Chapter 670
First Intimate Contact
Chapter 670 First Intimate Contact (Part 2)
Gao De walked to the stone gate and carefully pushed it open a larger gap.
A stronger, more pungent smell, a mixture of musty and dusty odors, wafted over and filled the nostrils, causing one to instinctively frown.
He did not step inside immediately, but instead pressed himself against the inside of the stone door, carefully scanning the environment inside the tower by the grayish-white light seeping in from the cracks in the tower.
The light was so dim that it could barely outline the contours of the lower levels.
The base of the stone tower was much more spacious than I had imagined, about half the size of a basketball court.
Although the dome is dilapidated, it still appears towering.
The ground was uneven and covered with gravel and broken bones.
Some were tiny finger bones, some were thick arm bones, and some skulls with sharp teeth rolled in the corner, their dark eye sockets facing the entrance, giving off a somewhat eerie feeling.
In the corner was a pile of indistinct objects, resembling fragments of broken pottery jars and rusted metal parts.
Covered in thick dust, its specific shape is obscured, clearly indicating that it has been abandoned for countless years.
"It's safe inside for now. No trace of the withered soul servants has been found." Gao De withdrew his gaze, turned back to Liu Ying in a calm tone, and gave her a word of advice.
"Follow behind me. There are many broken bones underfoot and the visibility is poor. Be careful not to twist your ankle."
Because of its adaptive ability, it has evolved an extremely strong ability to see in the dark, so dim light has little effect on it.
However, Liu Ying may not have this ability.
In the current situation where spells cannot be cast, even a sprained ankle can be fatal.
"Okay." Liu Ying nodded obediently, clutching the white bone tightly in her hand, and quickly followed.
The two passed through the stone gate one after the other and entered the stone tower.
The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I was in a completely different world from the outside.
Using the dim light and his powerful dark vision, Gao De began searching through all the remaining items inside the tower.
This includes broken tools and piles of broken bones.
The result was that nothing was gained.
Not only were there no escape clues left by Mordecai, but there wasn't even anything useful to be found.
All that remained was desolation and decay.
This was expected.
What kind of luck is it to find something on the very first stone tower?
Gao De looked up at the stairs leading to the upper level, only to find that the stairs had long since collapsed, leaving only a few broken stone steps embedded in the wall, making them impossible to climb.
Just as he shook his head in disappointment, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a protruding piece of broken bone on the ground.
The broken bone fragments were peculiarly shaped, about three feet long, resembling a sword. The bone walls were thick and had a faint, luminous white sheen, quite different from the weathered bones around them.
Gaode bent down and picked it up. It was heavy in his hand, and its texture was much harder than that of ordinary bones.
The edges also have a slightly sharp curve, as if they have been deliberately polished.
Gao De weighed it in his hand and felt that it felt comfortable enough to be used as a temporary weapon.
After all, if you really encounter a Soul Servant, having a weapon in hand will make you feel much more at ease.
“Let’s go. There are no clues in this tower. Let’s go to the next one.” Gao De turned to Liu Ying and said, and was about to take a step when Liu Ying stopped him.
Her movements were very gentle; she simply raised her hand to lightly block him, her blue eyes filled with seriousness and determination: "Wait, we can't go out now."
"What?" Gao De stopped in his tracks.
"The Soul-Slaying Wind is about to blow." Liu Ying's voice was clear but carried an undeniable seriousness.
She pointed to the hole at the top of the tower. "Listen to the wind outside. It's getting faster and faster, and the fluctuations of the withered soul energy in the air are becoming more violent."
Liu Ying paused for a moment, then explained clearly, "The book says that there are two characteristics before the arrival of the Withered Soul Wind."
First, the wind will change from a whistling, mournful sound to a sharp, hissing blast; second, the air humidity will suddenly drop, causing the bone dust to become abnormally dry and easily swirled up.
“Look outside,” she said, pointing out of the stone tower.
Gao De felt a chill run down his spine and subconsciously moved closer to the stone door, peering out through the crack.
The grayish-white halo outside became even more turbid, and the bone powder in the air began to float slightly.
"The power of the Soul-Slaying Wind is immense. If you get caught in it, let alone three days, your soul will probably dissipate on the spot." Liu Ying's tone was solemn.
She added, "But you don't need to worry too much. Although the Soul-Slaying Wind is dangerous, the intervals between it are long, at least one day."
"Let's stay inside the stone tower for now and wait for the wind to stop before we set off again. That way, we'll be safer and save our energy."
Gao De nodded, agreeing with her suggestion: "Okay, let's stay here for now."
