Zhang Erniu covered his ears and screamed in pain, a scene reminiscent of Sun Wukong being bound by the golden headband.
Although Mu Qing managed to remain silent, her expression was contorted, and she wasn't much better off. At this moment, Mu Qing had to keep her mind as clear as possible. She closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to respond. This laughter assaulted her ears, then her mind; if she lost her composure, she would surely die.
"I need to get out of the formation first," Mu Qing thought as he leaped up with all his might, but a bitter smile immediately appeared on his lips because he found that he couldn't move at all.
Opening his eyes, he was met with an invisible humanoid figure hovering in mid-air. This figure was a composite of the four Yin elements, and was incredibly ugly. Its left hand gripped Mu Qing's shoulder tightly, while its right hand, with its five claws, lurked menacingly, waiting for Mu Qing's mind to falter so it could seize the opportunity and steal his life force. Losing his life force would render him mentally impaired.
The air behind Zhang Erniu began to distort, gradually forming an invisible chain about ten feet long and several inches wide. Before he could even notice it, the newly formed invisible chain lashed him hard across the back.
A searing pain shot through his back, and Zhang Erniu screamed in agony. Startled, he whirled around, but before he could even make out its appearance, the invisible chains attacked relentlessly. In the blink of an eye, they had left their mark on his tongue, eyes, nose, and ears. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, staining his back clothes crimson.
The wind and shadows entangled Mu Qing's three souls, while chains seized Zhang Erniu's seven spirits. The invisible chains were destined to penetrate Zhang Erniu's internal organs! Once the seven spirits were taken, the physical body would die, and the three souls would dissipate. This strange formation, originally designed to deal with one person, was now being used on two. Fortunately, Zhang Erniu was with them, relieving Mu Qing of some of the pressure. But it was only a relief; if this continued, both of their lives would be in danger.
The piercing, demonic sound seemed endless, and the surroundings grew increasingly eerie, as if dragging Mu Qing and his companion into a living hell. From the very beginning, the power of the demonic sound had been slowly increasing. Now, it was nearing the limit of what the human ear could endure.
Everything around them began to grow darker. A terrifying aura of death spread, growing ever stronger, until everything Mu Qing and the other person saw represented death. Suddenly, the earth shook violently, and a massive, seemingly endless crack appeared in the ground, right at Mu Qing's feet. The tremors were no less severe than a catastrophic earthquake.
The humanoid figure of the wind shadow held Mu Qing firmly in place, like a pillar stabilizing the sea. If the wind shadow were to gently pull and then release its grip, Mu Qing would immediately fall into the abyss and be shattered to pieces.
Zhang Erniu's vision blurred, and he could no longer see clearly. His voice, initially high-pitched, became hoarse, then silent. Due to Si Yin's deliberate actions, his hearing wasn't completely damaged, allowing him to endure the relentless torment of the demonic sounds. The merciless lashes of the invisible chains inflicted unbearable pain, the most agonizing suffering he had ever endured, yet he couldn't die anytime soon, merely teetering on the edge of death. Death itself wasn't frightening; what was frightening was waiting for death while suffering endless torment. Slamming heavily to the ground, Zhang Erniu was utterly despondent, wanting only to end his life. My body contains countless worlds and realms.
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Chapter 317 Extra 2
Has it really come to the point of having no way out and being at one's wit's end?
"Brother Niu, don't let yourself pass out. Concentrate on resisting and try to clear your mind. Don't worry, I'm here, you'll be fine." Regardless of whether Zhang Erniu could actually do it, Mu Qing was simply trying to awaken his will to live.
Mu Qing endured the stinging pain and closed his eyes again. Since he couldn't escape, he had no choice but to break through! He focused his mind and calmed his heart a little. Then, Mu Qing's expression gradually returned to normal. Now he could no longer feel any pain at all; instead, he felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration.
At that moment, a handsome smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.
Just now, Mu Qing shut down her five senses. Unable to sense anything, she naturally felt no pain.
Humans possess five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Generally, if one cannot see or hear, one can at least explore by feeling. However, the loss of all five senses has a profound impact on a person. Simultaneously, one loses the ability to communicate with others, becomes unable to determine whether they are still standing, or even lacks the capacity for judgment. Aside from the ability to think, one becomes like an inanimate object. The psychological impact is, needless to say, immense.
However, Mu Qing was different. He still possessed the ability to sense thought; with the disappearance of his five senses, his sense of thought was strengthened by five times. At this moment, Mu Qing's sensory nerves were unusually active, allowing him to perceive his own actions through his thoughts and determine the location of enemies based on his sensory memories.
