Myth Beyond Heaven

Li Shan's face darkened. He unleashed his power, attempting to break free, but the effort was futile.

"Don't waste your energy. Escape is impossible," Gu Buxiu chuckled arrogantly.

His gaze shifted to Yun Lintian's group as he spoke. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look what we have here. A group of young prodigies. Such high-quality ingredients. It seems I must showcase my culinary skills."

As he spoke, the four corpse puppets lurched towards Yun Lintian's group.

The expressions of Yun Lintian and the others turned grim as the four hulking corpse puppets lumbered towards them. The air grew thick with the stench of decaying flesh, a sickening prelude to the impending battle.

Yun Lintian glanced at Long Qingxuan and said, "Protect everyone."

"Go," Long Qingxuan replied gently, taking Linlin and Qingqing from him.

Yun Lintian stepped forward, and the Heaven Piercing Sword flew out, landing in his hand.

"Be careful, Brother Yun." Tang Wei said worriedly. He was completely useless here.

A calmness settled over Yun Lintian. The Great Law of Life pulsed within him, a steady rhythm guiding his actions.

The four corpse puppets, grotesque parodies of life, charged with a lumbering ferocity. Yun Lintian didn't wait for them to close the distance. He raised his hand, emerald light swirling around his palm. With a flick of his wrist, a tendril of pure life energy shot towards the closest puppet.

Puff!

It struck the monstrosity in the chest, not a devastating blow, but the effect was immediate. Decaying flesh sizzled, smoke rising as the life energy forcibly cleansed the corrupted tissue. The puppet shrieked a discordant sound that echoed through the metallic chamber.

Roar—

The remaining puppets roared in unison, their decaying faces contorted in a grotesque snarl and surged forward with more aggression.

Yun Lintian remained unfazed. He danced a deadly ballet around the hulking figures, his movements imbued with a practiced grace that belied the brutal nature of their fight.

Crackle!

With a whisper, a crackling arc of lightning erupted from the tip of the Heaven Piercing Sword. It lanced at the puppet closest to him, carving a smoking furrow across its rotting chest.

The creature convulsed, its movements momentarily erratic. Yun Lintian seized the opportunity. He spun, the emerald light in his palm intensifying, and unleashed a torrent of wind towards the injured puppet.

The wind, imbued with the life energy of the Great Law of Life, howled like a banshee, tearing at the exposed flesh and ripping away chunks of corrupted tissue.

From the corner of his eye, Yun Lintian saw the remaining two puppets converging on him. A cold glint flashed through his eyes.

Bang!

With a sharp intake of breath, Yun Lintian slammed his right foot onto the ground. A metallic groan reverberated through the chamber as a network of shimmering metal veins erupted from the floor, forming an intricate web that bound the two remaining puppets.

"Impressive!" Gu Buxiu narrowed his eyes as he stared at Yun Lintian attentively. "You can actually comprehend the Great Law of Life. It seems your background is no ordinary."

Yun Lintian ignored him, his focus solely on the struggling puppets. He raised his hand, a miniature inferno manifesting in his palm.

Flames danced with an unnatural brilliance, their heat so intense that the metallic chamber itself seemed to warp under its influence. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the inferno at the puppet trapped in the metal web.

"Arghhhh!!"

The flames engulfed the creature, a horrifying shriek erupting as the demonic essence within it writhed in agony.

Gu Buxiu's eyes turned cold upon seeing this. Yun Lintian had shown his heaven-defying comprehension of the profound laws. It seemed there was nothing he couldn't master.

The puppet trapped in the inferno thrashed violently for a few moments before going still. A plume of acrid smoke filled the chamber, momentarily obscuring the scene.

Yun Lintian didn't wait for the smoke to clear. He charged towards the remaining puppet, the wind whistling around him as he propelled himself forward with incredible speed.

The creature roared, attempting to swat him with its decaying arm, but Yun Lintian twisted with inhuman agility, slipping under the blow.

He materialized behind the puppet in the blink of an eye, the Heaven Piercing Sword crackling with a renewed surge of lightning. With a powerful thrust, he pierced the creature's back, the emerald light within him surging through the blade and into the puppet's body.

"ROARRR!!"

A deafening scream ripped through the chamber as the demonic essence within the puppet erupted in a violent backlash. The puppet's body contorted, its grotesque form dissolving into a cloud of black mist that dissipated with a pungent sizzle.

Silence descended upon the chamber. Yun Lintian stood amidst the carnage, his eyes held an unusual calmness. He turned to face Gu Buxiu, the Heaven Piercing Sword held loosely at his side.

"Is that all you have to offer?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint of challenge.

Gu Buxiu stared at him with a cold smile. "You are indeed an intriguing specimen. A rare breed with such control over multiple elemental laws at your age. But don't think this is over. You've merely delayed the inevitable."

Yun Lintian knew Gu Buxiu wasn't bluffing. The remnants of demonic energy swirling in the chamber held the potential for a far more grotesque creation. But for now, a small window of opportunity had opened.

He glanced across the chamber at Li Shan and Lan Qinghe, their figures encased in the shimmering energy cages. His intention was clear, he must free them to deal with Gu Buxiu's next move.

The energy cages, infused with Gu Buxiu's dark energy, were unlike anything he'd encountered before. From Gu Buxiu's words, it was the energy he gathered from the fallen gods here.

While Yun Lintian's control over the Great Law of Life allowed him to purify the corrupted flesh of the puppets, these cages seemed impervious to his attempts.

Yun Lintian's figure blurred and reappeared in front of the cage holding Lan Qinghe. Placing his palm against the shimmering barrier, he channeled the emerald light of life energy. It surged forth, bathing the cage in a soft luminescence. A faint sizzling sound emitted from the barrier, but it held firm.

Gu Buxiu looked at the scene intriguingly. He didn't make any move, as if he wanted to see what Yun Lintian could do.

Yun Lintian frowned deeply. He exerted more power, trying to infuse the life energy with a hint of lightning, hoping to disrupt the dark energy holding the cage together.

Crackle!