novelraw Chapter 151 : The Alien Beast
Chapter 151 : The Alien Beast
151: The Alien Beast
More than one hundred and fifty Source Martial Practitioner students formed their ranks. The Front Team had already begun to move down the hillside along the riverbank.
The Middle Team, with Yuyin in it, also started moving under Jiang Xue's leadership. Yuyin walked on the rear-right side of the formation. The Primordial Energy here was refreshing to the soul, and the sound of the water was pleasing to the heart. Yuyin, who had always lived in a big city, felt exceptionally relaxed.
"Look, what is that?" a male student shouted from ahead.
On the other side of the river, at the foot of the dark, towering mountain forest, there was a "dirt slope" that shimmered slightly. The "slope" turned its head, revealing an alien beast that looked like a giant ox, about seven or eight meters long and four or five meters high.
This beast was covered in long, brownish-black fur that almost reached the ground, with specks of light dotting it. From the fur emerged a gray, ox-like head. In the very center of its head, there was only a single large horn that curved backward and twisted. This horn was as long as a third of its body. A few small, brilliantly colored birds were dancing and circling on the beast's back.
"What... what on earth is that?" Even though they were separated by a river dozens of meters wide, the normally arrogant Qin Feizhen was a bit panicked. He subconsciously gripped his long spear tightly. He had never seen such a colossal creature. Compared to these tangible, physical alien beasts, the ethereal shadows of the Demon Spirits were worlds apart in the shock they delivered.
"Everyone, don't panic. This is a Si Beast." Jiang Xue said with a wave of her hand. "Si Beasts feed on spiritual herbs in the mountains. They are powerful but have a gentle temperament. As long as you don't provoke or anger it, it generally won't attack humans on its own."
"A Si Beast?" Yuyin, standing on high ground on this side of the river, could vaguely sense the Si Beast's aura from this distance by focusing her mind. She felt its strength was likely in the Purple Domain Realm.
The Si Beast also saw the humans on the other side of the river but didn't pay them much mind, lowering its head to drink water on its own.
"It would be great if I had a phone to take a picture right now." Yu Minjie, a first-year girl who lived next door to Yuyin, said ahead of her. "Isn't that right, Feizhen?"
Qin Feizhen, however, trembled and ignored her, cursing inwardly. Does this woman have any sense of priority?
"Huh? Look, these wildflowers are so beautiful." Seeing that Qin Feizhen was ignoring her, Yu Minjie wiggled her hips and ran over to a few second-year students from the Strongman Department, squatting down to admire the flowers. The bouquet of wildflowers emitted a blue glow.
"Don't move." Jiang Xue said. "That is a Furong. If you accidentally ingest its nectar, you will become infertile."
"Ah?" Yu Minjie looked at the senior students with a wronged expression.
"Fellow students, in the Prison Abyss, there are many kinds of spiritual herbs and strange fruits. If you don't recognize them, you must not act rashly. If you can identify them and can ensure your safety, you may pick them. Anything you pick will belong to you, but you must not hold up the team's progress." Jiang Xue said loudly to everyone.
Hearing this, everyone became excited. They all knew how much a rare medicinal herb could sell for on Earth, or how many Academy Credits it could be exchanged for.
"Pick spiritual herbs, huh?" Hearing this, Yuyin also began to pay attention to the roadside as they went along.
The Source Martial Practitioner squad in the front led the way. The trial team walked along the river and came to a sloped piece of land that cut across the river upstream. They crossed the river there and arrived at the foot of the mountain forest on the other side.
The ancient trees here were extraordinarily tall. The trunks were so thick it would take several, or even a dozen, people to encircle them. Each one was likely thousands, even tens of thousands, of years old.
Yuyin felt that each ancient tree she looked at had a different artistic conception.
"Next, we will be entering the mountain forest. Everyone must remember, in the Prison Abyss, the higher the mountain, the older the trees, and the more abundant the Primordial Energy, the more dangerous the place. Entering this forest requires even greater vigilance and care." Jiang Xue said with a grave expression.
The Front Team cleared the way, and everyone entered the mountain forest. There were no paths here, only animal trails.
Yuyin walked through the gloomy, deep mountain forest. The Primordial Energy here was even more abundant. She estimated it was at least dozens of times more concentrated than in the most potent areas on Dianshan Mountain.
"The Primordial Energy in the Prison Abyss is so abundant..." Yuyin felt her breathing was smooth, and her vitality would be more vigorous here.
But mixed within this Primordial Energy was an aura that made her uneasy. It was a scent that did not exist on Earth.
The forest was overgrown with bushes, often making the path difficult to walk. Those in front used their weapons to clear away the bushes and thorns, opening a path for everyone to follow.
Yuyin walked on the edge of the formation. Often, leaves that bounced back would brush against her thighs.
As they cleared the path, their footsteps on various branches and leaves made a rustling sound. But Yuyin felt there was another, slightly different sound... With classmates and teachers all around, Yuyin couldn't accurately judge the fluctuations of Primordial Energy around her.
Crack!
Suddenly, a huge, ethereal shadow darted out from the bushes a few meters in front of Yuyin. The figure was eerie, ferocious, and robust. It opened its long, large mouth and bit down on the leg of a female student in front.
"Ah!" Yu Minjie screamed, her weapon falling to the ground. She completely lost all ability to react.
The female students around her also screamed. The sound was heart-wrenching. Many Source Martial Practitioner students scattered in all directions, causing a commotion.
"It's an alien beast!" Chen Siguo, who was closest to Yu Minjie, immediately erupted with Primordial Energy. He leaped forward in a few steps, his sword at his waist leaving its scabbard. Swish! He thrust his sword into the robust figure.
"Roar!" The robust alien beast threw its head back and let out a high-pitched, piercing cry like that of a baby.
