Chapter 137: A Hearty Battle
Chapter 137: Chapter 137: A Hearty Battle
Had the Sword and Axe Mantis not come, Zhu Ge would have been powerless against it out in the open.
The problem was, of all the places to ambush him, why did this Sword and Axe Mantis choose this valley?
This was the location of the Fungus God Destruction Array, left behind by True Monarch Minmian and the True Monarch of the Lantern!
WHOOSH!!!!
Countless fungal threads shot out under Zhu Ge’s control.
Zhu Ge didn’t know the upper limits of the Fungus God Destruction Array, but from what he could sense, it could capture an ordinary Third Realm expert with ease.
Take the Sword and Axe Mantis, for example. Zhu Ge could clearly sense how fragile and slow it had become.
SWISH!!!
In a flash, the Sword and Axe Mantis was nearly bound up like a cocoon.
"No!!! What is this power?!" The Sword and Axe Mantis looked horrified. The demon heart in its chest pounded as Demon Qi surged from its body.
Its pair of pincer-axes swung in an impenetrable flurry, the blades glinting with a black light.
At the same time, Zhu Ge felt a resistance originating from the Sword and Axe Mantis’s triangular head and its axe blades.
It was the Sword and Axe Mantis’s Divine Sense!
But this resistance was as insignificant as that of an ant being crushed by a finger—next to nothing.
Normally, the Sword and Axe Mantis’s Divine Sense should have been immensely powerful.
Take the Raincoat Fisherman, for example. He had been able to injure Hua Liusha from a great distance by combining his Divine Sense with a fisherman’s song.
If the Sword and Axe Mantis had wanted to attack Zhu Ge, a single blast of its Divine Sense would have been enough to injure him.
Yet now, as Zhu Ge poured his Blood Qi and energy into the Fungus God Destruction Array, a dense mass of tentacles completely enveloped the Sword and Axe Mantis.
"Damn it, what the hell is this?!"
The Sword and Axe Mantis shrieked and plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground with a loud BOOM.
"Minions! Charge in here! Now!!!"
The Sword and Axe Mantis let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed far into the distance.
’Minions?’
Zhu Ge’s gaze sharpened. Great clumps of the tentacle-like fungal threads immediately shot into the Sword and Axe Mantis’s mouth, gagging it.
Then, he turned to Liu Jianjian, Hua Liusha, and Sword Hero.
"Jianjian, can you refine it?" Zhu Ge asked, glancing at the nearby Sword and Axe Mantis.
Liu Jianjian’s eyes widened, but she instinctively glanced outside the valley.
Outside the valley, waves of Demon Qi surged toward the sky, accompanied by a cacophony of voices.
"The boss is in!"
"Kill! Don’t you dare try to steal my kill! That human gave me the slip for a whole hour earlier!"
"Kill, kill, kill! I want that Ba Yuan Fruit reward!"
"Charge! Charge! Charge!"
Countless Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters charged toward the valley. The majority were First Realm Spirit Realm Demon Beasts, with a slightly smaller number of Second Realm beasts.
But "slightly smaller" was only in comparison to the sheer number of First Realm beasts.
In reality, there were at least several dozen Second Realm Demon Beasts!
There were even a few Lonely Soul Realm Ghosts and some minor gods from the Shrine Prison Realm.
However, upon seeing the terrifying Fungus God Destruction Array, those few gods and Ghosts were wise enough not to lead the charge.
"Well? Can you do it or not?!"
Zhu Ge snapped, "If not, I’m killing it!"
If Liu Jianjian could refine this Third Realm Sword and Axe Mantis, they would have a second trump card in addition to the Fungus God Destruction Array.
A Third Realm! You don’t find those just anywhere.
Soon, Red River Prefecture would be teeming with powerful experts passing through.
If no Great Powers made an appearance, the Third Realm was the pinnacle of strength!
If Liu Jianjian could use the Demon Hunting Divine Technique to refine this Sword and Axe Mantis, their side would gain a Third Realm ally.
"I can! But I need eight hours!"
