Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 222 - 214: Powerful ’Corpse Puppet’ (2/3)

Chapter 222: Chapter 214: Powerful ’Corpse Puppet’ (2/3)

Zhou Heng’s mind was completely focused on refining the Blood Sword shards, and he wouldn’t react to anything unless his safety was threatened; he naturally ignored the purple-clad strong man’s interrogation as if he had heard nothing.

"Hm?" The purple-clad strong man’s eyes widened, showing displeasure.

He was at the Mountains and Rivers Realm, among the supreme experts in the dynasty, whose words carried the weight of nine cauldrons, commands that were obeyed throughout the land. Who would dare to treat his words lightly? Zhou Heng actually dared to ignore him, which was a blatant insult!

Could one so easily demean a Mountains and Rivers Realm expert?

The purple-clad strong man flipped his hand to strike, and a large hand formed from Spiritual Power immediately suppressed Zhou Heng.

Boom!

Han Yiyao struck in time, blocking the palm. Although she didn’t see eye to eye with Zhou Heng, they were now in the same boat, and if Zhou Heng were to die, she would also struggle to survive. Therefore, she had no choice but to make a move.

"This person is my attendant, his mind is a bit dull, please don’t take offense, brother!" Han Yiyao said in her crisp voice.

Although her face was covered by a white veil and concealed by Spiritual Power making it impossible for even Mountains and Rivers Realm experts to see through the fabric to her true face, her exquisite figure and ethereal aura couldn’t be hidden, offering a supreme visual pleasure.

Even the purple-clad Mountains and Rivers Realm strong man was somewhat distracted. He quickly steadied his mind, for although this woman was only at the First Layer Heaven of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, her strength was peculiarly great, almost comparable to him at the peak of the Second Layer Heaven!

If it were any other woman, he would’ve merely crooked his finger to have her if he took a liking, and who would dare not to climb into his bed? But when dealing with peers in the same realm, even if they were a minor realm below him, he dared not act rashly!

After all, some individuals had exceptional talents with vast Dantian Space, possessing monstrous abilities to challenge those beyond their realm.

"Everyone below the Mountains and Rivers Realm must leave, lest they get in the way later!" said the old woman sitting in the chair, her face showing obvious displeasure.

Her surname was Zhang, known as Tiger Granny Zhang, whose original name had long been forgotten. She was exceedingly domineering and especially hated beautiful women, because she was born ugly. Despite possessing formidable cultivation talent, not a single man dared to marry her!

—Not that there truly were none, but the ones she fancied did not fancy her. And those who would grit their teeth to marry her for her cultivation level, she disdained. Having been an old maid for nearly seven hundred years, how could her temper not be odd?

In her eyes, Han Yiyao was nothing but a harlot with a veil that simultaneously concealed and revealed, tempting men!

What she hated the most were such self-unaware women!

Han Yiyao gave a slight bow, a gesture of respect from a younger person to an elder, yet given her cultivation level, she was not much inferior and fully deserved to sit at the same level as everyone present. She had given enough face to Tiger Granny Zhang.

"Granny, I will watch over him!" she said, not wanting to cause trouble.

"Hmph, then why are you staying here? You can’t contribute strength but still want to share the spoils later. Where is there such a good deal?" Tiger Granny Zhang simply disliked Han Yiyao and was aggressive towards her.

"Since the young lad is a fool, just throw him out!" stated the previously impatient green-robed elder. So many Mountains and Rivers Realm experts were actually delaying for a mere attendant!

"It can’t be done!" Han Yiyao shook her head, as they had been struck by a love knot and couldn’t be separated by a hundred paces, and while this valley was small, its depth definitely exceeded a hundred paces!

"Hmph, a mere Mountains and Rivers First Layer Heaven, where do you get so many demands!" Tiger Granny Zhang snorted coldly, her figure leaping forward as she grabbed at Zhou Heng, "Let this old woman give you a hand!"

She thought Zhou Heng was this little strumpet’s top servant, so she was merciless!

Peers among martial artists did not easily commence battle, as none could bear the consequences. But to kill an "attendant" of a peer Martial Artist, what was the big deal? She was determined to kill, thus she did not launch a Spiritual Power attack from a distance, but went for a close-combat attack instead.

"Stop!" Han Yiyao shouted, striking out with her palm.

Bang!

The two exchanged a blow, and Han Yiyao, being less powerful, was forcibly repelled by more than thirty paces. Tiger Granny Zhang merely paused before striking at Zhou Heng again.

Zhou Heng, immersed in his mind, instinctively sensed danger and immediately threw a punch to meet it.

Boom!

With a loud crash, Tiger Granny Zhang was forcibly knocked back. As her feet touched the ground, an abnormal flush passed over her face, as if she was about to spit out blood.

Defeated!

The Mountains and Rivers Second Layer Heaven’s Tiger Granny Zhang was actually overpowered in strength!

Hiss, whether the ten great Mountains and Rivers Realm experts within the valley or the onlookers outside, none could help but show a shocked expression!

"Have you noticed, that lad is actually at the Heaven-Opening Realm!"

"Indeed, only at the First Layer Heaven of Open Heaven, and his aura is even a level lower than mine!"

"Impossible, can someone at the First Layer Heaven of Open Heaven repel a Mountains and Rivers Realm expert?"

"It is true, that lad’s strength does not lie in his Spiritual Power cultivation, but in his physical body!"

"What, his physical strength is comparable to the Mountains and Rivers Realm?"

