Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 26: The Headless Battle Spirit

“Sorry, I can’t give you this one!” It wasn’t that Xia Ye was stingy; though called an energy bar, it was actually a cookie made from flour, loaded with brown sugar and honey, plus chopped raisins. It was primarily used to replenish energy in emergencies and was an extremely high-calorie food. “Mm-hmm!” Lu Lingxi nodded in understanding, but seeing the little girl’s expression of pure delight, she couldn’t help but feel curious. “Mmm!” Song Guo licked her lips and gazed longingly at the bronze box, wanting more. “That’s the last one—you’ll get fat if you eat too many of these!” Xia Ye warned. “No, thanks!” Song Guo shook her head; she could tell this was important too: “Save it for when you really need it!” “Song Guo, if you ever find yourself in real danger, remember to run first—none of these things are as important as you!” Xia Ye checked his gear to make sure everything was in order, gave the little girl a final reminder, then, donning his rain gear, dashed into the downpour. “Aww!” Song Guo crouched by the door, too distraught even to eat her candied hawthorn on a stick. The torrential downpour pelted his body, stinging painfully; he could barely keep his eyes open. His rain gear was merely a piece of waterproof deer hide, which offered little protection against such a deluge, and before long, he was soaked through. Fortunately, thanks to the intelligence from Lu Lingxi, Xia Ye headed straight for the northern district of the Fengjing Ruins, sparing him the trouble of searching in the rain. “This must be the place!” Looking at the ruins of a half-collapsed altar not far ahead, Xia Ye removed his eye patch and activated the Eye of the Ruler. Perhaps because the rain was too heavy, the scene before him was blurry. With no other choice, Xia Ye pressed on. He found the entrance Lu Lingxi had mentioned and crouched down to crawl inside. It was a dim, cramped passageway leading straight underground. Crackle! The torch flared to life, illuminating the surroundings. With the bronze short sword “Song of the Four Seasons” clenched in his right hand, Xia Ye cautiously made his way down. At a time like this, he naturally had to use his strongest weapon. After proceeding a short distance, Xia Ye used the “Eye of the Ruler” to quickly scan ahead. Good—no one was there, so he didn’t have to worry about a surprise attack. As he ventured deeper, a musty smell mixed with dampness hit his face, making his nose a bit uncomfortable. Drip! Rainwater dripping from Xia Ye’s clothes fell onto the floor, spreading into patches of wet spots. Finally, after walking for over ten minutes, the stairs came to an end. “That must be the underground section of the altar up ahead, right?” Recalling Lu Lingxi’s warning, Xia Ye quickly retreated to the steps and held his torch high. Ten meters ahead stood a towering stone gate, carved with totems of ferocious beasts! Rather than rushing in, Xia Ye focused his attention and peered inside. A blindingly bright orb of light nearly blinded Xia Ye. Various specks of light formed colorful bands that radiated out from the orb. “This must be the secret treasure, right?” Xia Ye shifted his gaze to the side, where another dark red orb of light shone to his left. Boom! Xia Ye pushed hard against the stone door, prying open a small crack. He stuck his head inside, and his pupils suddenly contracted. The secret treasure was enshrined in a stone niche. The dark red orb beside it was actually a three-meter-tall Battle Spirit. Kneeling on one knee, clad in heavy armor, and wielding a two-handed greatsword, it appeared to weigh at least five hundred shi. The most terrifying thing was that it had no head—but the moment Xia Ye peeked, its body suddenly whipped around. Xia Ye recoiled and hurriedly backed away. There were no footsteps, which meant the headless Battle Spirit hadn’t come after him. Xia Ye peered out again. A dark red glow emanated from the headless Battle Spirit’s body, as if congealed blood had solidified upon it, exuding an endless aura of conquest and slaughter—an utterly terrifying sight. Lu Lingxi had solemnly warned him to be extremely cautious around this headless battle spirit—as soon as he came within fifty meters of the secret treasure, it would launch an attack. With the secret treasure ahead, he would brave even mountains of knives and seas of fire. One step, two steps, three steps… Gripping his bronze sword, Xia Ye stepped into the fifty-meter radius. The headless battle spirit, which had been kneeling on the ground, sprang to its feet with a thunderous crash. In that instant, Xia Ye felt as though the ceiling of the altar was about to be shattered. A wave of bloodlust mixed with dust swept over him, causing his heart to lurch violently and skip several beats. Xia Ye swallowed hard and pressed forward. The headless battle spirit swung its long legs into motion; after a few strides, it began to run, its combat boots pounding the floor with a sound like thunder. Gritting his teeth, Xia Ye suddenly accelerated and dashed toward the ten o’clock direction. Even though he had veered away from the stone niche containing the secret treasure, the headless battle spirit did not give up the chase. It suddenly surged forward, taking three rapid strides before launching itself like a cannonball straight at Xia Ye. Bone-Shattering Impact! Boom! The thirty-meter distance closed in an instant. “Holy shit!” Xia Ye had been keeping a close eye on the Headless Battle Spirit, fearing a surprise attack, but this charge was simply too fast—it reached him in the blink of an eye. Its momentum showed no sign of slowing. Xia Ye leaped to the side with all his might and rolled away. