Hall

"Who exactly was this man? He was this powerful? He defeated the entire Luoshan Sect?"

The captives were dumbfounded. They had thought the man before them was doomed, yet who would have guessed he was a fierce dragon crossing the river, knocking everyone down!

Ouyang Xing's hands hung limply at his sides as he glared fixedly at Zhang Yunhao, asking in shock and fury, "Who exactly are you?"

"This one is Wang Shan!"

Zhang Yunhao declared proudly. Ouyang Xing was greatly startled. "Wang Shan? Lone Iron Fist Wang Shan? What you used just now wasn't the Iron Fist, and how did you become this strong?"

Zhang Yunhao poured a foul-smelling poison pill from a medicine bottle and said coldly to Ouyang Xing, "Why I'm so strong is something I need to explain to you? Swallow this and help me obtain the Blood Origin Pearl. Otherwise, die now!"

There were two reasons for subduing Ouyang Xing. First, he would gain another helper—Ouyang Xing was quite capable. Second, there were plenty of Luoshan Sect members, perfect for gathering cannon fodder to scout the way!

Ouyang Xing was famously sinister in the Jianghu. Sinister people were generally greedy for life and afraid of death, and Ouyang Xing was no exception. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I concede. But once you obtain the Blood Origin Pearl, you must give me the antidote."

Zhang Yunhao threw back his head and laughed arrogantly. "Once I obtain the Blood Origin Pearl, I'll be number one under heaven. Would I still need poison to control you? I won't even have to do anything—you'll come crawling over to be my dog!"

Ouyang Xing's expression darkened, but he did not argue. Zhang Yunhao then flicked the poison pill into Ouyang Xing's mouth. He knew perfectly well that one poison pill could not truly control Ouyang Xing. If the man got the chance, he would definitely strike back like a venomous snake.

But Zhang Yunhao did not care. With his strength, unless three or four first-rate experts joined forces against him, he truly had nothing to fear!

The rest was easy. Zhang Yunhao restored Ouyang Xing's hands, while the Luoshan Sect members were only in pain and not truly injured. Under his urging, they soon forced themselves up and set off despite the agony.

Though the Luoshan Sect members were furious and aggrieved, Zhang Yunhao was simply too powerful. Even their master had been defeated, so they could only obey obediently. As for the cannon fodder, they had thought there was hope for survival, only to find that everything remained the same, leaving them in utter despair.

With so much cannon fodder, their progress was swift. Though cannon fodder kept dying along the way, neither Zhang Yunhao nor the Luoshan Sect members gave it any thought.

"This is the fate of those without strength. No matter what plane it is, strength is everything."

Zhang Yunhao understood this more and more clearly. These planes were unlike the Earth of his previous life; here, human lives were as cheap as grass.

There were many people in the underground palace, and Zhang Yunhao's group soon encountered others. The first group was not very strong, so they were simply captured as cannon fodder. The second time, however, they ran into the first-rate expert Blazing Spear and several of his fellow disciples.

There was nothing to say. A fierce battle naturally followed, and everyone was killed. Blazing Spear was also knocked to the ground by Zhang Yunhao and Ouyang Xing.

Just as Zhang Yunhao was about to kill Blazing Spear, Ouyang Xing suddenly said, "Wang Shan, why not control him as well and have him travel with us? That would give us a better chance of obtaining the Blood Origin Pearl."

Zhang Yunhao's response was to kill Blazing Spear with a single palm strike. As he took out the Corpse Dissolving Powder, he said blandly, "Whether he stays or not is my decision!"

"Yes!"

Seeing that Zhang Yunhao had not only killed Blazing Spear but also dissolved his corpse, Ouyang Xing's eyelids twitched. Beyond hatred, he now felt several degrees more wary of this man.

"Did this guy discover what I was thinking? But why dissolve the corpse?"

Ouyang Xing's suggestion to keep Blazing Spear had naturally not come from good intentions. The more people Wang Shan controlled, the easier it would be for them to turn on him. After all, using poison alone to control life and death was nothing much—capture the other party and force out the antidote.

Zhang Yunhao had naturally seen through Ouyang Xing's intentions. He would not be that foolish. He would only control those worth controlling.

"Unfortunately, even if I reveal that King Yue isn't dead, no one will believe me. Besides, with a treasure like the Blood Origin Pearl here, unity is impossible anyway. I can only do this myself."

After handling everything, Zhang Yunhao set off once more. Though he did not know how to navigate the maze, he used the crude method of leaving marks all along the way. With cannon fodder stepping on every trap, their progress was extremely smooth.

After that, Zhang Yunhao and Ouyang Xing encountered several more groups. Thanks to Zhang Yunhao's might, everything went smoothly—not only did they gain plenty more cannon fodder, they also killed several first-rate experts and even subdued one.

"Iron Fist Wang Shan, I never expected you to be this powerful. Fine. I, Iron Bull Zhang Tong, am not someone who cannot accept defeat. Since I gave my word before, while we are in this underground palace, I will follow your orders!"

Iron Bull Zhang Tong was a massive, powerfully built man standing nearly two meters tall, renowned for his strength. Zhang Yunhao had previously fought him one-on-one, defeated him with ease, and successfully made him his subordinate.

Of course, although Zhang Tong was indeed a man in the Jianghu who kept his word, if Zhang Yunhao truly trusted him with all his heart, he would be courting death. The Blood Origin Pearl meant becoming number one under heaven. For such immense profit, even blood brothers could kill each other, much less over a mere promise.

After some time, a disciple scouting ahead suddenly turned back and shouted in delight, "Master, we've reached the exit!"

"What? We've reached the exit?"

Ouyang Xing and Zhang Tong were both overjoyed, but Zhang Yunhao remained calm, because he knew what was inside.

Naturally, Zhang Yunhao said nothing. He simply led everyone swiftly forward. Sure enough, they saw a bright exit ahead, and everyone unconsciously quickened their pace.

Soon, they all rushed into the light and discovered a broad, empty hall. Luminous pearls were embedded all around it—the source of the light. Here, there was no longer any need for torches.

Though they had finally emerged from the maze, no one was particularly happy, because there were already dozens of people in the hall. Some were knocking on the walls, some were studying the relief carvings upon them, and some were stepping on the floor tiles. At the same time, more than ten corpses lay on the ground!

"Tianlin Temple's two masters, Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming!"

"Life-Taking Spear Zhang Ba!"

"Wind Cloud Saber Li Chu!"

"Five Poisons Hand Situ Lei!"

As Zhang Yunhao and the others looked at those first-rate experts one after another, their expressions were not pleasant. There were at least eight first-rate experts here. At the same time, those in the hall heard more people entering and all turned their heads.

"Lone Iron Fist Wang Shan!" "Luoshan Sect's Ouyang Xing!" "Iron Bull Zhang Tong!"

People quickly recognized the newcomers. Seeing the three together, quite a few narrowed their eyes slightly, while others snorted coldly. Still, no one showed any intention of attacking.

The reason was simple. This hall was completely empty, with no sign whatsoever of the Blood Origin Pearl. Naturally, no one would make a move lightly—by not making a move lightly, that meant not readily attacking experts of the same rank. As for those of lesser strength, they had already become corpses on the floor.