Liang Qu's heart pounded violently.
The Annotated Edition of Hao Wood Hall's Chronicles had an illustration of a mountain spirit, and its cracked, tree-like skin had left a deep impression on him!
It resembled a human, with skin as brown and rough as a withered tree, impervious to blades and spears.
It preyed on livestock as a child and feasted on human organs as an adult!
Why would a mountain spirit appear here!?
Pingyang Town was sixteen miles away from Righteous Prosperity City!
The sharp clanging of nine gongs echoed across the dock.
The shaman waved a short staff, dancing slowly and chanting an unknown hymn.
Thousands of eyes stared at Liang Qu, expecting him to step onto the altar.
For a moment, Liang Qu doubted his own eyes, but in the next instant, the dark figure leaped out from behind the gable wall.
Its sharp claws tore through the bluestone bricks, and below it was a dense crowd of people.
A child in the crowd, looking around, caught sight of the terrifying creature and burst into tears.
The people around glared at the child, and the mother, full of apologies, covered the boy's mouth.
But when she followed his gaze, she froze as well.
A piercing scream rang out.
This was no illusion!!!
"Retreat!!"
In an instant, a roar drowned out everything.
As the words left his mouth, more and more people spotted the mountain spirit on the rooftop.
News of the mountain spirit's appearance had already spread from Pingyang Town to Righteous Prosperity City, and even posters had been put up warning people to be cautious.
Fewer people had been traveling to Pingyang Town in recent days.
That cracked, brown skin was unmistakable!
A mountain spirit capable of killing martial artists!
Screams erupted one after another, and the once-orderly crowd instantly descended into chaos.
Cries and shouts filled the air, but with the marshland ahead, there was nowhere to run.
Some even jumped into the water!
And it was winter!
The village elders stood up, horrified by the mountain spirit's demonic appearance.
They shouted, trying to restore order.
The mountain spirit, disturbed by the commotion, leaped toward the crowd, aiming to pounce on a woman.
A fist-sized stone ball whistled through the air, striking the mountain spirit squarely in the face and sending it flying.
By the time it hit the ground, the stone had shattered into pieces.
Liang Qu pushed against the flow of people, his hand trembling, blood dripping from his wrist.
Unnoticed by anyone, the stone lion behind him had lost its fangs, and the stone ball in its mouth was gone.
"Come this way!!"
His voice cut through the wind, momentarily overpowering the screams of the crowd.
Like a banner raised in the chaos, the crowd surged toward him.
The woman who had narrowly escaped being pounced on collapsed to the ground in terror.
A man beside her grabbed her hand, and the two scrambled away.
The village elders, equally frightened, dropped their canes and fled.
Only a few, like Chen Zhao'an, remained, quickly stepping forward to calm the people and guide them into the large mansion behind them for shelter.
The area beneath the eaves where the mountain spirit had been lurking was now empty.
The mountain spirit, lying on the ground, shook its head and stood up.
The powerful stone ball had done no damage at all.
Its reverse-jointed legs, thin upper limbs, and sharp claws gave it a skeletal, tree-like appearance.
Its yellow pupils, resembling the pus of a festering wound, locked onto Liang Qu, who had attacked it.
Apart from its reverse-jointed legs, the mountain spirit's limbs were eerily similar to a human's, making it all the more unsettling.
Seeing it in person was far more terrifying than any illustration in a book!
Liang Qu's heart raced.
He didn't know where he had found the courage to step forward, but now that the mountain spirit had its eyes on him, there was no turning back.
Was this a lesser mountain spirit or a greater one?
It didn't seem like a lesser one—it was about his height, and mountain spirits didn't grow that fast.
But it didn't seem like a greater one either—a greater mountain spirit, capable of killing martial artists who had broken through two barriers, wouldn't have been knocked back by a single stone ball.
Could this be a third type of mountain spirit?
That would explain why it had appeared in Righteous Prosperity City—it hadn't traveled over ten miles; it had been here all along!
Damn it, where were all these mountain spirits coming from? Was someone farming them?
In the blink of an eye, Liang Qu even guessed why this mountain spirit had appeared.
The strong scent of blood in the air, combined with the gathered crowd, had attracted it.
Sacrifices to the River God, sacrifices to the River God.
