Chapter 236

Whoosh!

The cold wind was biting, the sun nearing the western hills.

Xiao Yingqi and his father Xiao Changgong stood on the mountaintop, gazing into the distance at the tunnel mouth below in the valley, their eyes solemn.

With them as the center, over ten Xiao family experts stood at various points, holding strong iron bows, poised to shoot.

A solemn atmosphere spread across the mountaintop.

Swish~

Suddenly, the trees behind them rustled, and over ten black-clad figures darted out like black bats.

The leader, a black-clad ghost-masked figure, held a white bone staff about three feet long—unknown whose animal bone it was—yet it emitted a golden jade luster.

He walked slowly up to Xiao Yingqi and his father, speaking in a cold tone:

"Xiao family head, Xiao young master, I have rescued all 132 members of the Xiao family, not a single one left behind."

"Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise to the City Lord!"

"Dharma King, you're being overly impatient."

Xiao Yingqi spoke unhurriedly,

"According to my agreement with the City Lord, besides rescuing my Xiao family, you must also present the head of that Qin surname."

"Only then will I hand over the Sun-Shooting Golden Arrow to the City Lord."

"Hmph! It's merely a matter of time."

The ghost-masked man snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping past the Xiao father and son to land on a spot below in the valley, and he said in a hard tone:

"If that Qin has the ability to pursue, I will ensure he never returns."

"However, whether he can get past Xu Longsheng's pass is still uncertain."

"If he cannot, I will still take the Sun-Shooting Golden Arrow today."

"That's only natural."

Xiao Yingqi went along with it, not deliberately provoking this Netherworld Dharma King infamous in Yunzhou.

Although he had been away from home for ten years, he had still heard of the Four Dharma Kings of the Ghost Mother Sect.

This Netherworld Dharma King before him was most skilled in the Five Ghosts Escape Technique, able to fly and burrow, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, the most troublesome of the Four Dharma Kings.

This time, the successful rescue of the Xiao family was largely due to the subterranean zombies under his control.

Thus, even though his tone and attitude were not friendly, Xiao Yingqi did not mind.

Although the Sun-Shooting Golden Arrow is precious, left by the arrow god Ye Motian six hundred years ago, compared to the lives of the Xiao family and their great vendetta, it amounts to nothing.

"That's excellent."

Having received an affirmative reply, the Netherworld Dharma King's tone eased slightly as he was about to say more,

but suddenly a black shadow shot up from the valley's underground; his eyes narrowed and he coldly chuckled:

"Here he comes!"

Clang!

A chorus of longswords being unsheathed echoed across the mountaintop.

The Netherworld Dharma King hoisted the white bone staff onto his shoulder and strode down the mountain, while the Xiao family members all drew their bows and nocked arrows, preparing for battle.

"You really dare to come after me!"

The Netherworld Dharma King spoke mockingly: "That Xu Longsheng is a waste; he squandered one of our sect's Myriad People Grand Pellets for nothing, and couldn't even stop a mud-legged peasant."

"Hah! If he can't stop it, neither can you!"

Qin Shuo gave a cold sneer, lifting his gaze to the mountaintop ahead.

With his eyesight, he could clearly see that on the mountaintop, Xiao Yingqi and the other Xiao family divine archers had all drawn their bows to the full moon, aiming at him.

Only a few days had passed.

The two once again gazed at each other from afar, but their states of mind were different.

The last time they first met this inner disciple of Xuanbing Mountain, Qin Shuo's heart was filled with urgency.

At that time, he had not yet achieved the second level of the Dragon Elephant Divine Power; a martial artist like Xiao Yingqi who ignited his internal furnace posed a great threat to him.

But now…

It is no longer something to fear!

Sensing the change in Qin Shuo's gaze, Xiao Yingqi also furrowed his brow slightly.

Although Xu Longsheng had rekindled his furnace using the Ghost Mother Sect's Myriad People Grand Pellet, the medicinal power had not yet been digested, and his strength might not have reached its peak.

Yet this youth, not yet of weak-crown age, managed to defeat him, his strength formidable—evident from this.

Such age, such talent, such strength.

Even compared to the true transmissions of the various peaks of Xuanbing Mountain, he is not lacking.

"Alas, no matter how heaven-defyingly talented you are, today you will surely die!"

Xiao Yingqi's eyes flashed with cold light as he pulled his Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron Great Bow to a full circle.

In an instant, the mountaintop's airflow, as if drawn, continually rushed toward his arrow like migratory birds returning to their nests.

"Sun-Shooting Arrow Technique, Crumbling Cloud, Shattering Moon!"

Beside him, Xiao Changgong saw this, his eyes lighting up with both surprise and delight.

What surprised him was that Xiao Yingqi had actually comprehended the complete Crumbling Cloud, Shattering Moon from the Sun-Shooting Golden Arrow,

What pleased him was that mastering such divine archery, as long as they eliminated this reckless Demon-Suppressing Office Colonel this time, once the Xiao family returns from hiding, they will surely regain their former glory—and even surpass it.

