"Bryce, what was that thing just now?"
Evan Lin frowned, stepped back, grabbed Shawn Shi and Tony Dong by the collars, and just chucked them right out the window.
Ghost Adept's head was no longer human—his entire skull had split open.
Standing to the side, Bryce Gu shook his head and said steadily, "But in that moment, I could feel Ghost Adept getting stronger. The guy in the bus is probably in real trouble now."
From the burst-open muscles on his back, sticky black blood oozed out, the flesh splitting open and the blood dripping back into his body.
Where his half-severed hind leg had been, a pair of fresh pink legs burst forth.
Ghost Adept panted heavily, grabbed A-Two in front of him, and stuffed him into his mouth, chewing greedily.
"Corpse servant?"
Evan Lin frowned again, but the corner of his mouth twitched with a faint, mocking smile.
Riversedge County belongs to Leighton City, and it's not far from Jingnan Mountain.
Corpse servants like this did exist on the Immortal Martial Continent, but were only used by ghost-cultivators who practiced unorthodox arts.
They would take living people or powerful corpses and refine them into armor-like things to wear on their bodies.
"Yeah."
Bryce Gu looked up. Amid the flames, a dark figure slowly walked out.
Seeing that tall figure, Bryce Gu instantly shielded the girl behind him. His whole body tensed with fighting spirit, and the rubble within five meters trembled slightly.
Ghost Adept's body swelled to two meters tall. His voice was cold and crazed. As soon as he finished speaking, he stomped his massive hind leg on the bus floor, punching a hole through it, and charged at Evan Lin.
His huge, reeking body—full of sour rot and stench—appeared in front of Evan Lin in an instant.
Evan Lin lifted his foot and kicked Ghost Adept in the chest.
That night, they hit the streets and grabbed a bunch of food.
Shawn Shi and Tony Dong weren't hurt too badly—just some puffy faces, but otherwise they were fine.
Using the force from his step, Evan Lin quickly retreated.
...
"Uncle Gu, what was that thing just now?"
Beside the bus, the young girl was still shaken.
"Bryce..."
Standing to the side, Gu Xiuran shook his head slightly and said in a steady voice, "But in that moment, I could feel Ghost Adept getting stronger. The person inside the bus is probably in serious danger now."
Bryce Gu didn't say anything. He stepped forward to stand by Ghost Adept's corpse.
The girl was getting anxious.
Bryce Gu looked down at the corpse by his feet, his pupils narrowing slightly.
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from the bus.
Bryce Gu lifted his foot and stomped on a patch of intact flesh on Ghost Adept's chest. The sensation made him turn and glance thoughtfully at the direction Evan Lin's group had left.
"Bryce, let's go."
Shawn Shi and Tony Dong sat on the ground, looking battered. Staring at the burning bus, their faces were deathly pale.
"Did he...did he die?"
Shawn Shi swallowed nervously, his voice trembling.
Gu Xiuran looked up. Amid the flames, a dark figure slowly walked out.
Seeing that tall figure, Gu Xiuran quickly shielded the girl behind him. His whole body erupted with fighting spirit, and the rubble within five meters of him trembled slightly on the ground.
The tall figure walked forward a couple of steps, then collapsed to the ground.
Right behind him was a teenage boy with a backpack, a baseball cap pulled low, hands in his pockets, looking completely unfazed.
"Y-you're alive!"
Shawn Shi and Tony Dong were still a bit shaken, but when they saw Evan Lin's face, they suddenly relaxed.
"Let's go."
Evan Lin glanced at them, spoke calmly, and walked down the road ahead.
"Sigh!"
Shawn Shi and Tony Dong had each taken a slap earlier, but after resting for a while, they had regained some strength.
Hearing Evan Lin's words, they hurriedly forced themselves up and staggered after him.
"Uncle Gu..."
The girl froze for a moment, watching the three walk away—especially the boy in front, feeling something she couldn't explain.
Gu Xiuran said nothing, but stepped forward to stand by Ghost Adept's corpse.
"His body...was cut open."
Gu Xiuran looked down at the corpse by his feet, his pupils narrowing slightly.
Ghost Adept's half-human, half-ghost torso had two clear sword marks running through the middle.
Gu Xiuran lifted his foot and stomped on a patch of intact flesh on Ghost Adept's chest. The sensation made him turn and look thoughtfully at the direction Evan Lin's group had left.
"Uncle Gu, let's go."
The girl stood at a distance, not daring to approach—the thing on the ground was just too disgusting.
...
Although Ghost Adept's corpse servant was crude and low-grade, the fact that he could use such a technique meant there must be others related to it somewhere nearby.
Evan Lin considered this quietly.
He had just casually sliced Ghost Adept apart with his Three-Foot Sword, and the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll absorbed all his blood and flesh.
All in all, it was quite a haul.
Jingnan Mountain isn't far from here.
The fact that someone like Ghost Adept appeared here basically means there must be something valuable inside Jingnan Mountain.
This made Evan Lin much more interested in Jingnan Mountain.
"I still need more power."
Evan Lin sighed inwardly, then looked at the weak Shawn Shi and Tony Dong following behind. "How much farther to the Beast Arena?"
"Sir, the Beast Arena is in the county seat of Riversedge. We're still about half an hour's walk away."
"Also, it's getting late—the Beast Arena closes at ten every night. We should find a place to stay in Riversedge County, get something to eat, and go there tomorrow morning."
Shawn Shi spoke respectfully, afraid of upsetting Evan Lin.
"Mm."
Evan Lin nodded. Using the Three-Foot Sword just now had drained a lot of his strength.
Those two sword strikes that cut open Ghost Adept had used up two-thirds of Evan Lin's qi. But once he reaches Foundation Establishment, it won't be nearly as troublesome.
The three of them walked for more than half an hour.
Riversedge County's economy wasn't very developed. It was deep in the mountains, built against the hills.
When they arrived, they found a hotel and checked in.
That night, they went out and bought plenty of food.
Shawn Shi and Tony Dong weren't too badly hurt—aside from swollen faces, they were mostly fine.