I Grind to Martial Saint

A bloody hole was viciously gouged in his neck, and blood spurted out in a torrent.

"Who?!"

One-Eyed Dragon’s expression changed in shock.

He saw the tall, thin man with blood gushing from his neck, but no other figures.

One-Eyed Dragon’s eyes darted around and quickly landed on the old monk, who was still sitting cross-legged on the ice.

’It’s that guy!’

The image of a young Scholar with a deceptively gentle gaze immediately flashed in One-Eyed Dragon’s mind.

Just then, he heard the faint hum of a blade from behind his head.

Before One-Eyed Dragon could react...

PFFT!

A sharp dagger plunged directly into the back of his skull.

One-Eyed Dragon fell to his knees, collapsing onto the ice.

The young Scholar pulled out the dagger. As he watched the battle raging nearby, a look of horror flickered in his eyes.

He had undergone some kind of special training. Like Han Yuan, he hadn’t been affected by that strange power and had remained clear-headed the entire time. Thus, he had a rough idea of what was happening.

After Han Yuan made his move, the young Scholar had been waiting for an opportunity.

Finally, when the tall, thin man and One-Eyed Dragon’s attention was drawn to the fierce battle, he struck from the shadows and assassinated them both.

But the young Scholar didn’t make another move.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help Han Yuan.

It was that he was completely out of his depth in a battle of this level.

If he joined in, he would probably just cause Han Yuan more trouble.

’Thank goodness he’s here. Otherwise, I would’ve been a goner this time.’

The young Scholar muttered to himself, then looked over at the old monk sitting cross-legged on the ice.

At some point, the old monk had woken up.

He was fiddling with his Buddha Beads, his brow furrowed as he silently watched the intense battle nearby.

"Old monk, I can tell you’re no ordinary person. Why don’t you help?"

the young Scholar asked.

In truth, he had a faint feeling that the old monk had also been conscious the whole time.

"Amitabha."

"This humble monk would also like to lend that benefactor a hand."

"But this humble monk cannot act... If I do, the situation will only worsen."

the old monk said, shaking his head.

"Why?"

the young Scholar asked in confusion.

But the old monk said no more, simply staring at the battle ahead with a grave expression.

BANG!

With a furious roar, Han Yuan shattered the Ice Ghost’s Ice Crystal Armor, his fist punching straight through its chest!

But an Ice Blade also viciously slashed his shoulder, leaving a wound so deep the bone was visible, billowing with an extremely cold, icy mist.

"Again!" Han Yuan grinned.

Being injured seemed to have awakened some primal ferocity within him. He became even more vicious, his body surging with wild, profound Innate Great Demon Qi as he punched madly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

It was as if the very air was being torn apart.

The afterimages of his fists surged toward the Ice Ghost like a dark tide.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Ice Ghost was forced back again and again, shards of ice constantly exploding from its body.

"Damn you!"

"Frost Dagger!"

The Ice Ghost let out an angry, cold cry. Its hands suddenly transformed into sharp, frigid daggers, stabbing straight for Han Yuan’s temples!

"Giant Spirit·Gang Splitting Slash!"

Han Yuan roared, his hands slashing out fiercely!

SWISH!

It was as if the vacuum itself was being sliced apart.

PFFT!

Before the Ice Ghost’s attack could land on Han Yuan, its head was viciously cleaved open, and its enormous body crashed to the ground.

Roaring wildly, Han Yuan lifted his legs and began stomping furiously on the Ice Ghost’s corpse!

It was hard to say if he was venting his inner brutality or trying to obliterate it completely.

It was possible it was both.

In any case, as the Ice Palace shook and thunderous stomps echoed,

the Ice Ghost was trampled into countless ice shards, utterly destroyed.

The young Scholar watched, dumbfounded.

’This man... is terrifying.’

In the young Scholar’s mind, Han Yuan was now classified as someone he must absolutely never provoke.

The old monk also breathed a sigh of relief.

If Han Yuan hadn’t been a match for the Ice Ghost, he would have had to intervene.

But doing so might have triggered some truly terrifying consequences.

*Huff... huff...*

Han Yuan steadied his breathing, circulating his Innate Great Demon Qi to melt the cold energy inside his body.

A moment later, he opened his mouth and exhaled a puff of frosty air.

