Chapter 50: The Slide (Extra Chapter for Reaching Ninth Place on the Contract Rankings)

In the City of Gold, Liu Zhi was carrying out his daily patrol, inspecting the various murals in the eastern district. He knew well enough that enemies were only temporary, whereas knowledge gained was his to keep. Thus, he treated his studies and exploration each day with utmost seriousness.

At this moment, he had only three golden skeletons and the soul-wraith naga by his side; the rest of his forces were guarding the valley entrances to prevent any surprise attacks from enemies. Walking over a section of ruined ground in the eastern district, Liu Zhi personally moved aside a massive stone, uncovering a portion of a stone wall buried in the mud. He carefully examined the carvings and murals upon it.

The mural was fascinating—it seemed to depict an Inca burial sacrifice. The corpses were adorned in gold, bundled up, and tossed into the lake, followed by a cascade of golden vessels being poured in from boats, as if these wealthy locals had gold to burn—so much so that one might wish to die in this era just to witness such extravagance.

Suddenly, Liu Zhi felt a chill at his back, as if something was amiss nearby. He had always trusted his instincts, so he drew his makeshift wooden sword and turned toward the direction from which the feeling emanated.

His sword was no mere combination of wood and obsidian; ever since he had acquired his skeletal goldsmith, his wooden blade had become a plank sheathed in gold leaf. Still, Liu Zhi was a master of the "Indigo Wind-Chasing Sword Art," whose greatest feature was the ability to gather wind blades along its edge. Thus, he had no concern that this splendid sword would be ineffective.

As soon as he drew his sword, the three golden skeletons closed in protectively around him, and the soul-wraith naga also drew her own blade, casting her gaze warily about. Once he felt assured of his safety, Liu Zhi noticed not far away two rather peculiar trees.

These trees were of a very special species, seemingly not wild but intentionally planted here in the past. Over the years, their crowns had intertwined, unbroken by storm or wind. Liu Zhi had passed this spot many times before, always feeling the trees simply stood as guardians before some gate of the eastern district, never giving them much thought.

But this time was different. He could clearly sense a unique power emanating from the space between the two trees.

Suddenly, a green light appeared between them. Amid a flurry of leaves, a glowing green orb slowly materialized, and behind it, Liu Zhi could see a slide made from vines and foliage.

“What in the world is this?” Liu Zhi exclaimed.

At that moment, something dropped from the top of the slide. Looking closely, Liu Zhi saw they were native warriors clad in leather armor and armed with weapons. Unaccustomed to descending from above on the slide, they tumbled down in a chaotic heap, colliding with one another.

Liu Zhi wasted no time—reaching back with his left hand, the staff of death fell into his grip. He focused his mind on the space between the trees, and a bolt of lightning shot from the thunder coral atop the staff, blasting three of the native warriors aside.

The warriors already on the ground finally realized what was happening, shouting, “It’s the demon! The demon has really been released!”

“Attack—kill them!” Liu Zhi shouted as he charged with sword and staff at the ready, signaling his undead forces by the valley entrance to reinforce immediately.

On his command, the soul-wraith naga surged forward, plunging into the crowd. Her talent for swordsmanship far exceeded Liu Zhi’s; as she charged, blue wind blades gathered upon her sword and dagger.

In this regard, she had surpassed Liu Zhi by a wide margin. Rather than hurling the wind blades, she used their power at the tip of her sword, twisting her body at the center of the melee.

She spun like a top, her four blades flashing up and down, slicing several native warriors trying to rise into pieces in an instant. After this devastating attack, she pounced on the stunned warriors, hoping to cut down a few more while they were still dazed.

She could tell their enemy had deployed a sizable force; even if she stood still and let them attack, it would take time to kill them all. Besides, these native warriors were formidable—right now, they were only stunned by the suddenness of her assault. Once they regrouped, they would not be so easily slain.

By now, Liu Zhi had also thrown himself into the thick of battle. Unlike those mages who hid at the back, he preferred to charge into the fray with his sword. Besides, he had little magic left—most of his power was consumed by the Underworld Palace and the undead he commanded.

After releasing a single bolt of lightning, he casually tossed the staff of death behind him and drew his sword to engage the enemy at close quarters.

During the melee, Liu Zhi found himself somewhat awkward. Though the staff could float behind him and did not hinder his movement, it still occupied one of his hands. He was forced to choose between sword in his right hand and his left hand empty, or staff in his right and shield or some other item in his left.

This was rather inconvenient; sometimes he wanted to wield his sword two-handed, but it seemed his left hand could never fully join his right on the hilt. Thus, the forceful, cleaving sword techniques were forever beyond his reach—he could only rely on the agile, nimble style.

Fortunately, of the three sword arts he had learned, most followed this agile path; otherwise, Liu Zhi would have been at a complete loss.

At this moment, he faced two native warriors alone. His gold-sheathed sword danced up and down, the wind blade at its tip slicing through their weapons, breaking them apart.

Meanwhile, more native warriors arrived, forming a defensive formation to protect their comrades as they landed, aside from the ten-odd men slain by the soul-wraith naga at the outset.

Taking advantage of the lull, Liu Zhi observed the warriors—some bore the traditional trappings of the Inca, Maya, or Aztec, while others displayed the styles of more recent eras.

What drew Liu Zhi’s attention most was a man at the rear of the formation, clad from head to toe in eagle feathers.