Chapter 23: Flying Head Sorcery
A cool breeze swept across the face beneath an endless, bright moon.
In an instant, the battlefield was filled with a chilling, ghostly aura, exuding an extraordinary sense of terror!
At a quick glance, Xiang Haitang, the Xiangxi voodoo sorcerer clad in coarse black cloth, was wielding a Miao saber while controlling a bizarre zombie with three heads and six arms.
This zombie looked majestic and formidable, yet it exuded a foul and unbearable stench, with wisps of black, deathly energy lingering around its entire body.
Meanwhile, Gu Mo, his entire form radiating green ghost fire, tightly grasped his Sky-Measuring Ruler. By his side stood the Furball Gluttonous Ghost, baring its fangs and opening its cavernous mouth.
This pitch-black little creature was like the ultimate bug in this world.
In the blink of an eye, it had even fused the three skeleton soldiers it had previously vomited out into one entity.
From this perspective, the monsters conjured by both sides equally possessed bizarre three-heads-and-six-arms configurations, making them quite evenly matched!
Everything on the battlefield was extremely subtle.
One thing was certain: a new, fierce battle had just drawn back its curtain!
...
Swish!
Gu Mo, gripping the Sky-Measuring Ruler, glared at Xiang Haitang with a livid expression, letting out a barrage of provocative boasts from his mouth.
"You old bastard, you may have your strategies, but I have my ways to bypass them! Who the hell do you think is on the deathbed now?"
Hearing this, Xiang Haitang, holding his Miao saber, furrowed his brow tightly and let out a cold snort.
"If we're going to fight, then fight! Where do all these useless words come from?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Mo, having been rebutted so bluntly, instantly flew into a rage, consumed by a surge of vexation. He felt an intense urge to fly right up and bite this old bastard to death!
Little did he know, not long after, Gu Mo was indeed the one who got bitten. (Though that is a story for later.)
...
The dwindling sliver of rationality left in Gu Mo's mind told him that he should either not strike at all, or deliver a fatal blow with a single attack.
Otherwise, the one whose life hung by a thread would undoubtedly be himself.
Showing mercy to an enemy is ultimate cruelty to oneself!
With this thought, the cauldron of schemes and wicked tricks inside Gu Mo's mind began to churn furiously.
At the most critical juncture, Gu Mo paused slightly, then widened his eyes to the size of ox eggs, pointed his finger toward the high moon with a darkened expression, and put on a look of sheer astonishment.
"Holy shit! What is that?"
The moment his voice trailed off, curiosity got the better of Xiang Haitang, who held the Miao saber, and he involuntarily tilted his head to take a look.
That single glance was all it took; Gu Mo immediately broke into a sly, wretched grin.
At that split second, faster than a spark from a flint.
Gu Mo abruptly drew a deep breath, shifted his stance like a flash of lightning, and sprinted at top speed toward Xiang Haitang.
His speed was phenomenal, as Gu Mo poured every ounce of his adrenaline and frantic energy into the burst.
If the legendary sprinter Usain Bolt were to witness this, he would undoubtedly cry out in absolute disbelief!
Suddenly, with veins bulging and blood boiling, Gu Mo violently swung the Sky-Measuring Ruler in his hand.
A muffled thud echoed through the air, and Xiang Haitang’s bald crown immediately flew straight toward the dense forest like a soccer ball.
Splat!
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, a jet of black blood soared seven or eight meters high from Xiang Haitang’s severed neck.
A gruesome massacre of blood and gore!
The scene was intensely visceral and horrifyingly shocking—so much so that ten thousand descriptive words could not capture even a fraction of it!
This black blood surged outward, piercing through the ghostly aura surrounding Gu Mo.
Splattered all over with black blood, Gu Mo stood frozen in place, his Bruce Lee-style tight-fitting suit instantly looking as though it had been drenched in red paint.
Within the frame, everything was stained by the deep crimson blood.
Witnessing such a horrifying spectacle, Gu Mo instantly shook like a sieve, dumbfounded and tongue-tied.
His stammering, faltering words tumbled out.
"I... I... I killed someone?"
Clang!
The Sky-Measuring Ruler in Gu Mo’s hand crashed heavily to the ground beside his feet.
Following that, Gu Mo raised his own sinful hands, utterly unable to believe the reality before him. His eyes were completely bloodshot.
