Chapter 174: Seeing Through The Rot
When Xuan Chong’s corps took control of the Sixth Layer and made contact with the villagers, the battle trial began.
Shen Qing watched Xuan Chong bring the army to prepare for combat, a sinister smile appearing on the corner of his mouth; he had not told Xuan Chong the truth of this checkpoint trial.
The truth was: the power source of the rotten guards in this sixth checkpoint was the despair in the hearts of the villagers and all who entered the village (Xuan Chong’s army), and the greater the despair, the stronger the monsters sent by the Lord of Rot.
On the outskirts of the village, groups of rotten monsters began to spawn, surrounding them; the previous toads, as well as rotten humanoid fat men, and various small monsters were all there, and farther away, a pustule like a hill bulged up from the ground; then an anus suddenly appeared on this pustule. As this thing opened and closed, a monster similar to a toad but with four extra legs, lizard-like in body, fully fifty meters long, and robust comparable to three elephants crawled out from this excretion opening.
Facing such a multi-unit troop with monsters. Xuan Chong quickly analyzed the situation and made combat deployments, ordering the troops to retreat into the village for defense.
Xuan Chong: “Second group, third group soldiers block on the periphery for three incense sticks’ time! The subsequent fifth group and sixth group immediately dismantle wood and bricks and tiles from the houses to build defensive works!”
Xuan Chong had transmigrated to this world, immersed in military strategist studies for twenty years, and deeply knew that one must not panic at critical moments; and this not panicking was not just superficial calm in the face of danger, but still stably giving each squad precise quantified orders.
So-called “hold on a bit” or “defend to the death” such rough commands without “scale” were all erroneous operations.
Now facing these soldiers who were not his personal soldiers, if he gave such commands, it would immediately cause morale to waver. — Xuan Chong subconsciously avoided the erroneous plan.
These soldiers now were all criminals whom Xuan Chong had just pardoned from the prison cells, their trust no better than those laborers he had brought out from the grain station back then; the grace he gave them was merely that after this battle, the tattoos on their faces could be removed.
But if he were now transmigrated back to the time of defending the grain station, he was confident he could do better than the past “Wu Fei,” and that year’s “Wu Fei” returning here, even with the lotus seed and Vermilion Bird Bloodline, would still be unable to cope with today’s situation.
…Unnoticed growth…
Xuan Chong looked at the surging monsters ahead and ordered the halberd squad squad leader to hold for three incense sticks’ time, withdrawing upon hearing the gong sound after three incense sticks.
This squad leader glanced at Xuan Chong, then the soldiers reported: “The general orders that we fight to the death here! Anyone daring to retreat within five incense sticks will be executed!” — This squad leader had undoubtedly intensified Wu Fei’s command.
He was using his own credibility (soldier’s honor) to extend Xuan Chong’s command, and Xuan Chong glanced at him, silently noting a debt of loyalty for him.
The first wave of hunched monsters bared their teeth and hopped forward like sea waves surging up. Xuan Chong raised his hand, red light flickering at his fingertips, aimed at the soldiers; all frontline combat soldiers felt their bodies heat up, a firelight leaping onto their blades.
After Xuan Chong cast the spell, towering suspended flame battle flags appeared above their heads.
This magic was “Command of Radiance,” with the effect of enhancing the soldiers’ killing power, and after the blade edge inserted into the enemy, it carried a burning effect.
Spears continuously thrust, these things like living rotten flesh continuously surging forward.
Xuan Chong glanced at the distant target, took a deep breath, and said to Bai Renfeng beside him: “You go block it.” When Bai Renfeng prepared to draw his sword and charge directly, Xuan Chong: “Wait!”
Bai Renfeng paused: “Does the general have any other instructions?”
Xuan Chong looked at him: “Don’t go sending yourself to death.”
Then he took out the lotus seed and instructed: “Hold it in your mouth.”
Bai Renfeng was not pretentious, took the lotus seed and held it in his mouth. He stepped out of the village, facing this rolling tide of rotten smell, feeling the foul qi, which dimmed his sword spirit and even gave rise to a trace of intent to retreat.
This sword cultivator upheld his sword intent, mounted sword light, and directly charged into the demon tide.
