In the inner courtyard, several more Painted Skin Slave disciples transformed into twisted, deformed monsters.
Their massive bodies directly tore through the roofs as they hissed and lunged at Chen Ning with snapping jaws.
However, Chen Ning’s figure vanished in a flash, already leaping into the air.
Under the moonlight, the pitch-black blade of the Noble Scholar's Sword reflected the bright, clear light.
With a single sweep of the sword, the two colossal creatures crashed to the ground.
As if sensing the crisis, more and more Painted Skin Slaves began to undergo mutation.
But Chen Ning’s speed was too fast; he decapitated head after head before their bodies could complete the transformation.
[Slew one Painted Skin Slave, obtained 2 Noble Qi]
[Slew one Painted Skin Slave in mid-mutation, obtained 4 Noble Qi]
Killing his way to this point was no different from slicing vegetables for Chen Ning.
But the moment he stepped into the inner hall, two chains shot out from the wall to his right without warning, lunging toward him to bind him.
Chen Ning shifted slightly to the left, easily dodging the chains.
But in the next second, over a dozen chains erupted from the floor, the roof, and even the tables and chairs within the inner hall, completely sealing off the entire space.
“Someone set an ambush here long ago.”
Chen Ning frowned slightly.
“I originally thought you were something impressive, but it turns out you’re only at this level.”
A middle-aged Daoist with a goatee stepped out from the shadows. Looking at Chen Ning, who was trapped by the chains, a smug expression rose on his face.
This middle-aged Daoist was none other than the Grand Elder of the Yu Ding Sect, Li Shi.
“Human form? All the disciples in the Yu Ding Sect have turned into monsters. Why are you the only one still in human form?” Chen Ning asked with interest.
“Why? Naturally, it is because I am so strong that I have no need to turn into a monster to send all of you on your way.”
A hint of coldness flashed in Li Shi’s eyes.
“As expected, you’re just a small character who hasn’t seen the world. You possess nothing but brute strength and have no idea how to use it. In a battle between practitioners, a single small mistake is enough to end your life. From the moment you were bound by the Soul-Suppressing Chains, your death was already set in stone!”
As he spoke, he curled his finger, and the Soul-Suppressing Chains tightened continuously.
“Is that so? But are you so sure that a few measly chains can trap me?”
The faint laughter that suddenly reached his ears made Li Shi freeze.
But soon, a look of disdain appeared on his face.
The Soul-Suppressing Chains were no ordinary chains. How could they be so easily broken—
“How is this possible!”
Li Shi suddenly turned pale with shock.
A faint golden glow emerged around Chen Ning’s body. As he slowly raised both arms, the four chains binding his body began to vibrate violently.
How exactly was he doing this?!
One had to know that the Soul-Suppressing Chains did not bind the physical body, but directly suppressed the soul!
“Whether you suppress the soul or the body doesn’t matter. As long as one’s strength is great enough, can’t one break all techniques with pure force?” Chen Ning sneered.
As the Merit Protection fully integrated into his body, his strength surged exponentially.
The four Soul-Suppressing Chains trembled incessantly, reaching their absolute limit, no longer able to withstand this terrifying force.
“Break!”
Chen Ning’s blood and qi surged, and his entire strength erupted completely at that moment.
Bang!
The four chains snapped instantly.
Using the residual force, Chen Ning’s figure also shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
“Roar!”
Several monsters transformed from Painted Skin Slaves hissed and lunged, trying to stop him.
But the Purple Qi protecting him had already condensed into a sword ahead of him, piercing through the air.
The Painted Skin Slaves were instantly skewered by the Purple Qi, and in the blink of an eye, Chen Ning had stepped in front of Li Shi.
“So fast!”
Li Shi’s eyes widened in shock.
“Sprinkling Beans to Form Soldiers!”
With no time to react, he could only frantically throw out two soybeans, and the summoned Yellow Turban Strongmen blocked the path before him.
These two Yellow Turban Strongmen had faces like red jade and beards like black silk. They stood over a zhang tall and possessed a thousand jin of strength.
Their powerful aura was far beyond what an ordinary disciple could summon.
“Yellow-mouthed brat, do not harm our master!” the two Yellow Turban Strongmen roared, their massive hammers whistling through the air.
“You think these things can stop me?”
A Blue Lotus bloomed beneath Chen Ning’s feet. Though the petals appeared elegant and serene, the sword intent contained within was like the Nine Heavens pouring down, vast and majestic.
The terrifying sword intent scattered in all directions, swallowing both Yellow Turban Strongmen.
Boom!
Amidst the massive sound, several sword scars over ten meters long were carved into the ground, and the bodies of the two Yellow Turban Strongmen were instantly pierced through.
“Lord, we have failed you...”
The bodies of the Yellow Turban Strongmen crashed to the ground, and simultaneously, Li Shi’s head went flying.
