CHAPTER 326
Bloodstains and Blood Mist
============================================================
Three days passed—three days of relentless toil. Through sheer diligence and sweat, Sect Master Su successfully infiltrated the inner sanctum of Ling Mountain, winning over the elders of its side peaks.
After a quick bath together, Su Cheng bid farewell to Cang Jue and headed to meet Cheng Liang of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion.
Nanding City, Chenmeng Tavern.
In a lavish room adorned with gold and silver, a man slowly lowered his legs and beckoned a nearby attendant.
"Report on the current situation."
"Your Majesty, we've pinpointed the coordinates of the mansion and the Hall of Eternal Love. We have only one chance."
The man glared fiercely at his attendant, clearly displeased with the tone.
"Didn't you say he's become useless?"
"Yes, but if we fail and he escapes to the mansion or Heng'ai Hall, we may never get another chance."
"I truly don't understand what Xiao Ai ever saw in him!"
The attendant remained silent. This was not a question he could answer.
"I don't want to see him return alive. Is that clear?"
At the other city gate, Su Cheng encountered Cheng Liang and Shangguan Rou.
After some perfunctory pleasantries, the four set off toward the death trap.
The deadly terrain at Xiushan had already been cleared by Ye Qinghan and his two companions. The place Su Cheng was taking Cheng Liang to was another small-scale deadly terrain.
Early death traps were mostly found in wilderness areas—not exactly uninhabited, but generally located away from densely populated towns to allow for the accumulation of strength.
The outskirts of mountain villages, for instance, were prime targets for such death traps.
Under normal circumstances, ordinary people would lose their lives before rescue arrived.
Most fell victim to the toxins. As for the situation involving his brother-in-law, Su Cheng couldn't offer a clear explanation.
If forced to explain, it would be attributed to the protagonist's aura. But would that still hold up later on?
However, such rules were rare even among the many worlds Su Cheng had traversed.
This cultivation world clearly placed greater emphasis on so-called fate or destiny.
In previous worlds, even heroes were merely mortal flesh and blood.
Even the Godslayer King possessed no invulnerable body.
Once stripped of power and defenses, they too would be bitten by mosquitoes, or cut by sharp new paper.
"Is this the death zone?"
Moving forward would take them into the realm shrouded in black mist. Su Cheng had barely spoken a word along the way. It was no secret that he disliked Cheng Liang.
The black mist enveloped nearly the entire mountain village, extending to the surrounding hills. Its radius of coverage spanned roughly a kilometer.
"This toxic mist is deadly. Miss Shangguan, you'd best prepare yourself before entering."
Even if Shangguan Rou were a fool, she could see he had become the messenger.
"What should I do?"
"Hold your breath, or use true qi or immortal arts to seal it out, or take a pill."
But no matter the method, Su Cheng wouldn't use any of them.
As he spoke, Su Cheng handed Yulan a bracelet called the Spirit Gathering Bracelet. It could gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for personal use, forming a barrier of spiritual energy around the wearer.
Yet this bracelet was equally useless to him. As a defensive artifact, it couldn't even withstand a single strike from the Hunter in his hands.
If that were all, it might be bearable. But artifacts required infusing them with magical energy to function. For him, the cost far outweighed any benefit, making it essentially useless.
But for Yu Lan, that small expenditure was insignificant.
Not only was the black mist ineffective against him, but even if he were to be poisoned, he could simply stay close to Yu Lan.
Compared to Su Cheng, Cheng Liang was clearly far more carefree.
Thanks to Su Cheng, he had turned misfortune into fortune. By some twist of fate, it was as if his meridians had suddenly opened. The stagnation in his cultivation vanished along with his injuries.
He had now reached the threshold of the Fusion Stage. He felt it wouldn't be long before he could make a Breakthrough.
Holding his breath? Taking pills? That would be utterly humiliating!
He was, after all, the head of a sect!
With a single stomp, a barrier of condensed true qi formed around him, shielding both him and Shangguan Rou within.
"Let's go."
Su Cheng nodded and led the three of them toward the center of the black mist.
Back at the Dingzhou City inn, the three disciples had just returned and were eating breakfast.
"Shiyao, don't drink too much. If you get drunk again and end up in the master's room…"
Before Ye Qinghan could finish his sentence, Dongfang Jue, halfway through eating his noodles, suddenly leapt to his feet.
"Oh no!"
Li Shiyu and Ye Qinghan exchanged glances, wondering what had gotten into their junior sister.
Li Shiyu set down her wine flask and asked with concern, "Jue'er, what's wrong?"
"Master is in danger!"
Ye Qinghan and Li Shiyao exchanged another glance. Master in danger?
"Dongfang Jue, you're not joking, are you? Our master is in danger?"
Ye Qinghan pondered internally. Though their master was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, it wasn't easy for ordinary people to harm her.
Unless two Immortal Lords intervened, hardly anyone could harm him.
[Detected hostile high-risk combat units approaching Su Cheng. Immediate rescue operation recommended.]
"Hostile," "high-risk," "combat unit."
【What cultivation level is the opponent?】
【Access denied…】
Dongfang Jue's thoughts were a bit jumbled at the moment, but "high-risk" was never wrong—it meant his master might be in danger.
Dongfang Jue thought to himself: Last time with that Ku Mu fellow, they didn't label it as a hostile high-risk combat unit. Meaning this time, the real enemy has arrived.
Meaning they were genuinely here to kill Su Cheng.
"Senior Sister, I can't be certain either. But if Jue'er is wrong, it's merely a wasted trip."
"But if Jue'er's information is accurate, and Master truly faces danger…"
Ye Qinghan remained silent, turning her head as if to gauge Li Shiyao's reaction.
Dongfang Jue hadn't revealed her source or the enemy's nature. With just a few words, she expected Ye Qinghan to follow her to the Southern Realm.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry and save Master!"
Li Shiyu lifted her small head, drained the flask of wine, then waved her hand decisively. "Let's go!"
Ye Qinghan didn't care. Whether it was true or false, she'd see for herself. She didn't believe Dongfang Jue could pull any tricks under her watch.
Meanwhile, Su Cheng remained utterly unaware of the sudden peril. At that moment, he watched Cheng Liang locked in a bloody battle with the Hunter.
The Hunter moved swiftly, and Cheng Liang's strength was equally formidable. Yet a single Hunter was insufficient to suppress a cultivator at the peak of the Transformation of Spirit stage.
Watch as divine arts flowed through him. Cheng Liang's swordplay was fluid and seamless, his divine sword techniques blending together flawlessly—it was pure artistry.
Yet even so, the Hunter's formidable power still surprised Cheng Liang. No wonder so few of the men he sent out ever returned.
Having dealt with the obstructing monster, the four continued onward.
"That's a Hunter. The one just now was a juvenile."
"A juvenile?"
"Mhm. Fully grown Hunters stretching over ten meters in length aren't uncommon."
Cheng Liang glanced back at the colossal form lying on the ground, now dissolving into a stream of light. A lingering sense of dread washed over him.
"Honestly, this is my first time encountering such a creature. Despite its massive size, it moved with astonishing agility. Worse still, I didn't sense its approach before it launched its surprise attack."
After their confrontation, he understood the creature's terrifying nature—and why it was called a Hunter.
"They were engineered to be the ultimate hunters. You just happened to be stronger—it picked the wrong prey." Su Cheng spoke calmly, well aware of the power of the Chosen One.
============================================================