Weird Black Fog

"This is strange. I've been chasing with all my might, yet I still can't see any trace of that person."

Chen Li, who was in pursuit, felt a sense of confusion.

After he entered the Black House Wasteland, he instantly lost the trail of the black shadow.

At this very moment.

A black shadow flashed past. As Chen Li ran, he felt a chill on his neck, and his consciousness completely faded.

The dense fog on both sides of the road suddenly morphed into tentacles, dragging Chen Li's corpse into the mist, and he vanished.

After Chen Li's body was dragged into the dense fog, the road became deathly silent, as if nothing had happened.

But soon, the same bizarre events began to unfold one after another.

-- The first to die was a lone rogue cultivator.

Relying on his swift movement technique, the man boldly broke away from the crowd and sprinted forward alone.

But when he had run about a hundred meters, the dense fog on both sides of the road suddenly surged, and a black shadow streaked past his side.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered, and the rogue cultivator's head flew high into the air.

His body, however, maintained its running posture and rushed out a few more steps before crashing to the ground.

He was then dragged into the fog by the misty tentacles.

Qin Shuang and the others seemed to see none of what happened not far away.

-- The second to die was a disciple of the Blazing Sun Sect.

The disciple was originally following behind Liu Yulong, casually observing his surroundings.

But the moment he fell a few steps behind, a pitch-black tentacle suddenly shot out from the fog, coiling around his ankle like a venomous snake.

He didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was yanked violently into the mist, leaving only a faint bloody smear slowly spreading on the ground.

"Hmm?" Liu Yulong seemed to sense something and turned back abruptly, only to find someone missing from the group.

"Where's Li Yue?" he asked, frowning.

The guards beside him exchanged glances; not a single one had noticed their companion's disappearance.

-- The third to die was a disciple of the Mystic Maiden Palace.

Upon hearing this, Nangong Ruyan suddenly stopped. The pupils of her dark eyes contracted slightly.

"Miss?" the maid beside her asked, confused.

"Where is Zhou Bing?" Nangong Ruyan's voice was icy.

The four maids instantly became alert, but they quickly discovered that the female disciple who had been standing on the outermost side had vanished without a sound.

On the ground, only a broken jade hairpin remained.

It was only at this point that everyone realized something was wrong.

They quickly looked at the people around them.

"My senior sister is gone too."

"Junior brother, where are you?"

"Big brother..."

After a quick headcount, they discovered that thirteen disciples from various sects and factions were unaccounted for.

Qin Shuang stopped.

He stood in the middle of the road and slowly drew the Blood Drinking Saber from his back.

The moment the blade was unsheathed, the surrounding mist seemed to recoil a few inches as if it were alive.

"Get out," he said coldly.

No one answered.

But the next second, the dense fog on both sides of the road churned violently, and dozens of pitch-black tentacles shot towards him like arrows!

Qin Shuang's eyes were icy, his saber light was like blood, and he instantly severed several tentacles.

Black ichor splattered on the ground, corroding it like strong acid, forming charred pits.

"Hmph, playing tricks!"

He snorted coldly, his saber momentum undiminished, and he slashed fiercely into the depths of the mist.

"Boom--!"

Where the saber energy passed, the dense fog was forcefully split open, revealing a distorted black shadow within.

The shadow's form was humanoid, yet it seemed to be condensed from countless wisps of fog. It had no features, only a pair of scarlet eyes that stared fixedly at Qin Shuang.

"Jie jie..."

After a burst of ear-piercing laughter, the black shadow disappeared again.

"Young Sect Master, this fog... something's wrong!" the elder of the Qingyang Sect whispered.

Liu Yulong's gaze shifted to Nangong Ruyan.

She cupped the crystal ball and softly chanted an incantation.

The clouds and mist within the ball churned violently, reflecting dark figures rapidly moving stealthily within the fog.

The dense fog on both sides of the road suddenly surged, and countless tentacles attacked from all directions, like a giant black spider web descending upon everyone.

"Seeking death!"

Qin Shuang's eyes turned cold. He spun the Blood Drinking Saber, and a bloody blade light swept out like a storm, severing tentacles one after another.

Liu Yulong's Jade Bone Fan "swished" open, and over ten hidden silver needles shot out, fiercely impaling tentacles into the ground.

Seeing this, the other Sect disciples also unleashed their signature skills—

"Mystic Ice Talisman, freeze!"

A female cultivator threw out three ice-blue talismans. Cold air erupted, freezing several tentacles into ice.

"Blazing Flame Slash!"

Song Yuanming roared as he slashed out crimson blade energy. Wherever the flames passed, the black fog emitted a "hissing" burning sound.

However, the dark figures in the fog were far more bizarre than they had imagined.

The tentacles, upon landing, writhed rapidly and reintegrated into the mist, as if they were immortal.

"Swish!"

A dark figure suddenly shot out from the ground, coiling around a disciple's leg like a venomous snake and dragging him fiercely into the fog.

"Ah--!"

The scream abruptly cut off.

"Damn it!" A hint of rage flashed in Liu Yulong's eyes. He suddenly raised his right hand, and a beam of green light shot out like an arrow, instantly piercing the dark figure.

"Pfft!"

Hit by the green light, the dark figure let out a pained roar before dissolving into black smoke and retreating back into the dense fog.

"Hmph, nothing more than this."

Liu Yulong sneered, but his smile quickly froze.

Because deep within the mist, more scarlet eyes lit up...

—The dark figures were not alone!

At the same time, Wei Qing and the other three, positioned behind the group, were also under attack.

"Holy crap... what was that just now?"

Jun Wushang held his saber protectively in front of Zhang Xue, viscous black liquid still dripping from the blade. He warily scanned the surrounding dense fog.

Zhang Xue tightly clutched the corner of Jun Wushang's clothes with her small hand, a look of relief after escaping death on her face.

Three breaths ago, a pitch-black tentacle had shot out from the dense fog, aiming directly for her throat.

If Jun Wushang hadn't reacted quickly and severed it with a single strike, she might have met her end here today.

Tantai Yue frowned as she looked at the tentacle she had cut off. It still seemed to have a life of its own, writhing rapidly before merging back into the dense fog.

Wei Qing remained silent, merely stepping forward half a pace to shield the three behind him.

"Rustle, rustle..."

A faint rustling sound suddenly arose from the surrounding dense fog, like countless snakes slithering through grass.

Jun Wushang tightened his grip on his saber and whispered, "We're surrounded."

Before he could finish speaking, over ten tentacles simultaneously shot out from the fog!

Wei Qing's true essence surged within him, and his Profound Meaning—Lotus Flower—was suddenly activated!

Nine lotus flowers burst forth, primal energy surging, and a thirty-foot-tall blood-colored phantom materialized.

The phantom swung its blade in unison with Wei Qing's strike. As over ten tentacles were severed, they instantly turned into wisps of green smoke and completely dissipated.

"Aoo..."

A sharp, piercing scream echoed from within the dense fog.

Instantly, the dense fog seemed to be enraged, churning violently like boiling black water. Countless tentacles attacked from all directions simultaneously.