Chapter 176: Eruption
Chapter 176: Eruption
In the raging river, Chen Mu held the Flowing Silver Blade, piercing through Cheng Houhua's body. With a cold gaze, he tore through the water, accompanied by the bursting of his Primordial Energy, forcing Cheng Houhua's entire body down to the riverbed. Finally, the surging Primordial Energy traveled along the blade's edge, shattering Cheng Houhua's body into countless fragments that washed away with the river's flow.
Watching Cheng Houhua's demise, Chen Mu finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Indeed, a true disciple of a sect, not an ordinary one."
He shook his head slightly.
Not to mention that Cheng Houhua's strength was far superior to the other three, but he also had extraordinary means. The pill he consumed, which suddenly increased his Primordial Energy significantly, was of unknown origin. It boosted his Primordial Power by almost double! If Cheng Houhua were even stronger or had mastered the second step of the Frost Winter Intention, then after taking that pill, even if he couldn't completely reverse the situation, he would have been able to rival Chen Mu.
Unfortunately, Cheng Houhua still wasn't strong enough.
However, the mysterious pill made Chen Mu more cautious about the true disciples of major sects. Even after extinguishing Cheng Houhua's life force, Chen Mu wasn't satisfied. He wanted to ensure Cheng Houhua's corpse was completely shattered to prevent any chance of resurrection.
At this moment, Chen Mu stood firmly on the riverbed. The raging currents were powerful enough to sweep away heavy cattle and horses, but they couldn't budge Chen Mu's feet. He stood there like an immovable reef.
Chen Mu's gaze shifted from Cheng Houhua's body to the sword Cheng Houhua had used earlier. The sword, emanating a chill, was now stuck vertically in the muddy riverbed. It hadn't sunk into the mud but had frozen the mud and a small portion of the nearby water into a solid block of ice.
"What a fine item."
Chen Mu lightly tapped the ice with his hand, and a strand of Departure Fire Intention shattered the ice, freeing the sword. He examined it, and a faint light flashed in his eyes.
Cheng Houhua's body held nothing else of value. When Chen Mu shattered his corpse, he had seen everything clearly, and the bamboo basket was empty. The only remarkable item on Cheng Houhua's person was this sword, which was indeed extraordinary. It was likely forged from ten-thousand-year Cold Iron, placing it among the top-tier treasures.
This Cold Saber significantly enhanced Cheng Houhua's strength, at least increasing his Frost Winter Intention by several folds. Otherwise, even with just the first step of the Frost Winter Intention, he wouldn't have been able to freeze such a large area with a simple wave of his hand.
"Unfortunately, this item doesn't align with the Intention I cultivate."
If Chen Mu cultivated the Water Hexagram Intention or the Hexagram Lake Concept, this Clear Cold Saber would have provided significant benefits. But now, with his mastery of the Wind-Thunder-Fire Triad, only the Whistling Wind Intention could barely harmonize with it. Thunder and ice had no synergistic effects, and fire and ice were diametrically opposed, weakening his techniques instead of enhancing them.
Nonetheless, this was still a top-tier treasure, and despite its origin, it wasn't something Chen Mu could easily part with. In the future, when he reached the provincial capital of Yu Prefecture, he would find a way to trade it for something more suitable.
Chen Mu, holding the Clear Cold Saber, walked a few steps along the riverbed. He soon reached a spot a zhang away and picked up a simple-looking sword sheath from the mud. He sheathed the Clear Cold Saber, and it fit perfectly, with no trace of cold air escaping.
"If Cheng Houhua used this Clear Cold Saber and the Frost Winter Intention to their full potential, it would have been highly effective against the flood. But expecting these people to deal with the flood disaster..."
Chen Mu shook his head.
Compared to others, Cheng Houhua's strength was average, but in facing the flood, he could have done more. For instance, with his ice-freezing ability, he could temporarily divert the river's course in suitable terrain.
It was still early spring, and the weather wasn't warm yet. The river was icy, and the ice could last for a long time, potentially saving many villages from flooding.
The group from Mystic Mechanism Pavilion was already a nuisance, and expecting them to do something meaningful was like dreaming. They probably wished for Yan Jingqing to deploy all the forces of Yu Prefecture to fight the flood, so they could take advantage and plunder various Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures?
Chen Mu's thoughts flashed through his mind.
He looked up, preparing to leap out of the water.
The river was extremely murky and turbulent, making it difficult for ordinary people, or even Martial Artists at the Skin Tempering Realm, to escape if they fell to the riverbed. However, it didn't pose much of a hindrance to Chen Mu.
After stepping into the Organ Realms, his inner universe cycled independently. Even if he stayed at the riverbed for an hour or two, it wouldn't affect him. But at this moment, he needed to quickly check the flood situation in the most critical areas, leaving him with little time to inspect the river.
However, as Chen Mu stepped in the mud, about to rise to the surface, a vicious aura suddenly surged from the murky water, accompanied by a powerful force.