This sound disturbed the hearts and souls of many students.
It was an alien beast the size of an ox, with the back of a giant stag and a pair of long, multi-pronged, sharp antlers. Its head, however, was large and covered in green scales like that of a Jiao beast. Its hind legs were hooves, but its front legs were sharp claws. It had a long tail. It was ugly, ferocious, and indescribable.
Yuyin was not affected by the shriek, but the beast's shockingly ugly appearance also made her deeply apprehensive. Seeing it with her own eyes was completely different from the ethereal alien beasts in the God-Devouring Chess. Yuyin's chest heaved violently.
At the same time, similar ferocious alien beasts charged out from both sides of the Front Team, from all four directions of the Middle Team, and even from the Rear Team's position. They rushed into the formation and began to tear and bite.
Everywhere were the terrifying, baby-like shrieks.
"They are Gu Diaos!" the captain of the Source Martial Practitioner squad in the front shouted loudly.
Although the Front Team's Source Martial Practitioners and fourth-year students were experienced in combat, they were also being attacked by multiple beasts in their vicinity and were unable to support the Middle Team for the moment.
"There are so many of them!" Jiang Xue's Primordial Energy surged. "Teachers, protect the students! Everyone, fight! Fight for yourselves!"
These Gu Diaos were incredibly cunning. They knew how to conceal their aura, use the mountain forest for cover, and quietly approach from the sides of the formation to launch a sudden attack on what appeared to be the weakest part of the center, rather than directly attacking the Front Team.
Jiang Xue leaped into the air. Facing a Gu Diao that was chasing a male student, she threw a punch from a distance. Coils of energy swirled around her fist, and the fist wind flew several meters to strike the Gu Diao.
Thud!
The Gu Diao was sent flying and fell to a distance.
These Gu Diaos were not too strong, mostly in the Mid to Late-Stage of Spirit-Seeking Realm, with a few at the Perfection-Stage. But these were true ferocious beasts, born from slaughter in the Prison Abyss and living by slaughter. They were much stronger than the Source Martial Practitioner students who had no combat experience and were caught by surprise. Moreover, alien beasts of the same realm were inherently stronger and more ferocious than humans.
Dozens of Gu Diaos charging into the Source Martial Practitioner formation caused great chaos.
The teachers, fourth-year students, and the Source Martial Practitioner squad fought with all their might and blocked most of them, but they couldn't stop them all.
However, the Source Martial Practitioner students of the Lingdu Source Martial Academy were by no means useless cowards.
Just look at Wang Tieshu. With a furious roar, ignoring the bloody bites on his arms, waist, and back, he became enraged after his initial panic. He wildly swung his axes, forcing one Gu Diao to retreat again and again. But the Gu Diao was cunning. It suddenly lowered its head and leaped, its sharp antlers sending Wang Tieshu flying.
Jiang Da was stronger. He wielded his twin hammers, fighting with a Gu Diao. He was bitten in multiple places but managed to break one of the Gu Diao's antlers and one of its legs.
Qin Feizhen, Ouyang Ning, and the other first-year students were not strong enough, but they quickly banded together, several of them working together to resist and contain one Gu Diao. For a moment, they were actually evenly matched.
Others, like Xiang Wu from the Artisan Department and a few skilled third-year students from the Long Weapon Department, had also recovered and begun to fight the Gu Diaos. Although they were in the same realm, the Gu Diaos were stronger and more ferocious, so the third-year students were at a disadvantage, but they could still fight.
Overall, the Source Martial Practitioner students far outnumbered the beasts. Many of them had been stunned just now. At this point, some had mustered their courage, and several of them swarmed a Gu Diao to support the more capable fighters. But there were still quite a few who were so scared they were at a loss and completely useless. There were also quite a few injured people on the ground.
A third-year male student, right in front of Yuyin's eyes, was bitten on the leg by a Gu Diao and, bleeding profusely, was dragged into the bushes.
Everywhere was the smell of blood. Shrieks, screams, and roars filled the air. Was this what a true battlefield was like?
Yuyin's eyes narrowed. She leaped into the air, drew the silver Yue Maiden Longsword from her back, and slashed down at the Gu Diao.
Bang!
In her haste, Yuyin had put too much force into this strike. The sword directly shattered the rocks on the ground, plunging deep into the earth! The Gu Diao was completely split in two, not even knowing how it died.
Sweat poured down Yuyin's body. She breathed heavily.
"Calm down... calm down..."
This was the first time Yuyin had truly struck with a real sword. Her first real combat.
She had been too invested. She had indeed used too much force in that strike.
The male student lying on the ground with a leg injury looked up at Yuyin, stunned. He thought that with that last strike, even his own leg would have been cleaved in two by Yuyin.
Poetic and picturesque? An ethereal, fairy-like landscape?
No, this was the reality of this world. This was the Prison Abyss.
Yuyin took a deep breath and gradually calmed down. "I was too impulsive just now. If every strike is unnecessarily too forceful, then even my Primordial Energy won't last long. Next time... I must be careful."
Yuyin said to herself in her heart. She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly and, with considerable effort, pulled the longsword out from three feet deep in the ground. Fortunately, this Low-Grade Law-Tier Artifact was not so easily damaged.
At this moment, Yuyin had gradually calmed down.
"An alien beast? Is it as hard as this earth?" Yuyin's gaze turned cold. She moved with swift steps, charging toward a Gu Diao that was locked in a mutually damaging battle with Jiang Da. Without the slightest hesitation, as she reached the Gu Diao, she kicked off with her long leg, spun around sharply, and with the momentum, her sword swept diagonally, slicing off the Gu Diao's head. Then, without pausing for a moment, Yuyin charged off in another direction.