Chapter 319: "She" Woke Up

Everyone who heard it laughed. He Lingchuan could feel morale lifting slightly, as the yuanli on their bodies, which had become sparse, thickened a little again.

Although yuanli had limited effect on these monsters, a boost in morale was still a good thing.

He feigned relaxation: "Hold on a little longer, reinforcements will be here."

The team member with injured eyes couldn't help but ask, "Do we really have reinforcements?"

"Of course," Menban said in a deep voice. "We are just the first group. If we don't come out soon, Shanze will report to the military and dispatch more reinforcements. It's already been..."

"Two hours!" He Lingchuan said decisively. "Reinforcements will surely arrive. We must not lose heart or give this monster any more opportunities!"

Facing an enemy that seemed unbeatable, they needed an opportunity, and they also needed—They also needed hope!

She was immersed in a beautiful dream.

The sky here was still very blue, the grass very green, and the cherry tree in the yard had just been planted. As the daughter of a wealthy family, she could wash her face with freshly drawn spring water and moisturize her skin with rose essential oil mixed with milk.

Her personal maid would comb and wash her hair. Her biggest worry in life was nothing more than her cousin saying a few unpleasant words behind her back.

The year the cherries ripened and bore bright red fruit, she found a suitable marriage partner, and the cherry tree was part of her dowry. She had a gentle husband and lived a happy and fulfilling life.

And then...Later, the cherry tree returned to its newly planted state, and she was once again a bright-eyed, white-toothed young girl, growing up carefree.

Then she married, and lived a happy and harmonious life.

Then it repeated, and repeated, and repeated.

But she didn't feel anything was wrong; everything was just as it should be.

Happiness is always the same, isn't it?

She just needed to be immersed in it.

Finally, one day, as she went to pick cherries, she discovered a horrifying smear of blood on a leaf.

Who had accidentally cut their hand?

Then she turned past the cherry tree and saw her gentle, considerate husband lying in a pool of blood, his eyes wide and fixed on her, frozen in his final moments of terror.

She immediately covered her eyes and fell to her knees.

From the moment she lowered her hands, the world changed.

The city was conquered by enemies, her home destroyed by war, her kin scattered, and her family members died or were displaced.

She couldn't even protect the cherry tree; she watched it turn to charcoal in the fire, providing her with a sliver of warmth in the bitter winter.

The days that followed were bitter and dark.

For a bite to eat, she had fought with wild dogs; for a place to stay, she had slept with three men from one family.

Later, she became a concubine to a merchant, but he used her to entertain business partners. One of them, drunk, caused her to lose the child in her womb.

She cried all day, seeking spiritual solace.

Fortunately, the gods were merciful and sent her adorable children.

Chubby and fair, never crying or fussing, good children who always smiled at her.

Her life had comfort again.

Just then, a red rain began to fall from the sky, stinging her face wherever it touched.

She opened her hands and saw they were covered in crimson.

The children beside her cried loudly, trying to pull her away. But suddenly, a person emerged from the darkness, ignored the children's resistance, pushed her into the rain, and commanded her in a cold voice to forcefully open her eyes:

"Wash your eyes and see what you have truly brought into existence!"

The red rain stung her eyes, increasing the pain tenfold. Her eye nerves throbbed ceaselessly, but her vision suddenly became clear.

Under the cleansing rain, the image of the children in her eyes changed.

The chubby babies transformed into grotesque demons.

Vicious ghosts that only appeared in the deepest nightmares.

They surrounded her, calling her "mother," sucking her blood, gnawing at her flesh, each bite tearing at her heart.

They then clawed open her belly and crawled out, devouring one human after another.

Everyone cried out to her in pain, everyone cursed her.

Yet she had previously found it sweet.

Was this, then, the truth?

One unbearable horror after another surged over her. She couldn't take it anymore and shrieked!

Deep within the mine, a hidden stone chamber.

There was nothing else here; on a natural stone platform lay only a woman, her eyes closed, her expression serene. However, thick, long, straight tendon-like growths extended from her limbs and temples, connecting to the four corners of the stone chamber.

Or rather, they were fused with it.

Every time she trembled, the entire mine would tremble with her.

It was exceptionally quiet here, the air dry, without a single sound.

But the next second, she abruptly opened her eyes and screamed!

She awoke, and instantly grasped her situation. Her fear did not diminish; instead, it magnified.

The sights and sounds from the red rain—they were all true?

Where was this, what had she fallen into, and why was her body in such excruciating pain, both inside and out?

She naturally noticed the abnormalities on her temples and limbs and struggled fiercely. These flesh-and-blood tendons, stripped from some unknown creature, were exceptionally sticky.

The sensation was like having another layer of skin growing on her.

Fortunately, with strong tugging, she could still tear them off.

As she tugged at the last three tendons, she seemed to hear a terrifying roar from deep within the mine.

Even more terrifying was that she understood it.

That creature was screaming at her: "Mother, no!"

The woman shivered and tore at the tendons even faster.

The red rain came quickly and receded just as fast; it only rained for less than fifteen minutes before the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped.

