The Black Fiend seemed to have some kind of mechanism inside its body. With a whoosh, it sprang back again. Its two arms were moving up and down, sweeping and striking. When Iron Leg's steel knife hacked at the Black Fiend's arm, it didn't seem to feel a thing. Its arms were like iron bars, unscathed.
Both Iron Leg and Luo Yuhu were secretly groaning in distress. This Black Fiend was impervious to knives and guns and seemed never to get tired. Even with the two of them working together, they could barely hold their own. What's more, the Five Heroes of Southern Sichuan over there were eyeing them hungrily. It seemed that this battle was doomed to failure.
The two of them made up their minds and decided that "retreating was the best strategy".
Iron Leg held a torch in his left hand and a knife in his right, the blade gleaming. Luo Yuhu drew a long sword from his waist, the sword's momentum like a rainbow. The knife and the sword wove together to form a net of light, blocking the fierce attacks of the Black Fiend. The two of them fought as they retreated. The Black Fiend chased after them relentlessly.
Just as they were about to retreat to the entrance of the cave, Iron Leg suddenly felt a gust of wind from behind. He secretly cried out in his heart that something was wrong. He quickly twisted his waist. A white figure darted past him like a ghost. Only to hear Luo Yuhu let out a loud cry and then plop down on the ground. It turned out that the White Fiend had somehow shaken off the Corpse Mastiff and pounced on Luo Yuhu from behind, biting down on the back of his neck.
Luo Yuhu felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. With his left hand, he hooked back at the White Fiend's throat. With his right hand, he swung the sword backhandedly. This sword strike landed solidly on the White Fiend's head.
However, instead of letting go, the White Fiend bit down even harder on Luo Yuhu's throat. Luo Yuhu could feel his own blood gushing out of his throat in streams. Seizing this opportunity, the Black Fiend, with its iron-like fingers hooked, reached out and grabbed at Luo Yuhu's chest.
Luo Yuhu had no way to avoid it. He could only watch helplessly as the Black Fiend's big hand plunged into his chest. With both hands, the Black Fiend tore his chest open forcefully. Luo Yuhu felt a searing pain in his chest, and then he lost consciousness.
The Black Fiend pounced on Luo Yuhu's corpse. With its hands rising and falling continuously on the torn-open chest, it dug out the heart, liver, and other internal organs. Then it opened its big mouth and swallowed them down like flowing water. Blood dripped down from the corners of the Black Fiend's mouth, tick by tick. The White Fiend still held onto Luo Yuhu's neck tightly, as if it wanted to suck dry every drop of blood in his body.
Iron Leg was so scared that his legs went weak, and the torch in his hand trembled uncontrollably. Suddenly, he felt as if his left hand had been bitten by something. Startled, he let out a loud cry and turned around and ran.
The Black and White Fiends heard the cry and both raised their heads simultaneously. Their cold gazes looked in the direction of the sound. Blood was still dripping from the corners of their mouths, one drop at a time.
The Black and White Fiends let out strange cries in unison. They dropped Luo Yuhu's corpse and suddenly chased after Iron Leg in the direction he had fled.
The burial chamber was plunged into pitch darkness once again.
The Five Heroes of Southern Sichuan, who had been hiding behind the white coffin watching all this, were all deeply shocked. They were all petrified by the bloody and terrifying scene that had just unfolded and couldn't say a word for a long time.
After a long while, Tang Zhen finally lit a firelighter. In the faint glow of the fire, it could be seen that Luo Yuhu, who had been looking so haughty and overbearing just a moment ago, now had his belly torn open and his intestines spilling out, dead.
Yan Tieshan frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Big Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, look. Can you think of any countermeasures to deal with these Black and White Fiends?"
Feng Zhen said in a deep voice, "These Black and White Fiends are impervious to knives and guns. We don't have any sharp weapons that can cut through gold and jade at hand. We can't harm them at all." He then turned his gaze to Tang Zhen and said, "Fourth Brother, what do you think?" His gaze was full of inquiry.
Among these five people, Tang Zhen had always been the richest in wits.
Tang Zhen cleared his throat slightly and said, "Big Brother, I do have an idea."
