Chapter 18: Sun Village
"I will shed light on our path," Ya Hui's voice boomed, determined to prevent any inadvertent use of lanterns in the pitch-black darkness that had befallen them. With a swift motion, she flicked on her lantern, casting a warm, flickering light that illuminated the surrounding area. The group, still reeling from their encounter with the fierce Alligator King, huddled together, their nerves taut as they scanned the surrounding trees. With no immediate danger in sight, their eyes turned to Yi Lin, who stood at the forefront of the group, surveying their options.
A glint of recognition sparkled in Yi Lin's eyes as she surveyed the area ahead. "I have surveyed our surroundings and discerned a marked difference in the path ahead," she announced. Her words were met with a mix of curiosity and skepticism from the group, who had been wandering aimlessly through the dense forest for hours.
With no other leads to follow, the group banded together, following Yi Lin as she led them towards the uncharted territory ahead. As they trekked through the dense foliage, the group braced themselves for whatever lay ahead, their hearts pounding with anticipation.
Upon realizing that Shao Qiang was missing, Hao Ren raised the alarm, alerting the worried crowd. "Stay vigilant, everyone. Shao Qiang is missing." he cautioned. "I'll keep an eye out for him, but I didn't detect him earlier, so he's likely far away by now," Yi Lin stated, her voice steady and assured. The four members, possessing the "Blocked" skill, fanned out to the outer edges of the group, ready to fend off any potential threats. Meanwhile, Long Tao took up a commanding position at the front, brandishing his cross with confidence. Observing the display with a wry smile, Hao Ren and Sun Jing exchanged amused glances, impressed by Long Tao's boldness.
After trudging through the dense forest for roughly ten minutes, the group arrived at a clearing where all the trees within a fifty-meter radius had been cleared, revealing a massive stone statue in the center. Long Tao, ever the courageous one, strode forward with his cross at the ready, poised to defend his comrades against any potential threat. As he approached the statue, he was struck by a sense of familiarity, though he couldn't quite place it. The statue appeared to depict a monstrous creature with gargantuan wings, and Long Tao made his way around to the front for a better look.
"Bat King!" he exclaimed upon seeing the creature's face, only to be shocked when the statue suddenly responded. "Yes, it is I," the Bat King replied in a deep, ominous voice, causing Long Tao to brandish his cross in fear.
As Long Tao stood frozen in terror, Sun Jing and Hao Ren took notice and sprang into action. Hao Ren hurled his enlarged cross at the Bat King, but the creature nimbly evaded the attack by splitting into countless small bats that flew towards the crowd. The bats emitted an eerie, silent screech, sending a shiver down the spines of all those present.
Panic set in as the swarm of bats descended upon the crowd, causing many to flail their crosses aimlessly in an attempt to fend off the creatures. Some were rooted in place, their minds clouded with fear as voices whispered in their heads. Jia Le and his team were among those struck with terror, their faces etched with fear and their bodies frozen in place. The four members with the "Blocked" skill were similarly immobilized, leaving Mei Zhen muttering to herself in desperation.
"I've done everything I can! I have my own strengths!" she cried out, her voice rising to a fevered pitch before collapsing to the ground. Ya Hui rushed to her aid but was unable to revive her. As chaos reigned, the remaining members did their best to protect those in a daze. Hao Ren and Sun Jing stood by Long Tao, forming a shield to keep the bats from attacking him.
As the swarm of bats descended upon them, Yi Lin struggled to keep her focus amidst the deafening voices inside her head. Gasping for air, she turned to Yu Mu for help and asked him to protect her while she attempted her new skill. "Rain!" With a fierce determination, Yi Lin hurled her cross into the sky, and it shattered into many small crosses that rained down on the bats. However, controlling so many crosses proved to be a daunting task, and she had to concentrate all her energy to strike her targets.
