Free Web NovelChapter 742: Chapter 177: Closer, and Closer (1st Update)
"Are they people from another realm?" Ji Yaohua squinted to look, but those swaying silhouettes were just as blurry as little black dots to him.
Their vision wasn’t enhanced by the Genetic Transformation Agent like Mu Qingge’s, so they couldn’t see clearly, merely sensing some people were over there.
"Great! Finally, we ran into some living people; it’s time for a good sparring session." Ji Yaohua rubbed his fists, excited.
Mu Qingge, however, turned and looked at him coldly, "If you want to end up like Wei Molili, go ahead."
Her words caused the smile on Ji Yaohua’s face to freeze immediately.
Ying Ze’s gaze also turned sharp, and Xi Qianxue’s face turned pale.
Wei Molili’s condition made them all uneasy, and none wished to follow in his footsteps.
"Qingge..." Ji Yaohua involuntarily lowered his voice, restrained his casual demeanor, and cautiously asked, "Are you saying that those people over there are the monsters that attacked Wei Molili?"
Ying Ze and Xi Qianxue both stared at her, anticipating her answer. After all, all three of them couldn’t see the people clearly.
Mu Qingge turned her gaze once more toward those silhouettes and spoke faintly, "Green skin, skinny bodies, tall or short... That’s all I can see right now. I’m uncertain about other details. These descriptions resemble Wei Molili’s, but for specifics, we’ll need to get closer to find out."
Get closer?
The three felt a sinking feeling, exchanging glances among themselves.
After a while, Ji Yaohua gritted his teeth and said, "Well then! Let’s get closer and see what these monsters really are. If they’re indeed the ones who attacked Wei Molili, so much the better. We can catch them and help detoxify Wei Molili."
Ying Ze nodded, "Exactly. Now that we’re here, we should investigate thoroughly."
"If they really are those monsters, do you think they might be the same group that attacked Wei Molili?" Xi Qianxue suddenly wondered.
"Isn’t that unlikely?" Ji Yaohua frowned and said, "Wei Molili was attacked several years ago at least. He’s stayed in the Ancient Battlefield all this time, surely using those long-term effective Teleportation Talismans. But those monsters couldn’t have stayed here for years, there must have been many different groups over the time."
"Long-term effective Teleportation Talisman?" Mu Qingge looked at him in surprise.
Ji Yaohua explained to Mu Qingge, "Teleportation Talismans to enter the Ancient Battlefield are categorized into three types. One is like the one we use, effective for only three months, another lasts for a year, and the last, most precious one, is said to be effective long-term, allowing the user to decide when to leave at will. That type of talisman is different from ours; we crush it to enter, and at the end of the time, it automatically teleports us to the exit. The long-term one sticks to the body, and to exit, you crush it."
"Ji Yaohua is right! Wei Molili got that long-term Teleportation Talisman from the Divine Hall." Xi Qianxue’s statement confirmed Ji Yaohua’s guess.
But her words prompted doubt among the other three.
Xi Qianxue explained, "Over six years ago, Wei Molili did something for the Divine Hall. I’m not clear on the specifics, but I know he declined their proposed rewards and opted for this talisman instead. When he initially disappeared, we suspected he entered the Ancient Battlefield, but since he didn’t appear for years, we couldn’t confirm whether he left the battlefield or used its spatial rift to enter another realm. It’s unexpected now, to see he has been living, crazed, in the battlefield all these years."
At the end of her explanation, Xi Qianxue’s voice held a hint of regret.
"Regardless if these are the monsters that initially attacked Wei Molili, we must confirm if they are the ones he spoke of. If we manage to capture one, we might find a way to save him," Mu Qingge told the three.
"Mm!"
"Mm."
"Mm!"
The three nodded in unison, their gazes were firm and resolute.
Wei Molili must be saved!
Although the monsters are dangerous, they must approach! It’s not only for Wei Molili but to conquer their own fears. Otherwise, if confronted with similar situations in the future, fear would drive them to flee each time.
"Let’s go." Mu Qingge turned and led them forward, stealthily advancing.
The three followed her closely, holding their breath and carefully monitoring the surroundings.
They were on one end of the battlefield, and the monsters on the other. Although appearing not far, the reality was...
The four of them cautiously crouched, quietly advancing towards a depression. Just then, a tall monster at the other end turned around. Mu Qingge swiftly crouched down, the other three, uncertain of the situation, crouched with her, using the depression to conceal their forms.
"What’s the matter?" Ji Yaohua mouthed silently.
In his gaze, a hint of tension could be seen.
