The Best Sacrificial Offering

"Stab it! Stab into the gaps! Don't hack at it!" Liang Qu roared, pinning the mountain ghost with all his might. The mountain ghost was not entirely without weaknesses; its formidable defense came entirely from skin that was wrinkled and cracked like tree bark! Skin so rigid was ill-suited for movement, which was why it had formed fissures like rough bark to allow room for articulation—and that was its greatest weakness! Hearing his cry, Li Libo and Chen Jiechang switched from hacking to thrusting. The bleeding knives were long, narrow, and sharp, well suited for stabbing. Their two months of training at the martial hall had not been in vain; their qi was as thick as chopsticks, making their strength far greater than an average adult's, even more so when fighting for their lives. In an instant, the pointed blades sank halfway in! The Tianshui centipede's venom had only made the mountain ghost uneasy, but now, pierced by the sharp blades, the searing pain drove it into a desperate struggle. Liang Qu could no longer hold it fast; his hands felt as if they would tear apart, forcing him to release the mountain ghost's left arm. Seeing this, Li Libo reached out in an attempt to help pin it down. With a sweep of its left arm, the mountain ghost sent him flying several meters. His back slammed heavily onto the ground, and he rolled several meters more. The villagers huddled behind cried out in terror. The stench of blood and foulness carried by the river wind stung their nostrils, forcing them to retreat and huddle even closer together. No one dared run away, terrified that fleeing blindly would make them a target for the mountain ghost. They shoved frantically toward the center of the crowd like ants fleeing a fire, desperate to lose themselves among the mass. Li Libo coughed up a mouthful of blood as he lay on the ground, his vision spinning so badly he nearly blacked out. Clutching his chest, he forced his eyes open and gazed at Liang Qu, who held the mountain ghost locked in his embrace by sheer strength alone, awestruck. They had entered the martial hall on the very same day—how could the gap between them be so vast? Seeing the mountain ghost swat Li Libo away with a single blow, Chen Jiechang's pupils constricted. He dared not step in any closer. Realizing his blade wouldn't plunge any deeper by hand, he let go, stepped back, and slammed his heel against the pommel. Driven along the gap in the creature's skin, the entire knife punched straight through from back to chest, the tip nearly jutting out! Good! Liang Qu was overjoyed, but immediately the mountain ghost thrashed even more violently in his grasp. The mountain ghost howled, a piercing shriek tearing from its withered throat. Its sharp claws dug into Liang Qu's right arm, and it bared a maw of fangs, snapping toward his neck. Liang Qu had no time to dodge. With nowhere to hide, he could only wrench his head back with all his might to protect his neck. Agony shot through his shoulder. Even through his cloak, the creature's fangs sank deep into flesh, biting down hard enough to crack bone. Yet Liang Qu still dared not let go! He could not let the mountain ghost touch the ground; once it gained leverage, it could easily tear his entire arm from his body. The Tianshui centipede's toxin had yet to take full effect. Li Libo tried to get up, but the pain in his chest was excruciating, his bones feeling as if they had shattered. Chen Jiechang had put everything into that kick, throwing himself onto the ground in the process, and had not yet managed to scramble to his feet. Amid the crowd, Chen Qingjiang brandished a walking stick from who-knew-where high above his head, only to be shoved back by surge after surge of terrified people. The villagers screamed and jostled. No one could come to his rescue; any chance of survival had to be fought for with his own two hands! His will blazed like an inferno. Liang Qu locked his arms tight around the mountain ghost, a tremendous surge of strength welling up within him. Lowering his head with a savage snarl, he clamped his jaws onto the mountain ghost's neck like a wild beast! Like two pythons fighting over prey, neither was willing to release their grip before the feast. Blood seeped through the cracks between his teeth and into his gums, filling his mouth with a thick, foul reek. A demonic rasp of laughter rumbled in Liang Qu's throat. He stepped back, the muscles of his thigh tightening like coiled steel cables, and drove his knee upward in a vicious strike directly into the mountain ghost's abdomen! Overwhelming violence ripped through the creature's frame, its bones popping and cracking. It wasn't over yet! Liang Qu kicked off the ground with explosive force, slamming the mountain ghost down against the flagstones in front of him! The bluestone pavers collided with the hilt embedded in the mountain ghost's back and shattered into pieces, but the impact rammed the blade forward—from blade to hilt, most of it was driven straight through, the tip bursting out from the creature's chest and sinking a fraction into Liang Qu's own chest. The thick hilt inflicted a devastating through-and-through wound. The mountain ghost's strength abruptly drained away, and its jaws released Liang Qu's shoulder. Liang Qu shoved the beast away, using the momentum to push himself up and stagger back. He dared not touch his shoulder, terrified his fingers would find a mess of shattered bone. After