Feeling the powerful aura in the hall, Lan Ziyi's expression turned grave.
During the previous battle of the eight cultivators of the Nine Provinces, although the Golden Corpse King made a brief appearance, injuring Yang Yuan, no one knew exactly how strong he was because the situation was too chaotic at that time.
Only at this moment, when she clearly felt his aura, did Lan Ziyi realize that this guy was much stronger than the three Corpse Commanders.
Is this still within the scope of the Cloud River Realm?
Even for an Overlord, this is somewhat exaggerated.
Moreover, if the Golden Corpse King was truly as powerful as perceived, then during the previous encirclement by the Corpse Race, he should have had the ability to annihilate them completely. Why didn't he? Instead, after being repelled by Lu Ye, he no longer appeared.
Is there perhaps some unknown reason behind this?
Just as Lan Ziyi was speculating, Lu Ye beside her had already stepped forward and moved on ahead.
Giant Armor followed closely without a word, evidently ready to follow Lu Ye without hesitation, even if it meant facing a mountain of blades or a sea of fire.
Lan Ziyi could only follow with a determined heart.
The grand hall's doors were wide open, resembling the maw of a ferocious beast, swallowing the three figures.
The light dimmed as they entered, and Lu Ye squinted slightly, scanning the hall.
In their view were at least dozens of mutilated corpses scattered around, clearly the Nine Provinces cultivators who had ventured in, wrongly believing there was something valuable. They had been slain by the Golden Corpse King.
Many of the corpses had eyes wide open in shock, indicating they felt immense terror before they died.
At the topmost part of the hall, an unremarkable Corpse Race member sat in a chair, propping his chin with one hand, looking down with a leisurely gaze.
His stance suggested he was not waiting for Dragon Slayers but rather old friends he hadn't seen in a long time.
Lu Ye looked up, locking eyes with the Corpse Fiend.
His golden eyes gleamed with an apparent tinge of disappointment, and a voice that sounded like metal scraping together came from the Golden Corpse King's mouth: "Only the three of you? Where are the others?"
Although many cultivators from the Nine Provinces came, the Golden Corpse King only truly cared about the initial squad of eight from the Nine Provinces. He was waiting for Lu Ye and his team.
Unexpectedly, only three came; the other five were nowhere to be seen.
This naturally disappointed him.
An unnamed fury surged within his chest. Just three of them dare to cause a disturbance!
"To kill you, three people... will be enough!"
The moment Lu Ye finished speaking, Giant Armor took large steps forward, his towering physique carrying an indescribable sense of oppression as he charged at the Corpse Fiend. His movements weren't fast and even seemed clumsy due to his bulky frame, but within two or three steps, he was already in front of the Corpse Fiend.
Lan Ziyi was taken aback, not expecting the battle to start so decisively. After just one exchange of words, they were already fighting.
But her response wasn't slow. As soon as Giant Armor made his move, she attacked from the flank, her tall and slender figure turning into a streak of imperceptible light, giving an unpredictable impression.
The Golden Corpse King roared in anger, springing to his feet.
Even he couldn't keep sitting when facing the immense pressure brought by Giant Armor.
The two figures, close at hand, almost simultaneously threw a punch at each other.
In comparison, Giant Armor's punch was powerful, while the Golden Corpse King's punch seemed almost lackluster. Anyone would think the Golden Corpse King would end up with broken bones and possibly be utterly smashed.
But to everyone's shock, when their fists collided, it was the much larger Giant Armor who was sent flying.
In a pure contest of strength, the physique cultivator Giant Armor lost completely!
A visible shockwave rippled out, impacting all directions.
By this time, Lan Ziyi had already attacked from the flank. Her usual fierce blade storm descended on the Golden Corpse King, the sound of clashes ringing out as it was unclear how many strikes she had delivered in that instant.
To her dismay, her series of slashes only left shallow white marks on the Golden Corpse King's skin without causing any real damage!
Though she was mentally prepared, guessing the Golden Corpse King's body was stronger than the Iron Corpse Commander's, this level of toughness was too much.
When she previously fought the Iron Corpse Commander, she at least managed to injure him.
The Golden Corpse King and the Iron Corpse Commander were entirely on different levels!
Facing the relentless slashes, the Golden Corpse King reached out and grabbed, halting Lan Ziyi's spinning form, as he had caught her long blade in his hand.
Lan Ziyi's face changed; in this situation, she either abandoned her blade and retreated or would be pulled close to the Golden Corpse King in the next moment, which would be disastrous even for the Cloud River's second.
