Chapter 54

The tragic scream echoed and then quickly fell silent. In the terrified eyes of the three middle-aged men in yellow, Luba was torn apart by a dozen Ghostly Apes, his internal organs devoured, and blood splattered everywhere.

"It seems your luck isn't very good; they didn't just bite you a few times and let you go."

Lintian said indifferently.

Turning around, his eyes were cold as he scanned the last three people.

Meeting his gaze, the three men trembled in unison.

"Please spare our lives, sir!"

The three men trembled and all knelt down.

At this moment, their faces were filled with fear, and they regretted it bitterly. A sixteen-year-old array master with the cultivation of the seventh level of Body Tempering, what kind of genius was this? How could they have provoked such a monster!

"Stand up."

Lintian said indifferently.

The Guishen Sword trembled lightly, its piercing cry deafening as it pointed straight at the three men.

"Spare our lives, sir! We are blind! Treat us like a fart and let us go!"

"We don't want to die!"

The three men were terrified.

"Don't want to die?" Lintian's face was expressionless as he approached the three men: "No one wants to die."

The three men stumbled backward, filled with fear and anxiety.

"You... you really want to kill us? Can't you be a little merciful?"

The middle-aged man in yellow's voice trembled.

"Merciful?" Lintian sneered: "What is that?"

The people who had just demanded the little girl's life in exchange for their own now wanted him to be merciful. Lintian found this the funniest joke he had ever heard.

"You..."

The three men's faces were ugly, both terrified and livid.

"If you want to kill us, you won't have it easy either!"

One of them suddenly snarled.

With a whoosh, this person retreated and rushed toward the little girl by the stone wall.

Lintian's face turned cold, and with a slight movement, he executed the Two Instruments Step to its limit, moving like a bolt of lightning. He intercepted the little girl in an instant, and the Guishen Sword slashed through the air.

"Poof!"

Blood splattered, and the man's head flew off.

After killing this person, Lintian turned to look at the little girl. She was crouched in a corner of the stone wall, her body trembling, her face filled with fear.

"Xiazi, don't be afraid. They are all bad people and deserve punishment."

Lintian comforted her.

Unfortunately, the little girl was still scared and didn't improve much.

Lintian sighed. He knew that for an eleven-year-old girl, such a scene was indeed too cruel.

Turning his head, he looked at the last two people, his face even colder.

"Those who do wrong must be punished."

He said indifferently.

He stepped forward, the sword tip glowing with a terrifying sword aura.

The two middle-aged men in yellow retreated in a panic, completely overwhelmed by Lintian's aura. Facing Lintian now, they felt even more terrified than when they faced the two-headed Flame Dragon.

"Don't come closer!"

One of them shouted, his long staff pointing straight at Lintian, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Lintian's face was expressionless as he continued to advance.

"If you don't move, then I will."

He said indifferently.

With a whoosh, he darted forward like a meteor, the Guishen Sword slashing diagonally.

"Crack!"

The long staff was severed and fell to the ground.

Lintian's face was cold, and he swept his right leg, kicking the man in the chest. A powerful force surged, causing the man to spit blood and fly out, rolling out of the demon-repelling powder's range.

A dozen Ghostly Apes roared, their eyes blood-red, and charged over.

"Ah!"

A tragic scream echoed, and like Luba, this man was devoured by the Ghostly Apes.

Lintian's gaze was cold as he looked at the last middle-aged man in yellow.

The middle-aged man in yellow retreated, his face turning deathly pale: "Devil! You are a devil!"

"Not bad, a devil who cleans up scum."

Lintian said indifferently.

He spun his long sword, and the Sword of Destruction slashed out. Dozens of sword auras converged from all directions, piercing the middle-aged man in yellow.

Glancing coldly at the few corpses, Lintian looked beyond the demon-repelling powder.

"Next, it's your turn."

He muttered to himself.

Now, he was at the seventh level of Body Tempering. Although the Ghostly Apes were terrifying, he wasn't overly afraid. The only pressure was that there were a dozen of them, making the battle very difficult.

Taking a deep breath, he moved his feet and stepped beyond the demon-repelling powder.

There was about a quarter of an hour left before the demon-repelling powder lost its effect. Within this quarter of an hour, the demon-repelling powder could protect the little girl, and he had to eliminate all the Ghostly Apes within this time, or it would be very troublesome afterward.

His steps were steady, and the Guishen Sword trembled, spreading a sharp sword intent.

"Swish!"

At this moment, a strange sound came from behind.

Lintian quickly stopped and turned his head. His pupils immediately dilated. At the base of the stone wall blocking the path, a strange flower had grown from the dry bones. The flower was about an inch and a half tall, completely black, but its petals were a blood-red, as if stained with blood.

"Yin Soul Flower?!"

Lintian was slightly surprised.

