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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 177: Internal Confrontation
Wei Ye was confused about what was happening. He noticed that the soldiers of Ladder suddenly ceased their assault on the city. Furious, Wei Ye exclaimed, "What’s going on! Who ordered them to stop?"
In a fit of rage, Wei Ye's soldiers fell silent in fear. Just as he was about to give orders to investigate, he spotted someone on the Ladder's side of the wall using Wind Barrier to leap up. Although it was a distance away, Wei Ye's keen eyesight quickly identified the person as Ji Zichen. After a moment of silence, Wei Ye muttered, "What is he doing?"
The towering city wall stood at seven or eight zhang high. Ji Zichen used his strength to ascend the wall in four leaps. The wind and sand had settled, but the Cult members on the wall were still rubbing their eyes. As soon as Ji Zichen reached the top, he swiftly knocked out two of them with a backhand strike. Spotting several barrels of Ghost Scale Oil nearby, Ji Zichen kicked one over, causing the oil to spill across the ground. One Cult member, still rubbing his eyes, stepped onto the slick surface and cried out in pain.
The loud cries drew attention from the soldiers on the opposite wall, who were startled to see Ji Zichen atop the battlements. The commotion on the wall grew louder, prompting Man Chengwen to issue an immediate order: "Up the Ladder!"
With Ji Zichen preventing the Cult from pouring Ghost Scale Oil, two groups of soldiers had already surged onto the battlements. Many Cult members rushed toward Ji Zichen, but he unleashed a fire dragon that incinerated a line of them in an instant. The Cult members feared Ji Zichen's Five Elements Pearl and hesitated to advance. Taking advantage of their momentary indecision, more soldiers began climbing up the Ladder.
The sounds of fierce combat echoed from atop the wall as an increasing number of soldiers poured onto it.
Qin Xiaolan was positioned further back but was surrounded by wounded soldiers. Some had been splashed with Ghost Scale Oil and were being taken to medical aid. Furrowing her brow, she remarked, "I've never encountered such wounds before; they look like burns but also seem poisoned. Bamboo, come help me."
Bamboo, a female medic, rushed to Qin Xiaolan's side. Together they treated a soldier's wounds with needles. Initially, the soldier felt no pain, but soon pus and blood began to ooze out, and sweat started pouring down his forehead until he let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Seeing him in agony, Qin Xiaolan's frown finally relaxed into a smile. "It’s supposed to hurt; the poison has been forced out, but this burn scar will definitely remain."
Surviving with a scar was better than not surviving at all. The soldier immediately bowed in gratitude to Qin Xiaolan and Bamboo, saying, "Thank you both for saving my life..."
Although Qin Xiaolan wasn't particularly fond of such titles, she didn’t stop him from expressing his thanks. The more gratitude they felt towards her now would lessen any resistance when she opened her doors for teaching in the future. She helped him lie down and said gently, "Saving lives is our duty; you don’t need to thank us."
Turning to Bamboo, she instructed, "You bandage him up; I’ll check on the next wounded soldier."
At that moment, several more injured soldiers were brought in from various locations. Just as Qin Xiaolan stood up again, her vision suddenly darkened and her body lost control as she began to fall backward. Bamboo gasped in alarm and rushed over to support her. "Director! What’s wrong?"
With Bamboo's support, Qin Xiaolan regained her sight and her breathing steadied. "I'm fine," she reassured.
Bamboo's voice trembled slightly as she replied, "Director, you should take a break; you’re too exhausted."
Qin Xiaolan shook her head firmly. "I’m fine; there are still many people who need our treatment."
Ignoring her fatigue, Qin Xiaolan continued on to treat other wounded soldiers.
"Captain."
Man Chengwen glanced at the Vice Captain, who continued, "We’ll have the city wall in no more than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense."
Man Chengwen neither nodded nor shook his head. "What are you thinking?"
The Vice Captain replied, "Once the city gate opens, although there are no explicit rules, everyone knows that whoever is the first to occupy Mountain Valley will receive the greatest credit. We still have some people with us; let’s redeploy our forces and gather the remaining soldiers together..." The Vice Captain trailed off, falling silent.
Man Chengwen sneered, "It seems you're eager to rise through the ranks."
The Vice Captain showed no shame. "Who among soldiers doesn't want to become a general? I just don’t want to be doing these death-defying tasks in the vanguard. I'm not afraid of dying; I can take a hit for my brothers in battle. But once this war is over, everyone will want their share of the rewards. I just want to make sure we don’t miss our opportunity."
Man Chengwen understood the Vice Captain's thoughts well. He was not one to overestimate himself; he too desired promotion and wealth. However, at this moment, he was concerned about the lives of the soldiers still fighting atop the city wall. "You're right; after the battle, many will seek rewards. But until we can ensure the safety of our brothers up there, I won’t do anything."
He watched as Ji Zichen kicked over a Cult member on the city wall, and he cast an admiring glance at Ji Zichen. "Brother Ji has not only turned the tide of battle but may also save the entire Desolate Central Plain."
The Vice Captain's face fell, showing disappointment. "Captain, no matter what, I’ll follow your lead."
