Evil Sorcery Control (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Not only was Chen Mo's heart pounding, but Chen Yin Fu beside him also turned pale with fright.

The few servants collecting the body saw this and, terrified, dropped their work, scurried far away, and watched Liu Mazi trembling from a distance.

"Father, fall back!"

Chen Mo immediately pulled Chen Yin Fu behind him for protection, then shouted at the servants: "Scatter. Don't get near him."

Hearing Chen Mo's orders, the servants dispersed, keeping their distance from Liu Mazi.

"Uncle Zhou, you fall back too. Lend me your blade." Chen Mo stepped up to Zhou Liang and took the saber from his hand.

Chen Mo knew clearly that no matter what had happened to Liu Mazi, he had to kill him tonight.

Zhou Liang's expression was horrified. "Just now, a big hole was punched through Liu Mazi's forehead, and now he can still stand up and kill people. This is very unusual. He might be under some evil spell. Second Young Master must be extremely careful."

"I know."

Chen Mo carried the saber and approached Liu Mazi step by step.

With every step forward, Chen Mo grew more vigilant. He stopped when he was about a dozen meters away from Liu Mazi.

Although the Training Ground was poorly lit, Chen Mo's keen eyesight still let him make out Liu Mazi's appearance.

A pallid face, utterly bloodless. Dull, lifeless eyes. Stiff limbs—he didn't seem conscious.

Even so, Chen Mo was deeply astonished.

He knew this world was rife with strange and bizarre evil arts. But a man whose head had been pierced through with a big hole could still stand up?

That was simply too unbelievable.

Though Chen Mo considered himself capable of taking on three Liu Mazis, he still felt a chill run down his spine.

Just then—

Crack!

Liu Mazi suddenly lifted his head. His eyes turned blood-red, swept across the entire scene, then locked onto Chen Mo.

It was as if he could see Chen Mo.

The next moment, Liu Mazi grabbed his soft sword and charged straight at Chen Mo.

His speed was even faster than when he was alive.

This gave Chen Mo quite a start.

Fortunately, Chen Mo had his strength at hand and wasn't flustered. He raised his saber and slashed forward fiercely.

Fuyang Saber Technique, Fourth Form: Spring Breaker!

In an instant, a clang rang out. Chen Mo's tiger's mouth went numb from the impact, and he thought to himself: He's stronger and more agile than when he was alive.

Before Chen Mo could catch his breath, Liu Mazi's soft sword changed direction and stabbed straight at him like a slithering snake. Fast and vicious, the blade's quivering produced a piercing hum.

Chen Mo dared not be careless. He struck out with another swift Spring Breaker.

Saber and sword clashed, and the two separated again.

Seeing Liu Mazi block his attacks twice, Chen Mo's blood began to boil. He swung the big saber in a frenzy, while Liu Mazi, nimble and quick, parried with his soft sword.

In an instant, snowflakes drifted across the night-shrouded Training Ground, blades flashing and shadows dancing, punctuated by thunderous explosions.

Though the saber was powerful, the soft sword's elasticity allowed it to bend and tremble, effectively absorbing force. For a time, Chen Mo couldn't finish Liu Mazi.

What terrified Chen Mo most was this: Liu Mazi had no fear of death, not even feeling pain. His body bore over a dozen glaring wounds from Chen Mo's blade, blood spilling like several large bowls, yet he ignored it all and fought on desperately.

This reckless style put immense pressure on Chen Mo.

Liu Mazi could throw his life away, but Chen Mo couldn't.

"This bastard is too eerie. Can't drag this out. I need to end it quickly."

Chen Mo felt a strong sense of unease and dared not delay. Nor did he seek absolute safety without injury. Seizing the moment when the soft sword came at him at an angle, Chen Mo dodged only seventy or eighty percent of it, then swung his saber in a reverse Spring Breaker aimed at the opponent's neck.

Pfft!

A steaming-hot head suddenly separated from the neck, flew four or five meters into the air, then thudded into the snow, rolling a few times before stopping. A trail of blood marked its path.

And because Chen Mo had sought a quick victory, abandoning absolute safety, his chest was slashed with a moderate sword wound. Fortunately, the cut wasn't deep, and Chen Mo had deliberately avoided vital spots, so no bones or tendons were damaged.

