“Don’t even think about it!” The Zombie Daoist extended his hand and easily grabbed the Wind-entwining blade that had flown past him. He swung it heavily against the stone altar, and the ruined blade immediately shattered.
With a swish, the Iron Plate corpse swiped at him with its claws and left behind three gashes on the Black Wolf uniform that could even block crossbow bolts.
Li Qingshan was forced out of the dwelling in horrible shape. He called out, “Xiao An!”
Twang! A crossbow bolt pierced through the air with a shrill whistle.
The Zombie Daoist suddenly looked around. All he found was the same child who sat on the roof of the morgue under the moonlight standing there silently, holding a Thousand Mechanism crossbow in each hand.
She launched sixty Fire Crow bolts, which turned into sixty specks of light. From above, below, left, and right, they sealed off all the places where the Zombie Daoist could dodge.
“Trying to lure the Iron Plate corpse away?” The Zombie Daoist sneered. Since he could not dodge, he would not dodge. He was a sixth layer Qi Practitioner after all. Aside from being able to refine corpses, he possessed powerful true qi as well, so how could he be killed so easily?
True qi surged out from his sea of qi in his dantian, coating his body. The low grade spiritual artifact robes swept before him, and with the input of true qi, they turned into a steel screen.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The Fire Crow bolts landed on the robes and were immediately set off, exploding loudly.
Although the robes had been reduced to dust, the Zombie Daoist was completely unscathed. He pulled out the same Thousand Mechanism crossbow. “Let me try now!” He had just taken this from Zhang Lanqing. He planned on returning the favour.
Zhang Lanqing had never thought that a weapon he had created would instead become a tool for the enemy.
Xiao An did not try to take it on forcefully. She retreated behind a stone pillar. There were a few clinks, and a few Fire Crow arrows landed on the rock before exploding loudly. They blew apart the stone pillar, but Xiao An had vanished behind it.
The Zombie Daoist frowned. Suddenly, he turned the Thousand Mechanism crossbow towards Hao Pingyang. “What are you trying to do?” The Zombie Daoist fired away.
Hao Pingyang just happened to be lunging over with his broken chains in an attempt to launch a sneak attack.
Xiao An had not been trying to defeat the Zombie Daoist using the crossbows. Instead, she had saved Hao Pingyang, aiming a few Fire Crow bolts accurately at the chains. The Zombie Daoist was extremely alert, so he obviously noticed it.
Hao Pingyang did not try to dodge at all. He swung the chains heavily and blew up the crossbow bolts in the air. He roared out as he charged at the Zombie Daoist like he wanted to take him down with him. He wanted to unleash all the rage within his heart.
The Zombie Daoist stood exactly where he was as he faced the enraged Hao Pingyang. He constantly fired away with the Thousand Mechanism crossbow in an extremely controlled manner, pausing slightly after two or three bolts each time. He was not like Jin Bao and Jin Yuan, who fired all the bolts mindlessly.
The light from the explosions constantly illuminated his face, lighting up his sneer. How was it possible for him to be defeated by an enemy he had just caught?
Just when Hao Pingyang reached five steps away from the Zombie Daoist, the exploding crossbow bolts blew away the metal chains, creating an opening. In the end, a single crossbow bolt managed to cross through this opening, landing directly on his chest.
Hao Pingyang used his true qi desperately to block it, but he was still blown away. He slammed against the stone wall several meters away heavily, making all of his efforts go to waste. A Qi Practitioner without spiritual artifacts was like a tiger that had lost its fangs and claws. Moreover, he was a frail tiger right now.
The Zombie Daoist placed down the Thousand Mechanism crossbow as he looked down on him. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he shielded his waist in a hurry, but it was already too late. A tiny figure rushed past him with unbelievable speed, stealing the bell from his waist.
The Zombie Daoist was startled, but he was not shaken up. He said coldly, “Do you really think you can control the Iron Plate corpse now that you have the bell?” The bell was only a tool for summoning and keeping the Iron Plate corpse under control. What actually controlled the corpse was his own will. Moreover, the bell was only useful if it were used by the master of the corpses.
Xiao An turned around and rushed out of the cave. All she saw was the Iron Plate corpse rushing about in pursuit of Li Qingshan. Although his speed had been amplified by the Swift Breeze talisman, his Black Wolf uniform was still in tatters. However, his wounds were not severe thanks to the Ox Demon Forges its Hide.
If it were not for the fact that there was no reasonable way to explain it, he would have transformed and killed the Iron Plate corpse a long time ago. The Iron Plate corpse was fast and strong, but it was dumb. It did not know any moves. It was not his opponent.
Xiao An jingled the bell, but the Iron Plate corpse continued to pursue Li Qingshan like it had not heard it at all. Just as the Zombie Daoist had said, the Iron Plate corpse could only be controlled by him.
Xiao An placed down the bell and raised her small hands.
Li Qingshan dodged a swipe from the Iron Plate corpse by a hair’s breadth. The Iron Plate corpse seemed to hear something, suddenly looking back. All it was saw pale, red flames filling the entire cavern, surging over.
Its heart that was filled with resentment and bloodthirstiness suddenly developed a familiar sensation of fear.
The Iron Plate corpse did not have true qi or daemon qi. It relied on its iron plates to block all attacks from techniques or spiritual artifacts. However, it struggled to stop the invasion of fire now. The pale, red flames swallowed the Iron Plate corpse and coiled around it like a snake. All of it surged into its mouth until not a single flicker was left.
The Iron Plate corpse’s movements suddenly halted. Pale, red flames seemed to appear in the depths of its eyes. The shriveled brain within its skull was burnt to a crisp, transformed into a furnace that began to control the Iron Plate corpse’s body.
