Bitter Battle (Part 2)

A massive wave of spiritual energy, like an invisible awl wrapped in bone-chilling yin energy, slammed fiercely into the group locked in desperate combat!

"Not good, a formation has been laid out in the courtyard!"

Wu Tong, at the front, bore the brunt of the attack. His movements stiffened instantly, a look of agonizing distortion flashing across his face as he nearly fell victim to a sneak attack from a monster at his side.

Several soldiers dropped their rifles outright, clutching their heads as they rolled on the ground in agony, black blood beginning to seep from their seven orifices.

Even Chen Mo, hiding far in the back, felt as if his brain had been struck by a heavy hammer. His vision went black, and countless malicious whispers exploded in his ears.

Fortunately, the Moonlight Treasure Mirror within his sea of consciousness trembled slightly, silver radiance flowing to isolate the majority of the spiritual impact.

He endured the dizziness, controlling the Weaponized Paper Puppet to pounce on the monster that had nearly wounded Wu Tong, while simultaneously pinching his thigh hard; the sharp pain jolted his spirit awake.

Someone is manipulating this from inside!

Chen Mo could vaguely sense that the source of the spiritual waves lay deep within the main room.

There, a venomous gaze seemed to be staring fixedly at them.

He had to take it out, or he feared they would all be finished!

His thoughts raced. Instead of choosing to charge in, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a palm-sized paper figure.

A thread of pure Taiyin energy was injected into the talisman paper, and with a flick of his finger, he launched it!

The paper figure rapidly expanded into a humanoid shape a foot tall, complete with limbs, though its construction was clearly crude.

This was an ordinary paper figure he had crafted previously; it possessed no real combat power, but it was perfect for the task at hand.

Chen Mo swiftly snatched a grenade from the belt of a fallen soldier, pulled the pin, and shoved it into the paper figure's hands.

"Go!"

He urged it with his mind, simultaneously injecting a stronger burst of Taiyin energy to grant it greater speed.

The paper figure "whooshed" out like a gray shadow skimming across the ground, nimbly bypassing the rolling soldiers and the crisscrossing stray bullets and blade light, slamming fiercely into the invisible barrier at the doorway.

Deep within the main room, the Soul-Stitching Crone, who was shaking the Bone-Skin Banner and exerting all her strength to drive the Hundred-Eye God-Peering Array, detected this inconspicuous but lightning-fast object through the formation the moment it appeared.

She was stunned for a split second, then saw the smoking grenade in the paper figure's arms, and her turbid old eyes widened in an instant!

"What the hell is that?!" The Soul-Stitching Crone was both shocked and furious. Unable to continue casting spells to interfere with the front courtyard, she instinctively waved the Bone-Skin Banner with her left hand, attempting to gather yin energy to intercept the paper figure.

"BOOM!"

A loud, explosive roar erupted inside the main room, accompanied by the old woman's sharp cry of pain!

Although the sound was quickly suppressed, the continuous spiritual assault was clearly interrupted.

The pressure on the front courtyard plummeted.

Not only did the persistent spiritual interference vanish, but those flesh puppets also appeared to freeze for a moment due to the damage sustained by the formation.

"Good chance!" Wu Tong felt the pressure lift, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes as he took this opportunity to decapitate the monster before him with a single strike!

He glanced back at the direction where Chen Mo was hiding, his expression complex, but there was no time to speak.

"Charge! Charge in! Don't let them cast their evil arts again!" Wu Tong roared, taking the lead as he charged toward the entrance of the main room.

Chen Mo's true self did not immediately follow; he only controlled the Weaponized Paper Puppet to stay close behind Wu Tong, while he himself trailed behind the few soldiers who had recovered, maintaining a relatively rearward position.

In his perception, besides the injured old woman, there was another presence in the main room—one carrying a thick, bloody stench and possessing clearly formidable strength.

If he went in now, that old woman would likely vent her fury on him.

It was just an assessment; risking his life was going too far.

By this time, Wu Tong, at the very front, had already charged into the main room where the thick smoke had yet to dissipate.

The room was dim, with only a few oil lamps in the corners casting flickering, murky light.

Aside from the wreckage caused by the explosion, the floor was littered with shards of pottery and dark, organic fragments.

A nauseating stench of corpses and charred matter hung in the air.

Deep in the main room, the Soul-Stitching Crone staggered to her feet, clutching her chest with her left hand, her eyes as venomous as poison-tipped needles.

Since the culprit hadn't entered the room, she had no choice but to vent her anger on Wu Tong.

"Butcher, kill... kill them all!"

The formation had been broken, and the backlash suffered by the Soul-Stitching Crone was clearly severe; even her voice was somewhat incoherent.

The Butcher at her side stood up, his massive frame like a moving hill, blocking most of the light from the oil lamps.

His gleaming scalp shone with grease, and the door-sized skinning cleaver in his hand was still dripping with viscous liquid.

He swept a glance at Wu Tong, who had charged in, and the few soldiers following behind, grinning to reveal a cruel smile. His gaze lingered on Wu Tong for an extra moment.

His eyes held a cruel interest, like someone seeing a novel toy.

"Hehe... don't worry, Granny, not one of them will escape." The Butcher's voice was raspy. "I'll be the one to skin this kid!"

The Soul-Stitching Crone gasped, glaring viciously toward the doorway.

"Finish it quickly! Don't let them get near the Divine Child!" As she spoke, her left hand began to struggle to form seals, preparing to re-invoke the formation.

"Understood!"

Butcher Liu let out a sinister laugh, wasting no words as his massive frame stirred up a foul-smelling gust of wind, swinging his blade in a fierce strike toward Wu Tong!

The blade's momentum was heavy and savage, devoid of any fancy flourishes, yet it carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

Wu Tong had already steeled himself to the highest degree; seeing the ferocity of the strike, he dared not meet it head-on and flashed his body aside.

Simultaneously, the long blade in his hand transformed into a streak of cold light, thrusting straight for the opening under Butcher Liu's ribs!

It was a variation of the Wind-Breaking Style from the Wind-Breaking Three Styles, treacherous and ruthless.

"Clang!" Butcher Liu reacted with lightning speed, pulling his cleaver back to parry, once again producing a piercing screech of clashing metal.

Wu Tong felt a tremendous force travel through his blade, numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger, and his heart turned cold: This guy's strength is too immense!

The two were locked in combat in an instant.

Wu Tong's swordsmanship was exquisite, and he unleashed his cultivation—where his blood flowed like mercury—to its full extent, his entire body wreathed in a faint red mist of blood.

Yet, the butcher opposite him was not only possessed of infinite strength and thick skin, but his combat experience was also extremely rich; he danced his cleaver so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through, neutralizing Wu Tong's offensive one move at a time, while his occasional counterattacks forced Wu Tong into precarious situations.

He was already nursing injuries, and under the strain of prolonged battle, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing growing increasingly ragged.

Squad Leader Wang and several soldiers who had followed him in attempted to open fire to provide support, but the room was dimly lit and the two were tangled together, making it difficult to aim; stray bullets might instead accidentally injure Wu Tong.

The group had no choice but to aim their muzzles at the Soul-Stitching Crone, firing in turns.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of the gunshots was exceptionally jarring in the dim main room.

Yet, these ordinary bullets, upon striking a foot in front of the Soul-Stitching Crone, seemed to hit an invisible wall; their speed plummeted, and they finally clattered to the ground at her feet.

The bullet heads were already twisted and deformed, coated in a layer of grey, decaying frost.

That was the Yin Barrier she had laid down using her remaining spiritual power; while far less formidable than the previous Hundred-Eye Formation, it was more than enough to block ordinary bullets.