Chapter 109 - 76 Valerian

Chapter 109: Chapter 76 ValerianThe valley’s sidewalls were not steep, and the Stone Lizard warriors could easily climb up; some, after acceleration, could even charge straight up. But they could not discern Ji Xinghuo’s position and could only guess where the enemy was based on the direction from which the arrows came. And this required the price of life! Thud! Thud! With every arrow that was shot, a Stone Lizard fell, tumbling down the slope. All of them were shot in the eyes, the arrows piercing through their heads. "%&$#..." Some Stone Lizards shouted, and several with shields rushed to the front. They held their shields over their heads, trying to block the arrows. Other Stone Lizards behind them threw spears, aiming straight for Ji Xinghuo. They had seen Ji Xinghuo. Ji Xinghuo had to sidestep two paces to the side to avoid the spears, and his shooting paused for a moment, allowing the few with shields to rush forward, less than fifty meters from him. It would take the Stone Lizards only four or five seconds to reach him at their speed. "Intelligent races really are not comparable to monsters, much more difficult to deal with." This thought flashed through Ji Xinghuo’s mind. But his movements did not slow down. He drew an explosive flame arrow, aimed at the nearest Stone Lizard, and shot. He did not target the Stone Lizard’s shield, but the chest where the shield couldn’t block. With a bang, the high-temperature flames burst out, sweeping several nearby Stone Lizards who were also holding shields into the blast, and the shockwave knocked them down. The flames that caught on their bodies could not be extinguished, and they screamed in agony. Once the shield-bearing Stone Lizards fell, targets behind them were immediately exposed. Ji Xinghuo shot five arrows in rapid succession, another five Stone Lizards turned into corpses rolling down the slope. But more Stone Lizards had already rushed up. They were not blindly charging; two squads split off to the sides, preparing to encircle him from both flanks. This tactic could not only disperse Ji Xinghuo’s arrows but also allowed them to throw spears from the side to disrupt him. "I was somewhat careless." "One must never underestimate any intelligent race; I have to learn from this lesson." Ji Xinghuo’s expression changed slightly. With thirty-some Stone Lizard warriors, before they completed their encirclement, he could at most shoot down four or five more. Even with the Wanxiang Star Pupil, once caught in a melee siege, it would be a near-certain death. He immediately activated his Gale Battle Boots, ready to retreat. Suddenly, a roar erupted from behind the Stone Lizards, and a fierce glow of a blade swept through, bisecting two or three Stone Lizards in a flash. The Super Flame Frenzy had come back to the fight from outside the valley! He was fast, his heavy broadsword swung continuously, backstabbing again, and in just a few slashes, he had killed nearly ten enemies, with flesh and blood flying everywhere. The chaos instantly disrupted the Stone Lizards’ formation; half continued to charge up the slope while the rest turned back to fight the Flame Frenzy. The ones who turned back were mostly the rear group responsible for throwing spears. Without them holding him back, Ji Xinghuo’s pressure greatly lessened. He abandoned the idea of retreat. His hands moved swiftly, shooting arrow after arrow, claiming the lives of Stone Lizards rushing toward him. Spiritual Origin Ability +1 Spiritual Origin Ability +2+1+3... Most of these Stone Lizards were First Rank warriors, with a few Second Rank, and none Third Rank. Their average strength was relatively low, and they relied more on their innate robust bodies for combat. The abilities they possessed were mediocre, providing only a little Spiritual Origin Ability. Ji Xinghuo kept shooting arrows, and each target was the nearest Stone Lizard to him. Thud, thud, thud... Skulls were penetrated, blood splattered. One after another, the Stone Lizard warriors fell, sacrificing their lives for their kin to gain time, pressing closer to Ji Xinghuo step by step. A few Stone Lizards threw their weapons with their dying strength, attempting to disrupt Ji Xinghuo’s shooting. Ji Xinghuo was greatly shaken. This kind of brave and fearless fighting spirit, worthy of cold-blooded animals, was cold-blooded to the enemy as well as to themselves! However, despite being shaken, he did not hesitate at all with his strikes. The Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow in his hands was like a machine, the bow limbs opening and closing like wings, the bowstring vibrating continuously as arrows mercilessly reaped enemy lives. Ten seconds later, only five Stone Lizards remained. But they had already reached Ji Xinghuo, only a few steps away. In their eyes, there was no sign of retreat, nor of imminent victory, only cold killing intent. "You run now!" In the valley, the Flame Frenzy suddenly shouted, speaking in Asia-Pacific Community language, with a heavily accented voice. There were even more Stone Lizards on his side, and he was once again stuck in a surrounded bitter fight. His Star Power had nearly depleted, his body was wounded in several places, and although he wanted to help Ji Xinghuo, he was powerless. Ji Xinghuo released an arrow, toppling the Stone Lizard in front of him. The next Stone Lizard immediately charged forward, his war blade aiming for Ji Xinghuo’s neck. This slash was bought with the lives of a dozen Stone Lizard warriors. Ji Xinghuo had no time to shoot anymore. But he did not retreat, nor did he draw the Thunderbolt Battle Blade from his waist. Instead, the hand holding the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow suddenly flipped, placing the bow horizontally and revealing the back of his hand to the enemy just inches away. The Qing Hong wrapped around his wrist lifted its head, opening its mouth. A titanium aluminum alloy arrow materialized out of thin air and shot into the Stone Lizard Person’s eyes, piercing through his brain. Before dying, a flicker of disturbance finally appeared in the eyes of the Stone Lizard Person. He could not comprehend where the arrow had come from. Ji Xinghuo quickly adjusted the