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, and cold sweat soaked his back. If he’d been hit, he would have been shattered into pieces and reduced to a pool of blood and flesh. Whoosh! The gale whipped up by the headless battle spirit as it charged swept through Xia Ye’s hair and the hems of his clothes. Boom! Passing less than a meter from him, the Headless Battle Spirit violently thrust its right foot against the ground to halt its momentum, then spun around to face Xia Ye head-on. The massive two-handed sword—nearly five meters long—slinged into the air and immediately came crashing down like a bolt of lightning! Soul-Shattering Slash! Boom! The massive sword struck the floor, sending debris flying in all directions. “That was close!” Xia Ye, who had dodged the attack with some difficulty, was once again drenched in a cold sweat. The Headless Battle Spirit’s strike was not only lightning-fast but also carried immense force. Keep in mind that the altar floor was paved with hard volcanic granite, yet it was still gouged with a groove a finger’s depth. With no time to dwell on fear or trepidation, Xia Ye sprinted at full speed. Although his evasion had been clumsy, it had been deliberate—he’d successfully maneuvered the Headless Battle Spirit so that it now had its back to the stone niche. Xia Ye sprinted with all his might, the soles of his long boots screeching against the floor. Although he’d only landed two blows, he already knew he couldn’t defeat the headless battle spirit, so his strategy was to grab the treasure and run. His ideal was like a stunningly beautiful woman with a curvaceous figure, but reality was an old woman with skin as wrinkled as an orange peel. One strike missed, and the Headless Battle Spirit seized the opportunity to turn, swinging its massive sword as it spun like a tornado in pursuit. Blood Wind Tornado! Whoosh! Dust swirled as the sword’s wind sliced through the air. With no time to turn, Xia Ye drew his sword with a backhand grip and braced it behind him. Clang! The giant swords clashed. Boom! It was as if Xia Ye had been struck by a war chariot traveling at full speed; he was sent flying more than ten meters before crashing to the ground, where he rolled several more times. Pfft! Xia Ye felt as if his internal organs were shifting out of place; a metallic taste filled his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, splattering the dust. Hearing footsteps closing in behind him, Xia Ye charged toward the stone gate. Whoosh! The giant sword swung down to strike, but then halted. The headless battle spirit walked back to the stone niche, knelt on one knee once more, and resumed guarding the secret treasure. “It really doesn’t attack anything more than fifty meters away!” Xia Ye caught his breath. Having narrowly escaped death, he was utterly exhausted, so he simply sat down on the ground. It took him a full quarter of an hour to recover. Silence returned to the underground section of the altar. No one knew what building materials had been used, but even after all these years, the walls still emitted a faint, eerie glow, making the atmosphere all the more unsettling. Xia Ye stood up, glanced at the stone door, and then charged toward the stone niche. The headless battle spirit stirred, unleashing a storm of blood and carnage as its killing intent boiled over. Whoosh! The massive sword swung like the Grim Reaper’s scythe, slashing time and again at Xia Ye’s neck—missing his life by a hair’s breadth each time. This was a dance with death. Xia Ye’s eyes widened as he focused his entire being on the moment, daring not to let his guard down for even an instant—but alas, it lasted less than twenty seconds. Boom! Xia Ye was sent flying backward, spitting blood that scattered like plum blossoms, splattering the ground in speckled patterns. “I refuse to accept this!” A bitter expression crossed Xia Ye’s face. The secret treasure lay right before him, within reach—yet that final step felt as distant as the ends of the earth. The terrifying headless battle spirit was like a killing machine, slaughtering every living thing that dared to approach it. Spit! Spitting out the blood foam from his mouth, Xia Ye charged in once more. If he couldn’t even get his hands on the secret treasure, how could he possibly avenge the Xia clan or take the King of Zhao’s head? Xia Ye was a young man who preferred to plan carefully before acting. Although he’d decided to fight to the death, he didn’t charge toward the stone niche again. Instead, he circled outside a forty-meter radius, observing the Headless Battle Spirit’s combat techniques, hoping to spot a weakness he could exploit. A curtain of rain fell as dusk set in. Song Guo sat by the doorway, staring intently in the direction Xia Ye had gone, her clothes already slightly damp. “He’s been gone this long—he must be dead by now, right?” Lu Lingxi glanced at the time and estimated that the fair-featured youth was likely in grave danger. Although she had severely wounded that headless battle spirit, it was still far beyond his ability to handle. The campfire was nearly out. Just as Lu Lingxi struggled to her feet to add some firewood, she suddenly heard the little girl’s cheer. Xia Ye walked into the stone hut, drenched from the wind and rain. “Ah-woo!” Little Song Guo didn’t mind that Xia Ye was soaking wet; she immediately threw her arms around his leg. “Pass me the burlap!” Xia Ye forced a smile. He’d intended to warm himself by the fire, but once he was temporarily safe, his pent-up exhaustion finally overwhelmed him. After stumbling a few steps, Xia Ye collapsed onto the ground with a thud. “Ah-woo!” Song Guo was startled and quickly pulled Xia Ye onto the blanket, giving him water, feeding him an energy bar, and wiping his hair—she was quite busy. Xia Ye was just too exhausted and fell right asleep. “Let me handle this!” Seeing how clumsily Xiao Song Guo was bandaging the wound, Lu Lingxi took over. When she removed Xia Ye’s leather armor, her eyes widened in shock. “Ah-woo!” Tears of heartbreak welled up in Little Song Guo’s eyes. The kind-hearted older brother had almost no intact skin left on his body—it was covered in large patches of bruises, all swollen and red. “At least five ribs are broken!” Lu Lingxi ran her fingers lightly over Xia Ye’s body and couldn’t help but praise his “unparalleled courage”! These injuries were the result of repeated blows, meaning Xia Ye had continuously challenged the Headless Battle Spirit. Lu Lingxi had faced that Spirit Beast head-on and knew full well just how terrifying and powerful it was. Not to mention a teenager—even an adult tribal warrior would feel a sense of dread when confronted by its deadly pressure. “Feed him these herbs!” Lu Lingxi ordered, pulling out some precious herbs. A brave and kind-hearted boy shouldn’t die here! “Okay!” Xiao Song Guo agreed readily, but as soon as she turned her back on Lu Lingxi, she took a bite to test whether the herbs were poisonous.