the initial shock of agony, he felt little pain now; the surging rush of adrenaline suppressed everything. On the ground, Li Libo and Chen Jiechang stared in dumbfounded awe. For a moment, the villagers forgot to scream, completely stunned. Pain drove the mountain ghost to thrash violently across the ground, its flailing elbows smashing stone pavers to dust. Black gore poured out. Liang Qu panted, trying to manipulate the blood to make it gush faster, but to no avail. Whether Senior Brother Hu, Senior Brother Xiang, or the mountain ghost before him, it seemed that anyone possessing a certain level of strength treated their own body as an inviolable domain. Another's authority could not take effect within it unless backed by crushing might capable of forcing its way in! A cornered beast still fights. With the mountain ghost driven mad and his blood control ineffective, Liang Qu dared not press forward; instead, he picked up the other knife Li Libo had dropped and backed away. Unable to scramble to their feet in time, Li Libo and Chen Jiechang crawled frantically in the opposite direction. The mountain ghost stumbled backward, clawing at its own back in an attempt to pull out the knife. But it could not reach the hilt behind it, and pulling the entire weapon forward through its chest along with the hilt was completely out of the question. Intense pain spurred its nerves. The mountain ghost abruptly sprang from the ground, sending a chill through Liang Qu's heart. He saw a dark blur flash forward, a gust of foul wind hitting his face, and knew the creature was already right upon him. Gasps of horror rose from the villagers. As they watched the standing black-robed figure get tackled down, the courage they had just begun to rebuild seemed to collapse entirely, their spirits plummeting. Yet when the dark silhouette struck the ground, Liang Qu's back was revealed standing elsewhere. What the mountain ghost had pounced upon was merely a cloak. At the critical juncture, Liang Qu had suddenly dropped into a crouch, allowing the loose cloak to slide off him effortlessly. Catching a corner of the cloak as it brushed past in midair, he spun around. Like a black wave, the cloak whipped the ensnared mountain ghost off and flung it aside before settling back over his shoulders. Before the mountain ghost could comprehend what had happened, it crashed to the ground, the knife in its back churning the wound even deeper. Circulating through its veins, the Tianshui centipede's venom had also finally taken full effect, paralyzing the beast's entire body. Its reversed feet scrambled against the ground, yet it was like standing on ice, slipping and sliding helplessly. Chen Jiechang, in relatively better condition, crawled over to Li Libo, pulled Li Libo's arm over his shoulder to help him up, and hobbled over to Liang Qu, supporting him as well. Liang Qu was badly injured and thoroughly exhausted; in truth, he could barely remain standing. In front of the courtyard houses and within the alleys, the compressed crowd began to expand slightly. The three stood together, all panting heavily, watching as the mountain ghost's movements grew weaker and weaker until it finally lay flat on the ground, lifeless and silent. "Is it dead?" Li Libo turned to look at Liang Qu. Liang Qu shook his head. "Wait a bit longer." A long quarter-hour passed. Just as Li Libo was convinced the creature was truly dead, the mountain ghost sprawled on the ground suddenly raised its head. Letting out a gruesome whimper, its two withered arms clawed at the ground, dragging itself toward Liang Qu inch by inch. The blade protruding from its chest scraped against the flagstones, producing an ear-grating screech. Terror seized everyone, and the loosening crowd recoiled in fear once more. Only Liang Qu stood motionless, which kept Chen Jiechang and Li Libo frozen beside him. With their hearts in their throats, the two watched helplessly as the mountain ghost dragged a long streak of black blood behind it until it reached Liang Qu's feet, where it drew its final breath and went completely still. Cold sweat dripped from Li Libo's brow. He swallowed hard. "Is it really dead this time?" A mountain ghost—a monster capable of slaughtering two-hurdle martial practitioners—had actually been killed by them? Even if it hadn't seemed quite as terrifyingly strong as rumored, it was still a mountain ghost! The villagers were even more incredulous, their gazes filled with awe and reverence. Hiding in an alley, the three Wang brothers felt their gall bladders shatter in terror as Liang Qu's gaze swept past; they wished they could shrink into the cracks between the paving stones. Liang Qu stared at the mountain ghost for a long time. Then he raised his head, taking in the shaken, frightened gazes of the villagers and the empty sacrificial altar. Slipping his arm off Chen Jiechang's shoulder, he pressed one knee onto the mountain ghost's neck. Gripping the pointed knife, he worked along the fissures in its hide, severing the head bit by bit as a wide pool of blood spread across the stone flags. His aura was savage and intimidating, striking dread into all who looked upon him. Standing right beside him, the other two felt a chill run through their teeth. Once the mountain ghost's head was severed completely, Liang Qu seized it in one hand, turned toward the thousands of villagers, and held it high. "A mountain ghost! The best sacrificial offering for the river god!"