122: Is this thing so thirsty?

“Boom—”

The moment the first wave of Corpse Demons crashed into the Star Isolation Grand Formation, the nearby ground trembled violently.

The ethereal blue light screen was like a cold pond into which a giant rock had been thrown; before the ripples could spread, it suddenly solidified into ice crystal patterns, and dozens of Corpse Demons turned to dust the instant they touched the light screen.

The fragmented bones, enveloped in black mist, had not yet fallen to the ground when they were already scorched into wisps of green smoke by the star-light bursting from the formation patterns.

Lord Chuping's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes shone brightly.

What a good thing!

It was his first time seeing the Star Isolation Grand Formation unleash its power, and it truly lived up to its value of a billion. It directly absorbed the power of the stars, requiring no Divine Power to maintain, making it practically invincible.

However, the current scene gave Lin Chuping the illusion that he had transmigrated again, as if he had suddenly entered a zombie apocalypse, with a pervasive stench everywhere.

Ugh~

But none of that mattered. Since these spectral things dared to run into him, there was nothing else to say; just get it done.

Before a major battle, however, some things still needed to be clarified.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, for killing a Corpse Demon minion. Reward: Incense Value +100.”

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, for killing a Corpse Demon minion. Reward: Incense Value +100.”

...There's such a good thing!

“Tong Ge, the evil creatures killed by the Star Isolation Grand Formation actually count towards me.”

“Of course, the System has always been generous in its dealings.”

“Tong Ge, set the kill notification to silent mode.”

He licked his dry lips, “I'll settle everything once I've chopped down that Corpse Demon leader.”

“Notification sound has been turned off. Current kill count: 37. Incense Value accumulating...”

Lin Chuping nodded in satisfaction, then turned his attention back to the battlefield.

The Corpse Demon outside the light screen seemed to be enraged. Its rotten lower jaw opened to an incredible angle, letting out a deafening shriek.

The sound was like a thousand fingernails scraping glass, and the villagers inside the light screen all clutched their ears and fell to the ground in pain.

“This thing's intelligence must be quite high.”

It only attacked from a distance, far from the Star Isolation Grand Formation, driving its army of the dead to attack.

It had no intention of approaching itself.

“If you don't come over, I'm not in a hurry either. Let the bullets fly for a while!”

Anyway, with the Star Isolation Grand Formation, Lin Chuping wasn't worried about this kind of war of attrition at all.

He comfortably watched the battle from mid-air. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt as if the Corpse Demon was secretly observing him from time to time.

“Oh no! This thing can't see me, can it?”

If that were the case, then if he stayed here, wouldn't the Corpse Demon be afraid to come over?

I'll give you a chance, kid.

Lin Chuping gave the Corpse Demon a deep look, then turned and left the Corpse Demon's line of sight.

***

Compared to Lin Chuping's calmness, the common people below were much more agitated.

“Lord Chuping, please protect us...”

The elderly, weak, women, and children of the village gathered in front of Lord Chuping's temple, kowtowing repeatedly. Some of the more timid ones didn't even dare to look up.

“Oh my goodness gracious!”

Wang Houshi plopped down on the ground, his hoe clattering at his feet.

He pointed at the reanimated Corpse Demons outside the light screen, his fingers trembling as if he had Parkinson's.

“W-what are those ghostly things?”

San Wazi peered through the fence, his eyes wide.

“They look like... they look like dead people? But dead people moved!”

San Wazi suddenly gasped, then, as if he had seen something, he shrieked at the top of his lungs.

“Look at the one leading them! Its soles are glowing with green fire.”

Only then did everyone notice that with every step the Corpse Demon took, spiderweb-like ghostly green flames bloomed on the scorched earth.

These flames weren't burning, but rather like some kind of liquid, ethereal glow flowing through the cracks in the ground, and the surrounding land cracked at a visible speed.

Before long, a clear boundary formed, with the Star Isolation Grand Formation as the dividing line.

One side was lush green, the other barren and withered.

“Holy crap!”

“Could this be the culprit behind the great drought in Yan Province?”

“This is too fierce. Is this thing that thirsty? It made the entire Yan Province suffer from water shortage, and now it's coming to harm us!”

“Thankfully, Lord Chuping held it off!”

“...”

