Chapter 866
Let's turn back the clock a little. The High Priestess of the Fire God Cult had infiltrated Golden Wall City with dozens of her priests. Her objective was to use the power of an ancient civilization to carry out an unprecedented slaughter, a massacre targeting Shen Lang and the five thousand Amazonian warriors.
The High Priestess of the Fire God Cult did not go near the Amazonian camp, instead arriving at the summit of a mountain not far from it. Presently, she took out a cage containing a most peculiar bird. The feathers covering its body were the color of flames, making it look as if it were wreathed in fire. The bird's eyes even radiated a look of wisdom. The High Priestess of the Fire God Cult held the firebird in her palm, murmured a few quiet words, then pointed toward the Amazonian camp several miles away.
"Do you understand? Lead the messengers of death to that garrison. Understood?"
After the High Priestess of the Fire God Cult finished speaking, she opened her palm and sent the bird soaring into the sky. Yet, the bird did not fly away immediately but hovered in the air.
"Bring it!"
At the High Priestess's command, two priests walked over carrying a large box. The priests were all dressed in extremely strange attire that covered them from head to toe without a single gap, including their eyes.
"You may go."
The dozens of priests quickly departed. The High Priestess of the Fire God Cult opened the box. It was as if she were opening Pandora's box. As soon as it was opened, countless Hellfire Insects flew out of the box in a rush, like a dark cloud.
"Go, go!"
The High Priestess of the Fire God Cult gestured, and the flame-colored firebird flew toward the garrison of Shen Lang and the Amazonian army. The countless Hellfire Insects followed behind the firebird like a black shadow, flying toward the Amazonian army's garrison. The Hellfire Insects were a product of an ancient civilization. They were so small they could penetrate any crevice, so no armor could stop them. Besides, the Amazonian warriors didn't wear armor in the first place. Their small size also made them nearly invincible. They couldn't be slaughtered, nor could they be swatted to death. When she had demonstrated the Hellfire Insects before Duke Diphas, a hundred of them had killed over ten people; this time, the High Priestess of the Fire God Cult had released hundreds of thousands.
"What a waste. For the strongest army in the Western world to be reduced to ashes. But that, too, is a most perfect thing. Only an army this strong is a worthy sacrifice for the great Flame Emperor, a worthy stepping stone for the Fire God Cult. Farewell, Amazonian legion!"
***
Inside the Amazonian legion's garrison.
Shen Lang was not asleep, waiting for news of the surprise attack. The five thousand Amazonian warriors who remained in the garrison, aside from those on patrol, had their eyes closed, gathering their focus. The entire garrison was silent. Unable to bear it any longer, Shen Lang climbed a temporary watchtower, hoping to see inside Golden Wall City. He wondered if Princess Dora's operation to capture the enemy general was proceeding smoothly. This operation was excessively risky, but only by capturing Diphas could they claim true victory in this battle.
Just then, Shen Lang suddenly noticed a streak of light approaching from the sky.
*What is that? Has the hot air balloon returned? That's impossible.*
As the light drew nearer, Shen Lang observed it closely and realized that something like a bird was flying right into his garrison. It was a bird of a brilliant color, looking like a ball of fire. But why did he feel so uneasy, as if facing a fatal disaster? What deadly threat could this single bird pose?
The moment Shen Lang saw the firebird, he immediately thought of the Fire God Cult. He quickly shifted his vision, scanning the air in X-ray mode. And then, he witnessed a hair-raising scene.
To the naked eye, nothing was visible. But in his X-ray vision, a mass of strange things was flying through the sky, chasing the firebird. They emitted a blindingly intense light, surging forward like a raging wave. Their numbers were in the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, too many to count. The mass, like a cloud of annihilation, was swooping down toward the Amazonian garrison behind the firebird. His blood running cold, Shen Lang shouted in a furious voice.
"Run! Everyone, run! Run west as fast as you can! Find the nearest pond and submerge yourselves in the water!"
The Amazonian warriors obeyed orders absolutely. Upon hearing Shen Lang's command, they didn't say a word, their eyes widening as they immediately mounted their horses and galloped madly to the west. But not all of them fled; several hundred of them rushed swiftly toward Shen Lang. They intended to protect him and leave together.
But just then, Shen Lang witnessed an utterly bizarre scene. The swarm of insects in the air, like a black shadow, suddenly lit up like countless fireflies. They were much smaller than fireflies, however.
*Buzz.*
Dozens of the flame-like insects burrowed into an Amazonian warhorse.
"Hee-hee-hing!"
The massive Amazonian warhorse leaped desperately and began to run wildly. At the same time, clumps of green flame erupted from within its body. First, flames burst from its eyes, then from its entire body. The wildly running warhorse was instantly engulfed in flames and soon turned to ash.
Shen Lang was so shocked by the sight that he froze completely.
*What are these things, so bizarre and terrifying? Some secret weapon of the Fire God Cult? This is no different from hellfire.*
Before the shocked Shen Lang could properly collect himself, a heart-wrenching scene unfolded before him. Hundreds of Amazonian warriors were desperately rushing to protect him, and countless Hellfire Insects began to burrow into their bodies one after another. The Amazonian warriors struggled desperately, trying to cut them away. But it was completely useless. Before his very eyes, they burst into flames one by one, turning to ash.
"No, no!"
Shen Lang cried out in a hoarse voice. He had to watch as the Amazonian legion charged madly toward the countless Hellfire Insects. A gust of wind blew, making them fly even faster. It seemed they would soon catch up to the entire Amazonian legion and annihilate his powerful army. At this rate, these noble and powerful warriors would all be reduced to ash.
"Aaaargh!"
