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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 18: Illusionary Warfare
Upon seeing Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu, the young man looked surprised and asked, "How did you get in here?"
Ji Zichen stared at the young man in astonishment. He had a pair of red eyes, and rather than finding them strange, Kiko thought they were quite beautiful. Could this be the kind of eyes that only divine beings possess? In those eyes, Kiko saw no hint of malice; the young man was merely curiously observing the two of them.
"We came in through the Rainbow Gate," Ji Zichen replied honestly, sensing no ill intent from the young man.
"Rainbow Gate?" The young man seemed unfamiliar with the term. He frowned and pondered for a moment. "What are you here for?"
Ji Zichen exchanged glances with Lin Chuyu before responding, "We're here to search for ruins."
The young man suddenly laughed. "Ruins? I've never heard of any ruins around here."
Seeing that the young man appeared very friendly, Ji Zichen asked, "Who are you?"
Realizing he had been somewhat rude, the young man apologized. "Forgive my impoliteness. I haven't seen anyone else for a long time. My name is Xia Zhou, and I am a High Priest guarding Zhuque Chenjing."
"Guarding Zhuque Realm?" Ji Zichen fixed his gaze on Xia Zhou. "If there are no Ruins Wealth, what are you guarding here?"
Xia Zhou replied, "That's the order I received, so I stay here to keep watch and take responsibility for this place."
Lin Chuyu interjected, "Are you the only one here?"
Xia Zhou looked a bit aggrieved as he said, "Yes, it's just me. If I hadn't crossed the Left Priest, I wouldn't have had to come here."
Ji Zichen couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, realizing that he had come here as a punishment.
" Ji Zichen " asked, "How long have you been here?"
"Xia Zhou" paused for a moment, thinking, "About fifty years."
Both " Ji Zichen " and "Lin Chuyu" exclaimed in disbelief, "Fifty years!"
However, considering that the lifespan of the divine race is different from that of humans, their reaction was unnecessary.
Eager to know about "Xiang Bi," "Lin Chuyu" asked, "Since you've been here for so long, do you know anything about 'Xiang Bi'?"
"'Xiang Bi'?" "Xia Zhou" shook his head. "I don't know. I've never heard of it."
"Lin Chuyu" glanced at the scrolls around them and asked, "Is there a place here where scrolls are kept?"
"Xia Zhou" chuckled, "Yes, but it won't be of any use to you. You're not from the divine race; you wouldn't understand."
Upon hearing that there were scrolls available, "Lin Chuyu," suppressing her excitement, pointed at " Ji Zichen " and said, "I can't understand them, but he can. Please take us to where the scrolls are."
"He can understand the scrolls?" "Xia Zhou" looked stunned and turned to " Ji Zichen " with a puzzled expression. "That's impossible; how could a human understand them?"
Ji Zichen joked, "Oh, I’m the smartest among humans, so I can understand them."
"Xia Zhou" realized, "Oh right, I know there are many great sages among humans. So you must be one of them?"
" Ji Zichen " couldn't help but smile inwardly, thinking, "This divine being seems quite simple-minded."
Ji Zichen smiled mysteriously and said, "Can you take us to see it?"
Xia Zhou, without much thought, replied, "Sure, all the important information has been taken away. You can browse through these scrolls at your leisure."
Xia Zhou led them to another room in the Watchtower, located one level below. The room contained only a bed and a table; the rest was filled with scrolls scattered all over the floor. "I sleep here," Xia Zhou explained. "All the scrolls from the tower are here. I moved down to read them since I had nothing better to do."
There was only one window in the room, slightly ajar. Although this was a lower level, the view was still quite high. Through the window, they could see the surrounding mountains appearing gray and bare, shaped by years of erosion.
The scenery was nice, but Ji Zichen couldn't imagine how Xia Zhou had spent fifty years here. It seemed that Xia Zhou didn't mind their presence; perhaps he felt flustered—after all, having someone to talk to was better than solitude. Fifty years was a long time, even by divine standards.
Ji Zichen thought about how he would be after fifty years—certainly like a withered tree that would fall at a mere touch.
In the corner on the left side of the room stood a pile of scrolls taller than a person. As Ji Zichen took one down, the entire stack collapsed with a loud crash, startling Lin Chuyu.
It turned out that there was more in this room than just a bed and table; behind the scrolls stood a basin rack that looked very dirty and appeared to have not been used for many years. On the floor lay a dull copper mirror. Ji Zichen mused, "I didn't expect divine beings to care about their appearance."
Given the current situation, it seemed they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Ji Zichen wondered if these divine beings ate food, but he certainly would get hungry. He asked, "Is there a kitchen around here?"
"Yes," Xia Zhou replied. "The kitchen is downstairs. You can go check it out yourself. But where did you come in from? I want to see it."
