inspire-indiana Chapter 127 The Dead Prince's Corpse
Chapter 127 The Dead Prince's Corpse
Chapter 127 The Dead Prince's Corpse
Upon arriving at a ruin, Oreg waved his hand, signaling the five lost knights to remain on the perimeter as guards.
Xia Tong, accompanied by the three ashes of the generals, continued down the broken stone steps.
The further down you go, the stronger the stench of decay becomes.
Due to its age, many of the steps have collapsed, leaving only some steep cliffs.
When they encountered an insurmountable ditch, Oreg or Ruthel would relay the throw in mid-air, hurling Xia Tong and the heavily armored Ingwell across.
"Squeak—squeak—"
Just as the group landed on a flat area covered with moss, several rats suddenly darted out from the ruins in a corner.
These rats were enormous, even larger than ordinary wild dogs. What was even more disgusting was that their grayish-brown fur was covered with purplish-black pustules, emanating a nauseating aura of death.
Xia Tong had no intention of letting these disgusting things get close. With a light wave of her staff, several beams of radiant magic pebbles shot out with precision.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The magic pebbles shot through the air like bullets, striking the giant rats squarely in the head. The rats fell to the ground, motionless.
Just as Xia Tong was about to step over the corpse, a bizarre scene unfolded.
Those rats that had clearly been hit on the head actually wobbled and got up again. Xia Tong then realized that there was no blood seeping from the places on their heads where they had been hit; only some murky black mucus was flowing out.
The three ashes immediately leaped out.
Ruthel's Flame Spear pierced a rat's throat with pinpoint accuracy, instantly incinerating it with deathly flames.
Oreg's twin swords, like scissors, severed the head and body of the largest rat. Ingwell, however, was even more violent, smashing down his halberd and crushing the last rat into a bloody pulp.
Looking at the pieces of flesh scattered all over the ground, Xia Tong felt a sense of worry.
These rats were clearly corrupted by some force; their vitality was almost sinister. An ordinary exiled soldier would die instantly from a single hit to a vital spot by a radiant stone, yet these creatures could withstand it.
Not daring to delay any longer, Xia Tong took out the stone tablet, closed her eyes, and sensed Roger's location.
In the spiritual realm, the blue thread representing Roger is pointing towards the deepest southeast and is pulsating violently.
"Let's go, let's speed up."
As they continued to descend deeper into the earth, a thin layer of white mist with a pungent odor gradually filled the surroundings.
"Roger! Are you nearby?"
Xia Tong shouted loudly. The visibility here was too poor, so he simply took out some grease and smeared it on the hound's long teeth. With a "sizzle," a dazzling flame rose from the blade, like a torch in the night.
Xia Tong called out and searched for about ten minutes.
Roger's tired and anxious voice finally came from the thick fog in the distance.
"I'm here! Xia Tong, I'm here!"
Xia Tong and Rutil exchanged a glance and immediately sped off in that direction.
As the distance closed, the teeth-grinding "squeaking" sound became increasingly dense and piercing.
"Holy crap, so many rats!"
As Xia Tong broke through the fog, she was immediately stunned by the scene before her.
In the distance, on the ruins of an abandoned building, Roger stood at the highest point, his staff gleaming as he struggled to maintain the defense of the Radiant Sword Array.
Below him, dozens of frenzied giant rats covered in pustules were densely packed together.
At a rough count, there were at least fifty or sixty rats, including several mutated rat kings the size of calves, which were frantically ramming against the wall below the building.
The situation is extremely critical.
Xia Tong decisively blew the whistle of the spirit horse and leaped onto Toret's back.
"Charge!"
With a hiss, Torret, carrying Xia Tong, plunged into the swarm of rats ahead like lightning.
At the same time, Xia Tong pulled a fire pot from his waist and threw it forcefully at the densest part of the rat swarm.
"boom!"
The fire pot exploded with a deafening roar, and a fierce flame instantly shot up, the intense heat immediately creating a vacuum zone within the swarm of rats.
"Whoosh!"
A sudden gust of wind arose.
The lost knight Ingwell, aided by the power of the storm, leaped high into the air and crashed into the center of the rat swarm like a falling meteor.
The halberd swept out with the force of a thunderbolt, instantly sending flesh and blood flying. The most arrogant mutated rat king had half its body smashed by this monstrous force.
Oregon followed closely behind.
The Storm Rider wielded his twin swords in a dense, impenetrable silver whirlwind, mercilessly shredding any rats that came near.
Ruthel then teleported directly to Roger's side.
"when!"
The massive eclipse shield slammed heavily against the edge of the building, mercilessly blocking all the rats that tried to leap up and tear at it. Then, spears shrouded in deathly aura thrust out repeatedly, slinging the frenzied beasts down like skewers of candied hawthorns.
Looking at the headless knight before him, who stood as imposing as a deep abyss and a towering mountain, Roger finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The feeling of escaping death in despair made his legs go weak, and he almost collapsed onto the stone slab.
"Jump down, Roger!"
