Mountain God Temple Corpse-Raising Ground

Li Qing struggled to climb to his feet, coughing up a large mouthful of black blood.

Zhao Ping gripped his saber hilt, staring at the two grey-robed figures before him with a fierce gaze.

"You curs of the Longevity Cult, you finally decided to show your faces."

"Lin Yang, take one each."

As the words fell, both men raised their sabers and charged at the two grey-robed figures.

Lin Yang lunged forward, his Horizontal Saber unleashing a biting blade aura as he slashed mercilessly toward the grey-robed man's head.

The grey-robed figure flickered, and in the next instant, a pale hand clamped around his throat.

With a slight exertion of force, he found it difficult to breathe.

"Die!"

Zhao Ping let out a loud shout, charging toward the other grey-robed man.

That man let out a cold snort, flicking an Ink-Black Talisman from beneath his grey robes.

The talisman flared with intense dark light, shooting out and instantly branding itself onto Zhao Ping's chest.

Zhao Ping was struck by a massive force, his body sent flying backward as he crashed through several large trees.

He sat up with difficulty, the ink-black talismanic seal on his chest still glowing with dark light.

A potent corpse poison surged toward his heart, rapidly infiltrating his body.

He hurriedly mobilized his spiritual energy to protect his heart meridian, "Longevity Cult, you twisted heretics! If I hadn't been wounded by a Corpse Puppet, I could have cut you both down with a single strike!"

A cruel smile appeared on the grey-robed man's face, "Still running your mouth when death is at your doorstep?"

Seeing the pale, five-fingered hand clawing toward his throat, Zhao Ping felt the shadow of death loom over him.

Suddenly, a faint whistling sound pierced through the air.

A three-inch-long Sharp Crystal Spike instantly punched through the grey-robed man's chest.

Coughing up blood, the man looked down in disbelief.

"This... what is this?"

In the next moment, another crystal spike struck, instantly blowing the grey-robed man's head apart.

Warm blood splattered onto Zhao Ping. Just as he stood there in a daze, a figure appeared before the other grey-robed man.

That man's expression tightened; he violently threw Lin Yang aside, his face wearing the look of someone facing a formidable enemy.

"What kind of petty thief are you?"

Lu Yuan simply laughed, "What kind of petty thief am I? You're the one acting like the world is upside down!"

Although Lu Yuan did not have a Demon-Slaying Saber, this Ink-Black Patterned Brocade Robe was the standard attire for a Demon-Suppressing Guard.

If you don't recognize the person, you don't even recognize the uniform?

For such a fool, Lu Yuan decided to send him on his way.

He raised his hand and flicked a crystal spike; a streak of light flashed, and the man's head exploded instantly.

Zhao Ping and Lin Yang exchanged a glance, confusion evident in their eyes.

Reinforcements from Qingzhou? That shouldn't be it.

Less than a quarter of an hour had passed since they crushed their Waist Tokens, and the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division was hundreds of miles away from Cangyun Ridge; even if they had wings, they couldn't have arrived this quickly.

"Yo! Isn't this old Zhao? So it was you guys! Don't just stand there, hurry up and circulate your energy to heal."

Su Ding'an walked up, took out three Rejuvenation Pills, and handed them to Zhao Ping and his companions. His tone was warm, clearly indicating they were old acquaintances.

"Leave those Corpse Puppets to me."

Lu Yuan dropped the words and charged forward without looking back.

As he raised his hand, crystal spikes flew out like a string of arrows, piercing the vital points of the Corpse Puppets with pinpoint accuracy and blowing their heads apart.

[Killed Mortal Realm Corpse Puppet, obtained White Trait [Toughness]]

[Killed Mortal Realm Corpse Puppet, obtained White Trait [Toughness]]

The demons that had been incredibly ferocious just a moment ago were now falling in swathes like harvested wheat.

In less than a dozen breaths, those Corpse Puppets lay dead all over the ground.

Zhao Ping had just finished circulating the medicinal power of the Rejuvenation Pill within his body when he saw the Corpse Puppets that had driven them to the brink of death being slaughtered like vegetables.

For a moment, the intense shock made him forget even to heal his wounds.

The grey-robed men from before were one thing; they were just two heretics from the Longevity Cult, and even with Initial Realm cultivation, they weren't impossible to deal with.

But those Corpse Puppets were demons!

Even if they were only of the Mortal Realm, their bodies were as hard as rock!

