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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 141: The Unstable Rift
Ji Zichen was speaking with the clan leader inside the house when the Water Wall beside her lit up. Kai Zhou Shen's face appeared in the Water Wall, and upon seeing Ji Zichen there, he seemed surprised. "Ah, you're here too, just in time."
Ji Zichen paused for a moment, confused. "Just in time?"
Kai Zhou Shen appeared to have something on his mind. "I need some help. You know my spirit is damaged, and I can't leave the Spirit Immortal Realm right now. I saw a rift at the Opening of the Zhou Wasteland, and I need someone to close it."
Ji Zichen's expression changed. "A rift? There's a rift at the Opening of the Zhou Wasteland?"
Kai Zhou Shen sighed. "Rifts are everywhere; some are stable, while others are unstable. Right now, an unstable rift has opened. If we don't close it, anyone curious enough to enter won't be able to return."
Ji Zichen, feeling unoccupied, asked, "How do we close this rift?"
A ring floated out from the Water Wall, featuring an oval-shaped jade stone. Kai Zhou Shen explained, "Wear this ring. It will glow when you get close to the rift, and when you aim it at the rift, it will automatically seal it. The rift is located to the west of the village."
Ji Zichen took the ring and put it on her finger, muttering, "It glows when close to the rift; that's somewhat similar to the Vermilion Bird Pearl."
Turning to Kai Zhou Shen, she said, "Leave this to me; I'll close the rift."
Seeing Ji Zichen's determination, Kai Zhou Shen nodded with relief. "You should go right away." The light from the Water Wall dimmed.
At that moment, Lin Chuyu chimed in eagerly, "Brother Ji, can I go with you?"
Ji Zichen thought for a moment. "Closing a rift shouldn't be too dangerous. It might be nice to take her along and let her have a change of scenery."
With that in mind, Ji Zichen replied, "Alright then, you can come with me."
Yang Guizhi thought there was no real danger, and she expressed no objections. "You can't just walk to find the crack. Go to the stable and pick out two horses. I'll call some people to accompany you. There are quite a few Demon Beasts in the Zhou Wasteland; having more people will help deal with any trouble."
Ji Zichen nodded in agreement with Yang Guizhi's suggestion without any dissent. He and Lin Chuyu headed toward the stable, feeling a bit embarrassed upon arrival, as it reminded him of the last time he had come here to steal horses after rescuing Zang Da.
Lin Chuyu gave him an expression he had never seen before, her smile exceptionally bright. Ji Zichen thought, "She must have been holding back her feelings these days."
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu arrived at the stable and chose two horses. At that moment, a group of Militia approached, consisting of fifteen members who were already equipped with packs and weapons. Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu quickly mounted their horses. Once Lin Chuyu was settled, Ji Zichen nodded to the Militia and said, "Let's go."
The Militia could only nod in thanks; they acknowledged Ji Zichen with a nod before turning their horses around and galloping out of the village.
Ji Zichen reminded himself not to let Kai Zhou Shen's trust go to waste. If that crack was still out there, he would definitely close it.
The group rode toward the main road, where many Militia were gathered, working on Defensive Works. As Ji Zichen's team slowly passed by on horseback, some of the Militia recognized their comrades among those working on the defenses, and they exchanged greetings.
With so many people digging and working, dust filled the air, forcing Ji Zichen to cover his nose as they passed through. The horses seemed well-trained; despite the chaotic environment, they did not bolt or panic.
Ji Zichen felt pleased to see that both the Militia and their horses maintained order. The vast majority of the Militia worked in unison under strict supervision from their Captain. However, Ji Zichen did not see Flying Wolf around; it made sense since Flying Wolf wouldn't be doing such heavy labor here.
After navigating through the bustling main road, Ji Zichen looked ahead. Finding that rare crack in such a vast western area would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
However, with a direction in mind, it shouldn't be too difficult.
Ji Zichen glanced at the ring on his hand; the jade stone appeared dull and lifeless. He didn't mind much since they had just left the village not long ago. If the crack were nearby, Kai Zhou Shen wouldn't have needed to give him the ring.
Just as Ji Zichen was about to look away and continue on his way, he suddenly pulled back on his horse's reins to stop. He felt an unusual sensation wash over him. Closing his eyes, he tried to extend his mental energy as far as possible.
Ji Zichen began to sense his surroundings with his mental power, feeling as if he were a bird soaring high above, gazing down at the area below. He was amazed by this sensation, able to hear the sounds of various animals, and from their noises, he could tell they were quite far away.
