The mangled ruin of a body was all that remained after the sword flash, devoid of any lingering life. Slowly, Bing Ming’s figure materialized before them, while the fire dragon and rockets conjured by the Soul Master had utterly devastated the nearby stone pile.

“Well? How does the soul of a Spirit Manifestation realm Soul Master taste?” Bing Ming asked faintly, looking at the white-haired elder whose eyes were wide with terror.

“It seems you noticed me a long time ago!” Liang Xiaoke shoved aside the corpse of the Soul Master, sighing with resignation.

“Not long ago—I only noticed you when you spoke!” A faint smile flickered across Bing Ming’s usually cold expression.

“So you deliberately showed yourself to distract them and create an opportunity for me?” Liang Xiaoke said, puzzled. A year and a half ago, he hadn’t been a match for this man. The last time, after finally grasping the Two Extremes True Qi and making significant progress, he hadn't even had time to compare strength before being shredded by that fellow, Bai Tianyu.

He had been reconstructed later, but he was no longer the being balanced between life and death; he had reverted to lifelessness. Thankfully, with this Azure Dragon Jade Pendant, he would eventually manage to forge that vibrant body he once possessed. Now, just as he was about to reach the Corpse Emperor realm, this man had already cultivated into a Martial Saint. How could this not frustrate him?

“Indeed. After all, this is what you excel at, isn't it?” Bing Ming’s lips still curved into a faint smile.

“…” Liang Xiaoke rolled his eyes. What did he mean by "excelling"? Did he enjoy sneak attacks? But as a zombie, he had to have the awareness of one. He possessed no breath, no aura, and excelled at Earth Evasion—with such excellent conditions, wouldn't it be a disservice not to utilize them fully?

“Actually, if you hadn't been here, killing him wouldn't have been easy for me,” Bing Ming said calmly, noticing Liang Xiaoke’s expression.

“Nonsense. You walked out so openly, of course, it wouldn't be easy. If you had assassinated him covertly, could a Martial Saint not handle a Spirit Manifestation Soul Master?”

“His divine sense is vast. Even I might not be able to completely conceal my aura; some of it would inevitably be detected. It certainly wouldn't be as effortless as it was for you!” Bing Ming shook his head. He could indeed kill a Spirit Manifestation Soul Master, but it would invariably cause him some trouble. It was nothing like how Liang Xiaoke had dispatched him so easily, like crushing an ant.

“Heh, that's true. It seems I’m the bane of Soul Masters from now on!” Liang Xiaoke allowed a slight smile to grace his lips. Soul Masters were inherently fragile; even those in the Soul Immortal realm were pitifully weak. Their reliance was on powerful soul energy. A Spirit Manifestation Soul Master’s divine sense could detect the presence of a Martial Saint, allowing them sufficient time to counterattack before the strike landed. But against him, they stood no chance of even detection. After all, he was merely a corpse, a lifeless shell. At this moment, Liang Xiaoke suddenly realized that possessing an ice-cold corpse was somewhat more convenient than a living one—at least for concealment during an assassination.

It was a pity for that Soul Master, encountering both a Martial Saint and a zombie simultaneously. He couldn't even unleash his strongest Soul Arts before death. Truly pitiable, truly lamentable.

“By the way, where is Jingyu? When I went to the Bai family, I didn't find him, and I vaguely heard from some Bai family members that something major had happened there…” Liang Xiaoke suddenly remembered that the person before him was a shadow of his sworn brother. Since he had appeared, his brother should be nearby. After his reconstruction, he had rushed to White Emperor City but failed to locate Ye Jingyu. He didn't know what the Bai family had done to him, but certain signs suggested his brother had been rescued.

“He’s over there!” Bing Ming pointed in the direction where Ye Jingyu was located.

Upon hearing that Ye Jingyu was truly nearby, a look of joyful surprise spread across Liang Xiaoke’s face.

“Let’s go! There’s a stinky bat over there. Once I seize its heart core, I’ll achieve the Corpse Emperor realm. Then, Bing Ming, you won’t be my match anymore!” Liang Xiaoke burst into laughter, his body already shooting rapidly toward Ye Jingyu's location.

Bing Ming glanced at the Soul Master on the ground, whose eyes were wide open in death. He shook his head, reached out a hand, and plucked the dead man’s head into his grasp before his figure vanished into the void...

On the other side, looking down at Ye Jingyu standing in the earthen pit, Liu Qiuxue said coldly, “I never imagined that in two years, your strength would increase to this extent. I truly should have used every means necessary to kill you back then!”

“Hmph!” Ye Jingyu merely scoffed at Liu Qiuxue’s words. How could he not know she was stalling for time?

“But since I didn't kill you two years ago, today you shall not escape death either!” Seeing the mocking smile flash across Ye Jingyu’s face, Liu Qiuxue forcibly suppressed the anger churning within her.

“Is that so? Do you really think the three of you can kill me?” Ye Jingyu maintained his cold laugh, taking a stride forward, stepping clean out of the pit.

“Even though you killed Qin Lie and Yuan Xiang, you are severely wounded. Even if the three of us cannot kill you, what about them?” A triumphant smile gradually spread across Liu Qiuxue’s lips.

At that moment, a man dressed in white, accompanied by ten experts at the Grandmaster realm, emerged from behind Ye Jingyu, completely surrounding him in the center.

“Zhu Ruo is dead?” Seeing these people appear, Ye Jingyu vaguely guessed they were the experts dispatched to ambush Zhu Ruo and the others.

“Dead, along with eighteen swordsmen!” the white-robed man said coldly, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

“Heh heh, another Great Grandmaster. It seems your preparations to kill me are quite thorough. But even now, do you not feel that something is amiss?” Seeing a second Great Grandmaster appear, Ye Jingyu’s admiration for Zhuge Yi Shi reached its zenith, though he still wondered if there was truly a Soul Master among them.

“Hmm?” Both Liu Qiuxue and Adams were startled. What could possibly be amiss now?

“You should have one more Spirit Manifestation realm Soul Master, right? Why haven’t they made a move yet?” Ye Jingyu voiced the suspicion weighing on his mind.

Liu Qiuxue and the others experienced a dramatic shift in expression. How could he accurately gauge the exact number of people on their side? Did they have a mole? More astonishingly, why hadn't the hidden Soul Master made any move up to this point? Not even when Qin Lie and Yuan Xiang were killed...