"That old bastard... why... why didn't... he dodge?"
As soon as his voice fell, Gu Mo blankly raised his eyes to look at the still-spurting headless corpse, his complexion turning as pale as white wax, filled with regret deep down to his very intestines.
...
Never in his wildest dreams would Gu Mo have believed he could actually knock Xiang Haitang's head clean off with a single strike!
How could such a childish trick actually work?
Reflecting on his return to Northern Wilderness Town, although Gu Mo had experienced countless supernatural events and destroyed numerous demons and ghosts,
this was his very first time killing a human being!
How could a human and a monster ever be spoken of in the same breath?
Once someone develops a bloodlust, even a saint with a tranquil mind will sink deep into the abyss, never to return!
While trembling like a leaf in the wind, Gu Mo felt an overwhelming, hard-to-suppress surge of emotion welling up in his mind.
Yet, even he himself had no idea how to describe it precisely.
Hatred can truly drag a person down into a bottomless abyss at times!
...
Meanwhile, deep within the starlike eyes of the Furball Gluttonous Ghost, a red glint flashed.
Crack, crack, crack!
Amidst a series of bone-snapping sounds, the three-headed, six-armed skeleton wielding a ghost-head broadsword charged straight at the zombie, which also possessed three heads and six arms.
Roar!
A heaven-shaking roar assailed everyone's eardrums.
Clang, clang, clang!
Following the roar, several muffled impacts rang out. The two three-headed, six-armed monsters instantly became entangled in a fierce brawl!
Beneath a dazzling array of offensives, flashes of black and red light violently collided with one another.
Swords flashing, blades gleaming, and blood flying—it was far too fast for the eye to follow!
For nearly a hundred rounds, the two multi-limbed monsters remained evenly matched, trading blows back and forth.
...
Nearby, Xiao Yulou—who was currently engaging in a classic "damsel in distress embrace" with Xiang Yunjiao—was suddenly startled, his heart pounding wildly upon seeing Gu Mo slay Xiang Haitang. Yet, he felt not a shred of joy.
Even in this life-or-death situation, Xiao Yulou wished he had been the one to commit the murder.
If Gu Mo were to go mad and lose his mind now, everyone present would be dragged down to hell with him!
Suddenly, watching the corpse spewing black blood toward the sky, Xiang Yunjiao's expression darkened as she shrieked at the top of her lungs,
"Hey, whoever you are, watch out!"
Right as her voice fell, a dense, dark cloud of mosquitoes suddenly swarmed out from the dense forest, while snakes, insects, rats, and ants on the ground surged forward in an unstoppable wave.
Seeing this bizarre spectacle, Xiao Yulou experienced a sudden flash of realization.
It seemed Xiang Haitang had long since used a special powder to lure these arthropods here.
Yet, why these creatures had been lying in wait and only attacking now was something Xiao Yulou simply could not fathom.
Could it be because of the smell of blood?
At that moment, the limp and weak Xiang Yunjiao struggled to sit up from Xiao Yulou's embrace.
As wretched as Xiao Yulou was, while he outwardly helped steady the young woman, inwardly he felt a twinge of displeasure.
*How wonderful would it be to just lie quietly in this Daoist priest's arms? At least I could steal a whiff of her fragrance, so why on earth does she have to sit up?*
Suddenly, the Xiangxi maiden Xiang Yunjiao mustered her remaining strength to drive the swarm of wasps lingering in the surroundings, directing them to charge straight at the horde of creeping and crawling pests.
Buzz-buzz-buzz!
Even on such a microscopic scale, the battle was intensely fierce.
Waves of whistling sounds filled the air as flying insects collided and plummeted to the ground.
...
Cutting back to the other side, Gu Mo, holding the Sky-Measuring Ruler, remained mired in deep self-blame.
After all, this was his first time killing a person.
Although Gu Mo could enter a berserk state during life-or-death crises,
the feeling of taking a human life felt like an inescapable psychological shadow—unforgettable and utterly difficult to accept!
This alone proved that Gu Mo's fundamental nature was pure and kind.
...
Hearing the young woman's piercing cry, Gu Mo snapped back to his senses.
A dark shadow flashed through the forest before him, and Xiang Haitang’s bald, severed head came flying back with a ferocious and horrifying expression!
Not only that!
