Chapter 232 The Death of the Witch

A damp, fishy breeze swept across the dark river, rustling the reeds.

The cat-faced witch stumbled and rolled down the riverbank, her severed foot landing on the pebbles, leaving a trail of dark red bloodstains.

She had lost sensation on the right side of her body; the skin and flesh around her waist were rolled up like charred rags, and her ribs were exposed, pale white.

The black cat in my arms twitched and let out a faint whimper.

"Sweetie, hang in there a little longer..."

The old hag's withered hand stroked the cat's back, her fingertips touching only scabs and muscle.

She gritted her teeth and dragged her crippled leg deeper into the riverbed.

The firelight from the direction of the Wang family behind them had already faded into the distance, so the people from the Zhenyi Division should not have pursued them.

The Blood Escape Technique burned away ten years of her lifespan and half of her life essence, leaving her dantian completely empty. She even needed to bite her tongue to stay conscious.

Even more terrifying, the half of her foot that had been sliced ​​off by the copper coin sword was still bleeding, and she couldn't stop the bleeding even after sealing her acupoints three times.

That sword was imbued with the power to break magic.

"Damn it... damn brat..."

The old woman muttered to herself as she stumbled and fell to a reclining ox rock, slid down against it, and gasped for breath.

Tonight we miscalculated; we didn't expect an ordinary Zhenyi Division team to possess such a treasure as the Heavenly Thunder Talisman.

.......

Red moonlight peeked through the gaps in the clouds and shone on the riverbank.

The old woman looked down at the black cat in her arms.

The skinned cat demon had completely lost its ferocity, shrinking into a charred ball of flesh, its mouth opening and closing, thick yellow liquid dripping from the corners of its mouth.

"It's alright." She grinned, comforting the cat demon, "Go back and eat thirty young boys and girls, then raise them back."

"There are still three Gu seeds remaining in western Hunan..."

Before she finished speaking, the reeds behind her suddenly fell silent.

The old hag's smile froze on her face.

Under the moonlight, eight dark figures slowly rose from the ground, eventually taking shape.

Each shadow puppet held a jet-black shadow blade in its hand, all aimed in the same direction.

The witch's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

She instinctively tried to stand up, but her injured foot slipped on the pebbles, and she fell heavily back next to the stone.

The black cat in my arms rolled to the ground, letting out a weak but sharp wail.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Her voice echoed across the empty riverbank.

No one answered.

The eight shadow puppets remained motionless, standing in the moonlight, yet they cast no shadow on the ground.

"This old woman has already fallen to this state, what else do you have to hide?"

The old hag howled, her withered hands groping on the ground, grabbing a handful of pebbles and clutching them in her palm, as if that would give her some sense of security.

"Don't be nervous, older sister. I mean no harm."

Chen Mo's aged voice came from all directions, "I just want to ask you about something, and I hope you can tell me the truth, old sister."

The old hag's knuckles turned white as she gripped the pebble, her eyes darting around as she tried to catch even the slightest glimpse of a person in the surrounding darkness.

"Can I ask you something?"

She glanced around and sneered, "What's there to ask about an old woman like me in her current state?"

"some."

The voice paused, as if considering its words.

"The address of the Black Dragon's Fiend Land."

The moment those four words were uttered, the old hag's expression changed drastically, and she instantly became alert.

She had told Wang Shouren about the Black Dragon's Fiend Land, so how did others find out?

"Don't overthink it, older sister."

The voice interrupted her thoughts, "I am merely passing through Ganzhou. I have heard that there is a treasure trove for raising corpses here, and I would like to borrow it for use."

The old woman didn't reply.

Her right hand was hidden in her sleeve as she silently counted.

One, two, three... eight shadow puppets.

Each one was a solid black shadow, without facial features, or even a shadow.

What kind of tactic is this?

She had heard in her early years that there was a cult in the southwest that could turn the shadows of living people into puppets, which could appear and disappear unpredictably and were impossible to guard against.

I'm not sure if this is the right place?

What's even more terrifying is that she still hasn't seen the person in question.

"Since you know about the Black Dragon's Fiend Land," the old hag's voice was hoarse and slow, "you should know that not just anyone can enter that place."

"Oh?"

"Where the dragon vein gathers evil energy, the evil energy soars to the sky. Ordinary people who get within three feet will be corroded by the evil energy and turn into pus."

The old hag grinned. "Even a cultivator, without a specific method, will die if they go in."

"That's why I came to ask you, older sister."

The voice was unhurried, as if chatting casually, "Since you know that address, you must know the safe route."

The old hag's smile froze.

She didn't expect the other party to even know this.

