"These corpse puppets..."
After catching his breath, Zhuge Sheng pointed at them and said in a deep voice, "I intended to use a secret technique to control these things."
"But there was Hellblood within them, and my secret technique was blocked by the Hellblood, unable to penetrate."
Hellblood?
Bai Zihe's pupils contracted sharply.
This stuff was indeed good, but how to break the stalemate now?
The corpse puppets offered Bai Zihe no chance to ponder. In an instant, they surged into the air, throwing punch after punch.
They appeared simple and unadorned, yet their power was immense.
Even Bai Zihe wouldn't dare to claim he could withstand even one of those punches.
"I suspect..."
While fighting the corpse puppets, Zhuge Sheng deduced, "The masked man controls these things through the Hellblood."
A flash of inspiration struck Bai Zihe; he suddenly grasped something.
Hellblood...
He had it too, and it was extremely pure!
During his battle with the Ten Dragon Guards, after they activated their Hellblood, their strength and aura had surged. Yet, he, who also activated his Hellblood, had suppressed them completely.
Would this be effective against these corpse puppets?
"Bai Zihe!"
Zhuge Sheng also arrived at the same conclusion and said quickly, "Activate the Hellblood within you and see if you can seize control of these corpse puppets and make them work for you."
"Alright!"
Bai Zihe had the same intention.
"Buzz!"
Immediately, an ancient, obscure, yet terrifyingly vast aura descended, engulfing all the corpse puppets present.
Sensing this aura...
Liu Wen, the Guardian of the Imperial City, looked at Bai Zihe with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
The False Emperor also looked at Bai Zihe, greediness flashing in his eyes.
The numerous corpse puppets also turned their gazes toward Bai Zihe.
They had been dead for a long time, their eyes only containing milky white orbs. Their sudden glances made one feel as if they were being stared at by demons, sending shivers down their spine.
However...
Bai Zihe read a sense of bewilderment in their eyes!
Yes, it was bewilderment, a lack of direction!
There was hope!
Bai Zihe was overjoyed.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The masked man had been watching the battle leisurely, preparing to deal with the remaining stragglers once Bai Zihe's subordinates were mostly dead.
But now...
Bai Zihe had actually activated his Hellblood and intended to use it to seize control of the corpse puppets. The masked man panicked instantly.
Indeed.
It was exactly as Zhuge Sheng had guessed.
He controlled the corpse puppets by manipulating the Hellblood.
If Bai Zihe were to succeed, there was a real possibility of it happening.
"Swish!"
Without hesitation, the masked man leaped into the air.
Like shooting stars.
Agile as a falcon.
In a moment, he traversed all the corpse puppets and appeared before Bai Zihe.
"Block him!"
Zhuge Sheng knew this was the most critical moment for Bai Zihe and for all of them. Seeing this, he issued orders immediately.
Originally, each of the experts had to deal with the corpse蛊 puppets.
But after Bai Zihe activated his Hellblood, the corpse puppets abandoned their individual targets.
Everyone knew.
The victory of this battle depended on whether Bai Zihe could control these corpse puppets.
Therefore, with Zhuge Sheng's command, they all charged forward at the fastest speed.
"Swish!"
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
"Huala, huala, huala..."
All the experts arrived before Bai Zihe, shielding him from the masked man.
"Seeking death!"
The masked man let out a cold snort, his eyes erupting with chilling killing intent. He raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike.
This palm strike...
The force of the palm surged and covered the sky.
Suddenly, a world-ending gale swept through this area.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The experts dared not be careless. Dozens of them joined forces and struck out with a palm.
The next moment, the palm wind arrived as expected.
"Huala..."
"Plop..."
"Dong dong..."
The experts were no match for the masked man. They were completely suppressed and beaten. Half of them were immediately blasted away.
They fell heavily to the ground, their survival uncertain.
The remaining ones, with blood oozing from their lips, were all seriously injured.
Everyone was terrified.
The power of the masked man's single palm was terrifying.
While everyone was still in shock, the masked man strode forward again.
Each step was filled with overwhelming power.
Each step was filled with surging killing intent.
Intertwined, they formed an extremely cold storm around him. Just being close was enough to make people tremble with fear.
"Block him!"
Zhuge Sheng knew this was the most critical moment and roared, reminding everyone.
The numerous experts jolted awake and once again joined forces to resist.
"Swish!"
"Bang!"
"Huala!"
The masked man was too strong. No one was his match.
Even Old Marshal Montado of the White Death was forced to retreat repeatedly, spitting blood incessantly, already severely injured.
After the masked man sent Montado flying with a slap.
There was no one left before Bai Zihe.
And at this moment...
He was using the Hellblood to control the corpse puppets, completely focused and defenseless.
If the masked man landed a punch...
He would likely perish on the spot!
"Whoosh!"
At this moment, Zhuge Sheng darted in front of Bai Zihe.
His eyes were tightly closed, but his hands were constantly forming hand seals, and he was chanting incantations.
Until...
The masked man reached him and raised his hand for a punch.
