80: Chapter 80 The Great Victory at Twin River Valley

A black mist, even thicker and more evil than before, erupted from his body, instantly enveloping the Blackwood Clan Chief and the already mortally wounded Python King!

From within the mist came the shrill, agonized screams of the Blackwood Clan Chief, filled with pain and unwillingness, along with the Python King's final, sorrowful wail.

Soon, the screams and wails ceased.

The black mist slowly dissipated, leaving behind only a human corpse, shriveled like a mummy dried for hundreds of years, and the massive skeleton of the python, also drained of all its essence and blood.

Meanwhile, the Snake Shaman's originally emaciated body was now visibly filling out!

A strange, unnatural flush even appeared on his face, which had been like old tree bark, as if he had grown a dozen years younger!

Right there on the battlefield, he had used a secret technique to drain all the essence and blood from his own Clan Chief and the Chief's mount!

What a vicious and evil Demonic Technique!

"Hehehehe..."

The Snake Shaman let out a chilling, satisfied laugh.

He raised his head, his eyes burning with ghostly green flames piercing through the thick smoke, meeting the gaze of Gao Feng, who had been watching him coldly from the high cliff above.

"Young man, your game is over. Now it is time for this old one to play with you properly."

Before the words had even faded!

His figure transformed into a streak of black light, moving with incredible speed, hugging the near-vertical cliff face as if he were walking on flat ground, rushing upwards!

His target was none other than the Stockade Master of Panshi Stockade, who was controlling the situation from the high cliff—Gao Feng!

He intended to take the head of the enemy commander from amidst ten thousand soldiers!

The Snake Shaman's movements were fast to the extreme, and equally bizarre!

His emaciated figure seemed to have completely shed the bonds of gravity, like a black gecko crawling on a cliff, or a ghostly phantom winding its way up the mountain wall.

With a light tap of his toes on insignificant protruding rocks, he could ascend several yards, his speed so fast that he left trails of black afterimages behind him.

Wherever he passed, the boulders and logs rolling down from above couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes, as he dodged them with nonchalant, inconceivable maneuvers.

The soldiers of Panshi Stockade responsible for throwing rocks on the cliff were stunned by this sight that defied common sense, their movements faltering in shock.

"What... what kind of monster is this?!"

"He... he can actually scale walls!"

"Quick! Use the ballista! Shoot him!"

The Centurion, having recovered his senses, roared at the top of his lungs.

Several soldiers operating the ballistae hurriedly adjusted the heavy mechanisms, attempting to lock onto the rapidly moving black figure.

But the Snake Shaman's movement technique was too bizarre; he seemed able to predict the trajectory of the bolts, always evading at the exact moment they were fired. The powerful armor-piercing arrows all missed, slamming into the rock wall behind him and sending sparks flying.

"Hehehe... it's useless..." The Snake Shaman's harsh, owl-like laugh echoed through the valley. "The weapons of you Mortals cannot harm a servant of the great Snake God!"

In just a dozen breaths, he had climbed nearly a hundred yards, now only inches away from the top of the cliff where Gao Feng stood!

Gao Feng's pupils contracted to the limit at this moment.

He stared fixedly at the encroaching black figure, a monstrous wave rising in his heart.

Fourth Rank!

No, perhaps even higher!

This old monster's strength far exceeded any of his previous estimates!

That bizarre movement technique, the evil Aura, the absolute confidence in his witchcraft...

Gao Feng knew he was facing an enemy in the true sense from another "world," a terrifying existence that could not be fathomed by conventional logic!

"Stone! Take the men and retreat! Guard the ballista positions, don't let him get close!"

Gao Feng made a decisive decision and issued the order to his deputy commander and scout captain, Stone.

He knew that facing an enemy of this level, for ordinary soldiers to charge forward was no different than suicide.

Only he himself had a sliver of a chance to block this old monster!

