Chapter 35: The Blood Pool and the Corpse King's Avatar!

Tang Zhen’s presence lasted only a few seconds from the moment he appeared until he vanished. Relying on the extraordinary teleportation capabilities and miraculous applications of his mobile phone, he possessed the capital to act with impunity in this alien world.

The group of centurion corpse monsters had not actually seen Tang Zhen himself; they had merely sensed a strange presence that did not belong to their kind and were preparing to clear it away as per their routine.

Unexpectedly, after a flash of intense light, that strange presence vanished, leaving behind only an object that was "hissing" and emitting smoke.

One of the centurion corpse monsters curiously picked up the object, brought it close to its eyes to inspect it, and then moved its nose forward to take a sniff. After sniffing it, it seemed to find the odor of the smoke from the fuse quite pleasing, so it took another deep, vigorous whiff.

The surrounding centurion corpse monsters, seeing this, immediately crowded around with curiosity. Soon, these monsters stood there, eyes wide and staring, fixed intently upon the small, smoking trinket. To centurion corpse monsters standing several meters tall, this item, which was smaller than their palms, was indeed just a "little trinket."

The fuse was very short; it burned down to the end, followed by a thunderous "boom!"

A violent blast of air and a massive sonic wave erupted from within the "little trinket," sending these enormous centurion corpse monsters flying in all directions. Perhaps due to the sheer toughness of these centurions, Tang Zhen’s bomb failed to kill a single one, though many were left missing arms or legs.

The sudden explosion threw the interior of the abandoned building into chaos, with the roars of corpse monsters echoing one after another. Even the monsters outside heard the commotion, but without the permission of their corpse monster lord, these lower-level creatures dared not enter the building.

Just as the centurion monsters were in a state of disarray, Tang Zhen appeared in the room once more. Feeling the power generated by the explosion but receiving no kill notifications, Tang Zhen couldn't help but sigh to himself; the bodies of these centurions were truly formidable. He had used a full two hundred grams of explosive charge, enough to annihilate all living things within a ten-meter radius, yet it still hadn't claimed the lives of these monsters.

Had these monsters truly become this difficult to deal with after reaching the fourth level?

It is better to avoid unnecessary trouble; he should retreat from this place as quickly as possible.

Sheltered by the quantum stealth screen, Tang Zhen swiftly activated the "Lightness Technique" on his leather gauntlets, charging out of the room with his feet barely touching the ground. The moment he emerged, he felt an urge to weep—it had been far too difficult!

The lobby of the abandoned building was a scene of utter ruin, with broken debris scattered everywhere. The injured centurion monsters were rolling about on the floor, and those uninjured were faring no better. The shockwave from the explosion had left them dizzy and disoriented, their consciousness clouded; it seemed unlikely they would recover for some time, and they hadn't even noticed Tang Zhen’s appearance.

Had Tang Zhen been reckless enough to attempt a sneak attack, he likely would have faced a desperate, fatal counterattack from the centurions.

Compared to the iron-clad bodies of the centurion monsters, his own fragile frame would likely not withstand even a single heavy strike from one of them. Given this, it was best not to take the risk.

With this thought in mind, Tang Zhen prepared to flee immediately. However, as his gaze swept toward the massive statue not far away and he saw the scene at its base, his heart skipped a beat, and his steps halted.

In Tang Zhen’s memory, there should have been a black altar at that spot, but looking now, the black altar was no longer visible. It had not disappeared; instead, it had been submerged by a massive blood pool built from a dense pile of corpses.

Seeing this, Tang Zhen suddenly realized the truth. No wonder the stench of blood here was so thick; heaven only knew how much blood it would take to fill a pool of this size. Within the wall of corpses built around the black altar, the mangled remains of monsters were eerily fused together by a red substance, as if their flesh and blood had grown into a single mass. Tang Zhen made a rough estimation: building such a massive blood pool would require at least a thousand monster carcasses.

Tang Zhen enjoyed seeing monsters kill monsters. However, when he saw the heads of wanderers floating one by one in the blood pool, an indescribable, towering rage surged within him.

"Damn it, these murderous beasts!"

Tang Zhen gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with a chilling, terrifying coldness. He simply could not tolerate humans being slaughtered so wantonly, even if this was an alien world and these wanderers had nothing to do with him!

While the blood is still warm, one cannot ignore injustice!

Tang Zhen did not know what function this blood pool served, but that did not stop him from wanting to destroy the foul thing. Once this thought took root, he could no longer extinguish it. With a flick of his intent, another bomb appeared in his hand.

He would use the bomb to destroy it and make all the monsters’ labor go to waste. But just as he was about to throw the bomb, he discovered with surprise that something seemed to be resting on the black altar submerged in the blood, bobbing up and down with the gently rippling liquid.

"What on earth is this, to be soaked in a pool of blood?"

Tang Zhen was suspicious. Taking advantage of the fact that his "Lightness Technique" had not yet worn off, he dashed to the edge of the blood pool. The pitch-black lobby did not hinder his vision; a brief scan with his data combat interface allowed him to see the object on the altar clearly.

However, the item was beyond his imagination.

It was the remains of a young wanderer, with a perfect physique, muscles brimming with explosive power, and an extremely handsome face. His body was laid out neatly in the center of the altar, soaking naked in the blood. The contrast between the fresh blood and his skin was striking!

What Tang Zhen found most bizarre was that eight blood-red, vein-like structures were deeply embedded into the young man’s head and heart, looking utterly repulsive. These "veins" moved with a slow, peristaltic motion, connecting all the way to the eight statues surrounding the black altar.

The eight black statues were now covered in things resembling the root hairs of weeds, which snaked through countless human heads before plunging deep into the blood pool. These root-like appendages also moved slowly, as if drawing some kind of nutrients from the blood and the heads.

The young man’s remains were covered in eerie runes. As the blood-red tubes continuously pumped a glowing substance into his body, these runes flickered, emitting a dark red luster.

Tang Zhen stared intently at the youth’s corpse, a faint feeling growing within him that this was a highly evil ritual being conducted by the corpse monsters.

It was then that a string of text suddenly appeared before his eyes—the monster detector had activated.

[Corpse King Clone (Immature): One of the eight great Corpse King clones of the Corpse Clan from an unknown minor world, a Level 4 monster. Cultivated through a blood pool ritual, once mature, it can serve as a temporary host for the Corpse King’s soul upon its descent. Its body is formidable and perfect, impervious to blades and guns. The weakness of the immature form is its susceptibility to soul-based attacks.]

Seeing the description on the screen, Tang Zhen was filled with inexplicable shock. So, these corpse monsters were not native wild monsters at all, but came from some unknown minor world—just like him, they could be considered transmigrators!

This corpse, in particular, was being cultivated as a vessel for the Corpse King from that unknown world, preparing for its soul to descend into this world in the future!

These monsters were capable of nothing but slaughter and destruction, and they might even turn everyone into members of their own kind. If that were true, there would be no path for Tang Zhen to survive.

"Damn it, trying to muscle in on my territory? You must be tired of living!"

A cold light flashed in Tang Zhen’s eyes, and murderous intent surged in his heart. If that was the case, he would never let them succeed.