Accidentally invincible!

The three of them had been raised by the Sect Hierarch under the guidance of the Old Demon of Heavenly Corpses, and they were fully under the Sect Hierarch's control. Any hint of dissent would lead to their utter annihilation. They had only recently managed to free themselves from his grasp and finally regain their freedom.

They even had plans.

Plans to quietly remain in the cultivation world. As for ascending to the Immortal Realm—bah, let's not even think about it. What if they ran into the Sect Hierarch there and ended up under his control again? That kind of hellish existence was something they couldn't endure.

When Lin Fan arrived, their hearts didn't stir much.

The guy was decent enough in terms of strength, but with the three of them working together, losing wasn't something they had ever considered.

But now...

Earth Corpse and Fire Corpse looked at the fallen Water Corpse, who was sprawled motionless on the ground, and for the first time, a trace of panic crept into their minds.

"Lin Fan, as a disciple of an Immortal Dao Sect, if you kill us, the Demon Path won't ever let you off," Earth Corpse said coldly. His voice remained steady, but inside, he was anything but calm. Events had strayed far beyond his expectations—winning no longer felt assured.

"Sigh!" Lin Fan heaved a dramatic sigh.

Earth Corpse stiffened at Lin Fan's detached reaction, his unease growing tenfold.

"What are you sighing about?"

Lin Fan replied helplessly, "You three, seriously? Do you not even realize the current situation? Most of the top-tier experts from the Demon Path and Demon Clan have already ascended. Who exactly do you think is going to come after me?"

Earth Corpse and the others were flabbergasted, their eyes bulging wide.

Ascended?

Most of them... already ascended?

"Lin Daoist Friend, I don't believe there's any deep-seated enmity between us. Even if there were misunderstandings in the past, those were all due to the Sect Hierarch's coercion. Surely, you could leave us a way out," Earth Corpse softened his tone, a far cry from his initial arrogance.

Seizing the moment was crucial.

If Lin Fan's words were true, this could actually be a blessing in disguise for them.

"Upholding heavenly justice is the principle cultivators like us should follow," Lin Fan said thoughtfully.

"To be honest, I didn't even intend to meet you lot. But there's a mysterious force of fate guiding me, leading me here."

"At that moment, I realized my mission was heavier than I had ever imagined."

Lin Fan spoke with an air of resignation.

In truth, it was all bullshit. He was just out here looking for people to beat up and score some loot. Right now, he desperately needed mana—although the other stuff could come in handy, too.

Water Corpse, enraged, let out a blood-chilling howl: "Elder Brother, he's clearly here to kill us! Why are you still dithering? Join forces and kill him already!"

Lying incapacitated on the ground, Water Corpse coughed up blood in his agitation.

But when he saw Earth Corpse and Fire Corpse still wasting time, ineffectually negotiating with Lin Fan, anger flared in his eyes. He was livid—nearly ready to combust on the spot. Here he was, beaten within an inch of his life, while those two idiots were still flapping their mouths. It was utterly infuriating.

"The Sect Hierarch will learn of our plight. When he ascends to the Immortal Realm, he'll definitely avenge us!"

Earth Corpse and Fire Corpse turned to look at Water Corpse as if they were staring at a complete idiot.

Really? That's your brilliant plan? Do you think we haven't seen through your petty scheming?

Sneaky bastard.

Clearly, you just want us to follow you down your doomed path.

"We're leaving."

Earth Corpse, realizing they were no match for Lin Fan, shouted decisively. A coffin materialized in the air—it wasn't the Old Demon of Heavenly Corpses' primary artifact but instead a lesser Child Coffin, forged by him for his subordinates.

Black mist poured forth from the coffin. Both Earth Corpse and Fire Corpse dove inside as it sealed itself shut and tore through the void, fleeing to the distant horizon.

"How could you abandon me?!"

"We're supposed to be brothers!"

Water Corpse, the Vice Sect Hierarch, wailed in utter despair.

