piratefiction Chapter 74 Real or Illusory? Valley Melee
Chapter 74 Real or Illusory? Valley Melee
Chapter 73 Real or Illusory? A Melee in the Valley (Please Subscribe)
The next morning, Jiang Jun opened his eyes. The tunnel was still dark, but a few rays of sunlight were already shining through the cracks in the ceiling.
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing also woke up and hurriedly tidied up the felt cloth. Jiang Huang rode on Jiang Zhi's back, yawning.
"Let's go, let's go up." Jiang Jun stood up and led the way towards the tunnel exit.
They retraced their steps, passing through several forks in the road and narrow passages, and soon arrived at the bottom of the dry well.
Jiang Jun leaped into the air, his inner energy supporting him as he landed steadily on the ground outside the well.
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing also climbed up one after another. Jiang Zhi carried Jiang Huang, and with a push of its four hooves, it landed lightly beside them.
Jiang Jun turned around and was stunned.
The dry well is gone.
The ground was flat and overgrown with weeds. Even the large stone that pressed down on the wellhead was nowhere to be seen, as if the well and the tunnel had never existed.
Zhao Jing went over and stepped on the ground. It was solid, with soil and gravel underneath.
He scratched his head: "Teacher, will it reappear after the ghost realm resets in a few days?"
Turmeric jumped off Ginger Juice's back, ran around the weeds twice, and let out a soft "ah-beep," its little face showing a hint of confusion.
Jiang Jun did not answer immediately.
He sensed the ashes in his sleeve and the yellowed, mystical paper, remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "No. It shouldn't appear again."
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing seemed to understand something and didn't ask any more questions.
Jiang Jun bowed respectfully towards the location of the well, saying, "I will certainly use this wondrous object properly and will never betray your trust."
He didn't know if these ancestors had spirits, but since he had the opportunity, he should make good use of it.
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing also bowed. Although the two children did not understand the meaning, they also bowed their heads in greeting.
"Let's go, keep going." Jiang Jun turned around and walked deeper into the desolate mountains.
The mountain became increasingly steep, with exposed rocks, sparse withered grass, and eerie mist slowly flowing through the valley. Occasionally, a few scattered ghosts or shadows would drift out of the mist, but Cai Liang would easily deal with them.
When they reached a mountain hollow, Jiang Jun suddenly stopped. He raised his hand, signaling the two people behind him to be quiet.
A few dozen feet ahead, a yellowish-brown shadow was moving in the bushes.
Jiang Jun squinted and saw that it was a small, palm-sized, yellow-skinned monster.
It was crouching behind a rock, looking around furtively, its two eyes of different sizes darting around, and it exuded a faint eerie aura.
Judging from its aura, it is only at the level of a wandering warrior, just an ordinary individual among the Huangjing Ghost Children.
Cai Liang recognized it too, and lowered his voice: "Teacher, it's Huangjing Guiwa."
"Follow it, but don't disturb it," Jiang Jun instructed softly.
The three concealed their presence and followed the yellow spirit monster at a distance.
It seemed to be foraging, darting in and out of the bushes, occasionally stopping to dig up some soil, stuff it into its mouth and chew a couple of times, then spitting it out because it didn't like the taste.
A strange insect crawled out of the soil, which it grabbed and stuffed into its mouth. It bit it until it burst open, chewed it, and swallowed it.
Jiang Huang frowned as he watched this scene.
After following for about fifteen minutes, the yellow spirit monster suddenly sped up and ran deeper into the mountain valley.
Jiang Jun and the other two followed closely behind, and after turning around a huge rock, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before them.
It was a low-lying valley surrounded by rocks and dead trees. Here, eerie mist gathered into a gray-white cloud that sank to the bottom of the valley.
In the mist, at least fifty or sixty Huangjing ghost children were wandering around, foraging for food, and shoving each other.
At either end of the valley, two figures, noticeably larger, were positioned, clearly two elite individuals.
They each commanded a group of guerrilla-level subordinates and were facing off.
The one on the left made the first move. It let out a sharp screech, and more than twenty Yellow Spirit Monsters behind it surged towards the other side like a tide.
They had no magic, no weapons; they simply pounced and tore at the ground. Limbs and severed parts flew everywhere, and grayish-white fluid splattered all over the ground.
The severed limb writhed a few times on the ground before being picked up and stuffed into the other person's mouth, where it was chewed with a crunching sound.
Zhao Jing's face turned pale, and Cai Liang frowned deeply.
