Ling Tian arrived before Shi Xiaoyue and Yin Tianxiong, his sword in hand, and the two were filled with terror.
"You... you can't kill us! You must know, we are the protectors of the Heavenly Demon Sect! If you kill us, you and your family will have no place to be buried, and I guarantee you will suffer more than death!" Shi Xiaoyue threatened, his bravado masking his fear.
"Oh my, the Heavenly Demon Sect, protectors! I'm so scared..." Ling Tian said mockingly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"It's good that you know how powerful our Heavenly Demon Sect is..." Shi Xiaoyue, consumed by fear, had lost all judgment. He actually believed Ling Tian's words were genuine fear of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
"Wake up, what's so scary about the Heavenly Demon Sect? What's so scary about the protectors of the Heavenly Demon Sect? That old fellow, the Gu King, was captured by me, and that demoness named Yulia was so scared she wet herself!"
"What!" "Impossible!"
Shi Xiaoyue and Yin Tianxiong were almost scared out of their wits by Ling Tian's words. As the saying goes, a person's reputation precedes them. Although the Gu King had been dead for several years, his grave already overgrown with tall grass, his fearsome reputation was such that even those who dabbled in unorthodox paths trembled at the mere mention of his name.
Before becoming protectors of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Shi Xiaoyue and Yin Tianxiong had actually met the Gu King. The malevolent aura he exuded and his methods of killing without a trace had instilled immense fear in the three of them. It was only later that they heard the Gu King, a senior figure, had been captured by the righteous alliance and subsequently killed. This news had sent shockwaves through the unorthodox circles, and from then on, they had been more subdued, fearing they would suffer the same fate as the Gu King.
Within the unorthodox circles, there had always been speculation about who had captured and killed the Gu King. To hear today that it was this young man left them utterly dismayed. Furthermore, the two of them knew very well the strength of that woman, Yulia. Although she was exceptionally beautiful and captivating, they were aware that she was a ruthless demoness. Could someone achieve that without considerable skill? They did not doubt Ling Tian's words, as the series of battles they had just witnessed had already showcased Ling Tian's prowess. For someone with such strength, killing the Gu King was hardly a difficult feat!
Ling Tian looked at the two protectors before him, a playful smile gracing his lips.
"You two scoundrels, one is the sect leader of the Corpse Refining Sect, and the other is the sect leader of the Yin Talisman Sect. Both of you are renowned, but you are both rotten to the core. Now that you have fallen into my hands, I will not let you leave!"
As Ling Tian spoke, his thoughts flickered, and the Smith & Wesson Model 500 appeared in his hand. Ling Tian directly aimed the barrel at them.
"Bang!"
A 12.7mm bullet struck Yin Tianxiong, the sect leader of the Yin Talisman Sect. Several luminous patterns instantly appeared on Yin Tianxiong's body. These were protective talismans, and while not entirely useless, they prevented the bullet from piercing his body. However, these shields could not negate the immense force of the impact. His chest took the full brunt of the shot, causing several more of his already injured ribs to break and inflicting severe damage to his internal organs. His body collapsed heavily onto the ground, his eyes slowly losing their luster...
Yin Tianxiong, the sect leader of the Yin Talisman Sect, a figure of such immense power, thus became another soul claimed by Ling Tian!
Ling Tian turned and aimed the barrel at Shi Xiaoyue, the sect leader of the Corpse Refining Sect. Shi Xiaoyue was so terrified he nearly soiled himself and immediately knelt on the ground.
"Young man, please, spare my life! If you let me go, our entire Corpse Refining Sect will follow your lead, and all our accumulated wealth of a thousand years will be yours!"
"I don't need it!"
Ling Tian looked at Shi Xiaoyue. Despite his outwardly pathetic demeanor, Ling Tian knew he was not sincere and that the man was deeply cunning. Suddenly, Ling Tian sensed a figure approaching at an incredibly high speed! At the same time, Ling Tian noticed a cold smirk appear on Shi Xiaoyue's lips.
"Bang!"
Ling Tian wasted no more words and pulled the trigger, hitting Shi Xiaoyue squarely in the head. By then, the upper part of Shi Xiaoyue's neck was gone, and his corpse crashed heavily to the ground.
Seconds later, the distant figure arrived before Ling Tian! Ling Tian sized up the newcomer. The man was powerfully built, over 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles. He wore a long robe and a hooded cloak. Ling Tian could see that the exposed skin was bronze, covered in dense golden tattoos! However, this person was clearly not alive, exuding an aura of death, with milky white eyes that were incredibly eerie! Ling Tian immediately understood. This was a zombie. No wonder Shi Xiaoyue had been smirking earlier, thinking his savior had arrived!
Suddenly, a surge of black energy floated out from Shi Xiaoyue's corpse and quickly attached itself to the zombie. Ling Tian immediately felt the zombie's demeanor change, its originally white eyes turning golden yellow! At that moment, a harsh, guttural roar emanated from the zombie's throat.
"You... you actually destroyed my physical body! I will kill you!"
It turned out that the body before them was none other than the current highest combat power of the Corpse Refining Sect, a Golden Corpse! One of the most crucial reasons Shi Xiaoyue had come to Hantan Village was to utilize the Yin Gathering formation there to refine zombies. The Yin energy in this valley was extremely dense, filled with Yin Sha, which was an excellent place for zombies to cultivate. This Golden Corpse was a treasure of the Corpse Refining Sect, passed down through generations by their founder over a thousand years. There was only one such Golden Corpse in the entire sect! Shi Xiaoyue had hoped that the unique environment here would allow this zombie to cultivate and grow rapidly. If it could advance further, from a Golden Corpse to a Lion King, that would be incredible. Shi Xiaoyue even believed that at that point, he could walk with impunity even within the Heavenly Demon Sect. When Ling Tian was fighting the two Silver Corpses earlier, Shi Xiaoyue had sensed something was amiss, so he immediately issued a command to the Golden Corpse in a large cave by the lake. The Golden Corpse rushed over as quickly as possible but still arrived too late. Shi Xiaoyue never imagined that Ling Tian would not even give him a chance and would simply pull the trigger!