Chapter 217: Subduing the Stone Monster

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Subduing the Stone Monster

"Alu City?" Liu Jianjian tilted her head, thinking. "Which city is that? How have I never heard of it?"

"One of the Thirteen Cities of Red River Prefecture, located southwest of Yuan Yang City. It’s famous for its clear springs." Zhu Ge took out the map Mr. Chunzhi had given him and pointed to a mark on it:

"After the city fell, it was supposedly occupied by a group of Stone Monsters. Those Stone Monsters don’t eat flesh and blood; they only like to collect Spirit Stones and metal ores. The springs and ore veins in the city should still be there."

"Stone Monsters?" Liu Jianjian’s eyes lit up. "That’s great! Stone Monsters have thick hides but aren’t very smart, which makes them much easier to deal with than Demon Beasts."

"Don’t underestimate them." Zhu Ge put away the map. "Stone Monsters may not be intelligent, but their defense is extremely high. And they’ve occupied Alu City for a long time; they’ve probably formed a sizable colony inside."

"What’s there to be afraid of? Master, you even killed a Three Realms Giant Lizard. Why would you be afraid of a bunch of Stone Monsters?" Liu Jianjian said nonchalantly.

Zhu Ge shook his head but said no more.

Then, the march resumed.

At first, the group wasn’t used to the constant marching, but as time went on, they grew accustomed to it. They marched and marched until it became second nature.

After two days of marching, Alu City came into view in the distance.

The city was built between a stretch of low hills. The city walls, made of a unique local bluish-gray rock, weren’t very high, but they were very thick.

The walls were overgrown with moss and vines. From a distance, it looked like a ruin slumbering in a sea of green.

There were no guards at the city gate. The gate itself was half-open, and a dead silence emanated from within.

"Another empty city?" Liu Jianjian muttered.

"Doesn’t look like it." Zhu Ge observed carefully. "Look at the marks on the city walls."

Liu Jianjian followed his finger with her gaze. On the city walls, besides signs of weathering, there were also large claw marks and deep indentations from impacts.

But those marks were very old, their edges covered with moss.

"There hasn’t been a battle here for a long time," Zhu Ge said. "After the Stone Monsters occupied this place, they probably haven’t faced any external attacks."

"So, should we just go straight in?"

"I’ll go take a look first." Zhu Ge swung himself off his horse. "You all wait here."

"Going alone again?" Liu Jianjian pouted. "I want to go too."

"You’re too conspicuous." Zhu Ge patted her head. "Stone Monsters are sensitive to auras. They can smell your Demon Qi from miles away. It’s actually more convenient for me to go alone."

Although Liu Jianjian was reluctant, she still nodded.

So, Zhu Ge activated his [Secret] trait, suppressing his aura to its absolute minimum, and walked silently toward the city gate.

Upon entering the city, he found it was even more dilapidated inside than it appeared from the outside.

Houses had collapsed, streets were cracked, and rubble and dust were everywhere.

But unlike the other fallen cities he had seen, there were no bleached bones, no bloodstains, not even the slightest stench of rot.

’Strange,’ Zhu Ge thought to himself.

He followed the main street deeper into the city, passed through a few alleys, and arrived at a square in the city center.

In the square, dozens of Stone Monsters were lazing about on the ground, basking in the sun.

They varied in size; the small ones were the size of calves, while the large ones were as big as houses.

Their bodies were composed of bluish-gray rock with a rough texture. They had stout limbs, a flat head, no eyes, and only a large mouth filled with sharp teeth.

There were First Realm and Second Realm ones, but none from the Third Realm.

Zhu Ge didn’t disturb them. He skirted the square and headed for the spring district in the northern part of the city.

The spring district was located at the northern end of Alu City, in a low-lying area.

From a distance, Zhu Ge saw the spring.

Water bubbled up from underground, forming a pool about thirty feet square. A faint white mist floated on the water’s surface, emanating a dense Spiritual Qi.

It was a spring, but not a true Spiritual Spring—the Spiritual Qi was simply more concentrated.

Beside the pool, several stalks of Spirit Grass were growing. Their leaves were a vibrant, glistening green, and some had already borne fruit.

’Good stuff,’ Zhu Ge thought, inwardly pleased.

He crouched down and carefully observed his surroundings.