"Stockade Master!" Stone exclaimed, anxious. "Let me stay! I..."

"That is an order!"

Gao Feng's voice was cold and unquestionable!

He reached back and drew the three-pointed, double-edged blade wrapped in black cloth!

"Clang!"

A clear, ringing sound like a Dragon's roar!

The dark cyan blade flowed with a chilling, mercury-like gleam under the dim daylight!

An equally powerful, domineering, and icy Aura, filled with endless intent to kill, erupted from Gao Feng!

His Third Rank life-blood, mixed with that sliver of the most rigid and yang Wind Thunder Guide True Qi, acted like a burning furnace, dispersing the cold and evil Aura around him!

"Oh?"

The Snake Shaman, about to crest the cliff, felt this Aura erupting from Gao Feng, and for the first time, a trace of genuine surprise appeared in his eyes, which were burning with ghostly green flames.

"So you little mouse have actually touched the threshold of the 'Dao'. Interesting, very interesting. A Genius like you must have very delicious essence and blood flowing in your body..."

He stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his shriveled lips, his face revealing the greed and desire that only a glutton would show when seeing a peerless delicacy.

"Today, this old one will personally take your heart and liver to serve as the nourishment for my advancement!"

Before the words had finished, his figure leaped up from the edge of the cliff like a phantom!

The snake-bone staff in his hand had already been aimed at Gao Feng before anyone knew it!

The eyes of the hideous skull, formed by the entwined bones of countless poisonous snakes at the top of the staff, suddenly lit up with two eerie, blood-red lights!

"Ten Thousand Snakes Devour Soul!"

With a hoarse, malicious shout, two blood-red beams instantly shot out from the skull's eye sockets, aiming straight for Gao Feng's face!

The speed was so fast that there was no room to dodge!

Gao Feng felt his vision blur, and the entire world changed.

The surrounding cliffs, corpses, and battlefield all vanished, replaced by an endless, pitch-black Void Realm.

And in that void, thousands of giant poisonous snakes, even larger and more hideous than those he had seen in the forest illusion, were swarming toward him from all directions, their gaping maws dripping with foul-smelling drool!

Mental attack!

Or rather, an illusion!

Gao Feng made an instant judgment in his heart.

But knowing it was an illusion was one thing; being able to break it was another.

These snakes were so realistic—the stench rushing at his face, the deadly venomous gleam on their fangs, the cold, murderous snake eyes...

Everything seemed real, enough to make anyone with a slightly weak will lose their mind instantly and sink completely into this endless fear.

However, Gao Feng was no ordinary person; he was the former strongest soldier king of Huaxia!

His will had been honed by countless life-and-death trials, tempered by steel and blood!

"A mere illusion dares to show off before me?!"

A cold light flashed in Gao Feng's eyes.

He bit his tongue hard, a metallic, sweet taste filling his mouth, while simultaneously circulating that sliver of newly formed Wind Thunder Guide True Qi within his body, rushing through his Meridians!

"Wind Thunder Guide—Break!"

With a roar, the even purer and more majestic Wind Thunder Guide True Qi within him, having just reached the Fourth Rank, erupted like an awakened sleeping Dragon!

With a "crackle" at the center of his brow, a barely perceptible light purple arc of electricity flashed and vanished. Though small, it seemed to contain the most fundamental power to break evil in the world, like an invisible Sharp Weapon, instantly tearing a crack in the fake world constructed by the endless poisonous snakes!

"Crack!"

The entire illusionary world let out a crisp sound like shattering glass, and then collapsed with a bang.

The endless darkness and hideous snakes before him dissipated rapidly like a receding tide; the noisy battlefield, the howling cold wind, and that thick, inseparable smell of blood returned to his senses once again.

From falling into the illusion to breaking it, the entire process happened in a flash, not even taking a single breath!

And at this moment, the Snake Shaman's withered old face, filled with a smug and cruel smile, was less than three feet away from him!

