Chapter 20

Zheng Shiying cautiously approached him, and with one foot, completely crushed his spine to prevent Huang He from faking an injury and getting up. Then, he searched the man's body and found a soul stone ticket worth one hundred soul stones, which he pocketed.

"‘Eight Desolate Steps’ Fourth Step!"

Zheng Shiying suddenly understood a lot. Spirit energy continuously rushed to his feet, pressing the ground into a deep pit.

His legs moved, leaving afterimages in four different directions, and he had already appeared several hundred meters away.

The fourth step of the Eight Desolate Steps, which he had never managed to master despite multiple attempts, was unexpectedly completed due to his injury!

Given the current situation, should he be able to save Wu Dong?

Zheng Shiying secretly calculated the possibility of going to fight to the death, then took a moment to rest before heading in the direction where Qiu Tianlang was.

Qiu Tianlang reached out and grabbed a team member with a pale face and a strange beast's claw mark on his chest, staring coldly at Su Jingdan with icy eyes and asked, "I'll ask you again, will you help me with the blood transfusion?"

Su Jingdan, with a serious expression, shook her head and retreated backward. She absolutely could not help this kind of person!

"You won't help me, is that it?" Qiu Tianlang's pupils constricted, and he suddenly exerted force on the arm of the young martial artist he was holding!

Crack!

As the bones broke, there was also a sound like fabric being torn, mixed with the young martial artist's heart-wrenching screams. Blood spurted from the wound, staining the grass red!

Qiu Tianlang's long sleeves flew, and the blood that was about to land on the ground was drawn to him, entering his mouth.

Gulping... Gulping...

Qiu Tianlang's Adam's apple moved several times. When he smiled again, his yellow, rotten teeth were covered in a glaring red!

Screams! Red teeth! Broken arm! And that smile with a mouth full of blood!

All of this made Qiu Tianlang look exceptionally terrifying. His eyes gleamed with greed as he licked the blood from his lips and laughed, "Drinking their blood can't cure my illness, but it can extend my life. If you don't help me, I'll drain them all dry..."

Before he finished speaking, Qiu Tianlang slapped the young martial artist's back! The powerful true qi made the blood inside the man's body spurt out violently, and his injured body immediately became emaciated. The previously smooth skin now looked like the bark of a thousand-year-old tree.

The faces of the crowd turned pale, and they trembled, retreating backward.

Everyone had accompanied Su Jingdan into the mountains just to hunt some beast cores along the way!

Who would have thought that they would be schemed against by Huang He from the moment they entered the mountains, becoming lambs to be sent to others? If they had known this...

Qiu Tianlang sneered as he surveyed everyone, his gaze finally settling on Wu Dong. He extended his arm and grabbed Wu Dong, saying, "It's you!"

"Little bitch! I'll ask you one last time! Will you cure me?" Qiu Tianlang's hand clamped around Wu Dong's neck! If Su Jingdan shook her head, he would immediately twist off Wu Dong's head and drain his blood, just like before!

Su Jingdan's eyes were filled with tears. She didn't want anyone to die, nor did she want to treat Qiu Tianlang. If this kind of person lived, no one else would survive!

"How could it be like this... How could it be like this?" Su Jingdan wept helplessly, "I just didn't want to be bound by the Spirit Physician Guild, so I chose to enter the mountains alone... to gather the spirit medicines needed to advance to a spirit physician... I just wanted to cure more people..."

Harming others! Now unable to save anyone! Everyone was about to be killed because of her...

She longed for someone to step forward and resolve the crisis at this moment!

"Looks like you disagree?" Qiu Tianlang sneered, and the five fingers clamping Wu Dong's throat suddenly exerted force!

Just as he was about to exert force, a cold voice came from a distance, "Let him go!"

"You?" Qiu Tianlang looked in surprise at Zheng Shiying, who had emerged from the forest.

Just now! Just now! This young martial artist who had escaped was still pale and could barely walk steadily!

Now, his face was rosy, and his steps were firm, completely recovered from his weakness.

Qiu Tianlang threw Wu Dong away and turned his gaze to Zheng Shiying, sneering, "After performing the third step of the ‘Eight Desolate Steps,’ you can recover so quickly?"

"It seems that the useless Huang He has been dealt with by you. You surprise me, your blood must be special!"

"Come over!"

He extended his hands, and a powerful suction force distorted the entire space.

"Whoosh!"

Zheng Shiying's figure disappeared from where he stood.

"The ‘Eight Desolate Steps’ are indeed powerful, able to dodge my Sand Suction Palm! But you think you can attack me? You're just delusional!" Qiu Tianlang sneered.

The golden vine soul that had injured Zheng Shiying seemed to know his position. The moment Zheng Shiying appeared behind Qiu Tianlang, it shot out like a dragon emerging from the sea, bursting through the air.

