Radiant Moon Qi!

"Whoosh!"

Two burly men swung their thick arms, their fists pounding toward Tang Jie. Each punch carried tremendous force, weighing as heavy as a thousand jun, forcing Tang Jie to dare not meet them head-on. He could only retreat and dodge!

"Hahaha! Tie Yi and Tie Er were Corpse Puppets I refined. Before becoming my Corpse Puppets, they were already top-tier first-rate martial artists. After becoming Corpse Puppets, they gained boundless strength and bones like refined steel. With abilities like yours, you can't even injure them! But don't worry. I'll refine you into a Corpse Puppet as well. You'll definitely become stronger than them!"

Seeing Tang Jie repeatedly forced to dodge by Tie Yi and Tie Er, the black-robed old man threw back his head and laughed wildly.

This was the difference between martial artists and cultivators!

In the martial arena, no martial artist could withstand a single saber strike from Tang Jie. Yet now, the black-robed old man's two Corpse Puppets had joined forces to suppress him!

This guy... wants to refine me into a puppet like them? When Tang Jie heard the black-robed old man's words, his heart chilled.

Tie Yi and Tie Er before him had originally been first-rate martial artists just like him, but they had been refined by this black-robed old man into zombie-like puppets. The reason the black-robed old man had set his sights on Tang Jie was simple: he wanted to refine him into a Corpse Puppet as well!

Refining Corpse Puppets was considered a heretical and unorthodox path even in the cultivation world. Moreover, the stronger a person had been while alive, the greater the strength and potential they would possess after being refined into a Corpse Puppet.

The black-robed old man had witnessed Tang Jie's astonishing strength in the martial arena and had naturally been delighted to find such prey. Tang Jie was the strongest martial artist he had ever seen. If he refined someone like that into a Corpse Puppet, he would gain a loyal subordinate—a puppet!

Thus, the black-robed old man had waited outside the martial arena, determined that Tang Jie was the so-called Bull Devil King, and revealed himself to intercept him on his way back!

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Facing the two Corpse Puppets' combined assault, Tang Jie constantly dodged and counterattacked. Yet his usually invincible Iron Cutting Saber could now only tear through the heavy armor and flesh covering their bodies, making it difficult to inflict any fatal wounds!

If he could not even break through their defenses, how could he possibly defeat them?

Creatures like Corpse Puppets possessed boundless strength, bodies like refined steel, and no fear of death. They were incredibly troublesome to deal with.

Fortunately, although these two Corpse Puppets possessed immense strength, they were ultimately puppet-like things. They no longer possessed the martial techniques they had known in life and fought purely on instinct. Their moves were crude and straightforward, lacking variation. Otherwise, Tang Jie definitely would not have been able to hold out for long beneath their combined assault.

But Tang Jie felt no joy whatsoever. The black-robed old man in the distance had yet to make a move. If his attacks were added to the mix, Tang Jie would certainly die!

"Tsk, tsk... To think you've managed to hold out this long against the combined attacks of my two Corpse Puppets. You truly are a rare and powerful martial artist. Be a good boy and accept your death! Become a Corpse Puppet and serve at my command for all eternity!"

The black-robed old man spoke coldly. The reason he had not used the immensely powerful fireball technique from earlier was to preserve Tang Jie's corpse intact. If he lost an arm or a leg, his combat strength would be greatly diminished after being refined into a Corpse Puppet.

"Then I'll use my Profound Nether Cone!"

A sinister smile appeared at the corner of the black-robed old man's mouth. Even against a first-rate martial artist, two Corpse Puppets attacking together could settle things in a short time. But Tang Jie's strength far exceeded that of ordinary first-rate martial artists, so he had decided to use his true abilities!

"Whoosh!"

The black-robed old man flicked his sleeve. From within his cuff, a streak of black light shot toward Tang Jie at a speed almost impossible to see with the naked eye.

"Clang!"

Almost instinctively, Tang Jie slashed out with his saber as fast as lightning. The broken half of the blade in his hand collided with that streak of black light.

With a crisp ringing sound, the black streak of light was knocked flying. At the same time, the tremendous force transmitted through the impact left Tang Jie's arm slightly numb.

"This is... a magical treasure?"

Tang Jie saw that the black streak of light knocked away was a sharp cone about a foot long, and his heart filled with dread. The collision had knocked a notch into the edge of the broken blade in his hand!

