Jiang Tianlong's gaze darkened as he looked at the man with a trace of apprehension. He said to Qin Hao, "It was this man. Last time, he wounded me with a single strike. Be careful."
Hearing Jiang Tianlong's words, Qin Hao became even more convinced that the person before him was no ordinary man. Jiang Tianlong was a Core Formation Stage cultivator, yet this man had defeated him with one strike. At the very least, he was in Late Core Formation, perhaps even at the Nascent Soul stage.
"You ignorant fools. I spared your lives last time, yet you still dare come looking for trouble with this old man. It seems you have grown tired of living."
The hoarse voice emerged from within the black robe, making everyone who heard it deeply uncomfortable.
Looking at the man before him, Qin Hao was not the least bit afraid. Though he did not know the man's cultivation, he could not be that much stronger. More importantly, Qin Hao needed to know whether this old man had any companions.
Besides, if things truly went wrong, he still had attribute points that could forcibly raise his strength. He had two body-tempering techniques he had not yet cultivated. If he added everything at once, his strength would rise enormously again. He was not afraid. His skin was thick and his flesh tough; both his defense and recovery were powerful.
At that moment, the old man turned his head toward Qin Hao. His gaze lingered on him for a while before he slowly said, "Was it you, brat, who just killed this old man's ghosts?"
"Do you know how great a price this old man paid to raise these ghost creatures?"
As he spoke, a chain lashed toward Qin Hao and Jiang Tianlong at extreme speed. Before Jiang Tianlong could react, it had already reached them.
Jiang Tianlong's expression changed drastically, cold sweat pouring down his back. This is bad! He could only immediately raise both arms to block the attack.
Just as Jiang Tianlong thought the chain was about to strike him, a thick, powerful hand shot out at incredible speed and firmly seized the incoming chain.
The owner of that hand was none other than Qin Hao, who stood beside him with a leisurely expression.
Qin Hao gripped the chain and smiled at the old man. "Hey, old man! Let this young master play with you."
With that, he began to exert force.
The instant Qin Hao started pulling, the old man's face revealed shock. He felt an immense force coming from the other end of the chain. No matter how he strained, it was utterly useless!
Instead, he was slowly dragged toward Qin Hao bit by bit. Realizing that he could not contend with Qin Hao in strength, the old man decisively released the chain.
Looking at Qin Hao's body full of muscles, he suddenly thought of a certain kind of person: a body-tempering martial artist! Only those who specialized in forging their flesh could possess such tremendous strength.
He no longer underestimated the brat before him. His gaze grew serious, and his hoarse voice sounded once more. "You're a body-tempering martial artist, aren't you, boy? No wonder you possess such great strength."
"How rare. To think that in this tiny Qingshi County, I would encounter a body-tempering martial artist who has achieved something."
"Whose junior are you? Mount Tai? Or the Immortal Pavilion?"
The old man stared intently at Qin Hao as he spoke.
Hearing the old man's question, Qin Hao's face was full of confusion, because he had never heard the names of these factions before.
Seeing Qin Hao's clueless appearance, Jiang Tianlong explained, "Mount Tai and the Immortal Pavilion are both superpowers of the Eastern Region! Even across the entire Xuantian Continent, they are among the very best."
"There are even mighty cultivators within their ranks who have ascended. They are terrifying existences."
After hearing Jiang Tianlong's explanation, Qin Hao realized it was his first time hearing of such things. Previously, he had only heard of ordinary small sects, where Nascent Soul was the absolute limit.
But now, he did not even need to fear Nascent Soul cultivators. In less than a month, he had reached heights that ordinary people could never attain even in an entire lifetime, all thanks to his body-tempering system.
He truly was lucky!
While Qin Hao was digesting this information, Jiang Tianlong also discovered the old man's identity.
Jiang Tianlong fixed his eyes on the old man and said gravely, "You're from Ghost Immortal City, aren't you?"
Only after carefully examining the old man had he noticed a huge character for "Immortal" embroidered on the black robe.