The head rolled several times on the ground, seemingly unable to understand how that single sword strike could be so terrifying.
[Slew two Yellow Turban Strongmen, obtained 6 Noble Qi]
The power of this strike had even exceeded Chen Ning’s expectations.
He hadn't expected the power of the Poem and Wine Sword Art to surge so much after reaching Great Perfection. And this was just a single strike using fifty percent of his strength.
If he had used a full-power strike, the entire building would likely have been leveled to the ground just now!
However...
Chen Ning keenly sensed something strange.
Why had he only received the reward for slaying the Yellow Turban Strongmen, but saw no reward for slaying the Painted Skin Ghost?
Could the system have made a mistake and forgotten to calculate it?
But ever since obtaining the system, Chen Ning had never seen it malfunction, and he didn’t think the system would have an issue now.
Just then, Jingkong led his men into the inner hall.
Looking at the decapitated Li Shi, he said in surprise, “So fast. I didn’t expect the most troublesome Grand Elder of the Yu Ding Sect to have already died at Brother Chen’s hands.”
“Yeah. How is it on your side?” Chen Ning asked.
“Master has already led the men to block all exits. Almost all the Painted Skin Slaves in the Yu Ding Sect have been rounded up and eliminated. But... for some reason, we haven't found any trace of the Painted Skin Ghost.”
Jingkong frowned slightly, looking somewhat confused. “Strange. With Master guarding the exits, no one should have been able to escape. Could it be that the Painted Skin Ghost’s true form isn’t in the Yu Ding Sect?”
“Don’t worry, its true form is in the Yu Ding Sect. And perhaps, it’s right beside us.” After a moment of thought, Chen Ning suddenly smiled faintly.
“Stop pretending. You aren’t dead yet, are you?” He looked coldly at Li Shi’s head on the ground.
But the head remained motionless, seemingly devoid of consciousness.
“Still want to keep pretending? Fine, then I’ll give you a hand and let you pretend forever.”
Seeing this, the corners of Chen Ning’s mouth curled up, and he drew his sword, walking toward Li Shi’s head.
“Your vitality seems quite resilient. I wonder how many pieces I should cut you into? Four? Six? Forget it, I might as well just mince you into meat.”
“Hacking at a dead man's corpse... are you a devil?!”
Li Shi’s head suddenly opened its eyes and spoke with great fury.
After rolling several times, the head actually managed to roll itself away to a distance.
“I should have completely hidden my aura. How exactly was I discovered? Is it some kind of ocular technique treasure you have on you? Whatever. In any case, once I kill you, all of those will be mine!”
A sinister smile rose on the Painted Skin Ghost’s face.
Clearly, Li Shi’s current skin was where its true form resided.
Although it still preferred the soft, beautiful skin of women over men, who could blame it when this body was the strongest in the entire Yu Ding Sect?
Once it killed this kid, it would take his maidservant’s skin for its own!
That was the most satisfactory skin it had seen to date!
“Originally you had a chance to keep your life, but since you are seeking death, you can’t blame me!”
The Painted Skin Ghost’s laughter suddenly became coarse.
Since it couldn't keep up the act, there was no need to pretend anymore. In any case, it didn’t believe anyone in a small place like Wu'an City could do anything to it!
At some point, a layer of gloom had covered the sky, and even the only moonlight was obscured by dark clouds.
With the Painted Skin Ghost as the center, a gust of chilly wind suddenly swept up, filled with the sounds of countless specters’ miserable wails.
They were suffering and screaming, yet they were completely unable to escape that cold vortex.
At the same time, all the Painted Skin Slaves in the Yu Ding Sect were disemboweled, and the flesh and limbs within them surged toward the center of the vortex.
Those limbs were pieced together without any order, transforming into a bizarre and grotesque body.
Its appearance was chaotic and distorted, making it impossible to even distinguish the limbs from the torso.
But even so, the eerie pressure it radiated made all the monks of Mingji Temple unable to stop themselves from trembling.
“No wonder there are rumors of Painted Skin Ghosts devouring an entire city or even turning a whole country into a ghost city. What kind of monster is this?!”
Jingkong’s face turned pale, and for a moment, he couldn't imagine how to deal with such a bizarre thing.
But when he turned his head, he found that Chen Ning was merely watching the colossal creature calmly.
Far from showing any fear, he actually seemed slightly excited.
“It’s just a bit ugly. What’s there to be afraid of? Besides, a Painted Skin Ghost this big should at least be able to withstand a few of my strikes, right?”
Due to the power of the Poem and Wine Sword Art, Chen Ning had never been able to exert his full strength. But this time, he could finally slash to his heart's content!
Noticing Chen Ning’s gaze, the Painted Skin Ghost suddenly felt a chill throughout its body.
Its body was at least dozens of times larger than his, but why did it feel like he wasn't afraid at all? Instead, that look in his eyes was like the excited gaze of a predator looking at its prey!
“What is with this human?!”
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