A huge mouth, as big as a water barrel, approached Chen Mu. It was lined with spiral teeth, and an intimidating pressure emanated from it, as if something from the depths of an abyss, causing fear in the hearts of those who saw it.
Chen Mu, now a formidable martial artist, showed no fear. He coldly snorted and clenched his right fist, facing the blood basin as large as a water jar. With a mighty punch, he struck towards it.
A loud crash echoed! In an instant, the water surged, creating a ten-foot-high wave on the river's surface.
Chen Mu's fist, wrapped in murky mud, resembled a raging torrent, with visible streaks of lightning intertwining within. Like a flood, it slammed into the huge blood basin.
The blood basin clearly felt the pain and involuntarily closed, retreating a distance.
At that moment, the entire creature came into view. It was a monster nearly two feet thick and several yards long, crossing the river. Its body was pitch-black and slippery, and the edges of the blood basin had two long whiskers, resembling a giant catfish.
"A fourth-rank demonic creature, a black demon catfish... No, with this aura, it's almost at the fifth rank. With the advantage of the water's momentum, it's no wonder it withstood my punch without much damage."
Chen Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had a clear memory of various monster bestiaries he had read. Generally, he could identify any demonic creature mentioned in those books at a glance. The black demon catfish before him was already one of the largest in its category, and unlike martial artists, it didn't have distinct stages of bone tempering or organ cultivation. The rankings of fourth and fifth were based solely on its size and strength.
It was said that the black demon catfish could reach up to the fifth rank at most. If it could further transform, it might become a 'dragon'. Moreover, it was rumored to possess the rare bloodline of a 'black dragon'. After purifying its essence and blood, it could even produce inferior-quality sinew-strengthening pills.
Some of the sinew-strengthening pills circulating in the black market in Yu Prefecture originated from this source.
The black demon catfish was also one of the most typical demonic creatures. In many remote villages, some uneducated peasants even worshipped it as the river master, offering incense and sacrifices. Some would even provide blood offerings annually, praying for favorable weather. In reality, this was just a demonic creature that could slightly harness its demonic energy to control water currents; it had no ability to summon wind or rain.
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Gurgle, gurgle!
The black demon catfish failed to swallow Chen Mu in one bite and was instead in agony from Chen Mu's punch, infused with the power of thunder and lightning. Its huge, scarlet eyes seemed to radiate human-like rage, and it opened its blood basin once more.
This time, instead of swallowing Chen Mu, a surge of demonic energy gathered, instantly manipulating the nearby river to swell and converge into a visible torrent, rushing towards Chen Mu.
A black demon catfish nearing the fifth rank, during a flood disaster, harnessed the advantage of heaven's timing and the earth's momentum. Its gathered demonic energy strike was powerful enough to fluster even a typical fifth-rank organ cultivator.
However, Chen Mu's eyes flashed with a cold light.
Without further ado, he swiftly drew his Flowing Silver Blade, which was now enveloped in wind and thunder energies. With both hands gripping the hilt, he slashed forward with all his might.
Whoosh!!!
The river in front of Chen Mu, centered on the path of his Flowing Silver Blade, instantly split into a nearly three-yard-wide dry area, and the blade's aura tore through the river's surface.
The torrent of water spat out by the black demon catfish was split into two by Chen Mu's Flowing Silver Blade.
Immediately after,
Chen Mu, standing in the water, stomped his foot, causing the river's surface to erupt in a spray of water. Like a cannonball, he surged against the current, reaching directly above the black demon catfish's head.
With the Flowing Silver Blade, surrounded by wind and thunder light, he stabbed straight through the demonic creature's heavenly cranium.
"Waaaah!!!"
The black demon catfish's blood basin emitted a strange, infant-like wail. Although its brain was shredded by Chen Mu's blade aura, demonic creatures were different from humans; even after receiving a fatal blow, it could still move. Its tail lashed violently, and its massive body charged forward at high speed within the river.
Chen Mu knew this was the black demon catfish's final struggle. He remained calm, standing atop its head with the Flowing Silver Blade in hand, as steady as a mountain. No matter how the demonic creature thrashed in the river, he didn't budge.
Boom!
Finally, amidst the black demon catfish's shrill wails, it slammed its head into the muddy riverbed.
The impact itself wasn't significant, but after the collision, Chen Mu's expression changed. Without hesitation, he drew his Flowing Silver Blade, took a step in the water, and his body was enveloped in wind and thunder light. With a whoosh, he burst out of the river's surface.
Almost immediately after Chen Mu's escape, the muddy riverbed where the black demon catfish had collided caved in, followed by a small eruption of yellowish-brown light. Finally, with a loud boom, like a mountain flood bursting forth, a surge of earth pulse energy erupted, turning the resilient demonic body into a mess of flesh and blood!
Whoosh!
The muddy water, mixed with sand, pierced through the river's surface, gushing upwards towards the sky.
(End of Chapter)
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