The elite monster on the right, not to be outdone, let out the same hiss and led its tribe to meet them.
The two elite leaders did not join the battle immediately, but stood at the rear, coldly watching the battlefield.
An eerie light was gathering in their eye sockets.
Jiang Jun said in a low voice, "Pay close attention to their eyes."
As soon as the words were spoken, the elite monster on the left suddenly widened its eyes. A dark yellow ray shot out from its pupil, sweeping across the three yellow monsters opposite it.
The bodies of the three strange children instantly twisted, as if they had been forcefully twisted.
The waist twisted halfway, the neck tilted to the shoulder, the arms were twisted into a pretzel, and the leg bones bent in the opposite direction from the knee.
Before they could even scream, they collapsed to the ground, their bodies twisting and folding until they became several shapeless lumps of flesh before finally coming to a complete stop.
The elite monster on the right also made its move. A gray-green ray swept out, hitting the four yellow monsters on the opposing side.
The four grotesque children also began to twist and contort in a bizarre way, their stems cracking and popping, every inch of their bodies deforming and tearing.
collapse.
Some of them had their bodies twisted into pretzels, with their heads and tails almost joined together.
Some of their limbs were bent at incredible angles, and cracks appeared on their torsos, from which grayish-white fluid seeped out.
Cai Liang gasped and whispered to Jiang Jun, "Teacher, this thing is much more sinister than the Azure Fish Ghost Child."
Zhao Jing's face turned ashen, and the gourd in his hand creaked as he gripped it tightly.
The two of them looked at Jiang Huang simultaneously.
The little guy and ginger juice nestled in Jiang Jun's arms, watching the chaotic battle at the bottom of the valley with a look of disgust. His little mouth was pursed, and his eyes were drooping, as if he didn't know them.
"Ah-bei." Sensing their gazes, Jiang Huang let out a soft cry, buried her face in Jiang Jun's neck, and refused to look at them anymore.
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thing in each other's eyes: Was this little guy always this ruthless?
However, judging from Jiang Huang's disgusted look, he has clearly severed all ties with the Huang Jing Guiwa clan.
And that is indeed the case; since being purified, it has lost this terrifying ability.
Jiang Jun raised his hand and patted Jiang Huang's head, without saying a word, his gaze returning to the valley.
Two elite-level monster dolls have already entered the fray, tearing at each other and exchanging eerie stares, with grayish-white fluids splattering everywhere.
Even the ordinary Huangjing monsters went berserk, leaving limbs and broken bodies scattered all over the ground.
"Do you see that?" Jiang Jun's voice was calm. "That's what a monster is. No matter what it looks like on the outside, all that's left in its bones is madness and slaughter."
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing nodded silently.
"That's about enough." Jiang Jun straightened his sleeves. "You all step back, I'll collect them."
Cai Liang pulled Zhao Jing back a few steps.
Turmeric and ginger juice jumped down from his arms and stood at Cai Liang's feet, still looking at their "kindred spirits" in the valley with disdain.
With a flick of his sleeve, Jiang Jun unleashed a powerful suction force that enveloped the entire valley.
Before the Huangjing Ghost Babies could react, they were all lifted off the ground and rolled into the sleeves.
The two elite-level creatures struggled desperately, howling as they fired distorted rays at Jiang Jun, but to no avail. A few breaths later, they too were sucked in.
The valley was empty, with only grayish-white liquid and debris scattered on the ground.
Cai Liang stared at Jiang Jun's sleeve and exclaimed in amazement, "Teacher, your 'hidden universe in your sleeve' technique is amazing! There must have been forty or fifty of them just now!"
"Hmm." Jiang Jun flicked his sleeves. "If we take them back and purify them, they'll become a batch of spiritual plants. If they didn't have any blood on their hands, they could give Jiang Huang a couple more companions."
Zhao Jing glanced back at Jiang Huang and whispered to Cai Liang, "Senior Brother, was Jiang Huang like this before—?"
Before Cai Liang could answer, Jiang Huang let out an "Ah-bee" and turned her head to the side, as if to say: Don't mention that embarrassing history.
Jiang Jun looked at the awkward little guy, seemingly lost in thought: Huang Jing Guiwa must have some talent in the art of pupil techniques.
The reason why Jiang Huang can no longer do it is probably because his spiritual energy and magic are incompatible.
If I ever create a new eye technique, perhaps I could try teaching it? Who knows, its talent tree might still be intact!
Turmeric twitched its head, feeling like someone was chirping on its back: "Huh?"