Chapter 156 - 155: Ignoring Danger, Continuing the Visit
Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Ignoring Danger, Continuing the Visit
Wu Chen wasn’t idle while waiting for the gray mist to arrive.
After all, it wasn’t in his nature to pin all his hopes on the ethereal gray mist in the secret realm.
Besides, what lay within the gray mist, whether the collapsed building was there, and if that building even contained any Martial Arts—it was all unknown.
’But one thing is certain... there’s definitely danger inside this gray mist.’
Lying on the grass, Wu Chen recalled what Pang Lei had said about the five Organ Refining Realm Elders from Refining Valley who entered the gray mist and vanished without a trace, not even leaving corpses behind.
’What kind of existence in that mist could stop five Organ Refining Realm experts from advancing even a few miles?’
Every time he thought about it, a part of him wanted to back down.
After all, everyone is equal in the face of life and death.
’Since the gray mist will last for a month, there’s no need to rush in the moment it appears.’
’First, I’ll grab twenty or thirty elite core disciples from the Blood Slaughter Sect and toss them in to scout the path.’
’Even if they can’t handle the dangers within, I can rush into the deepest part of the fog before they’re all wiped out and find out what’s really going on!’
That being said, while Wu Chen was certainly powerful enough, fear of the unknown was inevitable.
It was only human.
But as he thought up some preparations to make before entering the mist, this trepidation gradually faded.
HUFF! HUFF!
As he was lost in thought, the sound of panting reached his ears.
Wu Chen looked up and saw Xue Hongling approaching from the distance, a severed head in her hand.
Although her face was expressionless, the drum-like pounding of her breath betrayed her exhaustion.
Dealing with this uninjured Blood Evil member at the second level of the Jade Bone Realm had clearly been an extremely difficult battle for Xue Hongling, even though she had recently broken through to the sixth channel of the Meridian Passage Realm.
"Rest for a while."
Wu Chen put the head into his storage pouch and lazily lay back down.
For the past several days, he had been wandering with Xue Hongling through the territory of the four sects.
While searching for clues about the collapsed building, they also took the opportunity to kill any Blood Slaughter Sect members they came across.
Of course, Wu Chen couldn’t be bothered to act against those with low cultivation realms.
If there was work to be done, he left it to Xue Hongling. If not... they just wandered.
In this stop-and-go fashion, seven or eight days passed in a flash, and the two of them covered a lot of ground.
The result was that they found no clues, but they did manage to slay between ten and twenty members of the Blood Slaughter Sect.
Wu Chen glanced at Xue Hongling, who was sitting quietly beside him. After a short rest, her breathing had already stabilized, and there was nothing out of the ordinary.
’Looks like she didn’t suffer any internal injuries.’
’And with this high-intensity training of martial arts and killing, I feel like she’s only a few days away from the seventh channel.’
’Of course, my personal guidance deserves some of the credit for that.’
Being two major realms above her, Wu Chen could naturally sense Xue Hongling’s physical condition and cultivation level with ease.
He couldn’t help but be impressed by the speed of her advancement.
After noticing that Xue Hongling was fine and her breathing was steady, Wu Chen’s gaze swept over the surrounding wilderness, looking for any sign of the gray mist’s appearance.
’It should be any day now.’
Wu Chen calculated the time and couldn’t help but steel himself, ready to rush over the moment the gray mist appeared.
But unfortunately, a glance around revealed no surging earth Qi, nor the towering columns of gray mist hundreds of feet high that Pang Lei had described.
"That gray mist sounds so dangerous. Do you really have to go?"
Having regulated her breathing for some time, Xue Hongling opened her eyes and looked at Wu Chen, who had stood up and was now peering in all directions.
As the time for the gray mist’s arrival drew near, her anxiety had grown, and she finally couldn’t help but ask.
"I definitely have to go. As for the danger..."
Wu Chen grinned. "Just click ’Proceed Anyway’!"
Seeing how casually he spoke, Xue Hongling knew she couldn’t stop him. She shot him a glare and then said softly:
"Those five Elders from Refining Valley went into the gray mist and were never heard from again."
"I’m only at the Mid Stage of the Meridian Passage Realm. I can’t help you much."
