Chapter 154 - 153: I’ll Just Rub on the Outside, I Won’t Go In
Chapter 154: Chapter 153: I’ll Just Rub on the Outside, I Won’t Go In
"The Gray Fog?"
Wu Chen mulled over the term. He recalled that neither the Blood Slaughter Sect’s map nor the one Pang Lei had just given him contained any information about it.
"It’s actually pretty simple to explain, not much of a secret."
Pang Lei didn’t hold back and explained it all in one go.
"It’s just a vast expanse of mist."
"But this mist is very strange. It doesn’t stay in one place; it appears randomly within a certain area."
"Appears randomly?" Wu Chen now understood why it wasn’t recorded on the map—it was impossible to record.
"That’s right, it appears randomly."
A trace of resignation appeared on Pang Lei’s face. Clearly, this Gray Fog was nothing good.
He then said:
"But while we say it appears randomly, records show there are some patterns to be found."
"Ever since the exploration of this secret realm began and the Gray Fog was first recorded, it has only ever appeared on the side belonging to our few sects. We’ve never heard of it appearing in the territory of the Blood Slaughter Sect."
Wu Chen nodded, listening carefully for every useful clue and detail about this Gray Fog.
Seeing how attentively he was listening, Pang Lei had no choice but to continue on the topic.
"The Gray Fog will randomly appear in some area on our side."
"Its appearance has distinct characteristics. Wisps of gray earth-qi will rise from the ground, accompanied by terrifying roars."
"As soon as this omen appears, you must leave as quickly as possible."
"Otherwise, in less than an hour, it will form a dense fog that completely covers an area of seventy to eighty li."
"If you haven’t managed to get out by then, it’s certain death."
Wu Chen nodded, not thinking Pang Lei was exaggerating.
After all, for Pang Lei to be able to make such a statement, it must have been a conclusion drawn from the lives of countless disciples. Over dozens of expeditions into the secret realm, people must have been trapped in the fog and never made it out alive.
Moreover, once it appeared, it would cover a radius of seventy to eighty li.
A Jade Bone Realm expert might be able to escape by sprinting with all their might. If a Meridian Passage Realm cultivator is lucky enough not to be at the center of the dense fog, they might have a chance too.
But for those at the Flesh Refining Realm and below, even if they started running for their lives at the very first sign, it would probably be difficult to escape.
He secretly pondered about this Gray Fog:
’This place certainly fits my description of being difficult to access.’
’And within this Gray Fog, there might be traces of that annihilated sect.’
’It’s worth the risk to go in and take a look.’
After some thought, Wu Chen came to this conclusion and asked:
"Senior Brother Pang, have the various sects ever organized expeditions to explore the inside of this Gray Fog?"
"Of course they have."
Pang Lei nodded. Faced with such a mysterious place, who wouldn’t want to reap some benefits? Who wouldn’t be tempted?
He let out a long sigh. "It’s recorded in the Sect’s history. The Sect Leader before last once organized five Organ Refining Realm Elders to enter the Gray Fog. They wanted to investigate the situation inside and see if they could control the fog for our own use."
"The five Elders gradually ventured deeper into the Gray Fog. Each time they went one li deeper, they would return to rest as instructed. But on their fifth entry, after they had gone past five li, the Elders never came back."
"Even after the Gray Fog dispersed, the bodies of the five Elders were never found in the area where the fog had been."
"The only information gained from that exploration was that once inside the Gray Fog, it’s difficult to see anything beyond ten feet. It’s as if everything beyond that distance is just a void."
"So, after that failure, the Sect stopped investigating what was inside the Gray Fog."
"And disciples are strictly forbidden from going near it."
With that, Pang Lei finished telling him everything about the Gray Fog.
Wu Chen nodded, his brow gradually furrowing as he fell silent.
The danger within the Gray Fog far exceeded his imagination.
Even if an Organ Refining Realm Martial Artist’s strength was suppressed by the secret realm’s rules, preventing them from circulating their internal energy, their physical body was not to be underestimated.
A casual strike with both arms could still easily unleash three thousand jin of force.
What’s more, the Refining Valley specialized in tempering physical strength, and their physiques were renowned for their Qi Power.
Those Elders who entered the secret realm probably had a baseline strength of five thousand jin in their arms. Anywhere else, they would be famous figures who could dominate a region.
And yet they went five li into the Gray Fog and just died, silently and without a trace?
A thoughtful look flashed in Wu Chen’s eyes.
’No wonder I couldn’t get any information about the Gray Fog from the Blood Slaughter Sect. Even the four allied sects know very little about it.’
’But if this Gray Fog were to appear in the Blood Slaughter Sect’s territory, given how their Elders treat their subordinates’ lives as disposable, they might have actually managed to get a glimpse of what’s inside.’
’Then again...’
’Five thousand jin of force isn’t enough to survive the fog, but I wonder if my ten-thousand-jin Qi Power technique, ’Savage Bull Shakes the Earth,’ would be.’
Having come this far, Wu Chen had no intention of backing down.
Besides, the more dangerous the Gray Fog was, didn’t that just mean it held unimaginable rewards?
He looked at Pang Lei and asked, "Senior Brother Pang, when does this Gray Fog usually appear in the secret realm?"
Faced with Wu Chen’s question, Pang Lei was first taken aback and didn’t answer.
Instead, he gave a helpless grin and said, "No wonder my dad didn’t want you to enter the secret realm. It seems he was right."
"You even dare to charge into the Gray Fog. You’re audacious beyond belief!"
Wu Chen smiled and said, "I’ll just rub against the outside a bit, I won’t go in."
Everyone: "..."
"I’m talking about the Gray Fog!"
