Chapter 30: Facing The Three Springs
Zangxian Town once had over ten thousand residents living there constantly, with thousands of houses arranged in a considerable scale. Because it was too close to the Departed Spirit Fog Domain, it was often harassed by eerie things, and later gradually turned into an uninhabited Desolate Market.
Most houses were dilapidated, with rotten doors and missing tiles, and earthen walls that collapsed with a single push.
Only during the coffin scooping season would the various Jiu Li tribes repair dozens of houses at the town entrance to use as supply and rest stops.
But inside the town, they absolutely dared not set foot.
The reason was a rumor they had heard: this was a cursed market town. The residents in the town did not move away, but all turned into departed spirits, and every full moon night, they would all emerge.
……
By noon, the blazing sun was scorching.
Nether Lantern Guide Envoy “Li Ling”, Cang Li Leader “Li Songlin”, the tribe leader’s direct grandson “Cang Li”, led the coffin carrying team, ascending the slope path of Dragon Slaying Pass, proceeding one after another toward Zangxian Town several li away.
Cang Li was eighteen or nineteen years old, handsome and extraordinary, riding a Zou Wu exotic beast resembling a giant tiger, holding a ten-foot-long silver spear in hand, gazing at the distant quiet and peaceful Zangxian Town.
“How is it so quiet? Where are our people? Fourth Uncle, something’s not right.” He had keen perception and noticed the anomaly.
Li Songlin stood on the green ox’s back, raising his hand to signal everyone to stop.
After a brief discussion.
Cang Li rode the Zou Wu exotic beast, charging out like an arrow, heading to Zangxian Town to scout.
……
“Too fucking alert! It’s all your fault, why did you kill everyone? Why not leave a few to put on a show?”
Shi Jiuzhai put on the Buddha Head Mask, cursing his three major disciples behind him, then roared like thunder, “Attack.” He had already leaped out of Zangxian Town like a cannonball, welcoming toward the approaching mounted Cang Li.
In the next instant, Zangxian Town erupted in killing cries.
All the Earth Wolf King Army soldiers wearing monk’s robes, holding various weapons, surged out madly from street intersections and alleys. Many experts had opened Magic Power Spring Eyes, moving at extreme speeds, charging into the coffin carrying team and immediately slashing and killing in all directions.
The Buddha Head Mask noble guest stood gracefully at the top of the town entrance archway, playing a two-foot-long bone flute.
The flute sound was mournful, like resentment and longing, like weeping and complaining.
Under the boost of magic power, the sound waves spread throughout the surrounding ten-plus li.
In the mountains, dense and owl-like harsh monster cries rang out, and man-eating bats two to three meters long flew out from the forest.
They were pitch black and hairless all over, with ferocious humanoid heads.
Their flesh wings were broad, claws sharp as daggers.
Over there, the battle was already chaotic and bloody, Li Weiyi and Gao Huan took the chance to rush out of Zangxian Town, fleeing into the reeds on the Sui River’s riverbank.
They were supposed to return to the Blood Sea, to the bronze ship. But that direction was the battlefield of both sides’ forces, so they could only wait for them to finish fighting and rest before turning back.
“I’ll never randomly pick up clothes to wear again, almost brought disaster upon ourselves.” Gao Huan said with lingering fear.
Speaking of clothes, the two were about to take off their monk’s robes.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves thundered behind them, startling countless water birds that flew toward the opposite bank of the Sui River.
A explosive shout came from far behind: “Stop them, do not let them escape to get reinforcements.”
In his haste, Li Weiyi turned back for a glance.
He saw two nearly three-meter-tall mutated monsters wearing brown monk robes, pursuing and killing five Cang Li Tribe tribe members riding strong horses. They were only dozens of zhang away from him and Gao Huan, able to reach them in an instant.
Clearly mistaking them for their own people again.
Li Weiyi deeply hated the brutality of the Earth Wolf King Army, but he had never thought of getting involved in this slaughter. Because he simply lacked the strength to get involved; for an existence like Shi Jiuzhai, killing him wouldn’t even require lifting a hand.
Reason told him to ignore everything.
Fleeing at the fastest speed with Gao Huan was the right thing to do.
The five from Cang Li Tribe, Zhao Zhizhuo and others, each riding a strong horse, saw the two figures in monk robes ahead, and their hearts sank to the bottom, eyes full of despair.
It was the leader who fought with injuries to break open a gap, sending them to seek help from the nearest Jiu Li tribe, the Shou Li Tribe. What they carried on their backs was the lives of five thousand Cang Li Tribe tribe members.
Unexpectedly, the two monk-robed figures ahead stopped, glanced at them, and then fled at even faster speeds.
Hope reignited instantly in Zhao Zhizhuo’s eyes.
“Swish!”
The sound of breaking wind rose from behind.
An arrow flew past, killing one of the five Cang Li Tribe members.
