Chapter 66: The Best Offering!

"Stab it, stab the gaps! Don't hack!"

Liang Qu clamped down on the Mountain Ghost, roaring.

The Mountain Ghost was not without weaknesses; its tyrannical defense all came from that tree-bark-like, wrinkled, cracked skin!

Such hard skin was not conducive to movement, which was why it had become cracked like tree bark, increasing the gaps for movement—this was its greatest weakness!

Li Libo and Chen Jiechang changed from hacking to stabbing upon hearing this.

The bleeding knives were already narrow and sharp, suitable for stabbing. The two had been practicing martial arts at the martial arts hall for two months and hadn't been slacking off; their *qi* was as thick as chopsticks, and their strength was much greater than that of an average adult. In their life-or-death struggle, it was even more so, and the sharp knives instantly pierced halfway in!

The Heavenly Water Centipede's venom only made the Mountain Ghost feel uneasy, but now, being pierced by sharp blades, the excruciating pain made it struggle desperately.

Liang Qu could no longer restrain it; his palms were about to be torn, so he had no choice but to release the Mountain Ghost's left arm.

Seeing this, Li Libo reached out to grab it, trying to help pin it down, but the Mountain Ghost's left arm swept out, sending him flying several meters. His back slammed heavily into the ground, and he became a rolling gourd.

The villagers huddled behind let out cries of alarm. The fishy smell mixed into the river wind and drilled into their nostrils, forcing them to retreat and shrink even tighter.

No one dared to flee, fearing that if they ran around, they would become targets for the Mountain Ghost, so they desperately tried to squeeze into the depths of the crowd.

Others wanted to do something but didn't dare, and could only helplessly watch the three surround the Mountain Ghost.

Li Libo, fallen on the ground, coughed up blood, his vision swimming, nearly passing out.

He clutched his chest and opened his eyes, looking at Liang Qu, who was holding the Mountain Ghost in his arms by himself, and was amazed as if seeing a god.

They had all entered the martial arts hall on the same day; why was the gap so large?

Seeing the Mountain Ghost knock Li Libo away with one blow, Chen Jiechang's pupils shrank violently. How could he dare to step forward? Seeing the knife wouldn't go in, he simply let go, took a step back, and kicked the handle of the knife with his heel. The entire sharp knife passed through the skin gap and the chest, almost poking out the tip!

Good!

Liang Qu was overjoyed at the sight, but then he felt the Mountain Ghost in his arms struggling even more violently.

The Mountain Ghost roared, its withered throat emitting a shrill, miserable scream. Its left hand stabbed into Liang Qu's right arm, and it opened its fangs, full of sharp teeth, to bite at Liang Qu's neck.

Liang Qu wanted to dodge, but there was nowhere to dodge, so he could only tilt his neck back with all his might.

Excruciating pain came from his shoulder; the fangs still pierced into his flesh through the cloak, and his bones were about to be bitten through, but Liang Qu still didn't dare to let go!

He couldn't let the Mountain Ghost land; otherwise, once it had a point of leverage, it could easily rip his entire scapula off.

The Heavenly Water Centipede's toxin hadn't yet taken effect.

Li Libo tried to get up, but his chest was too painful, as if all his bones had fallen apart.

Chen Jiechang had used all his strength in that kick, sending himself to the ground, and hadn't yet managed to stand up.

In the crowd, Chen Qingjiang held a cane he'd found from somewhere, waving it high above his head, but was pushed back by wave after wave of the crowd.

The villagers were screaming and jostling.

At this very moment, no one could come to save him; all hope of survival had to be fought for by himself!

His will was like a raging fire. Liang Qu hugged the Mountain Ghost in his arms tightly, and a massive force surged within his body. He suddenly lifted his leg and kneed the Mountain Ghost in the abdomen!

The violence penetrated the Mountain Ghost's body, and its entire skeleton emitted explosive sounds.

It wasn't over yet!

Liang Qu suddenly kicked off the ground, hugging the Mountain Ghost and slamming it fiercely onto the ground in front of him!

The bluestone slab collided with the knife handle remaining in the Mountain Ghost's body, shattering into several pieces, but it held the sharp knife in place. From the blade to the handle, the majority was driven in, and the tip even poked out from the Mountain Ghost's chest, with a small section stabbing into Liang Qu's chest.

The thick knife handle caused a severe penetrating wound, and the Mountain Ghost's strength suddenly drained away, releasing Liang Qu's shoulder.

Liang Qu pushed the Mountain Ghost away, then used the force to stand up and retreat. He didn't dare to touch his shoulder, fearing he would touch a handful of bone fragments.

After the initial excruciating pain, there was now no pain at all; the intensely secreted adrenaline suppressed everything.