This rapidly flying bald head trailed a continuous stream of fresh blood as if it cost nothing at all.
A string of vibrant, twitching visceral organs hung from the flying head, swaying in the wind like a long string of firecrackers set off during the New Year.
Only, this string of firecrackers looked anything but celebratory.
In an instant, the sheer terror of the sight made one's hair stand on end!
"Holy shit—where did that firecracker come from?"
Before Gu Mo could even finish his exclamation or make any defensive move,
with a swift swish!
The ferocious Xiang Haitang had already used his blood-drenched viscera to tightly wrap around Gu Mo's neck.
An intensely foul and nauseating stench instantly assailed his nostrils, resembling a rat that had been dead for half a month.
Gu Mo instantly held his breath, clamping his hands tightly over his nose and mouth with a look of extreme disgust.
He initially thought of gritting his teeth through the nausea to rip away these bloody organs.
Yet, upon second thought, Gu Mo simply couldn't bring himself to touch anything so revolting!
A dead person's internal organs were already too terrifying to touch casually, let alone the fact that this bizarre old bastard Xiang Haitang barely still fell into the category of a living person!
Following that, Xiang Haitang, who was gripping Gu Mo's neck tightly, leaned right against Gu Mo's ear and whispered in an icy, eerie tone,
"Hehehehe... Now who is on their deathbed?!"
Hearing these sickening and stomach-churning words, Gu Mo furrowed his brows tightly, his face turning livid, and he nearly vomited last year's New Year dinner.
Naturally, his facial features twisted, and goosebumps broke out all over his skin!
Meanwhile, Xiang Haitang's headless corpse was far from idle. Amidst a rustling sound, a massive swarm of red-headed centipedes suddenly burst forth from within the still-warm carcass.
The moment these arm-thick red-headed centipedes appeared, they surged toward Gu Mo like a tidal wave.
Seeing this, Gu Mo felt his entire body go numb. Clenching his sphincter and trembling in terror weren't even enough to describe his burning anxiety.
He never expected this voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang to be so utterly disgusting!
Observing Gu Mo's distorted expression, Xiang Haitang let out a deeply gratified, sinister chuckle as his hair fluttered in the wind.
"Hehehehe~"
If this wasn't pure perversion, what was?
Gu Mo had previously thought the foul-smelling zombie was already repulsive enough.
Little did he know, the voodoo sorcerer Xiang Haitang was even more revolting than the zombie!
Within a breath's time, Xiang Haitang's flying head suddenly exerted all its strength.
The blood vessels and organs wrapped around Gu Mo's ghostly aura acted like crimson pythons, with every single capillary tightening with ferocious force!
Crack, crack, crack!
As Xiang Haitang increased the pressure, the ghostly protective aura enveloping Gu Mo's body could no longer bear the load!
With a sharp, crisp snap!
Gu Mo's ghost-energy shield shattered instantly. Almost simultaneously, the horde of red-headed centipedes descended upon Gu Mo, tearing and biting relentlessly.
Hearing those lethal sounds, Gu Mo's baring-fanged face twisted into a purplish-brown hue from the choking grip, while his entire body was riddled with innumerable bites from the red-headed centipedes.
*I'm completely done for!*
Cursing inwardly, Gu Mo was convinced he was going to meet his end here.
...
Suddenly, the limp and weak Xiao Yulou caught sight of this bizarre scene upon hearing the commotion.
The Daoist priest, usually possessing an ethereal and transcendent air, was so startled that his sphincter clenched and his body trembled; he simply couldn't believe his eyes.
A hysterical roar instantly pierced the night sky.
"Holy shit—that's a flying head descent!"
Hearing the furious roar, Xiang Yunjiao and the Furball Gluttonous Ghost cast sidelong glances over.
In an instant, realizing the extreme peril of the situation, the three humans and one pet collectively drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
To think Gu Mo was so ignorant of the world as to fail to recognize the Xiangxi voodoo forbidden technique of the Flying Head Descent!
Yet, helpless as they were, both fighters had to pour every ounce of strength into controlling the wasp swarm and the six-armed specter soldiers to counter the crawling pests and the six-armed zombie. They were simply stretched too thin to offer assistance!
As the camera angle shifted, the smugly smiling Xiang Haitang suddenly widened his cavernous mouth and lunged forward, biting fiercely into Gu Mo's tender neck...