Jarrod felt helpless as well.
The beast didn’t fear soul attacks or material attacks, and it was extremely fast. How could there actually be a creature like this in the world? It was completely unbalanced. Fortunately, however, this sort of amethyst beast possessed a very low level of intelligence, and wasn’t capable of using any profound mysteries of the Laws.
“Roaaaaar!”
A violet blur flashed towards Jarrod and Garlan in pursuit, and the two of them could all but sense that extremely heated breath of the creature making contact with their skin.
“This amethyst beast is too fast.” Jarrod and Garlan both felt helpless.
Suddenly, a surge of wind came.
“Dodge!” Jarrod pushed Garlan hard, making the two of them dodge in separate directions.
“Slash!” A fierce claw slashed past Jarrod’s body, and instantly, half of Jarrod’s arm was ripped off as blood sprayed everywhere. The amethyst beast immediately raised its head and bellowed in excitement. “Roaaaaaaar!” At the same time, the amethyst beast bounded into the air, planning to seize the opportunity to kill Jarod.
Jarrod’s shattered left arm was rapidly regrowing.
“Motherfucker, how can this monster’s speed be so fast.” Jarrod was almost at the point of tears.
When Garlan saw this, without hesitating at all, she immediately scurried forward, and Jarrod also immediately moved at high speed towards Garlan. When the two of them joined forces, they were actually able to just barely keep themselves alive, but if they were to try and fight solo, if one of them were to die, the other would be unable to stay alive either.
“Garlan, what should we do? This monster is even capable of telling the difference between me and the doppelgangers that I created. Can it be that I’m going to have to sacrifice a divine clone?” Jarrod frantically sent a mental message.
“Unless all other choices are gone, don’t use that technique that will make you sacrifice a divine clone,” Garlan sent back.
Using the ‘Doppelganger’ technique in front of an amethyst beast was useless. The amethyst beast was actually able to tell the original body from amidst the hundreds of doppelgangers. This was simply inconceivable.
Thus, generally speaking, amethyst beasts were indeed very hard to deal with and very troublesome.
“Someone’s here!” Garlan and Jarrod instantly noticed from the corner of their eyes the nearby group of four. Linley’s group. Upon seeing Delia in particular, their eyes immediately lit up.
“It’s that Highgod Fiend named Delia!” Garlan and Jarrod were overjoyed. Not hesitating at all, they immediately flew at high speed towards Linley’s group. As they saw it, if a Highgod Fiend were to join forces with them, the situation would be much better.
“This Delia is actually still with those Gods. Those Gods are quite lucky to still be alive.” Garlan and Jarrod, while charging towards Linley’s group, couldn’t help but think this.
Garlan and Jarrod’s speed was inferior to that of the amethyst beast.
Thus, when running and fleeing, they naturally suffered one ‘caress’ after another from the sharp claws of the amethyst beast, causing Garlan and Jarrod’s bodies to be covered with bloodstains and wounds.
“What a pain,” Bebe muttered.
“Bebe, come, let’s shoo the amethyst beast away,” Linley sent.
Linley and Bebe almost simultaneously moved forward, quickly moving past Garlan and Jarrod’s forms, causing the two to be shocked. “Are these two Gods looking to die?” As they dodged past, they turned to look…
They saw a devilish purple sword shadow slash through the air and land on the amethyst beast’s horn, forcibly chopping through it! “Slash!” It chopped down into the amethyst beast’s tough skull, causing the amethyst beast such pain that it howled in agony.
At that same moment…
“Slash!” Bebe’s black dagger also forcibly rammed into the amethyst beast’s chest, carving out a large chunk of amethyst.
In great pain, the amethyst beast wildly clawed down with its two ferocious front claws towards Linley and Bebe’s heads, as though by reflex. It was as though it wanted to make Linley and Bebe’s heads explode. However, Linley and Bebe both immediately moved to dodge.
With two thudding sounds, the sharp claws still clawed down upon their shoulders.
Linley and Bebe’s bodies shuddered, and they were knocked backwards multiple meters.