Just as Bai Renfeng charged straight over, six at a time, a total of three groups of huge mosquitoes with cysts swooped down from the air to block, but Bai Renfeng faced the soaring demon qi and said: “Sword unsheathed, stained with demon blood!”
Overflowing sword qi swept towards these mosquito demons, these aerial blocking mosquitoes instantly shredded into thousands of pieces. Tentacles, wings, and slender waists were severed by one sword.
However, Bai Renfeng felt it very strange, because the sword qi he had just released was like a living thing and did not dissipate. He sensed that there was a strange spiritual energy in this sword qi that made the sword qi alive; this spiritual energy that vitalized the sword qi originated from the same source as the lotus seed in his mouth.
He sensed from the lotus seed a “nothing cannot be broken” Dao Rhyme; the spiritual energy surging from the lotus seed manifested an all-encompassing property, entering his qi sea like cotton candy meeting water, instantly melting in.
Bai Renfeng let out a long whistle and began charging towards the huge toad-lizard monster.
While Xuan Chong defending inside the village had his eyes light up, sighing: “What a sword immortal!”
…The battlefield divided into inside and outside the village…
The third incense stick was about to burn out; Xuan Chong did not betray the trust of his first and second group halberd soldiers, immediately arranging for these fifty men to be withdrawn.
And in the rear, the barrier had formed; the withdrawing frontline soldiers filed in through the gap in the barrier, while behind, a group of dog-headed toads were charging in pursuit. With the officer’s shout: “Fire!”. Groups of crossbow bolts were fired from behind the wall.
These toads’ back pustules burst, pus liquid shooting out like crossbow bolts; even if a shield was stained, it would be completely rotted through in a few seconds, and if a soldier was infected, in three cups of tea’s time, breathing would become difficult.
But as a corps that had fought to the Sixth Layer of the Rotten Tower, everyone had experience. The pus was all blocked by straw mats; while the straw mats were still being corroded, Xuan Chong used “Wind Calling Technique” to directly fling these toxin-stained straw mats away.
Then facing the monsters piled up before the barrier, Xuan Chong jumped to the front, holding a mass of flame in his hand! This was the constellation flame he had gathered by corresponding to the heavenly Vermilion Bird constellation.
At this Sixth Layer height, not only did the green lotus power become increasingly substantial from the illusory, Xuan Chong could also feel that he could more easily mobilize flame power from the constellations.
At this moment, in the eyes of Shen Qing and the other villagers, a Vermilion Bird image appeared in the starlight above Xuan Chong’s head, which deterred their previous petty thoughts of “dragging others down” with its constellation divine might, making them not dare to move.
As Xuan Chong smashed down the constellation fire in his hand, the fire wave expanded in the narrow area, and in the flames, the demons gradually turned to ash.
The captain responsible for combat squeezed clean the wound on his body—oh, no wound, only pustules—then sprinkled hemostatic powder and quickly headed to the battlefield on the left.
…Outside the village…
Bai Renfeng, who had cut into the rear of the enemy formation, was facing alone a huge beast that could swing its tail like a divine dragon; and the numerous rotten deformed monsters that suddenly turned direction to block his retreat.
After Xuan Chong used flames to burn clean all the small monsters blocking the various alleys in the village one by one, Bai Renfeng slew three 500-kilogram fat-bellied water-accumulating soldier demons, and then on the other side, a white-furred zombie lunged straight at him. At this time, he countered with a sword flower backstab, piercing the zombie’s brow center and extinguishing the remnant soul in its mud pill palace.
In sustained combat, Bai Renfeng no longer used the early sweeping sword qi, but instead leaned more towards the swordsmanship learned in the mortal world, flashing and turning in this narrow terrain, turning sword qi into needle-like fine threads in the space of inches, precisely hitting targets.
Because his magic power had already reached its operational limit, unable to squeeze out even a tiny bit more, he had to use it sparingly.
And precisely this situation of generating a bit and using a bit, needing to predict in advance how to utilize every strand of spiritual energy in the next step, instead allowed him to suddenly comprehend and enter a state never before achieved.
After hundreds of consecutive swords had all completed kills, Bai Renfeng, having accumulated experience, silently turned back and realized how crude and unusable his past sword qi had been, merely recklessly thrusting in, with large amounts of sword light clashing against each other, failing to exert maximum power.