Mu Qingge slowly shook her head. Suddenly, a gleam flashed in her eyes as she transmitted a message to the three, "I suddenly have a suspicion but am unsure if it’s correct."
She communicated by sending sound messages, prompting the other three to realize and do the same to exchange their thoughts.
"What suspicion?" Ying Ze looked at her and asked.
Ji Yaohua and Xi Qianxue also seriously looked at her.
Mu Qingge continued, "Wei Molili said that he had been following them for a long time, even he himself doesn’t remember if it was half a year or a year."
The three thought about it, and all nodded simultaneously.
Mu Qingge then said, "Have you ever thought that despite following for so long without being discovered, why was he suddenly discovered in the end?"
This question made the expressions on the three people’s faces freeze. This detail was something they hadn’t considered at all before, let alone thought about. If Mu Qingge hadn’t brought it up now, they might have already forgotten.
The three fell silent, and after a while, Ying Ze said to Mu Qingge, "Speak out your guess."
Mu Qingge nodded slightly and said to the three, "I suspect that these monsters have poor eyesight, perhaps they can only see things near them, and can’t see or clearly see things far away."
This guess made the three of them widen their eyes, with a faint sense of excitement.
If they could grasp the enemy’s weakness, it would be a good thing for them!
"But..." Mu Qingge frowned slightly, and added, "I don’t know how Wei Molili was discovered or what he did before he was discovered, so it’s hard to judge. I can only speculate that maybe their hearing is very good, based on the monsters’ sounds being able to harm people. They are different from us; they rely on their hearing to monitor their surroundings, not their eyes."
The three of them understood Mu Qingge’s words.
It must be said that thinking carefully along her line of thinking, this hypothesis seemed very probable.
Ji Yaohua’s eyes turned, and he proactively said, "Do you want me to test it?"
Mu Qingge turned her eyes to him, slightly raising her eyebrows. She had intended to say this, but didn’t expect Ji Yaohua to speak up first.
"You?" Ying Ze frowned, seemingly not agreeing with Ji Yaohua’s risk-taking.
In fact, he would rather conduct the test himself and let the three of them stay behind.
"Let me go instead." At this time, Xi Qianxue also requested aloud.
Ji Yaohua interrupted her and said to the three, "I can control wind, so I’m very fast. If discovered and need to escape, who can match me? So it’s safest for me, don’t argue with me."
This statement seemed to make some sense.
However, Mu Qingge coldly reminded, "Sound is much faster than your speed. If you are discovered and they attack, I’m afraid you won’t have time to run before you get hit."
"Then I’ll shut my ears first," Ji Yaohua immediately said.
Mu Qingge thought for a moment and said to him, "Use spiritual power to protect your brain as well." She thought, since the toxins destroy the central nervous system, they must act on the brain, so protecting it wouldn’t be wrong.
Ji Yaohua noted Mu Qingge’s words and nodded earnestly.
Mu Qingge looked at him and revealed her plan, "The purpose of your test is to confirm my earlier speculation. So you need to do two things. First, approach silently, swagger closer, and observe their reaction. If there’s no response, use your advantage and create some noise in the opposite direction using wind control to test them. Once done, retreat immediately, do not linger. Of course, if during the process you are discovered, you must retreat, and we will cover you."
"Understood." Ji Yaohua nodded heavily, glanced at the three of them, then climbed out of the depression.
He stood back on the battlefield, adjusted his clothing, and swaggered forward as Mu Qingge instructed, no longer being cautious, yet without making any noise.
As he moved, three heads poked up from the depression, staring intently at his back, ready to cover him at any moment.
When Ji Yaohua had walked a certain distance, Mu Qingge said to the three, "Go!" They needed to maintain a certain distance from Ji Yaohua to ensure timely rescue.
Ji Yaohua swaggered ahead, while the three followed cautiously behind.
The green-skinned monsters became clearer in their vision. Just as Mu Qingge speculated, they seemed completely unaware of Ji Yaohua’s approach.
’It’s about time.’ Mu Qingge thought silently.
Just as she finished her thought, Ji Yaohua released a wind vortex, sending it to the opposite side, where it landed with a crashing sound.
The sound wasn’t loud, but the monsters immediately became alert.
They looked toward that direction, terrifying Ji Yaohua to the point that he stood still, not daring to move.
Up close, he saw the hideous appearance of these monsters, looking just as described by Wei Molili... no, even more terrifying, more disgusting!
After the sound was made, a small monster rushed in the direction of the noise. However, finding nothing, it turned and suddenly let out a sharp, piercing scream in Ji Yaohua’s direction...
