An Arduous Journey
Chapter 52

Azure Qiu

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The changes around Suotu are quite significant. According to the analysis of Knight Ghost Hunters, Weird Domain is likely forming!

The infiltration of human society by the Weird Race was accomplished little by little by gradually transforming the land into Weird Qi.

Ke Li was genuinely surprised to hear this, " The Weird Domain... this is right around Tianjing!"

"It probably won't last long," the caravan thought, quite confident in the strength of the Liang.

However, they also had some rumors. "It's said that even Great Knight is seriously injured, and the situation is quite ferocious."

Red Pine's information network was actually quite extensive, but the Martial Academy was a tightly organized institution, and Ke Li was merely Knight.

Therefore, Ke Li may not necessarily know all the information that some instructors know.

"You should hurry up and leave now that you've eaten your fill," the instructor kindly suggested.

"It only takes an hour to get to the isolation area at the Martial Academy, then I can rest peacefully."

The suggestion was reasonable, but both sides' hands remained close to their weapons throughout the conversation.

In particular, when the other party asked what strange items they had acquired and offered to buy them at a high price, the conversation went silent.

In the end, Ke Li said, "You're just a small business group, you're not even close to competing with Red Pine in terms of acquisitions!"

The prices offered by merchant groups are generally much higher than those traded within the Martial Academy, but the purchase price... well, that's hard to say.

Overall, the communication went smoothly, and the other party didn't stay long before leaving.

"They've already pushed themselves to the limit," Qigeli commented. "It would be difficult for them to hold on for another hour."

That's why the Knight persevered and came up the mountain to chat for a while.

However, Ke Li shook his head, "None of them said how much they lost, so it's best to say less."

Then he glanced at the Jin youth, "Here... are you looking?"

Wu Youren nodded slightly, paused, and then added, "Don't go too far."

He knew very well that the instructor wanted to follow the trail to see if any Weird Race had followed the convoy.

Previously, the Weird Race would have to carefully consider their strength before following those caravans that had Great Knight.

However, it's hard to say if it's just a team of Knight. Last time, the team that Ke Li met was followed by the Weird Race.

He now wants to go and investigate, so that if anything unexpected happens, he can easily escape alone.

So, at the mountain pass, only three Knight Apprentice remained, and of them, only the young man from Jin could play a significant role.

By the end of the day, Cynthia had learned quite a bit. Seeing Ke Li leave, she whispered, "Those things down the mountain..."

Qigeli's guard was still positioned towards the foot of the mountain, and upon hearing this, he replied, "We'll only observe those coming and going."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "I mean, some of them might have been corrupted by Weird Qi."

Wu Youren calmly replied, "Even if there are Substitute Weird hidden, it's not our business... Just focus on your own job."

Before long, the convoy left from the foot of the mountain, and the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the opposing force was exhausted, their strength was still considerable.

However, just a few minutes later, Wu Youren raised his eyebrows in surprise and pointed his pistol down the mountain.

"Are you sure?" Qigeli also had a high level of trust in him.

Wu Youren pursed his lips tightly and shook his head slightly, but the next moment, the gun in his hand fired.

Three shots were fired in quick succession, the red light from the Weird-Breaking Projectile spreading down the mountain in a fan shape.

Seeing this, the other two also raised their guns and aimed, waiting for the appearance of the Weird Race.

However, after waiting for a while, there was no movement. Instead, a figure flashed by, Ke Li returned after hearing the gunshot.

After understanding the situation, he nodded slightly. "Not surprising, the Weird Race is very cunning."

He didn't think there was anything wrong with Wu Youren firing the shot; he'd rather be wrongly convicted than let him go unpunished.

Qigeli secretly curled his lip upon hearing this. Those were Weird-Breaking Projectile. If he fired them like that, the instructor would scold him for a whole month!

However, just as he was secretly complaining, Wu Youren and Ke Li both turned their heads and looked behind the instructor.

Ke Li lived up to his reputation as Knight, firing three shots in quick succession, including Weird-Breaking Projectile.

A faint wail came from behind him; there really were Weird Race following him.

He felt a little relieved; thankfully, the young man from Jin had caused a commotion and had turned back.

Otherwise, if we try to move forward further... at the very least, the situation will only get worse than it is now.

However, Wu Youren did not fire his gun. Seeing that the instructor had noticed the abnormality behind him, he looked down the mountain again.

Qigeli was a little flustered. "Instructor, should I provide fire support?"

"Do you know the location?" Ke Li raised his hand and fired two more shots. "You're not like him, don't waste your ammo!"

I knew it would be like this... Qigeli was speechless.

Ke Li fired more than ten shots before stopping, then looked at Wu Youren and asked, "I'm here... is something wrong with you?"

"I don't know, it's just a precaution," the Jin boy shook his head. "Instructor, are you alright on your end?"

"I'm not sure either," Ke Li. He only stopped because he couldn't sense anything unusual, not because he was sure it was safe.

After all, Weird-Breaking Projectile are quite valuable and shouldn't be wasted.

However, the next moment, Wu Youren fired another shot down the mountain, but still to no avail.