Without experiencing resource scarcity, there is no refined progress; and without thinking through problems methodically under scarcity, many errors on the path are covered by “strength during advantageous periods.”
Now Bai Renfeng, watching his spiritual power deplete inch by inch, couldn’t help but smile bitterly; he understood too late. But heaven never seals off all paths. Just as he squeezed out the last strand of spiritual energy, igniting sword light to extinguish the smoking zombie ahead, exhausting his last bit of spiritual power, and helplessly preparing to use chops to deal with the final three-man-high meat shield fatty; the lotus seed spiritual power originally just integrated in his dantian turned into an extremely pure strand of spiritual energy.
This spiritual energy was like sweet dew in summer, warm current in winter, instantly filling more than half of Bai Renfeng’s dantian.
Bai Renfeng had no time to look at the lotus seed, but felt that the lotus seed seemed to have grown a section, its speed of absorbing and eliminating surrounding filthy qi doubled. It was exactly a dead tree meeting spring.
…Xuan Chong had gauged Bai Renfeng’s original limit just right…
Just as Bai Renfeng was about to burn out, Xuan Chong led troops charging out from the village, the fifty-man shooting queue quickly flanking to the side and deploying.
In one breath, Xuan Chong marked enemy positions with firelight. Established a shooting reference coordinate system; after the soldiers cocked, they leveled crossbows at the rotten monsters on the reference coordinate system.
Xuan Chong said to Bai Renfeng trapped in the enemy group: “Can you still hold on?”
Bai Renfeng glanced at the surrounding gathered killing intent military formation and shouted loudly: “General, please continue deploying, don’t mind me.”
Xuan Chong nodded, the soldiers spread out in deployment. As rows of crossbow bolts were cocked, those rotten groups surrounding Bai Renfeng also felt chill at their backs, thus turning to charge towards Xuan Chong’s troop.
However, it was all too late. Xuan Chong’s order was given, fifty crossbowmen pulled triggers, and at the same time, Bai Renfeng, with his internal spiritual power suddenly restored, released the ultimate move he had comprehended in that instant.
With hundreds of silver thread-like sword qi radiating from him as center, each strand of sword qi still like that extreme wisp of silver silk just now; before, when his spiritual power was about to deplete, it was three or four sword lights per breath, but now one instant, one or two hundred sword lights.
Instantly, silence around Bai Renfeng, while on the periphery, crossbow bolts swept a large area. The demon group was pierced from inside and out, fat bodies directly igniting and turning to ash.
Bai Renfeng silently looked at the sword in his hand; in that instant just now, he had already broken through the upper limit achievable in Foundation Establishment! That sword just now, if in an immortal spirit land without killing intent, could even slay Golden Core.
However, he knew this opportunity was entirely thanks to the Holy Lotus Seed given by Wu Yuanchang; this item stabilized his mind, fearless of killing intent and external demons. And at the key moment of his comprehension, it gave him a strand of spiritual energy, allowing him to unleash freely.
After the Sixth Layer battle ended, the seventh layer gate appeared in the distance.
Meanwhile, Xuan Chong checked the gate situation, confirming it wouldn’t change for at least five shichen, thus letting the army rest. In the village, Bai Renfeng looked at Xuan Chong, walked over, and silently took out the lotus seed to give to Xuan Chong.
Xuan Chong gathered the villagers, a total of eighty-seven people; after the battle ended, the well water in the village was full again. (Clear well water is related to hope)
After Xuan Chong threw the lotus seed into the water, then after a while, he fished out the bucket from the well.
He took out the lotus seed from the bucket; at this time, this lotus seed was verdantly green and visible.
Beside him, Shen Qing looked at this lotus seed, knowing it was extraordinary, but remained silent, continuing to distribute water to the others in the village; after these people in the village drank the water, they all recovered their previous figures, even those hunched ones puffed up again like after dehydration, restoring their original figures.
Xuan Chong handed this item back to Bai Renfeng.
Bai Renfeng saw this item and pondered for a moment; he had just felt its extraordinariness.
Able to completely eliminate filthy qi within three zhang and convert it to pure spiritual energy; Bai Renfeng understood that this heavenly material earthly treasure, placed in those orthodox sects, would be a sect-guarding treasure. What virtue or ability did he, a third generation disciple, have to touch this item?
