Chen Zhou had never seen such a creature before. In his understanding, the thing in front of him shouldn't even be considered a creature.

Even Ji Lanying, who had seen far more than Chen Zhou, had never seen such a creature before. The dark shadow made her feel nauseous.

This thing didn't even have a complete body; it was just a pitch-black mass. Chen Zhou could vaguely see its eyes and a mouth, which were also hollowed out.

The rest of the body was covered in black, sticky material, which clung together to form a blurry, upright black monster.

"What exactly is this thing?" Ji Lanying asked in a low voice.

At this point, they couldn't figure out what this thing was, so they couldn't launch a targeted defense.

All they knew about their sonic attacks.

“I don’t know either. It seems they’re trying to surround and attack us,” Chen Zhou said immediately, watching the advancing black shadows press forward.

Now, one after another, dark shadows kept appearing in front of Chen Zhou and his companions, and Chen Zhou couldn't even count how many of them there were.

These shadowy figures possess a unique property: they can appear suddenly, then reappear just as suddenly, like twinkling black stars.

The use of "stars" to describe them is solely due to their twinkling nature; it does not imply that they emit light.

It's just a black, viscous substance.

"Hiss hiss hiss... hiss hiss hiss..." The dark figure kept moving forward, and gradually Chen Zhou seemed to hear the special sound waves from before again.

"They're emitting those special sound waves again!" Chen Zhou shouted. They absolutely couldn't sit idly by and wait to be killed; they had to take the initiative.

If they were to emit that powerful sound wave again, Chen Zhou and Ji Lanying would definitely not be as lucky as they were before to escape.

The group completely surrounded the two of them, showing no intention of letting them go.

"What should we do?!" Ji Lanying also felt it. Damn it, that dizzy feeling from before came back to her.

"We have no choice but to take the initiative! Follow behind me!" Chen Zhou shouted, and then his whole body was immediately enveloped in golden-white true energy. His strength surged instantly, and he darted out like a cheetah.

Chen Zhou moved so fast that Ji Lanying didn't even have time to react before he approached the dark figure in front of her, and Ji Lanying immediately followed.

Right now, his own strength at the Fusion stage is indeed less useful than Chen Zhou's in this Black Mist Swamp. In the face of this sonic wave, he still has to rely on Chen Zhou.

Just as Chen Zhou was about to touch the dark figure in front of him, the figure suddenly vanished. Chen Zhou was startled. Wasn't this a good opportunity? He prepared to rush out through the gap where the dark figure had disappeared.

Just as Chen Zhou was about to reach the spot where the dark figure disappeared, Ji Lanying, who was behind Chen Zhou, saw a dark shadow suddenly appear at Chen Zhou's feet.

The dark shadow didn't disappear! Instead, it gathered entirely at Chen Zhou's feet!

This shadowy figure can change its shape at will!

Ji Lanying thought of all this almost in a flash, and the next moment she immediately shouted a warning to Chen Zhou: "Don't go over there! It's dangerous!"

But it was all too late. Enveloped in layers of golden-white true energy, Chen Zhou had already reached the location where the dark figure had disappeared.

Ji Lanying could only stare blankly as the dark shadows at Chen Zhou's feet suddenly sprang up and surrounded him.

The golden-white true energy on Chen Zhou's body had some effect, but it was now too late! The dark shadow had completely attached itself to Chen Zhou's body, sticking tightly to him.

Chen Zhou tried to attack with his true energy, but it was completely ineffective. The black shadow was just a shadow, and his true energy could completely intertwine with it, so it couldn't affect it at all.

"Run!" Chen Zhou was surrounded by the dark figure. His first thought was that there was a gap in front of him, and Ji Lanying could escape from not far away.

Only if she escapes can Chen Zhou fully dedicate himself to the battle against the shadowy figure.

Otherwise, with Ji Lanying constantly eating this, Chen Zhou would have to look after her at all times, making it difficult for him to fully utilize his own strength.

Ji Lanying was taken aback, her expression showing some resistance: "No! How can I leave you here all alone!"

Chen Zhou was speechless. Now was not the time to be stubborn. If she left soon, she might be able to get rid of the shadowy figure.

"You'd better leave! You're no use here! Go find your two genius junior brothers!"

Chen Zhou shouted loudly, his tone filled with anger. If he hadn't been so forceful, Ji Lanying, that fool, might have actually stayed.

Because Chen Zhou had saved her once, she didn't want to be so ungrateful.

Chen Zhou watched as Ji Lanying remained motionless, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle. Just as he was about to speak loudly again, Ji Lanying suddenly moved.

Ji Lanying's strength during the Fusion stage was not just for show; she was very fast and rushed past Chen Zhou in an instant. The group of shadowy figures noticed, but did not make any move.

Chen Zhou is now entangled and trapped by a dark figure. They seem to be content with capturing just one person, not greedy at all.

While Chen Zhou was relieved that the shadowy figures didn't pursue Ji Lanying, he began to think of a way to break free from the shadowy figures on his body.

The shadow attached to him was very strange. Chen Zhou could not only not feel the shadow on his body, but also had no sense of touch.

Chen Zhou felt as if he was being oppressed by an invisible pressure, his body pinned to the spot, unable to move.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!