Commercial streets differed from residential areas.
Here, shops were densely packed, and many houses had attics above. Besides the shop entrances, some also had back doors.
Thus, when Ye Cangtian slipped into these shops, the stone figures became utterly disorganized, scrambling about in the various establishments.
Wasn't this just like playing hide-and-seek?
Moreover, Ye Cangtian wasn't merely hiding; he would seize the opportunity when the stone figures were dispersed to suddenly emerge and ambush one.
After shattering a stone figure, seeing the others pursue, he wouldn't linger. Grabbing the dropped crystals, he continued to run.
Even with a stone figure squad leader possessing a semblance of intelligence among them, it seemed incapable of dealing with him!
In this manner, the ten stone figures that were initially pursuing him gradually became fewer and fewer.
In the end, only one stone figure squad leader, still wielding a stone saber, was chasing Ye Cangtian.
At this point, the stone figure squad leader surprisingly found the other party no longer running, which made it somewhat puzzled. The stone figure squad leader also had intelligence, though not comparable to humans.
Ye Cangtian sat on a stone stool, smoking, looking at the approaching figure and grinning, "Curious why I'm not running? Your subordinates are all dead, so your threat to me has lessened!"
The stone figure squad leader remained silent, or rather, it couldn't speak at all.
However, Ye Cangtian stood up, flicked away his cigarette butt, and in his other hand, he held a stone spear, appearing quite eager.
"Actually, I'm very curious why you squad leaders are different from other stone figures!"
This was indeed something that greatly intrigued him.
Stone figures, by all logic, should have no intelligence. Their ability to move and exhibit combat prowess, Ye Cangtian speculated, might be related to the crystals.
But this stone figure squad leader was different; it possessed thought, it had intelligence. Though not comparable to humans, it was a genuinely soulful entity.
Much like gorillas in a zoo, perhaps not as smart as humans, but they could think, get angry, and exhibit certain instinctive reactions.
This was the difference between ordinary stone figures and the stone figure squad leader before him!
Ye Cangtian seemed to be conversing with it, while the stone figure squad leader showed little reaction. It just instinctively, slowly, walked towards Ye Cangtian, its stone saber raised slightly.
"It seems I can only make discoveries by looking beyond your appearance!"
Ye Cangtian shook his head with a wry smile, gripping the spear and charging towards the opponent.
The battle was almost instantaneous!
The stone figure squad leader, wielding its stone saber, swung it towards Ye Cangtian's face.
Ye Cangtian, however, did not meet the stone saber head-on. He dodged sideways, and simultaneously thrust the stone spear in his hand towards the opponent's chest.
If it were an ordinary stone figure, this strike would have pierced it, and the crystal within its body might have easily fallen out.
But the stone figure squad leader knew how to dodge, sidestepping to evade the blow.
"Hahaha, you know how to dodge? How interesting!" Ye Cangtian's eyebrows shot up, becoming even more excited.
He truly wanted to know what good things would be dropped after shattering this stone figure squad leader.
Of course, what he valued most at this moment was the stone saber in the opponent's hand.
Despite multiple attacks, the stone saber remained intact. Only some stone fragments had fallen off, revealing a hint of its dark core.
Clearly, this long saber, which appeared to be made of stone, was in fact a true weapon, merely covered with a stone-like color!
Ye Cangtian, holding his spear, struck the stone figure squad leader's back.
The stone spear shattered with a bang, while the stone figure squad leader stumbled forward, but was not destroyed.
Strong physical resilience, basic reaction abilities, and cognitive abilities.
The strength of this stone figure squad leader was likely even greater than that of an ordinary Xuan-level expert from the Dark Association!
Ye Cangtian wasn't in a hurry. He dropped the broken spear and charged forward to engage in close combat.
He punched down.
Stone fragments fell from the stone figure squad leader's body, but it still counterattacked fiercely.
Ye Cangtian continued to punch, his speed increasing, and his strength growing.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The stone figure squad leader was repeatedly forced back by the blows, and a concave pit appeared on its chest.
Finally, as Ye Cangtian's last punch landed on its chest, a crystal much larger than ordinary crystals appeared, then dropped onto the ground.
Following this, the stone figure squad leader seemed to run out of energy, its body collapsing with a roar, turning into a pile of broken stones.
Ye Cangtian took a deep breath, looking at the pile of碎石, and murmured, "Perhaps you were truly a living being once, but I apologize!"
In fact, he could now guess some things. This stone figure squad leader, with its thought and intelligence, might have once been a person, transformed into a stone figure for some reason.
Even in its stone form, it still possessed the responsibility to guard the ruins and the city.
This was truly regrettable and awe-inspiring!
But Ye Cangtian had to kill it, for their positions were different.
He squatted down and picked up the crystal that had fallen on the ground. This crystal was much larger than ordinary ones, and its contained energy was more concentrated, even purer.
However, beyond this, there was nothing else.
This made Ye Cangtian somewhat puzzled. He had expected that with its intelligence, the stone figure squad leader might be different internally from ordinary stone figures, but he hadn't anticipated that only the crystal would be different.
"This saber seems like a good item!"
Ye Cangtian picked up the stone saber from the ground. Many of its stone fragments had fallen off, revealing the true color of the weapon. He examined it for a long time, then suddenly gripped the saber and struck it against the wall.
Then, the stone fragments detached, and a black metal weapon was revealed before his eyes.
"This weapon is much better than those nearly decayed arms from the blacksmith shop! Perhaps the stone coating acted as a protective layer, which is why the weapon remains sharp after so many years!"
Ye Cangtian exhaled lightly, then smiled, his luck proving to be good.
The entire commercial street had over a dozen stone figure patrol squads, meaning over a dozen stone figure squad leaders. With everyone fighting, most of them were probably already killed!
It was difficult for ordinary Xuan-level experts to kill a stone figure squad leader, and the same applied to the Purple Robed Bishops of the Light Hall. However, one must not forget the Earth-level experts from the Dark Association and the Red Robed Archbishop of the Light Hall.
These two formidable powerhouses, with their immense strength, would likely find it very easy to deal with such stone figure squad leaders!
Ye Cangtian walked out of the shop, carrying the long saber. The sounds of battle outside had gradually diminished, with only a few locations still experiencing combat.
He checked the direction, then paused.
"The Dragon Group is still fighting, it seems!" Ye Cangtian muttered, then headed in that direction.
Although the Dragon Group had many members and could handle some ordinary stone figures, if there was a stone figure squad leader there, it would be quite troublesome!
Upon arriving, Ye Cangtian saw the members of the Dragon Group jointly confronting six stone figures.
Zhang Liang, along with his squad members and Shangguan Yun, were engaging five of the stone figures, even Xu Shian had joined in, leaving the five stone figures with no room to retaliate.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mu Chenglong led four team members, fiercely attacking a stone figure squad leader.
Even though the stone figure squad leader was powerful, with Mu Chenglong injured, he still led his teammates in making the stone figure's rocks frequently fall off, proving his considerable strength.
"It seems I'm not needed," Ye Cangtian observed from the shadows for a moment, then put on his mask and turned to leave.