Chapter 20: Dampness, Death Talisman

Mouse Four was flung two or three meters, rolled several times across the ground, and finally crashed into a corner of the wall. Dizzy, he lay sprawled on the floor, then looked up.

Inside the temple, before the short-bearded clay statue, the macaque struck a strange pose. Under this posture, its condition visibly improved.

In contrast, Wu Songzi folded his wings before him, as if afraid the steel blade would be snatched away.

With his state slightly recovered, the macaque lunged forward, raised a hand, and slapped down with a palm strike. Mouse Four, rolling aside, squeaked in terror.

In Ji Ming’s vision, that palm seemed to expand rapidly.

Within his body, threads of demonic nature mingled with the Crane Control Technique, and in an instant, he achieved the third form—the Pine-Crane Form.

This was his trump card, but also a death sentence.

As the fleshy palm drew near, Ji Ming spread his wings; the steel blade clutched within them shot out as if by magic, and—as expected—the macaque dodged with a sidelong tilt of his head.

“You dare show off such tricks?” the macaque jeered.

He was less than a meter from Ji Ming—so close Ji Ming could feel the hot breath from his nostrils.

The interrupted palm strike turned into a punch aimed at Ji Ming, but suddenly halted mid-swing, for the macaque felt a chill behind his head.

His battle-hardened body reacted instinctively; his hand swept backward, catching the steel blade as it came flying.

The macaque’s pupils contracted; his body tr