Chapter 109: Chrysanthemum Mountain Shadow

A dozen or so coffins, sweeping in with a whistling sound, swooped down like fierce birds of prey and savage beasts. The martial artists immediately fell into disarray, cries of alarm erupted one after another, and the scene was utter chaos.

However, Shang Buyu and the other masters remained remarkably calm. After all, they were seasoned veterans, well-traveled, experienced, and highly skilled in martial arts. Still, they vigilantly gathered their internal energy and quickly unleashed their unique techniques to defend themselves. Some swung their swords at the coffins, while others channeled potent palm energy to block them from a distance.

Gu Mo's hair streamed loosely, and his expression was grim.

Though he couldn't see, he could perceive the situation more clearly than most people with normal eyesight.

He felt a coffin whistling towards him. Without dodging, his aura surged dramatically, and internal energy surged in his right palm like a tumultuous wave. He unleashed it with overwhelming force. With a thunderous "bang," the coffin was instantly shattered into pieces by this incredibly forceful palm strike.

After the coffin disintegrated, a grotesque 'poison human' appeared. This poison human was naked, its skin an unnatural greenish-black hue, and it exuded a putrid stench.

Its body was twisted, and it emitted guttural, gurgling sounds from its mouth. Suddenly, it stretched its neck, and a stream of dark green venom shot out like an arrow.

Gu Mo quickly dodged aside, while simultaneously activating his protective internal energy.

The next instant, the venom struck a large rock. The rock was instantly corroded, developing deep grooves, green smoke wafted upwards, and a pungent odor permeated the air.

To Gu Mo's surprise,

his protective internal energy was actually corroded by the venom, and it seemed intent on penetrating his body by following the energy flow.

Gu Mo swiftly circulated his Nine Yang Divine Skill, forcing the venom down to the ground, where it instantly corroded a hole in the earth.

At that same moment,

identical poison humans emerged from all the dozen or so coffins. Each of these poison humans continuously spewed venom from their mouths. Yet, every single one of them possessed exceptional lightness skills, executing incredibly nimble footwork to dodge attacks back and forth.

The venom they spewed could even corrode weapons. Those hit by it instantly developed a bloody hole in their bodies. The poison spread extremely rapidly, and many didn't even have time to use their internal energy to expel it before their heart meridians were corroded. Some individuals, not even directly struck by the venom but merely touching the poison humans, were instantly poisoned.

For a time, the scene was utter chaos, with wails of agony rising all around.

Seeing that its attack missed Gu Mo, the poison human in front of him let out a sinister chuckle and immediately dropped to the ground with grotesque movements. Agile and swift, like a loach wriggling through mud, it instantly wove through the crowd.

Gu Mo quickly formed circles with his hands in front of him, as potent internal energy condensed in his palms with a faint whistling sound. In an instant, he thrust out his right palm, and a dragon-shaped energy blast roared forth, carrying an overwhelming force, traveling nearly ten zhang towards the poison human.

The energy blast struck with a thunderous impact, but instead of being sent flying as expected, the poison human exploded on the spot with a "boom," sending dark green venom splattering like fireworks.

Everyone blanched in terror, instinctively recoiling and leaping back to avoid the deadly venom. The venom splashed onto the ground, instantly corroding numerous holes in the earth with sizzling sounds. A pungent, nauseating odor spread, indicating the extreme potency of the poison.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wanzhao, Shang Buyu, and other masters also unleashed their signature techniques to kill the poison humans. Several poison humans were killed one after another, but these creatures seemed to be under a bizarre evil spell, for as soon as they were killed, they exploded with a roar.

Dark green venom splattered like a torrential downpour, and the air was filled with a pungent, putrid stench. Many martial artists who couldn't dodge in time were splashed by the venom, their skin instantly corroded, letting out horrifying wails of agony. Some clutched their faces in pain, rolling on the ground, while others, with arms corroded by the venom, could only watch as their flesh rotted away. The scene was too gruesome to behold.