The Black Dragon's Fiend Land is located deep within the mountains of southern Jiangxi. It is surrounded by a dead land filled with malevolent energy for three hundred miles around, accessible only by an underground river.

She had gone with a feng shui master, who later died inside, his face burned into a skull by evil energy. Only she came out alive.

She never mentioned this to anyone.

"How did you know?" The old hag's voice changed; it was no longer a feigned calm sneer, but a genuine wariness.

She never mentioned this to anyone.

"How did you know?" The old hag's voice changed; it was no longer a feigned calm sneer, but a genuine wariness.

There was silence for a moment.

"I told you, I was just passing by."

The voice remained gentle, but the old woman sensed a chill beneath it. "Old sister, you don't need to know too much, just tell me the address."

The old woman stared at the withered willow tree in front of her, which was the direction from which the sounds were most concentrated.

Her withered hand secretly made a hand seal in her sleeve, forcing out the last trace of magic power in her dantian and condensing it at her fingertips.

"What if the old woman says no?"

The moment she finished speaking, the eight shadow puppets moved.

There were no footsteps, only the sharp whistling of blades cutting through the air.

The eight shadow blades struck down simultaneously, but instead of striking the old hag, they struck the ground within eight feet of her.

laugh.

Eight deep grooves were carved into the cobblestone ground. Instead of flying gravel, black smoke billowed from the grooves.

The smoke quickly coalesced, outlining a huge octagonal array pattern on the ground.

The old woman's pupils suddenly contracted.

This is a trap.

"Please don't misunderstand, older sister."

The voice came from a different direction this time, "I mean no harm, but if this drags on any longer, I'm afraid your body won't be able to hold on much longer, old lady."

The old woman didn't speak.

She knew in her heart that what the other person said was true.

Although the bleeding from the severed foot had barely stopped, the magical power of the copper coin sword still lingered in the wound, like countless fine needles pricking the bone, causing both itching and pain.

She can't even defeat an ordinary vengeful ghost, let alone these eight shadow puppets.

Nobody believes this person who says they mean no harm.

But she has no choice now.

"It's... fifteen li south of the city, at Coffin Ridge." She licked her dry, cracked lips. "At the foot of the ridge, there's an abandoned mortuary. In the backyard of the mortuary, there's a dry well, and at the bottom of the well, there's a stone path that leads straight down thirty zhang underground."

"The Black Dragon's Fiend Land is located at the end of the stone path. It is a natural cave where the Yin energy has condensed into a black pool."

She paused, then listened intently to the sounds around her.

Silence. The only sound is the gurgling of the river lapping against the shore.

"At the entrance to the cave, there is a stalagmite covered with black moss. In the center of the cave stands a stone coffin. The creature inside the coffin has not yet come to fruition, but its yin energy has already leaked out, turning the entire underground river black."

After saying that, she stared intently into the surrounding darkness.

After a long time, the voice finally rang out, carrying a hint of laughter.

"Big sister, are you treating me like a three-year-old?"

The old woman's heart sank.

"This is the last time. If you don't tell the truth, you're not leaving tonight."

The voices coming from all around were already filled with murderous intent, and there was a clear sense of impatience.

"My wife is getting old and her memory isn't good."

The old hag changed her tune, forcing a fawning smile. "Please forgive my rudeness, sir. Allow this old woman to think about it some more..."

"I remember now, there's a place called Crow Ridge, about 20 li north of Ganzhou City."

"There is an abandoned quarry at the foot of the ridge. At the deepest part of the quarry, there is a collapsed pit, and the entrance to the pit is blocked by rubble."

"Go down thirty feet, and you'll find an underground river. The Black Dragon's Fiend Land is at its source. The Yin energy there has condensed into black water; any ordinary person who comes into contact with it will turn into a pool of pus and blood..."

"Sir, this time it's for real. I swear on my life."

The voice remained silent for a moment.

"This time, what you're saying, older sister, is quite convincing."

The old woman nodded repeatedly, her face beaming with smiles: "Absolutely true, absolutely true! This old woman would never dare to lie to you again."

"OK."

In the darkness, Chen Mo's voice carried a hint of amusement, "I'll trust you this once."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eight shadow puppets took three steps back, making way for a path leading into the depths of the riverbed.

"Please go ahead, older sister."

The old woman paused for a moment, her eyes darting around as if trying to determine if this was yet another trap.

She tentatively used her injured leg to support herself on the ground and struggled to her feet.

Blood was still seeping from the severed hand, dripping down the ankle onto the pebbles.

I feel very dizzy.

The old woman swayed and barely managed to stand by holding onto the reclining ox stone behind her. At this moment, the symptoms of excessive blood loss began to appear. Her vision blurred, and even the sound of the river water that was so close at hand seemed to come and go.

