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Midnight in a remote, mountain village.

A thick, grayish-white fog flowed slowly through the valley.

There was no barking of dogs or chirping of insects all around; it was so quiet that the only sound was the pattering of water droplets condensing from the mist onto the withered leaves.

Several old trees with bare branches pointed straight to the sky.

A full moon hung on the edge of the clouds, appearing and disappearing as the wind blew.

The cool, silvery light pierced through the mist and slanted across the stone tablet at the village entrance.

A figure in a white suit is standing next to the stone monument.

The moonlight illuminated his face, revealing his handsome features, distinct eyebrows and eyes, and a refined air reminiscent of a popular young actor.

This person is none other than Cheng Jiashu, the most popular idol singer today.

He looked up at the dilapidated village road ahead, and suddenly his nose tingled.

"Ah!"

Cheng Jiashu turned his head and sneezed.

He raised his hand to rub the tip of his nose, pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his suit pocket, and wiped his mouth with it.

He then carefully put the handkerchief away, muttering to himself:
Who's talking badly about me behind my back?

Cheng Jiashu shook his head, picked up a black suitcase, and strode into the village.

The leather shoes made soft, pattering sounds as they stepped on the uneven, muddy road.

The cold air lingered along the ground, and thick fog swirled through the streets and alleys.

The village was pitch black, without any lights.

The doors of the mud-brick houses on both sides were tightly closed, the windows were dilapidated, and there was no one around.

A cold wind swept through the hall, rattling the old windows.

Walking alone in this environment creates a scene reminiscent of a horror movie.

Cheng Jiashu looked around.

The low walls on both sides were covered with dark green moss, and every now and then a few thin black insects would crawl out from the cracks in the bricks and quickly disappear into the shadows.

A damp, musty smell entered his nasal cavity, making this rhinitis sufferer want to sneeze again.

Helplessly, I sniffed and quickened my pace.

Follow the main road, turn two corners, and walk a few dozen steps further.

A rather imposing blue-brick building, quite different from the surrounding low-rise tiled houses, suddenly appeared in the thick fog.

The gold paint on the tall gate tower plaque has long since peeled off, and only the few remaining characters "Ancient Locust Ancestral Hall" can be vaguely discerned.

Cheng Jiashu stopped and stood in the open space in front of the ancestral hall, listening intently.

The heavy wooden door was ajar, and there was complete silence inside.

There was no sound of fighting, not even the faintest breath of a living person.

"Their aura has been completely isolated... It seems they have already entered the inner world."

Cheng Jiashu reached out, pressed his hand against the old door panel, and pushed it open forcefully.

With a long creak, the dust that had accumulated on the door frame fell down in a flurry.

He stepped over the high threshold and into the courtyard of the ancestral hall.

The interior was spacious, overgrown with weeds, and looked dilapidated.

Half of the roof of the main hall collapsed, with broken bricks and tiles scattered all over the ground.

The thick red-painted pillars had long since faded and become mottled, and the corners were covered with layers of cobwebs.

In the center of the courtyard, a blue stone well stands out abruptly.

The outer edge of the well was covered with some kind of reddish-brown moss, from which a chilly, damp vapor emanated.

After scanning the area, Cheng Jiashu looked away.

He walked to the well and peered into the dark hole.

Then he put down the shoulder bag he had been carrying and unzipped it.

He reached into his bag and took out a stack of yellow paper covered with cinnabar talismans.

Next, they brought out a dark gold three-faced Buddha statue.

The Buddha statue is no bigger than the palm of your hand, cast in pure copper, and has a rather bizarre shape.

He wears a skull crown and holds a vajra, bell, and other ritual implements in each of his six arms.

The three faces respectively displayed expressions of anger, compassion, and annihilation, exuding a solemn and murderous aura unique to Tantric Buddhism.

Cheng Jiashu examined the Buddha statue for a moment, then said in a low voice:
“I specially invited you from Gufeng Temple, hoping it will really work.”

After saying that, he slowly bent down and placed the heavy bronze Buddha directly in front of the well.

After straightening up, he slowly rolled up the cuffs of his white suit, revealing a section of his pale wrist.

With the index and middle fingers of his right hand together, he picked up two pieces of yellow paper and flicked them outwards with a clever twist of his wrist.

The talisman flew out of his hand, tracing two straight lines in mid-air.

As if it had eyes, it stuck to the pillars on both sides of the threshold of the main hall of the ancestral hall with two sharp, precise clicks.

Immediately afterwards, he began to pace around the well, his steps seemingly slow but actually swift, his leather shoes treading over the weeds in the yard without making a sound.

With every three steps taken, a talisman would fly out from between the fingers.

These talismans did not drift away with the wind; instead, they seemed to be drawn by some invisible weight, cutting straight into the soil in specific directions such as Qian, Kan, Gen, and Zhen.

