Chapter 27: First Encounter with the Shaman!

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: First Encounter with the Shaman!

The night was pitch-black. On a rugged path up Tilan Mountain, a hundred government soldiers held torches high, slowly pulling three carts of treasure. The CREAKING of the wheels echoed through the mountains. From the tall grass, a swarm of bizarre, crimson mosquitoes rapidly flapped their wings, flying toward the squad of government soldiers transporting the treasure.

SLAP!

"Damn it, it’s only early spring, and there are already mosquitoes!" A government soldier at the back of the formation smacked the back of his neck, killing the bug. He stared at the bloodstain on his hand and grumbled.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, the blood on his hand rapidly turned pitch-black. Instantly, the pool of blood in his palm acted like concentrated sulfuric acid. In the blink of an eye, it corroded the flesh of his hand away, exposing the stark white bone beneath!

"Ah! My hand! My hand!"

Perhaps it all happened too fast, for the government soldier didn’t feel any pain initially. It wasn’t until he saw his hand reduced to bare bone that a piercing agony and overwhelming terror hit him. His screams drew the attention of the other government soldiers. In an instant, they all drew their weapons and scanned their surroundings on high alert.

SLASH!

With a flash of a blade, the squad Commander struck swiftly, cleanly severing the soldier’s arm, which had already corroded up to the elbow. Looking around with a grave expression, he shouted, "It’s a Sorcerer! Everyone, stay alert!"

Though the amputated government soldier was in such pain he nearly fainted, seeing that his life seemed spared, he still struggled to thank his Commander. "Thank you..."

But before he could finish, his expression suddenly froze. Panic-stricken, he tried to say something else. "Urgh... Urgh... Com..."

Before the gasping government soldier could force the words out, his face rapidly turned a purplish-black, and the breath of life instantly vanished from his body.

THUD!

He was dead. After his corpse hit the ground, the flesh across his entire body began to rot again. In just a few breaths, nothing was left on the ground but a pile of crimson gore and stark white bones. This bizarre and horrifying sight completely stunned the surrounding government soldiers.

"Commander, this..." Having witnessed this gruesome scene with his own eyes, Wang Erhu couldn’t help but recall the mission to exterminate Sorcerers he had undertaken with Lv Yuan years ago. Back then, they had also encountered all sorts of bizarre and terrifying phenomena, and the comrades beside them had died in extremely gruesome ways.

"Don’t be afraid! These Sorcerers only know how to play cheap tricks! Their actual combat strength is very weak!" the squad Commander shouted. "Everyone, split into five squads and search!"

As a Martial Artist at the Third Realm of the Martial Master tier, the Commander clearly had some understanding of Sorcerers. Their methods were indeed bizarre, but correspondingly, their physical bodies were very frail. Once a Martial Artist closed the distance, all their strange tricks would become useless.

Hearing their Commander’s orders, the slightly panicked government soldiers immediately rallied around their respective squad leaders, forming five squads and charging off in all directions. But before they could get far, waves of BUZZING echoed through the night again. Dozens of the same crimson mosquitoes flew out from a single direction, rapidly swarming the government soldiers!

"Ah!"

"Watch out for these mosquitoes!"

"My face!"

"Save me!"

In an instant, agonizing screams rose and fell continuously. The flesh of the bitten government soldiers rapidly began to rot outward from the bite marks. In the blink of an eye, these once vigorous men were reduced to bare white bones.

In the crowd, Wang Erhu reacted with lightning speed, using the broadsword in his hand to accurately slash down a mosquito charging at him! When the bug’s blood splattered onto his broadsword, it emitted a HISSING white smoke, corroding the blade’s edge until it was pitted and notched!

"You cowardly bastard hiding in the shadows!" The moment the mosquitoes flew out, the squad Commander had locked onto the location of the Sorcerer hiding in the dark. Now, he exploded into motion, charging straight in that direction!

Behind him, the dozens of surviving government soldiers instantly reacted. Gripping their broadswords, they followed close behind.

A figure in a coarse linen robe, draped in a large cloak and wearing a bizarre bronze mask, stood in the forest watching the charging Commander. He didn’t show the slightest intention of retreating.