Everyone: "..."
"I may not be smart, but that doesn’t mean I’m an idiot."
Pang Lei smacked his lips, thinking that Wu Chen’s attempt at deception was incredibly half-hearted.
The first thing he does is ask where the most dangerous, inaccessible places are.
His second sentence after getting the answer is to ask for its location.
No matter how you look at it, that didn’t seem like someone who was just going to ’rub against the outside and not go in’.
"The Gray Fog usually appears about a month after the secret realm opens and disappears after lasting for a little over a month."
"Although I don’t know where the Gray Fog will pop up from, you’re already in the secret realm and have made it this far. Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll see it when the time comes."
Pang Lei spread his hands helplessly. "When the Gray Fog appears, not only is its area massive, but it’s also three hundred feet tall."
"Just find any high spot, and you should be able to see some signs of it."
Finally, he added, "If you die in the Gray Fog, I hope the power backing you doesn’t take its anger out on the four sects..."
Pang Lei was genuinely a little scared.
After all, it was always those old-timers who didn’t have many years left to live, who were at the Perfection of the Jade Bone Realm with no hope of a breakthrough.
They were the ones who would think of struggling inside the Gray Fog at the end of their lives, hoping to find an opportunity for a breakthrough and extend their lifespan by twenty years.
But he had never seen a seventeen or eighteen-year-old who charged headfirst into danger wherever he found it!
Did he have a death wish?
Wu Chen: "..."
Wu Chen just smiled and didn’t respond.
Everyone thought he was absurdly strong and must have a powerful background.
In reality, only he knew that he had no one backing him and no deep heritage to rely on.
That was why he had to risk everything.
However, now that he had the information he wanted, Wu Chen found that he had nothing to do.
After all, he had only been in the secret realm for about ten days. By his calculations, he still had to wait more than ten days for the Gray Fog to appear.
Go kill members of the Blood Slaughter Sect?
He needed to save them for the final advancement of his Blood Blade!
Gather herbs in the four sects’ territory? Earn Contribution Points?
How could that be faster than just robbing the Blood Slaughter Sect?
’Besides, I’m going to have to kill everyone in the Blood Slaughter Sect in the end anyway, so all their stuff will be mine!’
Wu Chen thought it over and realized that for now, it seemed he could only wait quietly for the Gray Fog to appear.
But he soon remembered—didn’t he still have a large amount of goods in his storage bags, as well as the heads of forty Demonics, all at the Jade Bone Realm?
He was currently in the territory of the four sects, so he could exchange them for Contribution Points first. Then, under Xue Hongling’s name or some other pretext, he could exchange them for a few Organ Refining Realm Martial Arts manuals to increase his strength.
Although the internal energy of the Organ Refining Realm was suppressed in the secret realm, the physique of an Organ Refining Realm cultivator was far beyond what a Jade Bone Realm cultivator could compare to.
Moreover, every bit of strength he gained would be an extra bit of security for when he entered the Gray Fog later.
No sooner said than done.
"Senior Brother Pang."
Wu Chen didn’t bother with pleasantries with Pang Lei. His request was perfectly reasonable and legitimate anyway, as he could now freely enter the Arsenal to exchange for Martial Arts.
He untied several bulging storage bags from his waist, along with one containing the Demonic heads, and handed them to Pang Lei, saying:
"I have some goods and Demonic heads here that I want to exchange for Contribution Points."
"It should be a considerable amount of Contribution Points. I can’t be bothered to run back and forth to the Arsenal, so I’d like to exchange for all the remaining Organ Refining Realm Martial Arts manuals at once."
Pang Lei nodded. "Easy enough."
"HISS! This..."
He took the storage bags, and his expression changed drastically the moment they were in his hands.
He sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, his mind reeling as he repeatedly checked the contents of the storage bags, wondering if he was seeing things.
But after checking again and again, he finally confirmed that he hadn’t been mistaken.
Four storage bags were filled to the brim with medicinal herbs!
The other storage bag only had about forty Demonic heads, but they were all from the Jade Bone Realm, and several were even at the Perfection of the Jade Bone Realm!
There were also some miscellaneous odds and ends!
Four bags meant four thousand Contribution Points. Forty-odd heads were another four thousand Contribution Points. The other miscellaneous items added up to another thousand.
That was roughly over nine thousand Contribution Points! A careful calculation would probably push it past ten thousand!
With this many Contribution Points, forget a few Organ Refining Realm Martial Arts manuals—he could buy out the entire Arsenal!
"Zhuang Bo, you handle this."
Pang Lei handed all the storage bags to Zhuang Bo. He had to remain on guard duty here to prevent anyone from the Blood Slaughter Sect from crossing the border and harming their disciples.
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Zhuang Bo took the storage bags and turned to leave. He had barely gone twenty feet when Pang Lei called out to him.
"Wait a minute!"
"What is it, Third Senior Brother?"
Pang Lei thought for a moment, then instructed Zhuang Bo:
"Tell the Law Enforcement Halls of the four sects that the matter of redrawing the Demonic roster... can be put on hold for now..."
His expression was incredibly complicated.
The last time they had to redraw the Demonic roster was because of Wu Chen, and this time, it was because of Wu Chen again...
What shocked Pang Lei the most was that just over ten days into the secret realm expedition, forty Jade Bone Realm Demonics had already been beheaded.
He was starting to wonder if the Blood Slaughter Sect would even still exist by the time the secret realm closed!
"Impossible!"
Pang Lei was startled by his own thought. He thought to himself:
’The Blood Slaughter Sect has a two-hundred-year foundation, and they’re backed by the behemoth that is the Blood Palace. How could their roots be severed by a single person!’