novelraw Chapter 107 : Mutated Bats
Chapter 107 : Mutated Bats
The Six Harmonies Mirror floated above Lu Xueqi’s head, radiating a dazzling white light that enveloped everyone.
Afterward, she put away the Tianyao Divine Sword and led Qi Hao and the others swiftly deeper into the passage.
When the bats saw that the object which had previously posed a fatal threat to them had disappeared, they immediately grew excited.
Then, one after another, they slammed against the protective shield above Lu Xueqi’s head.
“Dong, dong, dong.”
A series of crashing sounds rang out.
The moment the bats touched the protective shield, they were instantly obliterated by the rebound force of the Six Harmonies Mirror.
Lu Xueqi also felt the heavy impact force being fed back from the Six Harmonies Mirror.
Such a force was extremely powerful—if it were wielded by someone who had just broken through to the Upper Purity Realm, they would have already suffered internal injuries from the rebound.
But to the current Lu Xueqi, this backlash was hardly worth mentioning.
She did not know how much time had passed when their steps were once again forced to a halt.
Ahead, the passage was tightly blocked by a dense swarm of bats.
Layer upon layer of bodies formed a wall of flesh and blood.
No matter how brightly the Six Harmonies Mirror shone, its light could not pierce through.
Lu Xueqi narrowed her eyes, staring fixedly at the “flesh wall” before her.
These bats moved in order, seemingly disciplined. Could it be that they had developed intelligence?
The thought made her heart tighten, then quickly turned into an icy killing intent.
To dare block her path was simply courting death!
Qi Hao and the others’ expressions also changed drastically. They summoned their treasures, ready to forcefully blast open a way.
“Save your spiritual power, leave this to me.”
Lu Xueqi raised her hand to stop them, her fingers rapidly forming seals.
In an instant, golden lightning burst forth in her palms. The crackling roars shook the air, producing rolling thunder.
Then, with a sudden sweep of her right arm, the lightning shot forth like a raging dragon bursting from its abyss, extending several zhang in length as it crashed down upon the swarm of bats.
Wherever the lightning struck, bats turned to ashes in an instant, their shrieks resounding one after another.
The lingering force of the lightning continued to wreak havoc deeper into the passage. Wherever it went, flocks of bats perished, their charred remains scattering through the air, instantly blotting out everyone’s vision.
The golden lightning exploding from Lu Xueqi’s palm made everyone’s pupils contract sharply.
Even before the lightning arrived, the oppressive force pressed upon their hearts like a heavy hammer.
Qi Hao, Lin Jingyu, and Zhang Xiaofan were especially shaken.
All three had once practiced the Divine Sword Lightning Summoning True Art, yet none had ever witnessed such terrifying thunder power.
This lightning was even more intense than heaven-summoned thunder, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.
“When did Senior Sister Lu master such divine abilities?”
The thought surged through the three of them simultaneously, their hearts tumbling with crashing waves.
Qi Hao, in particular, secretly speculated. Could it be that Lu Xueqi had encountered some kind of extraordinary fortune?
At this thought, his heart tightened sharply, and even suspicions about Lu Xueqi’s identity stirred within him.
After reducing the bat swarm to ashes with a single strike, Lu Xueqi swept her right hand again.
A gust of wind swept out, instantly dispersing the smoke and dust.
Once the path ahead cleared, she led the group deeper still.
Along the way, golden lightning shadowed her every step. Wherever it passed, the bloodthirsty bat-beasts exploded into dust.
These monsters, already steeped in killing aura and stripped of reason, lunged at any living being they saw. Yet none could come within a zhang of her body.
After some time, they finally broke free from the bat-infested cave. Stepping onto level ground, Lu Xueqi could not help but exhale a long breath.
In the passage before, the ground had been covered in thick layers of bat droppings, forcing her to remain hovering in midair the entire way, not daring to land.
Now, putting away the Six Harmonies Mirror, she turned to the others and said: “We are out of danger, but strange changes are occurring throughout Kong Sang Mountain. Everyone must be cautious on the road ahead. Those bats were unusually large and ferocious—by no means ordinary.”
Everyone’s faces were grim as they nodded.
Fa Shan widened his eyes in anger and shouted sternly: “So it really is a den of the Demonic Sect! Such vile sorcery!”
But Lu Xueqi did not agree.
If the Blood Refining Hall truly had the ability to control and mutate bats, why would they remain in this remote wilderness of Kong Sang Mountain?
Zhang Xiaofan, meanwhile, was inwardly shocked.
He clearly remembered that in his past life, when he had entered this mountain, these bat swarms had been slumbering in silence.
Their size back then was nothing compared to what they were now.
This aberration had clearly deviated from the path of his memories.
Without hesitation, Lu Xueqi immediately led Zhang Xiaofan and the others onward.
Before long, the group arrived at a fork in the road.
In the center of one path stood a stone stele engraved with the words “Heaven’s Dao is in Me.”
At once, she realized this was precisely where, in the original story, the disciples of the Qingyun Sect and Fa Xiang’s group had gone their separate ways.
Lu Xueqi turned to the group and asked: “There are two roads here. Which do you think we should take?”
Though she already knew the correct direction, she did not reveal it.
Qi Hao, Lin Jingyu, and Zhang Xiaofan all reacted slightly, their gazes falling—without prior agreement—toward the path marked by the stone stele.
They all understood that this was the correct route.
Fa Xiang and his companions, however, fell into thought. After a moment, he spoke: “Junior Sister Lu, what do you think?”
Lu Xueqi’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The plot had deviated here—Fa Xiang and his group had not suggested splitting up as in the original.
After brief consideration, she understood the reason: with the intervention of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect, Kong Sang Mountain had become riddled with dangers.
If the group divided, their overall strength would greatly diminish, and should they encounter enemies, it would be difficult to survive.
For now, advancing together was the wisest choice.
She shifted her gaze toward Qi Hao and the others: “‘Senior Brother Qi, which path do you think we should choose?’”
Qi Hao spoke almost without hesitation: “We take the passage with the stone stele.”
Lin Jingyu immediately added: “Senior Sister Lu, this passage is wider. The disciples of the Blood Refining Hall are many; they surely would not choose the narrow path. This way should be correct.”
Lu Xueqi nodded: “Since that is the case, let us take this path.”
Having said that, she stepped into the passage first, with the others following close behind.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaofan’s gaze was dark and fixed firmly on Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu.
Their decisive choice at the fork in the road just now made him suspicious.
Could it be that they, like himself, were also reborn?
Recalling the various unusual actions of the two in recent days, Zhang Xiaofan grew increasingly convinced of this guess.
What he did not know was that Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu were not reborn—but transmigrators.
As Lu Xueqi passed the stone stele, her eyes swept across the sword-scar carved upon it and the faint, lingering sword intent. She sneered: “Heaven’s Dao is in me? Demonic Sect scum with delusional dreams.”
With that, she continued deeper into the cavern.
The group did not notice that after they entered the passage, the stone stele suddenly glowed faintly.
A phantom figure emerged, murmuring to itself: “So they have finally come? The seed this seat planted… this time, it should bear fruit, should it not?”
When the words fell, the phantom vanished.
At the same time, in a distant cavern, three elderly men in monk robes suddenly opened their eyes.
Receiving the message transmitted into their minds, one of them revealed a face of ecstasy: “Hahaha, they have finally stepped into the game! The chess pieces laid down long ago have already taken root and sprouted. Now it is time to quietly await the harvest.”
After speaking, he closed his eyes once more, immersing his spirit in the ever-growing “shock points.”