Chapter 142: The Canal Gang

To be honest, I hadn't expected my internal energy to be so formidable. Ever since I studied the River-Suppressing Grand Canon alone by the banks of the Yellow River, I had never crossed paths with anyone, nor did I truly know the extent of my own strength. After taking those three fierce ghoul-palms, I finally had a rough gauge of my capabilities. With a suitable weapon, I should barely be able to handle three fierce ghouls.

Such strength could easily rank in the upper-middle tier within the entire Feng Shui community of Dongshan Province, and among my peers, I was undoubtedly a standout.

Aside from shock, Luo Xingtao's gaze also held a trace of fear. Watching me still manage to stand after enduring three fierce ghoul-palms, the murderous intent in his eyes grew even denser. He shouted at the fierce ghouls still tangling with the fishermen, "All of you, use your full strength to kill Pi Yangxi!"

Hearing Luo Xingtao's command, the dozen or so remaining fierce ghouls backed away, carrying their coffins in an attempt to withdraw from the combat.

Seeing this, the fishermen naturally refused to let them off easily, giving chase while brandishing their iron chains.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Right at that moment, the lids of the remaining seventeen coffins burst open simultaneously. Laden with powerful malevolent Qi, the heavy coffin lids slammed into the oncoming fishermen. Several fishermen whose strength fell short were sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground, unable to rise again.

Seventeen corpse-backed fierce ghouls formed a solid wall before me. Just like the previous three, thick black hair began to bristle wildly all over their bodies. In an instant, the entire room turned bone-chillingly cold.

"Hehehe, Pi Yangxi, you've got quite a tough constitution. There are still seventeen palms left—let's see how many you can take." Luo Xingtao's eyes were filled with killing intent, his bloodshot gaze even more ferocious than before.

Things had reached a critical juncture, and I could only force myself to circulate my internal energy once more. However, the moment I exerted strength in my chest, a sharp, piercing pain radiated from every single internal organ in my body, and the Qi refused to rise again.

By now, the seventeen fierce ghouls were completely covered in thick black hair. Monstrous malevolent Qi surged from them as their vicious, bloodthirsty eyes locked onto me.

"Sigh, young man, this old man will give you a chance. Let's call it a day," Liu Zhong国的 voice finally broke the tension as he stepped forward, placing himself before me. Gazing at the seventeen fierce ghouls ahead, he spoke in a calm tone.

Believing that Liu Zhongguo had been frightened, Luo Xingtao refused to let the matter rest. Staring at Liu Zhongguo, he sneered, "Now you know fear? Too late! I'm going to turn all of you into fierce ghouls to serve the Raft Sect."

Hearing this, Liu Zhongguo let out a bitter, helpless laugh. He reached out, grabbed a handful of chopsticks from the table, and quietly stared at the fierce ghouls before him without the slightest trace of fear on his face.

"Attack! Let them see the consequences of running wild on Raft Sect territory!" Luo Xingtao roared at the top of his lungs. Enveloped in black smoke, the seventeen fierce ghouls soared into the air, hurtling straight toward us.

Swish, swish, swish!

Just as the fierce ghouls were about to reach us, Liu Zhongguo scattered the chopsticks in his hand. The pairs of chopsticks seemed endowed with eyes of their own. Under my shocked gaze, ten pairs of chopsticks simultaneously pierced straight through the eyes of the seventeen fierce ghouls.

The chopsticks entered through the eyes of the ghouls and burst out from the eyes of the Raft Sect members bound to their backs, carrying fresh blood and eyeballs before embedding themselves deeply into the hall's walls, leaving trails of gore sliding down the plaster.

"Ah!" The fierce ghouls, who had looked so overwhelmingly majestic just a moment ago in mid-air, clutched their faces with both hands and crashed to the ground, rolling about in agony while holding their bleeding eyes.

"This..." Although I already knew Liu Zhongguo was formidable, his display this time shocked me to the core once again. Merely a dozen pairs of chopsticks had instantly neutralized seventeen fierce ghouls—just how terrifying was his true level of strength?

I turned my gaze toward Luo Xingtao. The expression revealed outside his hood was even more dramatic, a complex mixture of dread, terror, shock, and deep regret.

The Twenty-Corpse Formation and the Fish-Faced Human-Bodied Beasts—these were the two ultimate trump cards of the Duhe City Raft Sect branch, both of which he had brought out only to be utterly ruined here. How was he supposed to answer to the Grand Sect Leader when he returned?

Luo Xingtao looked at Liu Zhongguo as if gazing upon a living demon, his voice trembling as he asked, "Who, who on earth are you?"

Liu Zhongguo glanced casually at the seventeen eyeless fierce ghouls writhing on the floor and answered calmly, "Liu Zhongguo, Enforcer of the Gourd Gang!"

Swish!

Upon hearing the words "Gourd Gang," the Raft Sect disciples scattered across the floor collectively drew in sharp breaths of cold air. Forgetting their agony, they scrambled to roll over and fell heavily to their knees before Liu Zhongguo, kowtowing and pleading, "Master, spare our lives! Master, spare our lives! These juniors were blind and failed to recognize the Gourd Gang's arrival!"