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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 14: Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog
"No! Brother Ji, I'm going with you," Lin Chuyu stubbornly followed behind Ji Zichen.
The middle-aged man advised, "Girl, you shouldn't follow." He recalled the earlier situation and continued, "You don't know how terrifying those Demon Beasts are. Didn't you see the injuries on the ground?" He pointed to the wounded villagers lying nearby.
Lin Chuyu certainly felt scared, but she didn't want to stay with the villagers. It wasn't that she looked down on them; she simply didn't want to leave Ji Zichen. She took out her Vajra and held it tightly in her hand. "I have this, so I'm not afraid." Although she hadn't regained her memories, she vaguely remembered that this Vajra had once protected her.
Seeing Lin Chuyu's determination, Ji Zichen realized that if he insisted on making her stay behind, she might secretly follow him anyway. If something happened while she was sneaking along, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Ji Zichen truly felt helpless; now he regretted letting Lin Chuyu come along. However, he wasn't Kai Zhou Shen and didn't possess any foresight.
With a wry smile, Ji Zichen said, "Then you can come along, but remember not to stray too far from me."
Lin Chuyu's face lit up with a smile as she replied, "Got it!"
The middle-aged man wanted to say more; he didn't want Lin Chuyu to take risks. But looking at Ji Zichen, who seemed quite capable in his eyes, he decided to hold his tongue since Ji Zichen had allowed her to follow and must have a way to keep her safe.
Ji Zichen took a few steps forward but suddenly stopped. He wasn't reacting to the middle-aged man's speechlessness; he was contemplating the current situation. After a moment of thought, he said to the middle-aged man, "It's not far from here to those Demon Beasts. Staying here is very unsafe." He pointed out five Militia members and continued, "Have them help carry the injured out of the village."
The middle-aged man was overjoyed. He had been wanting to move the injured villagers but had only himself and that young man available; they couldn't manage it alone. He immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, "This is wonderful! But can you really manage with just over ten people?"
Ji Zichen smiled slightly. "After we get the injured out, if we can't fight them off, we can run."
The middle-aged man chuckled in agreement. "Then let's split up."
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu led ten Militia members hurriedly toward the fields. The mountain winds howled fiercely around them while a wave of oppressive heat from the battle tore through the air and hit their faces.
In the fields, more than ten villagers were engaged in combat with Demon Beasts. The cries of pain from the villagers echoed intermittently, followed by victorious roars from the Demon Beasts.
Ji Zichen scanned the area and saw that the Demon Beasts were Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs. These frogs were as large as sheep. Just as the villagers had killed one Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog, another leaped out from a crack nearby. Lin Chuyu pointed at the crack and exclaimed, "Brother Ji, look! Those frogs are coming out of that crack!"
"Those aren't just frogs; no frog is that big. These are Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs that can spit poison gas. Their tongues are covered in barbs, and those injured villagers were scraped by their tongues." Even Ji Zichen, usually composed, was losing patience. He reminded the Militia members urgently, "Stay as far away from the Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs' tongues as possible and be cautious of their poison gas."
The villagers nodded in agreement, weapons ready as they braced for battle. As more villagers fell around them, Ji Zichen stopped giving further instructions since he had already said what needed to be said. He signaled for the Militia members to split into two teams: one team would pull away the injured villagers while the other would try to lure the Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs away from the crack so that he could seal it off safely.
Although Ji Zichen was not from the village, the Militia had initially been reluctant to accompany him. However, under the chief's orders, the villagers had no choice but to comply. Now, their perception of Ji Zichen had changed; his commands were clear and he seemed to have a firm grasp on the situation. The Militia could also see that Ji Zichen had a kind heart.
Ji Zichen was not only focused on closing the rift; he was also concerned for the safety of others. Despite being strangers to the villagers, his kindness was rare and precious. Inspired by Ji Zichen, the Militia split up to take action. Since meeting Lin Chuyu, Ji Zichen's self-serving nature had vanished.
Ji Zichen felt a mix of emotions—he didn't know whether to be happy or troubled. At that moment, he noticed a Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog extending its tongue towards a villager's waist. Without hesitation, Ji Zichen leaped forward, drawing his Demon-Slaying Sword and slicing the frog's tongue in two. The Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog, enraged by the pain, charged at Ji Zichen. If Lin Chuyu hadn't been by his side, he could have easily jumped over the frog and struck it down.
But with Lin Chuyu beside him, he couldn't leap over her to avoid the Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog. Instead, Ji Zichen activated his Thunder Pearl, summoning several bolts of lightning that struck down nearby Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs, leaving them charred black—including the one charging at him.
