781: Strength surged once again

"Boom...!"

Following a loud boom, the three middle-aged men felt as if they had been struck by a heavy blow, instantly flying backward. By the time they hit the ground, they had completely lost their combat effectiveness.

Tang Tianming was not faring well either. His body had sustained severe internal injuries. Had he not held a Life-saving Talismanic Incantation in his hand, he likely would have perished here.

"You beasts! You've forced this old man to waste a Life-saving Talismanic Incantation for nothing. If I don't tear you into ten thousand pieces today, my name isn't Tang Tianming."

Cold Killing Intent welled up in Tang Tianming's eyes. Holding his battle sword, he walked step by step toward the five middle-aged men.

"Don't kill us, please don't kill us." The leader of the middle-aged men, who was the first to be injured, showed a look of terror on his face.

"After beating this old man into this state, do you think you still have a reason to live?" Tang Tianming's voice was bone-chillingly cold. He raised his long sword and slashed down heavily toward one of the middle-aged men.

"Swish...!"

At this critical moment, a rainbow-like streak flashed past, and Tang Tianming's right arm, still holding the sword, instantly fell to the ground.

"Old man, didn't you want to kill me? I'm here!" Yang Lingchen's figure suddenly flashed, appearing instantly in front of Tang Tianming.

"Stinky brat, it's you!" A flash of fear crossed Tang Tianming's eyes. His body instantly transformed into a streak of blood, fleeing rapidly into the distance.

Now that he was severely injured and the Immortal Essence Power in his body was almost depleted, he naturally wouldn't fight Yang Lingchen head-on.

"Ignorant fool, isn't it too late to run now?"

Yang Lingchen snorted coldly. The sky-splitting spear in his hand instantly turned into a white light, shooting straight toward Tang Tianming's back.

"Chii...!"

The white light flashed, and the sky-splitting spear instantly pierced through Tang Tianming's back, pinning him directly onto a cliff.

With a wave of Yang Lingchen's right hand, a massive Phantom Claw flew out through the air, grabbing Tang Tianming back.

"Old thing, speak! Who exactly sent you?" Yang Lingchen's voice was bone-chillingly cold, and a massive Killing Intent radiated from his body.

"Kill or torture me as you wish, this old man is not one who fears death."

Tang Tianming spoke with difficulty, his cold eyes reflecting a chilling Killing Intent.

Although he had been captured by Yang Lingchen, he never thought of betraying the person behind him.

"Even if you don't speak, I have ways to find out who sent you."

A fierce light glinted in Yang Lingchen's eyes. He reached out and grabbed Tang Tianming's head, then began to circulate the Soul Devouring Saint Demon Art.

"Ahhh...! Mercy! It was Jun Lingyu who sent me."

Tang Tianming let out a painful howl and hurriedly confessed everything.

He really hadn't expected Yang Lingchen's methods to be so cruel. If he didn't confess, the other party would likely drain all of his Soul and blood energy.

"You can go in peace! From the moment you started hunting me down, you were destined to be a dead man." A cold sneer curled at the corner of Yang Lingchen's mouth.

Meanwhile, the other five middle-aged men were shaking with fear. If they hadn't been severely injured, they likely would have vanished long ago.

In less than ten breaths of time, Tang Tianming was refined into a withered husk by Yang Lingchen.

"Young Master, please spare us! We haven't offended you." One of the middle-aged men looked at Yang Lingchen in terror.

"You indeed haven't offended me, but you aren't good people either. Since you've chosen this life, you must be prepared to be sacrificed."

A wicked smile curled on Yang Lingchen's lips. He then manifested several Phantom Claws with his hands, instantly dragging the five middle-aged men together.

As the Soul Devouring Saint Demon Art was activated, the blood energy and Souls of the five middle-aged men instantly transformed into wisps of pure Spiritual Qi, which then surged into Yang Lingchen's body.

"Ahhh...!"

At this moment, wails echoed everywhere. Had Yang Lingchen not sealed off the area, the screams would have likely spread throughout the entire Empty Heart Valley.

In less than ten breaths, all five middle-aged men were turned into dried corpses.

"Damn, that feels good."

Yang Lingchen exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, an expression of enjoyment on his face. He then waved his right hand, instantly releasing several streaks of True Fire that burned the corpses on the scene to ashes.

Having finished everything, Yang Lingchen collected the Storage Rings and Secret Storage Spaces from the ground into the haotian jade space, then vanished from the spot with a flash of his body.

Such a large commotion here would likely soon attract the attention of other Cultivators.

In less than fifteen minutes, Yang Lingchen arrived at a certain cave a hundred kilometers away.

Without hesitation, he entered the haotian jade space and began to frantically refine the pure Spiritual Qi within his body.

As the Spiritual Qi was refined bit by bit, Yang Lingchen's cultivation level soared once again.

"Earth Immortal Realm Seventh Layer Late Stage."

"Earth Immortal Realm Seventh Layer Peak."

Before long, Yang Lingchen touched the barrier of the Earth Immortal Realm Eighth Layer.

At this point, he pushed all the Immortal Essence Power in his body and frantically charged toward the Earth Immortal Realm Eighth Layer.

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

"Earth Immortal Realm Eighth Layer!"

A series of crisp sounds of bones and meridians cracking rang out as Yang Lingchen's cultivation level successfully broke through the barrier of the Earth Immortal Realm Eighth Layer.

At this moment, Yang Lingchen suddenly opened his eyes, and a sharp light shot out from them.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with infinite confidence. With the Undying Golden Body Art and the Soul Devouring Saint Demon Art, his future held limitless possibilities.

Yang Lingchen believed that as long as he was given enough time, he would certainly possess the strength to contend with Yang Haotian.

Afterward, he found an immortal spirit grass inside Tang Tianming's storage ring.

"Holy shit, only one."

Yang Lingchen felt somewhat helpless; he really hadn't expected that they had fought to the death just for a single immortal spirit grass.

Yang Lingchen quietly left the cave and flew all the way toward the exit of Empty Heart Valley.

Yang Lingchen was very satisfied with this training session. Although he had only been out for twenty-odd days, his cultivation level had risen from the Earth Immortal Realm Fourth Layer to the Earth Immortal Realm Eighth Layer.

Such a terrifying rate of improvement was like a dream, making it hard to believe.

Of course, this terrifying speed of improvement couldn't last forever unless he absorbed everyone he met, but if he did that, how would he be any different from a Devil Head?

The reason Yang Lingchen absorbed those five middle-aged men was mainly because they weren't good people either; absorbing them didn't give him any sense of guilt.

Furthermore, the reason Yang Lingchen absorbed these middle-aged men was also because he valued their Heavenly Immortal Realm Sixth Layer cultivation level.

Because the stronger the Cultivator absorbed by the Soul Devouring Saint Demon Art, the greater the benefit to him.

If he were to absorb those at the Earth Immortal Realm, even absorbing a hundred might not be enough to raise him by a minor Realm.