Chapter 365: Corpse Mountain, Blood Sea, Yellow Spring Water!

The Demon-Slaying Ice Spear pierced through the Flesh-and-Blood Treasure Staff, leaving a gaping hole in it, and frigid Qi burst forth, freezing the staff solid.

The thick ice shell rapidly spread toward Sha Wujing's hand.

Sha Wujing did not hesitate in the slightest; the hand gripping the Flesh-and-Blood Treasure Staff instantly let go, and he threw a punch at Tang Luo.

Tang Luo retracted the Demon-Slaying Ice Spear, his figure flickered, and he vanished into an afterimage — Ghost Shadow Step!

The position where he reappeared was already at Sha Wujing's side.

The icy-blue spearhead lunged at Sha Wujing's head like a flood dragon leaving the sea, the attack utterly merciless.

The white bone Buddhist beads on Sha Wujing's neck stirred; one of the skulls flew up and crashed heavily into the spearhead.

The spearhead was knocked off course, and Tang Luo's hand gripping the end of the Ice Spear trembled slightly before he steadied the tip again.

But at this moment, Sha Wujing had already found an opening; his five-meter-tall frame lowered, and his arms swept horizontally, grabbing at Tang Luo from both sides.

"Freeze!"

Tang Luo shouted, casting the Immobilization Spell; Sha Wujing's body shook, and his movements sluggishly froze.

A whistling sound of tearing air rang out above his head; the Demon-Slaying Ice Spear descended from above, wielded by Tang Luo like a staff, smashing straight down!

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar erupted; Ao Yulie, who had fled the instant the two exchanged blows, was buffeted left and right in midair by a berserk, surging force, unable to "steady" himself.

The Corpse Mountain, rooted by the Ginseng Fruit Tree's roots, collapsed with a rumble, instantly transforming from a majestic peak into a "valley."

On the mountain ridges flanking the "valley," the Ginseng Fruit Tree still stood firmly "upright," its massive roots now exposed.

These roots were unlike those of normal trees; instead, they were covered in one black cavity after another, opening and closing like living things.

They exuded an eerie aura that made one's hair stand on end.

As the cavities on the roots opened and closed, large amounts of surrounding flesh and white bones were sucked in, gradually devouring everything around them.

Naturally, inside the "valley bottom within the mountain" were Tang Luo and Sha Wujing.

Sha Wujing half-kneeled on the ground, one arm braced above his head blocking the descending spear shaft, the other hand firmly clutching the Demon-Slaying Ice Spear.

The freezing chill of the Demon-Slaying Ice Spear merely left a touch of white frost on his body, not affecting his movements in the slightest.

"Master."

Sha Wujing lifted his lowered head, his grin fierce and exultant, "You really have grown much weaker!"

A shockwave spread in all directions; he flipped his right hand, seized the Demon-Slaying Ice Spear, and hurled it violently to the side.

The Demon-Slaying Ice Spear left his grip, and Tang Luo crashed into the flesh-and-blood mountain ridge beside him.

Sha Wujing stood up, casually swinging the Demon-Slaying Ice Spear in his hand.

For his five-meter-tall massive frame, this spear was a bit small.

Sha Wujing thrust the Ice Spear into the ground; flesh, blood, and white bones spread upward, merging with the Ice Spear's freezing ability.

With the Ice Spear as the core, it once more formed a Flesh-and-Blood Treasure Staff suited for Sha Wujing's own use.

The ends were not merely slightly retracted; rather, two skulls appeared, their mouths opening, unknown sharp bones stabbing out from within.

All nine hanging white skulls flew up, hovering around Sha Wujing, encircling him.

His emaciated frame gradually swelled; moments later, he transformed from a desiccated corpse into a towering blue-black, red-haired Demon God.

"Master, let's continue!"

Sha Wujing roared and charged violently into the "cave" Tang Luo had smashed out of.

The two burst out from the other side of the mountain, bringing with them large amounts of flesh and shattered bone.

Sha Wujing's body was stained with gore, looking like a madman; the brand-new Ice-and-Flesh Treasure Staff in his hand became countless afterimages, crazily smashing at Tang Luo.

Layer upon layer of shadows covered every inch of space before Tang Luo's eyes.

Every single spot had a staff attack descending upon it.

Not only that — at his sides, behind him, beneath him, in every direction skulls hovered; whether human or beast, all had their mouths wide open, upper and lower jaws crashing together madly.

Emitting "clack-clack-clack" sounds, like demonic voices pouring into the ears.

Invisible sonic force relentlessly pushed Tang Luo forward.

Facing this inescapable net, this sky-covering, earth-enveloping onslaught, Tang Luo clenched both fists and struck out.

A Thousand Hands Cannot Block!

Countless fist shadows materialized, each one landing with unerring accuracy on the staff shadows of the Ice-and-Flesh Treasure Staff.

Every blow was utterly silent, and every blow made the frozen flesh and blood shatter wildly, spraying in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged who knew how many blows; the surrounding air twisted completely from their movements, forming a blurred space.

Ao Yulie flew in the sky, utterly unable to see the scene around the two clearly.

"Huu—"

A strange whistling sound rang out, then abruptly stopped; Tang Luo and Sha Wujing's exchange halted.

The flesh and blood on the staff had been completely pulverized under Tang Luo's fists, leaving only the intact Demon-Slaying Ice Spear gripped in Sha Wujing's hand.

Slightly below the spearhead, Tang Luo's hand grasped the shaft.

Sha Wujing's other hand formed a fist, sweeping horizontally at Tang Luo from the other side; Tang Luo raised his hand to block, unmoving, receiving it fully with an unchanged expression.

"Heh."

His frenzied assault completely received by his master, Sha Wujing felt no anger, but instead laughed, "Even injured, you should have this much strength! That's how it should be!"