As the thunder faded, a villager shouted a warning to another just half a step away from him: "Watch out!"
Suddenly, a Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog spat out a mist that spread like fog. Before the villagers could react, this mist enveloped several of them.
Screams erupted as red pustules appeared on their faces, burning painfully as they burst open. Within moments, those villagers collapsed to the ground.
Seeing this, Ji Zichen was filled with rage! Unfortunately, no matter how furious he was, those infected by the mist were beyond saving. Lin Chuyu watched in horror as she thought to herself, "This is terrifying! Those villagers are dying so horribly."
The Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs seemed ravenous; several lunged toward the corpses of the villagers covered in bursting pustules. Ji Zichen shouted fiercely, "You beasts! Die!"
With a flick of his Fire Buddha Bead, flames erupted into a dragon that surged toward the man-eating Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs. In an instant, those frogs were engulfed by the fire dragon, leaving only charred skeletons behind.
More Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs continued to leap out of the rift. If he didn't close it quickly, even if he exhausted all elements of the Five Elements Pearl, they would keep pouring out. There were at least twenty frogs surrounding the field near the rift; it was unclear where this rift connected that allowed so many frogs to emerge.
Ji Zichen slowly approached the central Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog when one of the Militia members saw him getting closer and shot an arrow at it. The arrow struck one of the frogs, causing it to thrash wildly and incite others around it.
The hit frog did not die; instead, it became more aggressive and charged at the Militia member who shot it. The other frogs followed suit but three of them noticed Ji Zichen nearby and turned toward him.
Lin Chuyu felt her scalp tingle as she saw three angry Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs rushing toward them. "Brother Ji! They're coming!"
"Don't be afraid! As long as we don't get too close to them, they can't harm us," Ji Zichen reassured her as he activated his Thunder Buddha Bead again. In an instant, all three frogs met their end.
Though lightning could strike from a distance, Ji Zichen could only use his Thunder Buddha Bead twice; it was now depleted. He estimated that he was about ten paces away from sealing the rift and needed to act quickly before more Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs emerged.
If Ji Zichen were to proceed slowly with Lin Chuyu, it would delay their opportunity. "You stay here and don't follow," Ji Zichen instructed.
Although Lin Chuyu had lost her memory, she was not foolish. She understood Ji Zichen's intentions. "I understand. Brother Ji, you go quickly and come back soon," she replied.
Before setting off, Ji Zichen ensured that the area around Lin Chuyu was safe. He glanced around and noted the twenty Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs nearby; he had already killed three of them. The remaining seventeen were drawn away by the Militia to another part of the field, leaving them five zhang away from him. Ji Zichen calculated in his mind.
The rift was ten zhang to Ji Zichen's right, and with the seventeen Hundred-Scaled Sun Frogs five zhang away, if he moved right, there would be nothing in front of Lin Chuyu. If a Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog attacked her, he would have no chance to save her. However, Ji Zichen was confident in his speed and thought to himself, "I must hurry."
With his thoughts settled, Ji Zichen immediately moved toward the rift. In just a few leaps across the ten zhang distance, he reached the rift. As he arrived, he saw a Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog's head poking out from within. He raised his hand, aiming the ring at the rift, and a beam of white light shot out from it, enveloping the rift. In less than half a breath, the rift vanished with a whoosh.
With a clang, the head of the Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog that had tried to squeeze through fell to the ground. The other half of its body was unknown as it had been closed off by the rift.
With the rift sealed, Ji Zichen let out a sigh of relief. "It's closed."
Just as he turned back, he noticed a Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog had appeared out of nowhere just one zhang away from Lin Chuyu. Seeing her facing him and completely unaware of the danger behind her made Ji Zichen's face change dramatically as he shouted, "Behind you!"
Ji Zichen's sudden shout turned Lin Chuyu's face pale; she understood that if Ji Zichen was shouting like that, something deadly must be behind her.
She quickly turned around and saw a Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog charging toward her, now less than half a zhang away. To the Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog, Lin Chuyu was merely food; she was not some delicate girl in its eyes. As it approached her, its tongue shot out rapidly toward her.
In a moment of panic, Lin Chuyu had no time to think of any countermeasures. She threw her Vajra at the frog's left eye. The Vajra struck true, piercing its left eye. The Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog immediately fell over and rolled a few times on the ground. Seizing this opportunity, Ji Zichen leaped over and swung his Demon-Slaying Sword down; the Hundred-Scaled Sun Frog was swiftly dispatched.
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