The most obvious mark of Ghost Immortal City was a black robe with a character for "Immortal" on it.
Hearing Jiang Tianlong's words, Qin Hao also noticed the character on the old man's black robe. As for Ghost Immortal City, he had heard Elder Yang mention it back at the Ghost Nest.
"Haha, in a place this small, there are people who have heard of this Immortal City?"
"Well? Do you wish to join us? I can give you a chance to live!"
"Join Ghost Immortal City, and I will spare your lives."
After saying that, the old man spoke no further, merely waiting for the two men's choice.
Hearing the old man demand a choice, Jiang Tianlong said with utter disdain, "Pah! You crooked, evil scum who slaughter your own kind, and you think you're worthy of recruiting me, Jiang Tianlong?"
The old man was not angered by Jiang Tianlong's answer. Instead, he looked toward Qin Hao. Qin Hao had been his target from the start; Jiang Tianlong's choice did not matter to him.
Noticing the old man's gaze, Qin Hao also revealed a disdainful expression. He looked at the old man with proud arrogance and said, "Hey! Old man! I'm a Heavenly Dragon Guard at such a young age, with a bright future ahead of me. Do you think I'd join some shady force like yours?"
As he spoke, he hurled the chain he had snatched from the old man back at him.
"Hmph! You ungrateful brat, I'll make you regret your choice tonight!"
With those words, even more ghost qi surged from the old man's body, instantly filling the entire courtyard. The chain flying toward him was also corroded into nothing by the ghost qi emanating from his body.
The ghost creatures touched by the ghost qi in the courtyard began to go berserk, their strength rising greatly. Their eyes glowed red as they stared viciously at Qin Hao and Jiang Tianlong.
Endless little ghosts also converged on the courtyard from all directions.
Qin Hao discovered that the old man's Ghost Spirit was not simple. Not only was it corrosive, it could also affect weaker ghost creatures and humans.
"Kill them!"
Upon hearing the old man's command, the little ghosts charged at Qin Hao and Jiang Tianlong like mad.
"Damn it! Why are there still so many ghost creatures?"
Seeing more ghost creatures gathering from elsewhere, Jiang Tianlong's expression turned grim. As he spoke, he drew a blade from his Storage Bag.
As true qi circulated, Jiang Tianlong's entire body began to change. Scorching firelight burst from his body and spread across the entire blade.
Blazing Fire Slash!
Jiang Tianlong drew his blade and swept it horizontally.
In an instant, Jiang Tianlong slashed out several times. Several ten-meter-long blade qi formed of flames swept in every direction.
The ghost creatures struck by the blade qi let out miserable screams. Nearly half of them vanished completely in an instant beneath Jiang Tianlong's attacks.
Seeing this, Qin Hao could not simply stand by and watch Jiang Tianlong snatch all the attribute points.
Qin Hao said to Jiang Tianlong beside him, "Constable Jiang, be careful!"
As he spoke, lightning surged from Qin Hao's arms, forming a pair of dragon claws made of lightning around them.
Only after hearing Qin Hao's warning did Jiang Tianlong react. "Hey, wait!"
As he spoke, he forcefully leaped upward.
The corners of Qin Hao's lips rose slightly. He began gathering strength in both arms, spun his entire body, then suddenly exerted force with both arms. Two claw strikes swept outward in all directions.
Seeing this, the old man swept his black robe and vanished from where he stood, appearing high above the Old Zhang Family Residence.
Wherever the lightning claws passed, all ghost creatures were like water meeting the blazing sun, instantly evaporating. Even the old man's ghost qi evaporated the moment it touched Qin Hao's lightning.
The claw strikes did not stop. They continued slashing toward the surrounding walls. With several thunderous booms, several walls of the Zhang residence were instantly destroyed by Qin Hao's claw strikes, and only then did the attacks slowly fade away.
With one claw unleashed, the entire scene fell silent.
The Old Zhang Family Residence, which had originally been a writhing dance of demons, instantly became eerily quiet.
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