This... this was the infamous plastic brotherhood? Sure, there had been bad blood earlier when dividing their spoils, but after so many years together, did they really have to be so heartless?

"Trying to run?"

Lin Fan watched the fleeing coffin disappearing into the void and began to laugh. Sometimes, overthinking things was absolutely terrifying.

Innate Vortex Heaven-Seizing Clutch!

Unleashing a Great Divine Power, Lin Fan's hand transformed into a massive palm, tearing through the void and reaching toward distant realms.

Boom!

Crash!

A deafening noise echoed as the coffin was ripped from the void, tumbling back to the ground. The dense black mist enveloping it was instantly shattered by the titanic hand, leaving Earth Corpse and Fire Corpse trapped inside. They felt as if they were being tossed about in a stormy sea, barely clinging to consciousness.

Snap!

In a split second, the immense hand swung down, violently clutching the coffin. As mana surged, the horrifying power of the Ancestor Dragon Floating Body erupted. With a resounding crack, the Child Coffin shattered into splinters.

Two figures plummeted to the ground.

Earth Corpse and Fire Corpse looked stupefied, as if they'd just seen a ghost. They stared at the broken debris around them, utterly dumbfounded.

That coffin—crafted by the Sect Hierarch himself—though incomplete, carried the power of a Dao Artifact at the highest grade. Yet, it had been smashed apart just like that.

What kind of monstrous strength was this?!

Fire Corpse, ever the hothead, roared angrily, "If you won't let us live, then we'll fight you to the death!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Fire Corpse howled, summoning a sinister flame that engulfed his body before surging toward Lin Fan in an overwhelming tide.

With a single slap, Lin Fan's hand descended. A deafening smack rang out, and the unstoppable force slammed Fire Corpse into the ground, pinning him like a nailed plank. He joined Water Corpse as an unwilling, prone companion.

Both lay sprawled and bleeding, grievously injured, their battered bodies mangled beyond recognition—a truly pitiful sight.

Lin Fan's gaze then shifted to Earth Corpse.

Feeling Lin Fan's eyes on him, Earth Corpse visibly flinched. His heart quaked with an unbearable mixture of dread and unease. That kind of power—it was incomprehensible.

Terrifying.

"Back in the day, the Sect Hierarch led us through countless dangers. But to us, every challenge was a test—a form of tempering."

"Now, the Sect Hierarch has ascended to the Immortal Realm. But today, you arrive here to kill us, marking this as the one disaster I cannot avoid."

"Even so, heaven itself values mercy, offering a glimmer of hope."

"So..."

Earth Corpse paused, then abruptly knelt, bowing low. "Spare me, and I will pledge my loyalty to you."

He had no alternative.

Resistance was futile—this was an insurmountable gap in strength.

And, frankly, he didn't want to die.

With the Sect Hierarch's control severed, they were finally free, able to live without fear. They had a long and prosperous future ahead—dying here would be the cruelest absurdity.

Water Corpse and Fire Corpse gawked at Earth Corpse in disbelief.

That he would stoop so low... staggering.

To survive, even throwing away his dignity?

"Pathetic! Truly pathetic! Earth Corpse, you've shamed the Sect Hierarch's name! I and Water Corpse would never degrade ourselves like you! Death? So be it! We've reached this high in cultivation, and still, you cling to life? No wonder the Sect Hierarch once said that if a traitor emerged, it'd be you!"

Fire Corpse sneered, his disdain clear.

His eyes burned with scorn.

Were he not witnessing it firsthand, he wouldn't have believed it.

But now, there was no denying the facts.

A man with no shame.

"Water Corpse... I used to think it would be you—the coward. But no, it's Earth Corpse. We have nothing to fear. Even if we die, one day the Sect Hierarch will avenge us."

Fire Corpse continued to ridicule him mercilessly.

But to Earth Corpse, what did living lack that dying had? Why bother putting on this tough act?

