Chapter 48: A Frog at the Bottom of a Well...

The man in black realized something was amiss the moment he sensed someone making a move.

Amidst such fierce wind and snow, someone had managed to get this close to him without his noticing. It was obvious the newcomer possessed supreme martial arts skills, and in all likelihood, it was none other than Wu Mu Qin Xiang from down the mountain!

Thud!

A sound resembling clashing metal rang out across the snowfield. The snow beneath the man in black’s feet exploded into the air, and the exposed ground cracked like a spiderweb. Not far away, Yang Jie was sent flying straight through the air by the sheer shockwave, a testament to the immense force of the newcomer’s strike.

However, the person who had attacked from behind was equally astonished. Having struck from behind, it was practically a sneak attack, and the target clearly hadn't reacted in time. His grasp had been aimed right at the opponent's vital shoulder blades. Logically speaking, in such a situation, unless the target was a half-step Grandmaster, there was no way out alive. Yet the moment his fingers made contact, it felt as though he had grabbed onto a bar of hundred-refined tempered steel!

His fingernails shattered instantly, blood flowing freely, while the target’s vital points remained completely unaffected. What kind of hard Qigong style was this?

Qin Xiang chose not to retreat. Stirred by a martial artist's fierce pride, he refused to believe in such sorcery. Qi surged through his entire body, channeling pure internal force straight through his fingers and into the opponent's spine. At such close range, even the high monks of the Dragon-Elephant Temple, famed for their mastery of hard qigong, wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Yet the man in black completely ignored Qin Xiang’s attack from behind. Gathering his momentum and disregarding the assault at his back, he lunged straight toward the airborne, shockwave-blasted Yang Jie!

"My lord, spare me!" Yang Jie cried out in absolute terror. But clearly, the assailant had no intention of letting him go. Raising a leg, he brought it down viciously toward Yang Jie's face. The pressure of the blow was so immense that Yang Jie’s facial bones began to fracture even before the foot made contact. If that stomp landed solidly, Yang Jie’s entire body would be crushed to pieces.

Behind him, Qin Xiang was incandescent with rage. Since the day he made his name, no one had ever dared to ignore him so completely!

Yet, as things stood, he truly seemed powerless against this adversary.

Just as that fatal stomp was about to land, a piercing, razor-sharp sword intent suddenly struck. The swordsman moved with terrifying speed; before the man in black could even retract his leg, he was cut horizontally across. The man instantly lost his balance, and under the immense force carried by the incoming strike, he was violently driven face-first into the ground!

"Many thanks!" Qin Xiang said gratefully, casting a glance at Murong Yunji, who had just made the move. If he had allowed someone to be murdered right before his eyes in broad daylight, his reputation as the Wu Mu would have been utterly ruined.

Murong Yunji did not acknowledge the gratitude. Instead, her gaze fixed upon the severed foot that had been cast aside. The thigh had been cut clean through, yet not a single drop of blood spilled out. Coupled with the incredible hardness she had witnessed earlier, there was no doubt—it was that kind of thing.

"A zombie?" Murong Yunji asked, looking down at the man in black pinned to the earth.

The man in black stiffly raised his head. To Qin Xiang's utter horror, even with his shoulder blades locked down by his own grip, the creature was actually managing to straighten its spine by sheer brute force. What on earth was going on here?

"You must be that mysterious swordsman who killed Master Tianye!"

The intelligence reports stated that the magistrate of Fuchuan County was accompanied by a young girl suspected of possessing the strength of a half-step Grandmaster!

"So it can speak..." Murong Yunji narrowed her eyes. "A zombie that has never consumed vital essence?"

When zombies drank vital essence, the Yin Qi in their throats would become congested due to the mingling of pure Yang vital essence, rendering them unable to speak. Unless they reached the realm of a Flying Zombie, where Yin and Yang could be reversed, this feat was impossible.

In her era, Flying Zombies only ever appeared in ancient records. Rumor had it that a certain corpse-cultivating sect had washed three cities in blood just to raise a single Flying Zombie, prompting a joint crusade by all the sects under heaven until not a single one was left. If this truly were a Flying Zombie, everyone present would already be dead; the creature before them clearly wasn't one.

