"Demonic Cultivator?"
The other man's expression darkened at once. He slowly pulled a bronze bell from his robes and grinned ferociously. "Soon, you'll become this Demonic Cultivator's toy."
Jingle, jingle!
As he spoke, he shook the bronze bell in his hand.
Seeing this, Shen Lin furrowed his brows. He had just been about to charge over and deal with the other man when he suddenly noticed some strange movements around him.
The surrounding grave mounds began to tremble, as if something were awakening.
Pfft!
Arms with rotting flesh reached out from within, and one by one, staggering figures slowly rose from the grave mounds.
Including the four from earlier, there were already more than a dozen zombies in the field.
Among them, besides members of the Human Race, there were also demons that had retained their original forms.
A massive Tiger Demon with rotten flesh hanging from its body, a python with rows of stark-white bones exposed...
There were all kinds of them. Judging from their physiques alone, it was clear that these creatures had at least been powerful demons who had cultivated Demon Qi while alive.
Moreover, the Demonic Cultivator had modified every zombie, embedding steel plates into their vital areas.
If an ordinary human martial artist faced any one of these zombies alone, it would be difficult to defeat it easily.
Compared to these masterpieces of his, the Demonic Cultivator seemed even more interested in Shen Lin.
"Those at the Meridian Opening Realm are rare to begin with, and people like you, who are so suited to being made into Corpse Puppets, are rarer still. You're a superb material, a rare find—young bones, a powerful body..."
He looked at Shen Lin with burning eyes. Unable to wait any longer, he waved a hand, and the zombies surged forward as one, charging at Shen Lin.
If it had been an ordinary Meridian Opening Realm cultivator—even someone like Hu Dongxing, the county magistrate of Qiulin County—he would probably have turned and run at the sight of this scene.
There was no helping it. Although those in the Meridian Opening Realm possessed abundant Blood Qi Power, they were still mortal flesh and blood. Surrounded and attacked by so many zombies equivalent to martial artists, they could easily suffer a loss if they let their guard down for even a moment.
Moreover, the Demonic Cultivator, who had been at the very rear of the zombies, had vanished without anyone noticing.
An eerie, sinister laugh kept drifting out from within the zombie horde.
Using the zombies as cover, the other man could emerge from the shadows at any moment and deliver a fatal strike.
Yet Shen Lin did not retreat in the slightest. Instead, he leveled the sword in his hand and charged straight ahead.
Using the sword as a saber, he unleashed the Blood Battle Saber Technique with all his strength.
Screech!
Amid the ear-piercing sound, the sword cleaved through the steel plate on a zombie's body and chopped its upper half off at an angle.
At the same time, Shen Lin changed the momentum of his saber technique. He bent down and dodged a blade swung by a zombie dressed as a yamen runner, then twisted and spun, his sword sweeping out in a half-circle and cutting the zombie in half at the waist.
The Blood Battle Saber Technique had originally been a martial art used by frontier troops for slaughter on the battlefield. The scene before him was perfectly suited to unleash its full might.
In the first exchange, Shen Lin had already slain two zombies.
But just as he prepared to swing his sword again, a black shadow silently shot out from his side, its black claws aimed straight at his heart.
The Demonic Cultivator had finally made his move.
And his first move was already a killing blow.
Shen Lin's vision was currently focused elsewhere, and the momentum of his saber had been exhausted, leaving his heart exposed. He was at his weakest.
The Demonic Cultivator had experienced many battles and seized this opportunity.
If he struck with this claw, Shen Lin—unable to defend in time—would have his heart torn out on the spot.
The Demonic Cultivator seemed to have already seen the scene of refining Shen Lin into a Corpse Puppet and commanding him to slaughter his way across the land.
But in the next moment, the black claw landed on Shen Lin's chest and tore open his clothes, yet it failed to break through the flesh as the Demonic Cultivator had imagined.
When the black claw touched Shen Lin's skin, it was like scraping across tempered steel. Sparks flew from the impact.
Qingqiu Body Tempering Art!
"Got you..."
Shen Lin chuckled softly. The sword in his hand flipped around, and he brought it down in a single slash.
The Demonic Cultivator, dazed by this unexpected turn of events, had no time to react.
Slash!
The sword landed on his shoulder, cleaving through the surface and revealing a gray-white steel plate.
This fellow had even modified his own body.
But Shen Lin's sword had not been ineffective.
The blood slowly dripping along the blade, together with the painful expression on the Demonic Cultivator's face, showed that the slash had still reached his flesh.
"Damn it!"
The Demonic Cultivator withdrew his black claw, slapped Shen Lin's sword aside, and swiftly retreated.
But Shen Lin had gone to such lengths to set this trap and force him to reveal himself. How could he possibly let him escape unscathed?
Almost at the same time, Shen Lin charged after him.
The sword in his hand whistled through the air as it stabbed straight toward the other man's face.
Even if the Demonic Cultivator had modified his head as well, this sword would still be able to pierce through his skull.
At the same time, several zombies on Shen Lin's path forward brandished their sharp teeth and claws, apparently trying to stop him.
But with strength merely at the level of martial artists, how could they possibly hold Shen Lin back?
At most, they could leave a few minor wounds on his body.
Trading a few flesh wounds for the Demonic Cultivator's life was well worth it.
Shen Lin merely glanced at the zombies before turning his gaze back to the Demonic Cultivator.
But at that moment, he saw the corner of the Demonic Cultivator's mouth suddenly curl upward, forming a strange smile.
An inexplicable sense of danger surged from the depths of his heart.
"Cloud Rolling Meteor!!!"
Shen Lin decisively changed his move. He stopped his forward charge and immediately shifted techniques, spinning as he swung countless sword strikes toward his surroundings.
Clang, clang, clang...
Amid a series of crisp ringing sounds, the zombies were knocked back, while Shen Lin remained unharmed.
He slowly turned his head and looked at the nearest zombie.
It was a zombie made from a human. The Demonic Cultivator had modified its teeth and fingernails, replacing them with iron weapons.
At that moment, beneath the moonlight, those sharp teeth and claws gleamed with eerie blue hues.
"You're young, but your combat experience isn't bad."
The Demonic Cultivator looked at Shen Lin with some surprise and spoke regretfully.
"Poison?"
Shen Lin's voice was heavy.
"That's right!" The Demonic Cultivator nodded, the corner of his mouth revealing a cruel smile. "The Natal Profound Poison of the Azure Serpent Clan. Once it touches blood, it seals the throat!"
Shen Lin felt somewhat fortunate. Fortunately, he had played it safe just now and had not tried to exchange wounds for his opponent's life.
Otherwise, even having his skin scratched by these zombies would have been a major problem.
"You're not the only person at the Meridian Opening Realm I've ever encountered. I've already killed three or four people with strength like yours."
"Every one of them held their heads high, relying on their formidable strength and assuming that they were practically invincible among those in the Meridian Opening Realm."
"But they weren't martial artists of the Innate Realm. Without Protective Qi to shield them, all it took was for my little darlings to scratch them with the tiniest wound, and they would die from the poison."
"How laughable! They're so old that they're practically falling apart, yet they still refuse to break through at once. They all want to open one more meridian and chase that ethereal supreme realm of martial arts."
"What a pity. If their bones hadn't already aged and become incapable of bearing my modifications, I could have had several more excellent toys."
"And you..."
"You're the most perfect material I've ever seen!"
The cold wind of the autumn night carried his icy whisper away, and it was gradually drowned out by the zombies' howls.
Before you continue