Seeing that he agreed, Liu Ying said softly, "The Desolate Soul Domain isn't very large; we might be able to find a clue within three days."
Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.
Gao De naturally understood what she meant.
Even though the Desolate Soul Domain isn't large, they can only move on foot now, relying on their physical strength, and they also have to avoid the Soul Servants and Soul Winds.
To visit all the stone towers, it would take more than three days, let alone ten...
Liu Ying's judgment was correct.
The wind outside grew stronger and stronger, its sharp whistling sound so piercing it seemed to penetrate eardrums.
Before long, the stone tower began to tremble slightly, and dust fell from its top, mixed with the crackling sound of bone fragments hitting the stone walls.
Outside the stone tower, the withered wind finally swept in.
Bone dust filled the air, whipped up by the gale, forming white tornadoes that raged and surged across the wasteland.
Wherever it passed, skeletons and remains were swept into the sky and then crashed down with a dull thud.
The entire desolate and barren Soul Domain was shrouded in a chaotic white storm.
Only the howling of the wind and the crashing of bone dust remained in the world, as if the end of the world had arrived.
However, Gao De and Liu Ying were safe inside the stone tower, which kept out the raging ghost winds and deadly bone fragments, providing them with a temporary haven.
The ghostly wind lasted for about half an hour before finally subsiding.
After the storm subsided, the desolate and barren Soul Realm fell into an eerie stillness.
The ashes, drifting in the air like fine snowflakes, slowly settled, covering the ground with a new layer of white frost.
The grayish-white light filtering through the hole at the top of the stone tower finally regained some clarity and was no longer obscured by the chaotic storm.
[After prolonged exposure to the continuous erosion of withered soul energy, your soul begins to instinctively condense, compress, and strengthen itself to resist this relentless erosion. Your soul solidification increases by 19.6%, and your soul healing ability increases by 21.1%.]
[With external magic completely severed, your internal mana has fallen into a state of stagnation. Your body has activated its emergency adaptation mechanism, beginning to attempt to find new ways to circulate mana on its own. Your internal mana circulation ability has increased by 30.5%. Your body is gradually accepting the state without magic, and the stress response caused by magic withdrawal will gradually lessen. Your adaptation to the state without magic has increased by 40.1%.]
Gao De's consciousness flashed across the rapidly jumping progress bar in his mind.
As he adapted, he could clearly feel the changes in his body.
The headache and fatigue I had felt earlier have long since disappeared.
More importantly, Gao De now felt a slight loosening of the previously stagnant and frozen magical power. This loosening was extremely weak, completely insufficient to support his restoration of his spellcasting ability, but at least it gave him hope.
It's only been less than half a day.
He raised his hand and pushed open the half-closed stone door. A scent mixed with fresh ashes and withered soul energy rushed out, even more chilling than before.
"Let's go," Gao De said, turning to Liu Ying.
Liu Ying nodded. "Okay, the next stone tower is to the southwest, about two miles away."
The plains, recently ravaged by the withered winds, still have ashes that haven't completely settled floating in the air.
The grayish-white dust particles suspended in the air, forming a thin layer of mist that made distant objects appear somewhat blurry.
The outline of the next stone tower was faintly visible in the mist, like a lonely island floating in a white ocean.
However, since the two had already planned their route, they were not lost.
The ashes flying everywhere were really pungent, and the fine dust could seep into anything.
If inhaled into the lungs, it will not only cause a violent cough, but may also erode the respiratory tract due to the withered soul energy contained within.
Therefore, both of them subconsciously raised their hands to cover their mouths and noses, used their sleeves to filter the dust, and walked forward in the newly settled ash layer, sometimes deep and sometimes shallow.
The ash layer was softer than the previous bone powder ground; every step you took sank into your calves, and there was a noticeable stickiness when you pulled your legs out.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the second stone tower finally came into clear view.
This stone tower is better preserved than the first one, with fewer cracks in the massive stones.
Most importantly, the stone door of this stone tower is tightly closed, and the door panels are heavy.
“This tower is very well preserved; it might hold some clues.” Liu Ying’s eyes lit up, her tone filled with anticipation, and she subconsciously quickened her pace.
Gao De nodded in agreement, but still reminded him, "Be careful."
He was the first to arrive at the stone gate.
Gao De did not push open the stone door immediately. Instead, he listened carefully and, after confirming that he did not hear any unusual sounds, he used his shoulder to block the stone door.
Immediately, Gao De's eyes narrowed, and he forcefully pushed open the tightly closed stone door, creating a crack.
However, at the very moment the stone door opened,
Three hunched, dark figures shot out from the gap like arrows released from a bow!