Even so, judging by the tenacity it had just displayed, it was at the very least a Purple-Haired Zombie. For a purple zombie to be capable of speech—that truly was a rare curiosity. Did a major corpse-cultivating sect still exist in this era?

The pupils of the man in black constricted as he stared fixedly at her. How could this young girl possibly know about zombies?

After so many years, very few aristocratic families should have retained records of such matters. Even if they did, the records would be sparse and superficial. Any family with detailed accounts should have perished long ago. Which lineage did this girl come from?

Damn human lackey, dragging such a massive hazard into their plans!

"Young lady, do you know what this thing is?" Qin Xiang asked out of curiosity.

He had already realized that this creature was no living human, but he had never heard of any evil entity that could out-brave a seasoned martial artist.

"You don't know what a zombie is?" Murong Yunji asked, momentarily stunned.

"Never heard of it," Qin Xiang shook his head.

"Well, that is quite interesting," Murong Yunji smiled upon hearing this.

A martial artist of Qin Xiang's caliber should, by all rights, be widely traveled and knowledgeable. How could he not know about such a common supernatural entity?

Could all the zombies in this world have been hidden away, to the point where even a Wu Mu had no idea what this monstrosity was?

Qin Xiang was equally perplexed. He did not hail from a family of Taoist sorcerers. Was it really that strange for him to be ignorant of such hidden evil spirits?

"It's quite a troublesome creature. Lord Qin, you'd better hold on tight," Murong Yunji said calmly. "This thing looks human, but it is not human. Do not judge its movements by human meridians and bones."

Hearing this, Qin Xiang's expression shifted as realization dawned. "I see. Many thanks for the guidance, young lady."

Since this thing was an evil entity rather than a human, his focus on locking its shoulder blades had clearly been a misconception born of its humanoid physique. It was a careless mistake indeed.

Even so, the sheer hardness of the creature's body was utterly baffling—tougher than refined steel, accompanied by monstrous physical strength. If the young lady hadn't intervened just now, he genuinely wasn't certain he could have subdued it.

And the sword in that young girl's hand was truly terrifying. Was someone like this planning to participate in the Grand Tournament?

At that thought, Qin Xiang couldn't help shivering slightly. He offered a silent prayer of mourning for the young people participating in this year's tournament, while secretly praying that once this terrifying girl claimed her ranking, she wouldn't come to Yunzhou to issue challenges. He still wanted to serve a couple more terms in office.

"Speak..." Murong Yunji walked up to Yang Jie. "Where has that temple gone?"

"How did you find me?" Yang Jie retorted with reluctant defiance.

He had clearly emerged from the divine temple with such meticulous stealth, yet she had still tracked him down!

"He knew you were going to come out, so he left a mark on you," Murong Yunji said indifferently.

The man carried the scent of Painting Spirit Blood, and she had simply followed that trail.

"When did that happen?" Yang Jie was shocked. "Before I came out, I clearly used illusions to fool everyone! In his eyes, I should already be dead!"

"Illusions?" Murong Yunji curled her lip, recalling their time in Beihai City, where a sorcerer named Tianye had wielded illusions so exquisite they had fooled even her—yet that brat Zhang Ruishi had seen through it at a single glance and signaled her in advance to lie in wait.

"There are probably very few illusions in this world that can trick him."

Such arrogant boasting!

Deng Lingfeng, the Scholastic Administrator who had followed close behind, frowned upon hearing those words. A mere county magistrate dared to speak such grand words; this young girl truly underestimated the heroes of the world.

"I have conditions!" Yang Jie panted heavily.

"Do you really think you are qualified to negotiate terms?" Murong Yunji asked coldly.

"I don't know how capable that fellow surnamed Zhang is, but at the very least, he certainly can't get out right now! In that place of mine, if you can't get out within forty-eight hours, even a Grandmaster will die inside!"

"You certainly have a big mouth!" Qin Xiang sneered and reprimanded him. "A mere lackey of evil spirits, do you have any idea what the power of a Grandmaster entails?"

