All Heavens: Starting with Panlong's Transcendence, Devouring All Heavens

Chapter 142 The Dilapidated Temple, Demons, and Exorcists

After advancing, the hardness of his black skin became comparable to that of a divine weapon.

No mortal could harm him anymore.

Correspondingly, his strength also increased significantly, and he could easily shatter a huge bluestone with a casual swing of his arm.

In terms of strength, the Black Zombie Iron Corpse is actually comparable to those low-level cultivators.

Moreover, because his body had become more flexible and he could move slowly, Lynn could now completely disguise himself as a human. He draped a black robe he'd taken from a bandit's den over his shoulders, and as long as no one lifted the robe, he looked no different from an ordinary person.

……

The sky was dark and the rain was pouring down outside. Nestled among the mountains, a solitary temple housed several people seeking shelter from the rain.

In one corner of the dilapidated temple, three men dressed as hunters were chatting about their catch from their recent trip, as they lit a fire.

"This awful weather, I wonder when the rain will stop!" one of the hunters complained.

"Yes, it's a good thing we have this dilapidated temple to shelter from the rain, otherwise we would have been soaked to the bone," another hunter complained.

"Who says otherwise?" the last hunter said in a low voice. "These people don't look like good guys. Let's get out of here as soon as the rain stops!"

As they spoke, the three of them glanced at the rest of the people in the temple, their eyes filled with wariness.

On one side was a scholar carrying a book box and wearing a gray long robe. Beside the scholar, a burly swordsman with a full beard and a broadsword on his back sat cross-legged.

In another corner sat several merchants, each with weapons such as broadswords and long sticks beside them, looking like they were not to be trifled with.

"You ignorant scholar!" the bearded swordsman suddenly shouted, attracting everyone's attention.

It turned out that he was drinking when he suddenly shoved his wine gourd in front of the scholar, offering him a drink, but the scholar waved his hand and refused.

Seeing that the bearded swordsman seemed to be angry, the scholar's face showed fear. He stammered, "Thank you... thank you for your kindness, but I am not good at drinking... not good at drinking."

"You don't know your stuff. This wine is from 'Wanfenglou'..." the bearded swordsman muttered, but he didn't continue to make things difficult for the scholar. Instead, he drank the wine on his own.

The temple fell silent again, and just then—

"Squeak!"

The temple gate was pushed open again, and then a tall figure shrouded in black robes and wearing a straw raincoat slowly walked into the temple and sat down in a place away from the crowd. It was Lynn.

"Hmm?" The bearded swordsman looked at the tall figure in black robes, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Boom!"

The drafty door of the dilapidated temple was closed again, and everyone inside came to their senses.

"We caught a wild goat this time, not a bad haul..." A hunter turned to discuss something with his companion, but when he looked up, he found that there was no one beside him.

"What?" The hunter's pupils constricted sharply. He looked at the other hunter: "Where did Zhang Da go?"

Another hunter shook his head: "I was just checking the gate, I didn't notice!"

The two hunters stood up and looked around the temple, but couldn't see their companion anywhere. The dilapidated temple was only a few dozen feet in diameter, and apart from a clay Buddha statue deep inside, it was completely empty, with nowhere to hide. Where had their companion gone?

The two hunters' gazes swept over the others in the temple, alerting them as well.

When the others heard that one of their companions had gone missing, they all showed expressions of surprise.

"Could it be that he went out to relieve himself?" the scholar wondered to himself.

The bearded swordsman revealed a cold smile, as if he had discovered something.

The two hunters searched the dilapidated temple thoroughly, but ultimately failed to find their accomplice. They could only return to their spot by the campfire, and the atmosphere in the temple suddenly became eerie.

Half an hour later, with a creak, the door of the dilapidated temple was opened again.

This time, a beautiful young woman dressed in a white palace gown entered. The rain had soaked her gown, making it almost transparent and clinging to her body, revealing her graceful figure.

Everyone in the temple, except for Lynn, couldn't help but brighten up.

"I am a young woman returning home to visit my family. It is dark and raining heavily, and I have become separated from them. I was hoping to find shelter from the rain here. I apologize for disturbing you!" The woman's hair was also wet from the rain and clung to her face, making her look even more pitiful.

