Heavenly Might

Seeming to see Su Ziji's hesitation, Shen Cheng suddenly raised his voice. "Even if they are under my control, they are still living people. If you kill them, you are killing people!"

"Su Ziji, these are more than a dozen lives. Most of them are innocent civilians. Can you really bring yourself to do it?"

Shen Cheng's malicious words could not make Su Ziji waver in the slightest.

Su Ziji did not believe Shen Cheng's words. He did not know many of those people, but Zhang Dacuo alone had at least several lives on his hands. There was not the slightest connection between him and innocence.

And even if what Shen Cheng said was true, even if they were all innocent, so what?

When two armies clashed, soldiers obeyed orders and went into battle. Who would hold back?

For Shen Cheng to judge him by Su Ziji's former temperament was truly laughable.

Especially when there was an enemy like Zhang Dacuo among these "people," an enemy who had dug up graves. Even without today's events, if he had the chance, Su Ziji would surely have personally cut him down. Now that the opportunity had come, how could he let it slip away?

Seeing Su Ziji's icy expression, Shen Cheng's face changed as he shouted, "Su Ziji, I had originally intended to let you live a few more days. Since you came to my door yourself, do not dream of leaving. I'll take your life!"

"Kill him!"

At the command, the Blood Corpses lunged forward like apes.

"Laughable!" Fighting these Blood Corpses through martial skill alone would not have been easy, but with the Primordial Spirit empowering him, everything lay clearly within his grasp.

In the next instant, a flash of light appeared in Su Ziji's hand—a short blade.

Though it was only a short blade, he slashed it diagonally downward. With a wet pff, Zhang Dacuo, who had lunged at him, let out a muffled grunt as half his neck was severed.

"Argh!" What made Su Ziji raise his brows was that Zhang Dacuo swept forward on a foul wind and pounced straight at him. Half his throat cavity was exposed, yet not a drop of blood spilled.

It was as if the blood within Zhang Dacuo had long since evaporated, leaving behind only a ruined husk.

"And you still dare say they are living people?" Though this exceeded Su Ziji's expectations, it did not shock him. With a flicker, he dodged the pounce.

"Die!" Another Blood Corpse lunged at him. A flash of blade-light cut off an arm in the blink of an eye, followed by another wet pff as the tip pierced through its heart and out its back.

The Blood Corpse let out a garbled scream. It was clear that it could still feel pain, but it paid no heed, stretching out its hand to grab him. Its nails gleamed coldly, dark black in color; one look was enough to tell they were coated in deadly poison.

Su Ziji flickered away and drew out his white blade, already clear of its reach, when he heard a soft laugh. "Do not waste your strength. Unless they are reduced to ashes, even if only a skeleton remains, they will fight you to the death!"

After speaking, Shen Cheng stepped back. His cold smile vanished as a sickly sweetness surged into his throat, only to be forcibly suppressed. He did not dare reveal another weakness before Su Ziji. Though he had spoken fiercely, he was actually gambling.

The Blood Corpses were indeed as he said—even reduced to bare skeletons, they could continue fighting—but they still required Shen Cheng to control them with his own mana. If he vomited blood and fell unconscious, the Blood Corpses surrounding Su Ziji would immediately turn on him.

Most importantly, because he controlled them with mana, any wounds the Blood Corpses suffered might seem harmless, but part of that damage would be reflected onto his own body.

Feeling another stab of pain within his body, Shen Cheng quickly pulled out a porcelain bottle, poured out a handful of pills, and stuffed them into his mouth.

These pills replenished vital energy. Taking too many would hinder cultivation and clog the energy channels, but at this critical juncture, he could not care about such things. Shen Cheng only wanted a swift victory, then he could slowly recuperate.

In his view, no matter how strange Su Ziji might be, he was still only an ordinary man. Besieged by these Blood Corpses that knew no pain, he would sooner or later exhaust himself and die.

