Chapter Thirty-Four: Four Eyes

“Break!” Facing the unfortunate soul hurtling toward him like a cannonball, Ji Hao dropped his stone axe and formed seals with both hands, thrusting them forward.

The hand seals summoned boundless power from the heavens and earth, shaping an invisible wall before the oncoming savage. With a thunderous boom, the barbarian warrior thrown by the savage grand shaman exploded, the air violently rippling as waves of energy billowed outward.

Ji Hao took advantage of the shockwave to quickly retreat. Crow Elder dug his talons deeply into Ji Hao’s shoulders, his crimson eyes fixed intently on the forest behind the savage grand shaman, paying no heed to the imposing figure advancing.

“Tender little child, fragrant and delicious!” the savage grand shaman bellowed, stepping toward Ji Hao. The distance between them had been over a hundred yards, yet with a single stride, the hulking, bloated figure stood directly before Ji Hao.

“Get lost, you fat beast!” The stench of blood radiating from the savage grand shaman was nauseating. Ji Hao frowned, pressing his palms together. Within his soul-space, the Purple Mansion Pill spun rapidly, its immense energy instantly depleted as it condensed into a thumb-sized fire-thunder ball in Ji Hao’s hands.

Whirlwinds rose from the ground, endless spiritual energy from heaven and earth surging into Ji Hao’s palm. The thumb-sized thunder seed swelled to the size of a human head in an instant. With a deafening crash, a bolt of lightning several yards long shot from Ji Hao’s palm, striking the savage grand shaman’s fat belly.

The thick black hair on the grand shaman’s stomach burst apart, revealing greasy skin beneath. Countless tiny sparks of electricity wrapped around him, crackling and snapping, their residual currents punching fist-sized holes in the earth.

The grand shaman’s massive body staggered, stumbling several steps backward in embarrassment. Ji Hao’s own power alone could not shake him, but the Nine-Syllable Mantra Pill Scripture could command the forces of the universe, channeling the might of heaven and earth to amplify Ji Hao’s strength dozens of times. Though it couldn’t harm the grand shaman’s formidable body, it was enough to force him back.

“You mongrel! I’ll devour your brains!” the savage grand shaman roared in fury, tilting his head back with a long howl. He stomped the ground with both feet, making the earth tremble violently. Ji Hao, retreating, felt the ground shift beneath him, nearly losing his balance.

“Savage, this is the territory of our Fire Crow Tribe. Are you looking for death?” Ji Ying, already wielding his spear, soared through the air, wrapped in a blaze of fire. He crossed several miles as if flying and instantly blocked Ji Hao from harm.

The spear, crafted from green mulberry wood, flickered with sparks of fire, its obsidian-forged tip inscribed with strange runes that spewed flames. In a heartbeat, Ji Ying’s arms trembled, sending hundreds of rapid thrusts at the savage grand shaman.

The savage grand shaman clasped his hands together, and a tattoo of a spiked club glowed in his palms. A three-meter-long metal spiked club materialized from thin air. He swung it powerfully, stirring a blood-red whirlwind that collided fiercely with Ji Ying’s spear.

Two shaman apertures flickered on Ji Ying, three on the savage grand shaman. In their head-on clash, Ji Ying suffered a slight disadvantage. The spear and spiked club vibrated violently; Ji Ying staggered and retreated several steps, his soft armor grazed by the spiked club, instantly shattered into fragments.

A sharp whistle pierced the air; Ji Lang, who had stayed behind at Cold Creek Valley, arrived with a howl. He streaked through the sky in a blaze, perfectly exchanging positions with Ji Ying. In a flash, Ji Lang drove his knee into the grand shaman’s face.

The sound of bone and flesh shattering erupted. The grand shaman’s face collapsed inward, blood gushing from every orifice. Howling in agony, he dropped his club, clutching his face as he fled in panic.

He managed less than ten steps before Ji Ying recovered, stomping hard on the ground. His spear, blazing with fire, shot out and pierced the grand shaman’s back. The despairing scream shook the surrounding forest, the grand shaman’s body convulsing violently before falling to the earth with a crash.

Thousands of barbarian warriors poured from the woods. Seeing their strongest grand shaman felled, they stood frozen in shock.

The savages were bandits of the southern wilderness. They had no fixed lair, did not raise livestock, nor knew how to cultivate crops. Among them, there were no shamans or elders; once a tribesman grew old, he was eaten by his own kind. Like beasts, the savages roamed the wilderness, plundering wherever they went. Whether cattle or people, all were food for their bellies.

The defeated grand shaman was the leader of this savage tribe, their mightiest warrior. With their strongest leader fallen, the savage warriors howled in confusion.

Deep in the forest, within a shadowy thicket, a figure in a robe grumbled in discontent, “I told you, these creatures whose intelligence doesn’t even match livestock are useless. To seize the ultimate prize, we must rely on ourselves.”

From the shadows, a towering figure stepped forward. “Let’s finish this quickly. Two grand shamans who’ve just opened their shaman apertures make worthy opponents. And these two are tall and handsome—they’ll be prized possessions for those old women. They’re worth a fortune!”

Another equally tall figure emerged. “Let’s act together and capture them alive without delay. And that little one—so young and already wielding shamanic arts. He’s valuable as well… Most importantly, that pretty little face, there’ll be those who desire him dearly!”

Ji Hao seized the stone axe he’d discarded earlier, hacking fiercely at the grand shaman’s neck.

No matter how much strength he exerted, the axe struck with resounding clangs, sparks occasionally flying. Ji Hao chopped over a hundred times before finally severing the grand shaman’s head.

Even headless, only a trickle of blood flowed from the neck, the body still twitching and spasming. It took five full breaths before a geyser of blood shot a hundred yards from the neck, the body suddenly stiffening and ceasing its movements.

The strength and vitality of the grand shaman’s body were terrifying—this was a grand shaman who had only just opened three shaman apertures!

Metallic footsteps rang from the forest, a faint murderous intent startling Ji Hao as he looked toward the trees.

Two towering figures, each over three meters tall, strode from the woods. They wore fine metal armor, covering everything but their faces, even their fingers protected by ornate gauntlets.

Their skin gleamed with an odd bronze hue; one carried a hammer-flail, the other a heavy shield and cavalry sword, both advancing like metal fortresses.

Ji Hao stared in shock at the two men—their features, aside from their skin color, were almost entirely like those of the people of the southern wilderness.

Yet what was truly horrifying—above their brows, each had a pair of brilliant, shining eyes. These two giants each possessed four eyes!

Ji Ying and Ji Lang exclaimed together, “Fight to the death! Damn it, it’s those fiends from the Jia Clan!”