"The youth’s eyes are dull, like a walking corpse! In my opinion, he is not a fool or mentally dull, but rather something like a Puppet. Otherwise, Brutal Strength like his is absolutely impossible!"

"Is this guy not a living person?"

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

"Hmm, I know of some ancient secrets, a corpse refining technique that can transform the body of a martial artist into a monster with superhuman strength! However, such an evil technique is too contrary to the heavens and has long been forbidden and lost!"

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

Amidst the valley, there was a flurry of discussions, as nobody believed that any living person could possess physical strength that exceeded their spiritual power. Coupled with Zhou Heng’s exceedingly vacant expression, it was hard not to harbor suspicions.

With Han Yiyao’s hearing, how could she not hear the people’s discussions? She nearly burst with anger. Corpse refining?

"Evil creature, watch as this old body suppresses you!" Tiger Granny Zhang’s eyes emitted a fierce light, as she too was inclined to believe that Zhou Heng was indeed a monster crafted through secret techniques, a notion that was easier to explain and helped her accept her earlier defeat.

She brandished a purplish-red walking stick, swinging it toward Zhou Heng. That was definitely a magic artifact, which seemed to boost her strength by fifty percent suddenly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Zhou Heng blocked the magic artifact with bare fists, and with every punch, he sent the walking stick flying more than a foot high, his fists remaining unscathed, without even reddening! However, after Tiger Granny Zhang used the magic artifact, their strengths finally leveled, and it was difficult to distinguish a winner for the moment.

"Absolutely a humanoid monster!"

"Indeed, to be able to block a Mountains and Rivers Realm magic artifact with pure physical strength, this simply cannot be a human!"

"Who exactly is that woman, to possess such evil techniques!"

"Hiss, if she could refine a dozen, or over a hundred such evil corpses, wouldn’t she sweep across the world!"

Exclamations erupted again while Han Yiyao felt so wronged she wanted to cry. As the saying goes, ’a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth’, once the whole world deemed her a demon girl and a practitioner of evil, any attempt at defense would be futile.

This damned scoundrel, why is he not waking up!

"Young lady, since your ’follower’ is so powerful, there’s no need for you to leave the valley either!" The elder in blue robes intervened to mediate, as the fight between Tiger Granny Zhang and Zhou Heng had become pointless.

If Zhang were to win, what was the point of defeating a Heaven-Opening Realm "puppet"? If she lost, it would be even worse!

They were here to slay the Ghost-eyed Toad and seize its treasure, not to indulge in pointless bickering!

The others also began urging peace, and with a roar Tiger Granny Zhang retreated dozens of feet, her chest heaving with unappeased anger.

Her purple wooden staff had developed over a dozen cracks!

That’s right, in the hard clash with Zhou Heng, her purple wooden staff had suffered considerable damage! Even if the elder in blue robes hadn’t intervened, she had already planned to back off, or else she might very well break her magic artifact!

A high-tier magic artifact can be kept within one’s Dantian for nurture and as long as its formation wasn’t damaged, it could be repaired of all its cracks through the nourishment of spiritual power. But if it were to shatter, then with the formation destroyed, it would be as good as scrap!

Zhang had a hard time articulating her suffering. She initiated the battle and had to swallow this bitter defeat!

She knew Zhou Heng was not "human", and naturally, her anger fell upon Han Yiyao. Staring furiously at the temptingly shaped woman, she had the urge to scar her face with seventeen or eighteen slashes, condemning her to a life of hiding her face!

Han Yiyao felt deeply wronged internally - how was she involved!

"Friends, let us work together to divert the lake water and force that Ghost-eyed Toad to show itself!" proposed the elder in blue robes.

"Agreed!"

Everyone nodded. To confront the Ghost-eyed Toad in water filled with its venom was tantamount to suicide. Human beings, as the most intelligent of creatures, naturally had to utilize their wisdom.

Each of the ten individuals made a move, their spiritual power manifesting as scoops, each motion scooping up a large amount of water from the lake and casting it aside.

Only they could do so!

This poisonous water was filled with corrosive qualities, capable of decaying even Heaven-Opening Realm experts. If they used their spiritual power to scoop up the lake water, they feared that the moment the spiritual power entered the water, it would be corroded away!

Even Zhou Heng was incapable of this feat because what allowed him to contend with the Mountains and Rivers Realm was his physical strength, not his spiritual power. Of course, he could effortlessly enter the lake, as the venom simply couldn’t harm his Mountains and Rivers Realm artifact-level body.

Even so, this was a massive drain for the ten great Mountains and Rivers Realm experts. With the spiritual power enveloping the water constantly eroded by the venom, they had to incessantly exert their strength to maintain the integrity of the spiritual layer.

The ten of them split into two groups to avoid exhaustion at the critical moment when the Ghost-eyed Toad might suddenly emerge. It also served as a precaution against others, as they were not close friends and had no reason to trust each other. They needed to maintain their peak condition at all times.

Consequently, the progress slowed.

Only after an entire day and night did the lake finally reveal its bottom, exposing a muddy lakebed. And at the western end of the lakebed, there emerged a dark and ominous cave entrance, at least ten feet high and wide.

Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

The croaking sound rose as a giant, maroon frog leapt out of the hole, about three meters tall with frog eyes larger than an ordinary human head, emitting a nefarious glow.

"Ah, my eyes!" Numerous people outside the valley immediately screamed in pain.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)