Chapter 205: Golem

After a heavy downpour, some strange changes appeared outside the forest.

The muddy water in the swamp began to boil, as if something was brewing within.

Jiang Ke’er saw Liang Ruhui, who had been missing for a long time.

At this moment, he looked soulless, wandering with a foolish smile toward the depths of the swamp, as if something there was calling him, tugging at his very soul.

Even she herself felt an urge to step into the swamp, but luckily the cooling waves from Shuang Ying in her conscious space sobered her up a lot.

…Just what kind of evil thing is hiding in that swamp?

Jiang Ke’er drew the Shuangying Sword she hadn’t used until now.

Intense blue light surged along the sword’s blade, and the waves of energy broke through the Restriction of the trial, ensuring she wouldn’t be lured by whatever lay beneath the swamp.

The sword trembled, as if trying to tell Jiang Ke’er something.

She hung Shuang Ying at her waist as usual.

She noticed that Emperor Taizong of Tang, Changsun Wuji, and Senior Brother Xuan Yang all seemed off as well.

They walked out from the forest not far away, staring blankly as they made their way straight toward the swamp like walking corpses.

Jiang Ke’er hurried over and knocked them out, tossing them back into the woods.

By now, Liang Ruhui’s body was already more than half-sunken into the swamp. As he stepped into the area bubbling with steam, his body began to age at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, he became nothing but skin and bones.

“Dong, dong, dong—”

A hulking figure, covered in mud, was walking out of the woods as well—it was Cao Zhen.

The heavy rain had softened the earth, and with his considerable strength, he managed to escape the predicament.

But just after leaving the area where he’d been buried alive, he couldn’t resist the invasion of the evil power, and turned into a walking corpse like Liang Ruhui, heading toward the heart of the swamp.

Jiang Ke’er had thought Cao Zhen would remain buried underground forever, but to think he’d get another chance to appear…

Of course she wouldn’t give up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

She’d been eyeing Cao Zhen’s strength for quite a while.

After his desperate struggle underground, the protective True Qi that once shrouded Cao Zhen had long since faded, and now a dagger should be able to break his defenses.

Jiang Ke’er channeled spiritual power into her soles, using a movement technique like Step of Snow Without a Trace, and stepped lightly over the swamp, charging at Cao Zhen.

Unexpectedly, even in this state, Cao Zhen could still counterattack by reflex—he swung a fist at Jiang Ke’er, splattering mud everywhere.

Jiang Ke’er seized the chance, stepping onto his arm and climbing up to his shoulder, then drove her dagger straight through his temple.

He didn’t die.

Cao Zhen’s head was too big—a single strike was not enough to kill him.

Jiang Ke’er spun nimbly, stabbing her dagger into Cao Zhen’s right eye, slicing across his nasal bridge, and destroying his left eye as well.

“Ah! Ah! Ah—”

The sharp pain jolted Cao Zhen’s consciousness awake, but it was too late; by now, he could no longer see.

He extended his Divine Sense, reaching for Jiang Ke’er’s presence and swiped at her.

But Jiang Ke’er was as nimble as a mosquito buzzing by one’s ear at night.

No matter how furious Cao Zhen became, he couldn’t catch her.

He was finally done in by this “mosquito.”

He died full of resentment—from start to finish, he never had a real chance to fight Jiang Ke’er head-on. In confusion and endless anger, he died just like that.

If it had been a direct confrontation, Jiang Ke’er absolutely wouldn’t have been his match.

But the opportunity never came.

The opponent was just too detestable.

Jiang Ke’er felt her meridians toughen almost twofold, and the reserves of spiritual power within her grew—she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Every time she killed someone, she could absorb one-fifth of their strength.

Actually, just now, she already had enough power to face Cao Zhen head-on, but she still chose to hold back, because in her view… there were always crueler battles waiting ahead.

For a little Fox Demon like her, there was nowhere safe in all of Shenzhou.

Jiang Ke’er’s killing of Cao Zhen seemed to enrage the creature beneath the swamp, as if in its eyes, Cao Zhen should have been its prey.

The muddy water of the swamp began to boil and spread even further, and Cao Zhen’s corpse quickly sank into the mud.

Jiang Ke’er hurried back to the shore, hiding far away atop a tree, gazing down from the treetop.

The first thing to emerge was a giant hand.

A huge hand, spanning three li square; but between its five fingers, there seemed to be mechanical joints—clearly not the hand of a living thing.

The hand gripped the edge of the forest, suddenly pulling—ghastly white bones burst from the mud!

Its gold-and-iron shell was mottled with rust.

It shook off the mud clinging to its body, revealing a flattened demon head like that of a serpent.

It was a colossal, terrifying Demon Statue, cast entirely from metal.

The moment it appeared, the surrounding plants and animals withered rapidly, their life force turning into gray mist and flowing into the Demon Statue’s mouth.

The Demon Statue opened its maw, unleashing a bizarre wave of spiritual energy from within, which spread outward, instantly enveloping the entire woodland.

In the forest, insects, birds, and beasts suddenly lost control, flocking toward the Demon Statue’s mouth in a frenzy as if possessed.

But before even entering the statue’s mouth, they were drained of all life force, falling into the swamp as dried corpses.

Jiang Ke’er gripped the hilt of the Shuangying Sword tightly, waves of clarity-inducing energy surging continuously from the blade.

Luckily, Qian Yue, Emperor Taizong of Tang, and the others were all unconscious—their fainted state protected them from the control.

But Jiang Ke’er dared not faint; who knew what would happen if she lost consciousness? She had to grit her teeth and endure!

Perhaps because of the stimulation, the space around the Shuangying Sword resounded with cracking noises as Restrictions shattered, and the blue light on the blade grew ever brighter.

Jiang Ke’er could feel its power being rapidly released!

With a sword cry, a vast force field burst forth from Shuang Ying! An ice-blue barrier enveloped Jiang Ke’er, completely cutting her off from the Demon Statue’s spiritual influence!

Only then did Jiang Ke’er dare to look straight into the Demon Statue’s mouth.

Inside the serpent-headed Demon Statue’s jaws was a broad, flat tongue, also cast of gold and iron.

At this moment, the tongue trembled slightly—it seemed… to be in great pain?

Jiang Ke’er noticed the source of its agony—a longsword radiating a faint pink halo, pinning the serpent tongue firmly to its lower jaw.

Whenever the Demon Statue tried to reach in and pull out the tiny sword in its mouth, a protective barrier would flare from the sword, similar to the light Shuang Ying emitted… Wait!

Jiang Ke’er’s eyes widened in sudden realization.

Risking her life, she moved closer to take a good look at the pinkish sword in the Demon Statue’s mouth.

Like the Shuangying Sword, the junction of the hilt and blade lacked a crossguard for the hand—the form was exceptionally unique.

Moreover, its length, width, design—even the patterns on its hilt—were almost exactly the same as the Shuangying Sword!

The only difference was that its blade shimmered with a faint pink halo, brimming with Enchantment.

If the Shuangying Sword was a snow fairy—cold, aloof, and pure—then this sword was a bewitching demon, luring others to step into the abyss.

Sword of Allure.