Liu Jianjian sensed the Sword and Axe Mantis’s Demon Qi and gritted her teeth. "The ’hunt’ is easy, but the ’refining’ is hard... I’ll do my best to be quick!"
Though she was normally timid, afraid of fights, and a bit of a gossip, she knew how to prioritize in a crisis.
"Eight hours?!"
Zhu Ge was stunned.
Even though he knew the gap between the Second and Third Realms was a massive chasm, Zhu Ge hadn’t expected it to take so long!
Still, eight hours was acceptable.
"Fine!" Zhu Ge looked outside and took out his silver staff. "Sword Hero and I will hold off the demon horde. You stay here and refine the Sword and Axe Mantis!"
"Liusha, get ready to take over the Fungus God Destruction Array. The Fungus God seed is in my mind!"
"I know!" Hua Liusha merged into Zhu Ge’s body. When she reemerged, she held a brown seed in her hand and took control of the bound Sword and Axe Mantis.
Seeing this, Liu Jianjian didn’t hesitate. She immediately formed a hand seal, and a single strand of hair floated from her head, drifting toward the Sword and Axe Mantis.
!!!!
The Sword and Axe Mantis, bound by the fungal threads, began to thrash even more violently.
Normally, the fungal threads were invisible to the naked eye, which made the Sword and Axe Mantis’s struggles look quite comical.
But whether it looked comical was irrelevant to the Sword and Axe Mantis. What mattered was the terrifying, trembling sensation it got from that single strand of hair.
It could sense that if that strand of hair touched its body, something dreadful would occur.
After all, Zhu Ge and the others hadn’t bothered to speak privately.
But trapped by the Fungus God Destruction Array, how could it possibly break free so easily?
BZZZ—
The air vibrated faintly. Like a shooting star, the strand of hair landed on the Sword and Axe Mantis’s body.
In the next moment, rays of purple light shot from Liu Jianjian’s body, connecting her to the mantis.
Liu Jianjian immediately sat down cross-legged. Her hand seals shifted, and her demon heart began to pound.
The refinement had begun!
Hua Liusha immediately relinquished control of the Fungus God Destruction Array. Her body dissolved into a red mist that enveloped both Liu Jianjian and the Sword and Axe Mantis as she stood guard.
Controlling the Fungus God Destruction Array consumed too much energy; Hua Liusha couldn’t maintain it for long, so she had to save it for a critical moment.
Meanwhile, Zhu Ge had already reached the valley entrance.
Sword Hero had already charged into the demon horde, its six legs turning into staffs as it went on a rampage.
Over the past few days, Sword Hero had been training in Martial Arts personally selected by the Fisherman.
It had become proficient in everything from offense and defense to Body Techniques.
"Call me if you can’t hold them!"
Zhu Ge watched Sword Hero single-handedly block the valley entrance, feeling quite satisfied.
The next moment, however, a Transformation Realm eagle dove down from high above.
Three other Transformed Demon Beasts attacked Sword Hero from different directions.
Startled, Sword Hero hastily used the Incense Lighting Body Technique to retreat, yelling, "I can’t hold them!"
"Useless," Zhu Ge muttered, exasperated. He immediately took Sword Hero’s place and ordered, "You handle the Demon Beasts coming from above!"
Sword Hero acknowledged the command and immediately scrambled up to a high point on the valley wall, engaging the eagle and a large owl in battle.
Although the eagle and the owl were both Second Realm, just like Sword Hero, their species were a natural counter to it.
Fortunately, Sword Hero’s body had been refined with metal, allowing it to hold its ground for the time being.
Zhu Ge, meanwhile, brandished his staff and charged into the horde of demons.
In truth, the best way to deal with this horde would be to use the Fungus God Destruction Array.
But doing so would mean killing the Sword and Axe Mantis as well.
Besides, this pack of Demon Beasts wasn’t stupid. If Zhu Ge activated the array and they sensed the danger, they would likely scatter immediately.
Demon Beasts have no concept of dignity; their only instinct is to pursue gain and avoid harm.
’Perfect. I haven’t had a good, satisfying fight since becoming a Mountain Shattering Realm Martial Artist. Today, I’ll battle to my heart’s content!’