Chapter 1348: Appearance

The whip scorpion’s tail was unlike that of an ordinary scorpion; it was even more agile than a monkey’s tail. Although he had heard descriptions from the survivors of Chenjiazhuang before, it hadn’t been intuitive. Now, seeing it firsthand, he immediately recognized it.

How could a tiger-like creature grow a whip scorpion’s tail? Neither the color nor the shape matched. This unnatural strangeness made a thought flash through He Lingchuan’s mind:

Fiend puppet!

Dong Rui styled himself a Fiend Puppet Master, his hallmark being the creation and control of these deformed and mutated monsters. He Lingchuan hadn't expected to see creatures resembling fiend puppets on the Flash Gold Plain. Could the one chasing Xiao An be a Fiend Puppet Master?

Dong Rui immediately reminded everyone, “This fiend puppet looks fierce, but its weakness is likely a light body with a heavy tail.”

Wanqifeng and the others acknowledged, “Understood.”

The sudden appearance of these monsters meant they attacked indiscriminately, without distinguishing between the Black Armored and Wuma soldiers. He Lingchuan’s men also had to face them head-on.

Another monster was more than twice the size of the scorpio-tiger, standing nearly eight feet tall. It was covered in dense spikes, resembling a giant porcupine at first glance. However, it had antennae on its head and a row of thin legs along each side of its body—its upper half was a porcupine, and its lower half was like a beetle.

This monster’s attack method was even stranger: it attacked by rolling. It could curl its body into a ball and roll towards its target, resembling a sea urchin tumbling on the seabed. Two individuals couldn't dodge in time; they were rolled over and became grim decorations on that mass of spikes after their screams faded.

Wanqiliang narrowly dodged it, still having enough time to curse, “What in the world is this thing!”

“Stay away from it! Raise your shields and keep your distance!” He Lingchuan roared. “The porcupine fiend will shoot its quills!”

He Lingchuan had seen these black-and-white quills in Chenjiazhuang before. What he had merely suspected then, he now confirmed. One of the components of this composite monster was undoubtedly a porcupine.

While investigating the Elixir of Immortality case in Beijia’s Chiyan Kingdom, he had initially visited a porcupine cave, where he saw numerous porcupine quills embedded in the sharp rocks. If ordinary porcupine fiends could embed their quills in stone crevices, what about this one?

The Black Armored cavalry quickly retreated, either sheltering behind the Wuma cavalry or raising their shields to protect themselves.

Sure enough, after the monster stopped rolling, its entire body of spikes swelled up. In just two breaths, it rapidly shot out quills!

This was an indiscriminate attack in all directions. The shortest quills were a foot long, the longest over three feet, and they had barbs at the tip. Their force was only slightly weaker than crossbow bolts, easily capable of penetrating a human leg within fifteen paces.

As the porcupine unleashed its power, screams erupted all around, and numerous unsuspecting manor guards and cavalry fell.

The Black Armored knights’ mounts also let out long neighs. Despite their diligent efforts to protect them, one horse was struck in the rump and another wounded in the leg.

“Come here!” Wanqiliang called out to the knight whose horse had been wounded in the leg. “We’ll share a ride.”

“What kind of fiend is this porcupine hybridized with?” He Lingchuan humbly inquired of Dong Rui, understanding that an outsider could only observe the spectacle.

“A woodlouse!” Dong Rui’s eyes lit up. “Although I dislike insect modifications, combining a porcupine and a woodlouse is quite an ingenious idea—and it actually succeeded!”

Once this thing started rolling, it became like a mobile arrow tower, easily causing mass casualties—quite useful on the battlefield.

“Is it difficult to create?”

“Of course, it’s difficult!” Dong Rui’s voice was filled with a sense of ‘What do you know?’. “A porcupine and a woodlouse, a fierce tiger and a whip scorpion—the species gap is too vast. They can’t just be casually grafted together and expect to survive, let alone move!”

Oh, as He Lingchuan understood it, the former was a mammal, while the latter were insects; the biological gap was indeed quite significant.

He casually asked, “Can you do it?”

“Nonsense!” Dong Rui lifted his head, stating proudly, “This level of chimerization is nothing... for me, but there’s no need!”

He Lingchuan automatically ignored his last sentence and ordered his men, “This monster isn’t agile in turning, so you’re safer when it’s moving. Stay alert; at least one more monster hasn’t appeared yet!”

Everyone was instantly alert.

According to the intelligence He Lingchuan and Dong Rui had gathered in Chenjiazhuang, at least three monsters were supposed to attack, but only two had appeared so far. What about the third? Had it not arrived, or was it hiding?

Dong Rui added, “Everyone watch your footing; that monster might use earth-burrowing or dig holes!”

Several holes had been dug in the ground of Chenjiazhuang. Neither of the two monsters that had appeared seemed to be proficient at digging.

On the other side, Wuma Dan was both furious and astonished.

No wonder these enemies dared to charge Greenview Manor with only thirty-odd cavalry; they were relying on these chimeric monsters! His meticulously trained Wuma cavalry were usually drilled to fight against humans or minor fiends, certainly not such ferocious, monstrous creatures that publicly devoured living people. The soldiers were trembling with fear.

The Black Armored leader on the opposite side, seizing the chaos, was once again heading straight for him.

Wuma Dan hadn’t raised a banner nor worn any flashy armor; at first glance, he seemed no different from an ordinary cavalryman, making it hard for the enemy to pinpoint the Wuma elite’s leader. But He Lingchuan was no ordinary man. He merely needed to observe where commands were issued and where groups of people clustered amidst the chaotic forces to accurately determine Wuma Dan’s location!

“West! Wuma Dan is on the hillside!” He decisively ordered, “Wanqifeng and Wang Fubao, circle to the north and cover our rear. Everyone else, charge with me!”

Wuma Dan was not a leader who led from the front; he needed to be on higher ground to observe the overall situation.

Wanqifeng and Wang Fubao’s two teams broke free from the throng and headed north. He Lingchuan gathered his remaining dozen or so cavalry and charged directly toward the small hill.

Tonight’s battle was only halfway through, and he was facing two groups of enemies simultaneously. The best strategy for elimination was to tackle the easier one first.

He Lingchuan could tell that Wuma Dan was still unaware that the Black Armored army had no connection to the two monsters, nor did he know their purpose. Once Wuma Dan realized the monsters were attacking the Black Armored cavalry too, he would have an epiphany and likely devise new tactics. Therefore, the current situation could be summed up with the idiom: ‘speed is paramount in warfare.’

He Lingchuan, urging his horse onward, simultaneously asked Dong Rui, “Can you locate the monsters’ controller?”

“I’m already looking,” Dong Rui replied. He was even more focused than He Lingchuan; there was no need for a reminder. Those two monsters might have been the center of everyone else’s attention, but they weren’t Dong Rui’s focus. A Fiend Puppet Master’s attention, naturally, had to be on fellow practitioners! “They should be hiding in the nearby woods; I’m checking every spot!”

When Dong Rui was still an opponent, He Lingchuan knew that Fiend Puppet Masters typically couldn’t stray far from the battlefield; otherwise, their fiend puppets would easily lose control. With two fiend puppets unleashed this time, their master had to be close by!