Intimidation

Rumble!

A tremendous peal of thunder resounded before the small temple.

Crimson lightning locked directly onto the beautiful woman who was preening and posing.

Caught off guard, the woman was struck at once by a Thunder-Summoning Talisman.

"Awooo!"

With a pained howl, her entire body was charred black beneath the crimson lightning. At the same time, a hoarse, gruff voice rang out.

"Damn cultivator!"

In the next instant, the beautiful woman spewed forth a nauseating stench from deep in her throat. A huge tongue lashed through the air toward Zhang Jian.

"It's revealed its true form!"

Channeling spiritual power into the Wind-Walking Technique, Zhang Jian flickered like an illusion to a spot a hundred paces away. Yet the enormous tongue swept across the air again. Amid the repeated sounds of cloth tearing, the beautiful woman's body continued to mutate. Countless strands of green fur burst from its surface, and it vaguely transformed into a gigantic ape.

Seeing the enormous ape-like monster, Zhang Jian faintly furrowed his brows.

It greatly resembled the mountain kui of folk legend. Such spirits were most adept at transformation, often becoming handsome men and beautiful women to beguile commoners, taking pleasure in abducting living beings.

As for the fate of those who were taken away, there was no need to say more.

"You dare harm my wife? You're courting death!"

The saber-wielder flew into a rage. His eyes turned bloodshot as the long saber in his hand left its sheath, and a fierce blade gleam slashed toward where Zhang Jian stood.

He too appeared to be a body-tempering martial artist. His physique was robust; he had already completed the tendon-changing stage of body tempering and stepped into the marrow-cleansing stage. Martial artists at this stage were exceptionally powerful.

They were even more formidable than internal refinement martial artists at the third stage, Essence Nurturing.

Watching him charge over like a madman, Zhang Jian was somewhat speechless.

He glanced again at the green-furred giant ape with its terrifying waistline. This saber-wielder's tastes truly astonished him—especially since this mountain kui was male.

But then he guessed that the saber-wielder had likely been bewitched by this mountain kui.

That mountain kui had just tried to "seduce" him.

Spiritual power gathered in his hand. Crimson lightning crashed onto the saber-wielder like a raging torrent, slapping him flying more than ten meters away and knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Fortunately, Zhang Jian's control over the Thunder-Walking Formula had gradually become exquisitely precise. Otherwise, that strike would have been enough to kill the saber-wielder rather than merely stun him.

Over there, the mountain kui moved swiftly. Two huge, furry claws smashed viciously toward Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian noticed that although the previous bolts of heavenly lightning had wounded the mountain kui, they had not inflicted as much damage as he had imagined.

A hazy layer of green spiritual aura covered the mountain kui's entire body. Like ancient trees in the mountains, that green aura was incomparably tough.

Only a few areas had been charred black.

It was Zhang Jian's first time encountering a demon creature with such resistance to lightning.

"Looks like I'll have to put in a little more effort."

Zhang Jian's brows drew together slightly. Fortunately, the Thunder-Walking Formula was not completely ineffective.

He moved like the wind, darting a hundred paces away. The gigantic palm came crashing down from above, smashing into the ground with a boom. The hard earth was pierced by that massive hand as easily as tofu.

At that moment, something strange showed in Zhang Jian's eyes. As he circulated the Thunder-Walking Formula, a golden treasure pearl within his sleeve began to pulse unusually when the thunderous sound arose. Faint wisps of invisible spiritual aura emanated from within it.

It seemed to resonate with the crimson lightning in his body, as though it were about to overflow.

Zhang Jian felt something strange in his heart. Ever since the golden spirit pearl had come into his possession, he had studied it extensively. Yet even when he stimulated it with spiritual power, it had shown little response. Now, however, it had changed in response to the heavenly lightning power of the Thunder-Walking Formula within his body.

With a flick of his hand, he took out another six Thunder-Summoning Talismans. Spiritual power poured into them once more, and the six lightning talismans flew out. This time, rather than directly enveloping the mountain kui, they attacked its eyes.

He refused to believe that this great mountain kui's eyes were as tough as the rest of its body. Even if they could not injure its eyes, they would at least dazzle it and throw its senses into disarray.

The idea was good, but just as the six streaks of crimson lightning descended, the mountain kui raised both arms to shield its head. The six bolts of heavenly lightning struck its arms. Though they charred its entire body black and made it flail wildly, they still seemed to do little damage.

However, the mountain kui's movements clearly became sluggish and chaotic.

But that was precisely the opportunity he wanted. Seizing it, he picked up the ring-pommel saber the saber-wielder had dropped on the ground. The blade was exceptionally sharp, still gleaming with a cold glint in the night.

Using the Wind-Walking Technique, he flashed behind the mountain kui in an instant. Taking advantage of its sluggish reaction after being struck by lightning, he drove the saber deep into its red buttocks.

That was perhaps the weakest point of the mountain kui's defenses.

The blade entered its body. Though it only broke through a layer of skin, it still made the dazed mountain kui howl in agony.

And at the instant the blade entered its body, Zhang Jian knew that he had already won half the battle.

Even if this mountain kui's thick hide and tough flesh could withstand direct lightning strikes, it was doomed to die.

As the mountain kui swung an arm back to defend itself, Zhang Jian flashed above its head. Another six Thunder-Summoning Talismans appeared in his hand.

A chilling light surfaced in his eyes. Driven by pure yang spiritual power, six crimson bolts of lightning descended like they were tearing through a dark forest. Amid the mountain kui's despairing shrieks, the layer of green spiritual aura that had endlessly circulated around its body finally shattered with a crash.

Heavenly lightning surged violently through the spot where the ring-pommel saber was embedded, as though directly cooking its internal organs halfway through.

The mountain kui raised its head. Instinct finally surfaced on its savage, fur-covered face. Fear and pleading filled its eyes, but Zhang Jian did not hesitate. He took out two more Thunder-Summoning Talismans and blasted them onto its head.

Without the protection of that special green spiritual aura, its eyes immediately became two black hollows, and its aura was extinguished.

This mountain kui had finally been slain by him.

This outcome did not bring Zhang Jian much joy.

Activating Thunder-Summoning Talismans was no easy matter. After two rounds, a portion of his spiritual power had already been depleted.

This made Zhang Jian feel somewhat anxious. There was more than just this mountain kui in the forest. He had already seen signs of spiritual fluctuations appearing on the Soul-Purifying Talismans covering the walls at the edge of the earthen temple. It seemed that other strange creatures of the wilderness were approaching the mountain god temple.

Even ants could bite an elephant to death.

His expression grew solemn. He did not know what had happened on Phoenix Nest Mountain, but after only two phoenix cries, such aberrations had filled the surrounding forest.

He had been quite certain before that there were no such creatures around this earthen temple.

"Eldest Young Master!"

At that moment, Little Xie, the stalwart guard at the temple entrance, trembled as he pointed into the darkness. Zhang Jian followed his gaze and saw that the unconscious saber-wielder on the ground had vanished completely into the dark at some point.

His spiritual senses detected a dense, sinister aura flashing past around the forest.

Zhang Jian's expression darkened as he shouted, "Retreat into the temple! Do not come out!"

He noticed that although dark spiritual aura seeped into the temple covered in Soul-Purifying Talismans, those dark things still did not dare enter it.

He immediately took another stack of yellow talismans from his sleeve and handed them to Hu Shan and Zhu Jianyong, instructing everyone not to wander about.

He himself stood at the entrance of the earthen temple.

He could only hope that his lightning arts would intimidate these sinister entities.

So long as he did not encounter another demon creature like the mountain kui, he would still be able to endure this night.