The amethyst beast stared in astonishment towards Linley and Bebe with its big red eyes. Linley and Bebe actually hadn’t been wounded at all. The amethyst beast’s sharp claws hadn’t been able to leave behind any damage on Linley’s draconic scales or Bebe’s body.
The amethyst beast stared at Linley and Bebe in confusion. It actually let out a growl, then turned and immediately fled.
Garlan and Jarrod, these two Highgods, stared slackjawed at this scene. “The monster… fled?” They had never heard of an amethyst beast being forced to flee. When battling against amethyst beasts, it was always the Highgods who got the worst of it.
After all, how many people had bodies as tough as Linley and Bebe’s?
Garlan and Jarrod exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with amazement. They had never before held Gods in much consideration, but just now, these two Gods had actually forced that amethyst beast to flee.
“Thank you, the two of you, for helping us. The two of us definitely will not forget this kindness you showed us,” Garlan immediately said sincerely.
Bebe glanced at her sideways, muttering unhappily, “Helping you? You ran all the way over to us. If we didn’t do something, the amethyst beast would have started to attack us next.”
Garlan and Jarrod couldn’t help but let out awkward laughs.
When they had run over to Linley’s group, they had been hoping for Delia to assist them. After all, the amethyst beast would attack humans whenever they found them. By dragging others down with them, everyone would work together to face the threat. In this regard, they had indeed acted wrongly, and so Garlan and Jarrod naturally felt embarrassed.
“We were forced to do so and had no other options. I hope you won’t blame us,” Jarrod hurriedly said.
Jarrod and Garlan knew that in the Amethyst Mountains, Linley and Bebe would be of much greater use in the Amethyst Mountains than Highgods like themselves. Jarrod and Garlan, while speaking, also secretly inspected Linley and Bebe’s shoulders. They couldn’t help but feel astonished.
“These two actually took the attack of an amethyst beast head on without suffering any wounds? What sort of bodies do they have?!”
69
Juvenile Amethyst Beast
Although they were astonished, Jarrod and Garlan, in dread of the power of Linley’s group, behaved extremely properly.
“Hey, Garlan. You two should have been in these Amethyst Mountains for quite some time, right?” Bebe laughed as he asked. Garlan and Jarrod glanced at each other, their eyes revealing a look of resignation.
Garlan let out a sigh. “Right. We have been here a long, long time. At least a hundred million years.”
“Over a hundred million years?” Linley’s group was stunned.
A hundred million!
A simple phrase, but a truly extravagant figure. Linley was only in his second century, and was a very long distance off from a hundred million years.
Jarrod said sourly, “In the past, Garlan and I also encountered the ‘Fog Wave’ situation, and thus we were unwillingly brought into the Amethyst Mountains. That day, the amethyst beasts were also very excited. They killed many people, but the two of us were lucky enough to survive. Back then, I was a God, while Garlan was a Demigod… after so many years, Garlan and I have both reached the Highgod level. But because too much time has passed, the two of us couldn’t be bothered to calculate it exactly. However, the hundred million year mark passed long ago.”
Linley was shocked.
To grow from a Demigod to become a Highgod, for most people, an extremely
long period of time would be needed.
“Can it be that you don’t want to leave?” Linley looked at them as he spoke solemnly. “Or can it be that these Amethyst Mountains really are, as the legends have it, a place where one can only enter but not leave.”
When he had heard people speak of this at the edges of the Fog Sea, Linley had only half-believed it.
As Linley saw it, none of the amethyst harvesters had entered the Fog Sea. How could they know what the situation was for the people inside of it? Even though he himself had entered the Amethyst Mountains, Linley still clung to a few shreds of illusory hope.
He believed that he still had a chance to leave.
“Right. Once you come in, you cannot leave,” Jarrod said with great certainty.
“You really can’t leave?” Linley was stunned.
Was he to forever be trapped here?
The nearby Delia glanced at Linley, knowing that Linley wanted to go to the Indigo Prefecture and visit the elders of the Baruch clan. Delia immediately asked, “Jarrod, why are you so certain? The Amethyst Mountains are so enormous. There are definitely many people here. Not a single person has ever left?”
