The Nameless Domain, Chapter Fifty-Five: Control (Part Two)

The battle between the human cultivators and the horde of demon beasts grew increasingly fierce, the baleful aura permeating this region ever thicker. Even Wang Li, Bian Luxing, Wei Cuiyao, and others who had advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage were affected, their hearts swelling with murderous intent. The scene was brutally cruel; gone was the verdant landscape of twenty days prior, replaced by a hellish realm strewn with corpses. Human and beast bodies piled everywhere, blood forming rivulets in the lowlands, reeking of iron and rot, as if even the air had grown viscous.

Yet the battle raged on. Even though half of the Five Spirits Pill Valley disciples had fallen, and only twenty or so remained from the Yin Corpse Sect, there was no thought of retreat. The demon beast army had been whittled down to just over three hundred; with a bit more effort, they could be slaughtered to the last. For the Yin Corpse Sect, this was a desperate gamble—lose, and one’s life would be devoured, but if they held out until the beasts were eradicated, the thousand corpses would yield immense wealth and raw materials for corpse puppets, allowing the survivors’ strength to grow astonishingly.

As for the Five Spirits Pill Valley, their resolve stemmed from necessity; there was no escape. Should they attempt to flee, the Yin Corpse Sect would certainly outrun them, leaving them no chance to struggle for survival. Moreover, a cultivator’s hunger for resources was inevitable. With so many comrades fallen, their treasures would soon belong to the living. And so many demon beasts here—after slaying them all, plundering their lair would surely make one's storage pouch overflow with rare treasures. How could they not be tempted?

The demon beasts themselves, possessed of little intelligence, were manipulated by Gu Zhen to attack the cultivators. Under the influence of the baleful aura, they became mindless animals, their only drive to kill.

High above, Wei Cuiyao considered unleashing her Child Cauldron several times, but ultimately restrained herself. She had waited this long, a little longer would make no difference; victory was already within sight.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yin Corpse Sect withdrew his hand from a demon beast’s skull and sneered, “Heh, these beasts are so much weaker than those outside. I’ve slaughtered sixteen already, including three Foundation Establishment beasts—hardly any effort at all.”

Another Yin Corpse Sect cultivator shook his head. “A minor world is always just that—a minor world. The laws of heaven and earth are incomplete. These native beasts should have stayed hidden; to ambush us was sheer folly!”

Wei Cuiyao shouted, “Comrades, hold fast! Soon we’ll slay the last of these beasts, and when the battle is over, we’ll sweep their lair clean of heavenly treasures!”

Another pill cultivator broke through to the second layer of Foundation Establishment amidst the battle, and, elated, flew through the beasts toward their rear. “Hahaha, treasures, here I come!”

But just as both the Five Spirits Pill Valley and Yin Corpse Sect believed victory was assured, disaster struck again.

The pill cultivator headed to the beasts’ rear suddenly convulsed, clutching his dantian in agony as his spiritual power began to leak uncontrollably.

“No! My dantian is destroyed! Someone help—”

Before he could finish, a camouflaged Foundation Establishment Mantis leaped forth, its broad blades slicing him into minced flesh, inadvertently killing the bloodthirsty worm responsible as well.

He was not alone; six Foundation Establishment cultivators across the battlefield suffered the same fate, their dantians inexplicably destroyed, spiritual power pouring out of the wounds.

Though not immediately fatal, with over three hundred demon beasts still present, such a condition meant certain death without a lifesaving card up one’s sleeve.

Some, shaken, cried out in panic, “Damn it! What’s going on?”

Others, quick-witted, endured the pain and fled while their spiritual power remained.

Besides the Foundation Establishment cultivators, eighteen Qi Condensation disciples suffered stabbing heart pains, instantly losing the will to fight and falling to the beasts in horrid fashion.

A roar echoed through the chaos, and the demon beasts seized the advantage anew, their wild hooves and claws sweeping through the ranks.

Bian Luxing quickly realized the truth: when he broke through to Foundation Establishment, a strange black worm had tried to enter his body, but his keen perception allowed him to destroy it. Now he saw this was no accident, but a plot against both human cultivators and beasts.

Wang Li too had escaped parasitism by the bloodthirsty worms; his breakthrough was swift, and that area lacked the worms, so he survived. Thus Zhou Xuanhong had tasked the Kong siblings to kill him.

Bian Luxing transmitted his thoughts to Wei Cuiyao: “Something’s wrong. First, these witless beasts formed a tide, then, when they had the advantage, disaster struck. Now, with us in the lead, the same happens. We’re all being manipulated—the mastermind wants us all dead. We must not linger. Join forces with us, or when the puppet master appears, we’ll be doomed!”

Wei Cuiyao had no time to consider; the beast horde surged like a tidal wave, and the Five Spirits Pill Valley ranks were utterly shattered. In minutes, all would perish.

“Go!” she cried.

Wei Cuiyao abandoned the remaining disciples, uncertain if any were still parasitized, and besides, with only twenty left, it was no longer worth wasting the Child Cauldron to protect them. Her grandfather’s mission was now paramount, for her own life was not yet threatened.