The River God didn't come, but the mountain spirit did!
Liang Qu gritted his teeth in frustration.
On the dock, the shaman and the ritual overseer had vanished.
The villagers hid in houses, huddled in alleys, and the mansion was packed to the brim.
Outside, a thick ring of people stood frozen, afraid to move, lest they attract the spirit's attention.
Within a radius of dozens of meters, only the empty altar and the three bloodied sacrificial animals hanging nearby remained.
The mountain spirit, not lacking in intelligence, seemed to sense that Liang Qu posed a threat.
The two stood in a tense standoff, neither moving.
Under the gaze of those yellow, vertical pupils, Liang Qu felt as though a snake was coiled around his spine, silently watching him.
He felt his joints growing weak, but he didn't dare break the silence of the standoff.
Blood pooled at his wrist, trickling down his middle finger, itching slightly.
Liang Qu's fingers twitched, and a drop of blood fell, rolling onto the bluestone slab, gathering dust without breaking.
A moment later, the blood drop burst.
"Ah Shui, we're here to help!"
Oh no!
"Don't!"
Recognizing the voices of Li Libo and Chen Jiechang, Liang Qu was horrified.
In the next instant, he saw the mountain spirit take a step forward—and then it vanished!
So fast!
Liang Qu raised his arms to protect his head.
The mountain spirit's claws scraped against his tungsten steel bracers, sending sparks flying.
A tremendous force struck him, sending him flying.
He skidded several meters across the bluestone slabs, cracking them under his feet.
Another gust of foul wind came from his left.
Liang Qu barely managed to protect his neck, feeling the claws graze the armor on his forearm before plunging toward his abdomen.
But they couldn't pierce through!
The mountain spirit's claws sank into the bear-fur cloak, only to be stopped by the mountain oxhide belt.
They couldn't penetrate!
An opportunity!
Liang Qu's courage surged.
He grabbed the cloak, wrapping it around the mountain spirit's arm, and with a powerful swing, he pinned the creature's arm.
His right fist slammed into the mountain spirit's face.
As he struck, he felt a gust of wind aimed at his chest.
The mountain spirit's other hand, free from the cloak, formed a claw like a steel blade, radiating a chilling aura.
"Good!" Liang Qu roared, twisting his body to avoid the vital spot.
His fist continued its descent, smashing into the mountain spirit's head.
The punch landed on the mountain spirit's face, feeling as though he had struck granite.
The claws pierced halfway through the cloak but were stopped by his ribs.
Blood stained his white robe.
The pain seared through his brain, but Liang Qu didn't budge.
The veins on his temples bulged, his face twisted in a snarl.
With surprising strength, he tightened his left arm!
The veins on his forearm stood out like snakes, twisting and coiling.
A tremendous force gathered there, crushing the mountain spirit's right arm.
His left hand transformed into a ferocious snake's maw, biting down hard on the creature's chest!
He had single-handedly pinned both of the mountain spirit's arms!
A barrage of punches rained down on the mountain spirit's face like a storm!
Everyone was stunned.
The fearless, indomitable spirit of Liang Qu stirred the hearts of the villagers.
With each punch, their fear dissipated like smoke, and they nearly cheered aloud.
The Heavenly Water Centipede hidden in Liang Qu's sleeve seized the opportunity, crawling up the mountain spirit's arm and sinking its fangs into the flesh between the cracks of its brown skin.
A trickle of blood seeped from the centipede's mouth—it had broken through!
With a successful strike, Ah Wei injected all its venom in one go before quickly retreating back into the sleeve.
The venom seeped into the mountain spirit's body, and it sensed the lethal threat.
Its legs kicked out with all their might, striking Liang Qu's chest.
Liang Qu took the blow head-on.
His chest felt as though it had been struck by a sledgehammer, and his ribs groaned under the pressure, nearly shattering.
He staggered, almost falling to his knees.
Footsteps approached from behind.
He didn't dare look back, but he saw two figures rush to his side, raising sharp knives to strike at the mountain spirit.
The knives struck as though hitting metal, and both blades chipped at the same time.
Mountain spirit!
Resembling a human, with skin like a withered tree.
Blades and spears could not pierce it!
(End of Chapter)