Ambushed

The Old Daoist looked at the many tables and chairs arranged in the main hall, and old memories immediately resurfaced. He recognized the place at once.

Perhaps their luck had arrived. After searching for a long time, Zhang Lin and the Old Daoist each found a martial dao manual.

Zhang Lin found his book in the woodshed, mixed in with a bamboo basket. Clearly, it had been meant for starting fires.

The book was called "Slippery Feet"!

It was just that straightforward!

Zhang Lin read through its contents. Though the name was strange, it truly was a martial skill, one concerning movement techniques.

This martial skill mainly tested one's control over blood qi. It required one to condense blood qi around the body, then circulate it through a special route, making one's movement as swift as lightning.

It contained a forbidden technique that required consuming half of one's blood to flee over a hundred li in an instant.

The martial dao technique the Old Daoist found was called "Star Absorbing Great Law"!

He had supposedly found it in the privy!

It was... quite flavorful!

"The book before this one in the privy only had its final page left. This book must have had a tough life, not getting ruined. Now it can serve you!"

The Old Daoist said this while shaking his head and swaying his body.

"..."

Zhang Lin ignored the Old Daoist. After checking it over and confirming that nothing extra had been added, he began reading.

He discovered that this book was also a martial skill!

After cultivating it, one's blood qi would gain a kind of suction force, allowing one to absorb other people's blood qi for one's own use.

This move was called Devour Heaven Eat Earth!

However, it had a drawback: the more blood qi one absorbed, the more impure one's own blood qi would become, carrying the risk of qi deviation!

This martial skill also had a powerful move, but its prerequisite was a strong physical body.

Stars Shift!

It could absorb another person's attack and convert it into a yuanqi bomb for one's own use. It could not be stored and had to be used on the spot.

Zhang Lin considered it and felt that Star Absorbing Great Law was worth learning.

As for absorbing other people's blood qi, forget it! It was far too evil, and its drawbacks were too severe.

After reading it several times, he had committed its contents to memory!

According to the Old Daoist, nothing from this place could be taken out, so they could only rely on their memories!

After Zhang You memorized the key principles of the Slippery Feet martial skill, he began attempting cultivation. He wanted to see whether he could grasp even a little of it.

If he could master this martial skill, he would have one more means of dealing with enemies in the future, and his safety would be better guaranteed.

The Old Daoist did not urge him. He set up a defensive formation and went outside.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Lin abruptly opened his eyes. Circulating the technique and using only a small amount of blood qi, he instantly moved to a spot not far ahead.

The Slippery Feet martial skill had reached the beginner level!

Bang!

At that moment, the Old Daoist smashed directly into the room. Throughout the courtyard, even on the roof, countless presences appeared.

"This is bad!"

The Old Daoist crawled out of the rubble. Not caring about his own disheveled state, he hurriedly cried out.

Without the Old Daoist needing to explain, Zhang Lin knew what had happened.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dense masses of gray-black flame spirits appeared outside the door, their forms barely resembling humans.

Judging by their auras, every one of them possessed strength comparable to the Wild Boar Demon Zhang Lin had slain on Mass Grave Hill two days ago.

"All those Netherworld Flames outside have turned into evil entities!"

The Old Daoist held talismans and a spirit sword in hand, his expression grave and battle-ready.

"Looks like this place has an owner too!"

Zhang Lin stared thoughtfully at the flame spirits outside.

Cruel, bloodthirsty expressions covered the flame spirits' faces, and they held intense hostility toward the two of them.

Though they had merely surrounded them, they did not launch an attack on their own.

Yet their eagerness to make a move was impossible to conceal.

Not long after, the flame spirits outside parted to either side, and a tall flame spirit walked in from behind them.

Compared to the other flame spirits, this tall flame spirit was larger and darker in color.

Moreover, its aura was stronger. It already possessed strength on par with the Head Mist Ghost and Tree Demon Mist Ghost they had encountered in the Burial Ground of Yin.

The tall flame spirit waved its right hand, and the densely packed flame spirits around them instantly surged forward.

Bang!

The roof collapsed straight down!

Four Symbols: White Tiger: Thunderclap!

Zhang Lin's blood qi erupted, releasing a powerful sonic howl.

Centered on him, it enveloped the Old Daoist within, quickly forming a vacuum zone.

The falling roof was directly blasted away. Of the flame spirits rushing forward, many in the front exploded on the spot, while those slightly farther back were sent flying.

A large amount of blue-white energy was absorbed!

Looking at Zhang Lin now, he had already undergone nine rounds of Great Body Tempering. His strength could no longer be mentioned in the same breath as before.

His blood qi was even richer, faint arcs of lightning and clusters of yang fire flickering within it!

He was every inch a humanoid giant beast!

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."

The flame spirits outside issued low sounds one after another. Under the tall flame spirit's command, they charged again without fear of death!

"Hold them off for a moment. I'll go deal with that annoying fellow!"

Without waiting for the Old Daoist's reply, Zhang Lin directly activated the Slippery Feet movement technique and charged into the enemy ranks.

Every time he changed position, large numbers of flame spirits were blown apart.

Not a single one could withstand him!

Four Symbols: White Tiger: Shatter Void Claw!

Zhang Lin had already rushed before the tall flame spirit. His right hand became a claw, which he viciously raked down at it.

Heat waves billowed!

Before the tall flame spirit could react, its head was knocked clean off.

"Hm?"

Yet the flames around its body surged, quickly condensing another head.

Then, its two arms transformed into two sharp blades and slashed down at Zhang Lin.

Zhang Lin first reinforced himself with a layer of defense, then condensed blood qi in both hands and grabbed upward.

Bare-handed, he caught the white blades!

The instant he gripped the flaming blades, he felt his soul shake, followed by an intense burning sensation that reached straight into it.

Pfft!

Zhang Lin's soul trembled. In his dazed state, he was sent flying with one blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood!

"Get lost!"

A group of flame spirits instantly surrounded him, but Zhang Lin swept them away in one stroke.

He absorbed another wave of blue-white energy!

His blood qi soon surged, dispersing the sensation that had invaded his soul. He forcibly steadied his mind and frowned at the unique flame spirit ahead.

The flames released by this spirit could attack the soul. It had likely inherited a trace of the Netherworld Ghostfire's characteristics.

And just now, he had failed to account for that.

Fortunately, the opponent was not very strong. Otherwise, that strike would have left him dead or severely injured.

Upon sensing his surroundings more carefully, he discovered that the flames released by the other flame spirits could also affect the soul. However, their power was comparatively weaker and could be defended against.

The soul would generally receive limited strengthening as one's realm rose.

There were also a very small number of people whose soul strength far exceeded their own cultivation.

By Zhang Lin's estimation, although the tall flame spirit's overall strength was somewhat lower, the strength of its soul attacks greatly surpassed its actual power.

Although Zhang Lin's own soul had improved along with his body tempering, the increase was limited.

Those weak Yin Souls he had encountered before had relatively feeble soul attacks.

Zhang Lin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. No longer careless, he erupted with blood qi and charged forward once more.

Boom!

They collided again. This time, his blood qi completely dissolved the opponent's attack, while the flames were isolated outside, unable to break through his layers of defense!

Yet his soul still felt the faintest trace of burning pain!

The tall flame spirit was blasted apart once more!

"Hm?"

Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the darkness. An enormous surge of spiritual power instantly slammed Zhang Lin into the ground!