The worn wooden door slammed shut the moment the two stepped in, blown closed by a gust of Yin Wind. Lu Chenzhou tried pushing it to no avail.
"There must be a mechanism."
The two observed the dilapidated temple. Since it was chosen as a trial site, the structure was clearly not ancient construction but rather modern made to look old.
In the center of the temple stood a statue of a bearded, sturdy man in magnificent attire, likely the Mountain God, a popular folk deity in the region.
Back to back, they searched for traces of Void Things in the cold wind within the temple — behind the door, on the beams, in the corners amid debris... They scoured all possible hiding spots for Void Things and finally exchanged glances, simultaneously turning to look at the statue sitting on the altar. Lu Chenzhou, studying the face of the statue, suddenly asked, ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NovєlFіre.net
"Did that statue just open its mouth?"
Chen Xiaoyun felt a chilling shudder travel down her spine. Instinctively, her whip shot out, cracking through the air, and struck at the statue’s head.
"Be careful! The statue is the Void Thing!"
The statue, previously motionless, suddenly raised its right palm and caught Chen Xiaoyun’s whip, emitting a blue light as it fought against the strength of the whip. The whip, usually potent against Spiritual Body entities, seemed ineffective now. On one hand, the statue itself had a physical form; on the other hand, it was as if it were coated in a lacquer, reducing damage.
Amidst a harsh grating noise, the statue stood up, the formerly bearded strong man now transformed into a dark blue ghoul with a fierce face and sharp teeth.
With immense force, the monster pulled, dragging Chen Xiaoyun toward itself. In the blink of an eye, a figure rebounded off a pillar using Swallow Form Dark Force, then tightened his body like a bowstring, vibrating with Tiger Form Dark Force, which eventually concentrated in his right fist!
Accompanied by the sound of flying earth and stone, the statue’s right arm was blasted away, shedding its stony layer. Dark blue blood seeped out, hitting the ground and emitting a frigid chill. The pained statue temporarily released the whip. Its hunched figure leapt from the altar, hanging upside down from the beam like a spider, its drool hitting the floor and sizzling into white smoke.
"Careful, this creature’s saliva is corrosive."
This entity felt even stronger than the Blood Feather Fiend. Lu Chenzhou crossed his arms, positioning the Fist Blades in front of him. He had activated his Hard Qigong before entering the door, and now, like a giant python, his blue veins bulged along his arms and back, exuding an immense male presence.
Chen Xiaoyun retreated to a corner, looking up. Not daring to recklessly swing her whip since the creature could grasp it with its bare hands, the two people and one ghost fell into a silent standoff.
Eventually, the monster could wait no more. Seizing the opportunity, it slammed down from the beam like a cannonball, its sharp claws tearing through the darkness, aiming straight at Lu Chenzhou’s face.
Its instincts told it that Lu Chenzhou was the toughest one to handle, so it attempted to take them down one by one. Lu Chenzhou stepped back, leaning his body backward as the monster’s claws whizzed by. He easily dodged, flipping over and rebounding off the wall, while the monster also pounced to attack only to hear a snap — Chen Xiaoyun’s whip had coiled around its hind legs in the meantime.
"Chenzhou, hurry! I can’t hold on much longer!"
On cue, the monster crashed to the ground with a snap. It turned its head and spat out a glob of viscous liquid. Chen Xiaoyun quickly dodged, but her hair still got caught and instantly disintegrated. Her heart pounded as she gripped the whip, refusing to let go.
The monster was about to continue its corrosive spitting attack when Lu Chenzhou’s right foot swung like a hammer, kicking away the ghastly claw. Charging his right Tiger Claw, the sharp Fist Blade plunged into the creature’s head. The blow, infused with Dark Force, pierced through the monster’s shell, hard as metal, but how could it compare to c8 alloy?
With the Fist Blade sinking into the creature’s head with a squelching noise, the monster roared, swiping its claw at Lu Chenzhou’s chest. Lu Chenzhou countered with his other claw, striking hard in the face of the monster. Relying on the power of his Hard Qigong, he took the hit with only a muffled groan, unscathed. The Fist Blade stabbed through the ghastly claw, and Lu Chenzhou surged forward with a knee, crushing the creature’s head against his grip, the blade shearing through the stone-like flesh, effectively slicing off half of the creature’s head.
Suddenly, a heavy blow struck Lu Chenzhou’s abdomen, flinging him back against the wall, which cracked upon impact. Underneath his protective gear, his bronzed abdomen sported a bloody bruise. Lu Chenzhou quickly rolled away from the wall as the creature broke free from the whip, its bald and grotesque tail lashing violently toward him.
The monster’s tail was halted mid-air, blocked by Chen Xiaoyun’s whip. Her form shaken, she was dragged back and forth by the creature. Lu Chenzhou propelled himself off the wall, circling to the monster’s back, and then Fist Blades hailed down like a storm, deeply stabbing into its back.
Lu Chenzhou bellowed, the Tiger Roar echoing throughout the Mountain God Temple, resounding through the surrounding woods. Birds sleeping for the night were startled en masse, forest creatures fled in panic, and in the woods not too far off, several figures paused, looking toward the source of the sound.
Old Tian and Leopard Woman had joined forces.
"Tiger Roar? It’s Chenzhou."
"Let’s go see, he must be in a fierce battle."
Elsewhere, Yin Shishi’s eyes shimmered as she stood beside a man and a woman – both Ninth Rank experts from Martial Arts University, named Liu Yang and Jin Ling.
"Are there tigers in Huangshan?"
Yin Shishi drew her sword and leapt into the darkness, her ethereal voice trailing,
"It’s Lu Chenzhou, let’s go check it out."
The combination of Tiger Roar and Tiger Evil was still so effective. Lu Chenzhou had been worried about revealing his location during the day and refrained from using them, but right now, he couldn’t care less. His Fist Blades tore open vicious wounds on the creature’s back, spewing blue blood.