"Don’t lose heart just yet," Man Chengwen said. "I don’t want to be the first to take Fierce Death Valley either. Get everyone else ready; when the city gate opens, we charge in. But first, we need to ensure our brothers' safety before we attack inside!"
The Vice Captain's face brightened again. "I'll go prepare right away!"
"Don’t get caught up in fighting! Find a way to open the city gate!" Ji Zichen shouted after cutting down another Cult member. The surrounding soldiers had already regarded Ji Zichen as a hero, so his words met no dissent.
The soldiers began rushing toward the stairs leading up to the city wall, but they were patient in their assault; with the battle nearing its end, losing their lives now would be unwise.
Ji Zichen led his men down the stairs, and as they descended, the resistance from the Cult below grew weaker. Scenes flashed through Ji Zichen's mind—he recalled the slaves from Corner Lodge. If those slaves had been as well-trained as these soldiers, many more would have survived their escape from Corner Lodge. Though it had been a long time since that incident, Ji Zichen remembered it vividly.
But for now, Ji Zichen felt it best to set aside those thoughts; indulging in them could cost him his life.
There were still many Cult members stubbornly resisting at the bottom of the stairs. Ji Zichen leaped down from several feet high and struck from behind to create an opening. As soon as there was a gap, soldiers surged down from the stairs in unison, working together to cut through their enemies. Before long, they had opened the city gate.
As the city gate swung open, Man Chengwen immediately commanded, "Vanguard team, charge with me! Take Fierce Death Valley!"
The soldiers roared in unison as they surged toward the gate alongside Man Chengwen.
At that very moment, Ji Zichen heard a deep rumble echoing through Mountain Valley. Instantly alert, he thought, "That direction seems to be where the Arbitrator was previously sealed." Although this crossed his mind, he couldn't be entirely sure. With the gate now open, staying behind would be futile, so Ji Zichen headed toward the source of the sound.
The noise indeed came from the Arbitrator. As the fissure opened, the Arbitrator sprang forth. Hearing the chaos near Mountain Valley City’s gate, the Arbitrator's eyes darkened. "Now that I am free, you shall not act recklessly!"
Ji Zichen moved toward the sound alone but felt a sense of dread. He knew he was no match for the Arbitrator by himself. However, retreat was not an option. On his way to the source of the noise, he encountered several Cult members, all of whom he swiftly dealt with.
Ji Zichen navigated through Mountain Valley towards the sound, familiar with the routes from his previous visits. Just as he passed a square, a cold laugh suddenly reached his ears—the Arbitrator was attacking him from behind.
With a powerful palm strike aimed at Ji Zichen, the force was immense. Ji Zichen narrowly dodged, but saw the ground beneath him cratered by the Arbitrator's energy, rocks flying up and striking his face painfully.
The Arbitrator sneered coldly. " Ji Zichen, we meet again."
Ji Zichen tensed as he locked eyes with the Arbitrator. "I didn't expect you to emerge from that fissure so quickly."
The Arbitrator scoffed. "That pathetic fissure could never contain me." Noticing that neither Great Palace King nor Canglin were around, he asked, "Where have those two gone? Did you come here alone to seek death?"
Though Ji Zichen felt uncertain about defeating the Arbitrator, he couldn't show weakness. He replied with a smile, "Seek death? We’ll see who ends up dead."
The Arbitrator seemed in no hurry to engage Ji Zichen in battle. "Now that you've revealed yourself here, has the city gate already fallen?"
Having just emerged from the fissure and unaware of many developments, the Arbitrator seized this opportunity to gather information from Ji Zichen.
Understanding the Arbitrator's intentions and sensing his hesitation to attack first, Ji Zichen thought to himself, "I should buy some time; perhaps Canglin and the others will arrive soon."
Ji Zichen said, "Yes, while you were trapped in that fissure, we already took down the city gate. Now that you lack a stronghold, it would be wise for you to surrender."
The Arbitrator laughed heartily. "A stronghold? This place is my stronghold as long as I am here; I can create as many as I want."
Ji Zichen had no doubt about the Arbitrator's abilities but countered confidently, "Even if you're powerful, you're still just one person. You have no chance of turning this around now."
The Arbitrator smirked disdainfully, "Is that so? But whether I can turn the tables, you won't have the chance to see. I'm about to make my move!"
At the spot where the Arbitrator had originally opened a rift, another crack appeared. The Great Palace King and Canglin emerged from within, their eyes filled with vigor, indicating that their injuries were no longer a concern.
"Is the Arbitrator out?" the Great Palace King asked.
Canglin nodded, "He is out. I can feel it, but where exactly will he go?"
Hearing the sounds of battle erupting from within Mountain Valley, the Great Palace King remarked, "Have they breached Mountain Valley?"
Canglin replied, "Let's hope this time it doesn't end up like last time—falling short at the last moment."
"Given the current situation, it seems the Arbitrator must have entered the depths of Mountain Valley," the Great Palace King concluded.
"I think that's likely. Let's go take a look. How are your people preparing?" Canglin inquired.
"They'll come over once they're ready with the Teleportation Array," the Great Palace King answered.
With a flash of their bodies, the Great Palace King and Canglin headed toward the depths of Fierce Death Valley.
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