"Die!"
A glint of cruelty flashed through the dark-faced old man's eyes, and he pointed a finger.
"Roar!"
A black ghost head hurtled toward Qin Ming with a savage roar, catching up to him in the blink of an eye before clamping its hideous jaws down.
"Master!"
The round-faced young man had not run far. When he turned and saw this, he immediately charged back, his black saber transforming into a streak of black light that slashed viciously at the ghost head.
Unfortunately, he was too far from Qin Ming to save him in time.
Just as Qin Ming was about to lose his life, a slender streak of red light flashed out of nowhere and sliced through the air. The black ghost head's descending jaws abruptly split in two, and it exploded with a bang.
Immediately afterward, the other ghost heads froze in midair as well, then all burst apart, dissolving into drifting wisps of black mist.
"Who dares ruin my plans? What kind of hero skulks in the shadows? Show yourself if you have the guts!" the dark-faced old man shouted at his surroundings in shock and fury, ignoring Qin Ming and his disciple entirely.
The other two black-robed cultivators did the same, scanning their surroundings with furious expressions.
Qin Ming and the round-faced young man, meanwhile, stood rooted to the spot in shock at this sudden turn of events. One had been charging desperately forward while the other had been sent flying backward, coughing blood, and neither had clearly seen what had happened.
Just then, blue light shimmered beside them, revealing a man in azure robes. It was Shen Luo.
Qin Ming and the round-faced young man jumped in fright, only relaxing somewhat when they saw Shen Luo's kindly expression and lack of hostility.
The dark-faced old