Chapter 157: Chapter 156: Monsters Die When They Are Killed

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!—

Wu Chen pushed the Spirit Swallow Plucking Leaf Step Body Technique to its absolute limit.

He covered a distance of ten zhang in an instant.

At such a breakneck speed, the fierce wind tore violently at his clothes, causing them to flap and rustle loudly.

Gazing at the wisps of gray fog spreading out in every direction for an unknown distance, Wu Chen’s brow furrowed into a knot.

’He truly hadn’t expected that the gray fog he’d been anticipating for days wouldn’t appear somewhere else, but would instead materialize right under his very feet.’

It had caught him completely off guard.

He had planned to use the men from the Blood Slaughter Sect to scout ahead, advancing into the gray fog bit by bit. This sudden assault had inevitably left him a little flustered.

But now that it had come to this, Wu Chen didn’t feel particularly afraid.

After all, he had the strength to back it up.

His greater concern now was for Xue Hongling, who was only at the Mid Stage of the Meridian Passage Realm. If he couldn’t get her out of the fog in time, he feared that a single moment of carelessness on his part would lead to her death.

"Put me down! You go on your own!" Xue Hongling’s icy voice rang out for the second time, as she too recognized the urgency of the situation.

One didn’t need to look closely to see it. In the time they had been running, the gray fog under the moonlight had already surged up from the ground, covering their feet and rising to Wu Chen’s thighs.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the gray fog completely enveloped them both.

Seeing that Wu Chen still had no intention of letting go, Xue Hongling could only force herself to speak as calmly as possible.

"Rather than neither of us making it out, it’s better for you to escape alone first. I’ll only slow you down."

She thought these calm and rational words would at least be enough to persuade Wu Chen.

However, Wu Chen had no intention of letting go or even acknowledging her. He simply picked a direction and charged straight ahead.

Seeing Wu Chen’s stubbornness, Xue Hongling, who refused to be a burden, grew annoyed.

"I said let me go!"

As she spoke, the six meridians in her body began to hum as she prepared to forcibly break free from Wu Chen’s grasp.

SLAP!

But as the crisp sound echoed, Xue Hongling, who had just begun to struggle, felt the force on her rear and cried out, her body instantly recoiling into Wu Chen’s arms.

The power gathering in her six taut meridians was completely dispersed by his slap, leaving Xue Hongling to lie limply in his arms.

"You... you’re infuriating!" Xue Hongling gritted her teeth, her cheeks flushing slightly as she felt the lingering warmth where he had struck her.

"If you want to talk, then talk."

Wu Chen said coldly, "Why are you squirming around?!"

’Don’t you know I’m practicing abstinence to conserve my strength?!’

He kept his eyes fixed ahead, but feeling the delicate body in his arms tremble, he laughed. "You’re clearly scared to death, your body won’t stop shaking, yet you’re still talking so tough?"

As far as he was concerned, carrying someone while escaping made little difference.

If the two of them couldn’t make it out, then one person certainly wouldn’t be able to either.

"I lied to you before."

Xue Hongling’s voice grew much quieter.

"I have a Blood Palace Seal on me. Once I enter the Blood Palace, I will completely become a demonic creature. I’ll have no control over myself—killing, plundering, everything will be out of my hands."

"The next time we meet, we will be foes, not friends."

"If I were to die in this fog, perhaps it would be a fitting end for me."

"..."

Hearing this, the corner of Wu Chen’s mouth twitched. "Heh, so playing tough didn’t work, and now you’re playing the sympathy card on me, is that it?"

"I’m telling the truth this time."

Xue Hongling shook her head. "Besides, you don’t understand the methods of the Blood Palace. If you run into their people in the future, you must stay far, far away, or else—Ah!"

SLAP!

Wu Chen had slapped her again. The potent force made Xue Hongling’s body go numb, and after a short cry, she was unable to speak.

He laughed. "It’s just a Blood Palace Seal, right? I’ll take care of it for you soon enough."

Xue Hongling was unable to move and could only glare daggers at Wu Chen.

’The Blood Palace Seal is a technique from the Blood Coagulation Realm. How could a mere Organ Refining Realm cultivator like you possibly get rid of it?’

’Besides, this secret realm closes in two months. Once we’re outside, the sect Elders will use the seal to track me down. Maybe you can handle an Elder...’

’...but what if it’s an emissary from the Blood Palace who comes?’

’Even if you could take me to the four major sects, you would only end up bringing a world-ending disaster upon them!’

Xue Hongling wanted to give this stubborn guy a piece of her mind.

Unfortunately, with that immense power still rampaging endlessly through her body, she couldn’t speak a word. She could only grit her teeth and endure it in silence.

However, in that brief instant, darkness fell before their eyes.

The gray fog surged upward, instantly swallowing them both.

It wasn’t completely dark within the fog; rather, it was a hazy gray expanse. Visibility was limited to a single zhang, and as they sped through, it seemed as though they were surrounded by flitting, ghostly shadows.

Furthermore, it was impossible to get one’s bearings, as if they had been instantly transported to another world, their senses completely cut off.

Wu Chen glanced down at the woman in his arms.

Even through the hazy fog, he could still feel her glaring fixedly at him, which put him somewhat at ease.

But the surrounding fog was simply too thick. After a few more dashes, Wu Chen began to suspect he had lost his way and was just running in circles.

He figured the fog had only just risen over their heads. Tightening his arms around the woman, he used his forward momentum, bent his knees, and leaped forcefully into the air.

BOOM!

The leap carried him at least three zhang high. He had hoped to break through the fog and glimpse the world outside to get his bearings, preventing him from running in circles indefinitely.

But even as he reached the apex of his jump, all he could see was still the same endless, hazy gray fog.

"Are we... completely sealed off?"

Wu Chen landed without losing speed and continued to charge straight ahead. An answer had already begun to form in his mind.

Moreover, he could feel that as he progressed, the ground beneath his feet was no longer soft earth, but was becoming increasingly hard.

Like a floor paved with stone slabs.

Wu Chen raised an eyebrow. ’A floor paved with stone slabs?’

’He had traveled to many places within this secret realm, but he had never seen any traces of man-made construction!’

’This was the first time he’d ever seen a stone floor.’

’Looks like this is the location of those collapsed ruins.’

’But for now, I need to be more wary of the dangers lurking in this fog!’

Wu Chen didn’t let this confirmation go to his head. Instead, he raised his guard completely, intensely monitoring every stir around him.

SWOOSH!

Just as Wu Chen had run for another dozen breaths of time, in the blink of an eye—

A vicious slash cut through the air, aimed straight for his neck.

The fog was too thick for Wu Chen to see his ambusher, but he could sense that the attack was incredibly powerful—strong enough to shatter stone and steel with ease.

He shifted his left hand to hold Xue Hongling up by her waist, freeing his right hand to smoothly draw the saber at his hip and slash toward the heart of the attack.

CLANG!

The two forces collided in an instant. A crisp clang echoed out, accompanied by a dazzling shower of sparks that briefly illuminated the gray fog.

’So hard!’

The immense force that rebounded up his blade forced Wu Chen back two steps. He felt his palm go slightly numb, a profound shock filling his heart.

’This was the first time he’d ever been bested in a contest of pure strength!’

His expression grew grave as he stared into the depths of the fog.

"GRROOOAN!"

A pained roar came from the fog.

Apparently, the being in the fog had also suffered greatly in that exchange and hadn’t retreated unscathed.

Hearing its pained roars, Wu Chen’s eyes suddenly lit up.

’It can be injured?’

’Then it can be killed!’

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