After passing through the portal, the three found themselves in a completely unfamiliar world. The sky was overcast, making it impossible to tell whether there was a sun or not, and the surroundings seemed to be shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to see what the environment was like in the distance.
The portal behind them disappeared after they emerged. Just as the Blood Devil had said, he would no longer offer them any help. From now on, they would have to explore this completely unfamiliar world on their own.
Suddenly, a faint, shrill sound, like weeping, came from afar. In the thick fog in the distance, something enormous seemed to be moving slowly, but when you looked closely, you could see nothing at all.
As soon as the voice appeared, Bei Na clung tightly to Qi Ling's arm, her bright eyes darting around nervously. Qi Ling found it amusing; this girl claimed she wasn't afraid, but she was clearly terrified.
At this moment, Jian Lan also put her arm around Qi Ling's other arm. Qi Ling asked in confusion, " Jian Lan, are you afraid of these things too?"
"Oh, Qi Ling, I'm a girl too, of course I'm scared. Besides, the fog is so thick here, it would be terrible if we got separated," Jian Lan said with a smile, though she clearly didn't look scared at all.
Left with no other choice, Qi Ling led the two to search for clues. Soon, they found a path paved with pebbles in a withered forest, but they didn't know where it led.
"Let's go take a look; maybe we can find some clues," Qi Ling said.
The three walked along the pebbled path. After a short while, Bei Na suddenly pointed ahead in surprise and exclaimed, "Hey, Qi Ling, Jian Lan, look! There's a huge scarecrow up ahead!"
In the direction Bei Na pointed, a scarecrow three meters tall stood by the roadside, its two arms made of twigs. One hand held a tattered copper lamp, while the other held a sickle.
Its face, though entirely made of straw, somehow possessed a gaping maw, with the straw seemingly forming sharp teeth, making it look terrifying.
Curious, Bei Na walked towards the scarecrow, while Qi Ling, after examining it with a frown, said, " Bei Na, be careful. It is..."
Qi Ling wanted to remind Bei Na that the scarecrow was not just an ornament, but a living creature, but it was too late. The scarecrow in front of Bei Na had already startled Qi Ling, making a sound like rust scraping against metal, and its limbs crawled rapidly towards Bei Na in a completely erratic manner.
"Eek--!" Faced with this sudden and bizarre thing, Bei Na was so frightened that she almost lost her soul. She even forgot to defend herself and watched as the scarecrow's scythe was about to swing down.
Just as Qi Ling was about to make a move, a sword light suddenly shot out from the side towards the scarecrow, severing one of its arms and rendering it unable to attack.
Once she realized what was happening, Bei Na felt a surge of anger and embarrassment. Like a little tiger, she pounced on the scarecrow, yelling, "You rascal! You scared me! You scared me!" Before long, she had torn the scarecrow to shreds.
Once Bei Na calmed down, she said to Qi Ling, "Seriously, alright, let's keep going. Hopefully, there won't be any more of these things ahead, otherwise, I'll tear them down one by one!"
Qi Ling pointed helplessly ahead and said, "You mean, that... that group?"
"Huh?" Upon hearing Qi Ling's words, Bei Na slowly looked ahead and saw a large group of scarecrows gradually emerging from the thick fog. Like the scarecrow itself, they stood there quietly, their sickles reflecting a chilling light.
Upon seeing this group of monsters, Bei Na's face immediately turned ugly. After hesitating for a moment, she quietly slipped behind Qi Ling and silently grabbed the hem of Qi Ling's clothes.
Qi Ling frowned as she looked at the scarecrows in front of her. Judging from Jian Lan's attack just now, these things were not powerful monsters. In fact, they were quite fragile and could be killed very easily.
Even though they are numerous, they pose no threat whatsoever. Under normal circumstances, Qi Ling could wipe them all out in no time.
But what really made Qi Ling hesitate was that the scarecrow, whose hand had been cut off by Jian Lan and which had been dismantled by Bei Na, had actually reassembled itself in the short time it had been standing, returning to its original spot and assuming the same pose, completely still.
Without a doubt, these things were not afraid of being dismantled. In fact, Qi Ling began to suspect that these things might not be alive at all, and that their reactions were just a stress response, like wood burning when exposed to fire.
