Returning to the City

"If it underwent complete demonization, its regenerative capacity might rival that of a ferocious beast at the Qi and Blood Realm. "This is probably the standard of an ordinary demon—combat strength reaching the Qi and Blood Realm, with regenerative powers far exceeding it," Lin Zheyu murmured to himself. Given the speed at which this beast had grown stronger, reaching the Qi and Blood Realm was only a matter of time. He just didn't know whether demons only needed enough sinister energy to increase their strength. If so, that would be truly terrifying. Squelch! Lin Zheyu walked over to the beast's carcass, drew his saber, and sliced it cleanly in two. Purplish-black slime splattered from the beast's severed blood vessels. "What's inside here—a demon, or a living corpse?" Lin Zheyu approached the coffin. Blood energy surged within him as he completely released the Turtle Breathing Art, bringing his condition to its absolute peak. Boom! Lin Zheyu struck out with a palm, shattering the entire coffin lid into splinters. The wood was made of ordinary material, yielding easily beneath his blow. A shriveled corpse came into view. The corpse looked unremarkable at first glance—around 1.8 meters tall and clad in plain coarse hemp clothes. His skin, however, was peculiar, tinged with a faint purplish-black sheen all over. Howl! The moment the lid was blown away, the corpse's eyes snapped open. Its pupils were pitch-black like ink, completely devoid of whites. Its gaze radiated an insatiable urge to slaughter. Boom! The entire coffin exploded outward, and the living corpse sprang into the air, lunging straight at Lin Zheyu. Lin Zheyu was already prepared. He slashed his saber horizontally, striking right against the living corpse's neck. Thud! A dull sound echoed. Lin Zheyu's usually unstoppable blade was actually halted by the creature's neck; the edge couldn't even break the skin. Yet Lin Zheyu's strength was formidable. Even if his blade could not sever the neck, the terrifying impact sent the living corpse flying backward. With a crash, the living corpse stumbled back several steps and slammed into the cavern wall. "Its strength isn't overwhelming—a bit stronger than the First Blood Transformation, but not by much. "Its defense, however, is astounding. A full-force strike couldn't even break its skin, and it even rolled the edge of my blade." Lin Zheyu examined the notch on his blade, inwardly astonished. Unlike the beast from earlier that had only begun to demonize, the living corpse's terrifying trait was not regenerative ability, but monstrous defense. Lin Zheyu possessed the strength of the Qi and Blood Three Transformations, yet a full-force slash could not penetrate its flesh. No wonder Senior Brother Han Mo had warned him that only martial artists at the Qi and Blood Realm could hope to escape with their lives against a living corpse. And to clash with one head-on, one needed the power of the Qi and Blood Three Transformations. "A blade won't do. Looks like I have to use the Mountain-Shattering Palm. "Still, the sinister energy on this corpse is troublesome. I wonder if the blood energy of the Qi and Blood Three Transformations can resist its corrosion," Lin Zheyu murmured to himself. Against a living corpse with such frightening defense, bladed weapons were completely useless. Unfortunately, Lin Zheyu hadn't brought any blunt weapons with him, nor had he brought along that pair of black-silver gauntlets from last time, which would have come in handy right about now. "Let's test it. If it doesn't work, I'll run immediately!" Lin Zheyu's expression hardened. Blood energy roared and surged through his vessels like a tiger. Roar! The living corpse roared and lunged once more. Unleashing the Mountain-Shattering Palm, Lin Zheyu drove his primed blow straight into the living corpse's chest. When his palm struck the living corpse's chest, it felt like smashing into a wooden training post of solid iron birch. Boom! A crack like muffled thunder erupted and echoed through the cave. The living corpse was sent flying by Lin Zheyu's monstrous strike, the terrifying force embedding it straight into the stone wall. At the same time, a frigid aura drifted from the living corpse, flowing along his palm and invading his body. Lin Zheyu stiffened briefly, but the tiger-like blood energy roiling within him instantly submerged the frigid chill. The Qi and Blood Three