Magical treasures were artifacts forged by cultivators from precious materials, and their might far exceeded that of mortal swords and sabers. Tang Jie's saber had merely collided with it once, yet a large chunk of the blade had already been shattered!

"Let's see how many times you can hold out!"

The black-robed old man chuckled. Like a cat toying with a mouse, he let the black Profound Nether Cone float above his head, drawn by an invisible force and moving with the agility of something alive.

"No... I absolutely can't withstand many more attacks!"

Cold sweat trickled down Tang Jie's forehead. Facing the two Corpse Puppets' assault while the black-robed old man manipulated the Profound Nether Cone, Tang Jie knew perfectly well that he could not hold out for long. The slightest lapse in concentration would be the moment of his death.

"So this is a cultivator? This black-robed old man may not be anyone important in the cultivation world, yet he's forced me into such a state!"

Tang Jie's heart was heavy. The gap between martial artists and cultivators was far too vast. Any cultivator, no matter how ordinary, was an overwhelming enemy to even the most elite martial artists!

"If that's the case... I can only fight!"

Tang Jie gritted his teeth, a savage glint appearing in his eyes. He had to stake everything on one desperate gamble. If he did not risk his life now, he would have no chance!

"Roar!"

A low roar erupted from Tang Jie's throat. A silver radiance blossomed across his body.

Boyhood Art, Bright Moon Art!

The profound inner force of the fourth layer of the Boyhood Art exploded. That surging inner force shook the two Corpse Puppets until their bodies trembled. Taking advantage of the opening, Tang Jie dragged a fading afterimage behind him and charged straight at the black-robed old man.

Entangling himself with these two Corpse Puppets was meaningless. With Tang Jie's abilities, he could not inflict fatal injuries on these things. Only by killing the black-robed old man controlling the Corpse Puppets would he have a sliver of hope!

"Too naive..."

A disdainful curve lifted the black-robed old man's lips.

"Profound Nether Cone, go!"

The black-robed old man controlled the Profound Nether Cone with his magical power. This time, it crossed the air at nearly twice the speed of its first attack, transforming into a black bolt of lightning that shot straight toward Tang Jie's heart.

This attack was so fast that it had already exceeded the limit of what Tang Jie could track. Yet he did not dodge. A brilliant light burst from his eyes, as though they had transformed into a silver moon.

Bright Moon Art, Radiant Moon Qi!

The Boyhood Art's true qi within Tang Jie's body condensed, and condensed again. On the surface of his body, dazzling silver qi gathered like a layer of armor. With the Boyhood Art driven to its limit, true qi poured through him, hardening even Tang Jie's muscles until they were like refined steel!

After cultivating the Boyhood Art to the fourth layer, one could condense inner force into indestructible Radiant Moon Qi, capable of both offense and defense!

"Pfft!"

Tang Jie felt a sharp pain in his chest. The pitch-black Profound Nether Cone slammed into his heart, ripping apart the solidified Radiant Moon Qi and stabbing into his muscles. It continued driving forward, but Tang Jie clenched his muscles with all his might!

A wave of pain and frigid energy swept through Tang Jie's entire body, nearly making him faint on the spot. But Tang Jie bit down viciously on his tongue, using the stabbing pain to keep his mind clear.

"How... could I die here? Radiant Moon Qi! Kill!"

Tang Jie's eyes reddened. He roared as blood gushed from his chest, then swung the broken half of his blade forward without regard for anything else.

"Idiot... your saber is too short!"

The black-robed old man chuckled. Tang Jie's Iron Cutting Saber had only half its blade left. Even with this slash, it was still more than a foot from the old man's neck and could not touch him at all!

But the black-robed old man's expression immediately changed. He saw silver qi bursting from Tang Jie's broken blade. The silver qi was as sharp as a saber, clinging to the broken blade and extending nearly two feet!

"No... this is bad!"

The black-robed old man shouted inwardly. He wanted to retreat and dodge, but it was already too late.

"Pfft!"

The sound of flesh being torn rang through the air. Blood spurted like a fountain. The black-robed old man suddenly felt as though his head were light and his feet heavy. Before him, he saw a hunched back without a head, blood still spraying from its severed neck!

"Was that... me?"

The black-robed old man was somewhat dazed. Then a head crashed heavily to the ground, and he lost consciousness.