"Rumble..."
The tremor intensified, as if the heavens were enraged, or a demon lord reborn.
This land wailed ceaselessly.
Until finally.
The mountains crumbled, the earth split, trees fell and grass was buried.
The commotion slowly subsided, and then finally calmed.
No one spoke, not even Bai Zihe and Zhuge Sheng.
Everyone waited.
Such a massive disturbance must signify a monumental event.
"Swish!"
In the next moment, a masked man appeared in their sight.
He was the taboo guarding the island, as mentioned by the guardian Liu Wen!
"You lot, you've finally arrived..."
He swept his gaze across everyone, murmuring, then surveyed his surroundings and declared aloud, "Welcome, travelers, to Dragon Island."
"However, to disembark, you must abide by the rules."
Rules?
All were silent, listening intently.
"Defeat me."
The masked man quickly continued, "And you may step onto Dragon Island."
"According to..."
"The rule of first come, first served."
"You!"
The masked man pointed at Bai Zihe, speaking indifferently, "Are the first."
Bai Zihe's pupils constricted sharply.
He understood.
No wonder the fake emperor and his group, who could have gone ahead, were content to trail behind them.
They had likely heard of this person long ago.
Bai Zihe grew wary.
The fake emperor seemed to know a great deal about Dragon Island; he would surely be a formidable foe in the future, requiring careful handling.
During the time he was lost in thought.
"Swish!"
The masked man formed a series of hand seals.
On the scarred earth, a fissure suddenly split open, and a nauseating odor emanated from within.
Everyone stared intently.
The next moment.
Countless corpses crawled out from within.
Though they were corpses, their movements were incredibly agile, unlike lifeless beings such as corpse puppets or golems.
What astonished everyone.
These corpses retained their living appearances, with faces of Great Xia, bear-like countenances, and others...
"These..."
After the last corpse emerged, the masked man explained, "Are all past island aspirants. They all failed."
"They perished here during their battles with me."
"And so..."
"They remain here forever, becoming my puppets, to help me guard this pass, time and time again."
Having said this.
The masked man's gaze fell upon Bai Zihe's face, "As long as you can kill all these puppets, you will have passed."
"If you cannot..."
"Heh heh heh, then you shall remain here too."
"Hahahahaha..."
As his sinister laughter faded.
All the corpses seemed to come alive and charged towards Bai Zihe.
"Kill!"
"Protect the young master!"
"Annihilate these disgusting things!"
A battle was imminent.
The experts who had accompanied Bai Zihe immediately joined the fray.
Irina, White Reaper, and the Hand of God's forces also surged forward, intent on annihilating all these corpses.
As for the fake emperor and guardian Liu Wen...
They silently retreated a few steps, to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
A strange smile flickered across Liu Wen's face.
These corpses, though long dead, possessed astonishing combat power. They were a true nightmare!
Close combat ensued.
"Bang!"
The corpses were swift.
In the blink of an eye, they were upon everyone.
They were mere automatons, devoid of consciousness, attacking anyone they saw with ferocity.
The fastest corpse puppet.
It threw a punch at an expert accompanying Bai Zihe.
This punch...
Though spectral, the wind it generated was immense. This was a Grandmaster!
The experts present were Grandmasters at the very least, so they paid it no mind.
They returned a punch in kind.
Fists collided.
"Boom!"
The immense force sent the expert staggering back seven or eight steps, a wisp of blood trickling from his lips.
In contrast, the corpse puppet...
Was completely unharmed and swiftly pursued the expert.
"Bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
Punch after punch.
The corpse puppet knew no pain, pressing forward relentlessly, forcing the expert to spit blood, his life hanging by a thread.
"Swish!"
Bai Zihe flashed forward and unleashed a punch.
"Rumble..."
The corpse puppet was suddenly sent flying by Bai Zihe's blow, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Fortunately.
This thing wasn't particularly strong.
But before the experts could even breathe a sigh of relief.
The corpse puppet surprisingly got back up. Although it couldn't move as fast as before, its mobility was not significantly hindered, and it continued its assault on Bai Zihe.
This!
Everyone was startled.
The power of Bai Zihe's punch was no small matter!
Yet, it couldn't kill this thing?
The horrifying physical resilience.
"Swish!"
"Swish swish!"
"Clatter!"
A large number of corpse puppets swarmed forward, leaving no time for thought. Everyone was forced to engage.
Among them, several exuded a powerful aura and targeted Bai Zihe.
"Swish!"
"Swish swish!"
Their speed was far greater than that of ordinary corpse puppets, forcing even Bai Zihe to fight with utmost seriousness.
Witnessing this scene.
The fake emperor secretly thought it was a close call.
He was fortunate not to have rushed onto the island ahead of Bai Zihe.
Otherwise, they would be facing the onslaught of these corpse puppets now, a disaster of immense proportions.
"Guardian, when do we make our move..."
The fake emperor's mind stirred, seeing this as an opportune moment to eliminate Bai Zihe and Zhuge Sheng. He inquired of Liu Wen beside him.
Liu Wen said calmly, "Wait until they have dealt with these things."
The fake emperor nodded solemnly.
The battle entered its white-hot stage.
The corpse puppets showed no signs of change or fatigue.
However, the experts on Bai Zihe's side began to falter.
The high-intensity combat, coupled with the constant strain, meant that any lapse in concentration could result in a tragic death.
After a prolonged period, they were utterly exhausted.
"Ahhhh..."
An expert under Irina, caught off guard, had his head exploded by a corpse puppet, brains splattering everywhere in a bloody mess.
The experts were filled with dread and redoubled their efforts.
But...
Words have their limits, and strength has its end!
"Ah..."
"Ugh, ugh..."
"No, I cannot die!"
The experts could no longer hold on, falling one by one, slain by the corpse puppets.
Bai Zihe's eyes were bloodshot.
He desperately wanted to help.
But the corpse puppets he faced were far more formidable than the others, giving him no opportunity to disengage.
"We cannot delay any longer!"
Zhuge Sheng's expression was grim. He said sternly, "Otherwise, we will lose more than half our men here!"
Bai Zihe knew this as well.
But he had no good solution.
He could indeed slay many of the weaker corpse puppets.
However, one person could not possibly deal with them all.
"Bai Zihe, hold off these corpse puppets for a moment. I will attempt a secret technique."
"Pfft!"
With that, Zhuge Sheng suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood into the air, which instantly formed a bloody mist.
He stood in the mist with his eyes closed, chanting incantations.
The several corpse puppets that had been surrounding him immediately charged.
Bai Zihe immediately moved to block all the corpse puppets for him.
"Buzz..."
The next moment, Zhuge Sheng's eyes snapped open, a brilliant light flashing forth, like the rising sun breaking through the dawn.
Simultaneously.
He focused his gaze on the corpses.
"Pfft—"
Just as Bai Zihe was about to ask about the result, Zhuge Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood and was forced back more than ten paces before he could finally steady himself.
His secret technique had failed, and he had suffered a backlash!