335: Chapter 335 The Faceless Ferryman on the River of the Dead!

"Thump, thump, thump."

Dull thumping sounds echoed through the gray mist.

Every strike was like a heavy hammer, pounding against everyone's hearts.

The gray mist gradually dispersed, revealing a dilapidated stone village ahead.

At the village entrance stood a stone stele broken down the middle, with three large characters written in blood: "Yellow Springs Village."

Red liquid slowly dripped down the cracks of the stele, seeping into the parched black soil below and emitting a nauseating smell of blood.

Qin Xueji gripped the corner of Su Yang's coat tightly with both hands.

The houses in the village were all built from irregular black stones, their shapes incredibly eerie.

Every house lacked doors and windows, having only a pitch-black opening that resembled abyssal maws waiting to devour prey.

The streets were empty, paved with uneven gravel. The thick stench of rotting flesh permeated the surroundings.

"Everyone be careful, there's the breath of living things in the village. Furthermore, the Yin Qi is extremely heavy, as if this were a massive mass grave; even the air smells of bone ash."

Bai Li spoke up to warn them.

Chu Ling, her ice-blue gown fluttering, walked to Su Yang's right, her entire body radiating a chilling aura that warned the living to keep their distance.

Her gaze swept across the black stone houses on both sides. Suddenly, she raised her right hand, firing a deep blue ice arrow into a pitch-black opening on the left.

"Puchi!"

A muffled scream rang out.

A Ghoul covered in green pustules, crawling on all fours, was frozen into an ice sculpture. It tumbled out of the doorway, crashed heavily onto the gravel road, and shattered into a floor full of ice shards.

"Nothing but disgusting bugs hiding in the shadows," Chu Ling said coldly.

As they moved further down the street, the thumping sounds became clearer.

The group arrived at a small square in the very center of the village.

In the square sat a massive black iron anvil.

A burly man, at least three meters tall, stood with his back to them. He brandished a large iron hammer stained with black blood, striking a piece of glowing metal on the anvil with great force.

Looking closely, what lay on the anvil wasn't metal at all, but the remains of a human Cultivator!

The burly man was using the iron hammer to forcibly mash the remains into a pulp.

The man was shirtless, his body covered in crude surgical scars, his muscles bulging like hard blocks of rock.

Hearing the messy footsteps, the man stopped his movements and slowly turned around.

He had no eyes; his entire face consisted of nothing but a bloody maw filled with interlocking fangs.

Green slime dripped from the corners of his mouth onto the ground, producing a sizzling corrosive sound.

"Fresh flesh... it's been a long time since I've encountered outsiders!"

The man let out an indistinct roar, his voice sounding like a broken bellows being pulled, making one's eardrums ache.

He raised the large iron hammer and swung it directly at Su Yang, who was walking at the very front.

The hammer brought a howling gale, forcibly tearing the surrounding air and creating a piercing sonic boom.

"Ugly freak! Get away from my boss!"

Mary was furious. The black bat wings on her back flapped suddenly, and she transformed into a streak of black lightning, charging toward the large iron hammer.

Ten-centimeter-long blood-colored claws instantly grew from her fingers. Like ten sharp daggers, they clawed viciously at the man's chest.

“Clang!”

Sparks flew in all directions.

Mary's claws, which were sharp enough to slice through refined steel, only left a few white marks when they struck the man's skin.

The man's skin was as hard as iron, his defensive power astonishing.

"What thick skin!"

Mary cried out in surprise.

The man swung his thick left arm like a massive stone pillar, striking Mary squarely in the waist.

“Bang!”

Hit by the immense force, Mary's body flew back dozens of meters like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily into the wall of a black stone house.

A large crater was smashed into the wall, and rubble tumbled down.

"Mary!" A flash of frost flickered in Chu Ling's ice-blue eyes.

Her hands quickly formed seals, and a surge of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Chill burst forth.

The cold current was like a Frost Giant Dragon, roaring as it charged toward the man.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The man's massive body was instantly covered by a thick layer of blue ice, frozen into a crystal-clear ice sculpture.

"Frozen?" Qin Xueji breathed a sigh of relief, patting her full chest.

However, the words had barely left her mouth.

“Boom!”

Countless cracks appeared on the surface of the ice sculpture. A powerful force erupted from within the man's body, directly shattering the ice layer into a cloud of shards.

