"Found yourself a treasure?"
Ying Zheng's voice gave no hint of pleasure or anger as he repeated Cheng Xi's words. Yet his gaze was like tangible ice spikes, fixed upon the warm Jianmu Fragment in Cheng Xi's hand and the scorched black talisman marks on his chest. The carriage was filled with the faint stench of blood, the sharp tang of cinnabar, and a lingering chill of baleful aura.
Cheng Xi's "treasure" was clearly inseparable from that mysterious fragment and those self-mutilating talisman marks. Ying Zheng did not press him further. He merely gave Cheng Xi a long look, his expression impossible to read—probing, wary, and carrying a trace of... concealed heat. In the end, he said nothing. He lowered the carriage curtain, leaving behind only a cold command:
"Keep an eye on him."
The low acknowledgment of the elite guard commander came from outside the carriage.
The rest of the journey was suffocatingly oppressive. Ying Zheng no longer stood atop the carriage. Instead, he rode beside it, his black-clad figure silent as a mountain. The elite guards became even more vigilant; every rustle of wind and grass brought the ringing sound of blades being drawn. Cheng Xi seized every moment, using the coolness brought by the Jianmu Fragment and the faint energy transformed from baleful aura within his body to carefully nurture his damaged meridians. At the same time, he repeatedly used the system in his mind to deduce and refine the Spirit-Attracting Talisman that had narrowly saved his life.
He did not dare try it again so easily. The battlefield's baleful aura might have been "rich," but the conversion efficiency was too low and the risks too high. He needed a safer, more stable source of energy.
Three days later, the towering, boundless Zhongnan Mountain range finally came into view. The peaks were dark as painted brows, wreathed in clouds and mist, while ancient trees soared into the sky. A vast, primordial, desolate aura carrying the fresh scent of vegetation rushed toward him, revitalizing Cheng Xi's spirit after all the torment of bloodshed and baleful aura.
"Reporting to the Great King, the mountain path ahead has been scouted, but..." An elite guard responsible for scouting galloped back, a grave look on his face. "The mountain folk say that strange occurrences have been frequent in the mountains these past months. Mists and poisonous vapors often arise, and many woodcutters and hunters who entered the mountains have vanished. It is said... Demonic Creatures are at work."
Demonic Creatures? Ying Zheng's sword-like brows furrowed slightly as he looked at the vast mountains enveloped in pale mist. Lu Buwei's assassins? Or... those "things" Cheng Xi had summoned?
"No matter." Ying Zheng's voice was cold and hard. "Follow the planned route. Enter the mountains."
The convoy slowly entered Zhongnan Mountain along an ancient road more than half swallowed by wild grass. The farther they went, the steeper the terrain became. The forest canopy blocked out the sky, and the light swiftly dimmed. The air carried the scent of damp rotting leaves and earth, mixed with a faint, cloying strange fragrance that was nauseating.
At some point, the mist thickened. Milky-white fog, like a living thing, Seeped Out in strands from between the trees and through cracks in the rocks, coiling around the carriages, horses, and people. Their line of sight was severely blocked; they could see only several yards ahead.
"Watch the fog! It may be poisonous!" the elite guard commander barked. Everyone quickly covered their mouths and noses with damp cloth.
Sitting within the carriage, Cheng Xi keenly sensed something unusual. This fog... was not merely poisonous mist! He focused and connected with the system.
[Environmental scan... Fog composition analysis: water vapor (82%), plant spores (15%), unknown Inert Energy Particles (2.8%)... Energy Particle properties: weak mental interference/hallucination... harmless, but capable of amplifying fear...]
Mental interference? Hallucinations? Cheng Xi felt a chill in his heart. The fog itself might not be lethal, but in an environment like this, it was enough to plunge anyone weak-willed into chaos!
Just then—
"Neighhh—!" The carriage horses suddenly let out terrified shrieks! Their front hooves reared high, and no matter how the driver whipped and shouted at them, they refused to take another step forward! They pawed the ground anxiously, snorting heavily, their eyes filled with instinctive animal terror!
"What is going on?" Ying Zheng reined in his warhorse and demanded sharply.
"Great King! The horses... the horses are spooked! There... there seems to be something ahead!" The driver's voice trembled as he pointed into the depths of the dense fog.
Everyone peered ahead. Several yards away, the impenetrably thick fog churned and roiled violently, as though some enormous creature were moving through it! Faintly, countless twisted black shadows swayed within the mist, accompanied by a low, sticky "rustling" sound, like countless slick tentacles scraping across the ground!
Fear, like an icy tide, seized everyone's hearts in an instant! Cold sweat Seeped Out from the palms of the elite guards gripping their swords, while the warhorses snorted uneasily.
"Cheap tricks!" Ying Zheng snorted coldly, the chill in his eyes surging. "Crossbowmen, prepare! Cover the fog ahead with fire!"
Suppressing the chill in their hearts, the crossbowmen swiftly raised their Powerful Crossbows, their cold arrowheads aimed at the roiling wall of fog!
"Fire!"
"Thrum—!"
Dozens of bolts flew from the strings and plunged into the thick fog!
Yet the expected screams never came. The bolts vanished into the dense fog like a mud bull entering the sea, stirring only even more violent turbulence. The "rustling" instead became denser, closer!
Amid the churning fog, those twisted black shadows seemed to grow clearer. They vaguely outlined... countless tangled, writhing vines? And hanging from those vines, things... like humanoid fruits?
"It's... it's Mountain Specters! Man-eating Vine Spirit Tree Monsters!" A young elite guard in the convoy finally could not bear the silent pressure of terror any longer and screamed in collapse! Fear spread like a plague!
At that instant, when everyone was panicking and the tension had reached its limit!
Inside the carriage, the Jianmu Fragment in Cheng Xi's palm suddenly erupted with unprecedented emerald green radiance! The light pierced through the carriage curtain, bathing the fog for several feet around in a shimmering green glow!
At the same time, the silent system in his mind burst out with an urgent alert:
[Detected high-concentration same origin Life Energy response! Direction: due west! Distance: three li! Properties: extremely active/naturally attuned/weak consciousness fluctuations...]
Same origin? Naturally attuned? Weak consciousness?
Cheng Xi abruptly threw open the carriage curtain. Ignoring Ying Zheng's sharp gaze, he pointed west, where the Jianmu Fragment shone brightest, and shouted hoarsely:
"Go that way! There's a way to live! This light... is showing us the way!"
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