Shen Lang screamed like a madman, drew his sword, and slashed his own arms and chest. Gushing crimson blood, he shouted at the Hellfire Insects and the Hellfire Bird in the sky.
"Come! Come to me! My blood is more delicious, so come this way!"
Presently, the approaching Hellfire Bird stopped, circling in the air as it stared at Shen Lang. The countless Hellfire Insects also stopped with it. The very next moment, the Hellfire Bird flew forcefully toward Shen Lang, and the hundreds of thousands of Hellfire Insects following it also flew toward Shen Lang like a black shadow, like a dense fog. In the blink of an eye, they swarmed before him. The Hellfire Bird faced Shen Lang, staring at him. Its eyes truly seemed to hold wisdom. Covered in crimson blood, Shen Lang smiled at the bird and said.
"Hello."
*Buzz, buzz, buzz.*
Hundreds of thousands of Hellfire Insects began to circle in the sky, surrounding Shen Lang's body layer by layer. Then, they all lit up like fireflies, shimmering with a green light. The sight was utterly bizarre, yet also beautiful. Hundreds of thousands of Hellfire Insects in the dark sky transformed into a fierce green fire, burning brightly.
"Annihilation..."
The Hellfire Bird opened its mouth like a mynah bird and spoke two words. Shen Lang couldn't hear exactly what the bird said, but he could guess it had spoken the two words for "annihilation." As the Hellfire Bird gave the command, hundreds of thousands of Hellfire Insects forcefully burrowed into Shen Lang's body, injecting all of the strange substance within them into his blood vessels.
"Aaaargh!"
Shen Lang let out a wretched scream. It was truly an unbearable, agonizing pain. Isn't a normal injection painful? Right now, it felt as if tens of thousands of nurses were injecting him, pumping some unknown substance into his body. Soon, Shen Lang's body became completely transparent, emitting a strange green light. Hundreds of thousands of Hellfire Insects completely covered his body, not leaving even a finger's width of space.
"Aaaargh! No, no...!"
The Amazonian warriors let out desperate screams. They were utterly terrified. It had all happened so suddenly, so quickly, but they knew their lord had voluntarily sacrificed himself to save them, drawing the countless strange fire insects to burrow into his body.
A few dozen Hellfire Insects could easily kill a strong Amazonian warrior. But now, hundreds of thousands of Hellfire Insects had all burrowed into their lord Shen Lang's body; he would undoubtedly die. There was not the slightest chance of survival; he would be turned to ash in an instant.
"No, no..."
Thousands of Amazonian warriors watched with despairing eyes as their lord, Shen Lang, stood on the watchtower, his body, consumed by insects, glowing with a green light. They instinctively prepared to follow him in death. It was their duty to protect their lord, yet their lord had died to protect them. What right did they have to live in this world? The moment their lord was reduced to ash and died, they would all take their own lives.
But Shen Lang's body did not burst into flames like the others, and the strange light soon dissipated. Then, his body suddenly fell from the watchtower. After a moment of stunned silence, an Amazonian warrior rushed forward at high speed and caught the falling Shen Lang.
***
How much time had passed?
Shen Lang quietly awoke and looked around in a daze. He was still in the garrison.
"My lord, you're awake!"
General Quinine was overjoyed. Shen Lang immediately sat up straight and held out his hands, observing them closely for any changes.
"A mirror?"
When Shen Lang asked, General Quinine brought him one, and Shen Lang hurriedly looked at his reflection. It was still the same incomparably handsome face. Other than being a little pale from the blood loss, there were no changes.
"How long was I unconscious?"
To Shen Lang's question, General Quinine replied.
"Ten hours."
"Did I show any strange symptoms while I was out?"
General Quinine shook her head.
"Not even the slightest unusual symptom?"
"Does you touching my chest and other places while you were unconscious count as an unusual symptom?"
*Ugh? Th-that doesn't count. That's a normal reaction.*
Shen Lang was puzzled. Those insects possessed a terrifying power; just a dozen were enough to kill an Amazonian warrior. Shen Lang guessed they were creatures from an ancient civilization. They were extremely, extremely small, more than ten times smaller than a mosquito, and when they attached to the body, they burrowed under the skin and injected a terrifying substance into the bloodstream. That substance would, in the shortest time, turn the blood into a strange dye, and immediately after, green flames would erupt from within the body, instantly incinerating a person. So last night, hadn't hundreds of thousands of ancient fire insects injected a strange substance into his blood? He didn't know what kind of strange and mystical substance it was, but hadn't at least a few pounds of it entered his body? So why had nothing happened?
Right now, there were no discernible changes in Shen Lang's body. What happened yesterday was like injecting several kilograms of a deadly poison with a lethal dose of 0.1 milligrams into his body, yet Shen Lang was completely fine.
*Damn, is my blood that potent? Not only can it poison all the venomous creatures of Infallible Mountain to death, but it can also kill the ancient fire insects of the Fire God Cult?*
Shen Lang held out his hand and said.
"Quinine, prick my finger and draw a little blood. But don't make it hurt... Ouch!"
*Quinine, aren't you a little too fast? Are you getting revenge for me touching you last night?*
Before Shen Lang could finish his sentence, Quinine had cut his finger with a single stroke, letting the blood drip into a small bowl. Shen Lang examined his blood closely, but it seemed unchanged. It didn't have a green tint like the Hellfire Insects.
"Light a match and see if my blood burns."
Suspicious, he even tried to burn his blood, but it turned out to be his overactive imagination. His blood, of course, would not burn.
*This is too strange. Hundreds of thousands of ancient fire insects injected a strange substance, so how can there be no change in my blood?*