123: Fierce fighting

“Roar—”

The Corpse Demon roared to the sky, and the black mist around its body suddenly churned like boiling water.

It abruptly opened its gaping maw, and a terrifying suction burst from its throat!

“Not good! It’s gone too far.”

Lin Chuping’s pupils constricted, “It’s absorbing its own kind!”

Damn it, this thing can really play like this, huh!

His Incense Points, these little dried corpses were all his Incense Points!

Now they’re all eaten by the Corpse Demon; he’s losing out big time.

Lin Chuping didn’t care about the main Corpse Demon; he directly unleashed several Heavenly Lightning bolts simultaneously, giving the small dried corpses within Qingzhou’s range a full-body spa.

Come here, you.

A little bit isn't too little; a hundred or two hundred isn't too much.

With this strike, at least ten thousand Incense Points would be credited, making the ten billion debt feel not so terrifying anymore.

As if!

“Rest in peace.”

Lin Chuping clasped his hands together in a show of compassion, feigning a benevolent look.

Unfortunately, for those outside Qingzhou’s range, he was truly powerless.

***

The battlefield situation changed rapidly. Under the Corpse Demon’s influence, thousands of dried corpses on the battlefield suddenly froze, the ghost fires in their eye sockets flickering violently as if struggling.

But the next second, their bodies were crushed as if by an invisible hand, turning into wisps of black Qi that surged into the Corpse Demon’s mouth.

“Crunch, crunch—”

The Corpse Demon’s body began to twist and deform, bones breaking and reassembling, emitting a grating sound.

The scene was like a Transformer transforming.

Its size visibly expanded at a speed discernible to the naked eye: four zhang, five zhang... finally stopping at six zhang tall!

The originally rusty armor was replaced by new bone armor, each piece of which had eerie blood-colored runes appearing on it.

“Holy crap!”

Lin Chuping couldn’t help but curse, “This thing even has a second transformation?”

The evolved Corpse Demon lowered its head to look at its new body, seemingly very satisfied.

***

“Oh… oh my god…”

Li Fu didn’t even notice his sickle hitting his foot; he just stared blankly at the behemoth before him.

Before he could react, Liu Chunsheng quickly pulled him back.

“Village Chief, let’s back off a bit.”

At this point, the situation was completely beyond what minor characters like them could influence.

Six zhang tall is 20 meters. An ordinary person standing in front of it wouldn’t even reach the Corpse Demon’s knees.

What was this?

I can’t even hit the enemy’s knees when I jump!

Seeing that everyone had retreated more than 10 meters away, Shen Jianxing quickly called for everyone to form a Formation, ready to engage at any moment.

Running was useless against a demon of this strength, especially with their families behind them.

And with Lord Chuping in front, they wouldn't necessarily lose.

No, it should be said they definitely wouldn't lose.

“Oh… my god…”

“Chunsheng, this… this thing’s leg is thicker than the main beam of our ancestral hall!”

Shen Jianxing narrowed his eyes; his battle instincts made him the first to notice an anomaly—from the remains of the dried corpses absorbed by the Corpse Demon, wisps of black Qi were seeping out and penetrating the light barrier.

Even in death, they couldn't rest.

He immediately unslung the ox-horn bow from his back, stringing three arrows simultaneously.

“Everyone, listen up!”

Shen Jianxing: “Elders and children, retreat to the temple's underground tunnel! Young and able-bodied, form a circular Formation around me!”

The prestige cultivated from years of hunting was evident now. The panicked villagers quickly moved as if they had found their backbone.

Women hugged their children and ran towards the temple, while the men grabbed anything they could use as a weapon—hoes, shovels, even rolling pins—forming three concentric circles around Shen Jianxing.

“Archers, attack!”

“Everyone else, observe your surroundings and stand by.”

***

Seeing that the villagers’ attacks consistently failed to cause any substantial damage to the Corpse Demon, and instead made it increasingly agitated, Lin Chuping no longer hid.

He removed his invisibility Spell, and his figure suddenly appeared before the Corpse Demon, separated by a thin layer of Formation.

They stared at each other.

“Finally not hiding anymore?”

The human face on the Corpse Demon’s chest sneered, but its voice suddenly became clear and pleasant—it was clearly Lin Chuping’s voice!

“Let me guess… are you worried about those ants?”

Lin Chuping’s heart trembled, but he didn’t show it: “Mimicking others’ speech is a sickness; it needs to be cured.”

“Mimic?”

The Corpse Demon suddenly tilted its head, as if it couldn’t hear what Lin Chuping was saying.

“I don’t need to learn; I only need to devour.”

“The things these ants have researched are quite useful.”

Lin Chuping’s eyes sharpened. He had still underestimated the Corpse Demon’s strength. At first, its behavior seemed like that of an extreme madman, and he thought it only had some semblance of sanity.

Now it seemed this thing was clear-headed, spoke coherently, and even had thoughts surpassing ordinary humans.

However, one must not lose face.

“Devour? With just that pile of rotten bones of yours?”

The Corpse Demon let out a piercing laugh, and the blood-colored runes on its bone armor suddenly lit up: “Young man, I know this Formation was made by you. If you remove this Formation, I will allow you to Cultivate behind me. How about it?”

Its tone was arrogant, as if Cultivating behind it was some great reward.

Lin Chuping scoffed upon hearing this: “Behind you? To be your mobile blood bank?”

The human face on the Corpse Demon’s chest suddenly twisted, revealing sharp fangs: “You don’t know what’s good for you!”

It suddenly raised its giant foot and stomped down heavily, bringing with it a foul wind.