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Chapter 142: Burning the Drought Demon (Second Update)
Chapter 142: Burning the Drought Demon (Second Update)
"Enemy here..."
As the thing rushed into the courtyard and pounced on the stake, tearing and gnawing at it, Hu Ma stood up.
But he didn't rush into action. Instead, he shouted loudly.
This was something he had discussed in advance with Zhou Datong and the others. They had created this wooden stake because they knew that the Drought Demon would emerge from the earth and first harm its wronged kin.
So when it came out tonight, its first act would be to harm its own flesh and blood. Therefore, they created this stake to confuse it. Of course, the stake was rather crude and they didn't really expect it to fool the demon; it was just to draw its attention.
As it pounced on the stake, it was time for Zhou Datong and the others to act.
"Zhu, cover it!"
Sure enough, Zhou Datong didn't need Hu Ma's reminder. He reacted as soon as the thing entered the courtyard.
He jumped up, his palms sweating, but when the thing pounced on the stake, he shouted and rushed out with Zhao Zhu.
The two of them pulled the net made of grass rope from the ground and threw it over the thing. Then they rushed in from both sides, tying the thing to the wooden stake.
They continued to circle the stake, tying it tightly, and then dug their feet into the ground, holding the ropes firmly to secure their positions.
At the same moment, Hu Ma, holding a steel knife in his left hand and a wooden sword in his right, rushed toward the wooden stake.
"Heh heh..."
The thing emitted a sound, or rather, a noise that didn't seem to come from its mouth but rather from its chest being compressed.
It had already realized that the wooden stake was fake and began to struggle, almost breaking free from the net.
Zhou Datong and Zhao Zhu, both furnace boys who had been eating blood food to supplement their strength, were far stronger than ordinary people. Each of them had the strength of about two or three grown men, but they were still being dragged forward by the thing.
But at that moment, Hu Ma arrived, his steel knife in hand, and delivered a "Kai Shan" strike.
The knife was imbued with his own column of fire, which would have likely dissipated any ordinary evil spirit with just the wind of the blade.
However, the knife struck the thing's head, burying itself about a third of the way in, and then the blade got stuck in its skull.
In the next moment, the thing seemed to be enraged by the fire in Hu Ma's blade, and a wave of yin qi emanated from its body. This yin qi was extremely peculiar, and the net, once soaked in it, began to wither and loosen as if it had been doused in sulfuric acid.
Zhou Datong and Zhao Zhu's hands slipped, and they were both knocked to the ground.
The thing, with its arms flailing wildly, tore the wooden stake to pieces and, with stiff legs and bared fangs, lunged toward the house.
The lanterns in the courtyard were still burning, and under the flickering flames, its black nails looked like sharp blades.
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma was also startled. His knife was stuck in the thing's head, and he couldn't pull it out.
As he saw the gaunt, clawed hand reaching toward him, with the strength to tear through wood, he knew it would likely rip him open.
He gritted his teeth and suddenly let go of the knife, extending his hand.
As his left hand stretched out, it had already been reborn as death, cold and stiff, and it collided with the sharp claw.
The two hands locked in a five-fingered grip, indistinguishable from each other.
The withered claw was heavy with corpse qi and yin poison, which would normally wound or corrode anyone who touched it. The corpse qi seeped into the skin, but Hu Ma, having been reborn as death, had a hand like a corpse, which was almost on par with the thing's. Even as his flesh was torn, he felt no pain.
The thing's body was stiff, but its strength was extraordinary. However, Hu Ma, reborn as death, also possessed great strength.
As they grappled, Hu Ma managed to hold his own, his living body matching the stiff, cold corpse-like creature in strength, neither backing down.
But Hu Ma, being a living person, was quick-witted. After a brief stalemate, he seized the opportunity to grab the thing's fingers and twisted them outward with a sharp snap, breaking several of them.
The thing, however, seemed unaffected and suddenly emitted a wave of yin qi, carrying a strong stench of decay, which rushed toward him.
Hu Ma reacted swiftly. To avoid inhaling the corpse poison, he held his breath and, as the thing released the yin qi, he let out a True Yang Arrow, like a real qi sword.
The breath of air directly dispersed the oncoming yin poison and struck the thing's face.
Hu Ma had already refined his lungs and had deep Daoist power. This True Yang Arrow, striking with full force, had considerable power.
The thing, now a zombie with immense strength, remained unmoved even when punched in the chest. But when the breath of air hit its face, it staggered backward several steps.
The corpse qi on its body was also significantly dissipated.
Hu Ma took advantage of the opportunity and rushed forward. Seeing the thing retreat, he pounced again, using its momentum to perform a "Blocking Hammer" move. He extended his arm, allowing it to grab him, and then used the momentum to pull it forward.
