Chapter 1787: Death Reaper

At that moment, a gigantic figure appeared in their line of sight. Zu An and the others finally understood what everyone else had been fleeing from.

There stood a monster four or five stories tall, flailing its limbs menacingly, like a giant praying mantis.

Unlike a mantis, however, its waist wasn't slender; its body was quite robust, and it shimmered all over with a metallic luster.

If its shape hadn't been wrong, Zu An might have thought it resembled some supercars from his previous life.

It had many legs, each limb covered with dense, sharp barbs. As it scurried quickly, it stepped on people who had fallen to the ground in the panicked stampede, piercing through their bodies like sharp blades.

Those who came to explore this great tomb, even those only on the outer fringes, were no nameless nobodies in the martial world. Each possessed considerable physical strength, and some clearly wore treasured armor or similar protective gear. Yet, before those slender limbs, all defenses were like paper, and blood splattered instantly.

At that moment, a gurgling sound, like someone drinking through a straw, filled the air. Those with keen eyes noticed that all the victims' blood flowed from their bodies into the monster's limbs. Through the slender limbs, they could vaguely see the blood being absorbed into its body. Simultaneously, the people lying on the ground instantly withered, becoming mere husks of skin.

This monster was actually draining human vital essence!

The thought alone, coupled with the continuous, gurgling sounds of suction, made their scalps tingle.

However, not all present were without courage. Seeing their companions devoured seemed to have made their eyes red with fury.

Many people brandished their weapons and charged at the monster. Others, confident in their powerful cultivation, were unwilling to simply flee and abandon their chance to explore the great tomb, so they also joined the attack.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

The monster's two forelimbs were exceptionally large, like scythes.

In mid-air, puffs of blood mist instantly bloomed as most of those who charged were instantly cut in half.

Zu An and the others' hearts collectively skipped a beat. "What incredibly fast blades!"

With their cultivation levels, they couldn't even perceive how the monster swung its blades.

It was simply too fast. They only saw its forelimbs lift, and then everything was over.

At this moment, some cultivators attacking the monster from the side and rear took this opportunity to get close to its flanks. Each of them knew that if the monster turned its head and swung its forelimbs, they would likely be turned into minced meat.

Rather than that, it was better to take a chance!

They all brandished their weapons and hacked at the monster's body. Even if they couldn't kill it, a mutual destruction wouldn't be too bad a deal.

A series of sharp *clangs* rang out. The attackers' eyes instantly widened in disbelief, because their full-force attacks couldn't even pierce its defenses!

All the blades, spears, swords, and halberds that struck the monster's body at most left only a few white marks.

Everyone was utterly terrified, thinking only of retreat. But unfortunately, two giant scythes suddenly appeared in their vision, and then everything turned crimson.

Seeing this scene, the remaining people completely broke down. They no longer had the courage to fight back, and cried out in terror as they fled outward.

It was just a pity that the monster's limbs were too long; a few casual steps allowed it to surround many people. What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

Wei Suo suggested, "Let's take this chance to leave quickly."

Zu An shook his head. "Though these people may not all be good, watching humans being slaughtered and doing nothing... my conscience just can't allow it."

Jing Teng looked at him with a hint of surprise. This man seemed vastly different from the selfish and cruel people in this world.

Qiu Honglei's expression turned grave. "But this monster is impervious to weapons; there's nothing we can do."

This was only a monster from the outer layer of the great tomb. Who knew how terrifying the other monsters imprisoned by Immortal Monarch Baopu were back then?

She quickly said, "This monster is called the 'Death Reaver'. Its entire shell is immune to attacks from anything below a Divine-grade weapon. Furthermore, its pair of reaving scythes are elusive and as fast as shooting stars; it's not something we can handle."

Zu An was a little surprised. This woman seemed to know too much about this great tomb.

"While there's a way to deal with its imperviousness to weapons," Zu An replied, "the main problem is its blade is too fast; it's utterly indefensible." Recalling the way its forelimbs had moved moments ago, it had already surpassed the very concept of speed.

Although his body was tough, if he were cut in half by one strike, it definitely wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

Qiu Honglei said, "I can use the Wall of Sighs to block it for a breath."

That was the strongest defensive ability of the light element.

"Then there's no problem." Zu An's expression shifted, and he quickly discussed their plan with her.

By this time, the monster had noticed the few people here. They had remained in place, a stark contrast to the fleeing ants scattered everywhere, making them impossible to ignore.

The monster swung its eight long legs and rapidly charged towards them.

Zu An directly met it, employing his Great Wind ability, and appeared almost instantly above the monster's head.

The monster's compound eyes shifted, clearly noticing his presence. Its two scythe-like blades instantly swept out; everything happened too fast for anyone to react.