Not only was the man unharmed, but he also opened his bloody maw and bit down on the nearby black iron anvil.

With a few crunches, he actually chewed up and swallowed the multi-ton iron anvil.

After swallowing the anvil, a layer of pitch-black metallic luster surfaced on the man's body, and his size expanded by another circle, making him look like an unshakable steel demon god.

Wielding the large iron hammer, he charged at Su Yang once more.

"Stand down."

Su Yang's voice was cold, and he made no unnecessary movements.

The muscles in his right arm instantly bulged, and dazzling golden Pure Yang True Fire completely enveloped his fist.

Facing the falling iron hammer, Su Yang threw a punch with bold force.

The golden fist radiance was like a brilliant sun, carrying a high temperature that could incinerate everything as it slammed into the hammer.

Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted in the square.

The thousand-pound black iron hammer, upon contact with the Pure Yang True Fire, was like fine snow under a scorching sun, melting directly into glowing molten iron!

The fist radiance continued unabated, smashing into the man's chest with unstoppable force.

“Bang!”

The man's indestructible metallic Physical Body was like fragile tofu before Su Yang's Pure Yang iron fist. A hole that went straight through was instantly smashed into his chest.

Golden flames spread wildly from the wound.

"Ah—!"

The man let out a shrill scream, his massive body struggling violently within the flames.

In just a few seconds, he was burned into a pile of white ash that scattered with the wind.

Clink.

A bead emitting a faint green light dropped from the ashes onto the ground.

Su Yang stepped forward and reached out to pick up the bead.

The bead felt ice-cold in his hand, containing dense, frigid Yin energy within.

"A Corpse King Inner Core. A decent Material."

Mary flew back from the ruins while rubbing her waist, her face full of indignation: "That monster was like a steel plate; it made my hands ache. Boss, that punch was really satisfying!"

Su Yang glanced at her: "Be less lazy in your daily life and practice your strength more."

At the exact moment of the man's death.

The ground of Yellow Springs Village began to vibrate violently. The surrounding black stone houses collapsed one after another, kicking up clouds of dust.

In the very center of the square, a massive fissure over ten meters wide opened in the ground.

A thick, pungent smell of blood surged out from the depths of the fissure.

Everyone walked to the edge of the fissure and looked down.

They saw that beneath the fissure was a fast-flowing underground river.

The river water was an eerie dark yellow, with thick gray mist drifting over the surface.

Within the water, countless pale human faces could be seen struggling and wailing in agony.

Shrill ghostly cries rose through the crack, making one's scalp tingle.

"It's yellow spring water."

A serious look appeared in Bai Li's purple eyes.

"Rumor has it that yellow spring water can corrode all things; even if a Cultivator's Divine Soul falls in, it will instantly vanish into nothingness."

Su Yang stared at the dark yellow water below, his expression calm.

"Since the path is below, we must cross."

He was just about to take the lead and jump down.

Splash!

The dark yellow river water suddenly churned, throwing up turbid waves over ten meters high.

A tattered black wooden boat slowly rowed out from the thick gray mist, stopping on the river surface directly beneath the crack.

Standing on the bow of the wooden boat was a figure wearing tattered straw rain gear.

This person wore a large, broken straw hat that completely concealed their face.

In their hands was a long black bamboo pole, braced against the riverbed.

"To cross the river... one must pay the Toll..."

A hoarse, dry voice came from beneath the straw hat, sounding like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, echoing in the hollow underground space.

Qin Xueji was so frightened that she gripped Su Yang's arm firmly, her nails almost sinking into his clothes.

Mary flew into mid-air and shouted angrily, "You ugly thing playing tricks! This Young Miss never pays to cross! What Toll do you want?"

The ferryman slowly raised his head.

Beneath the straw hat, there were no facial features! Only a patch of smooth, grayish-white skin!

"The Yang Qi of the living... the essence blood of women... each must surrender half their Lifespan before they may board the boat."

The Faceless Ferryman let out a hair-raising laugh.

Su Yang's gaze turned cold.

Without any hesitation, a cluster of brilliant golden Pure Yang True Fire ignited in his right hand. He aimed at the black wooden boat below and slammed his palm down.

The massive golden palm of fire was like a falling meteor, carrying the power to destroy everything as it headed straight for the ferryman.

"You want Yang Qi? I'll give you more than enough!"