Chapter 374: Advancing to High-Rank Battle General (4k)
“How is this possible?! Jialuo shouldn’t appear in a place like this!”
As the voice came from the front of the car, everyone showed a look of extreme surprise. But after the surprise passed, they each gripped their weapons tightly, and the middle-aged musician, forcing himself to calm down, looked at Catherine and asked in a deep voice, “Miss, what should we do now?”
Catherine’s face showed an unprecedented solemnity. After a slight pause, she scanned the surroundings and said, “Jialuo usually only attacks Yela officers and Crows. I’ve never seen it stop civilians. It should have just happened to block the road in front of us, right?”
“It should be like that. In the past month or two, ordinary people have encountered Jialuo, but Jialuo basically didn’t attack them, just looked at them and left.”
Hearing this, the middle-aged musician also withdrew his gaze from the window, took a sip of wine, and said with a smile.
Supporting himself with one hand, Su Jiu leaned his head over the seat to look. His gaze passed through the glass window and indeed saw a black shadowy figure leaning against a tree in front, with something long like a red scarf fluttering around its neck. Beneath the knight’s helmet formed by black mist, its eyes seemed to be closed, as if waiting for someone.
“Is this the vengeful spirit Jialuo? Only the scarf is red, and the armor formed by resentment seems like medieval Western armor.”
Seeing that the other party’s appearance was substantially different from those vengeful spirits, a hint of thought flashed in Su Jiu’s eyes. She wasn’t unfamiliar with fighting vengeful spirits, and when fighting inside the ring, she had also encountered high-rank battle general vengeful spirits. Those vengeful spirits mostly had hideous faces and were filled with an aura of slaughter and chaos.
However, in Jialuo, she felt a deceptive sense of order, just like a true knight. The other party seemed to be guarding something.
“…No, I actually felt a human aura on him—wait, he’s looking at me?!”
Suddenly, as if discovering something, Su Jiu fiercely grabbed the seat. The pupils of the white little flower suddenly widened.
Boom!
The vast mental power involuntarily surged from her eyes, like a stone dropping into a spring, rushing towards the front. Those low-level vengeful spirits were directly frightened and fled, and the leaves rustled.
But the Jialuo remained motionless, only the scarf on its neck fluttering in the wind…
The bald driver and the other person opposite Su Jiu were affected by the mental power, and their bodies trembled violently. They seemed to feel the pressure of a Night Lord endlessly releasing his might. The bald driver looked pale and said to the young man beside him, “I didn’t expect Jialuo’s strength to be so terrifying. He didn’t even make a move, and I already felt a strong sense of suffocation.”
“Is it Jialuo? But he didn’t move…”
The young man trembled and looked into the rearview mirror. He clearly felt the gaze, comparable to that of a Battle King, coming from behind him, but behind him, there was only the female doctor who looked like a high school student.
This is too strange…
“Don’t scare yourself—Jialuo is blocking the road, so we can just go around it. It’s highly probable that nothing will happen, as we haven’t done anything to the residents of Aers.”
Glancing at his assistant, the bald driver’s mouth twitched, and he immediately started the engine again, preparing to reverse and take another small path by the tree. After all, they had to reach the Yela Army Camp before night, and they couldn’t wait until morning to set off.
“Hiss!”
Just as they were about to take the detour, the light under the black helmet suddenly lit up. Dazzling yellow light shone brightly in the night. With a “creak” sound, it stood up and almost instantly appeared in front of the car. Raising its right hand, a two-meter-long flaming sword erupted, completely blocking the car’s path.
“Stab—”
The bald driver hurriedly stepped on the brakes, turning the steering wheel like practicing Tai Chi, his face showing a look of horror. Jialuo generally wouldn’t intercept ordinary passersby or vehicles. Even if it killed Yela officers, it would kill them inside the army camp.
“What’s wrong with Jialuo?”
Looking ahead, Catherine’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly. She then took a swig of strong liquor and opened the car door under everyone’s gaze.
“Miss, don’t go! At worst, we can go to Yela tomorrow.”
The old musician looked nervous, gripping a dagger in one hand and placing the other on Catherine’s shoulder, frowning and stopping her.
“I’ve dealt with many spirits over the years. Jialuo, as a special spirit-type monster formed by resentment, has intelligence and can communicate directly.”
Catherine waved her hand and continued to walk towards Jialuo, stopping about a meter away. A golden light flickered on her fingertips, and she uttered strange syllables, asking, “May I ask why you are intercepting our car? There are no Yela soldiers or Crow envoys in our car.”