He moved his feet and quickly approached the stone wall.

"Xiazi, come a little closer."

He said to the little girl.

The Yin Soul Flower was highly toxic, and the little girl was very close to it. He was worried she might be in danger.

The little girl was still scared, not yet free from the previous cruel scene, but hearing Lintian's voice, she slowly moved behind Lintian, tightly gripping his clothes.

"That's it."

Lintian smiled.

Turning his head, he took a deep breath, quickly took out a small bag, and used the Guishen Sword to scoop up the soil and the Yin Soul Flower, sealing it in the small bag.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he carefully put away the small bag.

The Yin Soul Flower was highly toxic, and even an eighth-level Body Tempering expert would die upon contact. Therefore, although the digging process only took a few dozen breaths, Lintian was on high alert, and naturally, he sweated under such pressure.

Patted his hands, he stood up and pulled the little girl up.

"Xiazi, stay here for a moment. Big brother will clear the way, and then we'll leave together."

Lintian said gently.

The little girl nodded fearfully: "Um... um..."

Lintian smiled and walked toward the Ghostly Apes.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the entire valley trembled, and two blood-red eyes the size of bowls appeared ahead.

In an instant, a Ghostly Ape let out a tragic scream, and a blood mist exploded.

Lintian looked ahead, and his pupils constricted.

In the darkness, a massive beast appeared at the front of the valley, standing about three zhang tall, with a body like a giant lute, four legs on each side of its abdomen, and a sharp spike at the end of its large tail.

"Fourth-level beast, Lingkan Scorpion!"

Lintian's face changed.

Another fourth-level beast! Comparable to the Divine Pulse Realm!

"Was it attracted by the Yin Soul Flower?" Lintian was slightly annoyed: "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."

"Roar!"

The Ghostly Apes roared. Facing a fourth-level beast, the Ghostly Apes seemed weak, but these beasts were very aggressive and did not flee. Instead, they fiercely attacked the Lingkan Scorpion, as if seeking revenge for their companions.

Lintian retreated to the little girl's side, quickly calculating. The demon-repelling powder only worked on beasts below the fourth level, and the Lingkan Scorpion was clearly not one of them. Once all the Ghostly Apes were killed, the Lingkan Scorpion would charge over, and at that time, it would be dangerous. He was not a match for a fourth-level beast now.

"Should I take advantage of the chaos to rush out?"

Lintian stared ahead but quickly shook his head. If he were alone, he might be able to escape using the Two Instruments Step, but he had to bring the little girl, which would greatly reduce his speed, and he definitely couldn't escape.

Turning his head, Lintian looked at the stone wall behind him.

The stone wall was about ten zhang high, blocking the path. Most importantly, it was very steep, making it difficult to climb.

"Let's take a risk."

Lintian muttered.

He tore off a piece of his sleeve and pulled the little girl over: "Xiazi, get on big brother's back."

"Okay."

The little girl climbed onto Lintian's back, her hands around his neck.

Lintian nodded subconsciously and used the sleeve to securely tie the little girl to his back.

"Alright." Lintian thought to himself, slowly retreating until he was seven zhang away from the stone wall. He then softly said to the little girl: "Xiazi, close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you."

The little girl shuddered, obediently closed her eyes, and tightly held onto Lintian's neck.

"Whoosh!"

Staring at the stone wall, Lintian exhaled a long breath.

In the next moment, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and his figure darted forward like an arrow, covering the seven zhang distance in an instant. Then, he stepped on the stone wall and ran up it crazily.

"Buzz!"

His body glowed with a brilliant silver light, and true essence surged within him, pushing the Two Instruments Step to its limit.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

The sound of sand and dust falling continuously echoed. Each time Lintian's feet touched the stone wall, the upward resistance increased. When he reached ten zhang high, his steps became difficult to take.

"Wind Shock Sword!"

His body moved, his right hand spun, and the third Wind Shock Sword slashed downward.

With a boom, the Wind Shock Sword cut through countless sword auras, and Lintian used the recoil from the Wind Shock Sword Technique to surge upward, finally carrying the little girl to the top of the stone wall.

Looking down at the valley below the stone wall, Lintian couldn't help but sigh in relief.

Turning his head slightly, the other side of the stone wall was also an old forest.

"Let's go!"

Climbing up the stone wall was difficult, but going down the other side was simple because there were many tall, thick old trees on the other side, which could help Lintian buffer his descent.

Without hesitation, Lintian lightly leaped and jumped down.

After a dozen breaths, he landed smoothly on the ground on the other side of the stone wall.

"Boom!"

At this moment, a loud noise echoed, and the space trembled.

Lintian looked up, and his face immediately turned ugly. The Lingkan Scorpion had also jumped to the top of the stone wall, its blood-red eyes coldly staring at him.