"You have the right to know my name. I am Bayanmu, Banner Holder of the Sacred Fire Sect."
"Qin Kun of Fuyu Mountain! Come again!"
"Fight to the death!"
Qin Kun let out a thunderous shout, Yang Energy erupting around his body. Fierce Yang Qi surged forth, emanating a tragic, intrepid aura, like blazing kerosene exploding into flame, roaring outward.
He strode forward, each step pounding down, making the earth tremble ever so slightly. Though only one man dashed ahead, the momentum felt like a whole troupe of heavy-armored cavalry charging relentlessly forward, unstoppable and never looking back.
The surging Yang Qi coiled and charged with him, kicking up clouds of dust along its path. Any approaching Walking Dead that so much as brushed against Scorching Sun’s Qi had their bones shattered and were sent flying, dying on the spot.
Across from him, that armored man was also affected by Qin Kun’s pure, intense battle intent. He reached out, and black mist gathered in his hand, materializing into a Big Spear. Fierce black Qi howled forth.
"Fight to the death!"
The two, wrapped in wild power, crashed into each other in a direct, forceful collision.
From afar, Wen Yan could only see black and red slamming together. The shocking clash kept unleashing blasting winds, so fierce he couldn’t see the fight clearly.
When the dust finally settled, he looked again and saw Qin Kun standing where he was, his clothes torn to shreds, revealing corded muscles all over his body.
He performed an old-fashioned salute to the armored figure standing across from him.
"Rare to fight with all my might and have such a satisfying battle. I wish you safe passage on your journey."
The man opposite cupped his hands in return.
"To fall in head-on combat on the battlefield is my best end. My wish is fulfilled—thank you."
The armored man saluted again. The armor on his body gradually ruptured and split, shattering into pieces that tumbled to the ground.
But inside the armor there was nothing, just an empty void.
Once the armor tumbled to the ground, it quickly decayed, crumbling away into worthless scrap iron.
Qin Kun, bare-chested, stood atop the mountain, gazing in the direction of the small lake, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Which fellow cultivator has arrived? Show yourself."
Wen Yan walked out from the small lake.
At a glance, Qin Kun’s eyes suddenly focused. He saw the Little Zombie clinging like an ornament to Wen Yan’s back.
The Little Zombie held onto Wen Yan’s neck, timidly shrinking back, hiding her little head behind Wen Yan’s.
Wen Yan thought the Little Zombie was frightened by Qin Kun’s aura, or maybe Qin Kun’s Yang Energy was just too overwhelming for her to handle.
He reached out and gently patted the Little Zombie’s arm.
"No need to be afraid, this is Senior Brother Qin Kun of Fuyu Mountain. He won’t hurt you."
The Little Zombie tightened her grip, burying her head in the crook of Wen Yan’s back, not daring to look up.
This wasn’t her first time seeing Qin Kun. Qin Kun had previously gone into the Zombie Cave in the back mountain to fight the Great Zombie there, and that savage, dominant style had left a deep impression on the Little Zombie.
In the Little Zombie’s experience, she’d never seen anyone achieve in Martial Training what Qin Kun had. None of the Great Zombies had, either.
The Great Zombies had told her: in the era when The Last Dharma began, Martial Training only started to rise gradually. When Daoist Skills declined and the Martial Path truly flourished, it was already the late Last Dharma era.
By then, the upper limits of Martial Training were just so-so.
Later, it developed further, toward relying on nothing external and seeking strength in the self. By then, no matter how exceptionally gifted, the limit was still the flesh and blood body’s ceiling.
The strongest could control their body and power to the utmost, not letting a single feather land, and even birds found it hard to escape their grasp.
Unfortunately, no matter how keenly attuned, limited by flesh, even the strongest might still be felled by a single strike of the Black Spear.
After Spiritual Qi Resurgence, Qin Kun who arrived in this good era—though perhaps his pure control and realm couldn’t match the martial masters of a hundred years ago—in terms of raw fighting power, he had long since surpassed the ceiling of the last several centuries, running wild like an unleashed stray dog into inhuman heights.
Qin Kun stepped down from the mountain, each stride four or five meters wide. The still-approaching, brainless Walking Dead all cowered under his aura, not daring to come closer.
He looked at Wen Yan, a strange light in his eyes.
He certainly knew the Little Zombie of Fuyu Mountain. The Grand Uncle Master had just called him, as the Little Zombie had been bullied by wild zombies outside and the big zombies of Fuyu Mountain couldn’t bear it.
But seeing Wen Yan carrying the Little Zombie now, with her looking like a little kid meeting a scary stranger and burying her head, not daring to look—
All at once, Qin Kun’s mind raced with associations.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Qin. I’m Wen Yan. I’ve long heard of your great reputation."
"So, it’s you..." Qin Kun’s eyes grew more peculiar. Since arriving in Nanwu County, he’d attended two meetings, and at both, he’d heard Wen Yan’s name.
"When I came today, Wang Xueqi told me you’d entered this stretch of water. I hurried over to see if I could help Senior Brother Qin out. Without guidance beneath the water, it’s easy to get lost."
"No rush. The four War Souls here have all been slain by me—there’s nothing dangerous left."
As Qin Kun spoke, he suddenly leapt forward—a hand reaching right for Wen Yan’s face.
The Little Zombie, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly lifted it. Her limbs tensed, triggering Wen Yan’s movements.
The Yang Energy in Wen Yan’s body surged automatically. He followed the Little Zombie’s lead, arching back in a handspring, one hand bracing on the ground, rolling twice to retreat three meters away.
The Little Zombie kept a tense face, mimicking the Sparrow Cat, showing her little fangs and huffing at Qin Kun.