direction of the back of his hand, and the Qing Hong, with its snake-like mouth, fired four arrows in one second. Puff puff puff... The last four Stone Lizard People who charged forward were all struck by arrows and fell, rapidly losing their combat ability. Ji Xinghuo looked at the three struggling Stone Lizard People. His coordination with Qing Hong was not yet smooth. Only the first arrow hit an eye, while the next three landed on the face and neck, not fatally wounded. They still struggled toward him, trying to crawl closer even in their dying breaths. He pulled out the Thunderbolt Battle Blade and stepped forward, finishing off each of the three Stone Lizard People with a slash. "Help!" Shouts came from the valley. Ji Xinghuo turned his head to see that the situation was dangerous for Flame Frenzy, whose flames had already been extinguished. In a state of burning, Flame Frenzy was incredibly formidable, with strength, speed, and explosive power skyrocketing. But once his star power ran out, he would quickly revert to his original form. At that moment, Flame Frenzy, without star power, was being besieged by seven or eight Stone Lizard People and was in grave danger. "This guy is not bad at all." "He could have escaped by himself, yet he came back to help me despite his depleted star power. My saving him once was not in vain." Thinking this, Ji Xinghuo raised the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow and aimed at Flame Frenzy down in the valley. Whoosh! An arrow was fired, hitting a Stone Lizard Person with precision, killing him from behind the head. After several consecutive arrows, the Stone Lizard People fell one by one, easily rescuing Flame Frenzy. When the last Stone Lizard Person was shot down, Flame Frenzy was nearly spent, dropping his broadsword and sitting down on the ground, gasping for air heavily. Ji Xinghuo did not approach him right away but opened the interface of the Wanxiang Star Pupil to take a quick look. He had gained 76 points of Spiritual Origin Ability from the battle. Most of these Stone Lizard People were First Rank warriors, each providing only one point of Spiritual Origin Ability, but there were many of them, and the total gain was not insignificant. Not just the enemies he had killed, but also the Stone Lizard People slain by Flame Frenzy contributed to the Spiritual Origin Ability. Ji Xinghuo did not immediately use up the Spiritual Origin Ability, keeping it on reserve. He had now accumulated 85 points. He jumped into the valley and approached Flame Frenzy but didn’t get too close, stopping about thirty meters away. In the Star Realm wilderness, when encountering other humans, one mustn’t approach lightly, whether out of goodwill or hostility, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. At a distance of thirty meters, melee fighters would find it hard to launch a surprise attack, and archers would struggle to shoot an unexpected arrow. Flame Frenzy, supporting himself with the broadsword, struggled to stand up. He was about one meter eighty-five tall, with light yellow hair, black pupils, and a full beard on his face, looking around forty years old. His armor was damaged in several places and he was in a rough state. However, the injuries he sustained were not severe, and with the Super Mutants’ self-healing ability, his combat strength would be restored once his star power recovered. "Brother!" Flame Frenzy’s face was radiant as he spoke in an odd accent of the Asia-Pacific Community language, "I am Valerian. Thank you for saving me." "Are you from the Empire?" Ji Xinghuo asked. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. On Earth, there was only one empire — the New Roman Empire. The Empire spanned the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia, and in recent years, its diplomatic relations with the Asia-Pacific Community had gradually improved, reaching a relatively good point in history. "Yes," Valerian nodded, as he sized up Ji Xinghuo and spoke enthusiastically, "My home is in Ivangrad. When you return to Earth, you can come to have a drink with me. I will serve you with all the best things I have, my brother." Valerian clearly felt grateful, but Ji Xinghuo had no intention of acting out of a desire for repayment. Saving someone was secondary; his intervention was for the Spiritual Origin Ability. "I’ll come." Ji Xinghuo replied casually, then curiously asked, "Are you alone? Don’t you have teammates?" One would have to be either extremely confident or incredibly foolish to dare venture into Beiluo Shimen Clan territory alone. "I’m a Solo Hunter." Valerian answered, and without waiting for Ji Xinghuo to ask further, he volunteered, "Yesterday, I killed a Patrol Team from the Beiluo Shimen Clan and got a little injured. I hid in this valley for recovery. I didn’t expect there was a Stone Lizard People base hidden beneath the nearby Canyon. I had previously scouted the area and failed to notice it. If not for you, brother, I would be meeting God by now." Ji Xinghuo nodded. The other man hadn’t told the whole truth. But he was not interested in probing further. "I must take my leave." As Ji Xinghuo turned to leave, Valerian shouted, "Brother, you haven’t told me your name. When I return to Earth, I won’t know who to thank." Ji Xinghuo hesitated, then said, "My name is Ji Xinghuo." After that, he left the valley. As for the Stone Lizard People corpses scattered everywhere, Ji Xinghuo did not bother to examine them. The Stone Lizard People, being the only race in the Beiluo Shimen Clan without racial talents, had no aliens to harvest. The abilities possessed by the Stone Lizard People were all merged from others and could not be merged a second time. Valerian watched as Ji Xinghuo disappeared into the forest. He had not asked about Ji Xinghuo’s teammates because he could guess that they were surely hiding nearby. "A mysterious man." Valerian muttered to himself, a mix of surprise and concern in his eyes, "He doesn’t seem very strong, at most an Advanced Mutant, yet his ability is so formidable. The younger generation of the Asia-Pacific Community is getting stronger and stronger, with geniuses emerging continuously. The Empire will fall even further behind in the future."