Transformations was also known as Qi and Blood Like a Tiger. Upon reaching the Qi and Blood Three Transformations, one's blood energy grew dense and condensed, taking on a trace of spirituality. Sizzle... As the vast blood energy drowned the chill, the sinister energy hissed like drops of water cast into a scalding pan of oil, swiftly turning into purplish-black gas that dissipated out of Lin Zheyu's body. "So this is sinister energy?" Watching the purplish-black vapor disperse from his skin, Lin Zheyu breathed a faint sigh of relief. It truly worked! The sinister energy on a living corpse was exceedingly wicked. According to Qiu Gaoxuan, the instant one was corrupted by it, the body would fall into numbness and paralysis. At the same time, the skin would corrode under its touch, inducing the symptoms of corpse poison. Yet the sinister energy that had just seeped into Lin Zheyu had been engulfed by his vast blood energy before it could even take effect. Lin Zheyu glanced down at his palm. The skin bore a faint hint of purplish-black. He touched it lightly with his left hand; there was no strange sensation, and the flesh remained intact. "I see. Once one reaches the Qi and Blood Three Transformations, blood energy like a tiger can ward off the sinister energy's corruption. "No wonder Senior Brother Han Mo said only martial artists at the Qi and Blood Three Transformations can deal with living corpses." Lin Zheyu understood now, having gained a clear grasp of the living corpse's capabilities. Roar! While his thoughts raced, the living corpse shattered the rock wall with a violent crash, roaring as it lunged toward Lin Zheyu once more. Having confirmed that the sinister energy inside it posed no threat to him, Lin Zheyu cast aside his reservations. Thud! Thud! Thud! Palm after palm of Mountain-Shattering Palm slammed out, deafening booms ringing continuously through the cave. Like a tattered sack, the living corpse was repeatedly smashed into the stone wall by Lin Zheyu. Yet within a few breaths, it would roar and charge right back out. Only to be hammered back into the wall by another palm strike. Back and forth it went. Lin Zheyu delivered thirty consecutive Mountain-Shattering Palms, rapidly depleting the blood energy in his body. This was not only because unleashing the Mountain-Shattering Palm consumed a large amount of blood energy, but also because neutralizing the invasion of sinister energy burned through massive reserves. Roughly twenty-three measures of blood energy were needed to neutralize a single measure of sinister energy. Fortunately, each time he struck the living corpse away with the Mountain-Shattering Palm, only a tiny wisp of sinister energy invaded his body. Otherwise, even Lin Zheyu would not have been able to endure it. "No more of this. This thing is practically an iron lump. "No, it's harder than an iron lump. If I struck the same spot on a block of iron thirty times with Mountain-Shattering Palm, I'd have left deep palm prints in it. "Yet hitting this living corpse, its chest has only caved in by a single centimeter. This kind of defense is absurdly perverse." Watching the living corpse charge at him yet again, Lin Zheyu turned and dashed out of the cave. The living corpse was simply too vexing. While its offensive strength wasn't overwhelming, its defense was freakishly tough. Even when Lin Zheyu unleashed the Mountain-Shattering Palm capable of erupting with three times his blood energy, he couldn't inflict any real harm on it, only knocking it back. An ordinary martial artist at the Qi and Blood Three Transformations facing this living corpse might be able to win the exchange, but would ultimately find themselves helpless to finish it off. Lin Zheyu moved at blistering speed, applying the burst technique of his blood energy to the Golden Goose Skill. Each step he planted left a deep footprint in the ground. The living corpse roared as it burst out of the cave, but in the blink of an eye, Lin Zheyu had already vanished from sight. Crash! Bang! Bang! It slammed frantically against the nearby trees, venting its fury. Its earth-shaking roars frightened the beasts of the forest into scattering in all directions. "Pity I didn't bring strong iron chains. Otherwise, I could have tried capturing it alive." Lin Zheyu halted after sprinting several hundred meters, listening to the massive ruckus behind him. If he could take the living corpse back