Chapter 26 of 100

Chapter 26

16 min read3,893 words

Chapter 27: The Black Star Sand Beast

Outside the city, there were numerous settlements, some of which submitted to the Great City Alliance, some to the Chen people, and others that moved between the two major forces.

Those who submitted to the Great City Alliance had to be wary of Chen people attacks. When the Chen people attacked, they were always accompanied by thick fog. Therefore, the Mist-Avoiding Pearl became an effective means to avoid large-scale attacks by the Chen people.

As for the few elite Chen people, they could enter the settlements to attack without the thick fog, but they were ultimately few in number. Defending the settlements was relatively easier.

Thus, the "Mist-Avoiding Pearls" of each settlement became the primary targets for the Chen people's experts.

The convoy escorting the "Mist-Avoiding Pearls" was an even more important target.

A group of Rhinoceros-Scale Beasts moved nimbly across the endless Black Stone Wasteland. These creatures, with a single horn on their heads and covered in green, scale-like fur, resembled both horses and deer. Their four hooves had six thick, soft pads like petals, making them perfectly suited for walking on the black stone-strewn wasteland.

The twenty members of the Third Squad rode these Rhinoceros-Scale Beasts.

The black stone box containing the "Mist-Avoiding Pearl" was placed on the back of the squad leader, Liu Kan.

Before entering the fog zone, everything went smoothly. Lone or small groups of beasts, having learned from past encounters with patrol teams, stayed far away from this group of twenty.

Once they entered the fog zone, the thick fog immediately retreated more than twenty steps away from the Third Squad. Liu Kan, who rarely interacted with the others, was now proud and loudly told the entire team that this was still without the "Mist-Avoiding Pearl" being installed in the black crystal stone. If it were installed, the fog would retreat two thousand steps away!

Therefore, the "Mist-Avoiding Pearl" was rare, with only one produced every six months. Everyone must protect it at all costs.

As Liu Kan was enthusiastically motivating the team, he suddenly stopped speaking.

However, the more observant members of the team deduced from Liu Kan's sudden silence that the "Mist-Avoiding Pearl" could likely be artificially produced, given that one was produced every six months.

If one accumulated enough military merit, they could leave the army and legally reside in Black Stone City!

The military merit Liu Kan referred to was: killing five first-rank Chen people counted as one merit, and killing one second-rank Chen person also counted as one merit. Accumulating twenty merits would grant the privilege of permanent residence in Black Stone City.

However, Liu Kan himself was only a second-rank early-stage warrior.

Qian Xing estimated that even six of himself, without transformation, could not defeat Liu Kan. After transformation, there might be a chance of mutual destruction, but who knew what hidden tricks Liu Kan might have?

Moreover, from the local soldiers' idle chatter, Chen people attacks on Black Stone City's army never involved anyone below the second rank.

Just as Liu Kan was giving a pep talk to the group he usually ignored,

Qian Xing suddenly felt a chill!

Qian Xing had not yet reached the stage of externalizing his divine consciousness, so this chill was an instinctive warning from the Cha Cha demon's bloodline.

Without hesitation, Qian Xing used his partial transformation ability, covering his entire body with scales except for his face and hands.

At this moment, most of the patrol team members, except for the five or six local native warriors, also sensed something amiss.

Suddenly, from the fog ahead, a loud, deafening "crack" sounded, and a large black cloud swept out, rushing towards the elongated convoy of beasts with overwhelming force.

Qian Xing instantly recognized that the black cloud was composed of countless black sand grains, each as large as a mung bean.

"It's the Black Star Sand Beast! Form the Crescent Array quickly!"

Liu Kan roared, but before he could finish, the black sand, shining like stars, rushed down like a storm-driven rain and snow, filling the sky with black light. It was like a torrential flood, descending from the sky with a terrifying momentum!

As the situation unfolded, a layer of black, shiny film instantly appeared on Liu Kan's skin, enveloping his entire body.

The few local native warriors also had a layer of black film appear on their bodies, though it was less bright and thick than Liu Kan's.

Three silent patrol team members suddenly gathered together, and a large yellow light shield, resembling a turtle, enveloped the three of them!

"Damn, I haven't seen these three greet each other for days, and now they turn out to be a team!"

Before Qian Xing's thoughts could finish, a wave of black sand hit his arms, which he had raised to protect his head.

"Ah—" Qian Xing let out a scream! "Damn, this isn't sand!"

Qian Xing felt as if a ten-kilogram lead ball had struck his arms and exposed chest and back!

Each grain of shining black sand was as heavy as a ten-kilogram lead ball, if not heavier.

Worse still, because he had not managed to escape the range of the black sand, the highly agile Cha Cha demon transformation was useless against this overwhelming attack.

No longer caring about the so-called military law, Qian Xing used all his strength to leap towards the edge of the black sand's coverage.

Originally, he could leap twelve meters, but under the bombardment of the ten-kilogram lead balls, he could only jump two meters at a time.

However, if he stayed in place and formed the Crescent Array, Qian Xing estimated that he would be crushed to death by the sand even before the enemy could attack.

With all his might, he darted out of the black sand's range, and a red light flashed!

A heavy red sunstone broadsword swung towards him!

This place lacked fine steel, so the soldiers' weapons were mostly carved from various hard "weapon stones."

These weapon stones were harder than ordinary fine steel but lacked its toughness.

Therefore, the martial arts techniques here emphasized speed and broad, sweeping movements, with few intricate and subtle maneuvers.

"Clang, clang, clang" Ten bone-white claws, each like a small dagger, struck the red broadsword's blade in quick succession. Qian Xing used the momentum to roll and crawl more than seven meters away.

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