A secluded corner of Longhu Mountain.
A puppet walked slowly.
Its movements were stiff and bizarre, its limbs and joints seemingly controlled by invisible strings.
"Damn it, it's all thanks to Jiang Cheng'an, that guy, forcing our actions to happen ahead of schedule!"
"You can't entirely blame him. What Xiao Anzi said is right, the Celestial Master already guessed our plan!"
"Hmph, if you say so, then the Celestial Master must have set a death trap in the dungeon. If we go, it's like lighting a lamp in a latrine – looking for trouble!"
"Don't worry, hasn't the Actor gone to see the Celestial Master? With him to keep the Celestial Master occupied, who else can stop us?"
"That's true. Although the Luo Tian Da Jiao has made Longhu Mountain exceptionally lively, the attendees are not the top powerhouses from all sects and factions. Some elders and minor figures can't stop us at all!"
This conversation was not the puppet talking to someone else, but its own monologue!
Miraculously, although the puppet was talking to itself, the voice it emitted was completely different from another person's. The tone, delivery, and accent were all distinct.
In this desolate wilderness, a terrifying puppet muttering to itself, how chilling was the scene?
Just then, a shadow appeared beside the puppet.
The shadow let out a cold snort, "I failed."
"I know. Thanks to you, the Actor had to start his actions early. Now everyone has begun their assault on Longhu Mountain," the puppet stopped its monologue and sneered.
"It's all that bald donkey from Hanshan Temple. Their Buddhist teachings are exactly what counter me!"
The shadow furiously punched a nearby large tree, which immediately fell.
"Don't be so hot-tempered! Lu Kui, Jiang Cheng'an!"
A strangely dressed old man walked out from behind the fallen tree. He wore baggy robes adorned with numerous medicine pouches.
"He Zhijing, you scoundrel! I can smell your stench from half a mile away!" Jiang Cheng'an, the shadow, cursed.
The puppet Lu Kui frowned, "Do you guys have to call each other by your real names?"
"What are you afraid of? We're already storming Longhu Mountain, are you afraid of the Celestial Master's revenge later?" Jiang Cheng'an scoffed dismissively.
He Zhijing, the strange old man, held a medicine pouch and twirled it incessantly, "Has Chen Tang arrived?"
"You know that guy. Has he ever arrived on time?" Jiang Cheng'an replied.
Dong!
At that moment, a peculiar drum sound echoed through the forest. A figure leaped out from the darkness, shouting, "What a coincidence, I'm not late today!"
The newcomer was a gaunt man. A waist drum the size of a bowl hung from his waist. The drum surface was yellowish-brown and displayed intricate patterns, as complex as human nerves.
"Chen Tang, you can't just beat that human-skin drum casually!" He Zhijing said with a smile. "What if we fall victim to your trick and start killing each other?"
Chen Tang smiled and casually patted the drum on his waist again. "My drum can make people lose their minds, but not everyone who hears it will be affected. It's like a gun, it hits wherever it's aimed!"
The four converged and quickly exited the forest.
Through the dense foliage, they could vaguely see the entrance to the Longhu Mountain dungeon ahead.
As expected, the dungeon entrance was already guarded by dozens of Longhu Mountain disciples, along with five seasoned elders!
They all held their weapons, standing ready, guarding the dungeon inside and out, so tightly that not even a fly could get in!
"Tsk tsk tsk, so many people!"
Chen Tang's mouth split into an excited grin, revealing his broken teeth. He said, "The more people there are, the more excited I get!"
The puppet Lu Kui twisted its neck 360 degrees, a sinister smile appearing on its stiff face. Then, sharp blades sprang from its hands.
"The slaughter has begun!! Hee hee hee hee!"
Shadow Jiang Cheng'an said, "Listen to my command, no one is allowed to attack first. We'll see who kills more people!"
"Prepare!"
"Three... damn it, Lu Kui, you son of a bitch!"
As Jiang Cheng'an began to count down, the puppet Lu Kui had already rushed out of the forest!
Lu Kui's speed was astonishingly fast. By the time the disciples guarding the dungeon noticed him, he was already upon them!
His grotesque face was almost pressed against a Longhu Mountain disciple. The disciple froze for almost three seconds before remembering to counter.
But with a mere downward lunge, Lu Kui's blades pierced the disciple's abdomen. Then, with a backflip, he cleaved the disciple's upper body in half!
The corpse remained standing, but its upper half bloomed like a scarlet flower, splattering blood onto the faces of his fellow disciples!
The other disciples were stunned and frozen, unsure how to react.
It was the elders of Longhu Mountain who reacted first, roaring, "Demons are invading! Demons are invading! Everyone, brace yourselves!"
In the span of that short sentence, Lu Kui had already killed three more people!!!
Seeing this, Shadow Jiang Cheng'an couldn't stand it any longer. "Damn it, I'm not counting anymore!"
His shadow hugged the ground, "sliding" to the dungeon entrance, and burrowed into the shadow of a Longhu Mountain disciple.
The Longhu Mountain disciple sensed something and couldn't help but lower his head to examine his shadow.
He saw his shadow suddenly sprout a pair of blood-red eyes, followed by a pair of shadow hands that didn't belong to him. These extra hands gripped his shadow's shoulders, and he felt a powerful force tearing at his body!
Pfft!
This poor Longhu Mountain disciple was ripped in half!
"Everyone, be careful, there's a strange shadow!!"
"That puppet is impervious to blades and arrows!"
"There are two more in the forest!!!"
Despite being prepared, the Longhu Mountain disciples were caught off guard by this onslaught.
A considerable number of them had also descended the mountain to hunt ghosts, but they were still stunned into silence by the scene before them.
So this was how true demonic figures of the martial world killed without batting an eye!
Watching their former brethren fall one by one before their eyes, the Longhu Mountain disciples were on the verge of collapse!
But what was coming was even more terrifying!
From the forest, over a dozen medicine pouches were suddenly thrown.
The pouches landed on the ground and rolled a few times before the ropes holding them slowly loosened, releasing green gas!
Any Longhu Mountain disciple who came into contact with even a trace of the green gas found the affected area instantly rotting, the decay spreading uncontrollably. Within moments, their entire bodies were covered in festering sores, and even breathing became difficult, leading to a painful death!
That wasn't all!
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
Unrhythmic, bizarre drum sounds echoed through the forest. The disciples felt only mental anguish, and soon their vision became blurred!
They felt as if a bloodthirsty beast had taken root in their hearts, a beast now starving, about to break free from its shackles and rush out of its cage...
"Ah!!!!"
Finally, one Longhu Mountain disciple couldn't bear it any longer. He dropped his weapon, covered his ears, and after a struggle, suddenly lunged at his fellow disciple, biting into his neck!
The heavy rain continued to fall.
But it could not wash away the shocking blood on the ground...