Hearing this, Jialuo turned its head and looked at Catherine. Its gaze swept over the light on her fingertips and paused slightly. Then, it uttered a low, dry voice, saying, “You also have faith… but you are not her. Let her come out.”
Hearing that Jialuo could directly communicate in English, Catherine was slightly stunned. She swallowed and then took a deep breath, stepping back respectfully. She asked again, “Who is she referring to?”
For some reason, she immediately thought of Su Jiu, but she didn’t understand why. Logically, the other party and Jialuo should never have met.
The light within Jialuo’s armor flickered. Its gaze shifted from Catherine’s expression to the car, locking onto the position of the rear compartment. After considering for a moment, it dispersed the black sword in its hand and replied, “She is in our car; I can feel that profound aura of light.”
“In our car, a profound light? What do you mean?”
Catherine’s face immediately showed a solemn expression. It was the first time she had heard light described as profound. However, what the other party said confirmed that Su Jiu was the person they were looking for.
After all, the holy light on her fingertips was indeed somewhat different.
The people in the car could also hear the conversation between the two. As if understanding something, they all looked at the girl sipping iced wine there, their expressions varied, but no one asked her to get out of the car…
“Click!”
Soon, Catherine’s doubts were gradually resolved. Following Jialuo’s gaze, in the next second, the car door was opened, and their gazes followed. They saw a girl in casual wear, with a blue butterfly bracelet on her hand, slowly approaching.
“Su Jiu?”
Seeing Su Jiu appear, Catherine was slightly stunned, then seemed to suddenly understand something. An expression of “as expected” surged into her eyes—it was her!
She was definitely not as simple as a Red Cross doctor or an alchemist.
“I’m sorry for getting you involved.”
Su Jiu sighed helplessly and slowly stepped forward, finally stopping beside Catherine. Her gaze also met Jialuo directly, and she smiled and asked, “Are you looking for me?”
“Come with me.”
The light under Jialuo’s helmet flickered again. Its gaze scanned Su Jiu, lingered on the butterfly flower ring on her hand for a moment, then turned around and slowly walked towards a place completely different from the jeep. With each step, the surging black mist left scorched footprints on the ground.
“I’ll go with him to see the situation. Let’s part ways here for now.”
Looking at Jialuo’s tall back, Su Jiu narrowed her eyes repeatedly. Confirming that she could escape even if the other party made a move, she then said softly to Catherine beside her.
“No, we can wait until daytime… When is it?”
Hearing Su Jiu’s voice, Catherine snapped back to reality and quickly turned to try to advise her. But in the next moment, she found that no one was beside her anymore, only a faint fragrance proving that someone had been there.
Soon, the members in the car also got out. Seeing that Catherine was fine and was just staring blankly at the air, the old musician looked at the black scorched footprints and said apologetically, “Miss, I didn’t stop her. That little girl is actually her beast pet. I was stunned at the time…”
“Let’s go. She seems to be exploring the substance for carving Inner Pills. Jialuo doesn’t seem like he would harm her. Otherwise, he would have made a move earlier.”
Waving her hand, Catherine took a deep look at the path that was completely different from theirs. The dark passage seemed like a ferocious beast about to devour them. Many scarlet eyes inside also looked over this way. No one could say for sure what was hidden inside…
After an unknown amount of time, a dazzling sunlight shone through the leaves of the towering trees. Two figures dashed through the forest, and no demons dared to obstruct them. Finally, as they approached a place that resembled an ancient temple, they stopped completely.
The temple was not large, somewhat resembling a wild temple in the mountains. On the eaves, there was a solitary strange bird, its head seeming to boast, and its back like a phoenix with green tail feathers, full of charisma.
Then, the figure in front slowly walked into the ancient temple, as if with a hint of piety. A wave pattern rippled open, and it seemed to be a different dimension similar to Bai Zhi’s.
“Where exactly are you taking me?” Looking at the figure in front, Su Jiu stood on a pile of dead leaves, watching Jialuo’s long red scarf slowly disappear, and then said in a deep voice.
Inside this temple, she could feel a sense of pressure. If she had to enter, Su Jiu would rather give up some opportunities.
“The divine feather order guides me to repay your kindness on behalf of the people of Aers, so that you can smoothly reach High-Rank Battle General.”
Jialuo stopped and explained in a soft voice. The voice surprisingly turned into that of a gentle young man, but it really didn’t seem like he wanted to reveal too much else to Su Jiu.
