Chapter 81: Chapter 80: Keep Breathing

Fenglin County, on the city walls.

The stench of blood filled the air atop the walls. Screams and wails were endless, and severed limbs lay everywhere.

Over twenty patriarchs, old and young, along with the junior members of their families, charged left and right. They fought desperately to slay the Demon Corpses, but they still couldn’t stop the tide from turning against them.

"We can’t retreat!"

Chen Yang, the Hall Master of Chen’s Boxing Hall, gripped his steel blade.

Every slash of his blade, infused with the techniques of his Thunder Palm, boomed like spring thunder.

The commotion was enough to make the Demon Corpses scrambling up the walls dodge in alarm.

Around the old Hall Master, the ground was already carpeted with the bodies of Demon Corpses.

Chen Yang frantically charged toward the densest cluster of Demon Corpses, trying to relieve the pressure on the younger generation, but there were simply too many.

He would cut down one wave, only for another to immediately take its place. This endless assault left the old Hall Master feeling utterly exhausted.

But he knew he couldn’t stop. If he took even a single step back, one of his disciples would fall.

The other martial arts hall masters and the patriarchs of the great families were in no better shape.

At first, they had the strength to cut down the Demon Corpses as they climbed the wall. Gradually, however, one or two would break through their lines, forcing them to divert men to hunt them down.

This made the already thin defensive line on the wall even more precarious, threatening to collapse under the Demon Corpse assault at any moment.

"What do we do now, you old geezers?"

After slaying another five Demon Corpses in a row, Chen Yang took a moment to catch his breath, swapping places with two of his Direct Disciples. He turned his head to the right, toward the old Patriarch of the Lin family, who was closest to him.

"What do we do?"

Hearing Chen Yang’s question, the Lin family’s old Patriarch actually chuckled. In the brief pause he earned by casually slaying two Demon Corpses, he said with a grin:

"We keep breathing, of course. We hold our blades tight. And we think happy thoughts, like some powerful expert descending from the heavens to save us."

"You’ve been watching too many operas, old man. I’d have better luck betting on my old bones than on something like that."

Chen Yang retorted irritably. After taking two quick breaths, he charged back into the fray.

He fought on for another moment. During his next brief rest, Hall Master Qiu of the White Horse Martial Arts Hall, who was on his other side, spoke up.

He said in a low voice:

"How about we have the juniors withdraw? They could take our families, mount our best horses, and prepare to flee the city. What do you all think?"

Although it sounded like desertion, his words struck a chord with the other patriarchs.

After all, they had never been short on their payments to Lord Liu, and they had given every ounce of effort required of them.

A situation like this was supposed to be handled by the officials. It shouldn’t be up to them to fight to the death.

Anyone could see that it was pointless to keep defending the wall.

"We can’t get out."

"And we can’t open the city gates."

Chen Yang stared down at the dense sea of Demon Corpses below. Among them, one sat upright not far away, its gaze quietly studying the wall.

The sight of this Demon Corpse’s calm demeanor sent a chill down Chen Yang’s spine.

He shook his head and sighed softly.

"Staying on the wall, we can at least die a little slower. If we open the gates, we’ll just die faster."

He was speaking the truth, but that truth landed like a boulder on everyone’s chest, making it hard to breathe.

Listening to his own grandfather and the other patriarchs, Lin Gaoyuan, who was busy cutting down stray Demon Corpses, felt a bitter smile form on his face.

’I do know there’s an expert in the city,’ he thought. ’But why hasn’t he shown himself yet...’

’He must have his reasons,’ Lin Gaoyuan mused.

As the thought crossed his mind, he heard a sudden cry of alarm:

"Old Chen, watch out!" It was the voice of the Lin family’s patriarch.

Following the shout, Lin Gaoyuan cut down the Demon Corpse in front of him and glanced toward Chen Yang’s position.

He saw that the ten-foot-long Demon Corpse that had been squatting outside the city, observing the situation on the wall, had somehow climbed up unnoticed.

It squatted on the edge of the parapet, looking down on the white-haired old man.

This Demon Corpse had recognized Chen Yang’s extraordinary blade skills and the threat he posed to the horde, so it had decided to intervene personally.

The Lin family Patriarch leaped toward Chen Yang, hoping to join forces and slay this Demon Corpse together.

But it was too late.

The Demon Corpse’s tail—black as tempered steel, lined with serrated edges—left an afterimage in the air as it whipped toward Chen Yang’s waist.

WHOOSH!

The sound of displaced air screamed beside Chen Yang as the tail descended viciously. Its range covered a three-foot radius around him, leaving him no room to dodge.

The other patriarchs were several yards away. Even though the Lin family’s Patriarch had reacted first, he was powerless to help.

’Damn it!’

Hearing the violent rush of wind enveloping him, Chen Yang knew he was done for. He gave up on dodging and instead swung his steel blade toward the Demon Corpse.