Why had the three of them been chased into a desperate situation by these Corpse Puppets?

It wasn't that he didn't know to attack the head's vital points; it was that he couldn't break through!

Lin Yang had even snapped his blade, yet the Corpse Puppet remained perfectly fine.

But this young man before them could blast a Corpse Puppet's head to pieces with a mere flick of his hand using crystal spikes!

He couldn't help but wonder, what exactly were these crystal spikes?

How could they be so indestructible!

Zhao Ping's eyelids twitched, and he finally couldn't help but ask, "Old Su, what is that young brother's cultivation level?"

"Who are you calling 'young brother'?" Su Ding'an retorted irritably. "Don't say I didn't warn you, that is Lord Lu, the youngest Demon Suppression Captain in our Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division."

"Don't mind the Dark Patterned Brocade Robe he's wearing; it's only because Lord Lu just joined, and his official captain's uniform hasn't been tailored yet."

Last night, he had slaughtered his way through the Chen Family estate until it was a river of blood, and his clothes had been soaked through with demon blood.

So, before setting out this morning, Chen Shouxin had picked out a properly sized Dark Patterned Brocade Robe for Lu Yuan from the inventory at the Chixia County station.

"Lord Lu? Demon Suppression Captain? Just joined?"

Zhao Ping muttered to himself, his thoughts racing.

He wondered how he could have been in the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division for several years and never heard of such a person.

A moment later, his pupils suddenly constricted.

"Entrance assessment... Grade A?"

Seeing Su Ding'an nod, Zhao Ping couldn't help but gasp inwardly.

This Lord Lu had only joined a few days ago, yet he could already casually slaughter those in the Initial Realm; this level of ability was simply too exaggerated!

A genius?

No, having been in the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division, he had seen plenty of geniuses.

But compared to this Lord Lu, those geniuses were nothing more than ordinary people.

Seeing Lu Yuan walk over, Zhao Ping struggled to stand up and hurriedly knelt to salute.

"Greetings, Lord Lu!"

"Demon-Suppressing Guard Zhao Ping of the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division, many thanks to you, my lord, for saving my life!"

Lu Yuan reached out to help him up. "Stand up and speak. How did you end up being hunted by Corpse Puppets?"

Zhao Ping wiped the blood from his face. "Reporting to you, my lord, ten days ago, we received orders to investigate the Corpse Demon of Cangyun Ridge, and we discovered an abandoned Mountain God Temple deep within these Cloud Mountain ranges."

"There was something wrong with that temple; the cultists of the Longevity Cult were raising corpses inside. We intended to continue our investigation, but we were discovered by the cultists."

"To silence us, they sent these Corpse Puppets to kill us."

Speaking of this, Zhao Ping's voice suddenly became agitated.

"My lord, there are still Longevity Cult cultists in that temple. This subordinate doesn't know what they are plotting, but it definitely has to do with the Corpse Demon of Cangyun Ridge."

Lu Yuan nodded, golden light flickering in the depths of his eyes as he looked through the dense forest toward the depths of Cloud Mountain.

Beneath the overcast clouds, a pillar of black energy surged into the sky.

"Is the Mountain God Temple in that direction?" Lu Yuan pointed into the distance.

"That's right. Zhao Ping is willing to lead the way for you, my lord." Zhao Ping forced himself to stand straight.

"No need. You stay here and recover in peace."

Lu Yuan turned and chased rapidly toward the depths of the mountain forest.

A quarter of an hour later, he arrived before the main gate of the Mountain God Temple.

To call it a gate was a stretch; it had long since rotted away, leaving only two crooked door frames.

It was past noon, yet looking from the outside, the temple was shrouded in gloom.

Lu Yuan stepped over the threshold and walked into the main hall.

Half of the hall's roof had collapsed, casting a patch of gray daylight inside.

In the center, where the statue of the Mountain God should have been enshrined, there was only an empty pedestal engraved with dense, intricate runes.

A woman wearing purple Taoist robes stood before the pedestal.

This Taoist nun was extremely seductive, with an egg-shaped face, scarlet lips, and a figure that was obscenely voluptuous.

A pair of peach-blossom eyes kept darting over Lu Yuan, like a snake staring at a frog.

Her red lips parted slightly, emitting a voice that made one's bones feel numb. "So, you're the one who killed my people from the Longevity Cult?"

"That's right." Lu Yuan looked at those peach-blossom eyes and smiled at the corner of his mouth. "Not only that, but I am also going to kill you."