further but agreed it was safer to depart.

He piloted the stone chamber swiftly toward the underground of the ninth terrace. Having loaded many mystical crystals, the chamber’s spiritual energy was abundant, allowing such a massive structure to move rapidly.

Along the way, Chu Jie inspected passing caves but found nothing—clearly the work of the peerless fiends who had already scavenged the area.

Still, their haul was substantial: two sets of golden armor and seven sets of iron armor, greatly enhancing their overall strength.

Though Chu Jie wished to find more iron armor for his Mad Dog Battalion brothers, the caves yielded no further discoveries, so he abandoned the search.

According to the map, the ninth terrace had another exit. Chu Jie intended to take that route to avoid encountering the peerless fiends again. A sudden encounter with such foes would be disastrous.

Better to avoid trouble altogether.

Near the exit, Chu Jie halted the stone chamber.

Fortunately, the black-clad corpse did not pursue them further, likely incapacitated from the earlier collisions.

Returning inside, Chu Jie retrieved the iron armor from the Savage Cauldron, handing it to Wu Long and the others. Once everyone was armored, they left the chamber.

They had been underground for several days now, completely unaware of the chaos in the Divine Demon Abyss.

Nor did they know what Zhou Jie and the peerless fiends were doing above. Perhaps the mysterious treasure was about to appear. Chu Jie had a strong premonition.

He glanced at the stone chamber. It would be ideal if it could be taken above ground, but sadly, it was only usable underground, relying on the subterranean rails.

The chamber had consumed many mystical crystals but had rewarded them with golden and iron armor—overall, a valuable asset.

Outside, not far off, they spotted a stone door. Following the method learned inside the chamber, Chu Jie opened it.

A stone staircase appeared before them, leading upward—a path back to the surface.