Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Is This Earth Corpse a Naturally-Occurring Evil Spirit or an Artificially Refined One?

"This is impossible?!"

Chen Jia was completely stunned.

In that one instant, their connection to the Power of the Earth vanished without a trace.

It was as if they were in the middle of a phone call, and the line had just been cut.

Although they could still sense the presence of the Power of the Earth, the bridge that allowed them to channel it was gone.

This was a situation Chen Jia, Chen Yi, and the other two had never experienced before.

The skill the four of them took the most pride in was their Combined Attack Technique.

As long as the four of them were together, they could look down on almost any person or Evil Spirit in the world.

"There’s something wrong with that sword he’s holding. It must be some kind of powerful treasure passed down from ancient times."

Chen Yi quickly realized what was happening, his eyes burning with greed.

He stared intently at the longsword in Chu He’s hand, which emanated a majestic, golden glow.

He could feel a dense Emperor’s Qi flowing from the blade.

It felt as though holding that sword would make one the sole, supreme king between heaven and earth.

"You are not worthy of possessing such a treasured sword. Hand it over.

We can grant you and Xia Chengli a little more time together.

You must understand that we carry the hope for humanity’s survival on our shoulders.

Once those truly powerful beings awaken and descend, a fragile mortal like you will stand no chance of resisting them."

Chen Yi took a step forward, apparently forgetting that Chu He had already severed his connection to the Power of the Earth.

His eyes remained fixed on Chu He’s sword.

"You ignorant, greedy wretch."

Chu He scoffed, gripping his Xuanyuan Sword and once again slashing through the air toward Chen Yi.

The brilliant light of the attack seemed to tear through space itself.

One moment it was before Chu He; the next, it struck Chen Yi squarely in the chest.

The force of the blow sliced Chen Yi in two at the waist.

"Kun Rune Technique—Unceasing Life!"

Chen Yi’s hand seals rapidly shifted.

The pain of being torn in two made Chen Yi’s brow furrow, but it quickly relaxed.

From beneath his feet, an earthy-yellow aura rose and coiled around his body.

Then, the earthy substance multiplied, encasing Chen Yi’s body.

From a distance, he looked like a freshly made burial mound.

Only Chen Yi’s head protruded from the earthen mound, inside of which a potent earthen energy pulsed.

’He actually reconnected with the Power of the Earth again.’

Chu He frowned.

The four of them weren’t exceptionally powerful; Chu He was confident he could kill them.

However, as long as there was earth nearby, they could endlessly draw upon its power.

They could use it to heal their wounds or to fuel their attacks.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

An overpowering stench of decay erupted within the Great Xia Empire’s Demon Cave.

A fetid gale swept through the entire Demon Cave.

The wind howled, and from within the miasma of decay, a figure familiar to Chu He emerged.

It was the same Evil Spirit he had encountered here before—the one with astonishingly high defense that lived in the swamp.

For some reason, the Evil Spirit had charged out of the swamp of its own accord.

It lunged from behind, pierced Chen Yi’s skull with one claw, and, opening its foul-smelling maw, shoved the crushed head inside.

But Chu He could tell this creature wasn’t devouring Chen Yi’s flesh.

Instead, it was devouring the dense earthen energy surging within him.

Afterward, an earthy-yellow energy began to course through the creature’s rotting body,

causing its sturdy frame to gradually become even more solid.

In that suffocating moment, the stench of rot spread like a physical entity, cloaking the entire scene and tainting the air with an ominous feel.

Chen Yi’s head, which moments before had been full of life,

was devoured in a single gulp by the festering, foul-smelling creature.

It vanished into the depths of the thing’s twisted throat with a sickening sound.

The thick, mound-like layer of earth that had encased him lost its support and crumbled away. It shattered into countless tiny particles, scattering across the ground and revealing a gruesome sight.

Chen Yi’s body, which had been gently enveloped by the earthy-yellow energy, had been healing at an incredible speed.

The sword wound, once nearly gone, had now become a fatal turning point.

Without his head—the source of his life—to support it, the earthy-yellow energy lost its guidance and rapidly dispersed,

receding like the tide to reveal a barren wasteland.

Under the pull of gravity, Chen Yi’s body—

his upper and lower torso—separated in a deeply unnatural way. They slammed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud,

and were unceremoniously buried by the scattered yellow earth, leaving only twisted impressions that spoke of the horrific scene.

"Kun Rune Technique—Regeneration Technique!"

In this moment of despair, Chen Jia’s voice boomed like thunder.

His hands flew through a series of seals, each movement imbued with a profound understanding of and reverence for the Power of the Earth.

As he moved, the earth itself seemed to awaken. A surging wave of Life Force erupted from deep underground,

like the roiling waters of the Yellow River, carrying with it boundless vitality and hope.

It poured over Chen Yi’s shattered body.

Under the influence of this power, Chen Yi’s body began to convulse violently,

as if countless minuscule lives were struggling to be reborn within him.

Drawn by some mysterious force, the surrounding clumps of earth began to converge on him.

They slowly fused together, reshaping Chen Yi’s head and other severed parts.

The process was both bizarre and sacred. Every particle of earth joined with flawless precision, as if nature itself were repairing a broken life.

Finally, as the last piece of earth settled into place, Chen Yi slowly rose from the ground.

But his face was not what it once was.

His face looked as if it had been sculpted from yellow clay. His skin had a bizarre, unhealthy yellow hue and gave off an unsettling aura.

His eyes were fixed on the Evil Spirit in mid-air, which was still greedily devouring the Power of the Earth.

"I was actually killed."

Chen Yi looked down at the clay-like parts of his body, and an endless killing intent surged in his eyes.

"You weren’t really killed.

We cultivate the Kun Rune Technique. As long as we are on the earth, we can never truly die."

Chen Jia shook his head. "I never expected such a minor Demon Cave to house an Earth Corpse of this caliber.

I just don’t know if this Earth Corpse is a naturally formed Evil Spirit or if it was created through Corpse Refinement."

As he said the words "Corpse Refinement,"

Chen Jia’s gaze fell upon Chu He, clearly suspecting him of performing Corpse Refinement here.

After all, what better place for such unsavory deeds than a Demon Cave?