Chapter 977: Shocking Change
A cool breeze blew over and rolled up Ou Yangming’s sleeves.
He rubbed his chin and the corners of his mouth curled upwards. “It’s really strange. The Big Ruins is really too big. It’s possible to encounter anything.”
“That’s right. This cursed world has buried secrets as endless as the bones it buried.” He Jian’s face was like an old tree bark as he squeezed his face together with great strength. A look of compassion could be seen.
Ou Yangming did not reply. He took a few instant steps and stepped onto the balcony. His aura was no different from the locals in the Big Ruins at the moment so no one paid any attention to him. Moreover, most of the cultivators on the balcony were focused on holding their breaths and refining the spiritual Qi in their dantian.
Furthermore, over the years, there had been quite a number of cultivators from the outside world who had entered the Big Ruins. There were actually many of them, hence the locals were already used to it.
Ou Yangming looked around and had a plan in mind. He thought to himself, ‘There are only 3 Advanced Spiritualists here, and only a few dozen Intermediate Spiritualists.’
At this moment, a female voice echoed in Ou Yangming’s ears. “Hmph, you’re overestimating yourselves. The last time you met Big Brother and me, we’ve already saved your lives. You actually dare to come and fight for good fortune!”
Ou Yangming frowned slightly and looked over. It was the young lady he had met before, but he did not take her to heart. She was a Rudimentary Spiritualist with a messy aura and was insignificant.
Seeing that Ou Yangming “did not dare” to reply, the disdain in her eyes intensified. The corners of her mouth curled up as she moved her beautiful eyes away and looked at the black fog that was gradually rolling.
Ke Yanshuo and Ke Xinyue stood side by side. There was a hint of displeasure in their eyes, but they did not say anything.
All of a sudden, the black fog began to roll like boiling water.
In the depths of the Black Fog Mountain, a huge spring was faintly discernible. It spewed out black fog that was over 33 meters tall, which rose in circles before falling from the sky.
At the same time, another 10 balconies that were over 33 meters in size appeared in the black fog!
1, 2, more and more… Finally, they formed 10 staircases that were formed by the balconies. They were like curving tendrils that extended into the depths of the black fog.
He Jian’s eyes lit up as he said, “Brother Yu, step on the terraces and enter the depths of the black fog. After jumping through the spring, you’ll be able to leave the Black Fog Mountain!” As he said that, he gently stroked his beard, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Ou Yangming saw him and asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know, but I just have a bad feeling.” He Jian’s face looked like a dead piece of bark.
They did not move but quietly watched!
Countless air-piercing sounds rang out, and lights of different colors soared into the sky.
“Get lost!” Ke Yanshuo swung his hand in the air. The wind from his palm was sharp and because it was too fast, it produced rolling thunder sounds that were frightening.
At the spur of the moment, a silver electric arc condensed out of thin air and like a horned dragon, it shot toward the Black Fog Corpses in front of it. Wherever it passed, the corpses turned into pieces of meat, falling into the black fog.
Following that, the man slapped his interspatial bag.
He took out the 3-meters-tall bow, lowered his back, and sat on his horse. The bowstring in his hand vibrated.
10 arrow feathers formed out of spiritual Qi and drew 10 blood-red arcs before shooting out.
This was a series of arrows. Each arrow was faster than the last. Under the stacking forces, they became heavier and bigger. Without any technique, this was pure strength that could defeat 10 moves.
Ke Xinyue’s body was agile and elegant, which made her look indescribably beautiful. She was like a warrior on the tip of a blade, walking among the Black Fog Corpses.
Ou Yangming shifted his gaze back and laughed self-deprecatingly, “No wonder she looked down on us. It turns out that she’s quite capable.”
“No matter how capable she is, can she compare to you, Brother Yu?” He Jian’s voice was calm, and he smiled lightly.
Ou Yangming was speechless. He smiled helplessly and did not know how to respond.
After observing for another 15 minutes and seeing that there was not the slightest change, He Jian touched his chin and said softly, “Brother Yu, I was probably overthinking. Let’s go quickly; If we don’t take this opportunity, we’ll have to wait for another 3 months. We can only go over by stepping on the balconies. After all, the black fog carries a strong corrosive aura. Those below Venerable Ones will die if they touch it. Besides, it’s odd that we can’t use spiritual power to fly in the sky.”
As soon as he finished, he took a step forward.
Every step could be seen clearly, but he was incredibly fast. This kind of contradictory yet unified feeling dazzled people’s eyes. If one looked at him a few more times, even one’s mind would be sucked in.
He Jian was only a top-grade Spiritualist but in terms of mental state cultivation, ordinary Venerable Ones might not be able to compete with him. After all, he had experienced too many ups and downs in his life and had seen too many human emotions.
Ou Yangming’s speed was not much slower than his. Ever since the last time he comprehended the path at Mount Return Sword…
There was a faint floating feeling in his mind. This was the precursor of him being able to fly with his physical body.