"Old man, I can't block it?"

The Netherworld Dharma King laughed, laughing wildly.

"Do you think that by defeating an old coot who relies on pills to forcibly prolong his life, you consider yourself invincible under heaven?"

Bang!

Before his words even fell, the ground behind him exploded in a vast sheet of stone and dirt, debris falling like rain.

One after another, monsters with green skin, red eyes, and bodies covered in black hair burst up from the earth.

These monsters crawled on all fours like beasts, their ten fingers as sharp as iron hooks; a casual swipe could split the mountain rocks on the ground in half.

"Earth-Escape Zombie!"

Qin Shuo's eyes narrowed.

After days of tracking these monsters, seeing them now, they truly lived up to the rumors—ferocious enough to make anyone who looked upon them feel a chill.

"Earth-Escape Zombie?"

Hearing Qin Shuo's words, the Netherworld Dharma King shook his head slightly,

"This is the Stone Wangliang of the Nine Sons of the Mother of Ghosts; though similar to zombies, it can drink blood to increase cultivation, but it is not comparable. As for the differences…"

"Heh heh heh, you'll soon experience it yourself!"

Roar!

Before the Netherworld Dharma King's words even fell, dozens of Earth-Escape Zombies raised their heads and let out beast-like roars,

Then their eyes flared with red light, and they lunged at Qin Shuo like madmen.

Thump thump thump thump!

Dozens of Earth-Escape Zombies ran madly, yet they seemed to carry the momentum of ten thousand steeds galloping,

The entire valley trembled violently, the surrounding trees shivering, showing the immense strength of these Earth-Escape Zombies.

"They're all just inhuman beasts—no difference!"

As Qin Shuo's icy voice rang out from the valley, everyone saw his body suddenly burst with dazzling lightning, and he vanished from the spot in an instant!

Lightning Divine Step!

This technique combines Divine Foot, Wandering Dragon Wind-Riding Step, Primordial Magnetic True Gang, and Thunder and Lightning; it's not just fast—it's as simple as riding the wind and treading waves.

When he wrapped his whole body in lightning and then charged forward with Lightning Divine Step at extreme speed, he himself became an unstoppable great weapon.

Boom—

A startling thunderclap exploded, as if thunderbolts had fallen into the valley.

Qin Shuo appeared as if by teleportation thirty zhang away, arriving behind the zombie horde.

Between his original position and his current one, a dazzling line of light formed by condensed lightning arcs stretched out.

Wherever the lightning and electric light passed, the affected Earth-Escape Zombies exploded one after another, flesh flying.

Lightning!

It is the utmost rigid and strong, the utmost yang and fierce thing in the world, the heavenly might that awes all spirits.

Not to mention these Earth-Escape Zombies being mere flesh and blood; even if made of steel and iron, with Qin Shuo's present collision force plus the destructive power of lightning and electric light, they could not withstand it.

Bang bang bang bang bang…

As Qin Shuo weaved back and forth through the zombie horde, cutting them apart.

One after another, the Earth-Escape Zombies that blades could not wound and axes could not destroy burst apart like papier-mâché.

Either smashed directly by impact or blown apart by lightning force, they died without intact corpses.

For a moment, the valley filled with flashing electric light and rumbling lightning.

An overwhelming stench of rotting corpses spread, mixed with the smell of flesh scorched by lightning, almost making the Mother of Ghosts Sect assassins vomit on the spot.

"What martial art is this?"

On the mountain peak, Xiao Yingqi's pupils contracted slightly.

He held a great bow of cold iron shaped like a full moon, as if the mountain's winds were being gathered into his arrows, yet at this moment he could not lock onto a target.

That figure weaving through the valley floor was too fast—only like a flash of electric light wandering among the corpses.

Looking down from the mountain peak, each time he shifted, the dazzling electric light he trailed looked like a thunderbolt cutting through the corpse horde,

Wherever it passed, the corpse horde exploded into dust.

Those scattered corpse chunks, once struck by the electric light, instantly ignited and burned fiercely.

As the light faded, the sharp electric light resembled a peerless divine blade that had cleaved the entire valley.

Such a gruesome sight left the Xiao clanfolk stunned, as well as the many Mother of Ghosts Sect assassins preparing to surround and kill.

Even the Netherworld Dharma King, who had one foot in the Grandmaster Realm, momentarily lost himself in a daze.

Such power, such speed!

Could this kid be a second vessel for Fu Lingyuan?

Bang!

In the time it took for everyone's thoughts to turn, the last Earth-Escape Zombie had already exploded.

Even before the Mother of Ghosts Sect people could get close or act, they saw that electric light shoot up into the sky, finally hovering in midair like a descending thunder god.

As his palm turned over, a great bow as tall as a person suddenly appeared in his hand.

"Wind Thunder Subduing Flood Dragon Bow?!"