"Found you!" The Commander of the government soldiers arrived with his broadsword in hand, spotting the Sorcerer at a glance. He stomped heavily, leaping high into the air. The broadsword in his hand slashed toward the linen-clad figure with a momentum capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks!

The broadsword surged with power, forming a blade aura over ten feet long, reaching the linen-clad figure in the blink of an eye. Just as the figure was about to be cleaved in half by this strike, an even larger silhouette suddenly dashed out from the adjacent darkness!

CLANG!

The blade aura struck the emerging silhouette directly, sending sparks flying in all directions! Looking at the bizarre silhouette that had taken his strike head-on without a scratch, the Commander’s face was filled with utter astonishment. Wang Erhu and the others who had rushed up were also staring in horror at the thing blocking the linen-clad figure.

"Commander, what the hell is this thing!?"

The Commander’s face was grim. "How the hell should I know!?"

The thing before them stood over ten feet tall. It looked human, but it lacked any aura of life, resembling a corpse. At the end of its two thick, sturdy arms, there were no hands; connected directly to its wrists were two razor-sharp, curved Bone Blades.

"Kill them." The linen-clad figure issued the command in a hoarse voice, and the hulking monster in front of him suddenly moved. Its massive body leaped nearly a hundred feet into the air, flying right over the Commander and plunging straight into the middle of Wang Erhu and the group of government soldiers!

"Kill!"

All the government soldiers barely managed to dodge this crushing, mountain-like attack before raising their swords and slashing at the hulking figure!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The blades in the hands of the government soldiers struck the monster, but it was like hacking at the hardest Renshi. They didn’t leave a single mark! Tanking the countless slashes from the government soldiers, the monster swung the Bone Blades in its hands and initiated a massacre!

The government soldiers, each at the Martial Disciple realm, had absolutely no ability to resist its attacks. It was truly a case of being severely injured at the slightest touch and dying upon direct contact!

Figures were sent flying as agonizing screams echoed endlessly. After charging into the crowd, the bizarre monster was like a wolf among a flock of sheep. Among all the Martial Artist government soldiers, no one could withstand even a single blow!

"Die!" Seeing his comrades being slaughtered, the Commander refused to believe this thing was invincible. He leaped high into the air and aimed a slash right at the back of the monster’s neck!

SQUELCH!

This strike, infused with a hundred and twenty percent of his full strength, finally had some effect, successfully breaking through the monster’s defenses. Seeing this, the Commander was overjoyed. As long as its defenses could be broken, it proved the monster wasn’t invincible!

However, before the smile on his face could fully bloom, the monster abruptly spun around. The razor-sharp Bone Blade connected to its arm slashed straight at his neck! The Commander was terrified and hastily tried to pull his broadsword back to dodge, only to realize that his blade was firmly wedged in the muscle of the monster’s neck!

SLASH!

The Bone Blade sliced through his neck, and a line of blood sprayed through the air. A wound extremely similar to the one seen on Wang Ergou’s neck back then was left on the Commander’s throat, and his life aura gradually dissipated.

"Commander!"

Seeing their Commander die, the remaining government soldiers all tried to rush forward. But if a Martial Artist at the Third Realm of the Martial Master tier was no match for this monster, how could a group of mere Martial Disciples possibly harm it in the slightest?

Having eliminated the most troublesome enemy, the monster immediately began to slaughter the remaining government soldiers. In the crowd, Wang Erhu watched his comrades die tragically one after another, a trace of despair appearing on his face. Seeing the comrades he had once fought alongside pierced through the chest by the Bone Blades, hoisted high into the air, and struggling violently, a flash of resolve crossed his eyes. He stomped heavily, leaping into the air, and swung his broadsword straight at the monster’s head!

WHAM!

But before Wang Erhu could even get close, the monster simply hurled the government soldier impaled on its Bone Blade right at him. The terrifying force directly sent Wang Erhu flying backward!

CRACK!

A sickening sound of fracturing bone rang out, and Wang Erhu’s body was knocked right off the nearby cliff.