Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 174 - 134: Iron Armor Corpse Puppet, Molten Gold Severing Iron (First Update)

Corpse Puppet Sect, a few decades ago, wreaked havoc in the Three Counties of Cyan Cloud, Changfeng, and Cang River, committing heinous crimes that angered both the heavens and people. Eventually, with Cyan Cloud Government Office taking the lead, the major forces of the three counties joined hands to eradicate it.

Zhang Jin never expected that remnants of the Corpse Puppet Sect would still exist in the world. The Iron Armor Corpse Puppet before him was one of Corpse Puppet Sect's trademarks.

At this moment, upon hearing the elder's command, the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet, akin to a small mountain, let out a series of low raspy roars from its mouth, resembling a Demon Beast baring its teeth.

"Clang!"

The Iron Armor Corpse Puppet seemed to understand the elder's command, and amidst the sound of armor friction, it slowly turned its head. As its eyes, emitting a red glimmer, fell upon Zhang Jin, the red glimmer flashed suddenly.

The elder shook the White Bone Bell again, and immediately, the five human-like monsters shackled by iron chains trembled and retreated to the edge of the rock wall, instinctively fearing the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet that had just appeared.

Roar!

Suddenly, a ferocious, high-pitched roar erupted from the mouth of the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet, echoing within the closed cavern with immense authority, almost splitting one's ears.

"Boom!"

The Iron Armor Corpse Puppet stomped its feet heavily, and the solid stone ground was instantly shattered. Amidst flying rubble, it charged at Zhang Jin, akin to a looming mountain. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Facing one opponent instead of five, Zhang Jin's expression now revealed unprecedented solemnity. He immediately drew a deep breath, clenched his fists tightly, and circulated his Qi Blood within, pouring his Power without reservation into the iron chains wrapped around his fists.

Crackling resounded around him as Zhang Jin activated his Tendon Power. At this moment, he couldn't afford to care about anything else, knowing that if he didn't fight desperately now, he might never have another chance.

Even though there seemed to be no hope of survival at this moment, he wouldn't give up easily if he could live a few breaths longer.

"Hong Tiequan·Zhongshan!"

At this moment, the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet closed in, raising its fist and smashing down with a blow.

"Clang!"

His iron-chain-wrapped fists collided fiercely with the Iron Armor on the Corpse Puppet, sending sparks flying and producing another ear-piercing metallic explosion. After the clash, Zhang Jin's face changed dramatically.

He had cultivated a form of Cross-Training Martial Arts, believing his Qi Power was exceptional—which was why he had survived the previous siege of five human-like monsters until now.

But now Zhang Jin suddenly felt a terrifying, irresistible monstrous force from the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet's fist, and in an instant, horror struck his heart.

"No, this monster's strength is not something human power can withstand… I can't engage it head-on!"

Previously, Zhang Jin didn't retreat a single step when battling five human-like monsters, but in this instant of clash, his figure staggered back several steps, only stabilizing after stepping heavily a few more times.

At this moment, Zhang Jin's face showed fear. He had heard from elders at the Martial Arts Hall about the brutal showdown with the Corpse Puppet Sect, during which even top-tier Seventh-Grade Muscle-Enhancing Experts from the three counties had met a tragic end, and several others were severely injured in battle, dying shortly after.

The cause of the top experts' downfall was the Corpse Puppets refined by the Corpse Puppet Sect. Ordinary Corpse Puppets, once refined, could match Bone Forger Martial Artists. If the corpse of a Bone Forger Martial Artist was refined into an Iron Armor Corpse Puppet, it could even clash head-on with a Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artist.

Zhang Jin initially disregarded these tales from his elders, considering the Corpse Puppet Sect long eradicated, and even harbored youthful fantasies of battling the sect's formidable experts.

Now, after a single clash, Zhang Jin's heart was filled with terror. Despite being a Seventh-Grade Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artist with Second-Time Tendon Transformation and mastery in Third Transforming Force, possessing the ability to convert force, enhanced Tendon Power bursts from second transformation, and Martial Arts Hall Martial Arts.

Yet, the Corpse Puppet before him was merely a controlled corpse, lacking Power and Tendon Power, but it suppressed him using sheer brute strength and Iron Armor.

Feeling stabbing pain from his arms, he looked down to see his arm bones bending and rebounding at that instant—if not for his Third Bone Forging foundation, the previous blow would have been enough to snap his arms.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Fear spread in Zhang Jin's heart, but the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet ignored this. After the black-robed elder issued the command, there was only one task left in its eyes—kill the person before it.

Constantly engaging, after one punch, fear arose in Zhang Jin's heart, opting not to clash directly but rather maneuver constantly.

"Boom!"

The Iron Armor Corpse Puppet's fist crashed onto the rock wall, causing the solid wall to suddenly cave in, then crack, with rubble flying, yet the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet remained unscathed.

Clang!

Zhang Jin seized a fleeting opportunity, arms swinging like a windmill, leaping up and smashing with full force on the wrist joint of the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet, attempting to disable one arm. This strike was terrifying in its momentum, the air suddenly emitting a fierce whistling sound, easily sufficient to smash apart Hundred-Refined Elite Soldiers.

The black-robed elder outside the scene sneered at this sight.

"My little darling was refined with years of my painstaking effort, using a Yijin Martial Artist trained in Cross-Training Martial Arts, and soaked in the blood of various Demon Beasts. Its Iron Armor is custom-made, truly impenetrable by blade or flame… If equipped with a Grade-Entering Treasure-level Iron Armor for protection, it could rival an even higher level Copper Armor Corpse Demon—no Seventh-Grade Muscle-Enhancing would stand a chance against it. Attempting to harm my little darling with such a petty trick is truly wishful thinking."

