The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

"Zhao Long, take care of him. Try to leave the body intact, but if it endangers you, feel free to eliminate him directly," Lin Qian ordered as he retracted his soul power, addressing Zhao Long, who had just been summoned from Tianhen.

Zhao Long gave his long spear a shake, his eyes locking onto the undead Lei Kun before responding solemnly, "As you command!"

With that, Zhao Long's soul power, at the peak of the Nirvana stage, erupted as he stomped on the ground and charged toward Lei Kun.

In a flash, his spear struck like a dragon, swift and powerful.

"What the...!" Lei Kun's corpse cursed under his breath, desperately dodging the spear aimed at him, while his left hand lashed out toward Zhao Long's face.

However, Zhao Long remained unfazed. With a sudden step backward, he swung his spear like a club, smashing it into Lei Kun's chest.

The unexpected shift in Zhao Long's tactics caught Lei Kun off guard, sending him flying backward with a loud crash.

Zhao Long hadn't forgotten Lin Qian's instructions to preserve the body, so he swiftly pursued the airborne Lei Kun, determined to finish the job.

"Damn these humans!" Lei Kun's corpse roared in midair as crimson soul power surged from his body, enveloping him in a blood-red aura.

Using this power, Lei Kun landed on a tree trunk, crouched down, and launched himself back at Zhao Long with tremendous force.

As Zhao Long, bathed in golden soul power, clashed with the crimson-infused Lei Kun, their battle echoed with the sound of metal striking metal.

The two forces collided again and again, Zhao Long's spear clashing with Lei Kun's undead body, each strike producing sharp metallic sounds.

For a while, the two seemed evenly matched, with Zhao Long's spear dancing through the air, and Lei Kun's corpse retaliating with fierce strikes.

From the sidelines, Lin Qian could see that Zhao Long could have easily defeated Lei Kun if he weren't holding back to preserve the body. If not for Lin Qian's order, Zhao Long's lethal Rain of Blossoms technique would have already reduced Lei Kun to pieces.

"Calling me 'human'... Could it be that Lei Kun's body has become something else after death?" Lin Qian pondered, watching the battle unfold. "Could this be some kind of possession?"

The changes in Lei Kun's body intrigued Lin Qian. Lei Kun had been weak in life, barely completing one round of Nirvana, his cultivation largely fueled by pills. He had been lazy in his soul power training, never bothering to strengthen his body.

Yet now, in death, his corpse was remarkably strong, even surpassing the inner sect's most physically powerful disciple, Liu Ming.

Moreover, the crimson soul power surging from Lei Kun's undead body made him a far more formidable opponent than he'd ever been in life.

"What exactly happened to Lei Kun's body?" Lin Qian couldn't help but wonder as he observed the battle.

As the fight dragged on, Lin Qian noticed that the crimson soul power around Lei Kun was beginning to fade, and his attacks were losing their effectiveness against Zhao Long's relentless assault.

"Die!" Zhao Long roared as he spotted an opening, thrusting his spear forward and piercing Lei Kun's heart.

Blood, black as night, spurted from Lei Kun's chest.

Zhao Long quickly withdrew his spear and leaped back to avoid the splattering black blood.

Lei Kun staggered backward, clutching his chest as the dark blood seeped through his fingers.

"Human... you... you ruined everything," Lei Kun's corpse muttered in a hateful tone, glaring at Lin Qian. "If you ever fall into my hands, you'll regret it."

With those words, Lei Kun's body collapsed, lifeless once more, as the black blood stopped flowing from his chest.

Zhao Long twirled his spear, flicking off the remaining black blood, before planting it firmly into the ground. He then approached Lin Qian and knelt, his head bowed. "Mission accomplished!"

"Well done, you didn't disappoint me," Lin Qian praised, nodding with satisfaction.

Zhao Long's face beamed with pride at Lin Qian's words.

"Return now," Lin Qian commanded.

With a final nod, Zhao Long retrieved his spear. His body was soon enveloped in a white light before vanishing, returning to the Hua Xia Empire.

Lin Qian then approached Lei Kun's corpse, now lying in a pool of black blood, his face frozen in an expression of hatred.

A gaping hole in Lei Kun's chest marked where Zhao Long's spear had struck, and the edges of the wound were stained with black blood. Yet, as Lin Qian examined the body more closely, something odd caught his eye.

Curious, Lin Qian flicked his fingers, and a thin blade of lightning shot out, slicing a small cut on Lei Kun's arm.

Surprisingly, fresh red blood began to seep from the wound.

"The corpse's unnatural toughness has disappeared, and fresh blood is flowing again..." Lin Qian muttered, furrowing his brows.

Recalling how Lei Kun had devoured the hearts and blood of the outer sect disciples earlier, Lin Qian began to piece things together.

Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air reached his ears, and two streaks of light—one purple and one blue—descended from the sky.

When the light faded, four figures stood before Lin Qian: Qin Wushuang, Wei Wushuang, Lei Qian, and Lei Heng!

Clearly, the purple light had been Lei Heng and Lei Qian's doing, while the blue light belonged to Qin Wushuang, who had brought the still-feigning-sickness Wei Wushuang along.

"Kun'er!" Lei Heng cried out as he rushed forward, his face contorted with grief as he saw Lei Kun's body.

Qin Wushuang also approached, his expression grim as he examined the black blood around Lei Kun's corpse. "What... what happened here?"

"Boss, did you take care of it?" Lei Qian sighed as he looked down at Lei Kun's lifeless form.

Lin Qian nodded silently. "Although it was Lei Kun's body moving around, he was no longer your brother inside. So I didn't hold back."

"How can this be? How could the Black Blood Tribe be in Linhai Province?" Wei Wushuang suddenly exclaimed in shock.

"The Black Blood Tribe?" Lin Qian and the others all turned to him, confused and eager to know more.