Amid the frenzied sound, Sha Wujing's massive palm opened, clamping down on Tang Luo's arm in a death grip.

Simultaneously, from the open mouths of those skulls, large quantities of turbid yellow water surged forth.

In an instant, it swallowed both Tang Luo and himself.

Heavy pressure enveloped his entire body; the surrounding turbid yellow water seemed like endless iron blocks crashing down with crushing weight.

Tang Luo's vision was obstructed; the Sha Wujing before him, along with the Demon-Slaying Ice Spear, had already vanished without a trace.

Chaotic currents surged one after another all around, as if they would never cease.

It reminded him of the Flowing Sand River back then, as though he had returned to the Flowing Sand River — no, it should be said to be even more dangerous than the Flowing Sand River.

At least the waters of the Flowing Sand River were not like the current river waters, carrying intense corrosiveness, and even more so vast malice scouring them, turning into incessant whispers, wails, howls, and roars by his ears.

"A mountain of corpses and a sea of blood."

Ao Yulie in the sky rose higher once more.

A vast yellowish marsh covered the ground beneath his feet; flesh and blood from the corpse mountains continuously merged into the "marsh," and amidst the rolling waves the blood color kept spreading.

He could not see where Tang Luo was positioned, nor could he make out where Sha Wujing was.

For him, who never rejected water, facing this sea of intermingled red and yellow blood, he avoided it as best he could, not daring to touch even a fraction of it.

Ao Yulie did not doubt in the slightest that if he fell into this "sea of blood," he likely would not last half a double-hour before being completely dissolved.

Amidst the sea of blood, Tang Luo suddenly reached out, striking to the side with a palm.

Waves surged up and fell back, as if a brief rain had fallen.

Immensely heavy pressure affected his speed; this palm strike missed, and the massive fist brushed past his palm and slammed squarely into Tang Luo's chest.

Having landed a hit, Sha Wujing did not pursue, instead instantly pulling away to guard against Tang Luo's counterattack.

Sure enough, in the very next breath, the Yellow Spring waters around the spot he had just occupied suddenly parted, actually split open a space by a backhand knife-strike from Tang Luo's counterattack.

Fortunately the split Yellow Spring waters instantly returned to position, still keeping Tang Luo firmly trapped within this Yellow Spring.

"Master, your strength isn't just at ten percent, is it?" Sha Wujing's voice came from all directions, making it impossible to discern his location.

If that blow just now had connected, he would not have fared well either.

Tang Luo did not answer at all; instead he closed his eyes, hands hanging at his sides, as if waiting for Sha Wujing's next attack.

"Hmph." Within the Yellow Spring, Sha Wujing's eyes glowed red, his face growing increasingly ferocious.

The surrounding Yellow Spring waters boiled, forming giant hands that surged straight at Tang Luo.

Tang Luo's body rose and fell with the Yellow Spring waters' disturbance, losing its original balance.

Sha Wujing instantly appeared behind Tang Luo, like a swimming fish, utterly silent, not even the motion of raising his hand making a sound.

A fist slammed heavily into Tang Luo's back.

Tang Luo's body moved forward less than half a meter; the heavy Yellow Spring water forcibly made him absorb most of that punch's force.

Even embedded in rock, the resistance encountered at this moment would not be greater than what Tang Luo faced.

Sha Wujing's tall frame, like a ghost, flickered in and out around Tang Luo.

Every time a single strike then leave, causing all of Tang Luo's counterattacks to miss completely.

Sensing Tang Luo's counterattack power growing weaker and weaker, and fine cracks appearing on his body — injuries that could no longer be suppressed.

Sha Wujing's attacks grew increasingly frenzied.

Just a few more times, and he could push Master thoroughly past the danger line; then, he would pour all the power of the Du Shi Zhen Jing into Master.

Let him become the most powerful Du Shi Zhen Jing.

Even the Ginseng Fruit Tree would no longer be needed, letting it likewise become part of this strongest Du Shi Zhen Jing.

And he, Sha Wujing, would become the holy monk who spreads the Du Shi Zhen Jing, becoming the person he once admired, carrying the Du Shi Zhen Jing, saving the world!

No, not like this.

He should also discard this body of his, merging together with the power of the Du Shi Zhen Jing.

Thus he would be the holy monk, and the most powerful scripture-fetcher, and the strongest Du Shi Zhen Jing.

Three-in-one, only then can the limit be reached, to save the world.

The scripture-fetcher, the Du Shi Zhen Jing, originally should be one and the same!

Twisted power gradually gathered, silently, surging toward Tang Luo along with the Yellow Spring waters.

A trace of sacred smile appeared on Sha Wujing's face; saving the world was right before his eyes.

The next breath, his smile froze, because the cracks on Tang Luo's body grew ever more distinct, continuously expanding.

Then, under the Yellow Spring waters' heavy pressure, his whole body shattered with a boom, turning into a small amount of wood fragments.

A flash of firelight passed; the broken wood turned into a pile of ashes, merging into the Yellow Spring waters and vanishing without a trace.

Substitute Wooden Man!

The instant the knife-hand parted the Yellow Spring, Tang Luo had already activated the Merit Jade Lotus, entering an invisible, intangible state, and left this Yellow Spring.

At the same time leaving behind a Substitute Wooden Man to let Sha Wujing be happy for a moment.

As for his true self…

Sha Wujing abruptly looked up; in the high sky, Tang Luo's figure manifested, sitting cross-legged suspended, eyes closed, hands resting casually on his knees.

Atop his head the Merit Jade Lotus shed specks of light.

As if sensing his disciple's gaze, Tang Luo opened his eyes: "Don't die, Wujing."

Raising his hand, finger descending!

In the sky, wind rose and clouds surged.

A gigantic hand appeared, crashing down!