The three figures were almost identical.
It was about five feet tall, its body hunched over so much that it almost touched the ground. Its skin was dry and black, like charred tree bark, with many ulcers and ruptures, and its white bones were directly exposed.
They had no pupils, their eye sockets were two dark, empty holes, and they made a "hoarse" roaring sound. Their withered claws were covered with sharp barbs as they pounced on the two people.
They are servants of withered souls!
The attack came unexpectedly.
Gao De never expected that there would be three silent old sixes squatting behind the stone gate.
Fortunately, he had spent some time in the sword arena "fighting to the death" in order to develop adaptive progress and improve his sword skills.
When faced with dangerous situations, their reaction and overall demeanor far surpass those of ordinary monks.
He instinctively turned to the side, shielding Liu Ying behind him, and at the same time, he used the broken bone he had just picked up as a sword to slash horizontally.
With a sharp crack, the blade struck precisely the arm of the foremost withered soul servant.
The texture of the broken bones far exceeded that of ordinary bones, and it directly cleaved the withered arm of the withered soul servant, with white bone fragments and black rotten flesh flying out.
Ow—
The withered soul servant let out a shrill roar, but showed no sign of retreating, its remaining claw still reaching for Gaode's chest.
Gao De retreated quickly, simultaneously flipping his wrist and thrusting out the Bone-Shattering Sword once more.
It precisely pierced the eye socket of the withered soul servant, shattering its brain.
The withered soul servant's body stiffened abruptly, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, turning into a pile of scattered bones and rotting flesh, which was quickly covered by the surrounding ashes.
In just two moves, he dealt with a withered soul servant whose combat power was comparable to a first-tier earth vein creature!
But the other two withered soul servants had already pounced on him, one towards Gao De, and the other bypassing him and heading straight for Liu Ying behind him.
Although they lack independent consciousness, they can instinctively distinguish weaker targets.
"Watch out!" Gao De shouted, trying to turn around to help, but was tightly entangled by the withered soul servants in front of him.
This withered soul servant was even more ferocious than the previous one, its claws lashing out faster and more viciously.
Gao De had studied swordsmanship. Although he usually combined swordsmanship with magic, even without the magic bonus, his basic swordsmanship skills were not to be underestimated.
In addition, the physical enhancement brought by [Adaptive] and the mage's reaction speed and body control ability far beyond that of ordinary people, the ability to use broken bones to make swords, block, counterattack, and dodge, are all fluid and precise.
Therefore, even when facing these withered soul servants whose strength surpasses his own, he can still handle them with ease thanks to his skills.
But Liu Ying looked much more disheveled.
She was the purest form of mage, having never even touched the most basic fist and foot techniques, let alone close-combat sword skills.
With no magic power at hand, he could only grip the ordinary white bone in his hand and, relying on his superhuman reflexes, struggle to parry and dodge the attacks of the withered soul servants.
The claws of the withered soul servants reached for her again and again. She dodged awkwardly, her steps faltering, but her eyes remained firm and she kept calm.
"Retreat towards me!" Gao De called out to Liu Ying as he quickened his attacks.
He abruptly sidestepped the withered soul servant's claws, while simultaneously slashing down with broken bones, severing its other arm. He then kicked it in the chest, knocking it to the ground.
Taking advantage of its weakness, Gao De stepped forward and pierced its skull with bone fragments, completely eliminating the second withered soul servant.
Having eliminated the immediate threat, Gao De immediately turned around and attacked the third withered soul servant beside Liu Ying.
The withered soul servant was clinging tightly to Liu Ying, its claws almost touching her shoulder.
Liu Ying's breathing was rapid, and beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. A hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but she did not lose her composure despite the critical situation and remained calm.
"Get out of the way!" Gao De shouted, the broken bone in his hand whistling as he slashed towards the back of the withered soul servant's neck.
The withered soul servant seemed to sense the danger, and suddenly turned around, abandoning its attack on Liu Ying, and pounced on Gao De.
Gao De was prepared. He dodged the attack by turning to the side, and at the same time, he twisted his wrist, sending bone fragments piercing through the gaps in the ribs and penetrating the chest cavity.
The withered soul servant let out a muffled roar, its body slowly collapsing and becoming completely still.
The three withered soul servants were finally all dealt with.
It was a close call, but no real danger.
Fortunately, he had training.
Gao De breathed a sigh of relief, only to see Liu Ying stagger back two steps, her face slightly pale.
Gao De's pupils contracted slightly as his gaze fell on her left wrist.
On her fair skin, a deep, bone-revealing scratch was clearly visible, and blood was seeping from the wound.
(End of this chapter)