Seeing the golden hue on the golden vine soul, Zheng Shiying's body shrank, and he activated the third step of the ‘Eight Desolate Steps’ again! The golden vine soul shattered the afterimage left behind.

"You only know three steps of the ‘Eight Desolate Steps’ and dare to come to kill me? You're overestimating yourself!"

The ‘Eight Desolate Steps’ are indeed fast! With Qiu Tianlang's cultivation, he almost couldn't catch Zheng Shiying's figure.

But! This speed is not enough! With the golden vine soul, I can still turn the tide against the ‘Eight Desolate Steps’!

Qiu Tianlang's eyes glowed fiercely. With his current severe injuries, he could only release the golden vine soul three times in a short period. He had already released it twice not long ago, leaving one more release now.

But! This one release is enough to kill Zheng Shiying!

"Golden Vine Strangle!"

Qiu Tianlang spat out a mouthful of blood, and the golden vine soul instantly transformed into a hundred, like golden snakes, wildly thrashing.

A shadow fell into the group of wildly thrashing golden snakes, and the sound of "crack" continuously came from the golden vines.

A hint of satisfaction appeared at the corner of Qiu Tianlang's mouth, "The ‘Eight Desolate Steps’ step into the eight desolates, indeed powerful. But you only mastered three steps, dying under my golden vine soul..."

"Isn't it unjust?" A mocking voice came from behind him, quickly moving away.

"Rip!"

A sharp, cold dagger pierced his throat!

This...?

Qiu Tianlang looked in shock at the dagger in his throat, fresh blood dripping to the ground.

The pain in his throat was telling him that the golden vine soul had not severed Zheng Shiying, but only his afterimage.

"Fourth step! He actually took the fourth step! This... How is this possible..."

Qiu Tianlang's eyes were full of shock and confusion. A cultivator at the Sixth Level could burst into the fourth step of the ‘Eight Desolate Steps’! Even at the Qi Spring Realm, no one could master it!

If I weren't injured! Not to mention Zheng Shiying taking four steps, even if he took ten steps, I wouldn't let him live for half a breath.

Qiu Tianlang's eyes widened in anger, and his body fell straight to the ground...

"Clang!"

The large sword in his hand fell to the ground.

"Qiu Tianlang is actually dead!"

The shock and surprise in everyone's eyes were evident as they stared at the fallen Qiu Tianlang.

Not long ago! Everyone thought no one could escape Qiu Tianlang's Dark Devil Palm! Today, everyone would leave this world with their blood drained.

The one everyone thought was the weakest, Zheng Shiying, suddenly burst out! Not only did he dodge the Dark Devil Palm, but he also successfully leaped behind Qiu Tianlang, gaining the opportunity to assassinate him.

But... Qiu Tianlang's speed was too fast, so fast that Zheng Shiying had no chance to attack.

Especially when Qiu Tianlang used the "Golden Vine Strangle," everyone smelled the scent of death, and Zheng Shiying would surely die from this attack.

But what no one expected... Zheng Shiying not only survived this attack but also killed Qiu Tianlang!

"Terrifying ‘Eight Desolate Steps’! Terrifying Zheng Shiying!"

Everyone swallowed their saliva, shifting their gaze from the corpse to Zheng Shiying, staring intently at this new disciple who had just joined.

Zheng Shiying recovered his strength, walked to the large sword, and placed his hand on the hilt, lifting it with effort!

"Heavy!"

Feeling the weight of the large sword, Zheng Shiying finally understood why Qiu Tianlang dragged it on the ground.

With his injured body, he was not strong enough to lift the large sword!

After tying the large sword to his body, he slowly walked toward Wu Dong.

Wu Dong wiped the sweat from his face, smiling with a hint of complaint, "You're good, hiding your strength so deeply! Even a fierce person like Qiu Tianlang can be killed by you..."

"If I had known you were so powerful, I wouldn't have had to endure the bullying from Huang He and Su Xing on this journey! Don't tell me you also dealt with Huang He?"

Zheng Shiying grinned, "What do you think?"

"Great!" Wu Dong placed his hand on Zheng Shiying's shoulder, pointing at Qiu Tianlang's corpse, "Brother, you're about to get rich! This guy is a very important wanted criminal in the sect! Cut off his head and hand it over to the sect, and you'll receive a generous reward. I'll help you with it!"

Wu Dong quickly walked to Qiu Tianlang's corpse, cut off his head with a sword, and held it in his hand.

He pointed at Qiu Tianlang's head, saying proudly, "Brother, our fortune depends on this."

"Right, if we carry it like this, by the time we return to the sect, the head will rot and be unrecognizable. That would be a problem!"

Wu Dong turned to the other team members and asked, "Guys! Who has herbs to delay the rotting of the head?"

"I have