He was far superior to this boy in both Immortal Techniques and Cultivation.
But that bizarre disappearance had allowed his opponent to seize a split second.
And what terrified Xu Zhonglin the most was this man’s ferocity and proficiency in Magical Combat.
In that single moment of dazed confusion, this beast had nearly taken his life!
He had only just gained insight into this Core Formation Sixth-Grade Immortal Technique; he had barely reached the entry-level with it.
But now, it had become his only means of saving himself.
"Ugh..."
In a place no one could hear, the Filthy Moon Wolf Lord let out a muffled grunt.
It had first lent Magical Power to Lin Shu, then neutralized those dozens of Divine Soul Arrows for him.
In essence, it was still just a newly adult Immortal Descendant. Facing this Middle Third Grade Divine Soul Immortal Technique, it was finally starting to feel the strain.
Hah.
Lin Shu felt as if he could see a dense barrage of pristine white Moon Wheels slashing toward him.
The black-flamed wolf shadow had devoured most of them, but a few remnants still pierced the spot between his brows.
The violet-black lightning in his palm suddenly dispersed.
Sensing the young man’s daze, Xu Zhonglin once again channeled his Spiritual Power, preparing to use a Light Body Technique to escape.
But at that very moment, Lin Shu’s pupils suddenly turned the color of crimson glass.
When the Filthy Moon Wolf Lord reached adulthood, his own Divine Soul had also grown stronger.
Even as he staggered, he still rushed forward and viciously stomped on the Vice General’s back.
A Demon-Binding Rope appeared in his palm. He swiftly and cleanly looped it around the man’s neck, then abruptly yanked with both arms!
"Gah!"
Veins bulged on Xu Zhonglin’s forehead as his entire body was pulled taut like a backward-bent bow.
His pair of White Jade Hands desperately gripped the Demon-Binding Rope around his neck, feeling as if his head was about to be torn right off.
It was a contest between the Core Formation Seventh Grade Bright Moon White Jade Hand and the Eighth Grade Perfection Core Formation Fierce Lion Burning Blood Technique.
With their strength nearly evenly matched...
...the two of them were locked in a stalemate.
The moment Xu Zhonglin was put in a difficult spot, a horrified Feng Yinglong had already started to sneak away toward the valley entrance.
The power Lin Shu had displayed had long since surpassed his understanding.
’When two titans clash, it’s best to get out of the way.’
’This is a matter between the Demon-slaying Bureau and a Demon. What does it have to do with me?’
Just then, his steps suddenly halted.
’The outcome isn’t clear yet. What if Xu Zhonglin has another trick up his sleeve and doesn’t die?’
’If Master finds out... won’t I be branded a fiend?’
Feng Yinglong turned back, and the sight that met his eyes was one of a stalemate, where neither could overcome the other.
The young man was clearly still caught in the after-effects of the Divine Soul Immortal Technique. His eyes were unfocused, and he was only holding onto the Demon-Binding Rope by sheer instinct.
"It’s my turn for revenge."
His voice trembled slightly with excitement.
In an instant, the Spiritual Power of an Early-stage Core Formation Cultivator surged, transforming into layers of a cyan gale.
"General Xu, your junior brother is here to help you!"
Feng Yinglong was merely a World Traveler Disciple; he didn’t have the talent to comprehend the Yu Family’s Sword Formulas.
But his Cultivation was what it was. With a wave of his sleeve, the gales formed into feathers, and his entire body was enveloped in the phantom of a giant bird.
Cyan Simurgh Wind Song!
His face flushed with excitement, he let out a long cry and charged toward the somewhat slender, dark-cyan-robed back.
Lin Shu’s expression was indifferent, his loose cyan robes whipped about by the gale.
Hearing the screeching cry from behind, a flicker of annoyance crossed his face.
He dropped the Demon-Binding Rope, slowly turned around, and threw a simple, brutal punch.
Blood Qi intertwined with rolling black flames. A majestic force and Spiritual Power roared out in unison, tearing apart the giant bird’s phantom as if it were rotten wood!
PSHHHT.
A fair arm, laced with crimson patterns, plunged straight through the newcomer’s chest, blasting open a horrifyingly large, bloody hole.
Blood and gore streamed down his arm like a rivulet.
"Hkk! Hkk!"
Feng Yinglong’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he stared at the young man’s scarlet pupils, which were filled with brutal hostility.
Then, he dazedly looked down at the gaping hole in his chest.
His mind swam, and he couldn’t understand it at all.
’Those two had been locked in combat for so long without a clear winner.’
’Why did I end up like this just for intervening?’
Corroded by the Blood Qi, Feng Yinglong was rapidly stripped of his life force. He collapsed to the ground with a THUD.
"Hah."
Lin Shu casually withdrew his arm and turned to look ahead.
The Vice General had his Profound Armor for protection and his Long Halberd in hand.
’He’s backed by both Body Protection and a Light Body Immortal Technique, and he’s also practiced a close-quarters Magic Technique like the White Jade Arm. That’s why he wanted to fight me up close.’
’What was that guy trying to get involved for?’
Thanks to Feng Yinglong’s interruption, Xu Zhonglin was already sprinting madly out of the deep valley.
Lin Shu stood his ground, not giving chase. Instead, he observed carefully for a few breaths.
