Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 220 - 214: Powerful ’Corpse Puppet

Chapter 220: Chapter 214: Powerful ’Corpse Puppet

Zhou Heng’s mind was entirely focused on refining the fragments of the Blood Sword. Unless his safety was threatened, he would not react at all. Naturally, he ignored the purple-clad strong man’s questioning as if he hadn’t heard it.

"Hm?" The purple-clad strong man’s eyes bulged with displeasure.

He was of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, among the supreme experts within the Dynasty; his orders were obeyed far and wide, and no one dared to ignore his words. Zhou Heng actually dared to dismiss him, which was a blatant insult!

Could an expert of the Mountains and Rivers Realm be so easily disrespected?

With a flick of his hand, the purple-clad strong man made a move, and a massive hand formed from spiritual power immediately pressed down towards Zhou Heng.

Boom!

Han Yiyao struck in time, blocking the palm. Although she did not like Zhou Heng, the two were now in the same boat. If Zhou Heng died, her own survival would be difficult, so she was forced to intervene.

"This man is my attendant, he’s a bit slow-witted, please don’t take offense, brother!" Han Yiyao said in her crisp voice.

Although she was veiled in white and her features were concealed by spiritual power—meaning even experts of the Mountains and Rivers Realm could not see her true face—her exquisite figure and ethereal presence were unhideable, presenting an utmost visual delight.

Even the purple-clad strong man, an expert of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, was somewhat perturbed. He quickly steadied his mind; although this woman was only at the First Layer Heaven of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, her power was surprisingly great, almost on par with his own status at the peak of the Second Layer Heaven!

If it were any other woman, he would have simply gestured and she’d be in his bed—who would dare refuse? But with an expert of the same realm, even one slightly lower than him, he did not dare to be presumptuous!

After all, some individuals have extraordinary talents, with vast Dantian spaces, and possess monstrous abilities to challenge those beyond their level.

"Everyone below the Mountains and Rivers Realm must leave, so as not to interfere later!" the old woman sitting in the chair said, with a clear look of displeasure on her face.

Her surname was Zhang; she was known as Tiger Granny Zhang. Her original name had long been forgotten because she was extremely domineering, especially hated beautiful women! The reason, of course, was that she was born ugly; despite her strong cultivation talent, no man would dare to marry her!

—Not that there were none, it’s just that the ones she fancied did not like her back! Those who might grit their teeth to marry her just for her cultivation level, she herself disdained. Having been a spinster for nearly seven hundred years, her temperament was unavoidably odd.

In her eyes, Han Yiyao was nothing but a harlot, covering her face as if to both reveal and hide, seducing men!

The very thing she hated most was such shameless women!

Han Yiyao gave a slight bow, a show of respect from a younger person towards an elder, but in terms of cultivation level, she was not much inferior and could sit as equals with everyone present. That was already giving enough face to Tiger Granny Zhang.

"Granny, I’ll watch over him!" She did not want to stir up trouble.

"Humph, why are you staying here then? You can’t contribute to the strength, yet later you want to share the spoils. Where is there such a good deal!" Tiger Granny Zhang was just looking for a reason to bully Han Yiyao.

"If that boy is an idiot, just throw him out!" said the green-clothed old man impatiently. So many Mountains and Rivers Realm experts were actually wasting time over a mere attendant!

"Not possible!" Han Yiyao shook her head. She and Zhou Heng were bound by a love knot, unable to be separated by a hundred paces, and although the valley was small, its depth was certainly no less than a hundred paces!

"Humph, a mere First Layer Heaven of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, and so many demands!" Tiger Granny Zhang snorted coldly. Her figure suddenly leaped forward, and she reached out to grab Zhou Heng, "Let this old woman help you a bit!"

She believed Zhou Heng was that little whore’s paramour and thus did not hold back her attack!

Experts on the same level rarely engage in battle, as no one could afford the consequences, but killing an "attendant" of a fellow expert was not a big deal. She had the intent to kill, thus did not use spiritual power for a long-range attack but went for close-quarters combat.

"Stop!" Han Yiyao uttered lightly, swinging her palm to meet the attack.

Thump!

After exchanging a move, Han Yiyao, who was less powerful, was forcefully repelled more than thirty paces, while Tiger Granny Zhang merely paused before immediately lunging again at Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng, absorbed in his mind, only sensed the danger instinctively and threw out a punch in response.

Boom!

A loud sound ensued, and Tiger Granny Zhang was blasted backwards. Upon landing, an unnaturally flush color crossed her face, as if she was about to spew out blood.

Defeated!

Zhang of the Second Layer Heaven Mountains and Rivers Realm was actually overpowered in strength!

Hiss. Whether it was the ten great experts of the Mountains and Rivers Realm in the valley or the crowd outside watching the excitement, all showed astonished expressions!

"Did you notice, that kid is actually of the Heaven-Opening Realm!"

"Yes, only at the First Layer Heaven, even a level lower in aura than mine!"

"Impossible, can the Heaven-Opening First Layer Heaven repel someone from the Mountains and Rivers Realm?"

"No mistake, this kid’s strength lies not in his spiritual power cultivation, but in his physical body!"

"What, the strength of his physical body can compare to the Mountains and Rivers Realm?"

"That person has a dull gaze, like a walking corpse! In my opinion, he’s not an idiot, not slow-witted, but something like a puppet. Otherwise, there’s no way his brute strength could reach such a level!"

