Chapter 9: Extracting the Flesh and Bones of Demons and Monsters

Princess Jiuhe asked sternly: "Yiergan, what are you doing?"

The monster suddenly let out a whimper, retreating backward, covering its head with its hands, and slowly howling loudly. A golden eagle crawled out from beneath it, holding an object in its hand, with its arms and thighs covered in jagged wounds, yet it did not suffer any fatal injuries

Xuanjing snorted and said from the side: "I wonder how Brother Cangying came to know about the toxicity of this monster and how he discovered that its flesh is the antidote."

Even more astonishing is that those sharp blades are pierced with a multitude of corpses, incomplete and deformed, looking utterly tragic, all staring wide-eyed as if unwilling to accept their fate. Blood flows from its armor, slowly trickling into its body along the grooves of the armor.

With the mystical mirror in hand, the long sword at his waist flew into the air on its own. He leaped high, grasped the long sword, and struck down heavily upon the monster's sharp spines. This long sword was already sharp, and now infused with his internal energy, it truly cut through iron like mud. With three resounding clangs, the monster's spines were instantly severed, and upon witnessing his extraordinary skill, the crowd could not help but cheer loudly.

The monster remained completely unaware, turning around as countless sharp spikes suddenly grew out. Xuanjing was suspended in mid-air, parrying with the long sword to the left and blocking to the right. With a slight exertion of force, he retreated nine feet and gracefully landed on the ground. He snorted softly, his expression grave

The countless sharp spikes on the monster surged forward like an impenetrable wall. The eagle did not dodge or evade, staring fiercely at these deadly spikes. Upon witnessing this, Zhao Sheng screamed, while Li Linhong cursed loudly in anger. Li Shuxiu trembled all over, wanting to offer help, but it was already too late

Upon hearing the words of the Cangying, Zhao Sheng's fear slightly eased. He carefully observed the creature and discovered that the spikes on its body were actually weapons, including large sabers, sharp axes, long spears, and long swords, which significantly increased its size. Although the open space was vast, its movements remained quite cumbersome when it reached the corner.

The monster stood at a height of no less than 10 feet, hunched over with a stooped back, and moved with a staggering gait. Its entire body was covered in layers of steel armor, which was adorned with blades several feet long, making it appear like a gigantic hedgehog. As for its original appearance, it was completely unrecognizable.

The falcon approached the monster and shouted to Li Shuxiu: "You all run first"

Li Shuxiu was taken aback, thinking: Is he not crazy

As it walked beside Li Shuxiu, a sudden roar erupted from behind, causing everyone's hearts to race. They turned to look in that direction and discovered a Mongolian soldier standing next to Princess Jiuhe, staring intently at the monstrous creature that had been stabbed. The creature glanced at the soldier with indifference, seemingly unconcerned, and continued to move forward slowly in a mechanical manner

The hawk shook its head and said, "I do not know either, but this creature has low intelligence and a poor memory. As long as we avoid it for a moment, it will forget the previous grievances and will not trouble us."

The Cangying thought: This Yiergan is truly insane, and with this act of sacrificing his life, he has certainly provoked this monster

The hawk said: "The spikes of that monster are poisonous, and only the flesh inside its armor can counteract the poison." As he spoke, he joyfully opened his palm, revealing a round, dark object that resembled mud, yet emitted a peculiar fragrance.

The monster slowly turned around, bent down, picked up Ilgan's corpse, and impaled it on a sharp spike, letting out a satisfied, eerie laugh. It seemed to have noticed the crowd around, revealing a pair of enormous eyes amidst the dense armor, carefully scrutinizing these uninvited guests

How could Tiande be so bold as to stand in front of Xuanjing? Xuanjing, filled with anger, wished he could knock him unconscious with a single strike. However, this surge of anger aggravated his wound, causing another wave of dizziness to wash over him. He took a deep breath and thought: Enough, today I will risk both our lives, master and disciple, to ensure the safety of the princess.

Zhao Sheng cried out softly, asking: "What kind of monster is this"

Tian De sensed that the situation was dire, drew his long sword, stood shoulder to shoulder with his master, and shouted: "Master, allow me to deal with this monster for you"

Xuanjing's face turned pale, breathing hurriedly as he checked for wounds on his body. Fortunately, he had dodged skillfully and was not injured by that monster

Yiergan's throat emitted a piercing gurgling sound, his feet kicked off the ground as he drew his axe, swinging it wildly and hacking at the corpse monster.

Xuanjing angrily said, "Are you out of your mind?" He reached out and pressed down on his shoulder, channeling 30% of his internal energy, intending to subdue him. However, he was taken aback by Yiergan's incredible strength; with a lift of his shoulder, he pushed Xuanjing aside and struck the monster's armor with an axe.

Li Shuxiu quickly retreated, lightly tapping her legs against the rock wall. With a move called "Flying Squirrel in the Forest," she deftly darted over the top of the monster's head. She intended to take advantage of the momentum to strike her sword against the monster's armor, but unexpectedly, the mechanisms on the armor activated, and several blades came straight for her face. Li Shuxiu let out a cry, blocked with her long sword, lost her balance, and her wrist was injured by the blades.

The moonlight is cold, the night is boundless, and the cold wind sweeps by, making everything seem like a mirage

Li Shuxiu shouted, "The monster has the courage to compete with me" as she jumped back and forth in front of it, eager to try. The monster looked at her sullenly and charged forward with its heavy arms outstretched.

Running through the moonlit canyon, crossing a narrow mountain path, we arrived beside a grove. The eagle suddenly halted, placed Zhao Sheng on the ground, gasping for breath, and then burst into joyful laughter.