After confirming that the man truly had no other tricks hidden up his sleeve...
...he finally activated a Formula.
For the current Lin Shu, the biggest problem was his insufficient Magical Power.
For instance, both Nether Cold Miasma Thunder and Taiyin Blood Illumination were area-of-effect killing moves, and both were massive drains on his Spiritual Power.
If he used them at the same time, it wouldn’t take long to drain the Filthy Moon Wolf Lord dry.
Considering that all of Xu Zhonglin’s Magical Artifacts were from the Qi Family, and his Treasure Armor was particularly effective against Divine Soul attacks...
...that was why he had chosen Nether Cold Miasma Thunder.
Of course, if he fought to the point of exhaustion, he could use Sin Coins to compensate, but the cost was simply too high.
It would be equivalent to making this whole trip for nothing.
As for the thing Lin Shu was currently mobilizing, its consumption was even greater than those two Immortal Techniques.
Therefore, he had to wait until he had forced out all of the Vice General’s trump cards and was confident enough to use it, aiming for a single, fatal blow.
"Hah! Hah!"
Xu Zhonglin finally escaped the deep valley and glanced back in terror.
He broke into a miserable smile only after confirming that Lin Shu wasn’t pursuing him.
’So terrifying!’
’His arsenal of techniques is far beyond any Cultivator I’ve ever known.’
’He even blocked the Mid-Third Grade Moon Wheel Heart Splitter Technique without even bothering to use a Formula.’
’Good. As long as I can escape, I can rally all the other Vice Generals, bring along the Yu Family’s Immortal Descendant, and we can come back to exterminate this fiend together!’
Xu Zhonglin didn’t dare to linger any longer and quickly averted his gaze.
He strode forward wretchedly, only to freeze in place as if struck by lightning.
There, among the moss-covered rocks and giant trees above, a massive, cylindrical creature, well over two hundred feet long, hung silently.
Its body was thicker than a great tree, and its pitch-black scales scraped against the rock face, making a faint scratching sound.
Its savage head had, at some unknown point, lowered itself to right above his own.
"Ah... ah..."
Xu Zhonglin looked up, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
Even now, he wouldn’t mistake this thing for some family’s Immortal Descendant, because the aura it emanated was unmistakably that of a Magical Treasure.
’That wonderful scent that inspires both terror and ecstasy!’
He even felt a faint sense of familiarity.
Just before setting out, an Immortal Descendant from the Liu Family had entrusted him with a task: after arriving at the Border Shihu City, he was to help find several of their disciples.
’The disciples weren’t important; what mattered was this Magical Artifact.’
According to the Immortal Descendant, this Ink Flood Dragon Sword Bracelet was already extremely close to the level of a Magical Treasure.
’It seems now that he had somewhat underestimated this thing.’
"Why... why is... everything... fucking... related to you..."
Xu Zhonglin’s body swayed as he both laughed and cried, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Under the gaze of this terrifying Evil Flood Dragon, his mind had already collapsed, driving him to the brink of madness.
"The future Mountain Master is you, the standard-bearing Demon General is you, and now even the vicious thief who stole the treasure is you!"
The Vice General watched with wide eyes as the Evil Flood Dragon opened its cavernous maw and swallowed him whole.
He let out one final, high-pitched, sharp cry of lament.
Then, his face drained of all color, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, he laughed tremblingly, "Haha, I found it, I found it..."
CRUNCH CRUNCH.
After all, the Ink Flood Dragon Sword Bracelet was only a Magical Treasure. Even though it had gained a Spiritual nature, it couldn’t truly eat like a living creature.
It simply used thousands of chilling Sword Qi streams to shred the man in its belly into a bloody pulp.
Then, it slowly lowered its head and spat out a suit of Armor glowing with profound light and a Storage Bag.
"Come back."
Lin Shu strode out of the passageway, fiddling with Feng Yinglong’s Storage Bag.
He hadn’t expected Xu Zhonglin to simply give up resisting. ’That works out well,’ he thought. ’Saved me a sum of Sin Coins.’
[A golden belt for murderers and arsonists, an unmarked grave for bridge-builders and road-menders. For killing one mortal body, you are rewarded with three hundred and twenty taels of Sin Coin.]
As the notification appeared, the terrifying Evil Flood Dragon transformed into a stream of light and landed in Lin Shu’s palm.
Compared to before, its appearance hadn’t changed much, except that the two gems representing its eyes had turned blood-red.
Other than that, the entire bracelet was now covered in a layer of rippling Black Mist.
Even for a Cultivator like Lin Shu, who was accustomed to using Sin Coins, just holding it in his hand caused an irrepressible agitation to well up in his mind.
’Even if someone else were to steal it, they probably wouldn’t be able to refine it.’
"Looks like playing the part of a Demon General is the way to go."
Lin Shu scrolled through the notifications one by one.
The twenty-something Captains were worth a total of one hundred and ninety taels of Sin Coin, while Feng Yinglong was worth one hundred and forty taels.
Adding the Vice General’s reward...
...this trip had netted him six hundred and fifty taels of Sin Coin.
’Everything I’ve earned since arriving at Yongzhou Pass combined might not even add up to this one haul.’
"All set. Time to wrap it up."

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