Chapter 754: Chicken Feet

Chapter 754: Chicken Feet

With a howling roar, Peng Longteng crashed down upon the altar atop his horse, the marble beneath shattering into splinters from the impact.

Seeing his attack had failed, Peng Longteng frowned. With a flick of his left foot, he kicked the horse’s belly, causing it to rear up on its hind legs and lunge forward toward the chicken-footed humanoid holding the censer on the left.

As his body twisted unnaturally to the side, the curtain of internal organs on his face lurched violently—saving him from having his skull crushed.

But just then, he felt the rain above cease. Looking up quickly, he saw the woman standing a zhang tall, her massive halberd already raised and descending toward him.

With a sudden shake of both hands, the short table and incense burner were flung into the air. Yet before he could fully commit to fighting Peng Longteng, a howling sound came from behind.

It was Li Huo Wang, wielding three swords. He and Peng Longteng flanked their target, aiming to strike swiftly and decisively.

Just as both sides closed in, the curtain of flesh covering the chicken-foot man's face suddenly bulged outward. The meat flap split down the middle, revealing a vertical, grotesque beast’s mouth that lunged at Peng Longteng’s face.

At the moment the ferocious maw bit into Peng Longteng’s face—marked with the inscription “Devotion to the Nation”—the eyes glowing with killing intent, Peng Longteng opened his mouth wide and bit back viciously.

In that instant, the halberd in Peng Longteng’s hand reversed direction, leaving a blur as it crashed down upon the creature.

The man recoiled sharply, raising only his yellow chicken foot to stomp on the blade. A metallic clang rang out. “Ding! Ding! Ding ding ding!!”

His chicken foot, facing the weight of the massive halberd, showed no sign of yielding—its sharpness and hardness matching that of steel. Flesh met metal without a scratch.

Using the momentum, the chicken-footed being leaped through the air, dodging attacks from both Li Huo Wang and Peng Longteng, buying himself some breathing room.

Once he landed steadily, he caught the short table and censer mid-air, returning them to his front as he resumed performing his bizarre and strange ritual of purifying incense before the colossal statue.

“Damn it! What the hell is this!” With half his face gone, Peng Longteng spat blood-laden saliva. Then, flames erupted all over his body, his armor turning dark red from heat.

“Ride!” Peng Longteng charged forward, wielding his flaming halberd.

The opponent proved extremely difficult to deal with—even as he burned, he did not fall behind.

Rain continued to pour. The two clashed fiercely under the stormy sky.

After a brief separation, Peng Longteng stepped back slowly, placing the censer and table on the ground. From beneath the curtain of flesh, a low, beast-like growl emerged—a sound like a wild animal defending its food. The chicken-foot man spread his feet wide, firmly planting them into the earth, sliding backward with a piercing screech.

With a howl like a wolf, a crippled old fox appeared from nowhere, leaping onto his back. Its long claws gripped his shoulders tightly.

Then, the fox behind him joined in the eerie howling. Something unseen began emerging from all directions, crawling into his body.

As more and more entered, his clothes inflated rapidly, revealing various beastly faces. The strips of fabric emerging from within pulsed like veins.

His entire form became grotesquely distorted, radiating an ominous aura reminiscent of the forest’s greatest beasts—chilling and terrifying.

Peng Longteng couldn’t stand by. As the man’s power reached its peak, a whistling sound filled the air—the halberd spinning wildly toward him.

Just as the chicken-footed man prepared to retaliate, the ground gave way beneath him, throwing him off balance.

Before he could steady himself, a purple sword infused with malevolent energy suddenly burst from the marble floor beneath his feet.

He raised his right foot to stomp it down—but what rose from the earth wasn’t just the sword. A fissure spewing strange fluid also emerged.

His deformed chicken foot stepped directly into the crack. In the next moment, half his body vanished into the Great Qi realm.

Various malformed organs and blood rained down. No matter how strong he was, he was helpless now. He collapsed instantly, motionless.

Li Huo Wang quickly surfaced from the ground. Without delay, he rushed to the censer, slicing it in half along with the short table.

When the white smoke inside the censer gradually faded, Li Huo Wang exhaled deeply.

He looked up at the towering figure wearing a straw hat, shouting, “You can’t come here! You’ve severed the sacred flame!”

“Li Xiaozi! Turn around!” Peng Longteng’s voice made Li Huo Wang turn his head. “What?”

He soon realized why she told him to look back. A hollow incense ball, continuously emitting white smoke, drifted out from the mist caused by the heavy rain.

Following it came its owner—a chicken-footed humanoid just like the others. His face was covered by a curtain of stitched internal organs, dancing a strange purification dance toward the giant statue beside him.

This time, however, instead of jumping on both feet, he hopped on one.

Seeing this, Li Huo Wang’s heart sank. But it was far from over. Another chicken-footed figure emerged from the rain, carrying an incense burner.

This was not the end—it was merely the beginning. One, two, five, ten... countless chicken-footed beings leapt out from the rain, each landing on one foot.

Their chicken feet rose and fell densely, splashing water everywhere across the altar.

Watching them, Li Huo Wang’s heart grew heavier. If these creatures possessed the same strength as the first, things would be dire indeed.

“Is it done up there?! Where are you people?! Are you all dead?!” Li Huo Wang shouted upward at the layers of red cloth overhead.

A sharp “click,” and a one-armed swordsman, carrying a grotesque child on his back, stood firmly before Li Huo Wang.

Next came Zhao Jiabao, someone who had met Li Huo Wang once before, followed by a matchmaker devoted to the God of Marriage.

As they descended one by one, both sides faced off, the tension becoming suffocating.

Though most of Li Huo Wang’s allies had arrived, numerically, they remained clearly outnumbered.