"It really is a strange place. Making a move rashly might lead to something bad," Qi Ling said cautiously. " Jian Lan, what do you think?"
Jian Lan then slowly said, "My sword energy doesn't feel like it's cutting into any living thing. These things should be inanimate objects, manipulated by some special power."
It's like throwing a punch at the sky; if you don't understand how they exist, you simply can't deal with them.
"Hehehe, distinguished guests, do you need any help?" Just then, a strange voice suddenly appeared, and then, Middle God Qi Ling's surprise, a person wearing a cloak appeared beside Qi Ling and the others.
Qi Ling was absolutely certain that she had no feelings whatsoever before or after this person appeared, as if he were just air there, without any sense of presence, and it was even impossible to tell whether he was a living being.
Bei Na and Jian Lan were equally surprised by this person's appearance and felt nothing amiss. Qi Ling cautiously asked, "Who are you? What kind of help are you referring to?"
The voice continued to come from within the completely shrouded cloak, "Hehehe, honored guests, do not be afraid. My name is Arthas, and I am merely a guide. My job is simply to lead the guests who come here to where they wish to go."
"Do you know where we want to go?" Qi Ling asked.
"Hehehe, of course I know. Please follow me." Without saying anything more, Arthas walked forward.
After Qi Ling led the two of them and followed behind Arthas. Then, he secretly cut his finger and smeared his blood on his eyes.
What Qi Ling saw left her speechless with astonishment, for all that appeared on Arthas was a green skull.
Recalling the Blood Devil's words, Qi Ling felt speechless. Where did this seemingly insurmountable opponent intend to take the three of them? Wouldn't it be better for them to escape now?
But Qi Ling abandoned the idea. He knew nothing about this place, and if he tried to escape, the situation would likely become even more complicated.
Under Arthas's leadership, the surrounding scarecrows seemed completely oblivious to the presence of the three, simply watching them walk by without making a move, much to the astonishment of the ever-apprehensive Bei Na.
" Qi Ling, do you think he might really be a good person? Otherwise, why would he lead us away from there?" Bei Na asked.
Qi Ling sighed helplessly, "Sigh, Bei Na, I don't think there could be any good people in a place like this. He must have his own purpose in taking us away."
"Hehehe, you guessed right, distinguished guests." Arthas had clearly heard their conversation and let out a sinister laugh. "Before I tell you my purpose, I'd like to ask you a little riddle! Do you know where all these scarecrows by the roadside come from?"
Qi Ling looked at the scarecrows by the roadside and realized that their number was far more astonishing than she had imagined! In that thick fog, there was simply an endless army of scarecrows!
"I don't know, but I doubt it'll be anything fun," Qi Ling said.
But Arthas laughed, "Oh, how fun, how very fun! These people are the ones who survived, defeated by fear and despair in this Howling Abyss! That is to say, each of them has a true soul inside!"
Upon hearing Arthas's words, the three exclaimed in astonishment, "You, what did you say?! You mean, these scarecrows are actually the souls of living people?"
"That's right, those consumed by despair and fear, their souls will remain here, becoming eternal guardians!" Arthas said. "Of course, those here are the weak; truly powerful souls will become even stronger here."
Qi Ling frowned and said, "If that's the case, why would so many people come to such a terrifying place? Could they all have been kidnapped by you?"
"Oh, esteemed guest, you're quite the joker. I have no need to do such a thing. People flock here every day!" Arthas laughed. "After all, human greed is insatiable, and only the truly strong can take what they desire from here."
"What is it about this place that attracts so many people?" Qi Ling asked.
"There's so much! There are elixirs that can bring the dead back to life, powerful magical treasures, supreme cultivation techniques that can transform you, and everything you could possibly want!" Arthas laughed. "Of course, there's also what you desire: the once-unrivaled Demonic Weapon, the Demon God Fangtian Halberd!"
" The Demon God Fangtian Halberd?" Qi Ling murmured to himself. The Blood Devil had mentioned that his weapon was called that, but he clearly said that no one but him would know the whereabouts of this Demonic Weapon. Why would Arthas know?
As if sensing Qi Ling's doubt, Arthas continued, "Please don't be confused. I know everything about the Howling Abyss, because I am the Howling Abyss itself!"