His hand, withered like a chicken claw and carrying a thick, black corpse-qi, was reaching straight for Gao Feng's heart in an unavoidable posture!

In the Snake Shaman's expectation, any Third Rank Martial Artist hit by his trump card "Ten Thousand Snakes Devour Soul" would have their mind lost for at least three to five breaths—enough time for him to rip out the opponent's heart alive and savor it slowly.

He had even begun to imagine what a wonderful taste the warm, life-blood-filled heart of this Genius Martial Artist would have as it burst in his mouth.

However, despite all his calculations, he had not counted on the fact that Gao Feng had not only reached the Fourth Rank, but his mental will was as hard as steel, allowing him to break the illusion in such a short time!

When he saw the eyes of Gao Feng recover their clarity and carry a trace of cold mockery, for the first time, a look of horror and disbelief appeared in those eyes burning with ghostly green flames!

How is this possible?!

How could this kid's Mental Energy be so powerful?!

But when experts clash, victory or defeat often lies in this split-second of distraction!

Gao Feng was waiting for this opportunity; he did not retreat, nor did he dodge!

At the same moment he broke the illusion, the power he had accumulated to the limit erupted!

The three-pointed, double-edged blade in his hand used no fancy Moves, but in the most primitive and domineering way, swept from bottom to top with an unstoppable, resolute momentum, slashing fiercely at the Snake Shaman's extended ghostly claw!

"Clang——!!"

A deafening roar, like the ringing of a giant bell, exploded on the cliff top!

This time, it was no longer the dull clashing of metal, but the most direct and pure head-on collision of two equally powerful and bizarre forces!

The Snake Shaman's ghostly claw, which was comparable to a Sharp Weapon and capable of easily tearing through steel, emitted a harsh, metal-grinding sound the moment it made contact with Gao Feng's three-pointed, double-edged blade, which was infused with Wind Thunder Guide True Qi!

A string of dazzling sparks burst forth between the two!

"Step! Step! Step!"

The Snake Shaman's emaciated figure was knocked back three large steps uncontrollably, as if he had been rammed head-on by a charging rhinoceros!

With every step he took, he left a deep footprint on the hard rocky ground.

He could clearly feel a numbing, stinging sensation, filled with destructive and explosive Aura, crazily drilling into his body along his arm, wantonly destroying the corpse energy within his Meridians!

It was lightning!

It was the power of thunder, which suppresses all dark and evil things in the world!

How could this brat master such power?!

On the other side, Gao Feng was not having an easy time either.

Snake Shaman's power far exceeded his imagination. The cold corpse energy attached to that claw was like a maggot on a bone, penetrating through the blade into his body, making his internal organs feel a cold, stinging pain.

The web between his thumb and index finger split open again, and blood slowly flowed down the handle of the "three-pointed, double-edged blade".

But there was not a trace of pain on Gao Feng's face, only a cold and excited smile, the kind a hunter has when seeing prey fall into a trap!

"Old thing!"

Gao Feng sneered and suddenly exerted force with his feet!

He actually didn't give Snake Shaman any chance to catch his breath, pressing forward once again!

He wanted to use the most satisfying, head-on battle to completely crush all the pride of this old monster!

"You're courting death!!"

Snake Shaman was also thoroughly enraged by Gao Feng's arrogant posture!

He let out a sharp hiss, no longer holding anything back, and the black energy around him surged!

As he brandished the snake bone staff in his hand, it actually stirred up waves of nauseating, fishy wind!

A Peak duel representing the extreme Yang and extreme Yin, life and death, completely erupted on the top of this small cliff!

Gao Feng's "three-pointed, double-edged blade" moved with wide, sweeping motions, fierce and domineering!

He had already entered the Fourth Rank; every movement he made invoked the power of heaven and earth. Every slash seemed to carry the momentum of wind and thunder, filled with destructive power!

