Chapter 132: I Am Dijiang (Please Subscribe)

Boom!

A transparent ripple emanated from the man's eyes. It spread outward in a circular wave, encompassing the entire space and covering every flying head. This was a spell targeting the soul. Just catching a glimpse of it left everyone feeling as though their spirits were trembling.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The flying heads plummeted one after another, crashing to the ground. The ghostly hands slowed significantly, as if caught in a mire. Then, Shenzeng took out a Soul-Nailing Blood Arrow.

Whoosh!

The three-foot blood arrow, thinner than a hair on the ghostly hands, struck. Upon impact, the ghostly hand vibrated violently before disintegrating into a cloud of dust.

"Phew! That's taken care of," Shenzeng exhaled, his eyes returning to normal.

Lu Qian still could not discern this man's cultivation level. Or perhaps, he possessed no cultivation at all, relying solely on innate abilities to fight. Nevertheless, his spells targeting Yin spirits were formidable. At the mere touch of the Soul-Nailing Blood Arrow, the powerful ghostly hands were instantly annihilated.

The group crossed the single-plank bridge to the other side of the abyss. Each bronze sacred tree stood about thirty feet tall, its branches like sharp, barbed hooks stained with blood and mottled rust. Below, the flying heads lay with their eyes wide open, a truly harrowing sight.

Looking at the dozens of corpses scattered before the altar, Shenzeng chuckled, "It seems many have come here over the years." He then proceeded to loot the bodies.

In the distance, shrouded in black mist, sat a somber palace. Beyond the bronze grove, only a single bluestone path led toward it. On either side of the path lay pools of indigo water. The stone walls bordering the pools were carved with murals depicting a group of three-bodied, single-headed beings walking upon the waves.

"These are the Three-Bodied People who appeared centuries ago. They vanished along with the reputation of the Heavenly River Daoist. This might truly be the secret treasury of the Styx," Chi Gui said, approaching the path and lightly touching the water.

Sizzle!

His finger seemed to vanish, as if melted away by something. "Be careful, don't fall in; the water is poisonous."

The group stepped onto the path. While they could have flown, such an environment made flight perilous. As Lu Qian stepped onto the path, he cast a furtive glance at the crystal dome above. The black mist deep within the crystal seemed to have deepened, as if some danger were brewing. Perhaps it was just his imagination, as even Shenzeng hadn't noticed. Yet, the aura he had sensed when he entered alone remained a hidden threat. Shenzeng himself was also a hidden variable. That was why he had come—to fight poison with poison.

But was the inheritance of the Heavenly River Daoist truly inside that palace?

Whoosh!

Just as he was thinking this, countless ghostly hands—smaller than the previous ones—reached out from the lake, clawing at them. When a few flew toward Lu Qian, he pierced them with a three-inch Black Needle of God-Slaughter, and the ghostly hands dissipated.

These ghostly hands relied on the element of surprise. However, the group was experienced; they appeared relaxed while remaining intensely vigilant.

"Styx Ghost Hands. I once read about these in an ancient text. They are a lost art; no one has been able to use them since the Heavenly River disappeared," said Yan Nü, using her incense burner to manifest various exotic beasts to attack.

As more clues emerged, greed began to stir within everyone. During the era of the Heavenly River Daoist, the Myriad Phenomena Island was not a loose collection of factions but a unified force under his command. At that time, the island's strength rivaled that of the great thousand-year-old sects. Alas, it declined with the disappearance of the Heavenly River Daoist.

Working together, the group finally repelled the ghostly hands and crossed the path. The palace came into view—not vast, but grand, with yellow tiles and red walls. Behind the white jade gate tower lay a massive garden.

"Snake-Fruit trees, Fire Dates, Iron-Blood Ancient Trees, Sun-Demon Sunflowers... these are all rare flora from the Earthly Fiend List," Lu Qian thought, secretly astonished. Even if they failed to obtain the cultivation technique, these treasures alone made the trip worthwhile.

Crack!

The moment the group entered the vermilion gate, the ground suddenly shattered, and a colossal, pitch-black behemoth burst from the earth. The group stared: the creature stood ten feet tall, with the head of a white-haired old man atop a thick, black snake body. Its lower half possessed six spider-like claws.

The old man suddenly opened his eyes, which blazed with light. "Uninvited guests shall die! Those who disturb the immortal's tomb shall die!"

The spider claws lifted high and struck toward the group, piercing the ground as if it were tofu. Lu Qian unleashed a ball of Nether Qi fire, but the flames were deflected upon hitting the claws. Yan Nü’s smoke dragon bit into the six-legged snake body, only to be bounced back.

Clang!

The Soul-Nailing Blood Arrow suffered its first failure, striking the old man's head to no effect.

"This is the Six-Legged Snake-Bodied Mountain God of the Heavenly River Daoist, a guardian deity of the gate," Chi Gui remarked.

No sooner had he spoken than dozens of rock-formed dragons crawled from the ground. They were gray-brown, with jagged horns, and swarmed toward the group. The Mountain God was not a living creature, but a monster formed from the earth's energy; it possessed no soul, which was why the Soul-Nailing Blood Arrow was useless.

With the Mountain God watching and dozens of strange beasts surrounding them, the group braced themselves. Lu Qian summoned the Refinement Banner, and black mist descended, generating two hundred pale-faced paper-soldier spirits to engage the rock dragons.

Boom!

A dragon tail swept out, sending dozens of paper soldiers flying; they disintegrated into ash upon impact. Yet, new paper soldiers immediately reformed within the black mist to continue the assault. Elsewhere, Chi Gui spat out crimson Yin fire, forming countless red-skinned demons wielding steel forks to clash with the dragons. Yan Nü’s incense burner conjured hundreds of smoke soldiers.

Everyone possessed similar techniques for summoning Daoist soldiers. For a moment, the roars of beasts and the shouts of soldiers created an atmosphere akin to a battlefield, stirring a sense of blood-pumping excitement in Lu Qian.

However, the situation was not optimistic. The Mountain God continuously summoned rock dragons, and its spider claws struck down periodically. None of their spells affected the Mountain God. According to Chi Gui, such entities could not die; unless the entire region they governed was destroyed, they would regenerate forever.

"I see," Shenzeng, who had been standing still, spoke again. "All of you, move back!"

Shenzeng’s expression was one of excitement. He removed his hood, revealing a face devoid of features—no eyes, no mouth. Lu Qian suddenly realized: he must be using divine sense to transmit his voice directly into their minds.

"Argh! Ahhh!"

Squelch!

Shenzeng's clothes burst, and his body swelled rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a twenty-foot-tall monster—a bloated, waxen-yellow figure resembling a grossly obese man. The creature possessed six fleshy limbs, four black wings on its back, and no facial features.

Boom!

The monster kicked the ground and soared into the sky. Its shadow blanketed the earth, and demonic flames towered. The entire space shook, and the ground cracked. A sense of indescribable chaos swept through the minds of everyone present.

"You!" The Mountain God’s eyes widened.

Before the Mountain God could react, the monster seized its tail.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The six-legged, four-winged monster slammed the Mountain God’s snake body against the ground repeatedly, with such speed that it formed afterimages. The monster seemed to disregard friend from foe, nearly injuring the group several times.

After the Mountain God had died and regenerated hundreds of times, the monster finally stopped. A mouth manifested on its body: "Is this the Mountain God? What a weak god!"

"You... what kind of monster are you..." the Mountain God gasped in terror.

"I am... Dijiang!"

Boom!

The Mountain God disintegrated completely.