Li Shuxiu asked: "What exactly is this monster? Is it a demon or an animal? And why does it collect so many corpses?"

The crowd was in an uproar, hastily picking up their bundles and preparing to flee in panic. Suddenly, they saw a hawk screeching, its eyes wide, raising a long sword with both hands, shouting wildly, and charging towards the monster.

Li Shuxiu exclaimed in surprise: "You have avoided so many thorns"

She landed not far from the monster, pinched the pulse point, and hurriedly stopped the bleeding. She saw the monster looking blankly up at the sky, seemingly unaware that she had already touched down.

The eagle saw blood seeping from the rib area of the black mirror and thought: his wound has burst open or it is a new injury

Tiande shouted: "Master, be careful"

Li Shuxiu asked: "Antidote to poison" Suddenly, she felt a tingling itch at the wound on her wrist. Upon closer inspection, she was immediately horrified. She saw patches of green scales growing on her wrist, writhing like small insects, and spreading rapidly. When she touched it lightly, a piercing pain shot through her, and she couldn't help but scream in agony.

Princess Jiu and her entourage were closest to the scene. Upon seeing the monstrous figure clearly, she was so frightened that she immediately took several steps back. Her four attendants quickly stepped forward to protect her, drawing their weapons, yet their eyes were filled with terror. Although Daoist Tiande was skilled in martial arts, he had never encountered such a horrifying scene. In an instant, his hand holding the long sword trembled slightly, and he gaped in shock, utterly alarmed.

Under the encirclement of these towering cliffs, everyone saw a large and menacing shadow emerging from the shadows of the valley

The spiked corpse monster gazed for a moment, seemingly uttering a sound of "hm," then opened its massive palm and reached for Princess Jiuhe. Xuanjing flipped his sleeve and executed the "Golden Flower Does Not Fall Palm." A fierce gust of palm wind howled towards him, and with a thud, the monster staggered back a step, emitting an angry huff as it quickened its pace and charged towards Xuanjing.

Li Shuxiu was in a great hurry, thinking: Have the Cangying brothers also gone mad? There must be other strange occurrences in this canyon

The monster's armor was incredibly hard, and this axe seemed to strike against the mountain rock, sending sparks flying, leaving only a shallow mark. A spear from the armor suddenly shot out, piercing Ilgan's neck, and then quickly retracted, truly as agile as a spirit snake emerging from its hole

She thought: This monster is indeed formidable, but its movements are slow, so there is no need for us to be enemies with it. She then shouted: "Run forward through the grass, there should be a small grove ahead. We can climb up the trees; it should not be able to do anything to us."

Xuan Jing's face turned ashen as he reprimanded, "Step aside, you are still unqualified. Protect the princess for me and do not cause any trouble."

Li Linhong kicked him in the rear and angrily said, "How can you still be laughing? You scared me half to death, what is wrong with you now?"

Jiu exclaimed: "Yiergan."

Blood splattered, accompanied by the sound of muscles tearing. The crowd felt their scalps tingle, filled with fear and trepidation, their limbs weak and soft, knowing full well that this reckless man was unlikely to survive.

Li Shuxiu thought about her narrow escape from death and was overwhelmed with gratitude towards the eagle, repeatedly expressing her thanks. The eagle smiled and said, "What did we say earlier about helping each other? There is no debt between us. As long as you do not doubt me, the eagle, I am already grateful to heaven and earth."

The Cangying casually replied: "The last time we entered, we also encountered this monster. My companions, unaware of the monster's temperament, rushed forward all at once, resulting in their complete demise at its hands. I was severely poisoned, on the brink of death, but by chance, I picked up a piece of its fallen flesh, which barely saved my life"

The falcon could not help but secretly praise, "This young lady's swordsmanship is truly remarkable. Although she took advantage of a sneak attack just now, this move of finding an opening to strike would be impossible to execute without extremely keen eyesight, a clever mind, and steady wrists. If one were of mediocre talent, even practicing swordsmanship for a lifetime would not allow them to reach the level of insight demonstrated in her move."

Ierghan covered his neck, seemingly feeling no pain at all, but instead wildly swung his axe. The monster's armor perhaps had clever mechanisms, with the spikes on its body extending and retracting, incredibly agile. In an instant, Ierghan was pierced with countless wounds, unable to hold on any longer, and collapsed to the ground, dying tragically on the spot

The hawk cut off a piece of mud and, taking advantage of the moment she opened her mouth, precisely stuffed it into Li Shuxiu's mouth, while also swallowing a piece herself. Li Shuxiu swallowed the mud and only felt a bitter taste. Looking at her wrist, she discovered that the medicinal effect of the mud was miraculous; the scales gradually subsided. Although there were some traces left, it was likely that there was no serious harm done.

Xuanjing still harbored doubts in his heart, but since this gray eagle had saved the lives of many, it should have no malicious intent. He could only endure for the time being and planned to observe the situation quietly.

The eagle said: "I do not know either. The last time I came here, I saw it once. It specifically collects the corpses from those valleys and sends them somewhere, though I do not know where. However, as long as we do not provoke it, it will not take action against us."

The eagle suddenly showed a fearful expression and shouted: "Run". Without hesitation, it took off running, reaching Zhao Sheng's side and lifting him onto its head. Seeing this example, everyone else had no hesitation left and began to run frantically for their lives.

Just as he was about to go all in and make a desperate effort, a light whistle was heard, and Li Shuxiu suddenly appeared beside the monster. She dodged the giant's sharp spikes and thrust her sword into the gap of its armor, then swiftly evaded. The monster let out a painful roar, momentarily thrown into chaos, and swung its hand wildly, hitting nothing.

The monster is still dazed and howling in place