Lin Zitong's voice was already etched into Yan Shouyi's heart.
So upon hearing her voice, Yan Shouyi rushed out almost instinctively.
It was only after dashing out for more than ten meters that he remembered to warn Zhang Shanli and the others.
"Brat, I hope you don't run into the coffin carriers."
Yan Shouyi muttered to himself, pushing the Tian Sha Shi Kui's physical potential to its limits, traversing the forest like a wild beast.
Zhang Shanli and the others quickly followed, but after not going far, Zhang Wuma was astonished to find he couldn't keep up with Yan Shouyi.
While Yan Shouyi was surprised by Zhang Wuma's cultivation, Zhang Wuma was equally impressed by Yan Shouyi's strength.
It seemed this kid still hadn't used his full power when dealing with Zhao Chengxiang.
Yan Shouyi took the lead, instantly covering a hundred meters.
From afar, he saw trees toppling and a scene of devastation, and Lin Zitong was right there.
In front of her stood a middle-aged man dressed in mourning, as if he had just run from a funeral. The man held a smooth wooden staff, raised high above his head, about to strike Lin Zitong's crown.
Yan Shouyi's pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted, "Stop!"
At the same time, he threw out Sanyuan and affixed the Mu Kui Fa Tian Dao Fu onto Sanyuan.
Sanyuan instantly landed beside Lin Zitong, its body rapidly expanding. It used its two wings to shield Lin Zitong beneath it.
The next second, the coffin carrier's staff fiercely landed on Sanyuan's wings.
*Crack!*
Sanyuan's wings were already harder than steel, but in the face of the coffin carrier's terrifying strength, they were as brittle as ordinary wood and were instantly broken.
Sanyuan let out a pained cry!
Yan Shouyi was heartbroken to witness this, but fortunately, Sanyuan's body could be repaired. If that blow had landed on Lin Zitong's crown – the consequences would have been unimaginable.
His guess was correct; the assailant was indeed a coffin carrier, and the man hadn't gone far, somehow encountering Lin Zitong here.
Lin Zitong had clearly sensed something suspicious about the person's identity, which led her to stop and question him. However, the other party was unreasonable and attacked without a word.
Seeing Sanyuan block his path, the coffin carrier's eyes showed surprise, and he turned to look at Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi had already arrived behind the coffin carrier. Without hesitation, he drew his Zanpakuto, employed the Li Huo Chi Ren Incantation, and combined it with sixty years of sword intent, slashing towards the coffin carrier.
"Interesting."
The coffin carrier showed no fear of Yan Shouyi, merely raising his staff with both hands to block.
The blade and the staff collided. The blade should have had the advantage, especially with Yan Shouyi's Li Huo Chi Ren Incantation and Wang Qihe's sixty years of sword intent.
But in reality, as the Zanpakuto struck the staff, the Li Huo on the blade was instantly extinguished. The powerful sword intent was pushed to the sides, leaving deep gouges on the tree trunks.
Yet, it didn't harm the coffin carrier in the slightest!
Yan Shouyi wasn't surprised, for he already knew that the coffin carrier's staff, due to its constant use in carrying coffins, had long absorbed countless amounts of death energy, Yin energy, and malevolent energy, making it harder than a thousand-year-old thunder-struck peach wood sword.
Furthermore, the staff was passed down through generations. In the hands of this middle-aged man, he had carried no less than several thousand coffins.
In other words, this coffin staff was more formidable than Yuan Jianxin's Peach Heart Sword.
Fortunately, Yan Shouyi's initial goal wasn't to defeat the coffin carrier with a single blow.
After landing, he immediately used the Zong Di Jin Guang technique, circled behind the coffin carrier, grabbed Lin Zitong, retrieved Sanyuan, and fled forward without looking back.
The coffin carrier realized he had been tricked by Yan Shouyi and showed signs of anger. As he was about to pursue them, he found Zhang Shanli and the others had already arrived.
Zhang Shanli: "Insolent scoundrel, how dare you commit violence on Dragon Tiger Mountain. Surrender quickly!"
Seeing himself surrounded, the coffin carrier became unhurried. He stood his ground, his face devoid of any expression.
The disciples of Dragon Tiger Mountain dared not make any rash moves, merely surrounding him.
Yan Shouyi was relieved to see that the coffin carrier hadn't given chase.
He found a wide-open area, set Lin Zitong down, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Lin Zitong wanted to say she was fine, but she only realized belatedly that her left arm was fractured.
Yan Shouyi felt a pang of heartache.
But Lin Zitong, disregarding her own injury, anxiously asked, "How is Sanyuan?"
Yan Shouyi produced Sanyuan. The palm-sized Sanyuan had its wings broken and was resting weakly in Yan Shouyi's palm.
If one listened carefully, they could hear Sanyuan murmuring something.
Yan Shouyi explained, "Sanyuan is comforting you. It says it's alright, just a little sore. Don't worry, I can get it a new body, and all its injuries will heal."
"It must be in much more pain than me," Lin Zitong said remorsefully. "It's all my fault for hurting Sanyuan!"
"Sanyuan will be fine. As for you," Yan Shouyi said, "What happened just now? How did you get so badly injured?"
Lin Zitong replied:
"After I went down from the stage, I heard you had left, so I wanted to follow and see what happened. But halfway there, I met that guy. I thought he was acting strangely, so I wanted to ask about his identity. But without a word, he attacked me... His strength was terrifying, and his staff was even more frightening. I was caught off guard and could only block with my hands, and then this happened..."
If Yan Shouyi hadn't arrived in time, Lin Zitong would surely have died today.
Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth, "He is a coffin carrier, likely from the Xin Xuan Mountain Sect. He killed Yi Hehuan in the forest just now."
"Yi Hehuan is dead?" Lin Zitong exclaimed in shock.
Yan Shouyi nodded, grasped Lin Zitong's broken arm with both hands, and suddenly applied force to reset the bone.
The sudden pain caused Lin Zitong to break out in a sweat. Her other hand even left deep finger marks on Yan Shouyi's arm.
"The problem is mostly resolved now," Yan Shouyi said apologetically.
"You said Yi Hehuan is dead, is that true, or are you just trying to distract me while setting my bone?" Lin Zitong asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's true. I saw her body. She and the other eight people who were with her were all killed by a single blow to the crown of their heads."
Lin Zitong instantly recalled the scene when she faced the coffin carrier and broke out in a cold sweat.
The coffin carrier possessed monstrous strength, and Lin Zitong was completely unprepared, which was why she was defeated so quickly and almost lost her life.
"This coffin carrier is a seasoned killer," Lin Zitong said in a low voice.
"Let's not dwell on that for now. Your injuries aren't completely healed yet. I'll take you to Old Jin. His medical skills are far superior to mine!"
Lin Zitong shook her head, "I can have Kurokawa Rikuto send me back. You should go back and check on the others. I'm worried they might not be able to handle that coffin carrier..."
Yan Shouyi considered the matter and agreed with Lin Zitong's idea. That coffin carrier's abilities were bizarre. While Zhang Shanli was powerful, he might not be able to deal with him.
As a successor of a folk sect, Yan Shouyi knew a few weaknesses of the coffin carriers. If he could return to assist, capturing the coffin carrier wouldn't be difficult. Then, they might be able to extract information about the Xin Xuan Mountain Sect's plan to kill the Old Celestial Master from him.
Thus, Yan Shouyi nodded in agreement: "Alright. Be careful on your way back. Once I've dealt with that coffin carrier, I'll come back to find you immediately!"