After speaking, he turned into a black shadow and entered the temple…
“God—” Hearing this title, Su Jiu’s expression was slightly stunned, and then she thought of something, almost blurted out, “God Spa?!”
Just as Su Jiu was surprised, Jialuo, holding an ancient wooden box, came to Su Jiu’s side and handed the box over: “Yes… His feather order told me that I need to repay you, but I only have the Ink Brilliance Crystal Soul that I recently snatched from Yela to offer. This item can directly allow you to engrave Inner Pill inscriptions unconditionally, but it requires strong mental power to grasp it.”
“Ink Brilliance Crystal Soul?” Su Jiu was stunned for a moment. Is this thing a good item from the Cans region?
Jialuo let out a “humming” laugh, knowing that she didn’t understand this thing. He then explained, “In the Cans region, there are precious Ink Brilliance Crystals, but their enhancement effect is far inferior to Crystal Souls. An Ink Brilliance mine may not yield even one Crystal Soul.”
“Can I get it without doing anything?” Slowly taking the box, Su Jiu could feel the strange energy contained within. It was definitely a great treasure.
Jialuo laughed again: “No need. You have already done enough for the people of Aers. The divine feather order said that you saved nearly half of the residents of Aers, and their faith has reached here.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu nodded and slowly opened the box. Inside, a black rhombus-shaped stone lay flat. The stone emitted a dense energy, and she could feel a desire surging from her Inner Pill the moment it was opened.
However, having this feeling precisely proved that it was the real deal. Thinking this, Su Jiu couldn’t help but feel happy.
If she really reached High-Rank Battle General, with her full power, she wouldn’t have to fear the Commander Kyoungde so much anymore. At least she would have a 50/50 chance.
“Is the feather order you mentioned His feather?”
Putting the box into her ring, Su Jiu looked at the temple eaves and pondered for a long time before finally asking that question.
If she had the chance, she would still find a way to get a feather of this God Spa, which would play a significant role in whether she could awaken the Ghost Car Avatar.
“Yes.” Jialuo looked at Su Jiu and did not deny it, but what he said next made her somewhat disappointed.
“If He still had feathers, perhaps He would have rewarded you directly? But… that last feather has completely merged with me, and it is precisely because of it that I was resurrected.”
“Never mind, those Crows are here again. You have received the feather order’s recognition, so you can directly enter the temple to cultivate.”
Listening to Jialuo’s words, Su Jiu scratched her head. Just as she was about to say something, Jialuo looked up into the distance, squinted, and said softly, then turned into a shadow and disappeared.
“If I had the strength of a High-Rank Battle General, I wouldn’t be so afraid of Commander Kyoungde. I’ll try to power up first.”
Su Jiu glanced at the temple, remained silent for a while, then gritted her teeth and passed through the ripple-like water, entering it. Her strength had been stuck at the peak of Mid-Rank Battle General for too long. When facing enemies that were too strong, she was always insufficient.
Now that she had achieved her goal, after she finished improving, she should prepare to return to the International Hospital. If the peace treaty was not yet completed, she would have to intercept those indiscriminately bombing planes.
…
More than a day passed.
“High-Rank Battle General.”
In an ancient temple, the girl’s eyes suddenly opened. She slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, stood up, and looked into the distance. She made a sword gesture with two fingers and lightly uttered, “Phantom.”
Immediately, a blood-red phantom of a Rose Swordsman suddenly appeared behind her. Upon closer inspection, her face resembled Vivian’s, but with a hint of Bairnis’s features. Su Jiu then formed hand seals, a red light flashed in her eyes, and she lightly uttered, “Combine!”
Boom!
The phantom figure instantly attached itself to Su Jiu’s back, creating a powerful wind pressure. Finally, it transformed into a ripple of invisible waves that spread out from Su Jiu as the center, causing the surrounding air to fluctuate.
“What strong energy. I’m curious how she saved people. Before, I thought she was a priest, but now… it seems not.”
Outside the temple, Jialuo’s figure also reappeared. He looked at the movement inside with shock, almost in disbelief. This was the level that a High-Rank Battle General could unleash. He, a High-Rank Battle King, actually felt a hint of pressure from inside.
After calming down slightly, he knocked on Su Jiu’s meditation room door and suddenly remembered the purpose of returning to the temple. He said, “You should have reached High-Rank Battle General by now, right? Hurry up and leave here! The Crows are about to enter the forest completely.”
“Finally found you…”
Just as he knocked on the door, the spatial formation fluctuated, and two black figures suddenly appeared and entered here…
