Chapter 82: Exploring the key points and finding monsters blocking the way

The mountains were silent and thick with fog. Chu Hengkong walked cautiously, and Fan De stopped talking. They remembered the beasts in Yingluo Mountain. If Chu Hengkong was attacked from both sides by the beasts and the Jade Fox, he would be in trouble, even now.

But this time, apart from the lemurs they had seen in the forest, there were few signs of wild animals. It seemed that in just a dozen days, all the animals had migrated for unknown reasons. If Finder hadn't vaguely recognized a familiar "road", they would have thought they had wandered into the wrong place due to some spatial confusion.

The path was pitch black, extending like a bridge through the high rocky terrain, its texture smooth as a shell. It was the corpse of a giant centipede, scorched by the fire of ambition. It had tumbled down from near the summit, crushing countless trees and mounds of earth along the way. The vast area surrounding the corpse had been reduced to ash, a sight that vaguely recalled the spectacle of its death.

"It slid down from the top of the mountain, and the fire spread along the way. The nearby beasts were burned alive and turned to ashes. All the survivors who were still breathing fled." Finder whispered, "Your full-strength attack turned Yingluo Mountain upside down."

"That's not my full strength."

"Just keep bragging." Vander snorted. "The more you brag, the funnier it becomes about you almost starving to death."

Chu Hengkong pinched it twice and crawled along the centipede's body. The giant insect was so long that it looked like a chain bridge hanging from the mountain. Mist was floating around it, like a gray veil.

"The fog has thinned," he said suddenly.

When they first arrived in the mountains, the fog was so thick they couldn't see their hands in front of them. The strange beasts were practically invisible in the mist, and the mountains were so dim they couldn't even make out the nearby rocks, let alone their direction. But now, while the fog was still there, it was much thinner, allowing them to see clearly without much effort. It was a world of difference from before.

Fander pondered for a while and said slowly, "There are two possibilities. The first is that the fog is related to the strange beasts. You killed two big guys, and the fog in the mountain dissipated..."

"That's far-fetched. They don't have the ability to create fog."

"That's the second possibility. Perhaps this fog has nothing to do with the strange beasts." Fander twisted his tentacles, feeling uneasy. "I've always been puzzled. There are tens of thousands of strange beasts in the mountains, but they have never attacked Yingshi Town, which is so close. This itself doesn't make sense."

"They are mechanical just like the Jade Fox."

"But the Shadow Giant attacked the town directly that day, and the Jade Fox often pelts it with rocks," Fander retorted. "You saw how powerful Qisu's barrier-breaking technique was, and honestly, it's not as reliable as her going into battle herself. Whatever is controlling the beast, it's at least capable of attacking the town, and it harbors ill intentions towards it. There's no reason for it to leave the town alone."

Indeed, the thing behind the beast... the red eyes that were suspected of causing so much slaughter... wouldn't be friendly to the town. So something else must have blocked its path. It couldn't control the beast down the mountain, and that sudden attack had also come from the grassland... and there was no fog on the grassland...

"Assuming this fog was set up by someone else to protect the town," Chu Hengkong gradually sorted out his thoughts. "Then the fog should have remained in a state of no entry or exit all year round to isolate the town from the outside world. But this state was broken... because we walked into the fog..."

"Stop, man, stop!" Finder crossed his tentacles and made a cross. "You say this as if we have disrupted the peaceful life of this place, but you and I both know that we are all victims, right? We are the innocent tourists who intruded in the horror story. Our goal is not to explore the strange truth in the deep mountains and old forests, but to get out of here! What's the point of thinking about this now? Do you think these fogs and strange beasts can help us leave this damn place?"

Chu Hengkong shook his head.

"Then forget it, buddy." Vander continued earnestly, "The town has been good to you, but as a foreigner, you don't owe the people of God anything. Think about your hometown you're going back to. There must be people waiting for you there, right? Protecting yourself is the most important thing."

Chu Hengkong was about to say something, but hearing these words reminded him of the people of Huilong City. He knew their temperaments. Ji Huaisu must be frantic, and the others must be busy looking for him. The people in the city were simple; if you gave them your heart, they would treat you with sincerity.

When one has ties to something, returning home becomes one's duty. No longer alone, one can no longer think of nothing.

"That's right."

Finally, he gave a bitter laugh, suppressing the thought and not dwelling on it any further. They walked all the way across the long centipede bridge and arrived at the head. The insect's head was charred, but the ink color it once had could still be vaguely seen.

As he climbed onto the top, the centipede's corpse trembled under the force, suddenly smashing through the rock and falling. The rock shattered into dust, and gray dust rose in the mist. The mountain wall seemed to have been weakened by the frenzied centipede's attack. The previous blow was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Chu Hengkong cleared the surrounding smoke and dust, and when he looked up, he saw a large hole smashed into it by the centipede's head. A cave far deeper than he had expected.

“…”

Everyone looked around the cave, and Fander shrank back timidly: "...How about we take a look?"

This guy's behavior was quite despicable. He'd been giving a lot of pre-emptive warnings and explaining things in a tangible way, but when something new happened, he couldn't help but be the first to show up. Chu Hengkong swiftly climbed the rocks and jumped into the cave. Seeing in the dim light wasn't difficult for them. The inner walls were still as white as jade and incredibly smooth. Walking on the path felt like walking on a roller skating rink.