Yet, to Ji Zichen, it felt as though those animals were right beside him. He withdrew his mental focus, his eyes filled with wonder as he stared at the ring on his hand. "This ring is truly remarkable; it has such capabilities," he murmured.
Lin Chuyu, noticing Ji Zichen had halted, asked, "What are you thinking about, Brother Ji?"
Snapping back to reality, Ji Zichen replied, "Nothing much. Let's get going."
The group mounted their horses and set off. As they rode, Ji Zichen utilized the special abilities of the ring to enhance his perception. Initially, he seemed to connect with a few spotted deer, using their eyes to observe the surrounding environment. However, where the deer's vision reached, there were no cracks to be found.
After searching in vain, Ji Zichen remained calm and shifted his focus to other animals. This experience was fascinating; the more creatures he could connect with, the greater his chances of finding a crack.
Before long, Ji Zichen attached himself to a Falcon. He experienced the exhilarating sensation of soaring through the air and could also smell what the Falcon smelled—a metallic scent mixed with something rotten. It took him some time to comprehend this fully but eventually realized that the Falcon was hunting for food.
Following the Falcon's gaze from high above, Ji Zichen found himself overwhelmed by the strong and pungent odor of blood. Despite its intensity, he felt fortunate that there were no Green Demon Eagles around; if he had possessed one of those birds, he would have been utterly disgusted.
In truth, both the Green Demon Eagle and the Falcon had similar dietary needs; one just looked particularly fearsome while the other was slightly smaller. Besides sensing hunger from the Falcon, Ji Zichen noticed it seemed frightened by something. Although he could inhabit its body, communication was impossible since Falcons are fierce creatures that rarely fear anything.
What could cause this Falcon to tremble? Ji Zichen speculated whether it had encountered a crack recently or even further back in time. He noticed something glimmering in the Falcon's right eye and followed that light. There appeared to be a trace resembling a crack nearby. He wanted to get closer for a better look but could only inhabit the Falcon without controlling its flight direction.
The Falcon seemed genuinely afraid of whatever that light was; it veered away from it entirely.
Ji Zichen memorized the location of that light through the Falcon's eyes before withdrawing his perception. He signaled Militia to follow him, and Militia nodded before galloping alongside Ji Zichen.
From the Falcon's perspective, the light was not too far away—just beyond a hill. However, it took them nearly an hour of riding on horseback before they reached near its location. Beyond that hill lay a village crowded with villagers who appeared anxious and whispered among themselves as they looked toward a distant settlement.
Ji Zichen and his group moved against the tide of people, making their progress quite difficult. Thankfully, Militia guided them well, ensuring that their mounts did not harm the panicked villagers.
As they reached the entrance of the village, distant sounds of battle echoed. Beyond the obstructing houses, unsettling blue-black and dark green lights flickered in the distance.
The Militia saw the strange lights and felt even more anxious than before. They were exhausted from their continuous journey, and the sight of those lights filled them with dread. However, Ji Zichen seemed very familiar with such phenomena. "Those are the lights of magical artifacts," he stated.
The presence of magical artifacts indicated that a Demon Beast was nearby. Ji Zichen signaled for them to hurry along, racing towards the source of the strange lights. Upon arriving at the Village Center, he saw many strong villagers lying on the ground, each bearing similar but horrifying scars and wounds.
Whatever Demon Beasts were responsible for this carnage were undoubtedly brutal and vicious.
"What are you doing here?" shouted a young, strong villager, blood splattered across his clothes and tears welling in his eyes. "A Demon Beast is attacking the village! You can't come any closer; you need to leave the village now!"
The young villager was quite urgent, pushing them away before Ji Zichen could explain their intentions. However, Kiko understood that this villager was only looking out for their safety. Just as he was about to speak, a middle-aged man behind the young villager noticed Kiko's group and hurriedly said, "Brother, no matter where you come from, can you help us?"
Ji Zichen asked, "What happened here?"
Seeing Kiko's concern, the middle-aged man stepped forward to explain. "I don't know how it happened, but two hours ago, a rift opened in our fields, and a horde of Demon Beasts poured out."
"A rift opened in your fields?" Ji Zichen immediately understood. "That light must be from the rift." He glanced at his ring, which was glowing; he had extensive experience dealing with Demon Beasts.
" Ji Zichen said, "Lin Chuyu, you and this brother stay here and do not approach that field. I will go see what kind of Demon Beast has come."
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