Standing before the towering Tree of Destiny, Shi Lan quietly watched the hundred or so people approaching her, a faint smile on her fair face.

Qi Gang was somewhat puzzled when he saw that she was not moving.

To avoid suspicion, he pointed to one of the men behind him and shouted, "Go, send the corpse-refining creature over there to test it out."

The man had heard that Shi Lan had killed several members of his sect, and hesitated upon hearing this.

Qi Gang gave him a cold glance. "What? You can't bear to part with it?"

That person was from the same sect as Qi Gang, so he naturally knew Qi Gang's domineering nature. However, he was concerned because Qi Gang had the backing of a Nascent Soul cultivator and was also the leader of the team.

The man knew he had no choice but to act, but he was unwilling to suffer losses, so he looked around, hoping someone would stand up for him.

Those who rushed over from the surrounding area all knew to some extent how powerful Shi Lan was.

Seeing someone take the lead, they were naturally happy to reap the benefits.

After searching around and finding no help, the man had no choice but to release the refined corpse and control it to rush towards Shi Lan.

Shi Lan frowned as she looked at the ashen-faced corpse, feeling a wave of unease.

Why would anyone practice such a technique, digging people out of the ground and using their corpses to fight to the death? Can such a person really attain immortality?

The refining corpse opened its mouth and roared, its pitch-black claws spreading out, its sharp nails growing half a foot long, white and terrifying.

Shi Lan made a hand seal and released a fire dragon.

Even before she entered the library, she knew that the fire dragon she unleashed was the nemesis of these sinister creatures.

Upon seeing the fire dragon, the corpse paused, and fear was revealed in its fierce and tyrannical eyes.

Shi Lan raised an eyebrow in surprise, but after a moment she realized that the emotion was not from the corpse refiner, but from the controller.

The fire dragon roared in the air, its huge body tumbling as it swooped down.

The reanimated corpse brandished its claws, which could no longer be called hands, in a show of defiance, and without even fighting, turned and ran back.

The fire dragon missed its target and immediately roared, exhaling its breath at the crowd several feet away.

The raging flames immediately surged and rushed towards the crowd.

At the forefront, Qi Gang was assessing Shi Lan's strength, while Xu Qing was also looking around, trying to figure out if there were any traps. Neither of them noticed the movements of the refining corpse, so they were caught off guard when the scorching temperature and intense heat approached.

In a flurry of activity, Qi Gang summoned his magical artifact to block the flames and roared at the man, "What's wrong with you?"

The man took two steps back, trembling, and said, "Senior brother, please calm down. I haven't had this corpse for very long, and I'm not very good at controlling it yet."

Qi Gang angrily pointed at the two behind him, "Then you go."

The two whose names were called exchanged a glance, their faces showing bitterness, yet they had no choice but to comply.

Seeing the corpses stepping forward again, Shi Lan mocked, "Is this kind of probing really that interesting? I'm tired just looking at you guys. How about this, you all come at me together, so I don't have to go through all this trouble."

Shi Lan's words sounded like she was thinking of them, but upon closer reflection, a hundred or so people, all rising stars on the continent, were actually holding back in the face of a novice who had only recently established his foundation.

If word gets out, they'll be out of a job.

Qi Gang, who had a bad temper, was furious upon hearing this and immediately drew a white bone sword, thrusting it straight at Shi Lan.

Shi Lan flicked her fingers and summoned the fire dragon again.

The raging flames immediately enveloped the white figure.

Qi Gang made a hand seal, and the bone sword immediately grew larger in the wind, quickly passing through the fire dragon's body and then rushing down to slash at Shi Lan's head.

The fire dragon was not about to let go of its prey, so it quickly flipped over and tried to hold the bone sword back.

Seeing that the bone sword was no ordinary object, Shi Lan threw out the tortoise shell, letting the azure light envelop her, while her fingers fluttered like butterflies.

Qi Gang smiled, his eyes coldly fixed on Shi Lan as she let the bone sword pierce down. "Fellow Daoist Xu, don't blame me for stealing the credit this time."

Xu Qing glanced at him coldly, "Try breaking that tortoise shell first."

Qi Gang was determined to win with this sword strike. When Xu Qing poured cold water on his ambition, he raised an eyebrow and said, "This is a bone sword that my master used to sharpen the leg bone of a Core Formation cultivator. Its sharpness is beyond your imagination."

Xu Qing snorted coldly, not saying much.

Qi Gang felt that he couldn't stand seeing him win the first prize, and he was resentful. But who told him not to make the first move? He deserved to have his credit stolen.

As they spoke, the bone spike had already broken free from the fire dragon's entanglement and was now locked in close combat with the tortoise shell about a foot above Shi Lan's head.

The piercing sound constantly stimulated his eardrums, and the tortoise shell that Qi Gang thought he could pierce immediately proved to be unexpectedly tenacious.

The bone sword failed to penetrate several times.

Qi Gang repeatedly channeled his true energy, attempting to break through that thin layer of tortoise shell.

Seeing that he was unwilling to give up, Xu Qing said, "Don't bother. That's a magic weapon that Uncle Han used during his Foundation Establishment stage. After being enhanced again, it was given to Junior Sister Zhou."

Qi Gang had been struggling for a long time, and the depletion of his true energy had made his face turn pale and blue.

"Is it the one who's good at formations?"

Xu Qing nodded.

Qi Gang was stunned for a moment. He had heard his master mention him before. Back then, he used this tortoise shell to block several ambushes. He heard that no one of his level could break through that tortoise shell.

"Xu Qing, Xu Qing, what can I say? How could you let this fall into Shi Lan's hands?"

Xu Qing also had his own unspeakable suffering. If he hadn't abandoned Junior Sister Zhou back then, he himself would probably have died there.

Between life and death, how could he care about any magical artifacts?

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