Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Poisonous Stiff Causes Chaos (Middle) (Subscribe Please!)
Peach Forest Town, the calm was shattered.
A few days ago, after Shi Xiaole spread the news of the Poisonous Stiffs, not many people believed it. However, as time went by, many people brought back the latest news from the outside world, causing panic among the townfolk.
The people in the town didn’t know what Poisonous Stiffs were. They only knew that one disaster after another occurred in the nearby cities, towns, and villages, causing countless deaths.
"Cock-crow Town, Willow Leaf Town and other places have already experienced the death of hundreds of thousands of people, and the number is still rising. The disaster will probably strike here very soon."
"What should we do, should we leave?"
"Leave? I’ve lived my whole life here and I don’t want to move anymore, you guys go ahead."
Such dialogues were held all the time in Peach Forest Town these days.
Many young people’s faces changed color at the mention of Poisonous Stiffs. They packed up their belongings in preparation to escape, but the elderly in their families were unwilling to move and only persuaded the young to leave.
Of course, there were also many elderly people who evacuated under the care of their younger generation, but in the end, they were few.
The people of Peach Forest Town have lived here for generations, especially the elderly, who have already merged with this land in flesh and blood. They regarded Peach Forest Town like their gentle mother. Fleeing in the face of disaster, they would feel like they were betraying it.
Many people from the Peach Forest Sect also ran away, leaving only a few tens of locals behind.
"Father, where the Poisonous Stiffs pass, all living things perish. If you insist on staying here, your child has no choice but to die with you."
In a house, one man knelt before an old man, behind him were his weeping wife and daughter.
The old man sighed deeply, his face full of internal struggle. He was already on borrowed time, and he merely wished to stay with the land he held so dearly. But, how could he impede the life of his son and his family?
Was it really worth having them suffer alongside him?
"Father, how unfilial of me, not being able to protect Peach Forest Town and having to use this useless body to shield you from harm just a bit more."
The man kowtowed, his face streaming with tears.
"Enough, enough, I’ll go with you."
The old man sighed, his eyes filled with tears, watching the azure blue sky as if attempting to keep this image unforgettable.
The same scene happened in every family.
Peach Forest Town was in total chaos. Large groups of people had no choice but to leave their homes for survival. The streets were crowded, filled with screams and crying.
Shi Xiaole stood at the entrance of the town, silently watching the bustling crowd with a blank expression.
It’s good that they left. At least, they might avoid harm.
It was unfortunate that the townsfolk didn’t heed his words initially, otherwise they could have evacuated earlier and there wouldn’t be such panic.
"Everyone hurry up, run faster! The Poisonous Stiffs have been spotted on the road, one of the escape routes from the town is blocked!"
A hoarse, sharp voice suddenly sounded, silencing the noisy crowd. The lobby of the voice clearly used all their strength, almost breaking their throat in the process.
Peach Forest Town was situated in a flat terrain, between two mountain ranges, and there were only two narrow paths for leaving the town. The voice was referring to the path at the back of the town.
The crowd turned pale and hurried along, turning into a total mess.
On the hill where Shi Xiaole was standing, he had no time to pay any attention, but as soon as the voice rang out, he rushed toward the rear of the town.
If Poisonous Stiffs did rush into the town from there, all the townsfolk at the back would suffer. Once the poison was transmitted to others, how many people could survive then?
At this moment, even Shi Xiaole, who prided himself on being calm, was consumed by a violent surge of emotion. He only regretted that there were no other masters in town. Otherwise, if they each defended one side of the town, they wouldn’t be in such a passive state.
Like a gust of wind, Shi Xiaole, a flash of blue, vanished before the eyes of many.
At the rear path of the town, similar to the front, many people were leaving. However, at this moment, there were already dozens of bodies lying haphazardly on this mountain road. The shouts of men, the crying of women, and the wails of old people echoed through the mountains, chilling to the soul.
As they looked on, two evil-looking, black-colored Poisonous Stiffs, emanating a fishy stench, were seen gnashing their teeth and clawing the air, surrounded by nine martial arts experts.
"Soul-Cutting Knife!"
"Dual Disaster Breaker!"
"Whirlwind Divine Palm!"
Among the nine martial arts experts, one was at the mid-level of the seventh-tier Qi Absorption, two were at the early level of the seventh-tier, leading the others in attack against the Poisonous Stiffs.
It was obvious to see that even the expert at the mid-level of the seventh-tier had difficulty inflicting significant damage on the black Poisonous Stiff.
Fortunately, with his presence, coupled with an expert at the early stage of the seventh-tier, they were barely able to restrain one Black Poisonous Stiff, while the other seven people focused their attacks on the other one.
"Such a strong defense, it would take thousands of moves to break through it."
The man wielding a sword was sweating profusely.
Being only an average early stage Qi Absorption seventh-tier expert, he had to carry the heavy burden of battling the stiff, with the other six probably being young disciples out for training. Their cultivation levels were at best the Qi Absorption’s fifth-tier, much of the pressure was borne by him.
However, at this rate, he wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.
"Hold on, Soul-Cutting Knife!"
Presumably sensing the situation, the gray-haired old man let out a shout, the bright knife-light slashing down on the Poisonous Stiff, leaving a faint mark.
The old man’s heart sank.
Each consecutive slash on the same spot and he was confident that he could break through the defense of the black Poisonous Stiff within a few dozen moves. However, the stiff wasn’t a chunk of wood standing still for you to attack. Consequently, it was rather challenging to slash the same spot each time.
Carrying on like this, even if he could kill the Poisonous Stiff, his own internal power would be completely consumed. Moreover, the old man feared that the group of seven might lose their ground first, resulting in both Poisonous Stiffs causing havoc in tandem...