"Though this mishap has greatly damaged my vital energy, Su Ziji delivered himself to my doorstep. Killing him will still count as a gain."

Yet just as Shen Cheng was thinking this, a sudden change occurred on the battlefield.

Su Ziji turned his blade. Under the Primordial Spirit's empowerment, the Su-style Fist Technique he had learned suddenly struck him with the clarity of enlightenment, as if sweet dew had poured over his head. Its many mysteries rapidly unraveled. Though more than ten Blood Corpses attacked him, he moved in and out with utter composure. His blade rose and fell, and even the Blood Corpses cried out one after another.

"How has this man's martial skill advanced by leaps and bounds?" Shen Cheng also grunted repeatedly, scarcely daring to believe his own eyes. In just a few minutes, how had a third- or fourth-rate martial art acquired the flavor of a first- or second-rate master?

"Impossible, impossible!" Shen Cheng could no longer maintain his composure. For the first time, he felt a fear beyond his control.

"Go die..." He was also a resolute and decisive man. Suddenly gritting his teeth, he bit down on his tongue. With a pff, he sprayed a mouthful of heart's blood onto the little flag.

The eyes of the dozen or so Blood Corpses immediately lit up with red radiance.

"Kill him, kill him!" Before his words had even fallen, blade-light flashed across the scene. With a wet pff, knees were severed. Though the Blood Corpses roared again and again, they could no longer move swiftly and could only crawl along the ground.

The Blood Corpses had no souls and knew no fear. Naturally, they would not dodge. They still surged forward one after another.

A series of pff pff pff sounds rang out. In no time, more than ten Blood Corpses had all fallen to the ground, roaring continuously but able only to crawl with their hands. Their killing power was greatly reduced.

"You... you actually broke my Blood Corpses!" Seeing this, Shen Cheng clutched his chest. Su Ziji had found the Blood Corpses' weakness in the blink of an eye?

It was merely the trick to dealing with stubborn enemies. No matter how resistant they were to blows, once they lost their mobility, their danger was equal to zero. Just as Su Ziji was about to speak, a muffled thunderclap suddenly sounded from the sky. It was not loud, yet Su Ziji's entire body shook, and he shuddered. A sweetness rose in his throat as well.

Damn it. The Dragon Lord said that once the nature of the Primordial Spirit is exposed, it will meet with adverse winds.

I cannot continue tangling with this man.

Without another word, he pressed straight forward, and killing intent immediately filled the air.

"Ah... you dare? I am a Daoist registered with the authorities, a man of the imperial court!" As that killing intent washed over him, Shen Cheng instantly knew something was wrong. Every pore on his body stood on end. With a terrified cry, he retreated.

But at that moment, agonizing pain shot through both his legs—the backlash from the Blood Corpses' broken legs. Before he could react, there came a pff, and his throat turned cool and cold.

With a bang, a great spray of blood erupted. The world before his eyes had already turned crimson.

How could this be? How could I die?

I still have to render meritorious service. I still have to become the master of Mount Tong Temple. I still have to... Though his face was full of disbelief, his body was brutally honest. He toppled backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.

Though his body still twitched, blood gushed everywhere. In less than a minute, Shen Cheng's consciousness sank into utter darkness.

"Quick, quick, quick!" Su Ziji immediately lunged at Shen Cheng's body. With one search, he found a stack of items. Before he could inspect them carefully, he rushed out of the secret chamber.

The moment he emerged, he saw that dark clouds had already covered most of the sky. Light flashed again and again through gaps in the clouds, while muffled thunder rolled from time to time. Heavenly might was close at hand. The distant bamboo grove, plantains, and fruit trees all seemed to be shivering.

"Dragon Lord, take me back quickly." Truly sensing the killing intent, Su Ziji no longer dared hesitate. With a turn, his figure vanished.

Then lightning crashed down, bathing the temple inside and out in ghastly white. A terrifying thunderclap shook the secret chamber until it trembled, and a tree as thick as a bowl exploded at the sound.