You... Ke Li wanted to say something, but in the end, he just twitched his lips and let this guy do whatever he wanted.

"Keep an eye on things for me, I'm going to check if any strange items have fallen."

With a flash, the instructor disappeared again. He'd clearly gotten a taste of the thrill and was now eyeing the loot.

He searched briefly but found nothing, so he decided to go back and come back for a closer look at dawn.

However, another gunshot rang out behind him, this time not from Weird-Breaking Projectile.

Do they really think bullets are free? Ke Li was speechless, but he didn't lash out and went back again.

Just as he reached the three men, Wu Youren fired two more shots, still with ordinary bullets.

This time, Ke Li saw it clearly, "Holy crap... the stone is moving?"

As expected of Knight, he could see several rocks moving about a hundred meters away on such a dark night.

"That's it," Wu Youren said in a deep voice, "This pistol... I missed."

A pistol bullet can travel over a hundred meters, but its accuracy is questionable.

"I'll handle this," Ke Li said, holding a rifle. He changed the magazine and fired three shots at the shaking rock.

A muffled groan rang out, and the rocks shook even more violently.

"What the hell is that?" Qigeli could see it too. "What kind of bullets are we using?"

"We'll see," Ke Li, not even bothering to answer him, firing several more shots in quick succession.

"Roar!" Another deep roar echoed as several rocks rolled down the mountain, and the mountain itself seemed to tremble.

"Armor-piercing rounds, please!" Cynthia shouted, reloading her gun. "Too bad I only brought three!"

Armor-piercing rounds are more expensive than Weird-Breaking Projectile and are classified as controlled munitions, which ordinary people are not allowed to possess.

The mountain shook more and more violently, as if some enormous creature was about to burst out of the ground.

"Sandworms?" Ke Li frowned. "Are you kidding me? This is mountainous terrain. Prepare for evacuation."

He could vaguely sense that something was wrong beneath the stone, like some kind of Weird Qi.

Immediately afterwards, several more soft roars were heard.

The next moment, a stone covered in scales appeared, followed by a triangular head.

Ke Li finally recognized the animal. "Holy crap, Azure Qiu... it makes that kind of noise!"

Then he made the arrangements. "Switch to armor-piercing rounds first, move quietly, and don't rush to retreat."

This creature is somewhat similar to a pangolin; it's a carnivorous animal that burrows through the ground, has poor eyesight, but extremely keen hearing.

However, this thing doesn't run very fast, so if a martial artist encounters it, they should just not panic.

"I only have two armor-piercing rounds," Qigeli muttered softly.

Wu Youren remained silent. His guns were borrowed from the instructors; they didn't have armor-piercing rounds, only Weird-Breaking Projectile and regular bullets.

Cynthia asked softly, "These things don't usually attack people on their own, right?"

Ke Li calmly reloaded his gun. "Charge forward and fire!"

His rifle was highly accurate, but Qigeli and Cynthia's pistols could only be used for close-range shooting.

Wu Youren was even worse off; he could only stand guard around the area with his gun.

The scales on the Azure Qiu's body are extremely tough; ordinary bullets simply cannot penetrate them!

Two Knight Apprentice charged ahead, with Ke Li close behind, and gunshots rang out instantly.

The main attack force still consisted of the instructors, who only had a total of five armor-piercing rounds, so they had to aim carefully before firing.

While remaining on guard, Wu Youren observed the entire battle unfold.

The first Azure Qiu to emerge was over three meters long. It was hit by three armor-piercing bullets, and blood gushed out as if it were free.

After being shot a third time, the Azure Qiu's massive body instantly curled up, rolling down the mountain like a ball.

But then, a second Azure Qiu emerged from the ground, followed by a third, a fourth...

Some of the Azure Qiu were hit and rolled down the mountain, while others, holding a Azure Qiu, charged forward after feeling the pain.

The Azure Qiu armadillo has thick scales and is quite heavy. When it charges, it's like a small tank, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Their speed when they rush straight up is quite considerable.

"Hit and run!" Ke Li issued the second command, "Use regular bullets and weapon jamming."

He had to let Cynthia and Qigeli interfere while he used armor-piercing rounds to hold off another wave.

However, the situation changed again beyond his expectations, with one Azure Qiu after another emerging, numbering more than a dozen.

The first Azure Qiu was the largest, exceeding three meters in length, and the dozen or so that followed were also quite large, all over two meters in length.

The corresponding rank is between that of Knight and Quasi-Knight.

However, the four of them had a limited number of armor-piercing rounds. Ke Li had brought quite a few, only about twenty.

What respectable Knight would carry so many armor-piercing rounds when going out?

Left with no other choice, Ke Li put away his rifle, picked up a broadsword, and began hacking and slashing.

The greatsword danced, its Battle Qi surging; even the sturdy scales of the Azure Qiu could not withstand the Knight's attack.

The instructor's swordsmanship was extremely skillful, with exquisite hand-eye coordination, and he was able to cut through the gaps in the scales most of the time.

With just two or three sword strikes, one can kill a Azure Qiu.

Even if the strike only causes a small wound on the scales, the powerful Battle Qi can still inflict internal injuries on the Azure Qiu.

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