"Huang Tian Yu Qi Jue!" (Imperial Heaven Manipulating Qi Technique!)
At this moment, Zhuge Sheng let out a thunderous roar, and his eyes suddenly snapped open.
As if the heavens and earth had just begun.
As if all phenomena were manifesting.
At this moment, Zhuge Sheng's divine power surged, spanning ninety thousand li!
This was an imperial secret technique.
It could forcibly enhance one's strength in a short period, connect with the creation of heaven and earth, and possess a higher realm of understanding of all laws!
"Swish!"
A white light descended from the sky and entered Zhuge Sheng's Baihui acupoint. His aura became unprecedentedly powerful at this moment.
Vast, sacred, it pressed down on everyone, making it difficult to breathe.
"Heh..."
"Petty trick!"
Only the masked man still didn't take him seriously.
Still.
He raised his hand and threw a punch, without hesitation, without mercy.
"Swish!"
Seeing this, Zhuge Sheng also threw a punch without hesitation.
Fist met fist.
A dull sound.
"Bang!"
Violent shockwaves erupted and churned ceaselessly.
The island behind the masked man was battered by flying rocks and sand, dust filling the sky.
The sea behind Zhuge Sheng churned with surging waves, as furious as a raging tide.
Then...
The masked man retreated half a step.
Zhuge Sheng retreated one step.
Slightly at a disadvantage, but he finally had the strength to fight.
"Let's see how long you can last."
The masked man sneered and strode forward.
Punch after punch, each faster than the last, each more vicious than the last.
Each punch was ruthless, each punch aimed to kill.
Zhuge Sheng had no choice. Knowing he was outmatched, he could only forcibly resist.
Otherwise...
If Bai Zihe was disturbed, not only would Bai Zihe suffer, but all of them would suffer heavy losses.
Who knew...
The False Emperor's side might even add insult to injury.
That would be true desperation.
"Bang!"
"Pfft..."
"Ugh, ugh..."
At first, Zhuge Sheng could barely exchange blows with the masked man.
But as time passed.
His vital energy was constantly depleted, and coupled with the receding effect of the secret technique, he could only passively endure the beating.
Full of danger.
On the verge of collapse!
"Die!"
Once again, after taking a punch, Zhuge Sheng's aura plummeted significantly.
Not only did the realm enhancement from the secret technique completely revert, but it even dropped lower than before the technique was used. This was the side effect of secret techniques!
Once the enemy endures, and oneself falls into weakness...
It would definitely be a disaster.
"Not good!"
"Be careful!"
"Dodge quickly!"
The experts on Bai Zihe's side sensed the anomaly.
But they were too far away to help.
Even...
Despair appeared on Zhuge Sheng's own face.
"Whoosh!"
"Hiss!"
"Boom!"
Just then, the corpse puppets flew rapidly towards the masked man.
Bai Zihe had succeeded!
He had used his purer Hellblood to seize control of the corpse puppets and launch them all at the masked man.
The masked man gritted his teeth but had to abandon his attempt to kill Zhuge Sheng.
Because even he himself dared not withstand the attacks of so many corpse puppets; that would be fatal!
"Swish!"
The masked man flashed and left his original position.
"Leave the rest to me!"
Bai Zihe let out a sigh of relief, then told Zhuge Sheng to rest to the side, and walked towards the masked man himself.
Speaking of which.
Bai Zihe had felt quite stifled since approaching Dragon Island.
First, he was targeted by the Octopus. Upon arrival, he suffered heavy losses due to the masked man. Crucially, he hadn't been able to unleash his full strength.
"You, you..."
The masked man was already stunned.
Previously, he had worried that Bai Zihe might have a slight chance of seizing control of the corpse puppets.
Now that his worry had become a reality, how could he not be shocked?
"What 'you'?"
Bai Zihe let out a cold roar and charged forward.
The corpse puppets, under his control, surrounded the masked man.
How stifled Bai Zihe had felt before.
How stifled the masked man felt now!
This kind of fight...
Was neither exhilarating nor unrestrainedly satisfying.
The masked man not only had to face Bai Zihe's attacks but also constantly guard against those corpse puppets, and crucially, those things felt no pain.
This whole situation...
In a short while, the masked man completely fell into a disadvantage, on the verge of collapse.
He was even at risk of being killed on the spot at any moment.
"I surrender!"
At the critical juncture, the masked man employed the most effective move of surrender.
Bai Zihe's lips curved upwards, and he stopped.
The corpse puppets also ceased their attack.
"This is the key to the Treasure Scattering Rock."
The masked man took off his mask and handed it to Bai Zihe, then dejectedly retreated.
Treasure Scattering Rock?
Bai Zihe heard this and was utterly confused.
But Liu Wen, who was nearby, immediately had a change of expression and gave the False Emperor a look.
"Swish!"
The next moment.
Several figures suddenly attacked Bai Zihe.
One of them, a light sword, carrying supreme divine might and boundless momentum, had the posture of cleaving Bai Zihe in half and killing him on the spot!