As Hei Pi watched Zong Lie rush off like a gust of wind, he did not pursue.
He simply dropped the Red Fox he was holding, wiped his hands, and turned his gaze toward Guo Shan Feng.
“Go bring that rebellious beast back,” he ordered calmly.
“Yes!” Guo Shan Feng responded.
He immediately took a step forward, transformed into a streak of light, and chased after Zong Lie.
Lin Xue watched this scene, her heart filled with shock.
‘Guo Shan Feng is only at the Condensing Core Late Stage, while Zong Lie is at the Condensing Core Peak. Why did Hei Pi send Guo Shan Feng to capture him?’
‘Isn’t he afraid Zong Lie will be killed by Zong Biao instead?’
But seeing Guo Shan Feng’s confident appearance, he seemed to have something to rely on.
Sure enough, Guo Shan Feng’s flight speed was not much slower than Zong Lie’s.
After only a few breaths, he caught up with Zong Lie.
The Long Sword in his hand was already unsheathed.
A dazzling sword light flashed, and the black cloud that Zong Lie had transformed into suddenly plummeted in speed, tracing a curve as it fell toward the ground.
Lin Xue was stunned.
Zong Biao actually seemed to have no power to resist under Guo Shan Feng’s sword.
Guo Shan Feng caught the falling Zong Lie mid-air, then changed direction and flew back at an extremely high speed.
He landed in the courtyard and threw the Zong Lie in his hand onto the ground.
Both of Zong Lie’s legs had been severed at the knees, blood pooling on the ground as he struggled in agony.
He looked at Guo Shan Feng with a face full of shock, then at his own severed legs, his eyes filled with disbelief.
How could he, a dignified Condensing Core Peak only one step away from reaching the Golden Core Stage and becoming a Yao Wang, have his legs cut off by a single sword strike from someone at the Condensing Core Late Stage?
By now, he also understood that Guo Shan Feng, his subordinate, had likely been bought over by the Hei Pi Yao Wang long ago, becoming a thorn planted by his side.
Zong Lie looked at Guo Shan Feng with rage, cursing with a trembling voice,
“Guo Shan Feng! It was you! You’re a damned, ungrateful beast. I saved you when you were just Becoming Refined, alone and helpless, and caught by human cultivators.”
“I raised you and taught you for so many years, and you actually betray me? I should never have taught a white-eyed wolf like you!”
Guo Shan Feng sneered,
“The life-saving grace of you, Great Chief Zong, has been repaid well enough after all these years of me working like an ox or a horse for your Boar Family. As for betrayal? As a citizen of this mountain, following you in rebelling against the Mountain Lord is the true betrayal!”
“Now that I follow the Mountain Lord, I am abandoning the darkness for the light. I, Guo Shan Feng, am a citizen of Erlong Mountain and a subordinate of the Mountain Lord, not a servant of your Boar Family!”
Zong Biao trembled with anger.
He never expected that his many years of planning would ultimately be ruined by this “loyal” subordinate.
Realizing that he had no way to escape today, he dragged his severed legs and struggled to crawl toward the Hei Pi Yao Wang, kowtowing and crying,
“Elder Brother, I was momentarily muddled and set my sights on your Treasure Throne. It was all my fault. I beg you, Elder Brother, for the sake of all the effort I’ve put in for you and our years of brotherhood, please spare my lowly life.”
“I am willing to offer the entire ‘Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Secret Manual’. In the future, I will do my utmost to find Luding for you to use for Yin-Yang Harvesting and Life-Extension. I will never harbor any treasonous thoughts again.”
Hei Pi didn’t even look at him, saying coldly, “Guo Shan Feng has already handed over the ‘Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Secret Manual’ to me in advance. As for the matter of extending my life, there’s no need for you, Great Chief Zong, to worry. Guo Shan Feng can take your place.”
Zong Lie looked toward Guo Shan Feng, his eyes filled with venomous resentment.
Guo Shan Feng held his Long Sword, squinting at Zong Lie with disdain and mockery in his eyes.
The Hei Pi Yao Wang ordered, “Guo Shan Feng, I now command you to execute this rebellious beast. From now on, you shall be the Great Chief of Erlong Mountain.”
“Your humble servant obeys!” A flash of joy crossed Guo Shan Feng’s face.
He drew his Long Sword and walked toward the Zong Lie on the ground.
The Long Sword shimmered with a cold light, and Lingqi lingered around it; it was clearly no ordinary item.
Guo Shan Feng stroked the blade with his hand and said,
“This sword was bestowed upon me by the Mountain Lord, and its name is Lieyun. The Mountain Lord once used this sword to slay Golden Core Stage cultivators. To die by this sword does not dishonor your status as Great Chief Zong.”
“Great Chief, just obediently offer your neck for execution.”
Looking at the shimmering Long Sword, Zong Lie was scared out of his wits.
He had completely lost his usual pampered and elegant appearance, struggling like a wild dog to crawl away.
Guo Shan Feng threw out the Lieyun in his hand.
As if it were alive, Lieyun hovered in front of Zong Lie, the tip of the blade aimed at his throat.
Then, it pierced forward.
Zong Lie instinctively tried to dodge, but the sword was too fast, instantly piercing his throat.
Zong Lie’s eyes widened. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck and struggling for a moment before dying as he coughed up bloody foam.
His body reverted to its original form — a stout wild boar with no hind legs.
Lin Xue looked at Zong Lie’s corpse with a hint of greed.
‘This is a Grand Demon at the Condensing Core Peak. I wonder how much Demon Power is in his Serpent Core.’
‘If I could get his Serpent Core and absorb it, perhaps I could reach the Condensing Core Late Stage.’
Seeing Zong Lie, who shared the grudge of her son’s death, die before her eyes, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
One fewer enemy was always better.
She could see that Guo Shan Feng’s cultivation was indeed only at the Condensing Core Late Stage.
The reason he could harm the Condensing Core Peak Zong Lie was that the Long Sword named Lieyun added a lot of strength to him, just like the short, fat Captain Yang Yuhai she met in Li Family Hollow.
Although Yang Yuhai was only at the Qi Refining Second Level, he held his family heirloom, Zhanfeng, and could launch attacks far beyond his actual strength.
The Lieyun held by Guo Shan Feng was the same.
Now that Zong Lie was dead, the only headache she had left was how to deal with this Hei Pi Yao Wang.
She still didn’t know how Hei Pi would handle Du Niangzi and the other Yaojing who hadn’t absorbed any Yang Energy.
While Lin Xue was worrying, she saw the Hei Feng Yao Wang turn his gaze toward her.
Her scalp tightened, and her heart began to pound.
The Hei Pi Yao Wang scanned the eight Yaojing and asked coldly, “You eight who came from Xixia Mountain, who will come forward and tell me what is going on with the cultivation you possess?”
When the eight of them first arrived a few days ago, each had displayed the cultivation of the Body Tempering Stage.
Now, after only a few days and emerging from the Secret Realm, they had all become Grand Demons.
Such a heaven-defying change was something the Hei Pi Yao Wang naturally had to question.
Lin Xue took a deep breath, stepped forward, and raised her head, saying,
“Reporting to the Mountain Lord, I possess a technique that can use Serpent Cores to quickly increase the strength of Lesser Beasts in the Body Tempering Stage.”
“These sisters all successfully advanced with my help. If the Mountain Lord values this skill of mine, I am willing to stay in the mountain and serve you, increasing the cultivation of the Demon Troops!”
At this point, she decided to try and exchange this ability with the Hei Pi Yao Wang to ensure she wouldn’t be used as Luding for Yin-Yang Harvesting.