Ji Zichen said, "Ah, I don't think anyone else can get in there. But if you want to see it, it's at the cliff by the sea."
Xia Zhou nodded. "I know that place. You all stay here for now; I'll go take a look."
After Xia Zhou left, Lin Chuyu said, "Brother Ji, I can't understand these scrolls either. I want to go outside and take a look."
Ji Zichen understood Lin Chuyu's thoughts. "You want to go find Xiang Bi, right? Although I don't know how many years have passed since we came in, based on the time Xia Zhou told us, at least fifty years have gone by. Regardless, Xiang Bi should no longer be here."
Lin Chuyu replied, "I know the chances of finding her are slim, but I..."
"Then you should go," Ji Zichen said. "Just remember to come back early."
Ji Zichen could empathize with Lin Chuyu's feelings and did not try to stop her. He didn't immediately look through the scrolls, as this was not something that could be resolved quickly. "I wonder how many layers there are here. Let's first figure that out."
Ji Zichen descended to the next level. The passageway was filled with many forks, and relying on his instincts, he chose one path, only to find it led to a dead end. At the end of the path was a corridor leading to a room with no other exits. The room resembled Xia Zhou's bedroom and might have once belonged to a member of the divine race.
After leaving the room, Ji Zichen retraced his steps and noticed a large room on the left side of the second-floor hall. Inside were many strange symbols; some resembled tadpoles while others looked like Falcons. In any case, these patterns covered the floor and walls of the room, even extending to the ceiling.
Ji Zichen stared at them, unable to comprehend their meaning. "Is this like a scroll? Do I need to use my ring to understand what it is?"
As he pondered this, Ji Zichen activated his ring. Suddenly, the entire ceiling reflected a blood-red void, and the room was surrounded by fully armed Divine Soldiers riding Serpent Bat Dragons.
Startled by this bizarre scene, Ji Zichen instinctively took a step back. It felt like Kai Zhou's Travel Path, and he followed the gaze of the Serpent Bat Dragon soldiers.
The reflection was far more vivid than Kai Zhou's Travel Path; Ji Zichen could feel a chilling breeze carrying the scent of death and the scorching sun beating down on him as he moved forward with the Serpent Bat Dragons.
One Serpent Bat Dragon rushed past him with a whoosh. To the soldiers on its back, Ji Zichen felt as if he were merely transparent air, completely unnoticed.
As one Serpent Bat Dragon flew through him, Ji Zichen tensed up. The fact that it passed through him indicated these Serpent Bat Dragons were illusions. Yet he experienced an unusual sensation; he could feel their warmth. However, when Ji Zichen focused his perception on it, that feeling vanished.
A brutal scene unfolded before Ji Zichen: Serpent Bat Dragons were entangled with numerous Zhuque in mid-air over the sea. Some unfortunate Serpent Bat Dragons fell into the ocean along with Zhuque, submerged by the depths below.
As the scene shifted, on a mountain peak, many soldiers of the divine race were wrapped in bandages, their armor and helmets stained with blood. Some of their magical artifacts had already been broken in half.
Ji Zichen observed his surroundings; this mountain peak looked remarkably familiar. After a moment of scrutiny, he exclaimed, "Ah, it's that mountain!" This was where he and Lin Chuyu had seen the Vermilion Bird Pearl while attached to Li Tang.
However, this place was no longer peaceful; it had turned into a bloody battlefield.
Ji Zichen noticed a rugged-looking man with a thick beard approaching the wounded soldiers. The soldiers instinctively parted to make way for him. His armor, like that of the Yu Ren, was also splattered with blood, but unlike them, he wore a yellow cloak draped over his shoulders.
The cloak bore several patterns, some resembling those in a room he had seen before, but Ji Zichen did not understand their meaning.
From his attire, Ji Zichen could tell that this man was either a captain or some sort of commander. The man's actions suggested he was there to comfort the injured or to rally them. At first, his voice was calm, but soon it escalated into a thunderous roar that resonated like rolling thunder, causing Ji Zichen's eardrums to ache.
As a result, Ji Zichen couldn't quite catch what he was saying, but the soldiers seemed to understand him well. When the man finished speaking and turned toward Ji Zichen's direction, Kiko instinctively stepped aside.
This man should have been just like the other bloodied soldiers—unseen—but suddenly he halted and fixed his piercing gaze on Ji Zichen. Initially thinking it was an illusion, Ji Zichen met the man's eyes and felt a shiver run down his spine. "Can he see me?"
Yet the man's gaze wasn't directed at Ji Zichen specifically; it was merely that Kiko's position led him to believe he was being seen. At that moment, a soldier passed through Ji Zichen's body and reported to the man. The commander nodded and assigned them battle tasks.
Suddenly, Ji Zichen heard deafening shouts coming from afar; it seemed that the Vermilion Birds were launching a massive attack.
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