Among the group of merchants, a young man smiled and said, "Young lady, don't worry, we're just taking shelter from the rain here too. It's not a matter of disturbing you!"

"Hmm." The woman lowered her head, gave a soft "hmm," and then sat down to the side.

The temperature was already low on a summer night, and the woman was soaked from the rain. She started shivering as soon as she sat down.

The scholar couldn't bear to watch this situation any longer, and he immediately invited the woman to his place to warm herself by the campfire. But just as he was about to speak, a large hand pressed him down, and the fierce look in the hand frightened him so much that he swallowed back what he was about to say.

"Where did the third brother go?" Someone in the group of merchants noticed something was wrong; one of them was missing.

Immediately, there was another commotion in the dilapidated temple, but they still couldn't find the "third brother".

First the hunter, then the merchant—two people in quick succession had mysteriously disappeared. The expressions of the others in the dilapidated temple immediately became tense. Their gazes towards Lynn and the woman who entered later became unusually strange, subtly revealing their wariness.

"This dilapidated temple is strange!" The remaining three merchants huddled together, each holding a weapon, proceeding cautiously.

The two hunters were the same; the bearded swordsman drank his wine nonchalantly. The scholar, however, finally couldn't resist: "Miss, you're soaking wet. If you don't mind, come over here and dry yourself off. Don't catch a cold."

The woman glanced at the scholar and saw that there was no evil in his eyes. He seemed to be genuinely worried that she had caught a cold, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Boy, are you underestimating me?" The bearded swordsman glared fiercely at the scholar.

The scholar was timid and dared not meet his gaze, yet he still said, "A gentleman has things he will do and things he will not do..."

"Enough, shut up!" The bearded swordsman interrupted him directly: "I don't have time to waste with your pedantic nonsense."

Seeing this, the woman naturally dared not go over. She smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, young master, but I will not go over."

……

Several bonfires in the temple crackled and popped, casting the shadows of the crowd onto the dilapidated temple walls, making it appear as if many ghosts were crawling on them.

Deep within the dilapidated temple, the clay sculpture seated on a lotus platform, illuminated by the bonfire, appeared eerie and sinister, as if it were about to choose someone to die.

Not long after, a gasp rang out, and everyone looked toward the source of the gasp.

This was the spot where the three hunters had been. They had originally filled the entire area, but now only one lonely figure remained.

Another hunter has gone missing!

The only remaining hunter, terrified and frightened, roared and screamed incoherently, seemingly on the verge of madness. The merchants were also tense, gripping their weapons tightly, their palms sweating profusely. The scholar was clueless, but the bearded swordsman's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Lynn remained seated cross-legged, completely unmoved by his surroundings, while the woman was pale and shivering, seemingly very cold.

"Squeak!"

Just as the hunter was about to go mad, the temple door was pushed open again, and this time a burly man wearing a straw raincoat and no weapons walked in. He strode into the temple, scanned everyone inside, and his sharp gaze went straight to Lynn, who was sitting cross-legged, and the bearded swordsman.

However, he didn't say anything in the end and went to find a place to sit down.

Just as he entered the dilapidated temple and everyone's attention was drawn to him, only two of the three merchants remained.

Someone else has disappeared!

At this moment, even the most obtuse scholar realized something was wrong. He glanced at the fierce-looking, bearded swordsman, and finally cautiously approached him.

This bearded swordsman may be a bit fierce, but he gives people a great sense of security.

The bearded swordsman glanced at him but did not stop him.

Before long, the last hunter also disappeared, and the atmosphere inside the dilapidated temple became increasingly eerie.

The burly man, who was unarmed, had been observing everything in the dilapidated temple since he entered. He seemed completely unconcerned about the hunter's disappearance, as if he had expected it.

The bearded swordsman calmly sipped his wine, seemingly confident in everything.

Lynn sat cross-legged, like a statue.

A moment later, someone else disappeared; this time it was the woman who was soaking wet.

The scholar grew even more frightened. He couldn't help but want to leave, but he didn't have the courage to leave alone. He looked at the bearded swordsman beside him and stammered, "Brave warrior... this place seems a bit eerie... perhaps we should leave together..."