The wisps of light purple electric arcs on the blade's edge were the natural nemesis of all dark and evil things!

As for Snake Shaman, he was like a true old ghost who had lived for hundreds of years; his fighting style was bizarre to the extreme.

The snake bone staff in his hand sometimes struck like a venomous snake leaving its hole, at tricky angles, aiming straight for Gao Feng's vital points; at other times, it transformed into a heavy iron whip, smashing down with a howling, vicious wind.

What was even more terrifying was that every time his ghost hands, which were like chicken claws, reached out, they brought with them a dense corpse energy capable of eroding human flesh and Internal Energy!

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing was incessant, and sparks burst wildly on the cliff!

The figures of the two were extremely fast, turning into two blurred shadows, one black and one cyan, constantly colliding and separating in the narrow space!

Every collision erupted with a terrifying wave of energy, shaking the surrounding rocks until they rattled!

The more Gao Feng fought, the more alarmed he became; this old monster's strength was even stronger than he had imagined!

His seemingly withered body seemed to contain endless cold corpse energy, and every Move was fatal, sinister, and vicious.

Several times, Gao Feng was nearly struck in his vital points by those elusive ghost claws. Fortunately, he had Cultivated the "Phantom Steps Without a Trace" and "Following Wind Willow Catkin Movement Technique," making his movement technique erratic, allowing him to barely hold on amidst repeated dangers.

But he also knew he couldn't hold on for too long; the continuous high-intensity battle caused his Internal Energy to be consumed rapidly, and his wounds began to ache faintly.

If this continued, defeat was only a matter of time.

He had to find a way to break this stalemate!

Fight it out!

A flash of madness and determination, just like when he faced Bear Overlord earlier, crossed Gao Feng's eyes!

He once again exposed a huge opening. After parrying Snake Shaman's staff, he deliberately let his foot slip, and his body stumbled briefly!

"Opportunity!"

Snake Shaman fell for it! A terrifying, sharp light instantly erupted from his eyes, which were burning with ghost fire!

He seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The snake bone staff in his hand flew out, turning into a black stream of light aimed straight at Gao Feng's face, attempting to block his vision!

At the same time, his body appeared on Gao Feng's left side as if teleporting!

His withered ghost claws were crossed, carrying a terrifying power capable of tearing everything apart, and he slashed fiercely toward Gao Feng's heart!

This was his fatal strike!

He wanted to use this Move to completely end this damn battle!

However, the moment he thought he had the victory in his grasp, a cold smile of success appeared on Gao Feng's face, which was covered in blood and sweat!

This was the opportunity he had been waiting for!

He did not care about the snake bone staff flying toward his face!

He also did not care about the fatal ghost claws reaching for his heart!

He poured everything he had, all his power, and all his conviction into the "three-pointed, double-edged blade" in his hand without reservation at this moment!

Then, he used all his strength and let out a heaven-shaking roar!

"Die... for me!!"

The "three-pointed, double-edged blade" in his hand did not attack Snake Shaman's body, but instead, in a completely irrational, suicidal posture, it slashed fiercely down at Snake Shaman's head!

He wanted to perish together!

"Madman! You madman!!"

For the first time, an emotion called "fear" appeared in Snake Shaman's eyes!

He never dreamed that this young man would be crazy to this extent!

He would actually use his own life to trade for his!

He was afraid!

He didn't want to die!

Subconsciously, he wanted to withdraw his attack and retreat!

But it was already too late! Gao Feng's blade was faster and more determined than him!

"Puchi!"

A dull sound like a sharp blade splitting a watermelon!

The "three-pointed, double-edged blade," infused with all of Gao Feng's power and conviction, slashed fiercely through Snake Shaman's withered and ugly head under his incredulous and terrified gaze!

It split from the crown of his head all the way to his chin!

Red, white, and black liquids splashed out instantly!

Snake Shaman's two ghostly green flames flickered violently, then, like a candle flame blown out by a strong wind, they were extinguished completely.