Thinking thus, the elder's sneer also revealed a trace of pride, besides which his eyes fell fervently on Zhang Jin. Zhang Jin, a twice-Transformed Martial Artist, also trained in Cross-Training Martial Arts.

"This young man is indeed excellent material!"

The elder's eyes burned brightly; in his eyes, Zhang Jin, who could exchange a few blows with his little darling, was also great material for Corpse Refinement.

"Heh heh, little darling, leave him with a complete corpse; Old Man desires an intact body."

Clang!

In the instant lightning-fast moment on the field, Zhang Jin's full-force strike smashed fiercely at the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet's wrist joint. This spot also served as the armor's connection.

"Succeeded... No good?!"

With one strike, Zhang Jin's face showed delight, yet the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet's arm merely sank a few inches. The armor dented slightly, but the right arm did not become useless as he expected.

Swish!

The Iron Armor Corpse Puppet raised its right arm like a steel whip, striking towards him. Zhang Jin's pupils shrank suddenly, and he hurriedly leapt backward. Although he narrowly avoided the strike, Zhang Jin's heart sank to the extreme, filled with boundless despair.

His full-force strike, which even top Seventh-Grade Martial Artists need to temporarily retreat from, seemed like nothing more than a scratch to the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet.

He had no means to break through the defense of the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet, nor could he inflict any effective damage on it.

Not only was the creature overwhelmingly strong, but it also had no sense of pain and could immediately counterattack after taking heavy blows. How could one possibly defeat such a monstrous opponent?

For a moment, the despair in Zhang Jin's heart made him release a breath, his entire being's essence, qi, and spirit fell, revealing a certain aura of defeat.

Dazedly standing in place, watching the tireless Iron Armor Corpse Puppet punch towards him, the fist rapidly magnified in Zhang Jin's pupils, just as it was about to fall.

The sound of cicadas suddenly grew frantic in the cave, a breeze blew, and a figure appeared ghost-like between the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet and Zhang Jin, extending a slender hand to meet the impressively powerful punch.

The Corpse Puppet was shrouded in heavy armor, its fist three times the size of the man's hand, yet the seemingly disparate fists collided fiercely.

Clang!

The clash of flesh and blood made a metallic explosion sound; the enormous fist of the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet halted in mid-air, as if hitting an unshakable mountain. The slender hand grasped it firmly in mid-air, unable to move an inch.

The person who suddenly intervened was naturally Su Mu. Watching Zhang Jin's desperate battle with the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet earlier, Su Mu gained insight into the humanoid monsters and the attacking patterns and strength of the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet.

He knew clearly that Zhang Jin was not a match for the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet. Rather than hoping Zhang Jin would take down the Lin Family Manor, it was more straightforward for him to act himself.

Saving Zhang Jin was simply done in passing; since he encountered him, rescue if possible, abide by his own logic.

Roar!

Seeing Su Mu suddenly intervene, the blood glow under the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet's helmet flickered. As the blood glow expanded, it roared with fury and sent a more frightful punch forward.

"Watch out!"

Zhang Jin didn't know the origin of the man with the cyan wolf mask but understood that his sudden rescue indicated he was a friend, not an enemy. His heart reignited with the desire for survival.

As the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet struck again, Zhang Jin immediately shouted a reminder. Seeing the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet's power, which he believed was comparable to the top Seventh-Grade Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artist, combined with the heavy armor and lack of pain, he feared even top martial artists might struggle.

Facing the incoming punch once more, Su Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he struck the Corpse Puppet's forearm and wrist with one palm.

"Oh no, this person is underestimating the enemy..."

Upon witnessing this, Zhang Jin's heart trembled. He too had thought of breaking the Corpse Puppet's arm, but couldn't achieve it even with his full effort utilizing both fists. How could such a light palm strike be effective?

Yet, as the seemingly light palm landed,

Clang!

A metallic explosion echoed, and the Corpse Puppet's arm seemed as though hit by a heavy hammer, sinking sharply. Su Mu's hand transitioned smoothly from a strike to a grasp, moving his waist, lightly spinning with a foot pivot, and pulled the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet behind him.

In such a snap and pull,

The frontal assault of the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet was instantly neutralized. Standing over nine feet tall, weighing thousands of pounds like a small mountain, the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet immediately lost its balance and rolled backward.

"How, how is this possible?!"

With boulders shattering, the Iron Armor Corpse Puppet rolled out. Taking this chance, Su Mu grasped the chains binding Zhang Jin's shoulders. Seeing this, Zhang Jin wanted to remind him of the exceptional quality of the chains, fearing brute force might not sever them.

"Sizzle!"

Suddenly he heard two rapid sizzling sounds, the surrounding air distorted sharply, a terrifying high temperature surged between Su Mu's palms, leaving Zhang Jin dumbfounded as he watched the extraordinary chains melt in an instant.

Then another palm landed on the chain at his waist, instantly turning it red-hot. Zhang Jin regained his senses immediately, pouring power into his hands, tendon power exploding without reservation, breaking the chain forcefully.

"Who are you? Why did you save me?"

Breaking free from the chains, Zhang Jin clasped his fists in gratitude, filled with both appreciation and numerous doubts. Although familiar with the martial arts of prominent sects in the Three Counties, he could not discern this person's martial arts style.

"Benefactor, inside the cave, there are still many innocent craftsmen kidnapped by the remnants of the Corpse Puppet Sect..."

Humph!

Su Mu, wearing the cyan wolf mask, felt moved, noticing through peripheral vision that Zhang Jin wasn't pretending, but truly intended to save people. Not fleeing, but prioritizing rescuing others first indicated commendable character.

However, Su Mu coldly interrupted him at once.

"This matter doesn't concern me. I'm here for vengeance tonight. If you want to rescue people, do so... but if you delay my killing, you'll bear the consequences."