Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Dead... Dead? Although the Wood Puppet Monster’s body has enlarged, it still maintains Luo Feng’s appearance. The screams and howls did not deter Xia Hong; instead, they increased his intensity in thrusting the torch. Simultaneously, the other five also approached with torches. The five did not cut open any more wounds with weapons; instead, they came straight to Xia Hong and crammed the lit torches into the crack that Xia Hong had previously cut. Originally, a single torch already produced considerable black smoke. When the five torches were inserted, the flame soared up three or four meters, and the black smoke rose like a pillar, madly spreading upward. The black aura surrounding the Wood Puppet Monster gave off an extremely evil feeling. The black smoke from the torch carried a stench, like the decay emitted after filth is purified. "Ah......" The Wood Puppet Monster’s screams became even more hysterical. Yet, despite this, it still refused to open its eyes. Inside its body, the voices of malice that could affect the mind did not stop. "Deceitful Monster capturing spirits and gathering souls, it can ascend if successful; it doesn’t want to give up the chance to ascend, brother, we can’t let it succeed!" Except for Yang Ning, the five with Xia Hong were confused by the concept of capturing spirits and gathering souls, but they understood the latter part. Their expressions instantly became tense again. Six torches indeed worked and inflicted massive damage on the Wood Puppet Monster. But one has to say, compared to just now with the Solidified Fire Oil, it was far less effective. Whether because the Wood Puppet Monster’s size was too large, or its strength much greater than the Giant Wooden Puppet, the fire from six torches did not even cover its legs—it only burned upward for just over five meters and then stopped. Xia Hong was obviously the first to notice this, and Luo Ming was the second. Noticing the torch couldn’t continue burning through the Wood Puppet Monster, Luo Ming turned to look at Xia Hong, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "There’s none left; if there were, I wouldn’t have saved it until now!" Xia Hong, knowing what Luo Ming meant, gently shook his head and responded. "Move aside, let me do it!" At this moment, Yang Ning took action. In fact, only he could harm the Wood Puppet Monster at this moment. Yang Ning commanded the five to retreat with a word, then stepped onto the lower limb of the Wood Puppet Monster, rushing upwards along its body. His speed and power were astonishing, leveraging inertia and force, borrowing strength from the joints of the Wood Puppet Monster’s body, and in just an instant, he charged all the way to the shoulder of the Wood Puppet Monster. Seeing the Wood Puppet Monster still kept its eyes closed, a sinister expression appeared on Yang Ning’s face. He raised the silver Longsword high and stabbed fiercely towards its left eye. The blade whistled, stirring the air along its path, almost forming a gleam, sparkling in the night sky, showcasing the power of Yang Ning’s sword. As the sword neared the eye, from the tightly closed eyes of the Wood Puppet Monster, a large number of transparent White Threads shot out from its five senses, attempting to block. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶 Unless it opens its eyes and its ascension process is disrupted, it’s a dead end. Yang Ning had only this thought in his mind, directly ignoring the countless White Threads spewed out, decisively thrusting the sword, with no hesitation. Smack... The White Threads were no match for the silver Longsword. Countless White Threads were cut, sparking innumerable glimmers, incredibly brilliant. The Longsword, like a stream of light, went straight to the pupil of the Wood Puppet Monster’s left eye. A mere inch away, at this moment, the Wood Puppet Monster suddenly opened its eyes wide. "Roar......" The Wood Puppet Monster let out an earth-shattering roar. Whether it was Yang Ning in front of it or Xia Hong and others on the ground, all could feel the endless anger and madness in the giant roar of the Wood Puppet Monster. "It must be because the ascension was interrupted, hence such anger!" This thought flashed through Xia Hong’s mind. Just as he wanted to look up, a terrifying pressure came from above, making his heart skip a beat, hastily retreating backward. At this moment, the small three-inch knife in the Wood Puppet Monster’s hand had somehow transformed