His withered body swayed, then fell backward, tumbling down the bottomless cliff.

And Gao Feng's chest was also fiercely clawed by Snake Shaman's unwilling ghost hand before he died!

"Chila!"

Five bloodstains, deep enough to see the bone, instantly appeared on his chest, and one could even see the ghastly white bone!

Blood surged out!

Gao Feng groaned, unable to hold on any longer. He knelt on one knee, and the "three-pointed, double-edged blade" was thrust heavily into the rock beside him, supporting him so he wouldn't fall.

He breathed heavily, looking into the endless darkness below the cliff. Finally, a tired smile belonging to a victor appeared on his face.

When Snake Shaman's withered head was split open by Gao Feng's unstoppable blade, and the scarlet and black liquid drew a strange arc in the air, time seemed to have been pressed on pause at this moment.

Below the cliff, the battlefield that had originally been noisy, chaotic, and filled with death and wailing, instantly fell into an eerie silence.

All the Wuhui warriors who were still putting up a desperate resistance or fleeing in panic stopped their actions in unison. They looked up, gazing toward the top of the cliff with a gaze that was almost dull.

They saw it—their High Priest, Snake Shaman, who was worshipped as a god in the tribe and considered omnipotent, the withered body that once radiated endless majesty and fear, falling straight down from the cliff dozens of feet high, limp and stiff, like a ragbag with all its bones removed.

"Bang!"

A dull thud upon landing, not loud, but like an invisible giant hammer, fiercely shattering the last pillar named "faith" in the heart of every Wuhui warrior.

The Clan Chief was dead.

The Python King was dead.

Now, even the Snake Shaman, who was omnipotent in their hearts, was dead!

Their god had fallen!

"No... impossible..."

A nearby Wuhui Centurion, looking at the unrecognizable corpse that no longer had a shred of eerie Aura, muttered to himself in disbelief, like someone talking in a dream.

His words were like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

After a brief silence, there was an even more thorough collapse, originating from the depths of their Souls!

"Snake Shaman is dead! Lord Snake Shaman is dead!!"

"It's over! Everything is over!"

"Eternal Heaven has abandoned us! We... we have lost..."

Cries and desperate wails rose one after another.

Their proud bravery and their indestructible faith were, at this moment, completely shattered in the most direct and cruel way by that figure standing at the top of the cliff, like a god or demon!

No one knew who was the first to throw away the scimitar in their hand, falling to their knees with a "thud," and knocking their foreheads heavily onto the cold, blood-stained soil of their companions.

This action, like a contagious plague, spread rapidly.

"Clang!"

"Clang! Clang!"

The sound of weapons hitting the ground rose one after another, merging into one.

The dark mass of remaining Wuhui soldiers, like wheat waves blown down by a strong wind, knelt to the ground, one piece after another.

They laid down all resistance, laid down all dignity, like a flock of lost lambs, waiting for the final judgment of the victor.

On the cliff, Gao Feng leaned on the "three-pointed, double-edged blade" covered in Snake Shaman's filthy blood, breathing heavily.

The five wounds on his chest clawed by the ghost claws, deep enough to see the bone, burned with pain, almost leaving him without the strength to even stand.

But he could not fall.

At least, not now.

He held on with his last breath, looking coldly down at the dark mass of surrendered soldiers kneeling below.

The horn of victory finally sounded at this moment.

"Woo—woo—woo—!"

The powerful and desolate horn sound pierced the silence of the battlefield, echoing in every corner of Twin River Valley, declaring the final outcome of this war to this world and to everyone.

The soldiers of Panshi Stockade rushed down from the slopes on both sides. They did not immediately pursue the scattered enemies, but quickly controlled all the surrendered soldiers and confiscated their weapons.

The whole process was quiet and efficient, without the ecstasy and cheers of previous victories.

Because they knew their Stockade Master was still watching.