The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Li, fall back!"

Qi Yuanwu grabbed Li Feizhang's arm firmly, his voice filled with urgency.

"The men are in complete disarray! They can't hold back those corpse puppets anymore!"

"Damn it!"

Li Feizhang's bloodshot eyes locked onto the scene before him—the grotesque creatures feasting on the bodies of his fallen soldiers. Rage boiled within him, an overwhelming desire to rush in and take down at least one of those monsters, even if it cost him his life.

But Qi Yuanwu's firm grip and desperate words brought him back to reality.

He clenched his teeth, fists trembling with frustration as he realized the truth: he was no hero. He couldn't muster the courage to face these horrors head-on or die a futile death.

With a guttural growl of resignation, he turned and joined the fleeing soldiers, making a desperate dash toward the canyon's exit.

"Captain Li! Help me! Please, help me!"

A heart-wrenching scream pierced the chaos. Li Feizhang glanced back to see one of his men caught by a corpse puppet, its claw-like fingers digging into the soldier's ankle as he struggled and screamed for his life.

"Save yourself!" Qi Yuanwu called out, his voice cold and resolute.

Li Feizhang hesitated, guilt stabbing at his heart as he turned away.

Clenching his jaw, he forced himself to keep running. He knew he lacked the power to save the soldier, and attempting to do so would only cost him his own life.

Behind them, the thirty corpse puppets were relentless, their mouths dripping with blood and gore. With guttural snarls, they lunged after the fleeing soldiers, moving with terrifying speed.

Boom!

One of the leading puppets was sent flying backward, its decayed body crashing into the canyon wall with a sickening thud.

A figure stepped into view, his expression disdainful.

"Corpse puppets? What's there to fear?"

Sun Fengli smirked at the retreating soldiers, their faces pale with terror. Some, too scared to control themselves, had soiled their armor during the earlier slaughter.

The sight only deepened Sun Fengli's contempt. He sneered coldly, looking at the group as though they were little more than frightened sheep.

The remaining corpse puppets turned their attention to Sun Fengli, sensing the immense blood vitality emanating from him—a stark contrast to the weaker mortals around him.

With a collective roar, they rushed at him from all directions.

"You dare roar at me, you beasts?"

Having swallowed his pride after his earlier encounter with Yun Yantian, Sun Fengli had been simmering with frustration. Now, these mindless puppets presented the perfect outlet for his fury.

With a scoff, he charged forward to meet them head-on.

Spiritual energy surged within him, condensing in his right palm.

Boom!

A single strike shattered the chest of a corpse puppet, its body exploding into a shower of decayed flesh.

Pivoting smoothly, Sun Fengli evaded another puppet's attack. With a swift backhand slash, he severed its head, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"A cultivator… truly extraordinary!"

From the safety of the canyon's exit, Li Feizhang looked back, awestruck by Sun Fengli's effortless battle against the thirty corpse puppets.

He couldn't help but marvel at the sheer gap between mortals and cultivators, his respect and fear for such beings growing ever deeper.

"So, this is the power of immortals… What a pity people like us will never share that fate," Qi Yuanwu murmured, his gaze filled with both admiration and envy.

As the two officers spoke, reinforcements from Yunzhang and Lanlin Counties arrived at the canyon's mouth.

Soldiers watched in astonishment as Sun Fengli single-handedly fought the horde of corpse puppets, suppressing them with ease. Reverence and awe filled their faces.

"Archers, ready!"

A commander's voice cut through the murmurs.

"Master Fengli, fall back! Let us assist you!" Qi Yuanwu shouted toward the battlefield.

"Stay where you are! No one is to interfere and mess up my rhythm!" Sun Fengli barked in response.

He had no intention of sharing his glory with a bunch of mortals.

These were merely thirty corpse puppets—a trivial challenge he could handle effortlessly.

"This…" Qi Yuanwu hesitated, momentarily taken aback by Sun Fengli's confidence.

"Well, if he insists he doesn't need help, we won't intervene," Li Feizhang said, his tone practical.