A Grandmaster was the pinnacle of martial artists; no martial artist would tolerate such glory being belittled.

"A frog at the bottom of a well!" Yang Jie sneered mockingly.

"Oh?" A cold light flashed in Qin Xiang's eyes. If not for the fact that he needed to keep the captive beneath him under control, at least half of that disrespectful scholar's limbs would have been missing by now.

"Fine..." Murong Yunji coldly interrupted their nonsense, speaking directly: "State your conditions."

"Kill him first!" Yang Jie pointed at the black-clothed zombie pinned to the ground.

"You dare!!" The black-clothed zombie immediately let out a beast-like roar.

"Quickly!" Yang Jie said coldly. "If he transmits a signal to the others, I won't have a way out either. And once I have no way out, even if I die, I'll drag your magistrate down with me!"

As soon as those words fell, the zombie's roar was abruptly cut short. No one even saw how Murong Yunji made her move; the formidable man in black was instantly decapitated. His head rolled several feet away before the onlookers finally reacted.

"Young lady... you!" Qin Xiang started to speak, stopping midway, not daring to rebuke her. This was the second time he hadn't even been able to catch a glimpse of how she drew her sword. If she truly grew irritated in this desolate wilderness, he had no confidence in his ability to protect anyone here—including himself.

Yang Jie also drew in a sharp breath of cold air. What kind of person was that magistrate anyway? Even a servant girl under his command was this terrifying?

"You wanted him dead because of your own incompetence, fearing punishment from your superiors above, didn't you?" Murong Yunji said indifferently. "Now that he's dead, you can make your move."

Yang Jie nodded, carefully struggling to his feet before dropping back to his knees. He began to chant incantations under his breath, and a blurred shadow abruptly materialized out of thin air behind him. Upon closer inspection, it truly took the shape of a temple.

"Young lady, you mustn't!" Scholastic Administrator Deng Lingfeng shouted anxiously. "Beware of sorcery tricks!"

No matter how powerful a martial artist was, they could still fall victim to a sorcerer's schemes.

"It's fine..." Murong Yunji replied indifferently, then turned her gaze to the nervous Yang Jie. "Go on!"

Hearing this, Yang Jie felt a wave of immense relief wash over him, though a flicker of smug triumph flashed through his eyes.

A bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well, truly ignorant of the vastness of heaven and earth. Just because they possessed a bit of strength, they really thought they had everything under control?

They had no inkling of how terrifying those lords were, nor of the power bestowed upon him by his lord. Once the divine temple manifested, he would be able to return safely; even if this young girl was a Grandmaster, there was nothing she could do to him.

With that talkative purple-haired zombie dead, most of the blame for his failure would be covered up. When he submitted his report later, he could simply pin all the fault on the corpse, leaving him a way out. As for that Magistrate Zhang whom they kept fretting over, he probably wouldn't be seeing any way out at all.

A moment later, as Yang Jie finished chanting his incantation, the divine temple behind him grew increasingly distinct, but his own figure suddenly began to blur.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Murong Yunji's eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, she brought her sword down in a slash, but as the blade swept past, Yang Jie's body rippled like a reflection in a lake, completely immune to the sharp edge of her weapon.

"What a pity..." Yang Jie smiled as he looked up. "You can no longer harm me."

The Scholastic Administrator tried to intervene at once, but the moment he opened the Eye of the Divine Eagle, he discovered that his target was no longer there.

"You..." Not daring to provoke her further, the Scholastic Administrator still gritted his teeth and said, "Young lady, you really should have been more cautious. Now that you've let that fellow escape, not only has the imperial court lost its lead, but that Magistrate Zhang you spoke of probably won't be coming back either."

"He will come back..." Murong Yunji said calmly.

The Scholastic Administrator and the others frowned as they looked at her. They had clearly been outmaneuvered by the enemy; was she still going to put up a stubborn front at a time like this?

Murong Yunji offered no explanation. She merely gazed at the spot where Yang Jie had vanished, thinking quietly: *Ghost blood is ink; it goes both ways. If you still can't make your way out, it only proves that you... are nothing more than this!*