The swarming bats sensed Yi Lin's growing threat and made a beeline for her, eager to neutralize the danger. But with Yu Mu's lightning-fast speed, the creatures never stood a chance. Every bat that darted too close to Yi Lin was promptly sliced into oblivion, their fluttering forms reduced to mere wisps of dark mist. The voices in Yi Lin's head continued to grow louder and more chaotic, threatening to overwhelm her senses entirely, but she managed to remain focused on her task. With skill and precision, she controlled the small crosses formed by her skill "Rain" to attack the bats, even as the swarm threatened to engulf her. Despite her valiant efforts, however, she could not slay them all, and many of the creatures remained unscathed, continuing to menace the crowd with their haunting cries.
Meanwhile, Hao Ren fought fiercely alongside Ya Hui, using their enlarged crosses to strike the bats down. But the swarm seemed to be never-ending, and the fight continued on relentlessly.
Yi Lin noticed that the number of small crosses had increased, leading her to suspect that someone else possessed the same skill as her, and she glanced around the area, her eyes resting on Sun Jing. But upon seeing that he was still holding his cross, she realized it couldn't be him. Despite her exhaustion, Yi Lin remained determined to end the conflict. She focused all of her remaining strength on controlling the crosses to attack the bats. After the last bat was defeated, Yi Lin sank down to the ground, utterly spent. Long Tao and the others regained their senses and dropped to their knees, having suffered from the mental trauma. As the rest of the group recovered from their mental trauma, Long Tao managed to catch his breath and asked Sun Jing, "Will we be able to unlock a skill that can defend against mental attacks?" Sun Jing replied with a smile, "We'll have to find out."
As the group tried to catch their breath and recover from their previous battle, the duration of the lantern came to an end and darkness enveloped them once again. "Detect!" Sun Jing and Yi Lin's eyes darted towards the same direction, and a faint light whizzed past them at an incredible speed, striking Hao Ren's shoulder with tremendous force. Sun Jing quickly turned on his lantern. The beam of light illuminated the area, and the group saw that Hao Ren was bleeding profusely. As Mei Zhen regained consciousness from the previous battle, she noticed that Hao Ren was bleeding profusely. Without hesitation, she immediately reached for the first aid kit she had brought along for the journey. Skillfully, she began to tend to Hao Ren's wound, impressing those around her with her expertise in first aid. It was clear that Hao Ren would not be able to participate in the next battle until his injury had healed. As Sun Jing and Yi Lin surveyed their surroundings, their ears caught the sharp sound of another gunshot. In the ensuing chaos, Sun Jing's lantern was hit and damaged, enveloping them in complete darkness once again.
Long Tao and his companions, in a state of panic, simultaneously flicked the switches on their lanterns. But their relief was short-lived when they were once again met with the sound of gunshots ringing in the darkness. Long Tao's lantern remained unscathed, while the others were destroyed. Suddenly, the earth began to tremble, and the ground beneath them cracked open while trees toppled over. The group spun around and came face-to-face with the imposing figure of an alligator king, accompanied by a swarm of bats and a group of ferocious combat chickens. The crowd knew that they had no other option but to flee for their lives. Ya Hui, the strongest of them all, hoisted Hao Ren onto her back, and the group began to sprint as the surrounding trees continued to crumble around them, as if the very earth itself was being torn apart.
Sun Jing quickly changed his cross into its shield form and jumped towards the alligator king. "Repel!" The alligator was sent back crashing into the group of combat chickens while Sun Jing flew back to the front of the crowd, landing safely. As he held off the creatures, those who were at the back managed to escape unharmed. However, Long Tao was lagging behind due to his lack of the "Boost" skill and the red sneakers that could enhance his speed. Observing this, Yi Lin instructed Yu Mu, the fastest person among them, to carry Long Tao on his back. With Yu Mu's help, Long Tao was able to catch up with the rest of the group and avoid being left behind.
A few minutes passed, and Long Tao's lantern finally went off as its duration expired. Fortunately, everyone saw a faint light at the end of the path. As they stepped into the light, they were surprised to find themselves in a small farming village. Suddenly, a half-naked man in his late twenties appeared, holding a draw hoe in his hand. Upon noticing the group, he approached them with a warm smile and greeted them, "Welcome to Sun Village. My name is Sun Ming."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone