A moment later, the door of the ruined temple was kicked open, and five figures swiftly charged in. They searched around as if looking for a vanished target. A middle-aged man with a stern expression approached the spot where Lin Tian had once lain, stretched out his hand to feel, and sensed the lingering warmth in the air. His face darkened. "He hasn't been gone for long!"
"This is strange. We arrived as quickly as we could, yet he still managed to escape?" A young man in a blue robe frowned, his voice tinged with confusion.
"He Jie, although this kid seems insignificant, his escape skills are no less impressive than Li Laogui's," the middle-aged man, referred to as "Zhou Shixiong," said angrily.
"Brother Zhou, if we fail to catch him and our master finds out, we'll all be in trouble," a burly man with a beard, around thirty years old, said, a flash of fear crossing his eyes.
"Don't worry. He can't have gone far," Zhou Shixiong sneered, turning and leading the way toward the back door of the ruined temple. They had entered through the front door, and there was only one path up the mountain. They hadn't encountered anyone else, so it was clear that Lin Tian had escaped through the back door and into the dense forest behind the temple.
"You guys go ahead. I'll stay here and guard, in case the kid tries to fight back," the burly man with the beard said, his eyes flashing with calculation.
Zhou Shixiong nodded and hurriedly left with He Jie and the other two. Before leaving, He Jie seemed to give the burly man a meaningful glance.
The burly man's heart tightened. Once the others had completely left, he coldly spoke, "Kid, if you don't want to die, you'd better come out now!"
Lin Tian's ears twitched slightly, sensing the sound coming from behind him. His heartbeat gradually returned to normal. He suddenly sprang to his feet, moving as lightly as a cat, and jumped down from the beam. A sharp dagger appeared in his hand, and without hesitation, he aimed for the burly man's neck.
"Clink!" A crisp sound echoed in the air, as Lin Tian's dagger was blocked by a broad sword that the burly man had raised horizontally. Although the broad sword was heavy, it was surprisingly agile, easily deflecting Lin Tian's attack.
Using the rebound force, Lin Tian swiftly retreated, but the sound of the sword swishing through the air grew louder, as the broad sword followed him with terrifying momentum, almost striking his neck. Lin Tian's heart tightened. Although he had already broken through to the Refining Bone stage and his body was exceptionally agile, facing such overwhelming power still put immense pressure on him.
"How can this burly man be so agile?" Lin Tian was shocked, growing increasingly cautious.
As soon as he landed, the broad sword was already across his throat. The tip of the sword pressed lightly, and a thin streak of blood appeared on Lin Tian's neck, blood dripping down the blade. Lin Tian's face turned pale, and he dared not move. He silently sighed, "The gap is too great. Although I learned that unique set of movements from the old man, making my body more agile, in terms of actual combat experience, I'm no match for him."
He forced a smile and asked, "How did you find me?"
"Li Laogui is a master assassin in our martial world. You've only learned a move or two from him, but you still have some wits. Unfortunately, I've also trained in some spells, which allow me to sense your movements," the burly man sneered and said slowly, "Do you really think I, Zhang Yanghao, would be afraid of you?"
Lin Tian's mind stirred, and the name "Zhang Yanghao" immediately flashed in his mind. He silently took note of this person's information. Despite the urgent situation, he didn't give up hope. "If that's the case, why couldn't you find me earlier?"
"The situation was different then. If I had exposed you, Zhou Shixiong and the others would have been the ones to get credit. Besides, if that thing had fallen into Zhou Shixiong's hands, it would have been handed over to the elders in the sect. At that point, how could I have had a chance to act?" Zhang Yanghao's eyes flashed with cunning, then he said smugly.
"You guys keep talking about me taking something. But in reality, the old man didn't leave me anything at all," Lin Tian said with a bitter smile.
"You're lying!" Zhang Yanghao sneered coldly. Suddenly, he swung his sword, and in the blink of an eye, his broad sword pierced Lin Tian's forearm.
"Ah!" Lin Tian let out a muffled grunt. Although he dodged the fatal blow, the tip of the sword still pierced through his forearm, and blood poured out, the pain nearly causing him to lose consciousness. The burly man's reflexes were astonishing. Even though Lin Tian had made some breakthroughs, he still appeared weak when facing such an opponent.
"Nice reflexes," Zhang Yanghao said with a cruel smile, sneering. "You know, I made a bet. The bet is whether you bleed out first, or my brothers return first?"
Lin Tian's eyes flickered. He said with difficulty, "I'll tell you. The thing the old man left me was just a broken smoking gun, hidden in the broken arm of the statue. Do you believe it?"
Zhang Yanghao's eyes flickered for a moment, then he sneered, "Even if it's a broken smoking gun, it won't change the outcome of my victory today." He released his sword but immediately used his internal energy to seal Lin Tian's limbs, rendering him unable to move.
"Still, I'm not completely at ease," Zhang Yanghao murmured, then quickly bound Lin Tian with rope, making sure he couldn't resist. Afterward, he went behind the statue and carefully moved toward the broken arm.
The broken arm of the statue in the ruined temple had been hidden by Lin Tian. He carefully took out the clay arm, and the copper smoking gun left by the old man was inside. Zhang Yanghao didn't immediately sense the danger. Slowly, he pulled out the smoking gun, confirming there was no anomaly, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
However, suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit him. His face turned pale instantly. He quickly realized he had fallen into a trap—Lin Tian had coated the broken arm of the statue with a colorless, tasteless poison powder. The poison was rapidly entering his body.