Had it not been for the desolation everywhere, it would have seemed as if nothing had happened.

But by now, it was dark.

"Do not touch anything the red rain has touched," General Hong ordered his subordinates. "Follow me."

The power of this red rain was comparable to potent poison. The Great Wind soldiers, seeing its effects, naturally kept their distance.

But General Hong's speed was astonishing; he flashed into the cave. By the time the others caught up, they only saw his cape disappearing around the corner.

"Crack!" came the crisp sound of snapping bone. The Jindu Hatchling had broken Xu Chun's neck.

He missed a swing, and his opponent seized the opening. His comrades couldn't reach him in time.

Ordinarily, He Lingchuan, Liutiao, and the others would likely have provided support, but now their stamina was completely depleted, making even a decent sword swing difficult.

In contrast, the Jindu Demon's speed was increasing, becoming too fast for the human eye to follow.

He Lingchuan's blade and Xu Xinyu's spear both struck the Jindu Hatchling. He Lingchuan, in particular, had cleaved its tough abdominal armor open, causing it to bleed profusely with its internal organs exposed.

But Xu Chun could not be saved.

He Lingchuan closed his eyes, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach.

All the portable medicine they had was consumed. What they needed most was to sit down, meditate, and recover their yuanqi.

However, that was impossible. This monster could ambush them from any corner of the rock wall; daring to meditate would surely get them blown to bits.

They couldn't even rest against the wall for a moment.

Now that Xu Chun was dead, the slowing spell immediately wore off. The previously stumbling bone puppets moved swiftly, circling past their bound comrades and charging towards everyone with howls.

The next moment, the Jindu Hatchling locked its target on Duan Xinyu and lunged directly.

It had fixated on Duan Xinyu for a long time. With its increasingly rich combat experience, it had long figured out that the man-eating vines were thrown by this fellow. If it killed him, it could soon finish its work for the day.

Duan Xinyu's face was ashen, and he gritted his teeth, holding on. His blade technique was impenetrable, but he was now at the end of his rope, with seven or eight holes oozing blood all over his body. The blade in his hand felt heavier and heavier, and a thought echoed in his mind:

Give up, find release sooner.

Further futile resistance would ultimately lead to death.

As this thought arose, his hand slowed. The Jindu Demon seized the opportunity, swiping a claw at his neck, intending to send him to follow Xu Chun.

Liutiao stabbed it from behind, hitting the Jindu Demon's spine. It didn't dodge, focusing solely on Duan Xinyu.

Menban leaped out from the side, crashing into its ribs with both body and shield, sending it flying.

The Jindu Demon rolled into the rock wall with the force of the impact.

Duan Xinyu panted, "You..."

Just those two words; he didn't know what else to say.

He Lingchuan quickly regulated his breathing, trying to recall the feeling of striking his blade in the waters of the Han River. At that time, facing raging waves, it was also an all-around war of attrition like this.

Preserving stamina and morale was the top priority.

He said in a deep voice, "Watch your footing."

This hatchling liked to attack from underground, and poking people's soles was very effective.

No sooner had he spoken than it shot out from underground, targeting Duan Xinyu's back, this time wielding a four-foot-long bone spear. Its sense of smell seemed incredibly keen, able to accurately discern who had lost their will to fight.

A new batch of bone puppets had also arrived. Without Xu Chun's slowing spell, they moved swiftly, about to rendezvous with their master.

He Lingchuan had already positioned himself behind Duan Xinyu. He then slashed his blade, as if the Jindu Demon had offered itself up for him to cleave.

The spearhead snapped instantly, taking half its forepaw with it, causing the monster to howl in agony.

The "Pojun" effect actually appeared at this moment, ignoring bone armor defense and severing a paw with one strike.

Something seemed wrong?

He Lingchuan hesitated slightly.

On the other side, Duan Xinyu also seized the opportunity, counterattacking with a backhand and barely dodging two of the monster's attacks.

Everyone still cooperated stubbornly, but their spirits could no longer be lifted.

Human resilience always has a limit.

They had struggled and held on for so long, yet they still saw no glimmer of hope.

How much longer could this endless battle last?

He Lingchuan suddenly said, "Liutiao, hit it with an ice arrow!"

Liutiao was startled: "Only one left."

It wasn't that she cherished the few silver taels; it was what meaning using it now would have.

"Use it!"

The captain spoke, and she strung the arrow and shot it without hesitation.

Fortunately, her fundamentals were solid; she maintained her accuracy even under these circumstances, hitting the fast-moving monster.

The Jindu Hatchling was struck in its left arm, and ice immediately spread from the wound throughout its body.

It had been shot before and had experience. At this moment, it did nothing else but quickly collapsed against the rock wall.

With its "mother's" protection, it could recover quickly.

Everyone was well aware that dismembering it now would be useless; it would eventually recover—though it wouldn't split into multiple entities like a leech.

Other hatchlings died when decapitated, but this one was different.

The youngest, most favored by the Ghost Mother, indeed possessed extraordinary qualities.