The thing, with its stiff legs and limited mobility, was pulled to the ground by Hu Ma.
Hu Ma's toe flicked, and the red wooden sword he had just thrown to the ground jumped into his hand, infused with the heat of his alchemical furnace.
He aimed at the back of the creature's head and thrust straight down.
He knew he had to be accurate at this moment.
A wooden sword was just a wooden sword; it might have some unexpected effects against these evil spirits, but it was not as sturdy as iron. If he were to strike this wanderer and hit a weak spot, it would be fine. However, if he chopped onto a bone, this old thing might break.
He had already used a Blood Food Pill for this job, and it wouldn't be worth it to lose the wooden sword as well.
So he aimed his strike with particular precision.
However, before the wooden sword could pierce through the back of the creature's neck, there was a sudden "woof" sound, and a burst of corpse qi erupted.
This thing had not yet fully formed. Hu Ma had used a method to force it out early, which was why he dared to fight it at night.
However, because it had not yet fully formed, the corpse qi it had cultivated was unstable. After Hu Ma's True Yang Arrow and a series of heavy blows, the corpse qi inside its body exploded like a balloon.
This was truly unexpected, and Hu Ma instinctively stepped back.
But when he focused his gaze, he saw that with the weakening firelight, a stream of yin qi, like a living thing, was rushing directly into the house behind him.
"It's its child..."
Hu Ma suddenly understood.
Evil spirits, no matter what kind, did not follow reason.
In life, blood relatives were the closest, but after death, once they had gained power, they would target their own family first.
He did not know the reason, but this phenomenon was indeed real.
Now, this wanderer's Daoist power was already wasted, leaving only a final breath of resentment. Yet, it still wanted to enter the house to harm its own kin.
Taking someone's money means helping them eliminate disasters! Hu Ma thought, without time to ponder, and used the technique of Ghost Ascends. His feet stepped on the vertical wall, rushing ahead of the vengeful spirit's aura, and landed steadily in front of the door.
At this moment, the people whom Zhao Laoye had arranged earlier had already been startled awake and were eager to come out and see what was happening. If they were hit by the corpse qi, they would likely not fare well.
It was not just a matter of one or two deaths; if an epidemic were to break out, the trouble would be enormous.
Thus, Hu Ma finally did not hesitate, biting his tongue hard and spitting a Blood Yang Arrow at the stream of yin qi.
Blood Yang Arrow!
Since learning this technique from Second Uncle, only two people had received this treatment.
One was Cui Xie'er, who was possessed by a Mountain Spirit.
The other was this Drought Demon, relying on its last bit of corpse qi.
"Chi!"
The corpse qi was the strongest breath inside the Drought Demon, but upon meeting Hu Ma's Blood Yang Arrow, it dissipated in an instant. Along with it, the other corpse qi that had scattered from the Drought Demon's body was scorched and quickly evaporated by the intense heat.
The black mist that had obscured their vision dissipated, leaving only a half-rotten white-haired corpse on the ground, still trembling.
"Burn it, burn it to death!"
At this moment, Zhou Datong, who had been thrown back, seized the opportunity and jumped out.
Seeing Hu Ma fighting the creature, he did not come to add to the chaos but instead hurriedly lit a torch and shouted to Zhao Zhu. The two of them, holding torches, rushed out.
From the other side, Zhou Liang emerged, having been prepared. Seeing his chance, he rushed over with a jar filled with a mixture of black oil ointment and strong liquor, pouring it over the creature.
"Whoosh..."
When the strong liquor ignited on the creature's body, Zhou Datong and Zhao Zhu's torches touched it, and the flames shot up in an instant.
As if driven by some demonic force, the flames burned with an indescribable intensity.
The entire courtyard was illuminated by these eerie flames, crackling and hissing, with a thick cloud of black smoke rising into the sky.
The sky, which had been clear with a crescent moon hanging like a fingernail, was suddenly darkened by the black smoke, as if stained by ink, forming a thick layer of dark clouds.
These clouds grew thicker, obscuring the moon and the stars, and a bolt of lightning split the night sky in two.
Then, the cold wind howled, causing the trees in the village to sway wildly, and raindrops began to fall.
"This..."
Hu Ma, staring at the wanderer being burned to a crisp, was startled by the lightning and lifted his head.
Raindrops hit his face, and he slowly recovered from the intense heat of the battle.
He opened his eyes and saw thousands of raindrops falling from the sky, feeling slightly surprised.
"It's raining?"
"..."
"It's raining..."
In the distance, an excited shout echoed, followed by more cheers, drowning out the village and even the thunder.
"It's raining, the drought is over..."
"This year will have a good harvest..."
(End of Chapter)
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