"Lin Daoist Friend, your strength commands respect, and your majesty is awe-inspiring. I, Water Corpse, once failed to recognize a towering figure. I hope you can forgive me. Like Earth Corpse, I too am willing to serve at your side. Please, grant us this chance."

"We earnestly wish to humbly learn from your wisdom."

Water Corpse spoke earnestly, unconcerned about Fire Corpse's prior words.

Want to die? Go die by yourself.

Don't drag us down as we grasp at our last shot at survival.

"You...!"

Though heavily injured and coughing blood constantly, Fire Corpse was outraged. Earth Corpse's shamelessness already enraged him, but now, Water Corpse's pleas for mercy pushed him into a fit of uncontainable fury. Blood spurted wildly from his mouth.

He stared at the two of them with burning hatred.

But he was helpless—he could only glare in mute anger.

"Sigh, recognizing your mistakes and changing for the better is indeed a virtue. Alas, I am not from the Buddhist Sect, and so I cannot offer you salvation. I only hope that in your next lives you might learn to be human."

Lin Fan had no interest in recruiting these two ingrates. They'd only sully his reputation.

The Hell Spear coalesced in his hand. With a sharp thrust, it streaked toward its targets.

"No—!"

Water Corpse's eyes were wide with terror as he cried out. With a sickening sound, the Hell Spear pierced his skull, pinning him to the ground.

Earth Corpse had no courage left to even talk back to Lin Fan.

Overwhelmed with fear, he made a desperate attempt to flee.

Lin Fan unleashed a punch, his mana tearing through the void and obliterating Earth Corpse on the spot.

"Hahaha..." Fire Corpse seemed on the brink of madness. He laughed maniacally at the scene before him and then turned to glare at Lin Fan with seething hatred. "I curse you—"

But he hadn't finished his sentence.

The Hell Spear, now a streak of dark light, drove straight through his mouth.

"All done," Lin Fan said with a faint smile.

He stood still, awaiting his spoils to drop. Considering recent events, having taken down three major players, something worthwhile ought to appear, right?

As for mana...

Well, that was anyone's guess.

The air around him grew chillingly oppressive—a fitting atmosphere for awaiting loot. The anticipation was... oddly exciting.

[Acquired Spirit Root: Eighth Grade Demon Spirit Root.]

[Acquired Skill: Corpse Refining (Mastered).]

[Acquired Item: Worm-Infested Underwear.]

[Acquired Great Divine Power: Despair Corpse Domain.]

[Acquired Elixir: Corpse Demon Pill (Seventh Grade).]

[Acquired Great Divine Power: Unlimited Mahayana.]

…

"Mana! Give me mana! Stop throwing random crap at me!"

Lin Fan groaned in frustration. Honestly, the loot was spectacular—they'd dropped a lot of stuff. But the one thing he truly wanted, mana, remained elusive.

This was nothing like what he'd envisioned.

Why couldn't the universe just pleasantly surprise him for once?

After all this time, he hadn't received a single drop of mana. Was fate truly forcing him to target weaklings?

He had no words for some of the loot he'd gotten.

That worm-infested underwear—was someone pulling some sick joke on him?

How had that even made it into the loot pool?

"Sigh!"

"Just a streak of bad luck."

Lin Fan exhaled heavily but ultimately shrugged off his disappointment. Perhaps the heavens weren't smiling upon him today.

Having slain three major figures, their dropped loot wasn't too bad—it was just... average, for someone of his level.

He turned to inspect the corpses, lips curling in distaste. In every sense, they were impoverished—by far the most pitiful figures he'd ever encountered among high-level cultivators.

They had left behind barely any treasures.

A handful of Spirit Stones—meager in number—was all he had to show for it. The Old Demon of Heavenly Corpses must've been ridiculously stingy, bleeding his subordinates dry. Perhaps this was the stark reality of living under someone else's thumbs.

Anything of real value...

Most likely had been handed over to the Old Demon himself.