Below the building, Xia Tong rode his Torret and shouted loudly.
Roger nodded and jumped down from the broken wall, which was several meters high.
Torret displayed exceptional intelligence, using its legs to catch the falling magic swordsman with remarkable stability in mid-air.
"Xia Tong, thanks to you, otherwise I would really be dead here today." Roger wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear.
"Ring ring—"
Without further ado, Xia Tong shook the summoning bell to bring back Ingwell, who was moving slower. Then she whistled to signal Oreg and Ruthel to retreat.
Torret moved with incredible speed, traversing the complex ruins as if they were flat ground. The bloated rats were no match for the spirit horse's speed and were quickly left far behind. Meanwhile, Oreg and Ruthel, using their teleportation abilities, effortlessly cleared a path ahead, escorting the two away from the rat swarm.
After temporarily escaping danger.
The two of them continued walking deeper into the area.
The underground vegetation slowly began to change, and some twisted, purplish-black small shrubs grew out of the surrounding mud.
"Why did you come to this godforsaken place all by yourself? Why didn't D, the hunter of death, come with you?" Xia Tong slowed down her horse and asked Roger behind her.
Upon hearing this name, a hint of sadness flashed in Roger's eyes.
"I feel like I'm growing further and further away from D."
Roger sighed, "We used to be comrades-in-arms. But because of our differing stances, our differences grew wider and wider."
He was an extreme fanatic of the Golden Law, believing that all those who died in violation of the law were heretics and must be exterminated.
"But—" Roger paused, "In my time with Fia, I gradually realized that these unborn beings are also pitiful. We should investigate the true reason for their appearance, and try to understand the source of this curse, instead of simply and crudely attributing the problem to them."
Listening to Roger's account, and considering D's background, Xia Tong could only sigh helplessly.
D can be considered the most loyal hound of the Golden Law fundamentalism.
After all, he and his twin brother shared a single soul. Although they possessed different bodies, they could never wake up at the same time; one would remain asleep while the other could move.
This bizarre curse was originally an ominous sign that should be rejected and banished in border areas.
However, the Golden Law accepted these deformed brothers, bestowing upon them the Li Sheng Armor and the Twin Swords of Intimacy. This favor made D the most fanatical defender of the Law, naturally unable to tolerate someone like Roger who tried to sympathize with the Deadborn.
Different road non-phase plan.
"Xia Tong, be careful. I feel like we're getting closer and closer to the source of the Dead Root." Roger suddenly lowered his voice, interrupting Xia Tong's thoughts.
Xia Tong also noticed something was wrong.
The surrounding terrain was funnel-shaped and sunken downwards, and the nauseating stench of decay and the sour smell of fermenting dead wood were so strong that they almost turned into a tangible miasma.
suddenly!
Accompanied by an extremely muffled underground rumble.
The black bushes ahead surged and churned. The mud exploded as if boiling, and an enormous, grotesque monster roared up from the ground!
Corrupted Tree Spirit!
Xia Tong's pupils contracted sharply as she forced back the churning in her stomach.
The corrupted tree spirit before me was a hundred times more disgusting than the one I had encountered in the border heroes' graveyard.
Perhaps due to its constant proximity to the underground source of pollution, this tree spirit was covered in huge, purplish-black pustules.
The pustules were swollen and looked as if they might burst at any moment. Even from a distance of tens of meters, Xia Tong could still clearly see the pustules wriggling strangely, as if countless insects were crawling under the skin, and occasionally some turbid, foul-smelling mucus would seep out.
"roar--!!"
The corrupted tree spirit let out a piercing roar that tore through the air.
"What...what kind of monster is this?!" Roger was shocked, his fingers gripping the staff trembling.
"This is a corrupted tree spirit, a product of mutation caused by some extremely evil force from underground," Xia Tong quickly assessed. "You provide ranged support with magic from the side; we'll handle the melee!"
With that, Xia Tong jerked the reins and rode the Torret towards the enormous beast.
As he charged, Xia Tong swiftly pulled several fire pots from the leather pouch at his waist and accurately tossed them at Rutil and Oreg in mid-air.
Considering the complex underground environment of Stoneville City, Xia Tong made thorough preparations before arriving, and the fire pot was just one of them.
"I hope you won't be more troublesome than the one in the drifting graveyard," Xia Tong prayed silently.
The decaying tree spirit's gaping maw, split open from dead wood, was filled with sharp barbs and twisted knots, and a suffocating stench wafted out.
Oreg and Ruthel, who were already in position, caught the Fire Pot in mid-air and instantly teleported above the Tree Spirit.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The two fire pots struck the tree spirit precisely on the head and back.
"boom!"
The viscous and intense flames instantly spread across the corrupted tree spirit.
The black, sticky fluid oozing from the abscesses sizzled and crackled under the intense heat of the fire. Many abscesses burst open from the heat, spraying out highly corrosive venom and sending plumes of acrid smoke rising from the ground.
The excruciating pain instantly drove the monster into a frenzy.
