216: Chapter 216 Who is she?

No sooner had the words fallen than the man's back suddenly bulged.

Splurt!

A black bone spur pierced through his skin and shot straight toward Li Jun.

It was so fast that the villagers didn't even see it clearly.

Li Taiping raised the branch in his hand.

Swish!

The bone spur snapped in two and pinned itself to the ground.

The air fell silent for a moment.

The man sprawled on the ground, his body beginning to twitch as his skin split open, black slime gushing from the wounds.

His limbs bent backward, and his bones clicked and clacked.

The woman covered her mouth and knelt on the ground.

"A-Shan..."

Shi Hu's face darkened, and he raised his stone knife.

"Back away!"

No sooner had he finished shouting.

That thing sprang up violently and slammed into the village gate.

Boom!

The thick wooden fence shook.

Several gatekeepers fell over.

Its face pressed against the gap in the wooden stakes; half the face was still human, while the other half had grown black scales.

It stared at Li Taiping, forcing a sound out of its throat.

"Outsider..."

Li Taiping's eyes narrowed.

What the hell? It can speak human language?

The village chief's expression also changed.

"What did you say?"

The monster ignored the village chief, staring intently at Li Taiping.

"River Beach... there is light..."

"She... has awakened..."

Li Taiping's heart skipped a beat.

She? Who? Su Jie? Or the so-called Mother of the Earth?

The next moment, the monster opened its mouth.

A glob of black liquid sprayed out.

The target wasn't the villagers; it was Li Taiping.

Li Taiping stepped forward and slashed horizontally with his branch.

The sword qi sliced through the black liquid.

The black liquid hit the ground, and the black soil hissed.

He didn't stop.

He slashed with his second sword strike.

Outside the fence, the monster's head flew off, while its body continued to twitch.

Li Taiping vaulted over the fence and stepped on its chest.

He stabbed down with the branch.

Splurt—

The monster stopped moving completely.

The village entrance was deathly silent.

Everyone was looking at him.

Shi Hu's Adam's apple bobbed; yesterday, he had doubted this outsider could kill the herd of beasts.

Now, he felt he had been quite brave yesterday.

Truly, a bit reckless.

Li Taiping crouched down and used the branch to push aside the black mud behind the monster's neck.

Beneath the black mud, a piece of bone fragment was embedded.

On the bone fragment were faint patterns, like those on the bone pieces at the altar.

When the village chief saw the patterns, his face instantly sank.

Li Taiping looked up.

"Village chief, aren't you going to explain?"

Killing intent surged, and the atmosphere grew solemn.

The village chief gripped his cane tightly, saying nothing.

Shi Hu couldn't help but say, "That is a sacrificial bone, only found at the altar!"

The crowd erupted.

"How could A-Shan have a sacrificial bone?"

"Didn't he go to the River Beach?"

"Could something have happened to the altar?"

The village chief turned around abruptly.

"Shut up!"

The shout was heavy, and the villagers immediately fell silent.

Li Taiping picked up the bone fragment and twirled it between his fingertips.

The moment he touched the bone fragment, something inside his body suddenly trembled.

It was as if a door had been knocked on from the inside.

Ding.

[Weak special life magnetic field detected.]

[Talent Sequence 15: Hong Youwu, Exquisite Pagoda, Awakening Progress 10%.]

Li Taiping's eyes narrowed.

Is this the so-called special life magnetic field?

It's related to the sacrificial bone, related to the altar, and perhaps related to the thing over at the River Beach.

He stood up and looked at the village chief.

"Last night you said not to go near the altar."

The village chief's face tightened.

Li Taiping tossed the bone fragment to his feet.

"Now, it has approached me on its own."

No one dared to speak; the morning breeze blew across the village entrance, sending ashes from the bonfire flying.

Li Taiping looked in the direction of the River Beach.

The forest over there was very quiet, so quiet it didn't seem like there were any living things.

But he could feel that something was there.

Li Taiping smiled.

"You all stay in the village."

Shi Hu was stunned.

"Where are you going?"

Li Taiping picked up the branch and vaulted over the broken fence.

"River Beach."

Li Jun looked up abruptly.

"Benefactor, I'm going too!"

Li Taiping didn't look back.

"No."

Li Jun gripped the small wooden puppet tightly.

"My sister might be there."

Li Taiping stopped and turned his face to the side.

"If she is still alive, I will bring her back."

"What if she is dead?"

Li Taiping was silent for a breath.

Then he said, "I will bring back the thing that harmed her."

Li Jun's lips trembled, and he didn't speak again.

The village chief finally spoke.

His voice was very hoarse.

"You cannot go."

Li Taiping looked at him.

"Why?"

The village chief stared at that stretch of forest, enunciating each word.

"Buried beneath the River Beach is the corpse of an Old God."

"Last night, the remnants of the black tide surged."

"She... might have truly awakened."