txolops Chapter 9 A Glimmer of Hope, A Place to Settle Down
Chapter 9 A Glimmer of Hope, A Place to Settle Down
Huang Chen turned around, his blood-red eyes sweeping over the crowd. The murderous aura that seemed to have emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood caused everyone's screams to stop abruptly.
They covered their mouths tightly and scrambled to follow Huang Chen out of the deadly crocodile demon's lair.
The moonlight in the swamp was cold.
Huang Chen led his fifty-man team, trudging through the deadly mud, desperately trying to escape into the distance.
No one dared to turn back.
No one dared to stop.
……
Two days, a full two days and two nights.
The team, exhausted, struggled to traverse the boundary between the swamp and the forest.
Everyone was at their limit, and everyone was seeing stars.
Drinking water also became a problem; they could only occasionally drink a few sips of stagnant water that smelled of decay.
Huang Chen's injuries continued to worsen, and the recovery power of his Elementary Witch Body seemed to be suppressed.
The potency of the Elementary Rejuvenation Pill had long been exhausted, and there was no more karma to exchange for more pills. Black pus began to ooze from the wound on his left shoulder, emitting a foul stench. His right arm was only hastily secured with vines, and every movement caused excruciating pain.
It was sustained entirely by an indomitable will.
"My lord... I can't go on..."
A young woman's legs gave way, and she fell into the mud, unable to get up again.
This fall was like a domino effect, with seven or eight more people collapsing in succession, panting heavily, their eyes filled with numbness.
The line stopped.
Everyone looked at Huang Chen with despair.
Ashi's lips were cracked and bleeding. He walked to Huang Chen's side, his voice hoarse.
"My lord, are we... do we have no way to escape?"
Huang Chen did not answer. He looked up at the sky and then looked around.
miasma.
In the mountain valley not far ahead, colorful miasma was rising, clearly indicating that it was a highly poisonous place.
But a strange glint suddenly flashed in the depths of Huang Chen's dim pupils.
Although he was a mortal with no cultivation and could not sense the flow of spiritual energy in the world like a cultivator, his keen insight, honed through countless struggles in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, allowed him to capture an extremely unusual detail.
The seemingly thick, multicolored miasma, when flowing through the corner of the right-hand mountain wall, showed an extremely subtle stagnation, as if it were blocked by some invisible barrier rather than dissipating naturally.
Immediately afterwards, a mountain wind howled past, and amidst the swirling miasma, a fleeting gap was revealed.
Through the crack, Huang Chen did not see the rotten bones and scorched earth he expected. Instead, he caught a glimpse of vibrant green moss, which stood out starkly against the surrounding deathly silence.
That's life!
This is not some deadly place; it is clearly a natural maze created by the ingenuity of the terrain and the direction of miasma!
It is not a killing formation, but a naturally formed illusion formation that, combined with miasma, has become an excellent natural barrier.
Take a gamble!
"Those who can still walk, but can't walk anymore, even with support!"
Huang Chen's voice revealed a firmness.
"If we can get through that miasma, we might survive."
Everyone followed his gaze and saw the colorful miasma, their faces filled with fear.
"My lord...that place...is a death trap!"
"It'll turn into pus if it goes in!"
Huang Chen offered no explanation, and was the first to step forward, dragging his heavily injured body toward the deathly miasma.
Ashi gritted his teeth and roared at the remaining men, "Lord Xin, we can live! Everyone, follow me!"
As the survivors watched Huang Chen's resolute back and recalled his blood-soaked battle, a spark of hope rekindled in their numb eyes.
They supported each other and followed.
The moment they stepped into the miasma, a pungent odor filled their nasal cavity, and many people immediately felt dizzy.
After an incense stick has burned.
As they passed through the last thick fog, the view suddenly opened up before them.
A tranquil valley appeared before everyone.
The valley is covered with lush green grass, and a clear stream flows gently through it. In the distance, deep caves dot the massive mountain walls, resembling natural dwellings.
The air was incredibly fresh.
It was a completely different world from the bloodshed and despair outside.
"...You survived?"
One survivor muttered to himself, unable to believe his eyes.
"Thump!"
Some people's legs went weak, they knelt down and burst into tears.
The crying seemed contagious; soon, everyone was crying, their cries filled with the ecstatic joy of surviving a catastrophe.
Huang Chen's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he could no longer hold on. His vision went black, and he fell straight backward.
"grown ups!"
Ashi reacted quickly and grabbed him in a hug.
When Ashi's hand touched Huang Chen's back, he discovered that it was already soaked in blood and pus, and was frighteningly hot.
"Quick! Help the adult into the cave!"
……
When Huang Chen woke up, he found himself lying in a dry cave with a thick layer of dry grass beneath him.
The wounds on my left shoulder and right arm have been cleaned and treated with crushed herbs. Although the pain is still intense, the cooling sensation has provided some relief.
Ashi was standing guard beside him, and when he saw him open his eyes, he was overjoyed.
"My lord, you're awake!"
Huang Chen struggled to sit up and asked, "How's it outside? Is everyone alright?"
"Everything's fine! Everything's fine!"
Ashi said excitedly, "There are no powerful monsters in this valley, the stream water is drinkable, and we even caught a few fish!"
Everyone is cleaning up the cave, preparing to settle down here!
His face radiated a glow he had never shown before.
Huang Chen nodded and, supported by A Shi, walked out of the cave.
In the valley, dozens of survivors were busily working.
Some people were washing animal hides by the stream, some were collecting firewood, and several women were roasting a few plump fish around a newly lit campfire. The golden oil dripped onto the flames, making a sizzling sound.
A wisp of smoke rises gently from the chimney.
Those are the fireworks of humanity, a symbol of civilization.
It was the prototype of "home".
Everyone who saw Huang Chen stopped what they were doing and cast their most sincere and respectful gazes at him.
Then, without prior arrangement, they all bowed deeply to Huang Chen.
No words were spoken, but this bow spoke louder than a thousand words.
At that very moment, a system notification sound rang out in Huang Chen's mind!
[Ding! Detected that the host is leading fifty pure-blooded humans to establish a basic shelter in the Hundred Thousand Mountains!]
[Ding! The flame of humanity has been preserved, and the light of civilization has been rekindled!]
[Ding! Established the Elementary Human Sanctuary 'Torchfire', providing shelter for fifty members of your race and ensuring the continuation of the human race's flame. Received a huge reward—30000 Merit Points!]
[Ding! Main quest 'Desperate Migration' has been completed! Overall rating: Perfect!]
[Ding! New feature module unlocked – 'Outpost Construction'!]