The bearded swordsman completely ignored him and just kept drinking his wine.

While the scholar was speaking, the remaining two merchants also disappeared without a trace.

The dozen or so people who had originally filled the dilapidated temple were reduced to just four: Lynn, the bearded swordsman, the shirtless strongman, and the scholar.

"How boring! Haven't you had enough fun yet!" The shirtless, burly man seemed to have noticed something, and suddenly stood up, throwing his raincoat aside.

He wasn't saying this to Lynn and the other two, but to the dilapidated temple itself.

The dilapidated temple, of course, didn't respond to him, and he couldn't help but reveal a cold expression: "Stop pretending! Watch me beat you until you show your true colors!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he lay down on the ground, his right hand clenched into a claw shape and slightly extended.

"roar!"

The instant his movement was completed, a deafening tiger's roar seemed to echo from inside the dilapidated temple.

The Tiger Form of Five Elements Fist!

Looking at the burly man enveloped by the semi-transparent phantom of a tiger, both Lynn and the bearded swordsman showed a hint of solemnity.

They had all recognized the newcomer as none other than the famous exorcist, "Five Elements Fist"!

"Five Elements Fist, that's not fair of you. I arrived before you!" The bearded swordsman stood up.

Not far away, Lynn also stood up. He didn't say anything, but his meaning was the same as that of the bearded swordsman.

"roar!"

Another tiger roared, and the burly man of the Five Elements Fist stood up, retracting his tiger form. He looked at the two men and said, "You two are dawdling, it's making me so impatient."

"Let's wait until the rain stops!" A hoarse voice came from Lynn's throat. "If we tear down the temple now, there'll be nowhere to take shelter from the rain!"

"This exorcist friend makes a good point!" Upon hearing Lynn's words, the burly man with the Five Elements Fist actually nodded in agreement.

The bearded swordsman sneered, "I just wanted to see how many people this fiend has killed. Three hunters, four merchants, and that woman! He killed eight people, devoured their flesh and blood, and then imprisoned their souls in this dilapidated temple. This fiend deserves to die!"

In fact, apart from the scholar, the three of them were exorcists who had received a bounty from the government to kill a demon.

As for why Lynn became an exorcist, it all started when he upgraded to become a Black Zombie Iron Corpse. After becoming an Iron Corpse, he couldn't wait to slaughter a bandit stronghold, but unfortunately discovered...

After becoming an Iron Corpse, he could no longer gain Origin Points by killing ordinary beings. To obtain Origin Points, he could only kill demons or powerful cultivators and exorcists.

But demons and exorcists are not so easy to find, and even if you do find them, they are not so easy to kill.

Fortunately, with his primordial essence as a controller of the primordial chaos, he quickly developed a method for zombie cultivation that suited this world. He cultivated with the help of moonlight while slowly transforming his body.

After several years, they finally gained many human abilities such as speaking, seeing, and hearing, becoming almost indistinguishable from ordinary people.

Only then did he emerge from the mountains, traveling the world as a human, attempting to use human intelligence to hunt down those demons.

However, in this world, the evil has increased while the righteous have decreased, and demons are everywhere. Most of these demons are beyond the capabilities of a mere iron corpse like him.

So far, he hasn't dared to take on even a single exorcism mission.

Destroying the demons inside the dilapidated temple was his first exorcism mission, but he unexpectedly encountered two competitors.

Lynn looked at the realm section of the semi-transparent panel.

Black Zombie Iron Corpse (25/100)

……

Their unbridled conversation finally enraged the demons dwelling in the dilapidated temple.

Deep within the dilapidated temple, the tall clay sculpture slowly rose to its feet.

"Boom!"

The giant clay hand reached out to grab the scholar next to the bearded swordsman, intending to kill and devour him.

"Hmph! You dare, you monster!"

With a roar, the bearded swordsman drew his sword from behind him and, with lightning speed, slashed directly at the clay sculpture's hand.

But instead of shattering the clay sculpture as he expected, the sword struck with a metallic clang, and his precious sword was deflected.

Fortunately, with his sword blocking the way, the scholar hurriedly fled to the side, thus escaping a calamity.

(End of this chapter)