and harvest the sinister energy within to refine corpse poison, he could surely make a handsome profit. Capturing a living corpse was no easy task, however, and he was only musing. Without using Mountain-Shattering Palm, Lin Zheyu's attacks were nothing more than tickles to the living corpse, incapable of causing significant damage. To capture one alive, several martial artists at the Qi and Blood Three Transformations would likely have to join forces. "Time to head back. When I grow stronger, I'll come back and test myself against a living corpse again. "Once I advance to the Qi and Blood Four Transformations, I'll see if I can completely drain its sinister energy. "What happens to a living corpse once its sinister energy is exhausted? Can it still move?" Lin Zheyu pondered as he moved briskly in the direction of Songyi City. He had just tested it; though more than half of his blood energy was depleted, the sinister energy on the living corpse remained as potent as ever. At his current Qi and Blood Three Transformations level, he could not deplete the living corpse's reserves. He planned to return and try again after breaking through to the Qi and Blood Four Transformations, when his blood energy would be far more abundant. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh— Lin Zheyu sped through the terrain. Leaving the bounds of Mount Daba and entering within thirty li of Songyi City, he circulated the Turtle Breathing Art with full focus. The rich blood energy across Lin Zheyu's body quickly subsided, locked tight within his bloodstream. His aura plummeted swiftly, dropping back down to the peak Bone Tempering Realm. He took a detour into Beast Roar Mountain, and then followed the mountain path back toward Songyi City. "Hmm?" Lin Zheyu's expression shifted slightly as he sensed someone lurking in the shadows. Shifting his footing, he darted into the dense woods and came upon a young man whose face drained of color. "Ah—" The young man had just begun to cry out when a large hand clamped onto his neck, lifting him entirely off the ground. "From the Xing clan?" Lin Zheyu asked flatly. Terror seized the young man. His face flushed red, and unable to speak with his throat crushed, he could only nod frantically in hopes that Lin Zheyu would spare his life. Snap! With a slight flex of Lin Zheyu's fingers, the man's neck snapped. "The Xing clan really has grown suspicious of me. "Then again, with my current strength, there's likely no one in all of Songyi City who can truly threaten me." Lin Zheyu thought to himself, feeling little concern. Having mastered the Mountain-Shattering Palm, he was stronger than ever before. Even martial artists at the Sixth Blood Transformation would struggle to pose a threat to him. Even if he met someone he could not beat, using the burst technique of his blood energy paired with the Golden Goose Skill would ensure an easy escape. Having disposed of the man, he resumed his journey toward Songyi City. Along the way, he discovered several more Xing clan members and disposed of them all with ease. "Senior Brother, is it your turn on duty again today?" Upon reaching Songyi City, Lin Zheyu spotted Han Mo at the city gate. Donning armor, Han Mo was leading a patrol squad. A conscientious man, whenever it was his shift, he spent almost all of it patrolling outside the city walls. "Where have you been? You were gone for so many days that I thought something had happened to you." Seeing Lin Zheyu unharmed, Han Mo let out a sigh of relief. "Went out on a mission. It wasn't dangerous, just ate up a lot of time. "Senior Brother, I'll head back first. I haven't bathed in over ten days and smell a bit rank. Let's get together tonight and talk more then." Lin Zheyu waved a hand and said with a smile. Entering Songyi City and stepping from the deep, wild mountains back into society, Lin Zheyu felt a curious sensation—as though he were returning from a vacation. His mood was remarkably light and relaxed. Spotting Lin Zheyu's return, the Wuding Gang lookouts waiting outside the gate quickly turned and hurried toward the Xing clan. Lin Zheyu glanced at them and paid them no further heed. Even with the City Lord away, the Xing clan wouldn't dare act recklessly inside Songyi City. The City Guard did not belong solely to the Xing clan; they controlled only a third of it. If they dared to step out of line, the remaining factions would join forces to crush them.