Xiao An waved the bell, and the Iron Plate corpse immediately arrived before her. Of course, what controlled it was not the bell, but Xiao An’s fire. Her fire could control the dead upon embedding itself in their bones.
The bodies of ordinary people and even Qi Practitioners were not worth controlling, as their flesh and blood would naturally decay. Moreover, unrefined skeletons were limited in strength. It would not be worth her effort.
However, the Iron Plate corpse was different. After being refined, it would never decay, and its physical might was tremendous, basically seeming like the Iron Plate corpse was prepared for her. This was the absolute power that higher abilities had over lower techniques. Their cultivation was clearly similar, but it could not even threaten her.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Nicely done!” With that, he had gained a powerful lackey, drastically strengthening him. Moreover, everything would become more convenient, including killing the Zombie Daoist in a perfectly justifiable fashion.
Xiao An copied Li Qingshan and shrugged as she smiled slightly.
Back in the dwelling, Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi, who had just seen a glimmer of hope, plunged into despair once again. They believed that before long, the Iron Plate corpse would return with Li Qingshan and Xiao An’s dead bodies, just like what had happened to Jin Yuan and Jin Bao.
Hao Pingyang stood up with difficulty as he supported himself against the wall. He glared daggers at the Zombie Daoist, but he was riddled with injuries now. Moreover, most of his true qi had been consumed. He no longer had any spiritual stones to replenish it either, so he posed no threat to the Zombie Daoist at all.
The Zombie Daoist was teeming with confidence, but whenever he thought of Xiao An, he would always feel rather uneasy. Suddenly, his eyes widened. His connection with the Iron Plate corpse had actually been severed.
He immediately lost all his composure, rushing out of the cavern without caring at all. This was the fruits of several years of labour. He had placed so much effort into it, so he could not afford to lose it. He had to regain control over the Iron Plate corpse no matter what the price was.
Before he could even exit the cavern, a tall figure blocked the entrance. It was the Iron Plate corpse.
The Zombie Daoist used his chants and techniques in a hurry, but all of his commands were like stones cast into the sea. He did not receive any replies at all.
Xiao An waved the bell, and the Iron Plate corpse lifted its claw and reached towards the Zombie Daoist.
The Zombie Daoist was filled with disbelief. How was it possible for his control over the Iron Plate corpse he had spent so many years refining to be taken away so easily? If this really were possible, there was no point for any corpse refiners to exist at all.
However, the cruel reality was presented right before him, regardless of whether he believed it or not. Ten years of hard work had been taken away from him after just a while of satisfaction. This felt like raising a child after so much difficulty, only for them to call someone else father. It was enough for him to cough up blood.
“Nice!” Hao Pingyang called out. Zhang Lanqing and He Yishi were delighted as well. They did not know the art of refining corpses, so they had no idea how strange this all was. They only felt that Li Qingshan was extremely lucky, actually managing to turn the tables in such an unbelievable fashion.
With his mind perturbed, his actions descended into a mess as well. There was a bloody flash, and four vicious wounds appeared on the Zombie Daoist’s chest. The pain, however, jerked him back to reality. He turned around and fled. As long as he was still alive, all was still possible. He already possessed the experience of refining corpses, so there would always be an opportunity for him to make a return if he escaped.
The Iron Plate corpse blocked the Zombie Daoist’s path, raising a hand and launching a punch. It crushed the air, causing it to whistle.
The Zombie Daoist layered his true qi in front of him instinctively to block, but the Iron Plate corpse forcefully blew it apart with its terrifying strength, sending him flying.
The Zombie Daoist’s eyes widened as he looked at the Iron Plate corpse. It’s impossible for my Iron Plate corpse to be so powerful!
He understood the strength of what he refined the best. The current Iron Plate corpse was far more powerful than when he controlled it.
This was obviously due to Xiao An’s pale, red flames. Her flames could turn ordinary skeletons into powerful warriors, so it obviously offered quite a boost to the Iron Plate corpse as well.
And, when the Zombie Daoist controlled the Iron Plate corpse, he could only give it orders, which the Iron Plate corpse would then complete out of its desire for blood. It would only attack instinctively, paying no attention to its moves or how it used its strength.
However, under the control of Xiao An’s flames, the Iron Plate corpse was basically like her clone. She could control its movements down to the finest detail.
This was like an ordinary person who had suddenly developed internal martial arts and learned the moves. They would obviously become much stronger.
Before the Zombie Daoist could even return to his senses, the Iron Plate corpse had strode over in pursuit. Its steps seemed to follow some kind of pace, making it impossible to read the direction of its attacks. It differed drastically from its straightforward method of attack from before.
The Zombie Daoist took a great step backwards and avoided the range of the Zombie Daoist’s claws. Afterwards, he watched on in disbelief as the Iron Plate corpse jumped up and launched a roundhouse kick across his face viciously.
The tremor from the attack made the Zombie Daoist’s face ripple and twist. He spat out a few teeth. Why did the Iron Plate corpse know roundhouse kicks!? He had never heard of any Iron Plate corpses using roundhouse kicks against its opponents. They all used their claws and teeth.
Before the Zombie Daoist had been dropped to the ground, the Iron Plate corpse rushed up and grabbed him by his calf. With a shoulder slam, it knocked him into the ground before picking him up and throwing him against a stone pillar to the side.
The Iron Plate corpse’s movements made it seem like a master of martial arts. It demonstrated true skill, conquering power with technique and focusing all on speed.
Li Qingshan even saw many moves that copied his Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength and Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. Who knows how many times Xiao An had seen Li Qingshan practise these two fist styles. She unleashed all of it through the Iron Plate corpse now. As a result, the Zombie Daoist could not even put up any resistance.
Li Qingshan sighed. It was true. If zombies knew martial arts, they were unstoppable.
