parentshiftbook Chapter 57: I am the Turtle Prime Minister under the Demon Lord—
Chapter 57: I am the Turtle Prime Minister under the Demon Lord—
"What's going on?!" The river water suddenly surged up without warning, Mao Xiangrong's body swayed, and the boat beneath his feet was hit by a huge force and tilted violently to the right.
"Stop!" he shouted, slamming his right foot down on the deck, his surging blood and qi instantly stabilizing the ship.
A quick glance around revealed that most of the disciples had fallen into the water and were struggling!
These disciples were the foundation upon which he returned to the capital!
"All disciples, board the nearest ship!" Mao Xiangrong roared, unleashing a flurry of blood-red grappling hooks that tore apart the onrushing water ghosts. Seeing this, the disciples who had fallen into the water hurriedly rushed towards the nearby merchant ships. Two of their own ships, whose hulls had been breached in the earlier collision, were rapidly taking on water, and their crews urgently needed to be evacuated.
However, the changes at Ghost Cloud Mountain meant that the team did not have enough Ghost Stones. Every merchant ship was packed to the brim, and there was no room for anyone from the Heavenly Martial Arts School.
Mao Xiangrong's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and without saying a word, his blood-red giant claw swept over the heads of the merchants!
"If you don't want to die, you'd better move!"
As the wind swept past, the merchants fell silent, frozen in place, too afraid to move. Taking advantage of the situation, the disciples of Tianxing Martial Arts School forcibly boarded the ship, pushing the "unnecessary" people into the water.
The next moment, a chilling blade of light pierced the water's surface and hurtled straight towards us!
Mao Xiangrong's hair stood on end, and he hurriedly turned around to parry with his claws!
Boom! The blade flashed and shattered, along with the load beneath his feet!
The disciples on the boat screamed and fell into the water, but one meat-refining disciple reacted extremely quickly, barely managing to leap to another boat by lightly touching the water with his toes.
"You're asking for death!" Mao Xiangrong roared, shaking his numb arms as he stared incredulously at the figure wielding a knife in the mist a hundred meters away.
It was Zhang Ping!
This kid actually dares to attack a martial artist specializing in dirty techniques? Does he really think he's made of paper?
"Give me your life!" Mao Xiangrong leaped up, his blood surging, and a ten-meter-long giant claw materialized in front of him! He repeatedly touched the water with his toes, splashing up large sprays of water. Water ghosts along the way were instantly destroyed upon contact, and ships blocking his path were directly smashed away!
The ships watching from afar were so frightened that they rowed frantically to avoid it.
Zhang Ping stood calmly in the mist, his hands behind his back gazing into the distance, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.
Mao Xiangrong used the water to propel himself up again. Just as he rose, a cold, large hand suddenly emerged from the water and grabbed his ankle, pulling him down!
"What?!" The change happened so fast that he had no time to react, and his lower body was instantly submerged in the water!
In desperation, he roared and slammed his blood-red giant claw down into the water!
Boom!
The violent force whipped up a five-meter-high wave, which crashed violently against several nearby boats carrying disciples of the Sitong Martial Arts School. The people on board turned pale, thinking the boats were about to capsize.
Strangely, after the wave rose high, it subsided silently!
"Impossible!" Mao Xiangrong's pupils shrank suddenly.
In just one day, strange things began to happen one after another. He suddenly looked up, staring intently at the figure at the bow of the ship. Was it him?!
In less than a year, he entered the realm of meat refining, mastered the swordsmanship, and with all sorts of strange occurrences... this kid must have a huge secret!
The moment the thought of greed arose, a blade of light capable of swallowing up light slashed straight at him!
"Radiance!"
Zhang Ping made a move!
He stepped out of the water, his body as steady as a mountain, yet his speed was astonishing! It was as if the entire river was propelling him forward, rather than him treading on water!
He wasn't using a real ghost blade, but a simplified version that incorporated the essence of the Sitong Martial Arts School's swordsmanship, powered by ordinary blood and qi. While its power wasn't as great as the original, it far surpassed ordinary sword techniques!
The blade was sharp and fierce. Mao Xiangrong instinctively wanted to dodge, but the strange pulling sensation under his feet came again!
His body froze!
puff!
Blood spurted out! The left arm was severed at the shoulder!
"Ah—!" The excruciating pain contorted Mao Xiangrong's face. He was sent flying backwards for over ten meters, staring in terror at Zhang Ping as he approached, his lips trembling.
"Zhang Ping! Stop! It was all a misunderstanding before, let's talk this out! I'm willing to hand over all of Tianxing Martial Arts School's properties in the prefectural city!"
Before he could finish speaking, another blade of light tore through the air and slashed down!
Mao Xiangrong was terrified and could only dodge, but that damned big hand grabbed him tightly for the third time!
Again!
A bone-chilling cold instantly swept through his body. What on earth was that underwater? How could it cooperate so well with Zhang Ping?!
A blade flashed overhead! He was trapped in a desperate situation! Madness flashed in Mao Xiangrong's eyes. With no way out, he roared and squeezed out all the blood and energy in his body to fight a desperate attack!