Seeing this, the young Scholar finally stepped forward to thank him. "Thank goodness you were here today, sir!"

Han Yuan waved his hand. "They came after me, so I naturally fought back. Don’t worry about it."

With that, he walked to the entrance of the Ice Palace and looked out.

He saw that the blizzard had gradually subsided.

Apparently, the sudden blizzard from before had been secretly controlled by the Ice Ghost.

But soon, Han Yuan’s brow furrowed again.

Because One-Eyed Dragon was dead.

With their guide dead, he feared they would waste an unknown amount of time trying to get out of the Snow Dragon Mountain Range.

The young Scholar looked at One-Eyed Dragon’s corpse and, realizing the same problem, felt a pang of regret.

When he had killed One-Eyed Dragon, he hadn’t considered this issue at all.

Now things had become difficult.

"Amitabha."

"This old monk may have a solution."

It was as if the old monk possessed the Mind Reading Technique, able to see the worries of Han Yuan and the young Scholar.

"Master Xu Shi, what solution do you have?"

Han Yuan asked.

He had always felt that this old monk was mysterious and far from ordinary.

"I need to speak with this benefactor alone."

Elder Monk Xu Shi said, his palms pressed together.

Hearing this, the young Scholar smiled slightly and zipped out of the Ice Palace.

Although he was very curious about what the old monk wanted to say to Han Yuan, he also knew in his heart that some things were better left unknown.

"Amitabha. This old monk knows a little of the Soul-Stealing Technique."

"If I cast a spell, I can acquire the guide’s memories."

Monk Xu Shi said with his palms together.

"I see."

"But I imagine there’s more you wanted to say to me, Master."

Han Yuan said with a slight smile.

"Yes... I want to make a deal with you, benefactor."

Monk Xu Shi said seriously.

"What kind of deal?" Han Yuan’s interest was piqued.

"I would like to ask you, benefactor, to escort me to the Great Vajra Temple in the Great Li Dynasty."

Monk Xu Shi said with great solemnity.

"The Great Li Dynasty... It seems the border of the Great Li Dynasty is just beyond the Snow Dragon Mountain Range."

Han Yuan said softly.

Although the Great Ling Dynasty didn’t have much contact with the three great dynasties outside, he still had some basic knowledge.

"Correct... After leaving the Snow Dragon Mountain Range, it’s about a month’s walk to reach the Great Li Dynasty."

Monk Xu Shi said in a low voice.

"Since you call it a deal, Master, what’s in it for me?"

Han Yuan asked with a smile.

He was no bleeding heart.

Besides, for the old monk to ask for his escort, there had to be a hidden story.

"What do you need, benefactor?" Monk Xu Shi asked.

Han Yuan thought for a moment, then said quietly, "I need a Cultivation Technique for the Divine Sea Realm, or a Divine Blade."

Xu Shi mulled it over for a moment before saying, "The Great Vajra Temple has a cultivation method for the Divine Sea Realm, but it would not suit your path, benefactor."

"However, the temple does have a Divine Weapon... I wonder, what weapon do you use, benefactor?"

Han Yuan answered directly, "A blade."

Xu Shi nodded. "Then there is no problem. The Divine Weapon in the Great Vajra Temple is, in fact, a blade."

Hearing this, Han Yuan’s gaze grew serious. "Master Xu Shi, why do you need me to escort you?"

"With your level of Cultivation, you shouldn’t need my protection."

Monk Xu Shi knew that if he didn’t tell Han Yuan the truth, the man would not agree.

Left with no choice, he ripped open his monastic robes.

Han Yuan’s expression changed in an instant.

There, on Monk Xu Shi’s chest, a hideous and terrifying human face was starkly visible.

The face itself looked ordinary, but its expression was indescribably bizarre—as if it were smiling, crying, and grieving all at once...

A torrent of emotions flickered across it, making Han Yuan’s hair stand on end.

He even felt an impulse to completely smash that face to pieces!

"Is... is this an Evil Demon Seed...?"

"No... this is a Source Evil Seed?!"

Han Yuan seemed to recall something and subconsciously took a few steps back.

He knew that Evil Demon Seeds were generally divided into three grades.

The most terrifying was the Source Seed... the original source of the calamity.

Below the Source Seed were the first creatures infected by it, known as Source Evil Seeds.

Only creatures infected by a Source Evil Seed were called Evil Demon Seeds!