It was the mutated monster with ape-like arms; he ran at high speed, holding a two-hundred-jin spine bow, arrows nearly two meters long, one arrow per shot, consecutively shooting three people.
The other mutated monster was like a chopstick.
His legs were more than twice the length of his upper body, covered in dense fur, feet hoofed, running faster than the strong horse under Zhao Zhizhuo that had drunk Zou Wu exotic beast blood.
Catching up to the fourth Cang Li Tribe member, he leaped onto the strong horse, biting its neck and crazily sucking blood, laughing monstrously nonstop.
In an instant, of the five breakout members, only Zhao Zhizhuo was still alive.
The long-legged mutated monster threw the blood-drenched Cang Li Tribe member aside, then chased toward Zhao Zhizhuo, glancing at the farther away Li Weiyi and Gao Huan with murderous eyes, coldly shouting: “Daring to desert in the face of battle, such audacity. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, we will capture you and make you beg for life but not get it, beg for death but not achieve it.”
Li Weiyi, who originally had no intention of getting involved in this slaughter, heard this and it was like the final straw, tilting the balance in his heart, the idea lingering in his mind overpowering reason.
……
Zhao Zhizhuo had opened two spring eyes, not weak in strength, but advanced in age.
Holding a long saber, after clashing dozens of moves with the pursuing long-legged mutated monster, he gradually fell into disadvantage.
“Puff!”
A nearly two-meter-long iron arrow flew in like a spear.
Zhao Zhizhuo judged by sound and evaded the vital spot, but still got shot in the shoulder, falling from the horse’s back.
It’s over!
The five thousand Cang Li Tribe tribe members would all perish here.
Blood surged from Zhao Zhizhuo’s shoulder where the iron arrow hit, bone damaged, arm unable to lift, half his body numb with pain. But he still struggled to stand, preparing for a final desperate fight.
“Can’t escape now, huh? Haha!”
The long-legged mutated monster was also a two-spring martial arts cultivator, but with mutation boost, his combat power surpassed Zhao Zhizhuo by a large margin.
His nearly two-meter-long right leg swept through the air, air shockwaving, grass and trees shaking within several zhang around. This leg could snap even a bowl-mouth-thick tree, let alone a person.
“Splash!”
Li Weiyi leaped out from behind Zhao Zhizhuo like a residual shadow.
The Yellow Dragon Sword dragged a trail of yellow light marks.
With a squelch.
A half-meter-long severed leg flew out amid blood light.
Before the long-legged mutated monster could scream, Li Weiyi had leaped up, knee smashing into its chest, one palm slapping its head. Instantly, the monster bled from all seven orifices, dying in the muddy water pit.
Zhao Zhizhuo could hardly believe it; he thought Cang Li was doomed, but unexpectedly the enemies had internal strife.
“Hurry and get reinforcements, I’ll block that one.”
Li Weiyi’s eyes locked tightly on the distant bow-wielding mutated monster charging over, urging him thus.
Zhao Zhizhuo realized this was not enemy infighting. Rather, this young man before him was risking death to save him, and also to save the five thousand tribe members of Cang Li Tribe.
Why?
“That ape-like deformed humanoid race is a three-spring martial arts cultivator. Little brother, be very careful!”
Zhao Zhizhuo knew priorities, gave this warning, and supported his heavily injured body to mount the horse. But just as he got on, Li Weiyi pounced down flying.
“Swish!”
An iron arrow whistled past the horse’s back, nearly piercing him.
The ape-like deformed humanoid race nocked an arrow on the bowstring, crouching and shifting steps, rapidly closing in.
His body was tall and robust, arms long and muscular, just like a humanoid giant ape, eyes deadlocked on the dense reeds where the two had fallen.
Getting closer.
Sharp breaking wind sounded.
A metal shard flew out from the reeds.
“Swish!”
As the ape-like deformed humanoid race shot an arrow toward the area the metal shard flew from, his body flexibly dodged right.
Taking advantage of the ape-like deformed humanoid race not having time to nock another arrow, Li Weiyi rushed out of the reeds, executing Yellow Dragon Ascends to Heaven, stepping five steps on the void, diving down toward him.
“You traitor, courting death!”
The ape-like deformed humanoid race’s fan-like giant hand slapped out with one palm.
Li Weiyi formed the Heaven-Overturning Palm Seal, channeling cold and hot qi flow from his body into the silver thread gloves, silver light surging at his palm center, forming a three-foot square seal, clashing head-on.
Before the clash, Li Weiyi had prepared to get injured.
After all, the opponent was a three-spring martial arts cultivator, realm above his own. Moreover, with a demon-like massive physique, physical body power naturally incomparable to his.
“Bang!”
The ape-like deformed humanoid race retreated six or seven steps, his palm aching as if about to break.
Li Weiyi was surprised, feeling the Cang Li Tribe old man’s judgment was off; this ape-like monster before him absolutely could not have opened three springs, probably only one.
So weak, what was there to fear?
Kill!
