Mountain-Crossing Centipede, Doubly Deserving of Death

I've seen those kites soaring into the sky like missiles.

Chu Tianshu and his group decided not to idly wander around the town for the time being.

If something in that strategically important area discovers them and attacks them as well, that would be troublesome.

Avoiding towns, the Bai He soared to new heights, flying over the wilderness.

"Among those prisoners from the Spirit Realm, the most valuable was Qian Jin, the centurion of the Nineteenth Battalion of the Hearth Guard."

Helai cried softly, calming his utterly shocked reaction to seeing someone use a torch to light a missile, and then began to explain to Chu Tianshu.

"According to Qian Jin's confession, their rapid development over the past century has largely been due to the exploitation and utilization of Curse Ore."

"Curse Ore is a common material found throughout the Spirit Realm, somewhat similar in status to iron ore in the real world. Because the ore contains many impurities, it's mainly used for making weapons."

"If someone uses this kind of thing to refine magical artifacts, it can generally only be used to hold spells like curses, and the refining process is extremely troublesome."

However, with the advent of new technologies...

The smelting of Curse Ore became extremely efficient, and all the byproducts generated after smelting had corresponding uses, turning waste into treasure—this is the best example of this.

The Curse Essence Hearth, which are the copper pillar-shaped ponds that Chu Tianshu saw, was originally a place specifically used for smelting Curse Ore.

In recent years, it has also been used to produce various by-products.

The Thirty-Six Battalions of Hearth Guard are distributed throughout the Long Continent Kingdom and are responsible for monitoring and maintaining the operation of the Curse Essence Hearth.

However, as the uses of the Curse Essence Hearth increased, the various camps of the Hearth Guard recruited workers from outside to build more fire pits and began to engage in commerce.

The Nineteenth Battalion of Hearth Guard was famous for producing compound fish feed.

Based on this, a large number of aquatic-related industries have been developed.

Qian Jin Jin's status in the Spirit Realm is comparable to that of a seafood restaurant owner.

"Qian Jin has a good understanding of the terrain of the Long Continent Kingdom. Once we enter this territory, I, Benhe, will be able to find the way to the Nineteenth Battalion."

"He also gave us a lot of information about the Nineteenth Battalion. We can go and check out the Nineteenth Battalion first, and start from there."

The Bai He flew and flew.

Chu Tianshu suddenly noticed several railway tracks in the wilderness below and couldn't help but ask, "Are those railway tracks?"

Bai He said, "That's right. Qian Jin mentioned that they have transport vehicles similar to trains, but they call them 'Mountain-Crossing Centipede '."

A train is speeding through the mountains, heading across the flat wilderness and moving along the tracks.

The train was entirely black, with a relatively flat body and strong grip. When the thirty-odd carriages turned, it moved as nimbly as a centipede.

Chu Tianshu examined the train closely and discovered that its surface also had numerous etched patterns.

Each stroke resembles a centipede, combining to form countless characters of varying sizes, scattered across the outside of the carriage.

These patterns are actually quite exquisite, but because they are black, they are not easily appreciated.

There were three people driving the car from the front.

All three were middle-aged men, with their hair tied in buns, wrapped in black square scarves, and dressed in pure black robes with fitted sleeves. The robes were very well-tailored and made them look very energetic.

One of them sat in a chair, manipulating several iron bars around his body to control the direction of the train, while the other two seemed to be singing in the wind.

In each carriage, people were chanting in unison, sometimes in five-character lines, sometimes in seven-character lines, just like in poetry.

The pronunciation was unique, Chu Tianshu couldn't understand its meaning at first, but he could still feel its bold and unrestrained spirit.

The train rattled and sped past a lake, startling the water birds on the shore, who took flight in droves.

Click!!

The lake water suddenly burst open, and a white figure rushed out.

The fourteenth carriage of the centipede-shaped train deformed violently and overturned with a crash.