This formation is led by Yin Laoda. To maintain its stability, they naturally cannot be distracted or move, otherwise they would have already made their move. In this case, defeating Yin Laoda would break the formation. The humanoid wind shadows and the invisible chains are merely illusions. Of course, this is just Mu Qing's guess; he can't maintain this state for long, and he can only gamble.
As expected, Mu Qing broke free from the humanoid shadow's restraints and twisted her body with all her might towards Yin Laoda's location. Mu Qing's speed was still very fast, catching Yin Laoda off guard. He was slapped five times in succession on the face by Mu Qing, leaving bright red handprints, and then kicked in the abdomen.
Simple attacks can be more effective in certain situations.
The water pouch flew out at that moment, and thanks to her prior premonition, Mu Qing caught it smoothly. The force of the kick sent Yin Laoda staggering back several steps, his face filled with disbelief.
After doing all this, Mu Qing's hearing returned first. Instead of the chilling demonic sound, she heard four muffled groans. Her sense of smell returned, and she could clearly smell the metallic odor of blood. Opening her eyes, she saw blood trickling from the corner of Yin Laoda's mouth, his eyes filled with shock that seemed to outweigh the pain. The other three were in the same boat.
Before long, Mu Qing's five senses had all returned. Although he had a smile on his face, he was filled with lingering fear. If it were a one-on-one fight, Mu Qing was confident that he could easily defeat him, but their combined strength was not as simple as two plus two.
"How is this possible! How did you do that?" Elder Yin's voice was weak, clearly indicating that he had suffered serious internal injuries.
Just then, Zhang Erniu stared blankly at his body, then touched his face and muttered to himself, "How come I'm perfectly fine?" Happiness came too suddenly, and Zhang Erniu really couldn't accept it for a moment.
Not only that, the land was lush and green, with abundant foliage, verdant mountains, and birdsong; the sunlight seemed even brighter than when we arrived. The previous earthquakes and tremors seemed as if they had never happened.
"Haha, it's really alright, that's great!" Zhang Erniu shouted excitedly, his whole body filled with an unprecedented sense of joy and happiness.
"Here you go." Mu Qing tossed the water pouch to Zhang Erniu.
"So the legendary Ghost Smile is nothing special after all."
A deep voice rang out, without any attempt to conceal it, just a few feet away from Mu Qing and the others.
Then came the steady sound of hooves, and not just one. Soon, a group of more than a dozen people came into view, each riding a fine steed. The speaker was the leader, his gleaming bald head making him stand out among the crowd. His upturned mustache and undisguised sly smile made it clear at a glance that he was a treacherous and cunning man. However, Mu Qing and the other man thought he was quite handsome.
What attracted Mu Qing's attention most was not him, but the ordinary-looking burly man to his left. This man was none other than the one who had appeared at the Xia residence.
“Ghostly Laughter is not something you outsiders can talk about. Dare to state your name? Ghostly Laughter never kills nameless people.” Yin Laosan wiped the blood off his fat face and cackled.
The bald man said, "Perhaps you are not worthy to know, but it doesn't hurt to tell you. I am Ji He, the Right Protector of the Southern Hall of the Blackwater Gang."
"So you're from the Blackwater Gang, my apologies for not recognizing you sooner," Boss Yin laughed heartily.
Although Si Yin remained expressionless, a sense of apprehension arose in his heart upon hearing the words "Blackwater Gang."
Ji He then turned his gaze to Mu Qing and said, "You must be Mu Qing. Welcome home."
"Go home?" Mu Qing was completely confused. Had she lost her memory and forgotten where her home was?
“That’s right. We’ll take you home after we deal with these monsters,” Ji He said to Mu Qing, because he didn’t want to see Si Yin again.
When someone spoke of his deepest pain, Yin Laosi shouted, "Who are you calling a monster?"
"Hehehe, you guys have something good to do and you didn't invite me. Do you really think I'm useless?"
As the newcomer spoke, he leaped down from the tree, his body resembling a monkey. He was clearly one of the four monsters, the short man who had been severely injured by Wuxin. His face remained calm as he chuckled, but his injuries would not heal quickly.
With the five Yin forces gathered, though not at their peak, the other four all wore expressions of joy, their previous fear vanishing completely.
Yin the Elder asked worriedly, "Fifth Brother, your injury..."
Yin Laowu interrupted with a laugh, "It's nothing, these injuries are nothing to deal with them."
Ji He laughed heartily a few times and said, "You've come at the perfect time, saving me the trouble of looking for you."