Chapter 34: The Counterfeit Qin Corpse

"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"

The bodyguards stationed around the perimeter immediately opened fire with their Gatling guns, pouring a hail of bullets onto the Qin corpse. While the Gatling gun had evolved over the last century, it remained a machine gun in name only; its destructive power was no less formidable than that of light artillery.

A dozen Gatling guns firing in unison made the Qin corpse twitch violently as if seized by convulsions, with chunks of flesh flying off its body. This was only the beginning. Seeing the creature unable to move, Lin Bei snapped his fingers, and Wang Jianjun immediately launched an RPG round at the target. Several other bodyguards carrying RPGs pulled their triggers in quick succession as well.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions erupted. Severely damaged, the Qin corpse let out incessant, agonizing wails. Lin Bei, seeing this, considered ordering the bodyguards to intensify the barrage. However, the Qin corpse was an ancient, cultivated entity; while it had not reached the level of regenerating from a drop of blood, its recovery speed was far beyond that of an ordinary zombie. It leaped from the smoke, attempting to escape the dry well.

Yet, it was greeted by a high-voltage electric net. As the corpse lunged into the mesh, it resembled a giant fly hitting an electric swatter, sparking with a sharp, crackling sound.

Seeing the creature fall, Ma Xiaoling prepared to unleash the Dragon God Spell to annihilate it. But before she could even cast her talisman, she saw a swift, agile figure leap down into the pit.

"First Form: Waltz!"

Boom!

As the Qin corpse hit the ground, it had no time to steady itself before Lin Bei’s attack arrived. Trapped for three hundred years, only to be freed and immediately greeted by RPGs, riddled with holes by Gatling fire, and finally electrocuted, the Qin corpse was beyond furious. In its former life, it had been a member of the royal family; it never expected to face such indignities in death. It fixated on Lin Bei as the target for its vengeance.

Facing the crimson Demon-Exorcising Sword, the creature did not attempt to parry; instead, it reached out to grab the blade. It succeeded, but the searing heat radiating from the sword felt like touching red-hot iron, and Lin Bei instantly sliced off half of its palm.

The true solar fire imbued in the sword acted as a powerful bane to evil spirits, and for a moment, the Qin corpse’s wounds refused to heal. Panic-stricken, it instinctively tried to pull its hand away, but Lin Bei’s follow-up strike was already upon it.

"Burning Sun Red Mirror!"

This time, Lin Bei aimed for the creature's arms. Having learned its lesson, the Qin corpse dared not meet the blow head-on and dodged to the side, then swung its remaining claws at Lin Bei.

Lin Bei shifted his stance calmly. The thirteen forms of Sun Breathing had been created specifically to counter Muzan. Each form targeted the vital points of a demon, and by continuously cycling through all thirteen, one could drag the fight until dawn, letting the sun incinerate the enemy. While this Qin corpse was not that "scum boss" and could move in daylight, the techniques of Sun Breathing remained equally effective.

Lin Bei shifted his sword techniques incessantly, giving the corpse no chance to retaliate, forcing it into a desperate, constant retreat. The bodyguards above and Ma Xiaoling stood transfixed, watching Lin Bei ferociously pursue and slash at the creature, completely forgetting to assist.

Even without their help, Lin Bei had no trouble suppressing the entity. He had initially thought that because this corpse could fly, absorb the essence of the sun and moon, and possessed at least three hundred years of cultivation—even if it wasn't of the Qin royal lineage—it would be a formidable opponent. But after clashing, he couldn't help but think, "Is that it?" It was no wonder that in the films, Shi Chun could fight this thing to a draw with just the Zhong Kui sword; if not for his incompetent teammates, he probably would have hacked it to death long ago.

After completing the twelve forms of Sun Breathing, Lin Bei instinctively unleashed the First Form again. In the world of *Demon Slayer*, the thirteenth form was simply the continuous, circular repetition of the first twelve. But as he executed the First Form again, Lin Bei realized that perhaps Sun Breathing had only ever been the thirteenth form from the very beginning. In the hands of the naturally gifted Yoriichi Tsugikuni, even against the "scum boss," it was merely a matter of a single strike. Unfortunately, there was only one Yoriichi, and for the sake of his successors, he had broken that single technique down into twelve forms.

Gaining this insight, Lin Bei’s sword speed increased even further. The "Thirteen Swords of the Divine Gate" and the "Life-Taking Three Immortal Swords" he had recently learned were both speed-oriented, containing many small techniques to boost agility, which he now integrated perfectly.

To those watching from the sidelines, Lin Bei’s speed seemed to accelerate until they could no longer track his figure. All they could see were arcs of red light, as if he intended to hack the Qin corpse into a thousand pieces.

This one-sided suppression left the Qin corpse feeling incredibly humiliated, and it let out shrill, furious roars. But in its extreme rage, it could only howl; it could change nothing.

Throughout the battle, Lin Bei’s understanding of the thirteenth form deepened, and without realizing it, he broke through to the state of "Total Concentration: Constant." Much like the *Quanzhen Internal Arts* learned by Guo Jing, he now existed in a perpetual state of cultivation, whether sitting, standing, walking, or lying down.

Once he mastered this state, his speed reached its absolute peak. Finally, the sword strikes he unleashed coalesced into a storm that engulfed the Qin corpse.

When the dust settled, Lin Bei stood with his sword pointing downward in his right hand, his left hand behind his back, exuding the air of a true master. Behind him, the Qin corpse slowly toppled over and, with a dull thud, shattered into countless pieces.

Zhang Tian'ai, watching from the edge, swallowed hard and whispered to her uncle, "Uncle, is this how those ancient martial artists dealt with zombies?"

Zhang Shisan’s expression was grave, his eyes filled with bewilderment. He shook his head, indicating he didn't know. He could see that Lin Bei was using the Sun Breathing technique that produced true solar fire, but it wasn't entirely that; there seemed to be something else mixed in that he couldn't fathom. If it had been him facing the Qin corpse without his spiritual pestle or mandala, he likely would have struggled to destroy it. Yet, Lin Bei had managed to solo it using only his breathing technique and had even pulverized the body. It was, to say the least, absurd.

While Zhang Shisan was still dazed, Uncle Feng was the first to react, jumping into the pit. He inspected the severed pieces on the ground; they all bore scorch marks, clearly caused by the true solar fire. Just as Uncle Feng prepared to collect a piece for study, the remains, exposed to the sunlight, began to dissolve rapidly, leaving behind nothing but a pile of white powder.

Uncle Feng shook his head in regret. Just as he stood up to speak to Lin Bei, the Demon-Exorcising Sword in Lin Bei’s hand let out a sharp *snap* and shattered, leaving only the hilt in his grip.

With his weapon destroyed, Lin Bei stopped posing and hurriedly crouched down, trying to gather the fragments to see if anything could be salvaged.