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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 51: Thunderstrike Mouse
As Ji Zichen saw the subordinates of Purgatory Palace rushing in, a frown crossed her face. She thought to herself, "I can't handle so many of them alone." The Fire Pearl dimmed, and a fire dragon surged forth in an arc, igniting the ground and creating a wall of flames that separated her from the approaching disciples of Purgatory Palace.
Old Eight grinned ominously. "Do you think that by keeping others out, I won't be able to deal with you?"
Ji Zichen retorted sarcastically, "If you can handle me, why do you need anyone else's help?"
Old Eight was momentarily speechless, then cursed, "What are you boasting about?"
While Ji Zichen was verbally sparring with Old Eight, she reminded herself, "I need to take care of this rat before the fire wall completely disappears."
The subordinates outside stared at the towering wall of flames. "Who is that person? How could they set up such a wall of fire so easily?"
Another subordinate replied, "It’s obvious; they must be using some kind of magical artifact."
A third subordinate chimed in, "It's strange though. Why isn't this person attacking us with fire? Instead, they’re just setting up a wall."
The first subordinate scoffed. "What's so strange about it? There are so many of us. Even though this wall is high, it can't cover the entire square. I think they're just buying time to finish off Eight Mo Shih before the wall disappears."
"Eight Mo Shih is in danger now. Does that person have some way to defeat Eight Mo Shih?"
"Don't panic. How could Eight Mo Shih let that person win? I believe Eight Mo Shih will turn this situation around; the one who will die will definitely be that person!"
Sweat beads appeared on Old Eight's forehead, caused by the intense heat from the fire wall. Ji Zichen kept her gaze fixed on Old Eight's every move. She noticed the sweat on his brow and aimed to undermine his confidence. With a light laugh, she said, "What's wrong? Is it hot? A rat should hide in the dark underground and not roam freely in the mortal realm."
Rats not only dislike the light but also fear heat. Old Eight particularly hated sunny days because he couldn't stand the scorching sun. That's why he chose to prepare his supplies before dawn, before the sun came up.
Old Eight wiped the beads of sweat from his brow and said with a frown, "I hate fire and the heat of the sun, which is why I chose to become a Partner. I need to adapt and conquer these flaws! Now, there's one more thing I intend to conquer, and that is you!"
"Take this!" Old Eight shouted fiercely.
He crouched low to the ground like a cheetah preparing to pounce. With a burst of speed, he lunged forward. Although he had been five paces away from Ji Zichen just moments ago, he was now mere inches from her in the blink of an eye. His left hand transformed into a claw, and with a sharp sound, long, pointed nails emerged.
Ji Zichen noticed the dirt hidden beneath those claws and thought to herself, "These creatures are filthy. If I get scratched by those claws, not only will I suffer from painful wounds, but I might also have to endure the toxins from that dirt entering my body."
The claw was now just a few feet away, swiping toward Ji Zichen's face. Remaining calm, she raised her Demon-Slaying Sword to block it. The claw struck the blade, causing her body to shift forward. The two fighters switched positions as Ji Zichen kicked off the ground, sending Old Eight stumbling back several paces. They stood apart now, three paces away from each other.
With this change in position, Old Eight found himself closer to the fire wall. The fur on his body began to singe slightly from the heat. He thought, "This is bad; I'm about to faint. It's too hot here. I should have listened to Black Eyes' advice and trained in the desert furnace instead."
Shaking off his distracting thoughts, Old Eight swung his Tail down hard against the ground with a loud thud. The weight of his Tail was immense, crashing down like a ton of steel from above.
Ji Zichen felt the ground tremble violently as if an earthquake had struck. The sudden jolt made it impossible for her to maintain her balance. Meanwhile, Old Eight had already leaped into the air during his Tail's descent and lunged at Ji Zichen, shouting, "I'll take you down with one strike!"
His two claws came crashing down from either side like moving walls aimed at Ji Zichen. She felt like a mosquito caught in their path; if struck by those claws, there would be no escape. As she swayed with the shaking ground, Ji Zichen quickly devised a plan. Using the slight tremor of the earth as leverage, she steadied herself with her Demon-Slaying Sword.
With her balance regained, she faced Old Eight head-on as his claws approached like two advancing walls. At that moment, she could have easily jumped back but chose not to retreat. Instead, she swung her sword toward Old Eight's abdomen.
Her figure darted out like a ghost just beyond the reach of the claws. They collided with a loud smack as Old Eight felt a sharp pain in his palm upon realizing he couldn't crush Ji Zichen. Seeing her unexpectedly thrusting her sword toward him, he swung his Tail in front of his abdomen for protection.
The Demon-Slaying Sword pierced through his Tail, sending a jolt of pain through him. He retaliated with a strike of his palm while Ji Zichen withdrew her sword swiftly. They both evaded each other's attacks.
As the trembling ground settled back into place outside the fire wall, the subordinates of Purgatory Palace regained their footing after being shaken earlier. The flames had slightly diminished over time, allowing them to see inside through the fire wall where Ji Zichen and Old Eight were locked in battle.
