Chapter 121: Control

"Squeak! Squeak!" Two commands appeared in Shuke's mind simultaneously: one was to obey Zhang Chao's order to attack Meng Yifan.

The other was to obey Meng Yifan's order to attack Zhang Chao.

These two diametrically opposed instructions made Shuke's head ache as if it were splitting; it did not know whose to follow.

Its scarlet eyes looked at Zhang Chao one moment and Meng Yifan the next, struggling deep within its gaze, not knowing which command to obey.

Zhang Chao was greatly shocked; the Dharma Bell he was currently shaking had been crafted by the Immortal Masters of the Imperial Observatory at the same time they refined that special cannonball.

Logically speaking, the person holding the Dharma Bell should be able to command this Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat to fight, so why had the Dharma Bell malfunctioned? What was going on?

Meng Yifan was suppressing Wang Zhanbiao in their fight, but his peripheral vision had been constantly monitoring the battle between Shuke and Zhang Chao. Seeing Shuke standing there at a loss, he was also very alarmed.

"Damn it! What the hell is that Dharma Bell? How did it suddenly make Shuke stop listening to orders?"

Meng Yifan was somewhat anxious; Shuke could currently exert combat power comparable to a Third Grade Martial Artist, and with it present, it was enough to hold off Zhang Chao.

If Shuke were controlled by Zhang Chao at this critical moment, the Divine Machine Battalion would gain another Third Grade Martial Artist's worth of combat power.

Coupled with a freed-up Zhang Chao, that would make two Third Grade Martial Artists. On Meng Yifan's side, Meng Dayong and his men were already struggling to hold back the Divine Machine Battalion's Second Grade Martial Artists; if the Divine Machine Battalion gained two more Third Grade Martial Artists, this battle would be impossible to continue.

"Ding-a-ling!" Zhang Chao channeled a large amount of True Qi into the Dharma Bell again, causing it to vibrate continuously and emit a series of urgent sounds.

Listening to these bell chimes, the Control Rune buried deep within its soul began to revive, overpowering the Control Method left by the Ghost Head Blade's Artifact Spirit, controlling it to turn its head and, roaring continuously, walk step by step toward Meng Yifan.

"Not good!" Meng Yifan cursed inwardly; with his combat power, if he had to face two or three Third-grade Experts at once, he would definitely be finished.

Wang Zhanbiao also saw Shuke walking over and was overjoyed. The Big Iron Hammer in his hands flew up and down, entangling Meng Yifan so that even if Meng Yifan wanted to block Shuke's attack, he lacked the capacity to do so.

"Ding-a-ling!" Zhang Chao saw Meng Yifan's anxiety, which made him feel very satisfied.

From the moment the Divine Machine Battalion first made contact with the rebels of Luolong County, they had been suppressed and beaten, suffering heavy casualties and losses. Now, they had finally turned the tables, letting this group of damned rebels know that rebelling against the imperial court was seeking their own deaths.

Meng Yifan was sweating profusely from anxiety. Suddenly, the Ghost Head Blade in his hand trembled slightly, transmitting a message into his mind: "I can control that Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat again, but it requires consuming a large amount of energy. You must replenish my losses; I need at least seventy energy bodies similar to that Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat."

Meng Yifan was stunned for a moment, then, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, he hurriedly said in his mind: "I promise you. If you have a way, do it quickly."

The Ghost Head Blade's Artifact Spirit also knew this was a life-or-death moment. A humming sound emitted from the blade's body, and the blood mist that originally permeated the blade retracted entirely, transforming into a strand of pure soul power that gathered in the Guitou Left Eye.

The left eye of the Ghost Head Blade suddenly opened a slit, like a ghost god opening an evil eye, and cast a cold glance at Shuke.

Shuke was struck as if by lightning and trembled all over. The runes that had been faintly visible on its body suddenly flared with great light, then rapidly contracted, disappearing like a flash in the pan.

"It is done. Within three minutes, no matter how much the opponent shakes the Dharma Bell, they will be unable to seize control of Shuke."

The voice of the Ghost Head Blade's Artifact Spirit rang in Meng Yifan's mind. Perhaps because that glance had consumed too much energy, its voice sounded weak and listless.

Meng Yifan had a flash of inspiration and controlled Shuke to bare its fangs and brandish its claws, continuing to walk toward him as if it were about to launch an attack.

"What was that just now? Why did that Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat suddenly glow red? It looked like it lost control for a second." Zhang Chao was suspicious. He surged his True Qi again and shook the Dharma Bell. Shuke obeyed the order and continued to launch an attack toward Meng Yifan.

"This rebel is not simple; he actually has a way to control the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat. It's a pity his methods are useless in front of the Dharma Bell refined by the Imperial Observatory." Zhang Chao did not hesitate any longer, urging Shuke to speed up and dash toward Meng Yifan.

Seeing Shuke's four hooves flying as it charged at high speed, Meng Yifan's expression changed drastically. He wanted to dodge, but how could Wang Zhanbiao let Meng Yifan run? He swung his twin hammers, blocking Meng Yifan's retreat, and laughed loudly: "Kid, stay here and wait for death."

"Get lost!" Meng Yifan shouted, lunging left and right, trying to shake off Wang Zhanbiao's entanglement. Wang Zhanbiao was a Third-grade Intermediate Martial Artist; while he couldn't kill Meng Yifan by exerting his twin hammers with full force, he could certainly block him for a while.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The Ghost Head Blade and the two big hammers collided continuously, sparks flying everywhere. Both were very fast, fighting speed with speed, colliding thirteen times in one second.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat was already almost upon him. Meng Yifan grew increasingly anxious, trying to escape several times, only to be desperately blocked by Wang Zhanbiao.

Wang Zhanbiao, meanwhile, became more excited the longer they fought. As long as the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat arrived, victory would be in his grasp, and he would surely be able to surround and kill Meng Yifan. The rebels of Luolong County were led by Meng Yifan; once he was killed, the group of rebels would surely fall into chaos, and the soldiers of the Divine Machine Battalion could take the opportunity to attack and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

The Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat had arrived, its pair of sharp claws reaching directly for Meng Yifan's back, like a black tiger digging for a heart.

Meng Yifan was panicked. He mobilized his True Qi and performed Lingbo Microsteps, his toes tapping the ground as his body prepared to dodge to the left.

"Kid, go to hell!" Wang Zhanbiao shouted, his twin hammers swinging toward Meng Yifan's left side like two heavy gates.

With the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's sharp claws behind him and Wang Zhanbiao's hammers to his left, Meng Yifan was instantly plunged into an extremely dangerous situation.

Just at this critical moment, Meng Yifan swung the Ghost Head Blade, taking the brunt of Wang Zhanbiao's twin hammers head-on.

"Clang!" With a loud bang, the Ghost Head Blade blocked the Big Iron Hammer, but it could not block the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's sharp claws. Wang Zhanbiao smiled coldly, waiting to see Meng Yifan's heart gouged out by the claws.

But suddenly, the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's claws bypassed Meng Yifan's body and charged toward Wang Zhanbiao.

The distance between the two sides was very close, almost body-to-body. At this moment, the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat suddenly changed its attack target, which shocked Wang Zhanbiao.

His Big Iron Hammer had just collided with Meng Yifan's Ghost Head Blade; he wanted to change his move to block the Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's claws, but it was already too late.

"Puchi!" The Bloodthirsty Ghost Rat's sharp claws tore directly through the armor on Wang Zhanbiao's chest, then continued to dig inside, instantly ripping open Wang Zhanbiao's chest before the claws retracted in a flash, snatching out a bloody, still-beating heart.