I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 208 - 163: Perilous Crisis, Part 2
The hanged people met a tragically miserable fate, enough to leave anyone who witnessed it in horror and unrest, plagued by nightmares at night.
Looking at their worn-out clothes, tattered over the years, Qin Yuesheng suspected these might have been the craftsmen who once built this ancient temple and its complex underground structures.
"So cruel, not only did they secretly hide in the mountains to construct the temple, but they also killed everyone involved to prevent any leaks." Qin Yuesheng instantly became more intrigued by the secrets hidden here.
Without a path across the pond, the next destination must lie at its end. To reach that place, there could be a mechanism underwater that, once triggered by others, could raise a bridge or something similar for people to walk on.
Or perhaps the bridge built for walking was already destroyed.
No matter the situation, none could hinder Qin Yuesheng in the slightest. He took a Water Charm from his Celestial Demon waist pouch and walked directly onto the water surface.
Thud!
He steadily stepped on the water surface with no signs of sinking; the Water Charm's power was fully manifesting at this moment.
Qin Yuesheng walked straight toward the opposite side of the pond, while vigilantly holding his saber and scanning the surroundings, especially the water beneath, to prevent any hidden evil creatures from launching a sudden attack.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Everything was quiet, except for the sound of the waves created by Qin Yuesheng walking on the water.
Ripples spread in all directions, disappearing somewhere unknown.
Gurgle!
An inconspicuous bubble rose from beneath the water, and upon breaking the surface, it burst with a slight noise.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Without giving anyone a chance to react, three black shadows suddenly emerged from the water by Qin Yuesheng's feet, glaring at him coldly with glowing green eyes, and fiercely stabbed their weapons toward the target.
Fortunately, Qin Yuesheng had anticipated it; he instantly swung his Celestial Demon Evil Blade, revealing a crescent-shaped saber light that blocked all attacks from the three shadows.
Failing their strike, the shadows attempted to retreat back into the pond to prepare for another attack.
But it wasn't going to be easy; Qin Yuesheng used his Star-Picking Hand to snatch one shadow that was slower to retreat, forcibly pulling it from beneath the water and it landed in his hand.
Upon inspection, it turned out to be a grotesque, legless creature with hair like wet seaweed clinging to its face, with large, round eyes, pale skin, and a bird-like protruding mouth, extremely bizarre.
With a burst of Inner Strength, Qin Yuesheng shattered the creature's body and discarded the remains back into the water.
"Truly a den of evil creatures; if I hadn't found it today, who knows what chaos might ensue later." Qin Yuesheng immediately roared towards the water, and the sound waves of the Soul-Shattering Roar flooded into the water, causing the pond to tremble violently like boiling water.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Quickly, the evil creatures hidden beneath the pond couldn't endure it anymore, viciously leaping out of the water, eagerly wielding rusted hoes, pickaxes, and iron rods, smashing towards Qin Yuesheng's position.
Which was precisely what Qin Yuesheng wanted, as he couldn't swim and couldn't dive into the water to slay these creatures. If they attacked spontaneously, then that's more than ideal. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Facing the numerous evil creatures breaking through the water, Qin Yuesheng swiftly activated his Six-Armed Exoskeleton, executing the second martial art from Situ Xing—Crushing Star Hand.
Crushing Star Hand requires dividing Inner Strength into two currents, each moving in different directions, applied to the target. As long as your Inner Strength is powerful enough, you can instantly crush the target's body into two.
According to Situ Xing's written manual given to Qin Yuesheng, this control of two Inner Strength streams requires a martial artist to use both hands, so a martial artist can only apply Crushing Star Hand to one target at a time.
But Qin Yuesheng was different; the Six-Armed Exoskeleton provided six additional arms, allowing him to increase Crushing Star Hand's targets from 1 to 3 without using his original arms.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The evil creatures exploded in mid-air with bodies breaking apart before they could reach Qin Yuesheng, and their limbs and bodies dropped into the water, creating numerous splashes.
Wielding the Celestial Demon Evil Blade, Qin Yuesheng continuously struck, and with Mountain-Crushing Tyrant Saber's extended blade aura, he could slay the evil creatures from afar even without getting close.
"Eeek!" An evil creature jumped out from the water behind Qin Yuesheng, stretching its hands directly towards his ankles.
But Qin Yuesheng was alert, noticing the motion behind him at the instant the water made a sound.
Turning around, Qin Yuesheng kicked directly with precision, striking the creature's face, causing its head to explode with a 'boom' like a meteor, finally crashing into the rocky edge of the pond.
Soon, no evil creatures remained in the area, but the water was littered with various debris.
Blood dripping from his saber, Qin Yuesheng continued toward the other side of the pond.
The rest of the way was unobstructed by any creatures as Qin Yuesheng smoothly arrived at a stone platform identical to the one he started from, stepping up immediately.
The stone platform lay beneath a rocky wall, with an entrance to a corridor where two statues suspected to be guardian spirits stood on either side, equipped with axes, round hammers, armored boots, and flowing capes, looking quite majestic.
In a place teeming with evil creatures, Qin Yuesheng couldn't help but suspect danger from the statues. Taking the initiative, he slashed twice, shattering the statues into pieces scattered around.
"Ah!!!"
Immediately, enraged cries echoed as two glowing green soldier spirits emerged from the shattered statues.
Their souls weakened and dim, like candles in the wind, due to Qin Yuesheng's preemptive action.
"There was indeed a problem." Seeing his suspicion confirmed, Qin Yuesheng silently clicked his tongue, but his hands didn't pause, instantly striking with Profound Celestial Internal Power, dispersing the spirits' soul bodies.
When the soul bodies dissipated, two green orbs fell to the ground, sinking into the accumulated dust layers.
Reaching out, Qin Yuesheng grabbed the orbs into his hands.
[Yes/No—Disassemble 'Soul Orb']
"Yes."
Instantly, the green orbs vanished, transforming into wispy gray smoke that entered Qin Yuesheng's mind.
...
In the dim underground, two armored men wielding whips stood on high ground, watching every laborer working below.
"Brother Li, do you think those three old guys will really let us go once things are done?" one man asked quietly.
"Hard to say; look at what they're building now—doesn't it look like an underground tomb?" the other responded solemnly.
"Wow, Brother Li, it's starting to look that way now that you mention it."
The scene shifts.
The two men were tied to stone pillars, screaming in terror and wrath.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I swear I'll never reveal what's here, please don't kill me!"
"You three old thieves! Even if I die, I'll never let you off!"
In their sight, three elderly men in incongruent attire stood a short distance away, smiling oddly at them.
Each holding an iron awl, the three elders walked slowly toward the two men.
"No, don't, ah!!!"
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