Free Web NovelChapter 743: Chapter 178: This Is a Spiritual Attack (Double Update)
Chirp——!
A sharp, piercing sound echoed loudly.
Like a sonic wave, it spread layer by layer, reverberating on the battlefield.
Ji Yaohua, who was closest, desperately covered his ears. This was his instinctive reaction, even though he had already blocked his hearing and, following Mu Qingge’s instructions, protected his head with Spiritual Power.
However, when the sound erupted, he still felt as if his head was being pricked by needles, causing excruciating pain.
His face turned pale, and he fell directly to the ground, his expression twisted in agony.
Behind him, Mu Qingge and the other two were not faring much better. The sound’s influence was extensive, and just like Ji Yaohua, they felt as if their heads were pierced by countless needles.
Fortunately, the creature only emitted one sound before returning to its own ranks.
As the sound gradually dissipated, the protective barrier Ji Yaohua formed around his head shattered with a ’crack’ and he lost consciousness.
Mu Qingge and the others shook their heads vigorously; they were some distance away from Ji Yaohua, so the impact they suffered was not as severe.
Moreover, there were some obstructions nearby, which seemed to have blocked some of the sonic attack.
Mu Qingge recovered quickly, and the discomfort had vanished. Yet when she looked at the two beside her, their faces were still very pale, and they appeared in poor condition. Looking at Ji Yaohua, who had fallen and was no longer conscious, his condition was uncertain.
She swiftly dashed out, quickly approaching Ji Yaohua. Having observed Ji Yaohua’s earlier movements, she did not conceal herself and soon reached his side.
Mu Qingge checked his breathing and took his pulse before bringing him back.
When she brought Ji Yaohua back, Ying Ze and Xi Qianxue slowly opened their eyes.
"How is he?" Ying Ze immediately asked when he saw Ji Yaohua being rescued by Mu Qingge.
Mu Qingge replied, "Fortunately, we took precautionary measures earlier. He’s just a bit concussed and fainted. He’ll be fine once he wakes up. How about you two?"
Ying Ze shook his head slowly.
Xi Qianxue propped up her head with one hand and said to Mu Qingge, "The Spiritual Power barrier I used to protect my head was shattered, but thankfully it didn’t injure my head. Now it just feels like a splitting headache."
Ying Ze nodded in agreement, indicating that his condition was the same as Xi Qianxue’s.
Then, they both looked at Mu Qingge in surprise.
Why were they experiencing splitting headaches and feeling exhausted, while Mu Qingge seemed unaffected? They had noticed her being affected by the sound just moments ago.
Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Mu Qingge also frowned slightly.
She had indeed been affected by the sound, but she recovered very quickly. Moreover, the Spiritual Power she used to protect her head did not dissipate.
’Could it be because I studied the Divine Strategy Middle Volume?’ Mu Qingge speculated in her heart.
Mu Qingge pursed her lips and fell into her thoughts.
While waiting for Ji Yaohua to wake up, she organized her thoughts, while Xi Qianxue and Ying Ze seized the time to sit and meditate, recovering their bodies.
The green-skinned creatures did not notice their presence and continued with their tasks.
That sound earlier seemed to be just a sweep.
Because of the disturbance caused by Ji Yaohua, they became alert and released a wide-range attack with no fixed target.
...
The cold wind swept through the Ancient Battlefield, blowing over the bodies of the four quietly lurking in the dark.
Ji Yaohua furrowed his brows and slowly regained consciousness.
"You’re awake." Mu Qingge’s voice transmitted into his mind, instantly making him more awake.
He got up from the ground, sat down, looked at Mu Qingge, then at Xi Qianxue and Ying Ze who were meditating, and finally clutched his head, frowning, "Damn it! It hurts so much!"
Mu Qingge took out an Elixir and handed it to him, "This Elixir has a nourishing effect. Although it won’t cure you instantly, it can alleviate your discomfort."
Ji Yaohua took the Elixir from her hand without hesitation and popped it into his mouth.
After taking it, a gentle stream, warm and comforting, instantly spread to his head. As Mu Qingge said, while not curing his ailment, it did relieve his headache, making him feel much better.
"What happened after I passed out?" Ji Yaohua asked.
Mu Qingge shook her head slowly, "I brought you back, and we all rested. Those green-skinned creatures didn’t search around but continued their tasks."
Ji Yaohua let out a sigh of relief and asked again, "Did you discover anything else?"
"Yes," Mu Qingge affirmed.
Ji Yaohua’s eyes brightened, revealing a smile, "Great! This suffering of mine as the Young Master was not in vain."
Mu Qingge’s clear eyes swept over Ying Ze and Xi Qianxue, and she said to Ji Yaohua, "I’ll speak once they all wake up. For now, sit down and meditate."
Ji Yaohua restrained her smile, nodded, and began to sit upright, closing her eyes to meditate.