Li Libo and Chen Jiechang on the ground were dumbfounded, and the villagers forgot to scream for a moment.

The pain stimulated the Mountain Ghost to roll wildly on the ground, its flailing elbows shattering stone slabs one after another.

Black plasma flowed out. Liang Qu panted, trying to manipulate it to make it flow more, but there was no way.

Whether it was Brother Hu or Brother Xiang, including the Mountain Ghost before him, it seemed that as long as one had a certain level of strength, one could treat everything within one's body as one's own domain. Others' authority couldn't take effect within it, unless one was overwhelmingly powerful and could violently invade!

A trapped beast fighting to the death—seeing the Mountain Ghost going mad, Liang Qu didn't dare to step forward again. He picked up the other sharp knife Li Libo had dropped and retreated.

Li Libo and Chen Jiechang didn't even have time to crawl up from the ground before running in the opposite direction.

The Mountain Ghost staggered backward, clawing at its own back, trying to pull out the sharp knife, but it couldn't reach the handle on its back at all, let alone pull it out from its chest along with the handle.

The excruciating pain stimulated its nerves, and the Mountain Ghost suddenly leaped up from the ground. A chill flashed through Liang Qu's heart.

He saw a black shadow flash, a fishy wind hit his face, and he knew the Mountain Ghost was already in front of him.

The villagers cried out. They had seen with their own eyes the black-robed figure standing there get knocked down, as if the courage they had just rebuilt collapsed along with him, their momentum draining away in an instant.

But as the black shadow landed, it revealed Liang Qu's back.

What the Mountain Ghost had pounced on was merely a cloak.

At the critical moment, Liang Qu had suddenly crouched down, and the loose cloak had slipped off his body extremely easily.

He grabbed a corner of the cloak that had brushed past him in mid-air, followed by a spin. The cloak was like a black wave, shaking off the Mountain Ghost it had wrapped, and then he draped the cloak back over himself.

The Mountain Ghost didn't even react to what had happened before it fell to the ground, and the sharp knife on its back stirred the wound even further.

The Heavenly Water Centipede's toxin, having circulated, finally took effect at this moment, paralyzing the Mountain Ghost's entire body.

Its reverse-jointed feet kicked against the ground, but it was like standing on ice, slipping and sliding.

Chen Jiechang, whose condition was still okay, crawled to Li Libo's side, grabbed his arm, placed it on his shoulder, helped him up, and walked step by step to Liang Qu's side, also supporting Liang Qu.

Liang Qu was severely injured, and his physical exertion was even more intense; he was actually almost unable to stand.

In front of the mansion and in the alley, the crowded people expanded a bit.

The three of Liang Qu stood together, all panting heavily, staring at the Mountain Ghost as its movements became smaller and smaller, until it finally lay flat on the ground, silent.

"Dead?"

Li Libo turned to look at Liang Qu.

Liang Qu shook his head: "Wait a bit longer."

A long quarter of an hour passed. Just when Li Libo thought the Mountain Ghost was truly dead, the Mountain Ghost lying on the ground suddenly raised its head, emitting a terrifying whimper. Its two withered arms clawed at the ground, and bit by bit, it crawled toward Liang Qu.

The knife tip on the Mountain Ghost's chest scraped against the stone slab, emitting a harsh, grating sound.

Everyone retreated in terror, and the expanded crowd curled back up again.

Only Liang Qu remained motionless, and Chen Jiechang and the other couldn't move either.

The two accompanied him, hearts pounding, watching as the Mountain Ghost dragged a long trail of black blood, reached Liang Qu's feet, and then completely breathed its last, motionless.

Cold sweat dripped from Li Libo's forehead. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "It's really dead this time, right?"

A Mountain Ghost, a Mountain Ghost capable of killing a two-realm martial artist, had actually been killed by them?

Although it didn't seem as strong as imagined, it was still a Mountain Ghost!

The villagers were even more incredulous, their eyes filled with awe.

The Wang brothers hiding in the alley, seeing Liang Qu's gaze sweep over, were even more terrified, wishing they could shrink into a crack in the ground.

Liang Qu stared at the Mountain Ghost for a long time. He raised his head, looking at the villagers' lingering fear and the empty altar.

He let go of Chen Jiechang's shoulder, pressed one knee onto the Mountain Ghost's neck, held the sharp knife, and bit by bit, cut off the head along the gaps in the Mountain Ghost's skin. Large patches of blood spread along the stone slab.

His aura was fierce and terrifying, making people fear him at the sight.

The two people close by felt their teeth ache.

Liang Qu completely cut off the Mountain Ghost's head. He grabbed the head with one hand and, facing the thousand villagers, held it high.

"Mountain Ghost! The best offering to the River God!" ===== CHAPTER 67 =====