"Zhang Ping! You want me dead? Then let's go together!!"
"Great Heavenly Blood Claw!"
His body visibly shriveled up, and his cheeks instantly caved in, becoming skeletal! A terrifying, half-meter-long, deep red, almost black blood claw materialized on his chest!
However, just as the blood claws were about to pounce—
puff!
A cold longsword, gleaming with the unique dark light of the Ghost River, pierced his back without warning, penetrating his left chest!
"Uh..." Mao Xiangrong trembled violently.
The deadly blood claws that had gathered on his chest suddenly dissipated.
He lowered his head in disbelief, staring intently at the sword tip protruding from his chest. Wisps of mist were seeping from the blood-stained, dark blade, barely perceptible.
"So... it was you... who controlled the water..."
Zhang Ping's figure appeared ghost-like before him. The powerful vitality of the Refined Martial Artist kept Mao Xiangrong alive for the time being. He forced a miserable smile, full of self-mockery.
"You... if you had told me you were this strong earlier... I wouldn't have been so greedy..."
Zhang Ping chuckled, and with a flick of his arm, the long knife precisely pierced the opponent's throat, twisting and turning.
Fresh blood gushed out like a spring.
A strange, deathly still body of water lay around them, with boats keeping their distance and thick fog obscuring the bloody scene. Only the greedy water ghosts below frantically devoured the blood spilled by Mao Xiangrong.
"It has nothing to do with greed," Zhang Ping said softly, looking down at the corpse being torn apart by the water ghost. "I just wanted what was yours."
He flicked the blood off his knife, quickly pulled out a heavy little bag, and squeezed it; inside were the outlines of several keys. He then slipped back to his own boat, and the restless water ghosts scattered in all directions.
Fu Huiying seemed oblivious to the bloodshed that had just occurred, turning to the disciples steer the boat and scolding, "Open your eyes and see! When you're strong enough, even water ghosts will avoid you! You who joined the sect earlier, have you lived up to your master's expectations?"
"Master's wife is right!" The disciples turned pale and hurriedly lowered their heads. Master's wife was a mortal, but Zhang Ping was clearly a living Yama.
"Madam, I hope I didn't startle you?" Zhang Ping stepped forward quickly and carefully examined Fu Huiying.
"It's alright." Fu Huiying smiled gently and reached out to straighten his collar, which had been disheveled during the fierce battle. Several disciples nearby quickly averted their gaze, wishing they could bury their heads in their crotches.
The mist over the river grew thicker and more viscous as the water ghosts moved, making it difficult for ordinary martial artists to see far. But this did not deter Zhang Ping.
His eyes narrowed slightly: "Dispel illusion."
The keen insight granted by the perfected Eagle Eye Mark pierced through the thick fog. After the initial chaos, most of the river-crossing team had regained their composure. Though the water demons were ferocious, they only knew how to harm people, not how to damage the boats themselves.
Chu Han leaped and moved between the various boats, leaving behind a trail of water ghost remains that fell into the river. The merchant ships, laden with cargo, suffered heavy losses, losing both their people and goods.
Zhang Ping had no time to spare. He reached out and summoned the corpse of a water ghost, then focused intently on examining it through the control panel.
[Demon - Water Ghost] [Water Arrow]
[Water rocket: Compresses and ejects water from the abdomen, causing minor injury.]
Chicken ribs.
Just as he was about to discard it, his peripheral vision inadvertently glanced downstream.
At the downstream end of the Ghost River, an endless expanse of pitch-black clouds, swirling with thick, impenetrable fog, was flowing upstream.
Dark clouds filled the entire river channel, making the towering cliffs on both sides appear cramped and oppressive!
"What is that?" Zhang Ping's expression changed drastically. He finally understood what the owl-shaped beast tattoo on his forehead, which hadn't cooled down, was warning him about.
It's not those water ghosts at all!
"Quick! Go all out! Speed up and cross the river!" he yelled at the people on the boat, while simultaneously sending a strong warning to the other boats!
Most people are still struggling with the water ghost and are ignoring his warnings.
But Chu Hanwei, who was some distance away, heard Zhang Ping's warning and shouted without hesitation, "Everyone! Drop the water ghost corpses! Full speed ahead! Quickly!"
The corpse of the water ghost was quite valuable, and many people were blinded by rage and unwilling to give it up. Some gritted their teeth and sped up, while a small group secretly slowed down and bent down to retrieve it.
The Hundred-Foot River is not far for martial artists; if there are no obstacles, they can cross it in an instant.
However, the black cloud that swept in against the current, like a giant beast that had spotted its prey, suddenly increased its speed! In the blink of an eye, it closed in by several miles!
At the same time, a huge, mountain-like tortoise shadow appeared and disappeared in the dark clouds!
A gigantic turtle head, resembling a small pavilion, suddenly burst through the clouds and emerged.
"I am the Turtle Prime Minister under the Demon Lord—!"
A terrifying pressure far exceeding the Refining Realm, like a tangible tsunami, crashed down on the entire Ghost Heaven River!