https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-408-The-Stone-Weigher-Weighs-the-World/12918716/
Chapter 407: The Shadow General
Chapter 407: The Shadow General
Holding a bone of the Five Sins God in one hand and a jagged blade in the other, Hu Ma sidestepped a few steps, searching for a suitable position, and then firmly planted his feet in a specific direction.
Earlier, he had set up a few arrangements around the valley, which had not yet been dismantled. As long as he found the right spot, once the valley changed, he could sacrifice himself to serve as a talisman and quickly set up another altar.
After making the necessary preparations, he finally turned his attention to the dark and gloomy mine entrance, holding his breath.
The others were also like him, and the meat carvers had long since retreated over ten zhang away, huddling together, their eyes wide with fear as they stared into the pitch-black mine.
Zhou Datong stood by Hu Ma's side, each hand gripping a Tai Sui Saber that the miners usually used for cutting meat.
Zhao Zhu and Zhou Liang stood on either side, one holding a wooden stick and the other a nine-section whip...
...This was left behind by one of Master Sun's disciples and was conveniently kept by Zhou Liang.
Even the old abacus, who was usually timid, seemed to be taking things seriously this time. Normally, at the first sign of trouble, he would flee, but at this critical moment, perhaps because he was too focused on what was inside the mine, he didn't run away.
Although his legs were trembling, he still removed his outer robe and then took off his pants...only halfway, before pulling out a long, gray cloth-wrapped object from his waist.
When he unwrapped the outermost layer of gray cloth, it turned out to be a flag with black edges, wrinkled from being wrapped for so long. However, he held it close to his chest as if it were a precious treasure, shrinking his head as if this act brought him some peace of mind.
On the flag were eight trigrams and some words of the ancestor.
"Huh?"
Even with the strange things inside the cave, Hu Ma couldn't help but turn his head and glance at the old abacus when he saw his actions.
This old guy had come to the mine with barely any luggage, relying on others for food and drink, and certainly didn't bring any tools. Unexpectedly, he did have something on his person, but the place he hid it was so awkward that it made people cringe.
But there was no time for questions; everyone stared intently at the mine entrance with wide eyes.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sounds from within were getting closer and closer to the mine entrance.
Everyone's hearts were in their throats, and although they stood firm, their upper bodies subconsciously moved away from the cave entrance, as if pushed by an invisible force.
"Huff..."
Just as their hearts were about to leap out of their chests, a gust of wild wind suddenly blew out from the cave, filling everyone's noses with a thick, pungent smell of blood, as if they had suddenly been transported to a slaughterhouse.
Following this, their entire bodies were instantly chilled by an eerie, cold wind, as if all the heat from their internal organs had been blown away by this gust.
A faint, eerie wind blew, causing their vision to blur, and they felt the sky darken as if dark clouds had suddenly gathered, blocking out the sun that had just climbed to its peak. The bright midday sky suddenly turned pitch black.
"Whoosh!"
Amid this gust of wind, a blood-soaked figure crawled out of the mine, its entire body dripping with blood.
Vaguely, they could see that the figure seemed human-like, but its entire body was crimson red, and it crawled out in a strange posture, causing the surrounding evil aura to intensify tenfold, as if the sky had suddenly turned pitch black.
The strange, chaotic sounds in their ears suddenly transformed into a torrent, shaking their divine souls: "Those who offend Tai Sui in the mortal realm, your karmic debts will be repaid!"
"..."
This voice startled everyone, shaking their divine souls, and they heard a wailing cry of ghosts and gods.
The sounds were intricate and varied; some seemed like officials scolding criminals, others like the wails of vengeful spirits, some like ritual officials worshipping the heavens, and some like the clamor of battle.
Each sound seemed to represent a different scene.
Just hearing a little of it, various images flashed before their eyes, leaving everyone bewildered, as if they had been transported to hell, seeing countless scenes before them, and their ears filled with various sounds.
They had originally held weapons in their hands, but now, seeing the eerie figure crawling out of the mine, they felt fear welling up in their stomachs, and they couldn't lift their weapons.
"Damn, it's the Corpse General..."
Amid this chaos, the old abacus's terrified cry suddenly rang out.
Everyone in the entire valley was scared, except for Hu Ma and the old abacus, who fared slightly better. Hu Ma, having entered the mansion, had a solid foundation, and although he was affected, his mind and senses remained clear, allowing him to see what had crawled out of the mine.
It was indeed a bizarre figure, seemingly skinned, wearing tattered pieces of blood-red plate armor.
Is this a blood demon? Hu Ma wondered, then suddenly realized something: "This is Zhuang Erchang's senior disciple..."
