ragginovel Chapter 87 Infiltrating Alone
Chapter 87 Infiltrating Alone
The leader of the men in black robes grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed.
He originally thought Zhou Ning was just a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, and that he could easily defeat him.
Unexpectedly, this person's strength far exceeded his expectations. Every sword strike carried a righteous aura, which had a natural restraining effect on his dark energy.
"No, we'll lose if we keep going like this."
The leader of the black-robed men gritted his teeth, took out a black pill from his pocket, and stuffed it into his mouth.
As the pill entered his stomach, his body began to swell, his muscles bulged, his veins stood out, and ghostly green flames burned in his eyes.
"Berserk mode?" Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat.
After going berserk, the black-robed leader's strength increased by at least 50%.
He was faster and stronger, and each strike of his sword made a whooshing sound as it cut through the air.
Zhou Ning was forced to retreat repeatedly, and his arm was slashed by the blade energy, causing it to bleed profusely.
"Lord Han, make your move!" he shouted.
At the mountaintop, Han Wei was already prepared.
He took out his bow and arrow, aimed at the iron cage on the altar, and shot an arrow.
The arrow, gleaming with a silvery-white light, struck the chains of the iron cage with pinpoint accuracy.
"Snap!"
The chains broke, and the cage door opened.
The people in the cages were startled at first, but then they realized what was happening and climbed out of the cages, running towards the valley entrance.
The leader of the black-robed men roared, "Stop them!"
The men in black robes rushed to chase after the common people, and the number of people besieging Zhou Ning decreased by more than half.
Zhou Ning seized the opportunity to counterattack, thrusting his sword towards the throat of the black-robed leader.
The leader of the black-robed men swung his sword to block, but Zhou Ning's sword was too fast, and the tip of the sword still cut a bloody mark on his neck.
"what!"
The leader of the black-robed men clutched his neck and staggered backward.
Zhou Ning gave him no chance to catch his breath and unleashed another sword strike!
He used the full power of the "Demon-Slaying Slash" for this sword strike.
The golden sword energy, like a dragon emerging from the sea, rushed straight towards the chest of the black-robed leader.
"Pfft!"
The sword energy pierced through the chest of the black-robed leader, and black blood gushed out.
He stared wide-eyed at the hole in his chest in disbelief before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Upon seeing this, the other men in black robes scattered and fled in terror.
Zhou Ning did not give chase. Instead, he walked over to the villagers and escorted them out of the valley.
Han Wei also came down from the mountain and, together with Zhou Ning, led the people to a safe place.
"Young Master Zhou, you've saved another group of people." Han Wei's eyes were full of admiration.
Zhou Ning shook his head: "Lord Han, you're too kind. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to save them."
He paused, then continued, "Lord Han, although the blood sacrifice has been disrupted, the Black Mountain Demon will not let this go. We must find his lair as soon as possible and completely eliminate him."
Han Wei nodded: "You're right. But the Black Mountain Demon is too powerful; we are no match for him."
Zhou Ning said, "I know. But we have to give it a try."
He gazed at the distant outline of the Black Mountain, his eyes resolute.
"Lord Han, you take the people back first. I'll go to Black Mountain alone."
Han Wei quickly said, "No, it's too dangerous for you to go alone."
Zhou Ning smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord Han, I know what I'm doing."
He took out the Buddha relic from his bosom and showed it to Han Wei.
"This is a Buddhist treasure, capable of subduing all evil spirits. With it, I will be safe."
Although Han Wei was worried, seeing his resolute attitude, he stopped trying to persuade him.
"Young Master Zhou, you must come back alive."
Zhou Ning nodded, turned around, and walked towards Black Mountain.
Behind him, Han Wei watched him leave until his figure disappeared into the night.
The silhouette of Black Mountain, in the twilight, resembles a crouching behemoth, silent and ferocious.
Standing at the foot of the mountain, Zhou Ning looked up at the legendary Demon Mountain, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.
Three months ago, he and Xuanzhenzi ventured into this place, but were defeated by the Black Mountain Demon in one move and almost lost their lives.
Three months later, he stood here again, his cultivation level having risen from the early to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and his Dao heart had become even more steadfast.
However, the strength of the Black Mountain Demon remained an insurmountable barrier for him.
"We can't fight head-on," Zhou Ning told himself.
"We can only outsmart them."
He took out an invisibility talisman from his bag and stuck it to his chest.
This was the last invisibility talisman Yan Chixia gave him; once it was used, it would be gone.
His figure gradually blurred and disappeared into the night.
Along the mountain path in Black Mountain, a man in black robes stands guard every few dozen steps.
They patrolled back and forth, carrying black spears and looking alert.
Zhou Ning held his breath and, using the invisibility talisman, quietly passed by them.
The mountain road is long and winding, becoming steeper as you go up.
After walking for about half an hour, a huge stone gate appeared ahead.
The stone door was tightly shut, its surface engraved with intricate runes that emitted a faint black light.
Two burly demon generals stood at the entrance, each holding a large black sword.
"This is the entrance to the Black Mountain Demon's palace," Zhou Ning thought to himself.
After observing for a moment, he discovered that opening the stone gate required a specific token.
He had captured several Black Mountain tokens in previous battles, but he didn't know if they were usable.
Zhou Ning took out a black token from his pocket and carefully approached the stone gate.
He affixed the token to the stone door, the runes flickered a few times, and the stone door slowly opened.
The two demon generals turned their heads at the same time and looked in the direction of the stone gate.
But the invisibility spell was still active, and they saw nothing, assuming the wind had blown the door open.
Zhou Ning slipped into the stone gate, which slowly closed behind him.
Behind the stone gate is a long corridor.
The walls of the corridor were inlaid with glowing minerals, illuminating the path ahead.
Zhou Ning walked along the corridor deeper into the corridor.
At the end of the corridor was a huge stone chamber.
In the center of the stone chamber, there was a black stone bed, and lying on the bed was a person dressed in a black robe.
That person was none other than the Black Mountain Demon.
His face was blurred, only a pair of blood-red eyes could be seen, gleaming eerily in the darkness.
His breathing was long and even, as if he were in a state of selfless meditation.
Zhou Ning held his breath and quietly approached.
His purpose in this trip was not to fight the Black Mountain Demon, but to find the evil artifact that was about to be refined through blood sacrifice.
According to Xuanzhenzi's intelligence, the evil artifact is hidden in the Black Mountain Demon's palace. As long as it is destroyed, the blood sacrifice cannot be performed.
Zhou Ning looked around, searching for any trace of the evil artifact.
In a corner of the stone chamber, there were several black boxes.
The box was covered with talismans, which emitted a faint black light.
Zhou Ning walked over and gently opened a box.
Inside was a pile of black pills, emitting a pungent medicinal smell. It wasn't an evil artifact.
He opened the second box, which contained a pile of talismans and magical artifacts, which were not of high quality and were not evil artifacts.
The third box contained a black short sword with strange runes engraved on its blade, emanating a strong, chilling aura.
Zhou Ning picked up the short sword and felt the powerful force contained within it. It was an evil weapon, but it didn't seem to be the one that Blood Sacrifice was going to forge.
He continued his search.
There is a hidden door in the north wall of the stone chamber.
The hidden door was very well concealed; if Zhou Ning hadn't sensed the aura behind it with his divine sense, he wouldn't have discovered it at all.
He gently pushed open the hidden door and went inside.