Normally, the best choice would be to drop the blade and retreat, the only option, but at that moment, she didn't do so but instead spun in mid-air because she saw Lu Ye's figure.
Giant Armor had just been sent flying by the Golden Corpse King's punch, but using the cover of his massive form, Lu Ye had closed in, his blade aiming straight for the Golden Corpse King's eye socket.
He realized how strong the Golden Corpse King's body was and targeted its weak spots.
No matter how tough the body, the eyes remained vulnerable.
Faced with this attack, the Golden Corpse King leaned back, causing Lu Ye's strike to miss. He then slashed down, the blade striking heavily on the Golden Corpse King's face, causing sparks to fly.
At the same time, the Golden Corpse King, who had leaned back, kicked out. Lu Ye formed a palm with his hand, spirit force swirling in his palm, forming Defense Spirit Runes to shield his chest.
Though the blow was barely blocked, he was still sent flying by the violent force.
On the other side, using the brief gap created by Lu Ye, Lan Ziyi's spinning form erupted with spirit force, causing the Golden Corpse King to involuntarily release his grip on her blade.
Just as Lan Ziyi was about to withdraw, the Golden Corpse King took this opportunity to punch her blade.
The ferocious strength almost made Lan Ziyi lose her grip on the long blade. Her face changed as she hastily retreated to disperse the force.
Looking back at the Golden Corpse King, her eyes were filled with solemn and intense focus!
Incredibly strong, stronger than she had imagined. Her earlier intuition was correct!
Joined by Lu Ye and Giant Armor, their fierce assault couldn't touch the Golden Corpse King. Instead, he dismantled their attacks in the blink of an eye.
Unbelievable, yet undeniable.
How could they fight this?
After their brief clash, Lan Ziyi considered retreat, realizing such a powerful foe couldn't be dealt with by three or five people. An overwhelming force was needed to wear him down!
She glanced at Lu Ye, expecting him to understand. To her surprise, Lu Ye, after being repelled, charged again, unwavering in determination.
Giant Armor followed closely, his steps causing the palace to tremble.
Seeing this, Lan Ziyi gritted her teeth and rushed forward with her two blades.
Despite their past conflicts with Lu Ye, she had no thought of abandoning her comrades in such a moment.
In the grand hall, spirit force clashed instantly, with three figures interweaving in ferocious combat, getting repelled but continuing to attack, substituting each other non-stop.
The violent clashes tore the ancient hall apart, reducing it to ruins.
The Golden Corpse King Corpse Fiend showcased extreme strength, dominating against their combined assault, barely moving from the area around his chair. No matter how wild the attacks, he easily deflected them.
Without using any treasures, his body alone was his greatest asset, with terrifying power in every punch and kick.
If not for the trio's formidable strength, they would have perished already.
Even so, their situation looked dire. Only thirty breaths into the battle, all three were injured, with even Giant Armor's tough body cracking like porcelain, blood streaming from the gaps.
Lan Ziyi's aura also began to falter.
She intended to call for a retreat. Given the circumstances, they had no choice but to regroup and assess the Golden Corpse King's strength. Recruiting more allies would be necessary for another attempt.
But before she could speak, she noticed a strange change in Lu Ye.
Lu Ye's aura seemed stronger than before, his speed and force in wielding his blade visibly increased, and this enhancement continued.
"Hmm?" The Golden Corpse King was puzzled.
Lan Ziyi could sense Lu Ye's change, and the Corpse King felt it too, realizing the human hadn't shown his full strength initially!
But that wasn't the case.
Facing such a powerful foe, Lu Ye dared not hold back. The initial power he exhibited was his normal capability.
The current enhancement came from the Bloodstain Spirit Runes.
During the previous encounter with the massive zombie horde, Lu Ye was covered in wounds, deliberately avoiding using healing pills or forces to recover, preserving these injuries.
Before engaging the Golden Corpse King, he had already structured the Bloodstain Spirit Runes on himself.
As the runes continued to function, their aid became increasingly substantial.
The Bloodstain Spirit Runes were one of his trump cards, difficult to utilize, and had been rarely used.
Most adversaries were quickly dealt with, not giving the runes time to take effect.
But against the Golden Corpse King, they proved invaluable.
So at that moment, with Lan Ziyi watching in amazement, Lu Ye received a strike from the Golden Corpse King but wasn't flung back as before, instead, only being forced back a few yards before stabilizing.
"We have a chance!" Lan Ziyi's eyes lit up. If Lu Ye's strength kept growing, they might just be able to kill the Golden Corpse King with their combined effort!