Just as Wei Cuiyao prepared to signal the retreat to the three remaining Foundation Establishment disciples, powerful auras surged across the distant sky, sharp and murderous—a sword cultivator’s hallmark.

Wei Cuiyao rejoiced, abandoning her previous plan, and descended to relieve the pressure on her sect’s survivors.

But Bian Luxing thought differently; he turned and activated his treasure to flee at full speed. The Yin Corpse Sect had slaughtered Form Shaping Sect disciples in this minor world, and never spared Songshan Sword Pavilion either. Now, with their own strength depleted and the sword cultivators forming a fourteen-man team, they could wipe out the beast horde alone. Not fleeing now would be waiting for revenge.

Yet at the vanguard was not a sword cultivator, but a handsome Form Shaping Sect disciple, his Foundation Establishment mid-stage power unleashed without restraint.

“Kill!” he shouted.

This was Mao Yishan, who ignored the beast horde and charged the Yin Corpse Sect. His surging spiritual power swept forth in a wide spell, and with a deafening roar, nearly ten Qi Condensation cultivators died on the spot, their corpse puppets reduced to ashes by overwhelming force.

The leading sword cultivator roared, “No survivors—slay all living beings present!”

“Kill!”

The battlefield rang with cries of slaughter, murderous intent rampant, the killing unending.

Sword cultivators were famed for their offensive prowess, unparalleled in the cultivation world. Amidst such chaos, they moved with ease, attacking and defending in fluid harmony. Each flourish of swordplay claimed another life.

Of course, there were two exceptions. Kong Xiaori and Kong Xiaoyue quietly landed and began selecting beast corpses for their storage bags, as if they were shopping at a marketplace, chatting about what to eat tonight.

“Hey, you two, can you be serious? People are dying—can’t you see the Yin Corpse Sect is already fleeing!” the lead sword cultivator finally protested, urging them to join the pursuit.

Wei Cuiyao’s expression darkened, for the sword cultivator had not said, “Kill everyone except the Five Spirits Pill Valley,” but rather, “Kill all creatures present.” Clearly, the sword cultivators were displeased with the Five Spirits Pill Valley's collaboration with the Yin Corpse Sect in hunting Songshan Sword Pavilion disciples. Even if they hadn’t acted themselves, resentment remained.

“Fellow sword cultivators, this is a misunderstanding. The Five Spirits Pill Valley never attacked your sect. Please show mercy—let’s end this and become friends.”

“Ha!” A sword cultivator withdrew his blade from a Pill Valley disciple and sneered, “Mercy? End things? Friends? Dream on! I was chased by a dozen of you for two days straight. Do you know what those two days were like for me? Today you die, and even Wei Cangyuan can’t save you!”

A one-armed sword cultivator laughed coldly, “Never attacked? Maybe, but running with those wolves makes you no better. If you hadn’t had dozens of people, I wouldn’t have had to flee and lose my arm. Not attacking? Fine, let my arm grow back and I’ll spare you, but until then, I’ll kill a few for spite!”

The sword cultivators’ words dripped with rage, the accumulated resentment of twenty days erupting in wild brutality. Anyone forced into hiding would feel aggrieved, but sword cultivators, proud as ever, would never let such a grudge go unavenged.

Wei Cuiyao was helpless; as the sword cultivators said, it was impossible for the Pill Valley to have played no part in the Yin Corpse Sect’s plot. They had feigned cooperation with Form Shaping Sect, luring many to their deaths, which had allowed the Yin Corpse Sect to grow rapidly. Had the Form Shaping disciples fought to the bitter end, casualties would have been much worse.

This also led Songshan Sword Pavilion disciples to encounter the Yin Corpse Sect in groups, hunted and slaughtered, or forced to flee—killing them was justified both emotionally and logically.

Wei Cuiyao had nothing more to say. Watching the sword cultivators vent their fury in full force, seeing her exhausted, wounded comrades and the doomed Yin Corpse Sect, she knew her grandfather’s task had failed utterly.

Her hesitation had reduced fifty Pill Valley disciples to less than twenty. She sighed, raised her hand, and summoned a green cauldron, which radiated intense waves of fire and swiftly expanded to cover a five-hundred-meter radius.

She did not unleash this trump card to protect her people, but because her own life was now threatened. Only then did she cease to hesitate and activate the Child Cauldron.

The sword cultivators sensed danger and quickly retreated, but the maddened beasts lingered too long and their bodies began to combust strangely.

Only the Pill Valley disciples’ tokens emitted a halo, resonating with the cauldron, keeping them safe.

Wei Cuiyao hovered above the cauldron, her divine sense broadcasting: “All disciples, take out your tokens. Those without tokens, circulate the pill refinement chant to avoid harm.”

It turned out two had lost their tokens in battle, and the cauldron controlled by Wei Cuiyao had not yet affected them; otherwise, they would have combusted like the beasts.

In the distant treetops, Zhou Xuanhong, transformed into a bloodthirsty worm, was overjoyed. He had finally forced her to reveal this treasure; had she made it to the minor world’s core, who knew what new variables she might introduce to his plan.