It was all within Chen Mo's calculations.

Hah!

Chen Mo watched Liu Mazi's headless corpse fall stiffly into the snow and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought, With no head, he can't get up again, right?

He stared at the headless body for a moment. Seeing no reaction, Chen Mo turned around and called out to Ma Tie, "Ma Tie, go collect the body..."

Before he could finish, Chen Mo's words died in his throat. A chill shot down his spine.

He heard a sound from the snow behind him.

He spun around sharply and saw Liu Mazi, headless, charging at him at full speed.

Faster than before, as if he could still see, his attack trajectory showed no deviation.

Chen Mo felt an indescribable sense of dread.

"Playing tricks, huh? Let's see how long you can keep this up!" A surge of grit rose in Chen Mo's heart. Without a second thought, he broke into a sprint using the footwork of the Fuyang Saber Technique. As he neared the opponent's flexible sword, he sidestepped, accepting the risk of another shallow wound to his chest, and drove his blade straight through Liu Mazi's chest.

Even so, Chen Mo didn't let up. He shoved the body back a dozen paces and pinned it hard against a pine tree. A loud thud rang out as the century-old pine shook violently, sending clumps of snow cascading down with a series of sharp cracks.

After the strike, Chen Mo retreated three steps, his eyes locked on Liu Mazi's headless form.

Just then, Ma Tie's shout came from behind. "Young master, watch your back!"

What's behind me?

Chen Mo didn't catch on at first, but he knew Ma Tie wouldn't warn him for no reason, so he turned to look. What he saw was Liu Mazi's severed head rolling rapidly across the snow, charging straight at him. When it got close, it suddenly launched itself two meters into the air, mouth wide open, aiming directly for Chen Mo's neck.

"Damn..."

Chen Mo was genuinely startled, but his martial instincts kicked in with muscle memory. He immediately slapped a palm at the flying head.

Blazing Sun Toxin!

Sizzle!

The Fire Poison erupted, leaving a scorched palm print on the head's face, complete with a burnt smell. It then fell limply to the ground and finally went still.

Still uneasy, Chen Mo stomped the head into a mushy mess. Stinking brain matter splattered everywhere.

Just then, another noise came from behind. Chen Mo turned to see the headless Liu Mazi pulling the long blade from his own chest and swinging it fiercely at him.

He can still move?

And without a head, how is he targeting me so accurately?

Suppressing his confusion, Chen Mo sidestepped the saber strike and, channeling the Blazing Palm, slammed a palm full of Blazing Sun Toxin into Liu Mazi's chest.

Fizz~

A crackling sound like frying meat filled the air.

As the Blazing Sun Toxin poured into Liu Mazi's body, he seemed to suffer some immense shock. His limbs began to twitch and stiffen uncontrollably. After a few spasms, all strength left him, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

His hands and feet still jerked rigidly, but he had no fight left in him.

Chen Mo looked at his own reddened right palm and muttered to himself, "So Liu Mazi was being controlled by some dark art—that's why he wouldn't stay dead and attacked me like a madman. The Blazing Sun Toxin just happens to counter evil spirits, so that finally took him down."

Chen Mo let out a huge sigh of relief.

In the end, it all came down to the Blazing Palm.

Other martial arts worked fine against bandits, but they were useless against evil spirits. Even strong blood energy could only scare off minor ghosts; against powerful ones, it was worthless.

Thankfully, he'd gone to the Lei Family Martial Arts School earlier and learned this technique.

Otherwise, tonight might not have ended so cleanly.

Sure, this was a Black Mountain Stronghold martial art, not to be passed around. But since this was his own turf and the night was dark, all he had to do was dispose of Liu Mazi's body. No one would know he'd used the Blazing Palm.

But here was the question.

Why did Liu Mazi, after being possessed, only target him?

That was seriously unsettling.

Who was using dark arts against him from the shadows?

Chen Mo suddenly recalled something Liu Mazi had said to Lu Wei earlier... and his scalp went numb.

P.S.: If you Godfathers enjoy this, please throw a few monthly votes to help Chen Mo climb the new book rankings~ Chen Mo knows how to be grateful and sensible.