“Boom…” Following a loud sound, the Black Fog Mountain turned into a vortex formed by fog.
The pitch-black fog spun rapidly in one direction. Fine black electric arcs were produced in the vortex and interweaved into a net.
A powerful suction force was emitted from the vortex and stirred the void. If one really wanted to describe it, it was like a 3-kilometers-tall giant holding a mountain in his hand, constantly stirring up the fog on the Black Fog Mountain.
Many Spiritualists lowered their center of gravity and planted their feet on the balcony.
“Ah! I don’t want to die, who can save me!” A Rudimentary Spiritualist with a scar on his face held a balcony tightly with both hands, half of his body floating in the air. His clothes fluttered, his hair disheveled, and he was full of fear. He only lasted for 2 breaths before he was sucked into the vortex.
The moment he touched the black fog, a poisonous insect that was difficult to see with the naked eye flew out of the Black Fog.
It went through his pores, 7 apertures, and entered his body. If this was seen by someone with a phobia, one would get goosebumps. This was because there was no end to this poisonous insect.
After a breath, the cultivator with a scar on his face screamed as if he had just experienced the most painful thing in the world. His face twisted with malevolence.
Bright red vines crawled out of his pores, his mouth, his tongue, the top of his head, and even his eyeballs. In an instant, his body was covered in blood-red vines, but he was still alive. He was even more awake than he had ever been. The cultivator felt vines wriggling in his body. His blood vessels, meridians, and even his brain could not even self-destruct his dantian. He could only watch as he was ‘swallowed’ bit by bit.
Subsequently, flower buds bloomed from the vines.
The flower buds were flowing with brilliant colors, emitting brilliant light and carrying a faint fragrance.
Without warning, the flower buds fully bloomed and swayed with the wind. They were beautiful and enchanting, and the fragrance became very rich.
After seeing this, Ou Yangming felt goosebumps all over his body, and he felt a little fearful.
He looked behind him, and his heart thudded. He gave He Jian a look.
He Jian turned around, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
Finally, the life force of the cultivator with the scar on his face was dissipated.
The bewitching and beautiful flowers on his body quickly shattered, turning into blue halos that merged into the vortex like a dream.
Only a pile of withered bones was left from the cultivator. They were a little yellow as if they had died for decades. Then, they directly fell into the fog.
1, 2, 3…
More and more Rudimentary Spiritualists were sucked into the black fog, turning into a pile of withered bones.
As they were absorbed into the black fog, the fog became thicker as if it was drowning the balconies.
“This… What the hell is this thing?” A disciple of an aristocratic family wearing a grey long robe had a terrified expression. He felt his heart palpitate as he looked behind him. He could only feel his head buzzing, and he immediately screamed, “Where… Where are the balconies behind us?” His eyes were filled with madness. After all, the strange scene from before had scared him out of his wits. That kind of death was truly a fate worse than death.
It was only at this time everyone realized that the balconies behind them had disappeared.
In other words, they had no way out.
Panic quickly spread, and more cultivators were sucked into the whirlpool by the huge suction force.
Ou Yangming stabilized his body, and a bitter look appeared on his face. He asked, “Senior He, what… What’s going on?”
He Jian closed his eyes, and memories surfaced in his head like a tide. After a while, he looked up at Ou Yangming and shook his head. “Brother Yu, I’ve never heard of such a situation before!” His voice was indifferent, but there was a sense of fear in his heart. The young fellow felt his heart palpitate as if there was something fearsome in the black fog.
While Ou Yangming had expected this, he could not help but feel a little disappointed when he heard this answer. He kept thinking of ways to break free from the situation.
On the balcony at the front, 3 Advanced Spiritualists stood side by side. Their eyes were gloomy.
“Brother Xu, what should we do?” A man looked at the large cultivator beside him, who was holding a huge ax.
“Brother Wen, I don’t know either! I’ve come to the Black Fog Mountain to search for treasures dozens of times, but this is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation.” The man laughed bitterly. His huge ax was stuck onto the balcony so that he could resist the suction force from the vortex. His clothes and hair floated in the direction of the vortex, and his heart was filled with fear.
The vortex spun faster, and the explosive suction force became stronger as if it could pull a person’s soul into it.
“Forget it, I’ll die sooner or later, so I might as well take a gamble!” The Advanced Spiritualist next to the man roared, and madness appeared in his eyes.
As he finished, he fiercely bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a large mouthful of blood essence. His body expanded like a balloon and turned into a streak of blood light that shot out. However, just as he flew into the air, numerous green vines twined around him. In an instant, they surrounded him tightly and dragged him into the black fog. Not long after, a mournful scream came from the fog. An Advanced Spiritualist was dead.
All the cultivators who saw this had cold air coming out of their bone marrows and spread to the cells in their bodies. They were so frightened that their bodies began to tremble.