A Warm Embrace!

What do you call a place full of traps? A place where every step is a deadly trap?

Today, Shan He truly understood.

It's a shame this kid isn't a killer; when it comes to hunting and killing, he's more professional than actual professional killers.

For a moment, Shan He felt a sense of dejection, like the younger generation surpassing the old, a new era replacing the old.

Am I getting old?

Of course, now isn't the time for melancholy and lamenting the fleeting passage of time. He first needs to resolve his current predicament.

Otherwise, he wouldn't just be old, he'd be dead.

But the mud beneath his feet had an incredibly strong suction, desperately dragging him down.

This wasn't ordinary mud.

If it were a normal mud pit, he could have easily used his movement technique to soar into the sky and escape the mire.

Shan He now understood why Tang Fei called it "Hell's Gate." It was said that when the newly deceased first step into Hell's Gate, they are reluctant to leave their earthly lives. However, inside Hell's Gate, ten thousand ghosts revel, pulling and tugging, wanting to induct you into their ranks as vengeful spirits.

Whether human or ghost, everyone enjoys corrupting others.

Shan He's current situation was dire. He couldn't struggle, couldn't move, and didn't even dare to easily use his Yin Yang Qi.

Because he knew that every ounce of effort he exerted would only make him sink deeper.

To possess a vast reservoir of Yin Yang Qi yet be unable to use it – who could understand this frustration?

"How is it?" Tang Fei asked with a chuckle, looking at Shan He. "Feeling stuck? This Hell's Gate has opened especially for you today, so enjoy it."

"You think something like this can trap me?"

"Oh? You have a way out?" Tang Fei asked curiously.

When he encountered particularly difficult prey, he liked to lure them here.

Whether it was a bear as big as a mountain or a mountain leopard that had become a spirit, once they entered the territory of Hell's Gate, only one fate awaited them: to be roasted or braised.

The stronger and larger the beast, the greater the damage inflicted by Hell's Gate, and the deeper it would sink.

When facing danger, struggling and resisting is instinctual.

This is true for both humans and animals.

Shan He reached into his pocket and pulled out a palm-sized airplane model. He gently pressed a button on it, and the airplane model extended and enlarged before him with a whirring sound.

Soon, an AI-powered smart airplane appeared in the air, spewing deep blue flames from its tail.

"Rope!"

Shan He shouted, and a silver thread dropped from the smart airplane's belly. The silver thread even had a handle attached, making it convenient for someone to grab and fly.

Shan He grabbed the handle, and the smart airplane began to slowly lift his body.

He couldn't use his own strength, but he could use external force for leverage.

This way, Hell's Gate couldn't trap him anymore.

Tang Fei was furious. These people had no shame!

They were using high-tech means? Were they trying to bully them, the refugees of Old Earth, because they were uncultured?

Tang Fei summoned his cleaver, and the blade spun, sweeping towards the arm Shan He was holding onto.

Trying to escape? No way.

Leave your arm behind.

No, take your arm with you, leave your body behind.

Shan He was prepared. His fiery red fist had already enlarged countless times, like a giant soccer ball. He punched towards the whistling cleaver.

A powerful red airflow surged out, fiercely colliding with the cleaver. The cleaver, struck by this force, was sent flying away with a "bang."

Tang Fei panicked, worried the cleaver would fall into the mud, and quickly summoned it back to his palm.

Bang!

As the cleaver returned to his hand, the powerful corpse-chilling energy hadn't completely dissipated. Tang Fei grunted, and his body involuntarily sank a bit further.

Tang Fei dared not act rashly.

He didn't have a smart airplane; he only had a manual transmission.

The smart airplane exerted immense force, quickly dragging Shan He out of the mud.

Shan He's body was airborne, and he regained the initiative.

He retracted the smart airplane, then looked down at Tang Fei, laughing heartily. "Didn't you say this was Hell's Gate? Today, I'll give you a hand and send you to hell early."

As he spoke, his fist flashed red again.

The red flame, like a giant red fist, struck Tang Fei, who was stuck in the mud.

Tang Fei inwardly cursed.

He had originally intended to use Hell's Gate to trap Shan He. Once Shan He was deeply stuck in the mud and unable to move, his cleaver would have cleanly severed his head.

He waited until he was sure Tang Fei couldn't die any more than he already was, then he'd figure out how to retrieve his body.

Oh, not retrieving it was fine too.

After all, he used to retrieve them whenever he went hunting.

Unfortunately, Shan He had escaped using a smart plane now, and his own manual transmission plane couldn't help much.

Now that the enemy's attack had arrived, not counterattacking meant certain death.

Tang Fei gritted his teeth, infused Yin Yang Qi into his right fist, and threw a punch.