The discussions among the common people rose and fell, some worried, but more of them relieved.

“Chunsheng Ge, what should we do? Should we go up and practice a bit?”

Several young men from the village gathered around Liu Chunsheng, rubbing their fists and eager to try.

“Yes, yes, Chunsheng Ge, such a good opportunity doesn't come often. We'll hide inside the Grand Formation and develop stealthily.”

“Except for that big one, I can take out the rest with one shovel each!”

“...”

Liu Chunsheng rushed over with his iron shovel, leading the crowd, and together with Shen Jianxing, they guarded the front of the people.

“Don't panic, everyone.”

“With Lord Chuping's Grand Formation, these ghostly things can't get in!”

“You few, follow me to the front to take a look!”

Outside the light screen, the Corpse Demon's massive body slowly approached.

With every step it took, a deep pit would indent the ground, and the black liquid seeping from the gaps in its armor corroded the plants along its path.

As if hearing the provocation, the Corpse Demon suddenly turned its head, two points of crimson light piercing through the blue screen and shooting directly towards them. It raised its bony hand and pressed it against the light screen.

The contact surface immediately emitted green smoke, making a “hissing” sound like a hot iron entering water.

“It's trying to corrode the Grand Formation!”

***

With the Corpse Demon's actions, even Lin Chuping, who was currently conjuring heavenly lightning by hand, couldn't help but divert his attention.

The Star Isolation Grand Formation was a treasure he had bought at great expense. He still hadn't paid off the massive debt he owed, and if it were damaged, his heart would ache terribly.

“Tong Ge, can this Grand Formation hold up? If it really gets corroded and broken, I'll lose everything!”

“Host, rest assured, how could the Star Isolation Grand Formation be so easily broken? Although this Corpse Demon is strong, it's still far from being able to corrode this formation.”

Lin Chuping felt a little relieved upon hearing this, but his gaze remained fixed on the Corpse Demon's movements, not daring to slacken in the slightest.

The Corpse Demon seemed to have sensed the toughness of the light screen, letting out a low roar. The black mist around it grew even thicker, and it began to rapidly circle the light screen, seemingly searching for the Grand Formation's weak points.

“Hmph, this fiend is quite cunning.”

Lin Chuping snorted coldly, his hands quickly forming seals, muttering incantations.

As Lin Chuping formed the seals, the thunderclouds that had already gathered in the sky began to churn even more violently. Lightning flashed faintly within the clouds, as if countless silver Dragons were weaving through them.

The aura around him also surged, and a vast and majestic power quietly permeated the air.

“Since you want to play, I'll play a big one with you!”

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Chuping's eyes. He suddenly pushed his hands forward, and the thickest heavenly lightning in history crashed down from the Nine Heavens, directly targeting the Corpse Demon hovering outside the light screen.

“It's this thick, you should be satisfied now!”

Wherever the heavenly lightning passed, the air was ionized with crackling sounds, and space itself seemed to distort.

The Corpse Demon seemed to sense an unprecedented threat. It suddenly raised its head, and a hint of human-like terror actually appeared on its rotten face, but it was immediately replaced by madness.

It opened its giant mouth and spewed out a thick black mist, attempting to block the descent of the heavenly lightning.

However, this heavenly lightning was unleashed by Lin Chuping with all his might; how could a mere black mist block it?

The heavenly lightning collided with the black mist, erupting in a dazzling light and a deafening roar. The black mist was instantly evaporated, and the heavenly lightning, its momentum undiminished, directly struck the Corpse Demon's body.

“Boom—”

With a loud bang, the Corpse Demon's massive body was struck by the heavenly lightning, instantly engulfed in a blaze of electric light. It let out a mournful shriek, its body swayed a few times, almost falling to the ground.

But the Corpse Demon's vitality was incredibly tenacious. It quickly stabilized itself, and the black mist around it condensed again, only this time, its aura was clearly weaker by a few points.

“You little rascal, you can take a hit.”

Lin Chuping sneered. He didn't give the Corpse Demon a chance to breathe, his hands once again forming seals, preparing to launch the next round of attack.

But just then, he suddenly felt a strange fluctuation coming from the Corpse Demon's body, as if something was awakening within it.

“Not good, this fiend is about to unleash a big move!”