"Senior Brother, I can’t take it anymore."
As expected, a girl with apple cheeks among the group battling the other Poisonous Stiff shakily spoke up first.
The poisonous mist of the Evil Zombie was too dense. They had to exert their internal power to resist it and attack at the same time. The speed their internal power was consumed was beyond their imagination. They were now nearing their limit.
Upon hearing these words, the young man with a golden crown beside the girl with the apple-like face grew anxious and said, "Junior Sister Fang Yao, you should retreat and rest. I will hold it off."
Whoosh!
The Evil Zombie’s spindly arm extended forward, resisting numerous blades and setting off a gusty wind that smelled of rot. Not only was the girl with the apple-like face affected, but the other four also staggered and almost lost their footing.
"We’re doomed!"
Seeing this, the swordsman was terrified and swiftly thrust out his sword. Unfortunately, the Evil Zombie rapidly retreated and lunged toward the girl with the apple-like face, its hands posed for a tearing motion.
"Junior Sister Fang Yao!"
"No!"
The sight turned the young man with the golden crown’s face pale, his body felt chilled. The other four youngsters screamed in surprise as well, but their internal power had been depleted, their bodies invaded by the poison, leaving them unable to move or react.
The swordsman, too, had overexerted himself, could not recover his energy in time, and could only watch helplessly.
The girl with the apple-like face, whose name was Fang Yao, was petrified, her mind blank. Was she going to die?
Clang.
At the critical moment, a long sword appeared from afar and suddenly flashed past Fang Yao. The blade carved a trail of brilliant violet light in the air before brutally thrusting into the Evil Zombie’s chest.
The Evil Zombie stumbled back several steps before it could steady itself.
"Huh?"
"What excellent swordsmanship, Young Master."
The gray-haired elder and another Qi Absorption Seventh Tier beginner expert’s eyes lit up.
It was easy to judge a person’s skill level once they made a move. Just by observing that sword strike, it was clear that Shi Xiaole’s skill was not weaker than a typical Qi Absorption Seventh Tier beginner expert.
"Young Master Shi."
"Xiaole."
Upon sighting the young man in the green robe, the people of Peach Forest Town instantly had tears in their eyes, as though seeing a relative.
"Beware, young man!"
Just then, the young man with the golden crown cried out in warning. It seemed the Evil Zombie had fixated on Shi Xiaole after being repelled and was charging at him recklessly.
"Let’s fight it together."
The swordsman recovered and shouted as he swung his sword and charged forward.
Though Shi Xiaole’s Qi Absorption was only at the third tier, he appeared to be quite strong. Perhaps with the two of them working together, they could hold off until reinforcements arrived.
"Sir, please help the townsfolk of Peach Forest Town. I’ll handle this."
Shi Xiaole moved faster than the swordsman, charging toward the Evil Zombie and slashing out with his sword.
Clang!
His sword struck the Evil Zombie, sparking a string of sparkles that scattered in all directions.
In the sea of sparks, Shi Xiaole’s sword appeared to fly from his hand, its speed creating an illusion in the air.
Most importantly, each strike landed exactly where the Evil Zombie was attacking. In no time, Shi Xiaole had the Evil Zombie, which had all nine martial arts masters on high alert, on the ropes and merely dodging his attacks.
"What?!"
The swordsman, the young man with the golden crown, and others present were taken aback, questioning their own eyes.
"Such keen perception, such precise swordplay!"
On the other side, the gray-haired elder, along with another Qi Absorption Seventh Tier beginner expert, had their eyes glued to this scene, deeply moved by what they were witnessing.
Shi Xiaole’s actual strength might only reach the Qi Absorption Seventh Tier beginner level, but his combat technique appeared extremely advanced. Combined with the fact that the Evil Zombie possessed no actual combat skills, he managed to quickly turn the tides of the combat.
The Evil Zombie, being suppressed from all sides, screamed furiously. What didn’t sound like a human roar opened its mouth and spewed a jet of poisonous mist. The mist shot towards Shi Xiaole like an electric streak, closing in instantly and leaving no room for reflection.
"No, that’s concentrated poison from within the Evil Zombie, move back quickly."
The swordsman and others shouted out a warning from behind, but they were too late.
This was bad. This concentrated poison was the essence of the Evil Zombie; even a Qi Absorption Ninth Tier expert would be sentenced to a death without life.
With a pair of eyes radiating ultimate indifference, Shi Xiaole’s hands clasped the hilt of his sword. He made a swift movement and slashed his sword even before the swordsman and others could react. Amidst the hissing sound, the sword light split the black poison into two. It didn’t stop there and continued to stab at the same spot where dozens of swords had struck before.
Thunk!
The ground behind burst apart, the Evil Zombie’s chest was pierced, and it toppled backward. At the same time, warnings from the swordsman and others finally rang out.
"This..."
Both the swordsman and others were dumbstruck and wore a disbelieving expression.
They couldn’t believe how Shi Xiaole could react in such a short period. That commanding presence—those precise and unyielding strikes that left no room for counterattacks—caused their hearts to race.
"This young man’s strength might not be on par with the top talents on the Young Hero Chart, but he’s quite close to them," said the gray-haired elder, both amazed and excited.
It was clear to him that Shi Xiaole’s real strength hadn’t been fully displayed yet, and his impressive performance was merely due to his advanced fighting skills. But when facing an enemy like the Evil Zombie, which didn’t possess any fighting skills, his performance was terrifying.
Despite this, Shi Xiaole’s combat prowess was indeed highly advanced, and it made the gray-haired elder feel a bit self-conscious.