Bai Renfeng did not reach out, instead asking: “For me?”
Xuan Chong nodded: “Lending it to you.”
Bai Renfeng took the lotus seed solemnly: “I came here to eliminate demons, not to covet your treasure; after demons are eliminated, I will surely return this item. If I violate this, sword breaks and man perishes.” — This was the most venomous oath for a sword cultivator.
Xuan Chong pointed to the seventh gate and said to Bai Renfeng: “Would sir be willing to be the vanguard for my army?”
Bai Renfeng: “I came to eliminate demons, naturally I shall be the vanguard.” With that, he was about to step forward.
Xuan Chong: “Wait, stop for a moment. The final checkpoint boss, um, that is, the mastermind behind the scenes~” Saying this, Xuan Chong took a deep breath, turned to look at the village, and slowly said: “First let me compare intel with those people, then decide.”
Xuan Chong went to talk heart-to-heart with Shen Qing and those imprisoned by Wu Hanluan, but the others did not notice that Xuan Chong’s gaze at everything around him now had changed, as if grasping a straw named “truth.”
…On the seventh layer gate, layers of maggots writhed…
Although the Sixth Layer consumption of time was long, after Xuan Chong finished this battle, he vaguely felt his vision had become transparent. (System flashes once)
Thus, Xuan Chong began focusing on this “change mechanism,” observing the surrounding bizarre phenomena with an attitude of not believing in evil.
However, by the third shichen, with a golden light flashing in Xuan Chong’s pupils, his perspective suddenly became transparent. In the new perspective, “Rotten Power” simply did not exist.
For example, the pustule that had just bulged up did exist, but actually was just a very small point (like an allergy), but the rotten mechanism here could amplify a very small pustule to palm-sized.
Xuan Chong: The reason people contacting Rotten Power become neither human nor ghost is because of perceptual magnification, causing symptoms to expand.
For instance, a small pimple in a pore, if overly concerned, attracting the Lord of Rot’s attention, after blessing, becomes a huge pustule. Then infused with “disease information” by the Lord of Rot, the swollen pustule torments this person.
If this unlucky one noticed by the Lord of Rot finally gives up on himself and neglects appearance, resulting in more rashes and bugs on the body, these rashes and bugs will again be amplified by so-called “Rotten Power” due to emotions, intensifying the victim’s despair.
After reaching the Sixth Layer, Xuan Chong had already seen through the “sudden rotting” truth here. Nothing more than the Evil Moon injecting information to magnify various minor symptoms.
The System now quietly stuffed into Xuan Chong the informational power to curb “Evil Moon” corruption.
Xuan Chong knew: “Now if I am firm, these severe rotting and swelling can be changed back to their original appearance by my rational observation.” Sure enough, in the fourth shichen of rest, a palm-sized tick appeared on a soldier, but under Xuan Chong’s gaze, this palm-sized tick quickly shrank back to ant size, then was pinched dead by the soldier.
Xuan Chong couldn’t help asking the System: “Is this the ability I exchanged for?”
System: “This is the ability you possess under a firm materialist system to ‘discern erroneous information’.”
Xuan Chong silently said: “So there is fundamentally no ‘Rotten Power’, but an illusory distorted perception causing it.”
System: “I cannot provide any right or wrong prompts for your judgment.”
…One glance of truth…
Xuan Chong: “I am called Xuan Chong, transmigrator, entered this world, currently in a history class. I confirm that in this world’s environment, under the materialist system, consciousness has another channel influencing physical changes. This influence, in the eyes of the uninformed, is very magical. But once accustomed, it’s like fiddling bugs with fingers or teasing cats with laser pointers, nothing strange.”
In the Sixth Layer, there were 23343 pieces of bricks and tiles, among which 637 pieces of bricks and tiles had different cracks. The smell in the room was unpleasant, roughly a strange smell mixed from 875 kinds of odor elements. Within 35 meters in the air, a total of 87 mosquitoes were flapping wings. …
In the fifth shichen, Xuan Chong led troops into the seventh gate. Under Xuan Chong’s gaze, the wooden door covered in massive maggots instantly became real; what crawled on the decayed wooden door were actually densely packed termites.
In space, the green Evil Moon trembled, because besides the lotus seed, an existence it absolutely could not tolerate was coming!