Its massive body, covered in purplish-black pustules, suddenly arched, and a blinding, sickly, and deathly dark golden light began to burst forth from every grain of wood.
Then, like a runaway wooden dragon, it swept towards Xia Tong with overwhelming force.
"drive!"
Xia Tong spurred her horse's belly. Torret displayed exceptional intelligence and agility, its four hooves suddenly exerting force, carrying Xia Tong as it leaped high to the side at the last second, narrowly avoiding the tree spirit's savage charge.
"Compared to the one in the cemetery, this one is more disgusting, but it seems to be slightly inferior in terms of agility and size."
Riding on horseback, Xia Tong used Torret's high mobility to maneuver and dodge while searching for openings, constantly releasing the Radiant Stone Great Magic Shard.
Each strike of the magic gravel blasted a scorched crater into the tree spirit's withered, lifeless body.
Roger, who was in the distance, also regained his composure. He waved his staff and unleashed "Heavenly Magic" once more.
Dense bursts of radiant light bullets rained down, continuously draining the monster's stamina.
Suddenly, Roger seemed to sense the abnormal flow of magic and shouted in alarm, "Xia Tong! Watch your step!"
The earthquake trembled.
Xia Tong looked down and saw that the muddy ground beneath Torret's feet was beginning to emit an extremely dazzling and violent golden light.
Immediately afterwards, countless blazing golden holy fire pillars, like spears bursting from the ground, erupted from all directions!
Moreover, the Corrupted Tree Spirit's enormous body suddenly rose up amidst the golden light. It opened its foul-smelling maw, and a ball of intensely burning golden flame surged from the depths of its throat.
In an instant, all of Xia Tong's escape routes and evasive maneuvers were blocked.
"not good!"
Xia Tong's heart pounded. At this critical moment, he decisively blew his whistle to forcibly recall Torret, in order to prevent the spirit horse from suffering a fatal blow.
When you're in mid-air, there's no way to escape.
Xia Tong swiftly raised the brass shield, then slammed his staff into the shield, instantly enveloping his entire body in a hazy blue magical shield.
This tree spirit's combat intelligence far exceeded his expectations!
"Bang!"
Just as that destructive golden breath was about to engulf Xia Tong.
Ruthel's massive body reappeared before him like a god. The enormous Eclipse Shield, like a wall of sighs, firmly protected the two of them behind it.
"BOOM!!!"
The raging holy flames slammed into the shield.
Unable to gain any leverage in mid-air, Ruth was thrown backward by the terrifying impact, her broad back slamming solidly into Xia Tong's body.
The two of them were sent flying backwards like cannonballs.
"Bang! Bang!"
Finally, they all crashed heavily into the muddy ground in the distance, sliding a long way.
"Ahem—thank you, Ruthel."
Xia Tong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a wave of fear washing over him. He had been somewhat careless. If he had been struck by that beam of light, his small brass shield would have provided absolutely no effective protection.
Ruth stood up and tapped the shield lightly with her spear, producing a dull thud, indicating that it was nothing.
Meanwhile, in the distance, the Corrupted Tree Spirit, which had unleashed its Light Flame twice in succession, was now extremely weak. Its massive body trembled violently, and the golden light around it dimmed.
"Strike while the iron is hot, kill it!"
Oreg, who was already skilled at attacking, seized the opportunity and charged forward. As his twin swords clashed, a storm of death swept through, frantically slicing through the dense limbs of the tree spirits.
Xia Tong also quickly got up, pulled out the Holy Grail from her waist, and each took a big gulp.
Feeling both his physical and mental strength restored, he gripped the hound's long teeth and charged back into battle.
With the four working together seamlessly, they managed to save several breaths of time.
With a mournful wail, the enormous, decaying tree spirit collapsed to the ground.
Two streams of runes, one large and one small, flowed into Roger and Xia Tong's bodies respectively.
"Over 5,800 runes?"
Xia Tong glanced at the face and pouted, "There are quite a few. But far fewer than the one in the cemetery last time, no wonder its strength is somewhat inferior."
At the same time, a stream of pure life energy condensed in the air and automatically flowed into Xia Tong's dried-up Red Dew Holy Cup bottle, replenishing the number of times it had been used.
Everything settled into calm.
Xia Tong slowly walked forward and collected the golden seeds that had fallen from the decaying tree trunk.
Just then, Roger shouted loudly from the side.
"Xia Tong! Look, what's that?!"
Just then, Roger suddenly let out a startled cry, his voice filled with extreme shock and fear.
His hand trembled as he pointed into the distance.
Xia Tong looked in the direction he pointed.
Deep underground, in this dark and desolate place.
Through the thin mist, one could vaguely see a huge, gnarled face covered with tumors and thorns, quietly embedded in the rock wall underground, surrounded by black, gnarled tree roots.
That face had its eyes closed, radiating an extreme deathly aura that polluted the entire space.
"The dead prince's corpse face—"
Xia Tong's pupils dilated, and her heart skipped a beat.
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