Chu Hengkong took a few steps forward and stepped on a bump. It was a broken cylindrical jade stone, its surface covered with many faint incisions, like a sculpture that had been smoothed away. He felt the design was somewhat familiar, and upon closer inspection, it resembled the gateposts of ancient mansions.

"I'm a little scared. Why don't we turn back..." Vander's voice softened.

Chu Hengkong stepped over the gatepost and trotted forward. The cave wasn't too large, and the innermost layer was easily reached. It was a half-collapsed building, as if it had been trampled by a giant beast. He deftly moved the rocks into the house. The house was utterly destroyed, the only thing left standing was a bookshelf. On it lay several ancient books, all of them shattered into jade.

Vander jumped over to take a closer look and made out the original text: "'Songs of the World', 'Poems by Candlelight'... Oh, and there's also 'Thirty-six Lines of Wonderful Things in the Forest' by Sreel! This book is quite new."

The jade-like books could actually be flipped through, and Fan De was delighted when he saw it. He loved reading by nature, and he did not forget to flip through the books even at this time.

This is a collection of doggerel poems that tells strange stories and anecdotes from the mysterious land of Senluo. It is constantly updated as the original author progresses in his travels. The book in Vander's hand contains more content than the one he had read in the library before.

It flipped through a few pages and stumbled upon a poem about the underworld kingdom. It described the residents as arrogant and conceited. Because they were particularly concerned with appearances, hospitality was a common custom, and they would rather live frugally than not entertain guests. The poet was surprised by this and wanted to write a poem to mock them, but the locals laughed it off. So he decided to write a poem praising the local etiquette instead.

“…”

As Fan De muttered this poem, thinking about his experiences over the past few days, he felt a chill running down his spine. He suddenly lost interest in turning the pages of the book and quickly flipped to the bottom, where he saw a note from the original owner.

The writing is absurd, but the sentiment is sincere. The strange things and shocking things are not false, and the strange things are caused by the disorder of nature, not the stupidity of man.

——Qi Su.

Trembling, Vander collected the poems and returned them to their original place, mentally cursing himself for being nosy. There were many explanations for this, but he didn't intend to delve into any of them, simply pretending he knew nothing. "Vander!" He shuddered at the killer's cry. "What's wrong?"

"Look at this."

Chu Hengkong ignored Fan De, focused on a more important discovery. He had found several broken "jade artifacts" in the ruins and was piecing them together. When Fan De came over, he had already seen the finished product: two jade sticks and a small vessel.

Chopsticks and bowl.

"People in the Netherworld Kingdom don't need to eat, so why do they have tableware in their homes?"

"I guess he bought it for a collection." Vander's eyelids twitched. "I already feel something is wrong. I want to leave here immediately..."

There was a soft sound behind them, like a pebble falling to the ground. Fander shivered violently and turned back. A bright red eye opened on the cave ceiling!

“Aa ...

Fander dove into Chu Hengkong's pocket, writhing wildly and screaming, his voice breaking at the intensity of his screams. Chu Hengkong turned and snapped his fingers, the fallen leaf in his hand flashing and stabbing at Red Eye. Now that the fifteen-day limit had expired, he could use the leaf throwing knife again.

The crimson pupils shifted upward and flashed away, light streaming through the gap, revealing the truth. A small hole had been carved into the cave's ceiling, and a beast outside had been silently observing the two. That beast was none other than the Jade Fox from the mountaintop, its previously yellow eyes now a vibrant crimson.

"This is not your territory." Chu Hengkong narrowed his eyes. "Who modified your program?"

The Jade Fox didn't respond, not even a threatening roar. At this moment, it showed none of the impatience it had displayed when pushing the stone, its red eyes devoid of emotion. It swung its claws, piercing the cavern. Its slender body dropped like water, its tail lashing out without warning. Its tail was as smooth as jade, and a single blow could split mountains and shatter rock.

The tail whipped in, but it bounced back like an electric shock. The blow cracked the rock beneath Chu Hengkong's feet, but it didn't damage his body. Having undergone previous bone-strengthening training, he had long been able to withstand such attacks with ease. He stepped forward and punched out, his solid fist hitting the Jade Fox's face. In a split second, the force exploded, sending it flying!

The Jade Fox flew out of the cave, swiftly reversing to regain its footing. Chu Hengkong had already rushed out, slashing his rock blade across the Jade Fox's neck. The Jade Fox raised its claws to protect its vitals, its long fur on its back bristling, transforming into a rain of thousands of steel needles. Chu Hengkong danced with his blade with such force that no one could penetrate it, deflecting every one of them.

The Jade Fox seized the opportunity, opening its mouth and releasing four puffs of white air. Within the air, a small character flashed, condensing the gas into spheres of energy that protected the Jade Fox's limbs. At this moment, the steel needle attack paused, and Chu Hengkong dodged forward, stabbing the Jade Fox's left paw. The Jade Fox not only roared silently, but also didn't even tremble in pain.

The sphere attached to its left claw glowed, its light changing to reveal a twisted character for "long." The Jade Fox's nails instantly grew longer, binding Chu Hengkong like a rope!

(End of this chapter)