There were no Stone Monsters, no Demon Beasts, only the gurgling sound of the Spiritual Spring Water.

He took out the grass bowl, carefully scooped up a few bowlfuls of Spiritual Spring Water, and plucked a few ripe Spirit Grass stalks.

He left the rest untouched.

From his limited knowledge of herbalism, he knew that these Spirit Plants would be ruined if uprooted. It was better to leave them so that people could be sent to harvest them periodically in the future.

However, just as he was about to leave, a sudden disturbance came from the bottom of the Spiritual Spring pool.

Zhu Ge’s pupils shrank, and he immediately retreated several steps.

The surface of the water exploded, and a huge Stone Monster burst out from the spring.

Its entire body was ink-green, and it was more than twice the size of the Stone Monsters outside. The rock of its body shimmered with a metallic luster.

Third Realm.

"Human Race..." the Stone Monster’s voice was a dull rumble, like thunder. "This is my territory. Are you trying to steal my spring source?"

Zhu Ge didn’t speak, merely tightening his grip on the Purgatory Star Rod.

The Stone Monster had no eyes, but it seemed able to sense Zhu Ge’s position through the vibrations in the ground.

It braced itself on all fours, its head lowered slightly, and its great mouth opened to reveal rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

"Thief, you die!"

The Stone Monster lunged at him.

With a light push of his foot, Zhu Ge’s form blurred like smoke as he evaded the Stone Monster’s lunge, smashing his rod into its flank.

CLANG—

The sound of metal on metal.

The Stone Monster’s body was incredibly hard; Zhu Ge’s strike had only left a faint white mark on it.

’So tough,’ Zhu Ge thought, shaking his numb arm.

Though the Stone Monster’s defense was astonishing, it was very slow.

Zhu Ge used the Incense Lighting Body Technique to weave around it, smashing his rod against the same spot again and again.

The seventh strike.

CRACK—

The rock shattered, and ink-green blood seeped out.

The Stone Monster roared in pain and flailed its limbs wildly, but Zhu Ge had already darted away to a safe distance.

"Surrender," Zhu Ge said coolly. "Or die."

Zhu Ge had always had a high tolerance for Spirit Monsters and Ghost Gods.

Because these two races were very useful.

"I..." The Stone Monster was silent for a long time before finally lowering its head. "I... surrender."

"Very good." Zhu Ge used Hua Liusha’s Yin Qi to plant a restriction in the Stone Monster’s mind, bringing it under his command.

With this Third Realm Stone Monster, the Spiritual Spring and ore veins of Alu City were now in his grasp.

In the future, the Six Paths Palace’s cultivation of Spirit Medicine and forging of Spiritual Artifacts would have a stable source of raw materials.

"Master, this Stone Monster is so ugly." When Liu Jianjian arrived, she looked at the ink-green beast lying on the ground with great disdain.

"It’s ugly, sure, but it’s useful." Zhu Ge smiled. "Bring it along. We’re going to the next city."

"Are we going to another one?"

"Yes. There are still several fallen cities left to scout."

...

And so, over the next few days, Zhu Ge led his group to investigate the remaining fallen cities one after another.

At each city, he would first sneak in alone to investigate, gathering supplies and intelligence.

If he encountered valuable Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters, he would subdue them. Those who were unwilling to surrender, he killed.

The grass bowl grew fuller and fuller, and the number of Demon Beasts in Liu Jianjian’s hair also increased.

By the time he finished scouting the last city and returned to camp, Yu the Scholar and Zhao Tieshan had already arrived with a large contingent of men.

"Palace Master Zhu, the people of Mengzi City have been settled in." Yu the Scholar’s face showed a trace of fatigue, but his eyes were as bright as ever:

"City Lord Tong asked me to pass on a message. He said he will be waiting in Mengzi City for our good news."

"Good. Thank you for your hard work." Zhu Ge nodded. "Rest for one night. Tomorrow, we go to Yuan Yang City."

"Are we finally going to attack Yuan Yang City?" Zhao Tieshan rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"We’re not attacking," Zhu Ge shook his head. "First, we scout the path and figure out the true strength of the Plague God Sparrow and the Red River Dragon Python. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

If following Zhu Ge had taught them anything, it was to be cautious and bide their time. They had more or less picked up his methods.

"Rest and recover! Smelt iron and steel! Build up our forces! Prepare for all-out war!"