Lin Jiu's gaze shifted, and what came into view was a terrifying monster about two meters tall.
Its skin was grayish-blue and uneven. Its eye sockets and nose bridge were sunken, and it had no lips. Several fangs grew in its mouth, and there was sparse hair and bangs on its head.
From its features, it could be vaguely recognized that this monster was Shi Jian's son, Shi Shaojian.
"You'd better not move rashly," Shi Jian said with a twisted smile. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee what will happen to this beautiful young lady."
Hiss.
The female student was so terrified that she couldn't speak, her body trembling violently.
"Don't worry, it'll be alright," Lin Jiu took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to Shi Jian. "Why would you do this?"
"Oh?" Shi Jian spread his hands, and the Hand Palm Thunder condensed in his palms again. "You don't seem surprised?" As he spoke, the lightning was instantly unleashed, shooting towards Lin Jiu's right leg and left arm.
CRASH.
Lin Jiu made no move to dodge and was hit. He staggered to one knee, his face contorted in pain. But even so, he gritted his teeth and explained, "Earlier, I was very strange. The bite marks on that dead girl were not made by humans. But only now can I truly confirm, this is actually happening."
"That's excellent observation," Shi Jian walked slowly to him, looking down. "I admit I've underestimated you before, my good junior brother."
"So, why would you do this?" Lin Jiu asked the question again. "To turn your own son into a ghoul, have you completely lost your humanity?"
"Hahahaha, a ghoul?" Shi Jian sneered scornfully. "It seems I have to take back what I said earlier, you're still so ignorant. Look carefully, is this really a ghoul?"
Lin Jiu turned his gaze back to Shi Shaojian. His eyes were dazed on the monster's ugly face for a moment, and then he suddenly gasped. "This, this is… a corpse king?"
Unbelievable, Lin Jiu truly couldn't believe it.
Corpse kings were similar to ghouls, both considered a type of walking dead. But compared to the fragile ghouls, corpse kings were clearly more powerful and evil. Moreover, corpse kings had terrifying growth potential.
Legend had it that the peak of a corpse king was a Drought Demon, immortal and invulnerable to weapons. Even a worldly immortal could not defeat it, making it an invincible existence in the world.
However, the conditions for a corpse king to form were too harsh, and it was exceedingly rare. Even if one occasionally formed, it would be jointly eradicated by the demon-hunting world. Lin Jiu never expected to see one with his own eyes today.
"That's right, you have some discernment."
Shi Jian let out a triumphant laugh. "The conditions for creating a corpse king are extremely demanding. It requires an yin location and the sacrifice of 9999 people's blood and souls. Furthermore, the corpse king itself must possess a strong self-belief, otherwise, it's prone to being possessed by the souls of the sacrifices. Therefore, usually, only generals in ancient battlefields have the possibility of becoming a corpse king."
"9999 people's blood and souls?" Lin Jiu fell silent. He thought of a terrible possibility. "So, that's why you helped the warlord?"
He had been wrong. He initially thought his senior brother was just aiding and abetting evil. But now he understood that the one being aided and abetted was the warlord.
To obtain the blood and souls of 9999 people, it would have been impossible for his senior brother alone. Therefore, he had found the warlord of Yuezhou Prefecture to cooperate with.
Shi Jian did not answer but smiled proudly. "We sorcerers must also learn to keep up with the times. My son wants to become an emperor for all eternity. As a father, I must think for him."
An emperor for all eternity?
Lin Jiu's expression stiffened, and he suddenly understood. No wonder Shi Jian had turned his son into a corpse king—he wanted to achieve such a goal!
As the corpse king evolved, it would become invincible and live an enduring life. Then, by helping the warlord's faction conquer the land and pacify the country, it would overthrow the warlord himself and declare himself emperor.
This way, it was indeed possible to become an emperor for all eternity. But at the same time, it would be an emperor who brought ruin to all living beings.
He dared not think about it. Lin Jiu couldn't even imagine the scene of widespread suffering. It was too terrifying, beyond Lin Jiu's capacity to accept.
"It seems this is no longer a simple matter of settling family affairs," Lin Jiu sighed, slowly raising his head.
"Settling family affairs?" Shi Jian raised his hands, and blue lightning slowly condensed. "Are you still thinking about such an impossible task? What is the righteous path or the demonic path? In the end, it's still the victor who decides in this world."
"In the short term, that's true," Lin Jiu nodded. "But similarly, the demonic path can never overshadow the light of the righteous path."
CRASH.
As he finished speaking, the blue lightning suddenly shot towards him. But unexpectedly, it missed. The lightning struck the grass, directly creating a large pit in the ground, and a burnt smell permeated the air.
"How is that possible?" Shi Jian's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed this.
The senior disciple of the Maoshan Sect clearly couldn't comprehend how Lin Jiu, who was already severely injured, could have vanished before his eyes, and so silently.
THWACK.
While he was stunned, a dull thud of a blade cutting into flesh suddenly came from the side.
Shi Jian's pupils contracted violently, and he asked in horror, "No!"
Head.
An ugly head flew through the air, spun several times, and then fell into Shi Jian's embrace with a "thump." It was his son, who had become a corpse king. An expression of disbelief still lingered on his monstrous face.
"Does it hurt?" Lin Jiu asked expressionlessly, holding a long saber. "The innocent people you two father and son murdered felt the same. I have no pity for you."
"Lin Fengjiao, you deserve to die!" Shi Jian gritted his teeth, his arms spread wide, preparing to use the Five Thunders Righteous Method again.
SWISH.
However, the Lin Jiu in front of him disappeared again. With a "thwip," a sharp long saber pierced through his back.
"How is this possible…" Shi Jian stood frozen, asking incredulously, "What kind of technique is this?"
"It's not a Maoshan technique, but Shunpo," Lin Jiu said calmly. "I told you, this is no longer about settling family affairs. It's about killing, about slaughtering non-human beasts."
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