Chapter 797

"I have lived longer than Miss Ling Sha, and also experienced several battles. As for the Alliance, the Bu Li people have always been the most troublesome enemy. And Hu Lei is a monster that even the Bu Li people themselves fear. He, by his own power, united many hunting groups, gathered the great army of the Plentiful Aberrations, and repeatedly forced the Alliance's troops into perilous situations."

"More than seven hundred years ago, I followed my master into battle to exterminate the aberrations, and personally witnessed the grim state of the entire battlefield after that giant beast descended."

"Looking back on the past, Jing Yuan's tone was very solemn: 'Even after taking the pill that suppresses the wolf poison's fear, countless Yun Qi still, under his ferocious aura, panicked to the point of having no strength left to raise a hand in resistance… If it weren't for the former Sword Chief sealing Hu Lei's movements with a frost blade, the outcome would still be uncertain.'"

"At the end of that great battle, only a handful remained in the unit. 'Red moon shining, blood light flying'… All I saw before my eyes was nothing but a sea of crimson."

"Ling Sha asked curiously: 'If that's the case, why wasn't this evil beast executed after being subdued, but merely imprisoned? In Zhu Ming Xian Zhou, the judges cast the unforgivable, unkillable Plentiful Aberrations into the star's calamitous fire to be burned.'"

"The so-called 'undying' is merely a title. How could there truly be something undying and indestructible in the world? I don't know why Luofu would suppress this tumor for so long, leading to today's unmanageable situation."

——

Dragon clan.

Feng Mai Liu Li lightly stirred the coffee in his cup; although he was wearing a white shirt today and looked neat and tidy, for some reason Kai Sa always felt that his way of speaking had the feel of performing a play on stage.

"It seems our understanding of 'beauty' is not quite the same." Kai Sa raised his eyebrows, "However, Ling Sha makes sense: that Hell's Sword Tree, though it sounds terrifying, is still not as good as simply throwing the aberration into the star directly; moreover, whatever Zhu Ming Xian Zhou can do, Luofu can certainly do as well; if really necessary, handing Hu Lei over to Zhu Ming would also work—why must we keep him in the You Qiu Prison?"

"Perhaps they cannot be lumped together." Chu Zi Hang said, "In the history of the Dragon Clan, the Black King Nidehogg was once slain upon his throne, yet the prophecy says he will return after six eras."

"Perhaps they cannot be discussed as the same." Chu Zihang said, "In the history of the dragon clan, Hei Wang Ni De Huo Ge was once slain upon the throne, yet the prophecy says he will return after six eras."

So? Why did you suddenly bring up the Black King?

I'm afraid Lord Chu is suggesting that there is a commonality between the Black King Nidhogg and Hulrei? Fūma Ruriri smiled faintly, "Since the Black King can return after complete death, could Hulrei also descend again in a similar manner among the Step-Lost People after his physical demise?"

... That's actually a novel viewpoint. Caesar hadn't considered such a question before, but it piqued his interest: "Are you saying a resurrection method similar to reincarnation?"

Fūma Ruriri shook her head: "I don't know, but if Hulrei truly could revive in this way, then destroying his physical body would indeed be meaningless; the best course would be to nail him down in the Yōngū Prison."

——

""That's right, the Luofu people have always been kind-hearted; even regarding the tumor parasitic in Dan Ding Si, they are unwilling to cut out the flesh to cure the poison, instead sending the physicians who wish to save to the Zhuming Immortal Vessel.""

Ling Sha's words were laced with barbs, and everyone present could hear the resentment in her tone.

Jing Yuan's expression was utterly helpless: "It's clear that Miss Ling Sha bears a grudge against me. As for the secret transmission of the Medicine King, 'Dead Ashes Rekindled,' I bear full responsibility. As for why this monster Hulrei is only suppressed in prison… I can also explain a thing or two to you."

""I am merely a lowly medic, unaware of past events; I beg the general to point out and dispel my confusion.""

""Alright, then let's talk about it slowly along the way.""

The three continued forward, stopping after just a few steps beside the corpse of a Yunqi soldier.

""…Does this deceased Yunqi also have medicinal aura?" Dan Heng asked curiously."

Ling Sha pried open the Yunqi's armor, felt around for a moment, then slowly said: "No, this should be a Step-Lost Person. He hadn't had time to revert to his original form before being slain on the spot by the jailer."

""These Step-Lost People all wear official uniforms. Besides the Yunqi, there are two others presenting themselves as members of the Tianshi Si and Gong Zao Si. Whoever could arrange such disguises must be high-ranking and powerful… Let's go look elsewhere.""

On the other side of the clearing, a prisoner lay on the ground. The joy of newly gained freedom and the sudden bewilderment—these two expressions froze on his pallid face at the moment of death.

""Before he breathed his last, someone had bitten open his artery and sucked out a large amount of blood—truly a crude and brutal method…"

——

Re：Starting Life in Another World from Zero

""These Step-Lost People are no different from beasts.""

This made Subaru think of the beastmen of this world; judging by appearance alone, they are hardly different, but these Step-Lost People seem to retain the wildness of beasts while also possessing human wisdom.

Bichiri held her tea, frowning slightly in disgust—she seemed to dislike this overly bloody scene: "If these Step-Lost People are magical beasts created by the Gluttony Witch, then from the very day of their birth they would surely be hunted by the whole world."

""How could she create something that breaks the world's balance?" Pak flew onto Bichiri's shoulder, rubbing her hair with his tiny claws, "If these monsters truly appeared, it might instead foster a great union among the human kingdoms."

""Huh? What do you mean?" Emilia looked curiously at Pak.

""The best glue between humans is an enemy so formidable that even united they struggle to resist." Pak swayed his tail, "If Hulrei leads the Step-Lost People into this world, that would be an apocalyptic-level disaster; if the various city-states and nations of this world remain a loose sand, then they would only end up as livestock for the Step-Lost People."

——

""If they do not consume raw flesh, the Step-Lost People will suffer unbearable hunger and thirst; though they are a long-lived race, they are closer to predatory beasts. It is said that in the Yōngū Prison, Hulrei is forbidden food and drink… It's hard to imagine—having gone seven hundred years without eating or drinking, he must have suppressed his hunger for a long time. I don't know whether the Yaqing hostage he seized can escape this fate.""

Jing Yuan also rarely sighed: "This is the terror of the Abundance Monster. Subjecting him to the Sword Tree punishment, wearing down his vitality, the result is that his sentence has instead become a test of our patience."

""As Miss Ling Sha said, throwing an unkillable monster into a star is a one-shot solution. Unfortunately…"

""…Unfortunately, the fox people refuse." Ling Sha interjected.