Wu Chen waved his hand. "It’s fine. Just wait for me outside the mist."
He knew Xue Hongling was by no means a coward. But given that even Organ Refining Realm experts had vanished inside, a Meridian Passage Realm cultivator like her, who hadn’t even reached Perfection in her realm’s four stages, certainly couldn’t be of any help.
Going in would not only be no help, but she would actually become a burden.
So, staying out of the mist was the wisest decision.
"If only I had the strength of the Jade Bone Realm... even just the Initial Realm,"
Xue Hongling added in a muffled voice. It seemed she still wanted to follow Wu Chen and charge into the mist to provide some support.
Wu Chen just smiled and didn’t reply.
「And just like that, another two days passed.」
As he did every day, Wu Chen stood on a slope at sunset, surveying the surroundings.
Seeing no signs of rising earth Qi, he withdrew his gaze and walked over to the campfire at the bottom of the slope.
SZZZZZLE!—
Flames licked at the meat, its savory aroma drifting on the air. Xue Hongling was intently focused on roasting it.
Seeing Wu Chen approach, she handed him a piece.
"Mm, not bad at all!" Wu Chen said, taking a bite and giving her a thumbs-up.
"Of course!" Xue Hongling’s furrowed brow relaxed considerably. The praise had clearly hit the mark.
After they finished eating and drinking, Wu Chen found a cool spot to lie down. He watched the pleasing sight of Xue Hongling for a while as she slowly practiced a set of fist techniques under the moonlight to aid her digestion.
The night breeze was gentle, and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.
He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep when his heart suddenly leaped in his chest, jolting him awake.
’What’s going on?!’
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!—
A sound like the rumbling of an earth dragon turning over echoed in his ears, making him snap his eyes open.
’Did someone sneak up on us?’
Hearing the sound, Wu Chen didn’t get up immediately. He merely opened his eyes a sliver, his gaze darting around to scan the area.
He wanted to avoid any sudden movements that might startle an intruder into attacking and accidentally hurting Xue Hongling.
He remained in his sleeping posture, his breathing unchanged, and listened intently.
As he breathed, the outlines of his surroundings seemed to form in his mind.
About twenty yards away, Xue Hongling was still moving at a steady pace, practicing her punches.
Nearby, the night wind rustled through the grass, trees, and stones.
Beyond that, there was nothing else.
RUMBLE!—
That roar-like sound came again. This time, Wu Chen’s eyes narrowed, his vigilance flaring.
Then, he pressed his ear to the ground.
RUMBLE!
A muffled sound vibrated through his eardrums.
The sound was coming from underground!
And a situation like this could only mean one thing!
The gray mist!
At this commotion, Wu Chen’s first reaction was that the long-awaited gray mist was finally about to appear.
He rolled over abruptly, using the moonlight to scan the surrounding wilderness, searching for the source of the eruption.
But in the next moment, Wu Chen froze on the spot.
The mist wasn’t somewhere else in the secret realm—it was right under his feet! All around him!
Under the moonlight, wisps of gray mist were seeping out of the ground around him.
The mist was like fine tendrils probing up from the earth. Although faint and blending with the night, it couldn’t escape the notice of a Mid Stage Organ Refining Realm expert like him.
Not far away, Xue Hongling heard Wu Chen roll to his feet behind her. She immediately stopped what she was doing, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
She knew Wu Chen wouldn’t get up so suddenly without a word unless he had discovered something wrong.
But before she could see what was happening...
Xue Hongling felt a wave of Qi Power, as powerful as a tidal wave, envelop her, and her body suddenly felt light.
The scenery blurred past her eyes, and in an instant, she was carried more than thirty yards away.
She looked up at Wu Chen’s grim face under the moonlight and realized he had swept her up, holding her by the waist.
Xue Hongling didn’t ask why, but she knew something had happened. She turned her head to look at the moonlit wilderness, and her pupils contracted sharply.
She saw the mist churning like water in a boiling pot, spewing violently from the ground.
In the blink of an eye, it had already submerged Wu Chen’s feet and was climbing higher at a visible rate.
"Put me down!" she said coldly.