Just then, people around suddenly started shouting, "Grandmaster Gu, be careful!" "Grandmaster Gu, retreat quickly!"

It turned out that the last four remaining poison humans, seizing the moment while everyone dodged the venom, had tacitly turned at the same time and charged madly towards Gu Mo. Their speed was astonishing, leaving a foul, reeking wind in their wake as they slithered across the ground like four slippery, large loaches. In the blink of an eye, they swiftly encircled Gu Mo. They moved silently, except for a chilling, eerie hissing sound that sent shivers down one's spine.

In a flash, the four poison humans closed in on Gu Mo, emitting shrill, strange cries, then simultaneously exploded with a "boom." Horrifying dark green venom surged like waves, rushing towards Gu Mo from four directions, instantly blocking all of his escape routes. Wherever the venom touched, deep grooves were corroded into the ground, and green smoke wafted upwards.

He lightly tapped the ground with his foot, instantly soaring into the sky. His posture was graceful, like a soaring eagle flapping its wings, tracing an elegant arc in mid-air.

This single leap carried him over ten zhang high, far exceeding ordinary people's imagination. Everyone looked up, their eyes filled with awe and shock.

However, just as Gu Mo began to descend, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the horizon.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound to see a pure iron coffin, enveloped in rolling dust, flying like an arrow shot from a bow, heading directly to collide with Gu Mo.

This sudden turn of events was too abrupt. Everyone paled in shock, their faces filled with fear and worry. Many present had already witnessed this pure iron coffin earlier, knowing it weighed at least five thousand jin.

As for whether it might be one of the wooden coffins wrapped in iron sheets, no one held such hopes. After all, the successive attacks just now had all been murderous intents directed at Gu Mo; the opponent would not use a fake iron coffin to attack him.

If a five-thousand-jin coffin collided directly, few could withstand it even with leverage on the ground, let alone Gu Mo, who was currently in mid-air with no leverage. If he were hit, even as an internal energy grandmaster, Gu Mo would likely face grave trouble.

For a moment, everyone was greatly alarmed. Those who reacted quickly threw their weapons, attempting to obstruct the iron coffin, but it was useless, leaving them only with panic.

Only Gu Chuwinter, who should have been the most panicked, remained completely calm.

Just as everyone was in a state of panic, their hearts in their throats, Gu Mo remained composed, showing no hint of panic. He suddenly stepped his left foot onto his right, lightly tapping his toes, like a dragonfly skimming the water, making several successive taps.

These movements were as fast as lightning, executed in one fluid motion. Using this clever leverage, he soared into the air once more, his posture ethereal, as if walking on air. This was the exquisite skill of the Ladder Cloud Leap.

In an instant, Gu Mo evaded the iron coffin.

Immediately afterward, his aura surged dramatically, his robes flapped vigorously, and internal energy surged like a tumultuous tide through his meridians. He let out a loud roar that reverberated through the wilderness, as internal energy condensed in his right palm, subtly transforming into a fierce, clawed dragon.

This was the 'Flying Dragon in the Sky' stance of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. He slammed out a palm strike, and the dragon-shaped energy roared forth, carrying an overwhelming force, slamming heavily into the pure iron coffin. In that instant, it felt as if heaven and earth trembled. A colossal sound erupted, like a deep thunderclap, causing a painful ringing in everyone's ears.

Under this incomparably fierce palm force, the pure iron coffin plummeted straight to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

The moment it landed, a powerful shockwave radiated outwards from the coffin's center. The ground trembled violently, emitting a dull roar, and snowflakes scattered everywhere, soaring upwards as if a grand snowstorm had erupted, blanketing the surroundings in white.

When the snowflakes settled slightly, everyone looked intently. The pure iron coffin had already shattered into pieces, its fragments scattered across the ground.

Just as everyone stood in astonishment, a figure slowly rose from the coffin's wreckage. This person was bald and shiny, reflecting an eerie glow in the snowlight. Their body was covered in fine scales, which shimmered with a cold, sinister sheen in the biting wind. Their body was contorted, and their movements were stiff; each step produced a grating "creaking" sound, as if bones were grinding together.