Fortunately, Qiu Honglei had already prepared and summoned a Wall of Sighs around him.

The monster's blades struck it almost simultaneously. The Wall of Sighs, famed for blocking all attacks, shattered instantly.

However, it had at least blocked these two strikes. Before the monster's forelimbs could move again, Zu An had already made his move.

The Tai'a Sword emerged, and a magnificent, brilliant sword qi, like a river of stars, suddenly appeared before everyone.

No one could describe this sword strike. There were many masters present, but they all simultaneously felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, as if the moment this sword was unleashed, it was destined to be invincible.

The monster's hard shell was no longer effective. The vast sword qi directly shredded its head into pieces.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. The Tai'a Sword was a divine artifact, and coupled with his sword qi imbued with the intent of invincibility, it would have been unreasonable if its shell could still block it.

A hint of joy appeared on Qiu Honglei's face. She had long fantasized countless times about fighting alongside Zu An like this, but unfortunately, she had never had the chance until now. Her dream had finally come true.

Just then, Zu An's danger premonition flared suddenly.

"Watch out!" Qiu Honglei's voice rang out in panic, because she saw the monster's two forelimbs, which had stopped after its head was shredded, suddenly lift again and continue to strike at Zu An.

She had just summoned a Wall of Sighs, and it would be difficult to summon another in a short time.

Zu An hadn't expected this either, and he secretly regretted it, almost forgetting that insects, unlike many animals, don't necessarily die even if their heads are gone.

At this point, it was too late to dodge. He could only brandish the Tai'a Sword and meet the attack head-on. Since he couldn't perceive the trajectory of its blades, he would use offense as defense and see whether it was his death or its.

Thinking of the opponent's massive forelimbs, he wondered if his body, tempered by the Primordial Chaos Sutra, could withstand it this time.

Just then, a rapid chanting seemed to echo: "Lin Bing Dou Zhe Jie Zhen Lie Qian Xing, Zhen Lie Zai Bei, Xuan Wu Ting Ling!"

He couldn't worry about all that. The sky-filling sword qi directly poured down upon the monster's limbs.

The opponent's remaining body was dissolved by the sword qi, but its two forelimbs also struck him.

Zu An gritted his teeth, circulating his power throughout his body, preparing to endure the damage.

But to his surprise, he felt no pain at all. He looked down, only then noticing a translucent tortoise shell illusion appearing around him, which had precisely blocked the two strikes.

With the monster's main body dead, its two scythe-like forelimbs completely lost power and fell, and Zu An casually caught them.

"Scythe of Death!"

A line of text appeared on the keyboard's backend, seemingly identifying the item.

Zu An figured it might be useful someday, and directly stored it within his Glazed Orb.

Wei Suo couldn't help but be surprised. "Huh, Boss, you actually have such a huge storage space on you."

The monster's two scythe-like forelimbs were several meters long, and ordinary storage bags couldn't hold them.

Zu An smiled. "I happen to have one."

He looked at Jing Teng. "Thank you, Miss Jing, for your help just now. Otherwise, I might have been cut in half."

Even Qiu Honglei looked at her gratefully, completely forgetting any jealousy.

In that instant, her heart had almost leaped out of her chest. Fortunately, Jing Teng had intervened.

Jing Teng replied calmly, "Young Master's body is as tough as steel. Even if I hadn't helped just now, you would have at most suffered some injuries, likely with no life-threatening danger."

Wei Suo asked curiously, "How do you know his body is as tough as steel?"

Qiu Honglei also stared at her curiously, wondering if she too knew about Ah Zu cultivating the Primordial Chaos Sutra.

Jing Teng's face flushed. However, she reacted quickly and immediately explained, "I've observed that his skin always shimmers with an extraordinary glow, clearly indicating he's cultivated his body with a secret method."

"So that's it." Wei Suo and Qiu Honglei no longer harbored doubts. Only Jing Teng's cheeks remained flushed.

At this time, the surrounding people gathered, thanking Zu An for saving their lives, and at the same time, inquiring about their origins. After all, figures like them could not possibly be unknown in the world.

Zu An didn't want to deal with them. He casually exchanged a few words and then parted ways.

He had only saved them because he wished to act. It had nothing to do with them.

"Will we encounter even more powerful monsters next?" Zu An took the opportunity to ask Jing Teng, as she seemed to know a lot about the great tomb.

"That Death Reaver just now was already very powerful," Jing Teng said, looking at Zu An with a complex expression. "Its combat power even surpassed that of a Grandmaster. I didn't expect you to defeat it so easily. Although this man's cultivation isn't particularly high, his swordsmanship is truly impressive."