"This guy isn’t alive?"

"Impossible! Have you ever seen, or even heard of, someone whose brutal strength surpasses their cultivation level? And he’s not a demon beast!"

"Hmm, I know of some ancient secrets, including a corpse refining technique that can turn the body of a martial artist into a monstrously strong creature! But this evil technique is too harmful to heaven and earth, and was long ago prohibited and lost!"

"Now it appears that someone has secretly learned it!"

Amidst the valley, the crowd buzzed with discussion, as no one believed that a living person could possess physical strength surpassing their spiritual power. Coupled with Zhou Heng’s extremely vacant expression, one couldn’t help but harbor suspicions.

With Han Yiyao’s keen hearing, how could she not hear the crowd’s talk? She was close to breaking down in anger. Corpse refining?

"Evil creature, watch as this old body suppresses you!" Tiger Granny Zhang’s eyes shone fiercely; she also tended to believe Zhou Heng was a monster created by some secret technique. For one, it was an easy explanation; for another, it made it easier for her to accept her prior defeat.

She brought out a purple-red walking cane and swung it at Zhou Heng. It was definitely a magic artifact, seemingly boosting her strength by about fifty percent.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Zhou Heng defended against the magic artifact with his bare fists. Each of his punches sent the cane flying a foot or so in altitude, his fists uninjured and unreddened! However, after Tiger Granny Zhang employed the magic artifact, their strengths finally matched, and for the moment, victory was elusive.

"Definitely a humanoid monster!"

"Indeed, to be able to fend off a Mountains and Rivers realm magic artifact with his bare hands, this simply can’t be human!"

"Who exactly is that woman, to have mastered such an evil technique!"

"Hiss, if she refined a dozen, or even a hundred of these evil corpses, she could sweep across the world!"

Sighs of awe rose again. Han Yiyao was on the brink of tears. As the saying goes, ’A lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.’ Once the whole world believed she was a demon girl and an evil person, no amount of defense from her would be useful.

This damn good-for-nothing, why won’t he come to his senses!

"Young lady, since your ’follower’ is so powerful, there’s really no need to leave the valley!" said the blue-robed elder, attempting to smooth things over. The fight between Tiger Granny Zhang and Zhou Heng had become meaningless.

If Tiger Granny Zhang won, what significance was there in defeating an Open Heaven realm ’puppet’? If she lost, that would be even worse!

They were there to slay the Ghost-eyed Toad and seize the treasure, not to engage in petty quarrels!

The others also urged them to make peace. Tiger Granny Zhang roared and retreated dozens of yards. Fuming with rage and breathing heavily, her chest heaved.

Her purple wooden staff now bore more than a dozen cracks!

That’s right, in her clash with Zhou Heng, her staff had suffered considerable damage! Even without the blue-robed elder intervening, she had intended to stop, or else she risked destroying her magic artifact!

High-tier magic artifacts could be placed within the Dantian space to be nurtured, and so long as their formations remained intact, they could be repaired of all damage through the nourishment of spiritual power! But if destroyed, a broken formation would render it as good as scrap.

Tiger Granny Zhang had her own set of difficulties. She had instigated the fight, and she had to swallow this bitter pill all by herself!

She knew Zhou Heng was "not human," and naturally, her anger fell on Han Yiyao. She glared at this svelte temptress of a woman, wanting nothing more than to slash her face seventeen or eighteen times, making her hide her face for life!

As for Han Yiyao, she felt utterly wronged — what did all this have to do with her?

"Everyone, let’s join forces to divert the lake water and force the Ghost-eyed Toad to show itself," suggested the blue-robed elder.

"Good!"

Everyone nodded. Engaging the Ghost-eyed Toad in the poisonous lake was tantamount to suicide. As humans, they naturally played to their advantage in intelligence.

Ten individuals took action, using their spiritual power like shovels, each stroke scooping a large amount of water from the lake and tossing it to one side.

Only they could do this!

The toxic water was so corrosive that even Heaven-Opening realm experts could be rotted away. If they used their spiritual power to scoop the lake water, they would likely be corroded the moment they touched it!

Even Zhou Heng couldn’t do this, as his ability to contend with the Mountains and Rivers realm was due to his physical strength, not spiritual power. Of course, he could easily enter the lake, as the poison could in no way harm his body, which was like a Mountains and Rivers realm artifact.

Still, this was a huge drain on the ten Mountains and Rivers realm experts. As they enveloped the lake water with their spiritual power, they constantly had to contend with the poison’s erosion, and it was imperative to keep exerting force to maintain an unbroken layer of spiritual power.

The ten of them split into two groups to avoid becoming completely exhausted just as the Ghost-eyed Toad made a sudden appearance. It also allowed them to stay wary of the others; the ten were not close friends, so why trust each other? They had to ensure they were always at their peak.

This, of course, slowed down the progress.

After a full day and night, the lake was finally drained, revealing a muddy lakebed, and on the western side of the lakebed, a dark hole appeared, about ten feet tall and wide.

Gurgle! Gurgle! Gurgle!

The croaking sounded, and a purple giant frog leaped out of the hole, about three feet high; its eyes, larger than an ordinary person’s head, emitted a strange light.

"Ah, my eyes!" Many from outside the valley immediately screamed in agony.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and support me. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)