Sanctuary

Chu Ying asked with some confusion, "Brother, since you're so strong, can't we just stay at home?"

Chu Yuan dismissed the thought, saying, "There are plenty of people in the Martial Suppression Bureau and the military who are stronger than me, yet Chenyang City still ended up like this."

To put it bluntly, going to a crowded place at least provides some human shields...

However, when they arrived at Dafeng Mall, Chu Yuan's heart sank once again.

The shelter at Dafeng Mall was located underground; naturally, Chu Yuan wasn't the only one who thought of this place when danger arrived.

Looking at the chaotic footprints on the ground and the vehicles piled up along the road, one could tell that many clever people had already rushed inside ahead of them.

But... something was wrong.

A cold, sinister energy was drifting nearby, giving him the feeling of needles pricking his back.

Chu Yuan could sense that the source of this energy was the basement of Dafeng Mall.

Listening closely, he couldn't hear a single human voice from within.

"Mom, you two hide here for a moment." Chu Yuan forcefully wrenched open a car door, ushering Han Cui and Chu Ying inside.

Then, his figure flashed as he charged toward the interior of the mall.

Chu Ying's gaze followed his footsteps until Chu Yuan completely disappeared inside the mall.

She raised her wrist to look at her terminal, which had no signal, and was just about to say something to ease the tension when she suddenly saw Chu Yuan leap back out as if he were a rabbit being chased.

"Brother!"

"Go! Now!"

Chu Yuan stopped in front of the car and opened the door.

"Why are you back so soon..."

Before she could finish, she saw that Chu Yuan wasn't even listening to her; he was staring toward the mall with a grave expression.

Chu Ying followed his gaze and saw a woman walking out as if she were floating.

Her face was exquisite, yet her eyes were hollow, and a strange, eerie smile curled at the corners of her lips.

Han Cui clearly recognized this thing; her face changed drastically as she hurriedly covered Chu Ying's eyes. "Don't look! Let's go!"

Chu Yuan felt anxious; he regretted coming to the shelter.

The moment he entered the mall, he had seen corpses lying dead in dense clusters.

They had no external injuries, as if they were merely sleeping, yet they had no breath left in them.

Then, a burst of crying had echoed, and a strand of hair had draped over his shoulder.

Chu Yuan had heard of these things; they were called Anomalies, or what folklore referred to as "ghosts."

Their origins were a mystery, but they were a hostile faction to the human race, obsessed with devouring human souls.

They were rare in number, but extremely difficult to deal with.

Ordinary attacks were completely useless against them; only energy attacks imbued with attributes or mental attacks could harm them.

But those were things no low-rank martial artist could master.

Yan Xuan and his group were eyeing the flesh essence, while these Anomalies were eyeing the souls of the people in Chenyang City... You really don't let anything go to waste, do you?

Chu Yuan cursed inwardly, but he didn't dare to relax.

"Brother! Come here!"

Chu Ying seemed to be shouting. Chu Yuan turned his head instinctively, only to lock eyes with a pair of pitch-black pupils.

The malice within them was almost tangible, crashing against Chu Yuan's willpower like a tidal wave.

Chu Yuan reacted with lightning speed, instantly channeling his spiritual energy to his brain, which finally brought him a moment of clarity.

He then decisively slashed out with his blade!

The cold light flickered, striking her neck, but it felt as if he had hacked into stone, sending a numbing jolt through Chu Yuan's wrist.

The blade sank in halfway, drawing a few drops of thick, black blood.

Yet the creature seemed to have suffered a heavy blow; her hollow expression twisted instantly, and a shrill sound erupted from her throat!

"Ah~!!!"

The air rippled, spreading outward in all directions.

The tangible sound waves pulverized everything within their range!

Chu Yuan was caught off guard; for a moment, he felt as if his ears had been deafened, and the world fell into absolute silence... blood began to trickle from his ear canals.

However, he still felt a surge of joy in his heart; his spiritual energy... it seemed to deal significant damage to this Anomaly?

Ignoring the needle-like pain in his brain, Chu Yuan pulled out his long blade and struck again.

"Swift!"

The blade edge, fluid as water, descended in an instant.

The blade cleaved down from the center of the woman's brow!

Chu Yuan felt helpless once again... naturally, it wasn't because his cultivation had surged to the point where he could instantly slay this anomaly;

There was not a shred of feedback from the point of impact... it was as if he had struck empty air.

There was no need for "as if"—he had indeed struck empty air. Seeing the figure of the woman before him shatter like light and shadow, how could Chu Yuan not realize he had just slashed at an illusion?

He scanned his surroundings once more, only to see a familiar figure standing atop the massive display screen on the exterior wall of Dafeng Mall...

At this moment, her face held a human-like expression of confusion and wariness;

But more than that, it was still filled with malice.

Chu Yuan only knew that some low-level anomalies were incapable of communication, but he did not know if the one he had encountered could be reasoned with;

He waved the long blade in his hand and asked tentatively, "I don't want to fight you. Let me leave, how about that?"

Yet, the only answer he received was a burst of wailing...

Han Cui and Chu Ying had not run off blindly into the distance, as she worried that Chu Yuan would be unable to find them later;

They had only run a few hundred meters, reaching a spot where the silhouette of Dafeng Mall was barely visible, and hid inside a small convenience store with its door left ajar.

The convenience store was in shambles, merchandise scattered across the floor, with large amounts of blood staining the ground;

The fate of the original owner could hardly have been pleasant...

Han Cui looked around, gritted her teeth, and pulled Chu Ying to hide beneath the checkout counter.

This position could hardly be called hidden, but from the outside, only the direction they had come from offered a direct line of sight to the space beneath the counter.

This way, they wouldn't miss Chu Yuan when he returned...

Chu Ying buried her head and began to sob. Han Cui sighed, pulled her into her arms, and gently patted her back;

In truth, it wasn't just Chu Ying who had never seen such a scene; she hadn't either.

The martial arts had been revived for three hundred years, the situation was largely stable, and most conflicts took place on the front lines;

She was not a martial artist, so naturally, she had never been to the front...

"It's alright, Yingying, don't cry. Your brother has a way..."

Yet, such feeble comfort seemed unable to provide Chu Ying with any sense of security; she continued to cry, her wails growing louder and louder!

Listening to the crying, Han Cui felt a bit dizzy, and a strange fire seemed to rise from within her heart.

The hand she used to pat Chu Ying's back gradually increased in force...

Just then, the sound of rapid, heavy footsteps burst into the room!

Han Cui's emotions were interrupted for a split second, and before she could even think, the counter they were hiding behind was sent flying by a powerful force!

She looked up, and a young face came into view;

He appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, sporting a clean, cropped haircut, with one eye seemingly injured and shut tight, blood streaming down his face.

The young man seemed quite experienced, speaking before she could open her mouth, his voice hoarse: "Don't be afraid, I'm from the Martial Suppression Bureau."