One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Chapter 220 First Encounter with the Monster

The roar, a tangible sonic wave mixed with blood, decay, and blasphemous intent, shattered the thick, sticky air of the border night! The abandoned bamboo house groaned and trembled under the force of the sound, its already dilapidated structure creaking under the strain, teetering on the verge of collapse. The newly formed cracks in the ground outside the house, emitting a faint, dark red glow, seemed to be infused with an evil life, slowly writhing and extending, as if something underground was greedily breathing and peering into the earth along these cracks.

The team of Yan Ben's men, dressed in combat uniforms and initially exuding an imposing aura, were now completely thrown into disarray. Though fierce, they had never witnessed such a bizarre and terrifying sight. The madness and malice contained in that roar, striking straight to the soul, instantly sent chills down their spines, chilled their limbs, and made their weapons tremble slightly. They dared not advance, and instead instinctively retreated, completely exposing the white-coated man, who was already paralyzed with fear, clutching the silver box and trembling, to the forefront of danger.

As soon as Nie Lingfeng roared, the dark golden power within him surged like a volcano awakened! He did not attack immediately; his gaze, sharp as lightning, pierced through the dim light and the pervasive dust, locking onto the enormous black shadow inside the bamboo building that slowly turned around, revealing its true form.

That thing… could hardly be described as a “living being.” It barely maintained a human-like, upright-walking silhouette, but it was over two and a half meters tall. Its entire body was covered in a rough, dark red “skin,” as if peeled or corroded by concentrated sulfuric acid, constantly oozing thick, yellowish-brown pus. The skin's surface was covered with crisscrossing, raised black veins, like tree roots or blood vessels, which throbbed with its breath and rage, emitting an ominous, dark red glow. Its head was abnormally swollen, almost as wide as its shoulders, its features distorted and blurred, except for a gigantic mouth split to its ears, filled with interlocking fangs, and a single, upright eye in the center of its brow, constantly rotating and flashing a chaotic, crazed red light! Its arms were unusually long, ending in scythe-like, serrated bone blades that gleamed with a cold metallic glint. Its lower limbs were short and thick, but its feet were enormous, with five fingers like iron hooks, digging deeply into the ground.

Most bizarrely, deeply embedded in its chest was a fist-sized, pulsating, dark green object that resembled some kind of biological crystallization, emanating an even stronger evil aura! The shape of that object was vaguely similar to the black resin that Azanki had given him, which was now slightly warming in Nie Lingfeng's arms, but their auras were completely opposite—one was for exorcising evil, and the other was... the source of evil!

Is it something that escaped from the "Namu Cave"? Or is it a human that mutated after being "contaminated" or "catalyzed" by that dark green crystal? Or perhaps... some kind of man-made monster that has fused with the power of "something underground"?

In an instant, Nie Lingfeng's mind flashed back to the contaminated "samples" at the Yaoxing Society's base, and the "seeding" and "cultivation" that the "Council" might have been carrying out. This thing before him shared similarities with those "samples," but was more "complete," more "powerful," and more aggressive! Could the incident in Mengla Town truly be one of the "Council's" or its lackeys' "experimental fields"? Was this dark green crystal the "seed" or the "catalyst"?

"roar--!!!"

The one-eyed monster roared again, its upright, wildly spinning eye fixed on the tree where Nie Lingfeng was hiding, or more precisely, on the piece of black resin in his arms that exuded an aura that it both loathed and craved (destruction)! It seemed to be able to sense the power contained in the resin that restrained it, which aroused its even deeper rage and destructive desire!

"Bang!"

The monster's thick lower limbs slammed into the ground, shattering several stone slabs. Its massive body displayed astonishing speed disproportionate to its size, charging like a cannonball, carrying a stench and a foul stench, towards the tree where Nie Lingfeng was hiding! The bone blades on its arms tore through the air, accompanied by a piercing shriek, slashing at the tree trunk from left and right! It seemed intent on severing both man and tree in one fell swoop!

We can't hide it anymore!

A sudden burst of dark golden light flashed in Nie Lingfeng's eyes! He no longer suppressed his aura, and the immense power within him, fused with the three divine artifacts, erupted with a thunderous roar! A majestic, awe-inspiring, and scorching aura, carrying the terrifying power to purify all evil spirits, spread outward from him like an invisible shockwave!

"Buzz—!"

The one-eyed monster, halfway through its charge, suddenly stopped! Its wildly spinning eye was instantly pierced and violently contracted by the scorching, holy aura emanating from Nie Lingfeng, as intense as the blazing sun! It let out a roar mixed with pain, horror, and even more fury, its momentum slowing down. The bone blades on its arms instinctively returned to protect its body, as if instinctively resisting the pressure of some natural enemy!

