At this moment, Jiang Chen, standing inside the six-pointed star formation, was completely stunned!
His Martial Soul—was a zombie!
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Was it because he had cultivated the Heavenly Corpse Transformation that he ended up with this zombie Martial Soul?
Or was it the other way around—that because he possessed this zombie Martial Soul, the Heavenly Corpse Transformation technique appeared in his mind?
What was the truth? He had no answer. Fortunately, the thick black mist surrounding the zombie Martial Soul didn't spread out. Otherwise, the entire Saint Soul Village might have been infected by the corpse toxin.
Such a potent poison was unbearable to most—after all, the majority of villagers were ordinary people.
He tried to retract the zombie Martial Soul with his mind, but found it completely unresponsive.
The zombie Martial Soul howled silently to the sky. Though it made no sound, Jiang Chen could feel the overwhelming hatred and unwillingness radiating from it.
Outside, the villagers stared at Jiang Chen in horror, whispering among themselves, "Such an evil Martial Soul—he really is a curse!"
Suddenly, the clear sky roared, and darkness abruptly covered the entire heavens.
Heavy black clouds weighed down like lead, pressing as if they would collapse. Within the churning clouds, bolts of lightning as thick as buckets crackled and darted about, and the thunderclaps were deafening, as if they could shatter eardrums.
"Everyone, leave here immediately!" A commanding shout rang out, briefly overpowering the thunder and echoing in every ear.
Tang San looked up in confusion, feeling the voice was familiar but unable to place it.
Old Jack realized what was happening and anxiously led the villagers away, frequently glancing back with worry at Jiang Chen standing inside the Martial Soul Hall.
The black clouds grew lower and the thunder grew more terrifying. None of them had ever seen such lightning—purple, black, red, and even gold bolts flashing in eerie patterns.
But the one who felt it most deeply was Tang Hao. While the ordinary villagers only sensed immense pressure, he felt a tangible threat.
He had a strong premonition: if that terrifying lightning struck, he might be reduced to ashes instantly.
Fortunately, the lightning in the sky was not targeting him, but the boy standing frozen inside.
At that moment, Su Yuntao stumbled out, his face pale and terrified, unable to hide his fear. He stood with the villagers at a distance.
"Lord Su Yuntao, what's going on here?" Old Jack asked, trembling.
Su Yuntao shook his head repeatedly, nearly scared to death. His legs were weak, trembling uncontrollably.
Just moments ago, inside the house under that roaring thunderstorm, he had almost fallen to his knees. At that instant, he had sensed an overwhelming threat to his life and barely escaped with all his strength.
"Lord Su Yuntao, you're the strongest—we beg you, save Xiao Chen!" Old Jack cried out anxiously.
"Shut up!" Su Yuntao barked fiercely.
Asking him to enter there again was tantamount to seeking death.
The villagers were gripped by a rising panic and began murmuring wildly.
"He must be a Heaven-forsaken man; even the heavens are punishing him."
"Just awakening a Martial Soul has brought down divine wrath. I hope it won't destroy our Saint Soul Village."
"Even if he doesn't die, we can never let him stay here—otherwise, sooner or later, he'll bring disaster upon us all!"
Why was Jiang Chen standing there frozen, not fleeing?
Because he found he couldn't move at all.
At this moment, the entire Saint Soul Village seemed to have turned into a dark night, with lightning flashing intermittently in the shadows. The thunderous explosions were so loud, they felt like they would shatter his eardrums.
He sensed that the lightning from the sky had locked onto him.
He couldn't understand why simply awakening a Martial Soul had drawn such terrifying thunder. It felt as if it were the will of Heaven itself, aiming to strike him down.
Even if it was a zombie Martial Soul, did it really deserve to be utterly rejected by heaven and earth?
Just then, Jiang Chen sensed another power emerging from the zombie Martial Soul behind him.
It was a force completely opposite to the corpse toxin, radiating with a wildly fierce aura. The terrifying energy made his soul tremble.
He vaguely felt that this power was pure Yang energy, extremely strong and similar to the aura of the lightning in the sky.
While he was still contemplating, the lightning in the sky suddenly converged, forming a multicolored thunderbolt.
It slammed down from the terrifying vortex of black clouds, striking the wooden house below.
"Ah!"
Countless people cried out in terror, collapsing weakly to the ground.
Tang Hao stood beside Tang San, his resolute face grave as iron. Within him, the overwhelming soul power stirred restlessly, ready at any moment to carry Tang San away to safety.
Just as the multicolored thunderbolt slammed down, a thick bolt of golden lightning shot out from inside the wooden house, rushing to meet the multicolored strike.
Boom!
High above, the two bolts collided with a deafening explosion, as if the very sky was about to split apart.
Where the lightning clashed, a dazzling brilliance erupted—like a miniature sun blazing in the darkness, illuminating the entire pitch-black world as if it were broad daylight.
An overwhelming, oppressive aura weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. Su Yuntao tried repeatedly to flee, but his legs had gone weak. Under the sheer power of this heavenly might, resistance was impossible.
The small sun formed by the clashing lightning radiated terrifying energy. Tang Hao had no doubt—if he were standing there, he wouldn't survive more than a single breath before being reduced to ashes.
Suddenly, the small sun vanished. The multicolored lightning recoiled and was swallowed back into the leaden clouds.
The golden lightning returned to the wooden house, disappearing into Jiang Chen's zombie Martial Soul.
Except for Tang Hao and his son, as well as Su Yuntao, everyone else collapsed weakly to the ground. Luckily, the black clouds above began to dissipate, vanishing as if they had never appeared in the first place.
Many rubbed their eyes in disbelief, hearts still pounding, feeling as though they had narrowly escaped death.
"Xiao Chen!" Old Jack shouted, trembling as he hurried forward.
Though he often feared Jiang Chen, he had long come to see him as a grandson. How could he not be worried?
"Let's go check on him," Tang Hao said.
His broad palm rested firmly on Tang San's nape, and the two of them walked toward the wooden house.
Su Yuntao's expression flickered uncertainly. After a careful moment's thought, he clenched his teeth and finally followed.
The danger seemed to have passed, and besides, his eating utensils were still inside.
He had to see for himself—awakening a Martial Soul and causing such a commotion—what kind of Martial Soul was this?
No other villagers dared approach, their eyes still wide with fear as they watched from a safe distance.
Inside the house, Jiang Chen's Martial Soul had disappeared, and he had regained control of his body.
Sweat soaked his back. The ordeal had been terrifying—he felt as if he had walked through the gates of death itself.
The six black stones on the ground had turned to powder, drawing a look of sorrow from Su Yuntao.
He pulled out a notebook and asked gruffly, "Kid, what kind of Martial Soul is that of yours?"
Jiang Chen paused for a moment, then spoke without hesitation, "My Martial Soul is called Zombie."