He was more than happy to let Sun Fengli bear the burden of this battle alone. If the cultivator could handle it, they wouldn't need to risk more lives.

"Agreed," Qi Yuanwu replied, signaling his men to stand down.

Qi Yuanwu nodded, letting out a sigh. He gestured for the Lanlin County soldiers behind him to hold their positions at the canyon's entrance.

"Fengli!"

A figure darted into the fray, grabbing Sun Fengli by the arm. The newcomer was none other than Sun Fengxuan.

"Fengxuan, what are you doing?" Sun Fengli asked, startled.

"What do you think you're doing, acting on your own without orders?"

Sun Fengxuan's face was cold and stern, his demeanor a sharp contrast to his eldest brother Sun Fenglin's more calculated and amicable nature.

If there was one person Sun Fengli feared more than Sun Fenglin, it was this second brother of his.

"I just didn't want those two spiritual-root cultivators from Yunzhang Yun to steal the spotlight and take all the credit!" Sun Fengli muttered, his defiance barely concealed.

"Foolishness!" Sun Fengxuan snapped, his voice like a whip.

"Fengxuan, those corpse puppets are nearly all dead, and I've handled them alone! This glory belongs solely to our Lanlin Sun family. Stop trying to interfere!"

Sun Fengli broke free of Sun Fengxuan's grip, his rebellious streak flaring up. Ignoring his brother's warning, he charged at the remaining three corpse puppets.

"This idiot!" Sun Fengxuan cursed under his breath, watching his impetuous younger brother disregard common sense.

Boom!

A loud explosion filled the canyon, a plume of smoke rising where Sun Fengli had engaged the last puppets.

As the smoke cleared, Sun Fengli stood in the center of the battlefield, his chest heaving but his expression triumphant.

"See that, Fengxuan? These corpse puppets are nothing to fear! Why would we need those two from the Yun family when the Sun family is more than capable?"

Having defeated all thirty corpse puppets single-handedly, Sun Fengli basked in his accomplishment.

The awe-filled gazes of Li Feizhang, Qi Yuanwu, and the surrounding Yunzhang and Lanlin soldiers only fed his ego. Their respect and astonishment made him feel invincible, as though he had conquered the world.

Sun Fengxuan, however, remained silent, his cold eyes fixed on his younger brother.

"You think this is over just because you killed these corpse puppets? Don't forget the true purpose of our mission!" he said after a long pause, his voice icy.

"Capturing the Gu God Cultist? Come on, I just wiped out their corpse puppets with ease. Capturing the cultist will be even easier!" Sun Fengli replied, his tone dripping with arrogance.

"You'd better stop underestimating the enemy. Arrogance like yours will get you killed," Sun Fengxuan warned.

"Me? Fail? Impossible!" Sun Fengli dismissed his brother's words with a scoff.

His resolve only strengthened—he was determined to capture the Gu God Cultist himself and prove his worth, even if it meant defying his brothers.

Sun Fengxuan's face darkened. His younger brother's impulsive and reckless nature was a constant source of frustration.

Sun Fengli never thought things through, always rushing headlong into danger without a plan.

As Sun Fengxuan opened his mouth to deliver another reprimand, something stirred within the canyon.

Among the pile of mangled corpses lay a Lanlin County soldier, his body half-devoured. Slowly, the lifeless form began to rise. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire

A guttural roar escaped the soldier's throat as his pale, bloodied face twisted into something monstrous.

The soldier had become a corpse puppet.

With a feral snarl, it lunged toward Sun Fengli like a rabid beast.

"Behind you!" Sun Fengxuan shouted in alarm.

Sun Fengli turned just in time to see the reanimated soldier bearing down on him.

Its razor-sharp claws slashed through the air with brutal speed and force, aimed squarely at Sun Fengli's back.

Before he could react, the claws tore through his robes and raked across his back, leaving five deep, bloody gashes. Blackened blood seeped from the wounds.

The force of the blow sent Sun Fengli hurtling forward. His body slammed into the canyon wall with a resounding thud.