Chapter 104: The Monster

Yin Tianfang walked cautiously in the direction from which the sound had come. Before long, the mist ahead began to churn, and a figure struggled to break through it.

The man’s hair was disheveled, his robes were in tatters and soaked in blood, and his eyes were filled with terror. It was as if something behind him was holding him back.

"Save me!" he cried out, his eyes pleading as he looked at Yin Tianfang. No sooner had the words left his lips than his body was dragged back into the thick fog and vanished. A moment later, the sound of chewing echoed through the air, and Yin Tianfang felt a chill run down his spine.

He stood frozen, his entire body icy. He recognized the man—it was the very elder who had been hunting him. A powerhouse at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he had been devoured alive by some unknown entity.

Yin Tianfang retreated without hesitation. He dared not approach; if that mysterious thing set its sights on him, he would be in grave danger. If even a master of the Great Perfection could be eaten alive, he, being only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, would surely perish if he crossed its path. He had originally entered this foggy region to escape the elder, but now that the elder was dead, there was no reason for him to remain.

Surrounded by the dense mist, Yin Tianfang scanned his surroundings, but he could no longer discern the direction from which he had arrived. Choosing a direction at random, he moved forward in a straight line, stepping with extreme care.

Several hours passed, and though he encountered nothing else strange along the way, Yin Tianfang’s brow began to furrow. With a flick of his will, he moved like the wind, darting forward.

His pace quickened until he reached his maximum speed. Moving at such a velocity in this unknown place was incredibly dangerous, but Yin Tianfang could no longer afford to be cautious. He had traveled for several dozen miles in a straight line, yet he had failed to emerge from the mist. His heart grew heavy. Was it impossible to leave once one had entered this region?

The fog swallowed his divine sense, forcing him to rely solely on his eyes. If this continued, would he be trapped here until he died? He decided to take the risk and push forward at top speed, though he remained on high alert. After all, he had previously glimpsed figures in the fog and had been attacked by a blade of energy.

After flying for another hour, Yin Tianfang’s expression grew grave. He stopped and scanned his surroundings, his gaze suddenly fixing on the ground nearby. There lay a pool of blood, fragments of torn clothing, and blood-stained bones scattered across the earth.

Yin Tianfang felt his scalp tingle. This must be where the elder had died. He had been traveling for so long, yet he had circled right back to the start. It was as if some invisible force was compelling him to move in circles.

"I refuse to believe I cannot get out of here!" Forcing down his anxiety, Yin Tianfang turned and shot into the air, transforming into a streak of light as he sped away.

His speed reached its limit, covering several miles in an instant. After flying for two more hours, he landed and looked around, his body stiffening. He had returned to the exact same spot!

The sight of those ghastly, sun-bleached bones was shocking. Despite flying for so long, he was back at the starting point. It seemed he truly could not escape this mist-shrouded region.

"This fog..." Looking at the surrounding haze, Yin Tianfang was reminded of the Fog Forest, which was also perpetually shrouded in mist. While the mist there hindered divine sense, it did not swallow it whole like this, as if sinking into an abyss.

"Could there be a connection between these two places?" he wondered. Just then, a dense sound of footsteps reached his ears.

Figures began to emerge faintly from the fog, walking toward him. Yin Tianfang’s face paled, and as he looked around, he felt as though he had fallen into a frozen cellar. He was surrounded.

Countless figures stopped a short distance away, standing silently like statues. It was both eerie and terrifying. These figures had not been there before; they had only appeared in his field of vision after the sound of footsteps began.

Yin Tianfang took a deep breath. He let his spiritual power flow through his limbs and bones, gradually raising his aura to its peak.

Suddenly, the black silhouettes standing around him parted to create a path. With steady, slow footsteps, a figure emerged from the fog behind them.

Yin Tianfang’s pupils contracted sharply. He had seen this figure before; he had thought it a hallucination, but it was real. The figure held a long blade, stepping forward.

Yin Tianfang could clearly feel a gaze fixed upon him. Silently, the figure raised its long blade and let it fall.

In an instant, the mist surged, and the statue-like figures began to move, swarming toward Yin Tianfang.

"Boom!" With a wave of his sleeve, he invoked a gravitational technique, manifesting an invisible hand that parted the mist and slammed into the approaching figures.

A thunderous roar erupted. The figures, as if incapable of dodging, were struck by the force of the palm. A shockwave rippled out, sending them flying backward, their bodies turning to ash while still in mid-air.

With another flick of his hand, a long sword appeared in his grip. As spiritual power surged into the blade, brilliant light erupted, and countless sword auras shot out, overwhelming the shadows like a torrential rain.

At the same time, white lotus flowers bloomed in the void, rotating slowly in the air—beautiful, yet filled with the intent to kill.

He cast a spell, and the lotus petals drifted down like a rain of flowers. Wherever a petal touched a shadow, it exploded into countless sword auras, shredding the figures into pieces.

"Not living beings?" Yin Tianfang narrowed his eyes as he watched the figures turn to ash. He felt not a flicker of life from them, and once they were heavily damaged, they simply disintegrated.

Though these strange things were numerous, their combat prowess was not high. Yet, Yin Tianfang did not lower his guard. If they were truly this simple, how had the Great Perfection powerhouse died such a miserable death, his flesh and blood devoured completely?

"Roar!" A heaven-shaking roar suddenly erupted, the terrifying sound waves echoing through the void and causing the surrounding mist to churn violently. Several mountain-like figures slowly emerged into Yin Tianfang's sight.