"Purgatory Palace" exclaimed, "That person is amazing! They can still counterattack even when their body is out of control!"
"Old Eight" couldn't believe it after missing two consecutive attacks. "It's impossible! You can dodge like this and still sneak attack me?"
" Ji Zichen " leaped several feet away from "Old Eight." "What's impossible? As long as there's a point of support during the tremors, I can stand firm."
" Ji Zichen " glanced at "Old Eight's" tail, which was bleeding profusely from the wound inflicted by the "Demon-Slaying Sword." "Your tail is injured; that must hinder your movement."
---
"Sister Nine" and the villagers arrived at the dungeon. The five guards who had been stationed there were dealt with by "Sister Nine," lying unconscious outside the cell door. "Big Qi" was slumped in a dark, damp cell that reeked of foul odors.
Seeing his father in such a state, he panicked and rushed over to shake "Big Qi." "Father, wake up!"
"Big Qi" showed no response.
"Dong Qin" looked at "Big Qi." Although he was locked up, there were no visible injuries on him. Aside from his disheveled hair, there were no signs of torture.
"Lin Chuyu" wrinkled her nose. "Hurry and help him out. Is he fainted from the smell in here?"
"Dong Qin" also found the odor unbearable; this place resembled a livestock pen more than a dungeon.
The group lifted "Big Qi" and carried him outside.
Ji Zichen knew that for any animal with a tail, that tail was mostly related to controlling balance. Old Eight's injured tail would certainly affect him. The flames of the firewall had weakened even more than a second ago, and Ji Zichen said, "We need to hurry."
Seeing that Ji Zichen was deep in thought, Old Eight also had his own calculations. He remarked, "That sword of his is strange; I can't engage him directly."
Old Eight recalled a previous attack that had been effective against Ji Zichen. He thought to himself, "I can only use the old trick of ambushing him."
Suddenly, Old Eight's large rodent body vanished, and he used a burrow to hide underground. Ji Zichen, not daring to stay in place after having suffered earlier, moved half a step to the right from his original position. Just as he considered moving another half step, he noticed the sand on the ground shaking again.
Ji Zichen whispered, "Here it comes!"
Old Eight burst forth from the ground right in front of Ji Zichen, aiming to ram his head into Ji Zichen's chin. Having learned from his previous mistake, Ji Zichen was prepared this time. As Old Eight charged at him, Ji Zichen shouted, "Same trick again! Die!"
As soon as Ji Zichen's words fell, a bolt of lightning struck down from above outside the firewall where Purgatory Palace's subordinates were standing. With a thunderous boom, the lightning struck Old Eight's rodent body.
"Ah!"
The subordinates of Purgatory Palace were all astonished.
"That lightning is...!"
"How many magical artifacts does that person have? First fire, now lightning!"
Old Eight's rodent body was enveloped in darkness as Purgatory Palace's subordinates exclaimed, "Eight Mo Shih! He has been killed!"
Ji Zichen gasped for breath and said, "I'm sorry; I have no idea what Eight Mo Shih is. To me, he's just a stinky old rat!"
Black Eyes trembled at the sight. "Old Eight!"
Xia Zhou stood just outside the firewall, with those separated by the flames to his left. Noticing the wide-eyed expression of Black Eyes, Xia Zhou, though facing away from the firewall, could tell from Black Eyes' gaze and the commotion among the subordinates of Purgatory Palace that Ji Zichen had already emerged victorious.
With a calm smile, Xia Zhou looked at Black Eyes and said, "Hey, stop staring. I'm your real opponent."
Although Xia Zhou and Black Eyes were not within the firewall, due to Black Eyes' orders, the disciples of Purgatory Palace did not come to trouble Xia Zhou. Samoyan watched from the high tower as Old Eight was struck down by lightning, yet remained unmoved, as if Old Eight's death had nothing to do with him.
Seeing the disdain in Xia Zhou's smile, Black Eyes' eyes glinted with a strange light as he asked, "Are you looking at me?"
Black Eyes' mouth moved as if chewing on something. Xia Zhou grinned and said, "What? Are you going to spit out that boring Spider Web again?"
With a snort, Black Eyes ignored him. He spat out a large Spider Web in front of himself, which instantly stretched and connected to the buildings on either side. At that moment, this Spider Web was no different from Ji Zichen's firewall. With Black Eyes behind it, Xia Zhou couldn't decipher what was going through his mind.
However, judging by the current positioning of the Spider Web, it seemed that Black Eyes intended to use it as a protective barrier. Xia Zhou remarked, "Are you planning to hide and avoid fighting?"
Before Black Eyes could respond, the subordinates of Purgatory Palace were shaken by the sight of him spitting out the large web. It took them a moment to react.
They hurriedly fled towards the exit, distancing themselves from the center of the arena. At that moment, Ji Zichen's firewall suddenly extinguished. Turning to face the subordinates at the entrance, Ji Zichen aimed to intimidate them. With his back to Xia Zhou, he called out, "Can you handle this? If not, I'll step in."
Xia Zhou chuckled lightly and replied, "Keep an eye on those people; don’t let them cause any trouble. Don’t worry; I still have confidence in dealing with a spider."
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