Chapter 404: Strangers in a Strange Land

The leader of the rock spirits declared, "We rock spirits have a pleasant life here, and we have no intention to leave."

"This is not a discussion, but a command. If you don't leave of your own accord, I'll force you to do so," Zhang Lie emphasized.

A rock giant thundered, "Enough, you puny creature! Even the sura don't dare force us to do anything, let alone anyone like you."

.

"We rock spirits won't be anyone's slaves—not the sura, and not yours!"

"Why should we leave just because you demand it?"

The leader of the rock spirits boomed, "Human, it looks like you don't understand my words. The reason I appeared here was not to listen to your daydreams, but rather to warn you to never appear here again!"

"Teach him a lesson, clan leader! Expel him from the rock forest!"

A rock giant called out, "Accept your death, puny human! You'll die to just one blow from our chief!"

"Our leader's the strongest rock spirit around—he could beat all of us combined."

Zhang Lie shook his head. "We'll see about that."

The leader of the rock spirits leapt up into the air. As his rock body barrelled downwards, sped up by the force of gravity, the air itself seemed to cavitate along its trajectory.

"[Rune: Activate]!" Zhang Lie raised his hands into the air as the image of a dragonturtle appeared behind him. The tablet of anti-gravity hovered in the sky, slowing the leader of the rock spirits' fall.

A pair of wings sprouted from Zhang Lie's back as he flew up into the sky. A blood moon shone beneath his feet, and his crimson domain extended all around him. With a dark sun to his back, his aura seemed to grow by an order of magnitude.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]." Summoning the first and second forms of his [Ninecarp Transformation], the water- and darkness-attuned genetic energy combined into a sticky, inky glob. The serpent rushed out with Zhang Lie's fist and darted straight toward the rock giant's chest, corroding it and turning the rock black.

The rock giant struck back, but Zhang Lie evaded the blow nimbly with his wings. A shortsword appeared in his hands.

"[The Boundless Blade: Yawning Wave]!" Sword energy manifested in the form of a wave that threatened to sweep over the rock giant, who shielded himself with both arms in front of his head. Zhang Lie's strike caused sparks to fly as it landed on the rock giant's adamantine arms, leaving a deep cut in the mineral.

The rock giant grabbed a nearby spire of rock and swung it around as though it weighed nothing more than a piece of straw. A titanic wave of air swept by Zhang Lie as he leapt straight up into the air.

Zhang Lie raised his arms again, manifesting the image of a dragonturtle as the tablet of gravity struck the rock spire the rock giant was holding. He leapt up onto the rock spire and dashed toward the rock giant.

With a fist, the rock giant flung the rock spire aside. Zhang Lie leapt up and brandished the shortsword in his hand.

"[First Form: Parting the River]!" The sword slash that seemed as though it could cut through anything headed straight for the rock giant. The threat of death, which the rock giant hadn't held for many years, flared up from deep inside his chest.

The rock giant slammed a fist on the ground, causing a large pillar of rock to shoot up. This was the special power afforded to the rock spirits: they could gather energy from the earth and transmute it into spirit-refined rock.

Even that pillar of rock did nothing against Zhang Lie's attack. The rock giant's eyes widened with fear. He tried to lift an arm to block the blow, but Venombane sliced through it as easily as though it were a block of tofu. The attack landed directly on the rock giant's corroded chest, causing fragments of jewels and minerals to fly all over. The other rock spirits were agape.

Rock spirits were renowned for their defense, and it was a matter of pride for them. Their leader had the best defense among any of them, but even that was nothing in front of Zhang Lie.

The leader of the rock spirits stepped back, a deep gash on its chest so wide that its core could be seen.

Zhang Lie charged forward, his sword gleaming with sword energy, as though he were preparing to pierce through it.

The leader of the rock spirits panicked and began to run, pillars of rock appearing wherever he stepped.

Zhang Lie flew up into the sky and followed him, easily evading the rock formations that sprang up. He finally activated his two tablets of stasis, causing the leader of the rock spirits to falter and marking him for death.

Zhang Lie's sword pierced its chest, but he held back right before it would have shattered its core. He chuckled coldly. "You might be big, but that doesn't mean you're strong."

He sheathed his sword and hovered in midair as he looked down on all the rock giants. Compared to them, he was a far smaller figure, and yet all the rock giants inclined their heads to look at him.

"Submit to me, or die."

The rock giants slowly began to kneel on the ground. Despite their overwhelming physical appearance, they were inwardly rather weak-willed: upon seeing their leader being defeated in direct combat, none of them dared to fight against Zhang Lie.

Perhaps if Zhang Lie hadn't known about the rock spirits' true forms, they would have rallied around their leader, but somehow, Zhang Lie knew of the secret that no one else did. Not only that, Zhang Lie even knew that they would be able to discard their bodies in times of crisis.

But since Zhang Lie knew their secret, if he really wanted to, he would be able to slaughter their race to the last.

It was far too difficult for the rock spirits to increase in number: this was an effort that took decades, even centuries. Furthermore, the rock spirits themselves didn't want to die.

"We've finally arrived!"

Outside what was once the sura capital were two stick-thin hunters, their clothes shabby and their faces haggard.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

They cried upon reaching the city, a testament to what they had suffered along the way. They had almost given up a few times, and almost been eaten a few more times. Only with an unbelievable effort of willpower had they finally reached their destination.

"We're finally here, Zhang Lie, finally!"

Just as they were about to walk into the city, a group of aliens walked out.

"Who are you?" The two hunters were instantly shocked.

Wasn't this supposed to be Zhang Lie's new city? Why were there aliens around? Had they ended up in the wrong place, or had Zhang Lie's new city been taken over by an alien invasion already?