Hou Liang

Inside the passage, the light grew dimmer, as if even the air itself had solidified, creating an oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe. Dongfang Yueming led the way, with Wei Meng following closely behind, each step taken with extreme caution.

They hadn't gone far when, around the corner ahead, several familiar figures came into view. They were the martial artists who had rushed in first, and they were now facing away from them, seemingly on guard against something.

Just then, the fog ahead suddenly surged and boiled like a lake surface hit by a boulder!

A fog monster, even more solid and exuding a dense, deathly aura than the one encountered in the canyon, silently emerged from the thick fog, its empty eye sockets fixed on the martial artists! Its imposing presence clearly indicated that it had reached the peak of the Qi Refining Perfection stage!

"It's here again!" The martial artists instantly bristled, like startled birds, and almost reflexively drew their weapons, their true energy surging, as if facing a formidable enemy!

However, before they could make a move, a figure faster than lightning had already swept past them!

Dongfang Yueming's eyes were as calm as a deep pool of water. The Primordial Yin-Yang True Qi within his body surged and circulated. A simple straight punch, however, carried a terrifying force that seemed to pierce through the Xukong, striking the mist monster squarely in the chest!

"Bang--!!!"

A Qi Refining Perfection, couldn't even put up a decent resistance before being blasted into pieces by this punch, turning into thick white mist that filled the sky and then vanished without a trace!

The martial artists who had been on high alert were now completely petrified, their mouths agape, staring in disbelief at the scene before them! One punch... just one punch, and he had instantly killed a monster at the Qi Refining Perfection?! Just what kind of monster is this guy?!

Meanwhile, inside another winding passage.

A thick fog, as if it had a life of its own, slowly writhed and eventually coalesced into a slightly disheveled figure—it was Hou Liang, who had escaped alone earlier!

At this moment, his eyes no longer held any fear or panic, but instead a chilling coldness and cruelty, and a strange smile even appeared on his lips. He silently blended into a small team of seven or eight martial artists who were cautiously exploring their way forward.

"Roar--!"

Suddenly, thick fog surged ahead, and a gigantic fog monster roared out, instantly drawing everyone's attention!

"Form ranks! Form ranks now!" someone shouted from the ranks!

In the chaos, the group quickly and methodically formed a simple defensive formation. Various weapons gleamed with cold light, and their inner energy surged as they faced the roaring monster!

A fierce battle erupted instantly!

However, just as everyone's attention was drawn to the monster ahead, the monster disguised as Hou Liang flashed a ferocious, bloodthirsty light in its eyes! Like a venomous snake lurking in the night, it suddenly attacked! Its hands, which were originally human, now resembled the claws of a wild beast, gleaming with a cold, eerie light, and silently stabbed towards the back of a companion who was desperately trying to fend off the monster ahead!

"Pfft--!"

The sound of claws digging into flesh was faint yet piercing!

The martial artist's body stiffened abruptly. He looked down in disbelief at the bloodstained claw protruding from his chest, his eyes filled with terror and resentment, and his Vitality rapidly faded.

After absorbing the life essence of this martial artist, the monster disguised as Hou Liang's mist around him became even denser, and his aura surged! Without pausing, like a tiger among sheep, he pounced on the next unsuspecting target!

Blood and screams heralded the prelude to death in this narrow passage!

A moment later, the passage returned to a deathly silence. Only the monster disguised as Hou Liang remained, along with a pile of mangled corpses.

"Wei Meng... my Meng'er... I've come to find you..." The monster licked the blood from its claws, uttering a chilling whisper. Its crimson eyes fixed on a certain direction, and with a flicker, it vanished into the thick fog.

Dongfang Yueming, Wei Meng, and the martial artists he had rescued arrived at a relatively spacious cave again. As expected, the number of people gathered there had decreased significantly.

"Just now... just now, someone in our group suddenly turned into a monster! They ambushed us!" A warrior who had narrowly escaped said in a trembling voice, his face filled with lingering fear and terror.

"Me too! We encountered a monster that could transform into the appearance of our companions! It was terrifying! Luckily, there were many of us, and we managed to kill it together!" Another group echoed, still shaken.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines! Their eyes met with barely concealed wariness and suspicion. No one knew if their companion might suddenly transform into a monster ready to devour them!

The survivors looked at the passage before them, which had drastically decreased in number but remained deep and mysterious, and felt a mixture of relief and fear of the unknown.

"It seems... we have to make another choice," someone said in a hoarse voice.

"This time... there are even fewer passageways, so could we... stick together a bit more?" Wei Meng suggested, glancing subconsciously at Dongfang Yueming, clearly hoping to travel with him.

However, human nature is unpredictable. After the previous betrayals and killings, trust has become incredibly fragile. No one dares to easily entrust their back to someone they don't know well.

In the end, just like before, after a brief silence and wary eye contact, everyone chose different paths and cautiously stepped into the unknown fog once again.

Dongfang Yueming glanced at Wei Meng and saw a hint of expectation in her eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to enter the same passage as her. After all, this girl had helped him before, and her strength was decent enough that she wouldn't be a burden.

As time passed, a familiar figure rushed over from behind, a look of relief on his face – it was Hou Liang!

"Brother Hou Liang?! You... you're alright?!" Wei Meng was stunned when she saw Hou Liang, then a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes!

Others gathered around, asking him all sorts of questions about what had happened.

Hou Liang's face showed a perfect blend of lingering fear and exhaustion. He sighed and said, "Ugh, don't even mention it! I unfortunately got separated from the group and wandered around the passageway alone for ages before finally finding this place! I almost thought I was going to die in there!"

Although everyone still had doubts, seeing that Hou Liang was not acting strangely and that his words were reasonable, they gradually lowered their guard.

For some reason, Wei Meng subconsciously moved closer to Dongfang Yueming. This subtle movement caused a barely perceptible hint of jealousy and resentment to flash in Hou Liang.