The three of them only opened their eyes after half a day.
After half a day of meditation, the shock they previously felt had dissipated, and they did not become as deranged as Wei Molili.
"Now, we can be certain, those monsters are the same type Wei Molili encountered." Mu Qingge spoke to the three of them.
The three did not speak but quietly listened to her.
Mu Qingge paused, then continued, "Earlier Ji Yaohua already probed, and our previous speculations were correct. These monsters, from an unknown realm, have very weak eyesight, but their hearing is very strong. Moreover, one of their attack methods is a kind of sound. I just thought about it carefully, perhaps that is not sound, but a form of spiritual attack."
"Spiritual attack?" Xi Qianxue said in surprise.
Mu Qingge nodded, "In our cultivation, there are very few cultivation techniques specifically targeting spiritual power, also known as spiritual sense. You were curious earlier as to why the impact on me was not as severe as it was on you. Perhaps, it’s because I’m both an Artifact Refiner and an Alchemist." She concealed the issue of the Divine Strategy but explained the concept clearly.
"As well known, both Artifact Refiners and Alchemists have very high requirements for spiritual sense strength, indeed, their spiritual sense is much stronger than that of the average person." Xi Qianxue slowly nodded.
They accepted Mu Qingge’s explanation.
Mu Qingge continued, "Even though they emit sound, in reality, it targets our spiritual sense for an attack. So, even if we block our hearing, we still feel our heads being attacked. Fortunately, we prepared in advance, using spiritual power to protect our heads, to avoid becoming like Wei Molili."
"In that case, is there a way to save Wei Molili?" Ji Yaohua asked.
Now that they knew the reason, if they could resolve Wei Molili’s problem and bring him back to normal, the threat of these monsters would be greatly reduced.
In the hopeful eyes of the three, Mu Qingge slowly shook her head.
Disappointment arose in the eyes of the three.
Mu Qingge’s voice became somewhat low, "The spiritual sense is a nebulous entity, and in Elixirs, there are very few recipes that treat spiritual sense. Wei Molili’s situation is that his spiritual sense was attacked and seriously damaged. After these monsters’ attacks entered Wei Molili’s head, they formed a toxin that devours spiritual sense. To save him, not only must we restore spiritual sense with Elixirs, but we also need to expel the toxin."
"Does that mean he would be mad like this for his entire life?" Ji Yaohua asked.
Mu Qingge slightly raised her chin, looking at the oppressively gray sky.
After a moment, she withdrew her gaze, looking at the three, and said, "Perhaps, there might be a way. Generally, where poisons grow, there are often antidotes nearby. It’s a natural law that cannot be defied."
Ying Ze’s eyes brightened, he spoke, "Do you mean that perhaps the monsters have a way to detoxify, or they can retract the toxins they released?"
Mu Qingge slowly nodded, "As long as the toxin is expelled, Wei Molili will no longer remain mad. As for his damaged spiritual sense, it can be slowly treated with nourishing spiritual sense medicines."
"That means we have to capture one of the monsters and bring it back." Ying Ze straightened, his rugged features becoming somewhat stern.
Capture a monster?
How to capture? But if they don’t, Wei Molili’s problem can’t be solved.
Actually, they didn’t have much deep ties with Wei Molili, it wasn’t worth the risk for him. However, entering this place, there was a kind of magic power that automatically grouped them together. All they had to consider were those intruders from other realms. People from the same realm seemed to have become comrades.
"We’re quite lucky, at least we haven’t encountered more people from other realms." Mu Qingge shrugged. If more groups from different realms came, the situation would become more complex, and the problems would increase.
"The Divine Demon Ancient Battlefield is so vast, maybe there are others, but we just haven’t run into them." Ying Ze said.
Currently, they are all active on the battlefield’s edge, nobody knows if there are others like them training on the edge.
Mu Qingge looked at them, "At least now we know their attack methods, remember to layer multiple spiritual power protections over your head when you engage."
"Understood!"
The three spoke in unison.
After discussion, the four set out again, approaching those green-skinned monsters.
This time, they walked boldly, no longer cautiously like before.
They chose the direction behind the green-skinned monsters, making it harder to be discovered.
As they gradually approached, the monsters seemed unaware. The four grew bolder, continuing to move forward. When the distance was almost right, Mu Qingge signaled them to stop, holding their position.
Using those petrified corpses for cover, they watched the green-skinned monsters.
These monsters, just as Wei Molili described, were entirely green and emaciated. Among them, only two were very tall, the rest, numbering over ten, were short and hunched, appearing extremely ugly and menacing. The tall ones were over ten feet, while the short ones were less than two feet high.
They wore nothing and had no gender characteristics, with large ears, pointed mouths, and fingers like claws.
The tall ones each carried a cloth bag on their backs, seemingly directing the small green-skinned monsters to search for something on the battlefield.
