Chapter Forty-Two: Conceding Defeat

Ye Yan’s Three Corpses could not be controlled.

From the very first moment he met Ye Yan, Tu Junfang had already known this fact.

This village had long been shrouded in a special aura manipulated by Tu Junfang. Anyone who set foot within its bounds would inevitably be affected, awakening their Three Corpses.

Ordinary people, even if they merely lingered at the outskirts, would be greatly influenced. Stronger practitioners—those with qi or special methods—might resist for a time, but venturing too far would see their minds beset by their awakened Three Corpses.

Yet Ye Yan and Chen Duo had walked from the outskirts to the heart of the village without any sign of corpse demon relapse. That alone spoke volumes.

And as the one who controlled the aura, none understood this better than Tu Junfang.

Ye Yan flexed his wrist, his hollow gaze falling on Tu Junfang. His voice was slightly hoarse, cold and emotionless. “So, are you looking for a fight?”

“Not interested…” Tu Junfang waved his hand dismissively, explaining, “I’m not like Ding Shangan. He’s a pure-blooded battle maniac—sees a strong opponent and just wants to brawl.”

“But I, personally, have no interest in fighting. Compared to that, I’m far more intrigued by these adorable Three Corpses.”

A twisted smile curled Tu Junfang’s lips.

At this moment, he gave the impression of a mad scholar obsessed with research, or a reclusive academic lost in his texts.

Ye Yan said nothing. With a flick of his wrist, the pitch-black Soulshaker Hammer appeared in his palm.

“Leave, or die.”

Clutching the hammer, Ye Yan gave only two options, direct and to the point.

Tu Junfang did not answer, his gaze roaming over Ye Yan’s body, likely searching for the secret behind his immunity to the awakening of the Three Corpses.

Seeing the lack of response, Ye Yan didn’t bother with further words.

The Soulshaker Hammer flew from his hand like a meteor, hurtling mercilessly toward Tu Junfang’s face.

Just as it was about to strike, a viscous, pitch-black energy surged unexpectedly behind Tu Junfang, unfurling like a pair of overlapping wings that shielded him.

A dull thud resounded.

The black, wing-like energy that shielded Tu Junfang drooped under the forceful blow, melting like mud before shattering apart.

However…

Though the Soulshaker Hammer shattered the shield, most of its power was dispersed, and the remaining force could do little harm to Tu Junfang.

This was, in fact, the first time anyone had blocked the Soulshaker Hammer head-on while Ye Yan was in his “Corrupted State.”

The power of the Three Corpse Demon was not to be underestimated.

The hammer crashed to the ground, gouging a deep pit in the soft earth, but Ye Yan did not pause.

He reached out, and the golden Jin Erpeng, swirling in midair, was drawn into his body as a streak of deep green—this was the “Summoning General” technique.

As his wings beat behind him, Ye Yan’s figure appeared instantly before Tu Junfang.

He launched a simple, unadorned punch. The sheer force made Tu Junfang squint against the wind and instinctively dodge aside, barely evading that brutal fist.

Black qi burst forth from beside Tu Junfang, and then—a slender, shadowy form pierced through, hurling itself at Ye Yan.

The Lower Corpse, “Peng Jiao”—the embodiment of desire among the Three Corpses, and the most adept at disturbing the mind.

Ordinarily, facing the Three Corpses, Ye Yan might have hesitated. But in his “Corrupted State,” such worries were meaningless.

As “Peng Jiao” lunged, Ye Yan neither dodged nor flinched. His fist, wreathed in black qi, crashed down, his whole body rampaging forward with unstoppable force.

“Damn…” Tu Junfang was startled by Ye Yan’s recklessness and instinctively stepped back to keep his distance.

It was his first time encountering someone so unafraid of the Three Corpses, and he was momentarily thrown off balance.

But he quickly regained composure.

Sending out “Peng Jiao” had been a deliberate ploy—a bait to keep Ye Yan engaged and away from himself…

Creatures like this, mindless, acting solely on instinct and immune to pain, made the best puppets, Tu Junfang thought. And “Peng Jiao” indeed served its purpose well.

This mud-like monster naturally resisted physical blows, and the black sludge that composed its body could also disturb the mind.

An ordinary practitioner, once ensnared by “Peng Jiao,” could easily fall prey to its effects. But in his “Corrupted State,” Ye Yan had no such concerns.

He rained blows down like a storm, each punch leaving massive dents in “Peng Jiao’s” mud-like body, black ooze spattering everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Yan’s barrage obliterated “Peng Jiao,” reducing it to a writhing mess of filthy, nauseating black sludge.

Having demolished “Peng Jiao,” Ye Yan did not pause. His huge wings beat as he pressed his advantage, intent on finishing Tu Junfang in one surge.

But at that moment, Tu Junfang—already well clear, at least ten meters away—dispelled the qi around him, raised both hands, and spoke:

“No more fighting. I concede…”

“You concede?”

Ye Yan halted midair, looking at him with a hint of confusion.

He hadn’t expected a battle that seemed so tough to end in such a way.

“Why surrender?” Ye Yan asked, not understanding.

Although he had destroyed the opponent’s Lower Corpse, Tu Junfang still controlled the Upper and Middle Corpses and did not look incapable of resisting.

It felt premature.

Could this be a trick?

Ye Yan grew more vigilant.

“A battle I’m bound to lose—what’s the point in continuing?” Tu Junfang sighed.

“My Three Corpses have no effect on you. Even my most combat-capable, ‘Peng Jiao,’ has been destroyed by your hands and can’t be used again for some time.”

“And… that little girl has already restricted this entire area with her gu techniques.”

“The longer this drags on, the more my territory shrinks, and the lower my chances of victory. Rather than be overwhelmed and captured in the end, I might as well surrender early and save myself the trouble.”

“And conserve my strength.”

It seemed that Tu Junfang had long foreseen his possible fate.

Yet he was not flustered—instead, he was eerily calm. Ye Yan could not detect the slightest hint of desperation in his face; he was composed.

Utterly fearless.

That thought flashed through Ye Yan’s mind. His gaze grew colder, bearing down from above. “Surrendering now means you forfeit your right to resist.”

“You’re a master of Quanxing. If you fall into the company’s hands, I don’t need to spell out what comes next, do I?”

“Of course.” Tu Junfang laughed lightly. “In any case, there’s nothing your company can do to me… unless you want Liao Zhong and those captured staff members to be tormented by the Three Corpses forever—endlessly, without relief.”

“What do you say…”