The brown-haired woman, Garlan, said consolingly, “I know you aren’t willing to accept this, but this is the truth.”
“First of all, the gravity in the Amethyst Mountains is very powerful,” Garlan said. “Generally, Highgods aren’t able to resist the gravity at all.”
Delia and Linley both nodded slightly.
Delia was a Highgod, but she was unable to resist this gravity. Although Linley’s body was tough, he still couldn’t resist the gravity and fly outside.
Garlan continued, “The Amethyst Mountains have existed for so long. Many of the people who entered this dangerous area early on have already reached extremely high levels of power, most likely comparable to Five Star Fiends, Six Star Fiends, or even more. There once was an exceedingly powerful Highgod who was actually able to resist the gravity and fly towards the outside.
Linley frowned.
“He was able to resist the gravity, but when he reached the area filled with those strange winds, he was affected and his head went dizzy. Although he was able to maintain his clarity, he stayed in mid-air for decades without being able to find a way out!” Garlan said.
Bebe said in astonishment, “Decades? In that area which made the mind go dizzy?”
“Right. However, that area is very bizarre. It isn’t just a simple confusion; even the soul is affected, and so there’s no way to fly out,” Garlan shook her head as she spoke.
Linley couldn’t help but feel his heart clench.
Even an expert who could resist the gravity couldn’t fly out. What could Linley do?
That Jarrod asked, puzzled, “Afterwards, it was quite strange. That expert abandoned leaving the Amethyst Mountains, but not long after that, he completely disappeared for no reason.”
“Disappeared for no reason?” Linley’s group of four was shocked.
Garlan nodded. “Right. Not just him. Afterwards, everyone who reached an exceedingly high level would suddenly disappear. Nobody knows if they died or fled, or if something else happened.” Garlan and Jarrod were very mystified as well.
Linley frowned. These experts who were at the Six Star Fiend or Seven Star Fiend level of power wanted to leave but had failed. There’s no way they could have left under their own power.
“Whether they died, left, or were controlled, there has to be some sort of mechanism here behind the scenes controlling everything,” Linley said to himself.
Linley stared at the Amethyst Mountains.
Linley kept on having this feeling that the Amethyst Mountains, in and of themselves, were very strange. ‘Soul essence’ was one of the most important components of a soul, but the Amethyst Mountains actually produced amethysts. This was inconceivable.
In addition, there was that white fog which perpetually covered the area, that strange wind sound, that astonishing gravity…
And also, that cave that occasionally suctioned in and occasionally blasted out!
All of these things made him uneasy.
“Garlan, Jarrod.” Bebe suddenly pointed towards the distant crevice. “Do you see that place that constantly blasts out amethysts? What’s going on with the cave in that crevice? Occasionally it blasts things out, and occasionally it stops, and then occasionally it starts swallowing things in. What is that about?”
“Don’t go to that place,” Garlan said hurriedly. “Those places are what we call ‘Demonic Amethyst Lairs’. In total, the entire Amethyst Mountains have 108 of these Demonic Amethyst Lairs.
“108 total?” Bebe stared. “This strange place actually has so many?”
Garlan said hurriedly, “Right. These Demonic Amethyst Lairs are the source for blasting out amethysts. They’ll normally blast out amethysts as well, only in fairly small numbers, unlike today where they blasted them out in extravagant numbers. Also, when the Demonic Amethyst Lairs stop blasting out, don’t be greedy and try to enter the crevice to snatch amethysts.”
“I know.” Bebe snorted. “I personally watched those four be swallowed into the cave. That poor Jenkin…” Bebe’s eyes were filled with a hint of sadness.
“Someone was swallowed in?” The nearby Jarrod let out a surprised sigh, then immediately said, “Those who were swallowed in were definitely newcomers who didn’t know these things. Of the three ‘blasting’, ‘resting’, and ‘swallowing’ stages of the Demonic Amethyst Lairs, the ‘blasting’ stage is the longest, the ‘resting’ stage is the shortest, while the ‘swallowing’ stage is in the middle. Not only is the ‘resting’ stage short, the length of each rest is different. There’s no pattern or regularity at all, and no one who knows how dangerous it is would dare to jump in.