into a massive black blade over ten meters long, its blade encircled with black aura, exuding an immense, terrifying power. With a body over twenty meters high holding this fearsome large blade, the Wood Puppet Monster seemed like a demon god incarnate, chilling to the bone. Bang... With just a light wave of the blade, it sent both Yang Ning and his Longsword flying over a hundred meters, slamming directly against the rocky wall on the left side of the valley. Judging by the impact, Yang Ning was likely embedded more than five or six meters deep into the mountain. "Although the ascension failed, its power still became stronger!" Standing over ten meters back, Xia Hong’s face flashed with a hint of fear, turning to shout at Yue Feng, Yuan Cheng, and others: "We run!" Luo Ming, Li Hu, and even Yang Ning, who had just freed himself from the rock wall, were dumbfounded hearing Xia Hong’s words. In fact, not just them, even Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, and the five others didn’t react immediately. The leader, planning to lead them away? But soon, their unconditional trust in Xia Hong made Yuan Cheng and the others discard their confusion, following after him, running toward the cave’s exit together. "This cowardly, useless scum!" Among them, Li Hu, who had the biggest issue with Xia Hong, was extremely frustrated, feeling like his heart was on fire. If not for the wrong timing, he might have struck Xia Hong down directly. At such a critical moment, Xia Hong turned to flee for his life. It’s not that Xia Hong was extremely essential, but with just seven Earth-digging Realm in total, losing one meant the remaining six felt even more pressure. "Little bastard, trying to escape?" The Wood Puppet Monster, who had not spoken a word until now, unexpectedly let out a mocking voice upon seeing Xia Hong attempting to flee, seemingly calming down some of its anger over its disrupted ascension. Of course, despite its taunt, the Wood Puppet Monster’s movements were not slow at all. It raised the black blade over ten meters long in its hand, swinging it fiercely toward Xia Hong and his group. The black aura on the blade seemed to have its own life, transforming into a black blade-edge. Even before it hit the ground, just the pressure left a terrifying crack over a meter deep on the ground. "Dodge to the right!" Perceiving the edge coming from above, Xia Hong shouted a warning to Yuan Cheng and the others beside him. All five frantically dodged to the right, while Xia Hong alone went left. The blade-edge followed him left, its target clearly just him. Bang... The massive force of the black blade-edge cleaved into the ground, raising a cloud over a hundred meters high, instantly covering the entire valley, making it impossible for anyone to see what’s inside. After more than ten breaths, the dust slowly settled. Seeing the scene within, everyone’s faces turned aghast, pupils shrinking suddenly. That cut had carved a trench seven or eight meters deep. The trench stretched more than twenty or thirty meters long; just the extending blade aura had forcibly cut open the rubble pile at the valley’s entrance. "Leader!" "Leader..." On the right, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, and the five others weren’t concerned about the trench; all five anxiously shouted, hoping to get a response from Xia Hong. Unfortunately, despite calling out over ten times, no one responded. "Sigh..." From the distance, Luo Ming sighed softly, his face tinged with regret. Honestly, from meeting Xia Hong at Redwood Ridge until now, which wasn’t even a few hours, this young man’s wit and decisiveness already left a deep impression on him. Among the camps surrounding Redwood Ridge, Luo Ming was sure that someone as outstanding as Xia Hong was hard to find. Who would have thought that such a talent could not withstand the fear of death. At the moment Xia Hong fled, Luo Ming wasn’t angry, just a bit disappointed. Whether facing Cold Beast or Deceitful Monster, once fear arises, it often means death, a common understanding among leaders like them. Meanwhile, Li Hu’s face showed a gratifying smile. Yang Ning didn’t speak, just shook his head, showing a slight disdain in his eyes. "Hehehahahaha..." The happiest on the scene was the Wood Puppet Monster. Apparently believing Xia Hong was dead, it let out a sinister laugh. Laughing while retracting its black blade from the ground, placing it on its shoulder, it lowered its head to inspect the trench, eager to see Xia Hong’s corpse.