Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 368: Chapter 349: Water Manipulation Skill and Wuyang Iron

Zhao Lin couldn’t see or hear, and his Divine Sense was sealed, but his echolocation kept him locked firmly onto Sheng Jinlong.

To deceive Sheng Jinlong, he deliberately put on a look of utter panic, as if he were completely stunned.

Sheng Jinlong suspected nothing. Just as he was about to cast a spell, Zhao Lin suddenly flicked his hand, sending the second Yin Evil Pearl flying.

WHOOSH!

"Ah—"

Sheng Jinlong saw the black pearl arrive in an instant and was scared out of his wits.

A mere touch of that Evil Qi had already cost him more than half his Mana. If another one hit him, he feared his very Dao foundation would be severely damaged, destroying any hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.

’How could he have found me?’ he wondered, bewildered. ’He was clearly hit by my Sky Blind Skill!’

He wanted to form a Spiritual Energy Shield to block it, but his hands were already gathering another spell; he couldn’t spare an ounce of Spiritual Power.

In the midst of his bewilderment, Zhao Lin unleashed a Stone Roar Fist.

BANG!

The Yin Evil Pearl shattered in mid-air. Propelled by the force of the punch, the full blast of Evil Qi slammed into Sheng Jinlong.

Sheng Jinlong let out a wretched scream and plummeted stiffly from the sky, crashing hard onto the ground.

Zhao Lin felt a wave of dizziness pass. His hearing gradually returned, and his vision cleared... His senses were his own again.

As his feet touched the ground, Zhao Lin pulled on a pair of beast-hide gloves and quickly searched Sheng Jinlong from head to toe, even stripping off his outer robes.

He found two storage bags, three high-grade talismans, a bottle of Fasting Pills, two pieces of Spirit Beast Jerky, and the exquisite inner armor Sheng Jinlong was wearing.

Sheng Jinlong hadn’t lost consciousness. A searing pain coursed through his body, making him feel as if he were being flayed alive. Fainting was an impossible mercy. All he could do was watch, wide-eyed, as Zhao Lin looted his body.

A moment later, Wei Shi and Li Yuanyou rushed over.

"Brother Zhao, your martial prowess is incredible! I’m truly impressed!"

Wei Shi gave him a thumbs-up, his praise sincere.

"Pah! You cultivate demonic arts and consort with Yin Souls! If the sect finds out, it’ll be a death sentence for you both!"

Sheng Jinlong roared, his face twisted in a venomous snarl.

"What demonic arts? Don’t you dare make baseless accusations!"

Wei Shi froze for a second, then shot back angrily.

"If you don’t practice demonic arts, then where did that Evil Qi come from? You even refined it into a pearl!"

Sheng Jinlong sneered, rolling his eyes. "And what about that Yin Soul standing right next to you?"

"Nonsense!"

Suddenly at a loss for words, Wei Shi strode forward and gave him a vicious kick.

Sheng Jinlong looked completely unfazed. "Go on, kill me if you have the guts. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Zhao Lin asked pleasantly.

"You let me go, and we’ll call this matter even."

Sheng Jinlong’s gaze met Zhao Lin’s, and his heart skipped a beat. His tone softened.

’That’s what he said, but in his heart, he’d already made up his mind. The moment he recovered his Mana, he would make them pay, even if it meant risking another ten years of confinement.’

Zhao Lin said nothing, just smiled noncommittally.

"Brother Zhao, what do we do?"

Wei Shi asked in a low voice, suddenly realizing how tricky the situation had become.

Sheng Jinlong was backed by the Sheng family. They couldn’t kill him, but they couldn’t let him go, either. It seemed like any choice was the wrong one.

"Simple."

Zhao Lin walked over, iron ruler in hand, and plunged it directly into Sheng Jinlong’s abdomen.

"AAGH—"

Sheng Jinlong let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, his body convulsing in agony, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Wei Shi, shocked by Zhao Lin’s ruthlessness, cried out in alarm, "Brother Zhao, he’s from the Sheng family! Their ancestor is a Purple Mansion cultivator..."

Zhao Lin cut him off bluntly. "So what?"

Wei Shi glanced at Sheng Jinlong writhing on the ground. "If the Sheng family finds out, we’ll be in huge trouble!" he said anxiously. "Besides, when a cultivator goes missing in a small world, the sect always sends people to investigate."

Zhao Lin didn’t get angry. He asked patiently, "Brother Wei, what do you think we should do, then?"

Wei Shi was only eighteen. He had been cultivating in the Spirit Dao Institute since he was a boy and had never faced any real adversity or witnessed the wickedness of the human heart. His reaction was perfectly normal.

"I think... we should just teach him a harsh lesson, right? That should be enough."

Wei Shi said uncertainly.

"And then what? After we let the tiger back into the mountains, how do you think he’ll ’repay’ us?"

Zhao Lin put special emphasis on the word "repay."

Faced with the relentless questioning, Wei Shi realized the gravity of the situation. He hesitated. "But the Sheng family is so powerful..."

Zhao Lin slowly shook his head. "That’s exactly why he has to die."

"If we let him go, you and I will face endless harassment and suppression. We might not even be able to keep our lives."

"I don’t know the Sheng family well, but if they can produce trash like him, it’s obvious what kind of people they are."

"And another thing. He’s been afflicted by Yin Corpse Evil Qi. His cultivation path is finished. Even if we let him go... you think the Sheng family won’t hold it against us?"

The expression on Wei Shi’s face flickered. After a moment of internal struggle, his features hardened. "What if the sect investigates and finds out?" he asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Sheng Jinlong knew Wei Shi had been swayed. He hurriedly begged for his life, "Don’t kill me! I give up! I swear I won’t retaliate..."

Zhao Lin ignored him and continued speaking to Wei Shi. "If you don’t talk, and I don’t talk, who’s going to know?"

Wei Shi fell silent.

Sheng Jinlong’s face paled. His tone shifted instantly to a loud threat. "The Sheng family has powerful Secret Techniques! We’ll definitely be able to track you!"

"Good. I hope the Sheng family’s Secret Technique can bring you back to life."

Zhao Lin shot back sarcastically, then handed the iron ruler to Wei Shi. "Brother Wei, your turn."

’People are fickle. Trust is one thing, but binding someone to you with a shared crime is the surest way.’

A chill went down Wei Shi’s spine. He understood that this was Zhao Lin’s way of forcing him to commit, to bind them together in this crime. After a brief hesitation, he steeled himself, took the iron ruler, and plunged it into Sheng Jinlong’s chest.

SQUELCH. Blood instantly gushed forth.

"The Sheng family... won’t let you get away with this."

Sheng Jinlong gasped, knowing there was no hope for him.