She bit her tongue, trying to use the pain to clear her mind.

We cannot stop, we cannot fall.

The old woman encouraged herself and took the first step.

Her injured foot stepped on the pebbles, and sharp stones dug into the wound on her severed hand, causing her to gasp in pain.

The shadow puppet behind them did not follow.

The old woman had just begun to feel a glimmer of hope and quickened her pace.

But after taking only a dozen steps, her vision began to blur. The red moonlight turned into a chaotic halo, and the reeds looked like countless swaying black lines, twisting and deforming in her field of vision.

His dantian was completely empty; the last wisp of magical power he had gathered at his fingertips had been exhausted.

The old woman felt a chill in her heart, and her steps became even more unsteady.

Just a few more steps and you'll turn into the reeds, where you'll have a chance to hide.

She gritted her teeth and dragged her crippled leg forward.

But just as he took the next step, a deadly sense of danger suddenly came from behind him.

A dark, shadowy blade grazed her right shoulder, slicing off a piece of charred flesh.

"You broke your promise!"

Her voice echoed across the empty riverbank.

In the distance, Chen Mo leaned against the withered willow tree, arms crossed, watching this scene from afar.

"Big sister, you lied to me twice, so I'll lie to you once. It's fair."

"you......"

Faced with the eight shadow blades that came at her, the witch's eyes finally revealed true fear.

She had lived her whole life and seen countless people make that expression in front of her.

But when she was the insect being trampled underfoot, she truly understood the taste of despair.

"This old woman will fight you to the death!"

The instinct for survival overcame the fear.

The witch bit off the front half of her tongue and spat her mouthful of blood into the air.

Instead of dissipating, the blood mist coalesced into writhing blood spheres, each with a distorted infant face appearing on its surface.

"The Blood Curse of a Hundred Sons!"

This was her trump card for survival: sacrificing her own lifespan to detonate all the poisonous essence in her body at once.

The blood sphere exploded, sending countless streams of blood shooting out in all directions.

Eight shadow blades were slashing down in mid-air when they collided with the bloodline.

laugh!

A piercing corrosive sound rang out, and the Shadow Blade emitted plumes of black smoke. The pitch-black blade faded at a visible speed, and the eerie light on its surface flickered violently, as if it might go out at any moment.

Blood threads coiled around the Shadow Blade, writhing like living snakes.

With each wriggle, the Shadow Blade dimmed a little more.

The eight shadow puppets simultaneously took a half step back, their arms trembling, clearly struggling against the corrosive power of the bloodline.

"open!"

The old hag tore open the front of her clothes with both hands, revealing her withered and emaciated chest.

There is a fist-sized scar on my chest, and something is wriggling faintly beneath it.

She stretched out two fingers, plunged them into the scar, and yanked hard.

She pulled a dark red mass out of her chest cavity.

It was a heart that was still beating.

The surface of the heart is covered with dense eyes, and each eye is moving.

"go!"

The witch threw her heart into the air.

It exploded in mid-air again.

Countless eyes burst forth from the fragments of the heart, scattering in all directions like a rain of needles.

Each eye swelled rapidly upon landing, from which crawled countless spiders with human faces, centipedes crying like infants, and scorpions oozing pus.

The riverbank instantly transformed into a sea of ​​Gu worms.

"Let's die together!"

The old hag lay sprawled on the ground, black foam bubbling from the cavity in her chest.

The Gu worms seemed to be able to smell Chen Mo's scent and swarmed towards him frantically.

Wherever it passed, the pebbles were corroded into countless holes.

The old hag knelt on the ground, her body convulsing, blood flowing from her seven orifices, barely clinging to life.

"Then you might be disappointed!"

Chen Mo raised his right hand expressionlessly, his five fingers slightly bent, as if he were grasping something in the air.

The river surface suddenly boiled.

A huge bulge rose from the water's surface, and a waterspout shot up from the center of the river, carrying mud, sand, and withered branches, twisting in mid-air into a ferocious water python.

It plunged down towards the riverbank.

The ocean of Gu worms was instantly swallowed by the raging flood, exploding into clumps of yellow-green pus mist in the flood, which were then dispersed by more river water.

In less than three breaths, the Gu worms on the riverbank were washed away completely, leaving not even a single leg behind.

As the floodwaters receded, the river returned to calm, leaving only wet pebbles and scattered insect remains as evidence of what had just happened.

The old woman lay sprawled on the ground, and the last image on her retina was of Chen Mo standing perfectly intact, not even the hem of his clothes getting wet.

"Who...who are you...?"

Chen Mo did not answer, but quietly walked up to the old woman and placed his right hand on her crown.

"Soul Capture..."