Feng Zhen raised his eyebrows: "What idea? Let's hear it."
Wang Baitong said loudly, "Come on, Fourth Brother. What kind of situation are we in now? I don't want to stay in this damn underground cave for another moment."
Tang Zhen said, "We've smeared corpse oil on ourselves now. These Black and White Fiends won't be able to see us. It shouldn't be a problem if we just want to get away. But I'm afraid that after we get out, these Black and White Fiends will bring disaster to the village. That would be a sin. We must deal with these Black and White Fiends here to prevent them from going out and harming people."
Everyone nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, that's right."
Yan Tieshan said, "So according to Fourth Brother's idea—"
Tang Zhen looked at Cui Zheng and said, "Third Brother, what did you sprinkle in that white coffin just now? Why did the Black Fiend rise as a corpse so quickly? According to my estimate, it should have taken at least another half an hour for the Black Fiend to get up and start harming people."
Cui Zheng hesitated for a moment and said, "It was the Soul Summoning Powder."
Tang Zhen nodded and said, "I've heard of the name of this Soul Summoning Powder. I know that it's a secret elixir that has been lost for a long time in the Maoshan School. Legend has it that it's recorded in a book called the Scripture of Controlling Ghosts and Souls. This book was lost in a fierce fight within the Maoshan School a hundred years ago. It seems that there's also a strange art called the Soul Transferring Great Art recorded in the book. Third Brother, you must know it, right?"
Tang Zhen, Feng Zhen, Yan Tieshan, and Wang Baitong all looked at Cui Zheng with eight pairs of eyes.
Cui Zheng was silent for a moment and then said, "Yes."
Tang Zhen smiled and said, "Third Brother, since you know this strange art, then we're saved."
Wang Baitong asked curiously, "What kind of art is this Soul Transferring Great Art? What does it have to do with our current situation?"
Tang Zhen said, "This Soul Transferring Great Art can control ghosts and souls and can control zombies. We can let Third Brother use this Soul Transferring Great Art to control these Black and White Fiends this time, make them kill each other, and we can just sit back and reap the benefits. Isn't that good? Third Brother, what do you think?"
Cui Zheng nodded and said, "Good. Let's do it this way."
Tang Zhen said, "Since that's the case, then Third Brother, you go first. When you encounter these Black and White Fiends, you use the Soul Transferring Great Art to make them kill each other. Then we'll take the opportunity to slip out."
Feng Zhen nodded and said, "That's very good. Let's go." Cui Zheng walked ahead first, and the other four followed closely behind.
The five of them climbed up through the entrance of the burial chamber and came to the first floor. Faintly, they could hear the low growls of a dog coming from the corridor of the tunnel in front.
Tang Zhen called out, "It's the Corpse Mastiff! Everyone be careful. It must be the Corpse Mastiff fighting with the Black and White Fiends."
The Five Heroes of Southern Sichuan walked step by step into the tunnel. Just as they turned the corner of the tunnel, they saw the Corpse Mastiff biting and tearing at the Black and White Fiends.
The Black Fiend let out strange growls in its throat. Its two pitch-black arms were moving up and down, hitting the Corpse Mastiff violently. The White Fiend's figure was floating around, also attacking the Corpse Mastiff from the side.
The Corpse Mastiff was extremely agile. It darted around among the fierce attacks of the Black and White Fiends, its body moving like lightning. The Black and White Fiends missed their targets time and again, and they let out strange cries of frustration one after another.
The Five Heroes of Southern Sichuan walked slowly along the wall of the tunnel towards the Black and White Fiends. Cui Zheng slowly pinched out two talismans from his pocket with his index finger. He murmured incantations under his breath and then flicked his finger gently. The two light-colored talismans flew towards the backs of the Black and White Fiends like lightning, silently and without a trace.
Everyone held their breath, their expressions tense, for fear that the Black and White Fiends would discover them. These two "big rice dumplings" were impervious to knives and guns and extremely difficult to deal with. If they were discovered by the Fiends, it would be really hard to handle.
A few yards away, the White Fiend stopped first. The black qi between its eyebrows grew thicker. Suddenly, it let out a strange shriek. Its claws were like hooks, and it grabbed at the Black Fiend's throat viciously.