Chapter 122: Bone Stone

"Incompetent people only know how to make excuses," Dongfang Wang scoffed, casting a look of disdain at Yu Laosan.

Yu Laosan was absolutely furious, blaming everything on that detestable boy from earlier. He prayed he would get his hands on him, for he would surely make him wish he were dead. His hatred for Lin Yanghao intensified even further.

*Boom!*

Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the surroundings, leaving everyone present stunned.

"Can someone tell me what is going on?" Jin Buhuan asked, feeling utterly bewildered, for what was happening was truly bizarre. The others were in the same state of shock. Looking around, the walls were slowly rising, and within moments, the entire labyrinth had vanished.

What was happening? This was the question on everyone's mind. With the labyrinth gone, the area became vast and open.

"Who are you?" Yu Laosan exclaimed.

Without the restriction of the walls, Gu Shi was fully revealed. This had, of course, been Gu Shi’s doing. Since he knew who had disturbed his cultivation, they would certainly have to pay the price. The people present heard Yu Laosan’s cry and turned their eyes toward Gu Shi.

Gu Shi radiated a murderous aura so intense that it sent a chill through everyone’s heart.

"A Drought Demon!" Jin Buhuan’s face turned deathly pale, and he stood frozen in a daze. In the cultivation world, even ordinary zombies were a rare sight, let alone the far more formidable Drought Demon, so few recognized him. Among those present, only Jin Buhuan knew what Gu Shi truly was.

The others shuddered upon hearing the name; they had heard the legends of the Drought Demon. It was a being far more powerful than any at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

"No, wait," Jin Buhuan frowned, his keen eyes spotting something unusual. "His cultivation must have gone wrong; his strength is nowhere near what it once was. If we work together, it is not impossible to strike him down."

Jin Buhuan was truly worthy of his reputation as the one with the sharpest perception. The group, who had been on the verge of despair, felt their spirits reignite.

"Hmph, even if my strength is not what it used to be, it is still not something you small fry can resist," Gu Shi said, emanating a biting cold. It was the sheer pressure of his aura, and even that alone was enough to make everyone tremble. As expected of a Drought Demon—even in a weakened state, he remained terrifying.

"Whether we can defeat you or not, we shall see," Yu Laosan declared before launching an attack. He unleashed the Heaven-Tyrant Art, a technique that had left him with few rivals at the Transformation stage. Only a handful of those present could match it. The Heaven-Tyrant Art was similar in principle to Lin Yanghao's Divine Strike technique, both capable of boosting one's strength in a short time. However, because Lin Yanghao’s practice of the Divine Strike was unique, Yu Laosan’s version fell far short.

At the same time, the others unleashed their own ultimate techniques, attacking Gu Shi from all sides.

"Hmph, today I will show you what it means to be a mantis trying to stop a chariot," Gu Shi sneered coldly, deploying his Soul-Severing Yin Wind technique. It was an incredibly sinister art; those struck by it would be reduced to mere puppets.

The world suddenly changed color. Piercing, icy Yin winds howled, and malevolent energy swirled among the crowd.

Meanwhile, Lin Yanghao was bound to the side by Gu Shi’s Immortal-Severing Rope. This rope had the ability to seal spiritual energy, which was fatal for a cultivator. Without spiritual energy, one was no better than a cripple. The Immortal-Severing Rope was nearly extinct in the cultivation world, known to very few. But Lin Yanghao had Ling'er, a knowledgeable spirit, so she recognized it immediately. Yet, she was baffled that a zombie like Gu Shi possessed such an item, not to mention that he seemed to have laid the illusions and the labyrinth himself. How could a zombie learn to cast formations? It was highly illogical.

As it turned out, this dated back to when Gu Shi was still human. He had been a renowned formation master in the cultivation world. Though his talent for formations was extraordinary, he had been so obsessed with them that his cultivation level suffered, only barely reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Gu Shi had not been willing to die. He was a genius, indeed; he had laid complex, massive formations across a land of extreme Yin—the very place now known as the Thousand Saints Swamp. Because of his formations, no cultivator above the Transformation stage had been able to enter for centuries. Gu Shi had even created the Yin Wind Formation, and shortly after his death, he transformed into a zombie.

Unlike others, he was born with intelligence. Not only that, he had used secret arts to preserve the memories of his past life. He quickly reached the level of a Furry Zombie, but unfortunately, he hit a bottleneck and remained stuck there. He decided to enter a life-or-death seclusion, and despite his undead state, he had not lost his mastery of formations. He set up layers of restrictions and arrays to ensure no one would disturb his cultivation. However, a zombie's body was not as nimble as a human's, which left the formations with significant flaws.

"This old monster is far too strong! We must use the Power-Gathering Seal again!" Feng Mo gritted his teeth, struggling immensely to activate the technique. At that moment, almost everyone poured their true essence into the seal, instantly draining their internal reserves.

A yellow light appeared on Feng Mo’s hand, far brighter and more powerful than before. Everyone was staking everything on this single move. Soon, a beam of light erupted.

Gu Shi did not know the power of this beam, but Lin Yanghao did. If Gu Shi were truly weakened, he might perish under this strike. Bound by the Immortal-Severing Rope, if the others succeeded, Lin Yanghao would surely be doomed. He chose to bet on Gu Shi, who at least held no deep-seated grudge against him. Perhaps, in return for saving his life, there might be a sliver of hope.

Lin Yanghao was gambling with his own life.

"Watch out for that beam! They used it to break through the stone gate and the illusion formation outside!" Lin Yanghao, his spiritual power sealed, was no different from a commoner, so he had to scream the warning with every ounce of strength he had left.