The phantom images of a dragon and an elephant surged out, roaring as they charged towards the giant red fist.

Tang Fei's Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Technique hadn't even broken through the first level. If it had, the dragon and elephant would have become solid, and their attack power would have increased exponentially.

Boom—

The dragon and elephant phantoms collided with the giant red fist in mid-air, darkening the sky and filling it with roars.

The dragon and elephant vanished after a brief clash. Fortunately, the giant red fist continued forward for a short distance before also disappearing into nothingness.

Tang Fei understood that his strength and cultivation level were inferior to the Old Man's, and his internal Yin Yang Qi was even more so.

However, the Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Technique was a divine Buddhist art, possessing a bright and vast aura. Shan He's Thousand Corpse Transformation, on the other hand, followed a path of extreme Yin and poison. As the saying goes, evil cannot overcome righteousness; when encountering a divine Buddhist art, it would naturally be suppressed and restrained.

Even though the Yin Yang Qi contained in his punch was deeper and more powerful, it had still resulted in a draw.

Subduing demons, subduing demons – wasn't it precisely to subdue devils like Shan He?

Shan He was greatly surprised that his punch hadn't achieved the expected effect.

His body still floated in mid-air, and he stared at Tang Fei, saying, "Your cultivation method is exquisite, but your skill is lacking."

His fist began to gather power, the red flames burning even more intensely, as if a small red sun were blazing on his fist.

"Take another punch."

That small red sun, with a seemingly incredibly slow but awe-inspiring speed, smashed towards Tang Fei. This time, he not only intended to kill Tang Fei but also to destroy this entire area of Hell's Gate.

What Hell's Gate? In the face of absolute power, any gate would be broken and smashed.

Tang Fei's expression was solemn; he knew the power of this punch.

Even from a distance, he could feel the sinister and terrifying aura emanating from the red flames.

He felt a bone-chilling cold.

Yes, this was the peculiar nature of the Thousand Corpse Transformation.

Despite burning with red flames, it utilized extreme Yin Qi. The burning flames did not bring warmth but only extreme cold.

It could incinerate people or freeze them into ice sculptures.

The red sun, with the imposing aura of a blazing sun, cast its red radiance upon the land, enveloping Tang Fei and the very ground he stood on.

Even the dark brown mud was illuminated to a deep red, looking like writhing red blood plasma.

Tang Fei felt despair; was this old fellow planning to kill him completely?

His legs were deeply sunk in the mud, and any slight exertion would cause him to sink further. The method he had originally intended to use against Shan He had now backfired on him. This was truly a colossal joke.

At the critical moment, a silver light whip descended from the sky.

The Phoenix stood on a large tree and shouted, "Tang Fei, grab on."

Tang Fei grabbed the whip's tip, and the Phoenix pulled hard. Incorporating the terrifying force carried by the Phoenix Whip as it retracted, she pulled Tang Fei out of the mud pit like pulling a radish.

Seeing Tang Fei hurtling towards her, the Phoenix reached out and embraced him.

Their bodies, locked in an embrace, spun a few times in mid-air in a posture that was not graceful but incredibly warm, before they landed together on the ground.

Boom.

Mud and dirt flew everywhere. The spot where Tang Fei had been standing had now become a dark, gaping pit.

"Are you alright?" the Phoenix asked, looking at Tang Fei.

Tang Fei's face and body were covered in mud. When the red sun exploded, his body had just been pulled out of the mud. Although his core being was unharmed, the exploding mud had still pursued him, splashing all over him.

"I was, but I'm not anymore." Rescued from certain death, Tang Fei felt extremely happy and said with a laugh, "You saved me again."

"You saved my life, which is why I could save yours," the Phoenix said.

Tang Fei nodded, acknowledging the Phoenix's logical reasoning, and said, "You have a point. If I go and help you kill him, it'll be like saving you again."

Shan He had come to kill the Phoenix, so if he killed Shan He, wouldn't that be saving the Phoenix?

Ultimately, the Phoenix still owed him a life.

This way, her previous promise of supplies and weapons would still hold.

"I'll go with you," the Phoenix said.

"I'm going too," Little Fatty chimed in.

Little Fatty could tell that Shan He was not weak, and his big brother might not fare well against him.

Little Fatty was afraid his big brother would get beaten up, and he believed that to beat up his big brother, he had to beat himself up first.

The Old Man grabbed Little Fatty by the arm and pointed at Little Knife, saying, "Go play with him."

"Okay," Little Fatty nodded, swinging his hammer as he walked towards Little Knife.

The Old Man then called Tang Fei and the Phoenix back, saying, "Leave this old fellow to me."

He pointed at the Clown and the Snake Woman, saying, "You young people will have more in common."

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