Linley’s group of four nodded slightly.
They themselves had witnessed this. The ‘blasting’ stage was quite long, while the ‘resting’ stage was mere seconds.
“To harvest amethysts isn’t too hard. During the ‘resting’ stage, all you need to do is use an ‘Elemental Doppelganger’ or an ‘Elemental Hand’ in order to snatch some up.” Garlan laughed calmly.
Linley immediately understood.
Right. For example, the ‘Essence of the Earth’ could form a long hand to snatch some up. Even if the ‘swallowing’ stage suddenly began, there wouldn’t be much of a loss.
“Jenkin and those three… ugh.” Linley sighed in his heart. “But at that time, they didn’t know anything about these Demonic Amethyst Lairs. When they saw the blasting halt, they were overjoyed and went to collect amethysts.”
“Haha… actually, what’s the point of collecting amethysts?” Jarrod chuckled, shaking his head. “No matter how many amethysts you have, they are nothing but a waste of time, here in the Amethyst Mountains. None of us will go and do so… it isn’t as though we can exchange them for azurites and inkstones.”
Linley’s group was stunned.
“Right. If you can’t get out, what’s the point of having all those amethysts here in the Amethyst Mountains?” Olivier shook his head as well.
For experts like Linley and Olivier who weren’t content with normal lives and who liked to challenge powerful foes, having them forever stay in one place and never leave was an absolute torture.
“Whooooosh.” The faint sound of a blowing wind could be heard.
Linley’s group of four, along with Jarrod and Garlan were resting at a spot halfway up that very same mountain peak.
None of them knew where amethyst beasts might be located, so they figured they might as well stay and rest where they were.
Just as Linley’s group was chatting regarding the Amethyst Mountains, suddenly…
“Roaaaaar!” “Roaaaaar!”
“Aaaaah! Kill!”
A large number of bestial roars and battle sounds rang out, constantly echoing within the mountain forests. Upon hearing the roaring sounds, the faces of Linley’s group of six changed.
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br /> “Very many amethyst beasts!” Linley looked towards the origin of the sounds. Just from the sounds alone, Linley was certain that there were an extremely high number of amethyst beasts.
“There’s at least a few dozen of those amethyst beasts,” Jarrod said hurriedly. “We need to leave immediately.”
Linley instantly chose a direction. “We’ll go that way.” None of them wanted to encounter those amethyst beasts, and they immediately followed Linley at high speed. If two or three amethyst beasts came, Linley’s group could just barely fight them off when working together.
But if several dozen came…
They would definitely be finished. Even Linley and Bebe, when faced with the group attacks of those amethyst beasts, would be in peril.
“Hurry up,” Linley urged them, as the faint sound of furious roars could be heard from the white fog behind them.
“You are so slow.” Bebe immediately grabbed Olivier by the hand, and Olivier, borrowing Bebe’s strength, caught up.
“They really are fast!” Jarrod and Garlan were greatly shocked. The speed of Linley’s group wasn’t the slightest bit slower than the two of them, a pair of Highgods. Linley and Bebe in particular… when their powerful bodies exploded forth at maximum speed, they were actually slightly faster.
They ran the entire time. A long time later, the furious roars could no longer be heard behind them.
“Whew. We’re finally safe.” Bebe waved his hand, putting on his straw hat, crouching onto a nearby boulder. “Hey, let’s rest here. The amethyst beasts went in a different direction from us. They won’t be able to catch us.”
Linley and Delia sat down on one side as well, next to each other. Olivier casually found a place to stand.
Jarrod and Garlan had smiles appear on their faces. Garlan laughed, “Everyone, don’t be impatient. The Fog Wave will only last one day. That’s today. These amethyst beasts will just wildly run around. After today, the amethyst beasts will go back, and we will be able to live for countless years in peace.”
The Infernal Plane: Book 5 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Page 54