They slowly raised their head, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes. Their gaze was cold and emotionless as they scanned the surrounding crowd. An invisible oppressive aura washed over them, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

The scene was utterly silent, save for the howling cold wind raging through the valley, adding to the grim and terrifying atmosphere.

"Everyone, be careful! This person is Ju Shanyin!" Shang Buyu shouted.

Hearing the name "Ju Shanyin,"

the martial artists from various sects present felt a jolt in their hearts.

Among the evil cultivators of Yunzhou, there were two great formidable figures. One was 'Ghost of the Vengeful Spirit,' whose movements were elusive and unpredictable, killing invisibly, utterly mysterious. The other was Ju Shanyin. This person's 'Thousand Coffin Mirage Qi' was unrivaled in the martial world. Unlike 'Ghost of the Vengeful Spirit' who always killed invisibly, Ju Shanyin's every appearance was accompanied by numerous horrific deaths. Hence the saying, "When a thousand coffins emerge from the grave, no one survives."

Ju Shanyin merely swept his gaze across the martial artists from various sects, then gave a slight wave of his hand. In an instant, the numerous members of the Moon Worshipping Cult in the rear began their charge. Their battle cries shook the heavens, weighing heavily on the hearts of the martial artists present.

Most of the masters present had not yet recovered from their battle with Gu Mo last night. They had just suffered an ambush by the Moon Worshipping Cult, immediately followed by the Thousand Coffin Formation and the poison human assault, resulting in heavy casualties. Their morale was currently low, and many were physically exhausted.

The only slight consolation was that none of the five top masters had fallen yet. Of course, most importantly, Gu Mo was still present.

At this very moment,

Gu Mo had, without anyone realizing it, become the spiritual pillar for the many righteous cultivators present, enabling them to persevere and not collapse.

Shang Buyu and others understood Gu Mo's importance at this moment, so they quietly moved closer to Gu Chuwinter. They knew that Gu Chuwinter and Gu Mo had depended on each other for many years, and that Gu Chuwinter was Gu Mo's greatest weakness. Therefore, they had to protect Gu Chuwinter well and not distract Gu Mo.

Yet, their hearts were filled with both indignation and worry. Indignation stemmed from being provoked by Nie Dongliu, which led them to deliberately fight Gu Mo last night, resulting in all of them suffering severe internal injuries now. Facing Ju Shanyin, they didn't even qualify to help Gu Mo; instead, they would only be a burden.

Their worry was also for Gu Mo's current condition, unsure how much of his power he still retained.

For an internal energy grandmaster to fight a mysterious and unpredictable grandmaster-level evil cultivator while lacking full power was truly a huge disadvantage.

At this moment,

Gu Mo stood on a rock, disregarding the charging members of the Moon Worshipping Cult. He was fully focused on Ju Shanyin.

Ju Shanyin also watched Gu Mo, his eyes fixed intently on him. He said, "Gu Mo, how much better it would have been if you hadn't come to Falling Blossom Valley."

"What do you mean?" Gu Mo asked.

Ju Shanyin replied, "If you had stayed at Phoenix Cry Ferry, I could have focused entirely on killing you, undisturbed. But you insisted on joining the fun at Thousand Lantern Town. There was no suitable place along the way for me to unleash my Thousand Coffin Mirage Qi, so my chances of killing you greatly diminished, and I couldn't have a proper fight with you."

"Are you saying that if I hadn't come to Falling Blossom Valley, you would have abandoned your Moon Worshipping Cult mission to kill me alone? How am I unaware of such a deep animosity between us?" Gu Mo said.

Ju Shanyin stated, "It's not that we have personal animosity. It's that you ruined a major undertaking of my Holy Cult, so you must die. Secondly, someone commissioned me to kill you."

"Who?"

"Ren Tianqi, the leader of my Holy Cult's White Tiger Branch. You killed his successor, Dou Ruohua. Gu Mo, you won't survive."