Bathed in the moonlight, the cinnabar runes on the paper faintly glowed with a red light, echoing the Buddha statue in front of the well.

After walking around the well several times, a complete Bagua (Eight Trigrams) array formed around the well opening.

Once he had settled down, Cheng Jiashu stopped and stood firmly in front of the well.

He raised his hands to his chest, his ten fingers moving rapidly and intertwining, creating a blur of motion as he formed complex Tantric hand gestures.

At the same time, his lips parted, and a string of deep, obscure scriptures was uttered through his teeth.

The sound of the scriptures wasn't loud, but it carried a strange resonance, buzzing and echoing in the dilapidated courtyard filled with cobwebs and dust.

As the chanting speed increased, the dark golden luster on the surface of the Buddha statue began to flicker.

The three already menacing faces appeared even more sinister and terrifying under the interplay of moonlight and red glow.

About half a minute later, the space above the well seemed to move, and ripples began to spread out in circles.

The gray-white mist that was originally flowing slowly around was forcibly pushed away by this invisible barrier, and could no longer get close to the well opening.

Through the edge of that distorted, refracted air, one could faintly hear the rumble of thunder and the sound of heavy objects shattering from another dimension.

....................................

Within the Otherworld, a storm rises once more.

Four bone spikes suddenly shot out from Jiang Chen's back, extending horizontally through the air.

Black lightning crackled and leaped across the surface of the bones.

A stray arc of electricity struck the nearby broken wall, instantly blasting the thick blue bricks into charred powder.

The intense aura of death transformed into a tangible, eerie wind that swept along the ground, whipping up sand and stones, making it almost impossible for people to open their eyes.

Fang Cheng lowered his center of gravity, crossed his feet and slid sideways to dodge the attacks.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
Jiang Chen clasped his hands together, and the four bone spikes, like spears, trembled in mid-air, creating a dazzling display of spear flowers.

The sharp spear tips intertwined to form a dense net, descending upon Fang Cheng and completely blocking all his escape routes.

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Fang Cheng simply exhaled and made a sound, firmly assuming a horse stance. The powerful pure Yang true energy within his body flowed through his limbs and bones, and golden flames burst forth from his body, instantly creating an aura domain several meters wide.

This domain, shaped like a golden bell, firmly protected him at its center.

Bone spikes struck the surface of the bell repeatedly, and the cracking sounds were like a violent storm, echoing through the ruins.

The two forces collided violently, and the shockwave from the explosion scraped away a layer of the ground within a radius of tens of meters, revealing the dark red soil underneath.

Jiang Chen, suspended in mid-air, looked down at Fang Cheng and sneered:

"What kind of skill is it to rely solely on this tortoise shell to hold on?"

Fang Cheng crossed his arms in front of him, his expression calm as he said:

"As long as I have the ability to break your bones, that's enough."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but throw his head back and burst into laughter:
"I have lived for over two thousand years and have seen countless brilliant talents, including many martial arts masters. But you are the first arrogant young man I have ever met."

"Know that human strength has its limits!"

He opened his arms, drawing the surrounding gray mist into his body:

"Moreover, within this domain, you cannot replenish the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the outside world, while I can draw upon it continuously. Once your true energy is exhausted, what will you use to fight me?"

As he spoke, Jiang Chen loosely clenched his fist, and the four bone spikes suddenly increased their force, causing the golden orb to creak and groan.

"Boy, I advise you to surrender as soon as possible. Considering your decent physical body, I can make an exception and grant you the position of Corpse General, leaving you with a wisp of your soul."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng raised an eyebrow and smiled calmly:
"I'll pass on the Corpse General title, but thank you for the reminder. You've taught me a trick; releasing true energy like this is indeed a bit wasteful."

After saying that, he suddenly exerted force with both legs, forcefully pushing the bone spur pressing on his head away by about an inch.

Taking advantage of the gap, he quickly slid back several meters and stood still again.

Immediately afterwards, the boiling golden flames were drawn back into the body like a whale sucking in water, sinking into the pores.

The protective aura dissipated, and the surroundings suddenly darkened.

Fang Cheng stood before Jiang Chen empty-handed, his body radiating no energy whatsoever.

"You're courting death!"

Jiang Chen was secretly delighted, thinking that this young man was easily provoked and was arrogant and overconfident because of his physical strength.

Without further ado, he immediately unleashed his full power to activate his corpse energy.

Four bone spurs, imbued with the force of thunder, pierced Fang Cheng's throat, heart, and eyes—vital points, respectively.

Faced with this fierce attack that could tear a high-level ability user to shreds, Fang Cheng not only did not dodge, but instead took half a step forward.

His arm muscles coiled up like a dragon, and his spine roared.