Some of what Zhuang Erchang had said was true, and some was false.
After questioning the miners, they revealed that Zhuang Erchang's senior disciple, wearing his inherited Talisman Plate Armor, had ventured into the mineral vein to investigate. He went insane and returned to the mine, and this was indeed true.
However, everyone, including Zhuang Erchang, believed that the senior disciple had re-entered the mine and was most likely dead. Yet, to their surprise, this person was still alive.
No, it was clear that he didn't look like a living person, but he was definitely not a dead man either. Perhaps he had indeed transformed into the kind of thing Old Abacus mentioned—a Corpse General or something similar.
Neither human nor ghost, he had become a moving corpse, like a Drought Fiend, and his appearance was terrifying.
"Roar..."
As the monster charged out of the cave, it let out a deafening roar, or perhaps it wasn't a roar at all but some kind of surging evil qi surging within its chest, emitting a strange sound.
With the roar, everyone's eardrums tingled, their divine souls trembled, and their bodies suddenly felt damp. Instinctively, someone wiped their hand, and as they opened their blurred eyes, they saw that their hand was covered in bright red blood.
It seemed as if the blood from their bodies had been sucked out through their pores, and they were all drawn towards the corpse demon.
The surrounding mineral veins seemed to be affected by an invisible force. Whether it was the Dark Empyrean or the Blue-White Tai Sui, their flesh and blood were rapidly withering, as if something inside them was being pulled and twisted by an invisible force.
"Little Shopkeeper, you must help us! Only you can save our lives..."
Beside him, Old Abacus had already raised the flag in his arms to cover his face. His voice trembled as he shouted.
He didn't dare to look; if he got too close, he would be drawn towards the monster. If he stayed too far, his blood would be sucked out. If he looked at it, blood would flow from his eyes. If he didn't look, blood would flow from his ears and nose.
The meat cutters and Zhou Datong's group in the valley were all covered in blood. Even outside the valley, the corpses that had been sealed away seemed to sense something and began to tremble, as if trying to stand up.
"What kind of demon dares to cause chaos here?"
Hu Ma was prepared, and he suddenly rushed forward with his knife. His body suddenly turned into a dead corpse, becoming the guardian of the altar.
There were two benefits to this transformation. First, his body was filled with deathly energy, preventing his blood from being sucked away. Second, as the guardian, he could borrow the power of the altar to fight the monster.
However, to his surprise, as he approached the monster, ready for a fight, and stared intently at the blood-red humanoid creature, it crawled out of the mine and made strange sounds that no one could understand. Its eyes shone with a fierce light, as if searching for someone to devour. But as soon as it saw Hu Ma approaching, its expression changed drastically, and its eyes widened in fear.
This extremely ferocious monster seemed to have suddenly seen something terrifying, and its roar abruptly stopped. Its legs stiffened, and it jumped back four or five zhang, its evil qi scattering.
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma, who was also intently watching the monster, was taken aback by its reaction. He was so startled by its extreme reaction that he scared himself.
As he wondered if the monster would do something else, he suddenly, for no apparent reason, mumbled something unintelligible. It was as if he was making an unconscious noise, sounding like a scold, but the key was...
...these words came out of Hu Ma's mouth, but he hadn't intended to speak, nor did he understand their meaning.
However, the blood-soaked monster seemed even more terrified. Its body trembled, and the surrounding blood mist thickened. It suddenly turned around, its body stiffened, and its arms stood upright. It hopped and jumped several zhang, running straight out of the valley.
Wherever it passed, the grass and trees turned blood-red, and anyone or any creature within seven zhang of it would instantly become dizzy and fall to the ground.
"It's gone?"
Hu Ma stared at the monster's retreating figure from a distance, his heart trembling. It took a long time for him to recover his senses.
"Damn, damn..."
As the monster fled, Old Abacus also regained some clarity. He wiped his face with the flag and forced his eyes open, his voice trembling as he said, "It was a close call. Those people were arguing, and they almost nurtured a powerful corpse demon..."
"What exactly is this thing?"
With Old Abacus's reminder, Hu Ma turned to him and asked in a low voice, "This guy has been sealed in the mine for so many days. Is he a man or a ghost?"
"He's not a man anymore; he's a Shadow General!"
Old Abacus panted heavily, his rough face turning pale. His voice trembled as he said, "Fortunately, we opened the mine in time. Otherwise, in the next day or two, we might have all lost our lives mysteriously, becoming conscripted as shadow troops..."
"Damn that Zhuang Erchang! He's so clever, but he's given all the good stuff in the mine to that guy..."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
