Chapter 56: Intermediate Level? |
Xia Hong was well acquainted with the hardness of golden frost trees. Though tougher than vermilion frost trees, they couldn't withstand the ten-thousand-jin force of someone in the Digging Realm. Moreover, this wooden hut wasn't made from whole trees, nor did it have the outer layer of frozen crystals like the golden frost trees at Redwood Ridge.
Luo Ming had broken through to the Digging Realm years ago, his strength undoubtedly exceeding ten-thousand jin. So when his blade struck the wooden door, it should have shattered completely. Yet what actually happened left Xia Hong, Shang Ping, and the other two stunned.
With a crack, Luo Ming's blade did cut through the wooden door, creating a half-meter-long gash - but nothing more than that.
"How is this possible?" Luo Ming himself seemed unable to believe it, reflexively voicing his disbelief.
Before anyone could react, the entire wooden hut began violently trembling. As if wounded by Luo Ming's strike, the gash slowly healed as the surrounding wood writhed inward. Through the closing gap, Xia Hong caught a glimpse outside and his pupils contracted sharply. He immediately shouted to Yuan Cheng and the others: "Behind you! Those four wooden huts have come alive too! Be careful!"
Not just their trapped hut - the four collapsed huts they'd passed when entering the camp were now reassembling themselves, clearly transformed by the Wood Puppet Abomination like this one. As the gap fully healed, cutting off Xia Hong's view outside, his anxiety grew.
Luo Ming also noticed the situation outside. With over twenty Lumberjack Realm members still out there, his urgency surpassed even Xia Hong's. After failing to break the door with his first strike, he withdrew his blade and unleashed five or six more furious slashes. Yet no matter how many gashes he created, they all healed just as quickly. They were truly trapped.
At that moment, the fifteen previously closed rooms suddenly erupted with activity as a chaotic mass of people came pouring out - some running, some crawling...
"Father! My neck's nearly broken! Save me, please save me!"
"Bai He! Bai He! Is that you? They took my eyes... cut off my legs... go check on our son, he might still be alive..."
"Wuuuu... father... save me... they split my head open... it hurts so much... father please save me............"
If the scene outside when they entered could be described as mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, what now unfolded before them was the true depths of the Nine Hells. Five or six hundred people came charging madly toward them, all screaming for help as they moved.
Less than half at the front were running - their faces twisted with terror but bodies mostly intact, some even still clutching weapons. The vast majority trailing behind crawled along the ground - every single one missing limbs: some without arms, some without all four limbs, some with lower bodies severed, some with half their torso gone, some with half their skulls shaved off, some reduced to just heads and torsos writhing pitifully...
The previously normal wooden hut interior instantly transformed into a stinking sea of blood as these creatures emerged. The Wood Puppet Abomination had somehow confined five or six hundred people in those small rooms without sound or smell escaping.
Though shocked by the horrifying scene, Xia Hong's primary realization was more alarming - the Wood Puppet Abomination's powers had grown significantly stronger. Could it have... advanced to intermediate level? If so, none of them might survive today!
Snapping back to focus, Xia Hong saw Luo Ming and the other three actually moving to intercept the emerging creatures. He grabbed Luo Ming and shouted to Shang Ping's group: "Don't approach them! We don't even know if they're still human!"
"What else can we do? Just watch helplessly?" Luo Ming roared back, restrained but emotionally shattered. The same went for Shang Ping's group - these were their daily companions, family members, wives, children, even parents coming at them. How could they stay calm?
Understanding their turmoil, Xia Hong wasted no time arguing. He swiftly pulled out some Concentrated Fire Oil and coated his own and the others' hands and weapons. "This oil ignites upon touching Abominations. Save who you can, but stay alert - anything puppet-controlled will burn on contact!"
The frantic four barely listened before charging toward their "family members" - though in truth, the creatures were already upon them, less than five meters away when the oil was applied.
"Wu'er! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, father! Save mother - she's behind me!"
The first to reach them was Shang Ping's son Shang Wu, intercepted by his father. Seeing his son's limbs intact and body whole, Shang Ping sighed in relief, pulling the boy behind him while searching for his wife in the crowd. Luo Ming also spotted his eldest son Luo Yun - similarly unharmed - and rushed to grab his hand to pull him from the mob.
But the moment their hands touched, Luo Yun's panicked expression twisted into something inhuman. He whipped out a dagger from behind and slashed at Luo Ming's throat!
Clang!
Luo Ming barely blocked with his blade, the tremendous force sending him stumbling back two or three meters. Though surviving the lethal strike, his eyes filled with profound grief as he recognized the truth - whatever wore his son's skin wasn't Luo Yun.
Indeed, "Luo Yun" snarled ferociously after missing his attack and lunged again - only to suddenly look down at his arm with a horrific, inhuman shriek: "Hrrk... hrk... AHHH—!"
His arm burst into raging flames that spread like plague, engulfing his entire body within moments. In mere breaths, "Luo Yun" was reduced to ashes.
Watching his son's form burn away brought Luo Ming no joy - only deepening sorrow. "Leader Luo!" Xia Hong shouted. "No time to mourn! We must separate real humans from Abominations! Who knows what else the Wood Puppet Abomination has planned? More will die if we delay!"
Seeing the oil work as intended on the puppet brought Xia Hong some relief - he'd feared the upgraded Abomination might be immune. Yet facing hundreds of potential victims, he couldn't help but marvel at the creature's cunning. Some in this crowd were real humans. Did he even have enough oil?
The Wood Puppet Abomination had learned from its cave encounter with the oil mere days ago - and adapted frighteningly fast.