Chapter 64: Let These Two Brats Have the Advantage |
"Giggle... giggle... giggle..."
The Wood Puppet Abomination peered into the ravine and discovered Xia Hong's animal hide clothing lying quietly at the bottom, surrounded by bloodstains. Its laughter grew increasingly sinister and maniacal, even carrying a hint of satisfaction.
Whoosh...
It even lowered its head playfully to blow a breath into the ravine. The airflow transformed into a breeze that lifted the animal hide garment, clearly intending to get a better look at Xia Hong's corpse.
But with that single breath, its expression drastically changed.
Beneath the animal hide clothing was empty space—only bloodstains remained.
Where was Xia Hong's body?
As shock flashed across the Wood Puppet Abomination's face, it suddenly turned to look at the large blade slung over its right shoulder. Its crimson pupils abruptly constricted.
That previous slash had been too forceful, kicking up large amounts of dirt from the ground—something the abomination hadn't paid any attention to. Unexpectedly, Xia Hong had not only dodged that strike but had hidden in the dirt, clinging to the blade as it was lifted up.
Xia Hong, who had been gripping the blade's edge, suddenly burst forth from a clump of dirt like a shell fired from a cannon, charging down the length of the weapon.
With the massive blade already slung over the abomination's shoulder, Xia Hong reached its right shoulder in an instant. Raising the weapon, he aimed directly at the Wood Puppet Abomination's head.
This sudden reversal not only shocked the abomination to its core but also stunned everyone else present.
Xia Hong had actually dodged that earlier slash.
But if he'd avoided it, why pretend to be dead?
Moreover, why cling to the blade to approach the abomination's head?
The Wood Puppet Abomination seemed to realize something. Within its constricted crimson pupils, terror suddenly surfaced as it frantically twisted its head and swung its massive blade, trying to dislodge Xia Hong from its shoulder.
But the distance between them was now far, far too close!
As Xia Hong raised the blade to strike, he hurled a fist-sized black lump forward, his face twisting savagely as he brought the weapon down.
Thunk...
Xia Hong's strike, containing nearly all his strength, drove both the blade and the black mass deep into the Wood Puppet Abomination's temple. The entire length of the weapon sank in, leaving only the hilt exposed.
When the abomination saw that black lump, the terror in its pupils instantly transformed into pure dread.
And when Xia Hong cleaved both blade and black mass into its right temple, that substance transformed into countless droplets of black fire oil that seeped into its skull.
The white threads inside the wound ignited instantly upon contact with the oil.
That single lump dispersed far too much of the flammable substance, and with Xia Hong's powerful strike, the oil splattered everywhere, coating nearly the entire head.
Sss...
Even the parts of its face that received minor splashes emitted thick black smoke, while inside its skull—where most of the oil had entered—flames erupted instantly, spreading wildly.
The abomination's entire head soon burned fiercely from within.
"Ah... ah... AHHHHH!!!"
Excruciating pain from inside its skull made it release piercing, agonized shrieks.
"You little bastard... you tricked me... YOU TRICKED ME... AHHH!!!"
The Wood Puppet Abomination's legs, recently injured by the torch, couldn't move, but the agony from its head made it thrash and howl uncontrollably. It swung its massive blade indiscriminately at the ground, naturally aiming for Xia Hong—who had already been flung away.
Bang... Bang... BANG!!!
It slashed madly toward Xia Hong, each strike making the entire valley tremble, all while screaming with pained, venomous fury:
"Tricked me... YOU LITTLE BASTARD DARED TRICK ME... AHH!!!"
The shockwaves from its ten-meter-long blade practically plowed through the entire valley floor. Though Xia Hong was the primary target, everyone else—whether Yang Ning and Li Hu, Luo Ming's group of four, or even the distant Yue Feng and Yuan Cheng—all scrambled desperately to avoid the attacks.
If the others faced such danger, Xia Hong—the main target—fared far worse.
Staggering and dodging frantically, Xia Hong didn't dare look back at the abomination. But sensing the weakening force behind each descending strike, a cold smirk appeared on his pale face.
Others might not understand the abomination's frenzy, but he knew.
The Wood Puppet Abomination was talking about the Concentrated Fire Oil!
From the moment they entered the valley, Xia Hong had suspected their every move was being observed.
That's why he hadn't used the fire oil immediately, instead following Luo Ming's group into the wooden hut.
Subsequent events proved his suspicions correct—the abomination had mixed fake puppets among real people to deliberately exhaust his fire oil reserves.
This only confirmed how much the creature feared the substance.
So at that point, Xia Hong began his deception. Though he'd actually brought four lumps of Concentrated Fire Oil—having given one to Xia Chuan and keeping three himself—he told Luo Ming he only had two left.
This lie was specifically meant for the abomination's ears.
After the giant wooden puppet exhausted those two lumps outside, the Wood Puppet Abomination appeared. By then, Xia Hong knew his earlier deception had worked.
The way the abomination later fought all seven of them evenly proved it had been toying with Yang Ning and Li Hu on the mountaintop. What it truly feared wasn't those two—but the fire oil.
Yet one had to admit the abomination was excessively cautious.
Even after appearing, it couldn't be certain Xia Hong carried no more fire oil.
That's why, when cornered by all seven hunters, it broke through toward Luo Ming and Li Hu's groups rather than Xia Hong's side.
This only reinforced Xia Hong's earlier conclusions.
The torch represented his final test.
When approaching the abomination's legs, Xia Hong still didn't use the fire oil—knowing the creature could detach any body part at will. He used the torch instead, precisely to lull it into complacency.
Everything Xia Hong did was to lull the abomination and create an opportunity to reach its head.
The Wood Puppet Abomination controlled its puppets through those translucent white threads. All previous puppet encounters—including the giant wooden one—showed the densest thread concentrations were in their heads. Luo Ming had only finished off that giant puppet by injecting fire oil into its skull.
Thus, the head had to be the abomination's weak point.
"AHHHH... AHHHH!!!"
As flames inside its skull grew fiercer, the abomination's screams intensified. Its wild slashes at Xia Hong grew increasingly erratic before finally stopping completely.
The battered, fleeing Xia Hong finally caught his breath.
Taking in the abomination's twisted, thrashing form, then glancing at the horrific wound on his own shoulder—nearly down to the bone—he couldn't suppress a shudder.
Dodging that earlier strike hadn't been simple at all.
Though he'd completely avoided direct contact, the shockwave from that massive slash had still struck him.
Had that residual force landed one inch closer to his neck, he'd be dead already.
Just as everyone thought they could simply wait for the flames to consume the abomination, Yang Ning suddenly moved.
Excitement flashing in his eyes, he called to Li Hu:
"Hu Zi! With me! Let's finish it!"
Li Hu mirrored his enthusiasm, charging alongside him toward the burning abomination.
Seeing this, Luo Ming's eyes flickered but he remained silent.
Xia Hong also showed a flicker of interest, but after touching his wounded shoulder and glancing at Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng and the others, he hesitated briefly before staying put.
"Let these two have the advantage," he muttered.
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