One person: I, Daoist Master, am a cultivator of immortality!

In his monstrous form, Zuo Qianzhi's defensive capabilities alone were comparable to those of some extraordinary individuals skilled in external martial arts. A dust explosion alone would hardly be enough to kill him, let alone merely injure him.

As the smoke from the dust explosion dissipated, the mangled monster Zuo Qianzhi appeared in the center of the ruins. Judging from his condition, the dust explosion hadn't caused him much harm; at least it hadn't affected his normal activities.

"How can this monster be so thick-skinned? I kicked him twelve times with the Eight Desolate Fire Dragon buff, and not even a single joint broke. All his injuries are superficial; none have actually penetrated his internal organs." Sun Yao said as he walked towards Zuo Qianzhi, his brows furrowing. His kick had just collapsed the main hall of Zuo Qianzhi's residence; such a commotion would surely attract the army's attention. He had to act quickly and capture Zuo Qianzhi as soon as possible.

Sun Yao sighed, then patted the Silver-Winged Arrow on his headdress. The arrow's wings began to vibrate upon being patted, and quickly vanished without a trace. The flapping speed was too fast for the naked eye to perceive. The next moment, the Silver-Winged Arrow transformed into a streak of silver light and charged towards Zuo Qianzhi. Now transformed into a monster, Zuo Qianzhi was no match for the arrow's attacks. The arrow charged left and right, quickly creating over a dozen bloody holes in the monster's body.

However, the Silver-Winged Arrow was ultimately too small; even after piercing Zuo Qianzhi's body with over a dozen holes, it couldn't inflict significant damage. While Zuo Qianzhi couldn't avoid the Silver-Winged Arrow's attacks, he carefully protected his weakest points—his head and heart. As a result, even with over a dozen holes in his body, the Silver-Winged Arrow couldn't truly kill him.

Sun Yao calculated the time; by now, the city defense battalion had probably noticed the commotion. Sun Yao had to deal with the monster as soon as possible, after all, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be injured in the hail of bullets.

"Sword travels a thousand miles, swords transform into countless forms, swiftly!"

Sun Yao held back without hesitation. The Thunder Pool Flying Sword multiplied rapidly in front of his chest, and with a pull of his hands, dozens of flying swords appeared before him. With a swift shout, he pointed his right hand at Zuo Qianzhi in a sword-like gesture. The dozens of flying swords hurtled straight towards Zuo Qianzhi, but Zuo Qianzhi seemed to sense something, instantly rolling away. The dozens of flying swords all pierced the ground, then dissolved into ordinary spiritual energy.

These differentiated flying swords were merely temporary shadows of the Thunder Pool Flying Swords intercepted by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. If a single sword strike failed to achieve its purpose, it would naturally dissipate.

"Even if this old thing has become a monster and lost its reason, can it still do this? Does this monster still have any reason? If it doesn't have any reason, how could it act like this? Is it really just an instinctive reaction after feeling its life was threatened?"

Seeing Zuo Qianzhi, now transformed into a monster, making actions he couldn't comprehend, Sun Yao was utterly bewildered. However, bewilderment aside, time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to dwell on such matters any longer. The monster was about to rise and escape; if he couldn't keep it here today, who knew what might happen next?

Sun Yao lightly stomped his right foot on the ground, and countless earth spikes shot out, trapping the monster that Zuo Qianzhi had transformed into in the courtyard. The monster tried to break free of the spikes by brute force, but only ended up with a bloodied head. Under Sun Yao's control, these earth spikes grew like rooted demonic vines; as soon as it smashed one, another would rise from the ground and continue growing, connecting with the broken part.

"This time you can't escape, Thunder Pool, Heavenly Punishment!"

Purple lightning flashed in Sun Yao's hand, the very mark of his Purple Heaven Thunder Technique. Sun Yao swept his lightning-covered hand across the Thunder Pool, and in the next instant, the true form of the Thunder Pool finally appeared. After being activated by the lightning, the Thunder Pool revealed its original form: a talisman sword covered in purple lightning. The only flaw was that this Thunder Pool flying sword lacked a sword spirit. However, this did not affect the Thunder Pool flying sword's immense power. With a flick of Sun Yao's sword finger, the Thunder Pool flying sword transformed into a stream of light, piercing directly through the monster Zuo Qianzhi's chest, creating a large hole in his left side.

"Let's see if you live this time. You've lost your heart, I don't believe you can still live!"

As Sun Yao spoke, he put the Thunder Pool Flying Sword that had flown back to his side into his treasure pouch. However, his footwork did not slacken in the slightest. He continued to consume spiritual energy to cast the Earth Spike Technique. Finally, after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Earth Spike Technique finally pierced into Zuo Qianzhi's skin. This meant that Zuo Qianzhi had finally lost his power. Only in this way could Sun Yao's Earth Spike Technique penetrate his body without hindrance.

Seeing that Zuo Qianzhi had been killed by his sword, Sun Yao did not let his guard down, because he discovered that Zhang Qishan, who was acting alone, had gotten himself into trouble again. He was currently fighting fiercely with Zuo Qianzhi's men in Zuo Qianzhi's underground laboratory, and was even at a disadvantage.

Actually, although Zhang Qishan was quite inexperienced at this time, he might not have lost to this swordsman on his own. But what about the fact that he was injured and that the swordsman saved a member of the Zhang family who was being used as a test subject? That's right, this person was none other than Zhang Rishan, who would later become famous. Zhang Qishan alone could at most go toe-to-toe with him, and might even be slightly stronger. But now, with a burden in his arms, he was left only to be completely dominated.

Sun Yao felt that Zhang Qishan was a remarkable person with a future, and it would be ideal to recruit him as his subordinate. So, driven by his interest in talent, he stepped forward and approached Zhang Qishan.

"How about it? I'll take care of him for you. How about you work for me?"

"Working for you?"

"Yes, I'll help you out of the immediate danger, and from now on you'll be under my command. No, I should say, you'll be my adjutant."

After Sun Yao finished speaking, Zhang Qishan fell silent.

"Still hesitating? You need to think this through. You don't just have one life left. This kid in your hands and those people in the prison outside all seem to have close ties to you."

"Okay, I promise you."

"That's right, a wise man submits to circumstances. But I'm not too keen on saying that, it makes me feel like a villain."

As Sun Yao spoke, he appeared on the swordsman's head and kicked him, shattering his head into pieces.