Chapter 71: What Army?

Chapter 71: What Army?

Witnessing the chaos all around and the tower sealed off completely by thick stone slabs left Liu Ji at a loss. Such a spectacle was only something he thought he would see in movies.

Layer upon layer of heavy structures turned the entire area into a vast labyrinth. The exterior was divided into passageways by concentric structures, while the interior contained corridors for passage. The complexity of the terrain was overwhelming just at a glance.

Even Yaine was frowning as she surveyed the area, let alone Liu Ji.

Hmm, this structure seems designed to fend off external invaders, Yaine mused, rubbing her chin. Strange, why would it activate now? Could there really be an external threat?

While she was in thought, the sound of synchronized footfall came from a nearby path.

The two of them turned in the direction of sound, only to see a group of Earthwalker soldiers with glowing golden eyes charging toward them.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ji readied himself for battle but was pulled aside by Yaine.

"Hold on, let's observe what their intentions are," Yaine whispered as she cast a cloaking barrier to temporarily hide them.

Then, they watched as the soldiers came to a halt at their previous location, looking around bewilderedly.

Yaine frowned. Initially, she had thought the unusual occurrences weren't related to them and the soldiers were searching for something else. But now it was clear—they were indeed the targets.

She looked at Liu Ji, who met her gaze. Yaine expected to see fear and anxiety in her disciple’s eyes, but instead, what she saw was concern for her.

Worrying about me? And not yourself? Yaine felt a little conflicted for a moment.

Looks like I'm being underestimated by my apprentice...

Taking a deep breath, she said softly, "Stay behind me."

When she spoke, the group of soldiers immediately turned toward them. In the next moment, they were met with a barrage of lightning bolts.

Everything turned bright as lightning exploded all around. Yaine's complex chanting filled the air, and in an instant, several spiraling jets of flame shot out from her staff, surging toward the oncoming formation of soldiers.

Finally getting a hold of the situation, the soldiers brandished their weapons and charged toward Yaine, undeterred by the blazing flames.

Two soldiers were nearly upon her, but Yaine remained unflustered. Her next incantation was nearly complete and would be ready to cast...

THUNK!

A punch to the left, a kick to the right.

Liu Ji's fist met the giant earthwalker's face in midair.

KRACK—

The giant earthwalker's head was twisted to the back.

Liu Ji then disappeared, reappearing in a second behind the giant earthwalker and kicking its back. The massive body was sent flying into a thick stone wall, creating a huge hole.

This time, Yaine was genuinely shocked.

Even Osar might not match the power packed in that punch.

But for Liu Ji, it actually seemed like a trivial task. He had already turned away and was continuing his onslaught on the soldiers.

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Elsewhere, Osar and Girunini were utterly bewildered.

Their luck hadn't been good. After escaping the tower, they were caught up in the ever-changing terrain. Forced to navigate through the passageways that constantly rose from the ground, they now had no idea where they were.

Just then, the bunch of potatoes in Osar's basket woke up all of a sudden and were seemingly frantic because they couldn't find Liu Ji.

The little potatoes were bouncing about, babbling in an unknown language and tugging at Osar's paints. Osar pondered for a moment and muttered, "Say, are they trying to get us to follow them to go find Liu Ji?"

"Um... I think that's possible." Girunini nodded.

"Then, shall we give it a try? Let's follow them?" Osar suggested.

"Like you have any other choice." Girunini rolled her eyes.

"That's true." Osar scratched his head sheepishly and surveyed the potatoes by his feet. He mulled for a moment, then flashed a toothy grin and gave a thumbs-up.

With a language barrier, this was the only thing he knew.

Then, carefully avoiding stepping on the fragile potatoes, Osar allowed them to lead the way through the unfamiliar building passages.