The connection between this carriage and the carriages in front and behind it was forcibly twisted off.

After a violent jolt, the dozen or so carriages behind began to slow down.

The carriages at the front, after a brief sway, actually moved faster because they were no longer loaded.

The white figure stomped one foot on the railway track, twisted its body, and chased after the carriage ahead.

A strong wind blew in his face, dispersing the water vapor from his body and revealing his true form—a white ape with protruding fangs.

With a red face, white fur, azure eyes, and yellow fangs, it had a straighter back than ordinary white apes and looked more like a human than a monkey.

He was also holding a thick, black iron bar in his hand.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

The white ape was faster than a train; after catching up, it swung its iron rod left and right repeatedly.

With just one blow, he could severely deform a train car and cause it to overturn.

Three consecutive blows caused the three carriages to flip open to the left and right, creating a deafening roar.

The remaining carriages ahead shook even more violently, nearly derailing.

This white ape not only wants to destroy the supplies on the train, but also to sabotage the tracks.

After the initial lunge, followed by three consecutive strikes, and having built up momentum...

The white ape swung its iron rod with all its might, the tip of the rod sweeping across the ground like a sweeping motion before striking the steel beam on its right.

The long steel beam on the right side of the track suddenly trembled like a supple, thick python.

The sleepers and the steel nails used for fixing were completely ineffective in controlling such rails; the steel nails simply flew out.

The train hadn't derailed yet, but the rails twisted on their own and detached from the wheels.

The train, which was less than halfway across, suddenly veered to the right and, propelled by its momentum, slid off the tracks.

Each carriage emitted a dull thud as it bumped and jolted along the desolate landscape, its speed greatly reduced.

Of the three people in the engine room, two were thrown out. In each carriage, there were soldiers in light black armor, some of whom were thrown out voluntarily and others who were thrown out.

They all gripped spears tightly in their hands, the gleaming silver tips drilled with holes like flutes.

Originally, each carriage of this train was guarded by soldiers to prevent attacks.

But that white ape was still too ferocious.

The spears were swung around, producing sharp clangs in the air.

The wind blades shot out haphazardly, and those with poor eyesight couldn't even see their trajectories.

Only the severed grass and shattered rocks on the opposite side can prove part of the power of the wind blade.

But the white ape didn't even use its staff; it simply swung its thick left arm and shattered all the wind blades.

The wind blade, which should have had an arc-shaped attack trajectory, had the potential to circle around behind him.

But none of them could escape his slap.

"A hairless brat!"

The white ape grinned, "These past few days, those iron birds you've been slamming into the sea have been giving us a real headache!"

"But without those, you... are pitifully weak!!"

The two train drivers, not to be outdone, roared, "Water demons, our brothers on the beach could easily kill many of you with just spears!"

"You kill us today, but tomorrow our brothers will avenge us. Go ahead and kill us if you dare! If you even flinch, you're no longer your grandfather!"

The white ape was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "I love bones that are hard. I'll make them into arrows and shoot your own people!"

Whoosh!!

A sudden, intense gust of wind pressure descended from the sky.

Chu Tianshu plummeted at high speed, and when he was three feet off the ground, he suddenly slowed down, stepping onto the wasteland amidst layers of air waves.

"This monkey..."

He sniffed the air. "It smells a bit familiar."

The train soldiers were filled with surprise and uncertainty.

The white ape stared at Chu Tianshu with a serious expression.

The Helai still in the air, but its voice reached Chu Tianshu's ears.

"This is the Hollow Radiance White Ape."

"Look at him, his skin is actually black, and his hair is transparent and hollow, but it appears white because in sunlight, each hair reflects light multiple times, making it look fluffy and snow-white."

According to ancient records, this deep-sea amphibious species is the strongest offspring under the command of the God of Vengeance, the "Mirror Ape."

Chu Tianshu understood upon hearing this.

"So it was that damned monkey! He deserves to die twice over!"

(End of this chapter)