Facing the biting cold light, he swung his fist and smashed it down.

stab-

The sharp, hard bone spurs were knocked off course by the fist, but the other two bone spurs still grazed Fang Cheng's chest and arm.

However, the expected scene of flying blood and flesh did not occur; instead, a sharp, strange sound like metal clashing against metal erupted.

Amidst the flying sparks, the bone spikes that could easily pierce an armored vehicle only left a few light red marks on Fang Cheng's bronze skin, without even breaking the skin.

Only his thin coat couldn't withstand such a sharp edge and was instantly torn to shreds.

Fang Cheng simply shook his arms, his chest suddenly bulging.

In an instant, his entire body suddenly expanded, and his muscles, as large as granite, bulged high.

The already tattered clothes burst open instantly, transforming into countless fluttering black butterflies.

Fang Cheng's body, which had been concealed, was suddenly exposed, presenting a shocking visual impact.

His broad shoulders created a perfect inverted triangle silhouette, and his pectoral muscles were prominent and sharply defined.

The eight abdominal muscles are closely arranged, like layers of tightly interlocked armor plates.

Most striking are his arms and thighs, where bulging muscle fibers jut out like tightly wound steel cables.

The skin surface has a subtle metallic sheen.

It was as if it wasn't ordinary flesh and blood, but a suit of muscular armor forged through countless trials, perfectly embodying masculinity and athleticism.

Shredded cloth scattered across the sky in the wind.

At this moment, Fang Cheng was only wearing a pair of red underwear. His naked and muscular body stood in the ruins, radiating a scorching heat like a furnace.

"what?!"

The eerie green flames in Jiang Chen's eyes flickered violently, and a storm raged in his heart.

He could see it clearly; the other party had indeed just withdrawn all their protective inner energy.

Without the aid of secret techniques and true energy, how could a human possibly withstand his most lethal weapon, the bone spike attack, with just his flesh and blood?
Could it be that this kid's body density has reached the point of being indestructible?

Fang Cheng met his surprised and suspicious gaze with a grin, revealing two rows of snow-white teeth:
"It seems I made the right decision. There's really no need to waste my true energy on dealing with your nearly dried-out skeleton."

These extremely contemptuous words shattered the pride of the Zombie King.

"court death!"

Jiang Chen was enraged, and his four bone spikes transformed into numerous afterimages as he unleashed a ferocious series of stabs.

The swirling black lightning, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, crawled along the attack towards Fang Cheng's body, attempting to paralyze his nerves.

However, as soon as these evil energies touched Fang Cheng's skin, they were instantly evaporated by the scorching blood energy within his body, which was as hot as a volcanic eruption.

Those minor negative effects didn't even cause a ripple.

Fang Cheng stopped playing defensively, stepped into the center, and advanced with great strides.

His steps were like a plow turning the soil, wide and sweeping, each step crushing large pieces of bricks and stones to dust.

With its ridiculously strong muscular armor, it charged forward relentlessly, enduring a barrage of bone spikes raining down from the sky.

The sharp, white bone blades clanged against his chest and abdomen with a series of sharp, resounding sounds, yet they could not stop him from advancing even an inch.

Having broken through the limits of human endurance, with a physical attribute of 95 points, how could one possibly fear a mere bone spur attack?

Jiang Chen grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed.

For two thousand years, he had encountered countless people with amazing abilities, but he had never seen this kind of fighting style.

The naked young man in front of them didn't care about any fancy moves; he was simply using his physical strength to launch a brutal, dimensional-reducing attack.

Compared to him, the other party was more like a tireless, painless, terrifying monster.

Taking advantage of Jiang Chen's momentary lapse in concentration, Fang Cheng suddenly exerted force with his feet.

With a deafening roar, a large area of ​​the ground collapsed.

The enormous reaction force propelled his body to break the sound barrier, creating a huge white sonic boom that instantly closed in on Jiang Chen.

He lowered his shoulders and elbows, and his right fist twisted violently the moment it was thrown out.

The finger bones created a spiraling vortex of airflow, the sound of which cut through the air like the shriek of a vengeful ghost.

boom!
The punch landed squarely on the tip of the bone spur that was blocking its way.

The violent rotating force was like an industrial drill bit, instantly shredding the hard white bones into fragments that flew everywhere.

Jiang Chen cried out in pain, and in his fear and panic, he hurriedly activated his spatial abilities, trying to use the Instant Step to escape.

But Fang Cheng was prepared. As soon as his right fist had finished, his left arm swung out.

A long-accumulated, high-frequency oscillating internal force burst forth from the body.

Snapped!
A crisp popping sound rang out in the air.

This invisible force, like a steel whip, struck Jiang Chen's left knee joint precisely. (End of Chapter)