He intended to trade his life for its, or at the very least, inflict a wound on this clearly superior Demon Corpse.

WHOOSH!

But just as the tail was about to strike, a gentle breeze seemed to pass by, and someone appeared in front of Chen Yang.

The newcomer simply reached out a hand. Without any visible effort, he stopped the cast-iron tail in its tracks, preventing it from descending an inch.

Meanwhile, Chen Yang’s seemingly unstoppable blade was caught and held fast by another hand, and the booming sound of spring thunder was instantly snuffed out.

GRAK?

The green light in the eyes of the Demon Corpse on the wall flickered. An uncomprehending sound escaped its throat; it had never expected anyone to be able to block its tail whip.

"It’s you!"

Chen Yang froze for a moment. As the man released his blade, Chen Yang stumbled back two steps and stared at the side profile of the person standing before him. He recognized him instantly.

Seeing this figure, Lin Gaoyuan let out a long sigh of relief.

’We’re saved!’

Although it was just one person, for some reason, he had a feeling that this person’s arrival alone would be enough to solve Fenglin County’s Demon Corpse plague!

The surrounding patriarchs also stared in stunned silence, their hearts shaken as they watched this figure effortlessly block both the tail and the blade.

They wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.

Hearing the surrounding gasps of shock and doubt, Wu Chen—who had just ripped out Lord Liu’s heart and lungs before rushing here—was in no mood for pleasantries.

His crimson palm gripped the cold tail tightly, resisting the immense force coming from it. Then, he abruptly channeled power into his legs.

BOOM!

Savage Bull Shakes the Earth!

An invisible current of air rippled out from under Wu Chen’s feet, blasting in all directions and forcing everyone nearby to stumble back several steps before regaining their footing.

The two stone tiles beneath his feet seemed to buckle under the strain, cracking like a spiderweb. Fine lines spread outward with a series of sharp CRACKS.

"Such immense strength!"

This scene made the eyelids of the onlookers twitch uncontrollably.

Before their gasps of awe could even fade, a tremendous force surged up from the ground, traveled up through his waist, and converged between Wu Chen’s five fingers.

"Up!" A low growl escaped Wu Chen’s throat.

The Demon Corpse squatting on the wall had just begun to move its dagger-like forelimbs when its body was uncontrollably hoisted high into the air.

Before the dumbfounded gazes of the crowd, the massive Demon Corpse’s body traced an arc through the air and slammed heavily onto the stone city wall.

BANG!

As the Demon Corpse’s body hit the ground, everyone felt the wall beneath their feet tremble slightly, as if it might collapse at any moment.

This sent a jolt of fear through them all.

From just that one blow, the ten-foot-long body of the Demon Corpse was completely flattened out.

Its massive size and flailing limbs made the people around it shrink back continuously.

It was unclear whether they were retreating from the terrifying-looking Demon Corpse or from the young man who had just flung it through the air with a single blow.

BLRBLRBLR!

The Demon Corpse was smashed into a daze, its mind muddled.

But thanks to its powerful physique, the blow hadn’t been fatal. It shook its head and tried to get back up.

However, before it had the chance, Wu Chen leaped toward its head.

The instant his black blade left its sheath, he thrust it forward, plunging it with unerring accuracy into the Demon Corpse’s fang-filled mouth.

The sharp, dark tip of the blade poked out from the back of the Demon Corpse’s head with a soft ’PFFT’.

WHIIINE!

The Demon Corpse shrieked in agony. The stab still hadn’t killed it; instead, it grew even more frenzied, letting out a piercing roar.

The sharp pain from the back of its head sent it into a frantic struggle. Its limbs thrashed about, cracking every stone tile they touched.

The city wall shook nonstop from the Demon Corpse’s pained convulsions. The nearby guards and Hunters were so startled by the commotion that they lost their balance and threatened to fall.

But soon, a crimson palm descended upon its head. Five fingers dug deep into its flesh, grabbing its head and lifting it halfway into the air.

A tyrannical force shot from his five fingers, squeezing the Demon Corpse’s skull until it audibly creaked. Its frenzied state gradually subsided into silence.

The Demon Corpse wanted to struggle, but the force crushing its head left its entire body limp. It couldn’t move at all, let alone break free.

Then, Wu Chen violently yanked the hilt of his blade, causing the sword that pierced its mouth to twist a full circle.

SCREEECH!—

The sharp blade churned brutally inside the Demon Corpse’s mouth. The edge collided with its teeth, shattering them all. As it ground the skull to pieces, it produced a grating, distorted sound.

The sound was short and sharp, over in the blink of an eye.

With that final twist, Wu Chen lifted half of the Demon Corpse’s head into his hand.

The headless body of the Demon Corpse finally lost all strength, slumping to the ground, completely still.

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