The group of Yan Ben's men under the tree, along with the man in the white coat, were completely overwhelmed by the sudden, terrifying pressure that far exceeded their comprehension. They were thrown off balance, as if struck in the chest by an invisible hammer. They all groaned, their faces turning deathly pale, and staggered backward. Some even collapsed to the ground, their legs giving way. Looking at the "herbal medicine merchant" in the tree who had suddenly unleashed a godlike, demonic aura, their eyes were filled with boundless fear and bewilderment—this was the herbal medicine merchant who had come to find their brother?!

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Nie Lingfeng made his move.

He no longer hid. His toes lightly touched the thick branches, and his body, as light as a feather yet as fast as lightning, emerged from the treetops, diving down to meet the one-eyed monster whose movements were slowed by the oppressive force! He didn't draw his sword. Against this monster, which was highly corrupted by evil energy, the purifying properties of the Qilin True Fire and the power of fusion were more effective than the sharpness of the Snow Drinking Blade!

"You wicked creature! Prepare to die!"

A chilling shout boomed like thunder! Nie Lingfeng swooped down, his right hand forming a sword-like gesture. A tiny, condensed, rice-grain-sized, yet seemingly imbued with the power to scorch the heavens and boil the seas, dark golden flame suddenly ignited at his fingertip! Though small, the flame caused the surrounding air temperature to soar the instant it appeared, even slightly distorting space itself. The evil aura and stench of pus emanating from the monster seemed to have met their match, instantly being burned and purified, emitting a hissing sound!

"The Threefold Return to Origin Qi - Pure Yang Finger!"

The Pure Yang Finger Force, infused with the domineering and purifying power of the Qilin True Fire, struck like a dark golden meteor streaking across the night sky, arriving before the monster and precisely targeting its wildly spinning single eye between its brows! This seemingly simple finger strike contained Nie Lingfeng's meticulous control over power, his understanding of the martial art of "breaking through the surface," and his absolute will to purify evil spirits!

"roar--!!!"

Sensing a deadly threat, the one-eyed monster unleashed an even more frenzied red light from its single eye. The dark green crystal on its chest pulsated rapidly, surging forth large amounts of dark green energy filled with an ominous aura, attempting to strengthen its defense and counterattack! Its pair of bone blades abandoned their slashing attacks, crossing over to defend itself, blocking in front of its brow. At the same time, it opened its massive maw filled with fangs, spewing out a corrosive breath, a mixture of foul-smelling slime and dark red energy, like a high-pressure water jet, towards Nie Lingfeng in mid-air!

However, in the face of absolute power and attribute restraint, all such resistance appears pale and laughable.

"laugh--!"

The dark golden pure Yang finger force, like a red-hot steel needle piercing through rotting leather, easily penetrated the pair of seemingly hard, crossed bone blades! The moment the bone blades made contact with the finger force, they were like ice meeting the scorching sun, quickly turning black, becoming brittle, and then shattering inch by inch! The finger force continued its momentum, and amidst the monster's terrified roars and its one eye flashing wildly, it precisely struck the very center of the chaotic, upright eye between its brows!

"puff--!"

A soft sound, like popping a balloon filled with pus and blood.

The monster's single, crazed red eye between its brows dimmed, went out, and then vanished completely, as if wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving only a charred, bottomless hole. At the edge of the hole, dark golden flames, like maggots clinging to a bone, spread rapidly, scorching the surrounding evil flesh and energy!

"Aaaaaahh ...

The monster let out the most piercing and agonizing scream of its life! Its massive body convulsed and spasmed violently, as if its bones had been removed. The dark red skin and black veins on its surface rapidly turned charred, carbonized, and disintegrated under the scorching of the dark gold flames! The dark green crystal on its chest seemed to struggle, throbbing even more violently and emitting an even more intense, evil green light in an attempt to resist the invading flames. But it only lasted for less than half a second before, under the even more intense and pure Qilin True Fire, it let out a faint, mournful cry like shattering glass. The light suddenly dimmed, and countless fine cracks appeared on its surface!

Having landed a successful blow, Nie Lingfeng nimbly landed several meters in front of the monster, coldly watching it struggle frantically in the dark golden flames and rapidly march towards destruction. He didn't finish it off; the monster's life core (the dark green crystal) had been severely damaged, and the evil energy within its body was being rapidly purified by the Qilin True Fire. Its demise was only a matter of time.