The Corpse's Peculiarity

Just as everyone relaxed their guard slightly!

Roar--!!!

A monster of exceptionally large size, its mist so thick it was almost tangible, suddenly pounced down from the dense fog at the top of the cave! Its power far surpassed any monster they had encountered before!

"Watch out!" Everyone was shocked and quickly scattered, each seeking cover!

A fierce battle has broken out again!

However, just as everyone's attention was drawn to the powerful mist monster, Hou Liang, standing behind Dongfang Yueming, suddenly revealed a ferocious smile! He sprang up abruptly! His sharp claws, like poisoned daggers, silently clawed towards Dongfang Yueming's back! The speed and the angle were so cunning that it was clearly premeditated!

Dongfang Yueming, however, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head! Just as Hou Liang's claws were about to reach him, he didn't turn around and instead struck out with a powerful palm! The palm wind was fierce, carrying an Mighty Strength!

BOOM!!!

Hou Liang, who had launched the sneak attack, didn't even have time to utter a scream before being shattered into pieces by the palm strike! He was like a porcelain doll that had been smashed!

However, to everyone's horror, after Hou Liang's body was shattered, not a drop of blood flowed out. Instead, like the previous mist monsters, it turned into a thick white mist and slowly dissipated into the air! It was as if he had never been a real human being!

Dongfang Yueming watched the dissipating white mist, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. "After becoming a monster, even the essence of the body has been completely changed? After death... it doesn't leave any trace of humanity?"

Wei Meng watched the dissipating white mist, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing in her eyes, which ultimately turned into a soft sigh. In any case, Hou Liang, whom she once knew, whom she disliked somewhat but was still somewhat familiar with, had completely disappeared.

The group gathered again in a more spacious cave. This time, the number of people who made it here alive was much smaller, with only a few dozen people remaining, all of them wounded and exhausted.

The survivors shared their terrifying experiences in the passageway.

Gradually, a chilling yet crystal-clear conclusion emerged in the minds of all the survivors: those who had transformed into mist monsters... were very likely the same people who had chosen to flee in the canyon and were then swallowed by the dense fog! They... had returned in an even more bizarre and terrifying way! They had become executioners who hunted down their own kind!

Enter a new channel.

A suffocating tension and suspicion filled the air. The dozen or so survivors stood three to five steps apart, their eyes wary, their inner energy surging, as if each of them was a potential enemy.

Just then, a familiar figure slowly emerged from the thick fog ahead, a look of relief on his face as he waved enthusiastically. "Great! You've arrived too!"

Everyone stared intently, and their pupils all contracted sharply!

That person was clearly a martial artist who had gotten separated from his group not long ago!

"It's a monster!" Wei Meng shouted immediately, her voice icy.

This time, no one hesitated, and no one harbored any illusions. Almost the instant Wei Meng finished speaking, more than ten figures moved!

"Boom!"

Various elemental attacks of true qi, fist winds, and palm shadows intertwined like a storm, forming a net of death that instantly enveloped the figure. Without screams or struggles, the misty monster disguised as a martial artist didn't even have time to utter a complete line before being blasted apart by the combined efforts of the crowd, turning into a wisp of smoke and dissipating into the thick fog.

With their attack successful, the group felt a little relieved, and their tense nerves relaxed slightly. It seemed that as long as they remained vigilant, these monsters were not insurmountable.

"Everyone..."

One of the martial artists was about to say something, trying to prolong this brief period of unity.

However, before he could finish speaking, a flash of extreme madness and greed suddenly appeared in the eyes of one of his usually taciturn companions!

"Snap!"

A crisp sound, like jade shattering, rang out. A gray bead the size of a longan had appeared in the silent warrior's hand, and he crushed it without hesitation!

"You..." The martial artist beside him noticed something was wrong and turned his head in shock.

It's too late!

"Roar--!"

Humanity was instantly devoured, replaced by a beast-like roar! A dense, impenetrable gray mist erupted from the man's body, completely enveloping him. His form twisted and swelled within the mist, his muscles bulged, and eerie gray patterns appeared on his skin, his eyes replaced by pure blood red.

A ferocious aura, far surpassing that of the previous mist monster, swept across the entire area!

"For power... they must all die!"

The transformed monster, devoid of reason, grinned maliciously, its claws like hooks, tearing through the air with a vicious gust of wind, and swiftly grabbed at its nearest companion—the warrior who had just spoken!

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered!

Amidst the horrified gazes of everyone, the martial artist's chest was instantly pierced, his expression of astonishment and confusion frozen forever, and his body slumped to the ground.

"Ah!" Wei Meng turned pale and let out a short scream.

This sudden betrayal, this bloody reality, is more terrifying than any monster! They defended themselves against external enemies, but failed to guard against the demons from within!

After killing one person, the transformed monster seemed to have tasted the sweetness of victory. It let out a satisfied roar, and its blood-red eyes swept across the scene, finally settling on Dongfang Yueming, whose aura was the most composed and who posed the greatest threat to it.

"Next... is you!" the monster roared, its limbs straining as it hurtled towards the Dongfang Yueming like a gray cannonball!

The surviving martial artists were still shaken and retreated repeatedly. Their eyes were filled with complex emotions as they looked at the protagonist, including fear, anticipation, and even a hint of secret schadenfreude.

Wei Meng's heart leaped into her throat. She stared intently at the scene, a chill running through her. This monster, which even their combined strength had found troublesome, was now enhanced by the Gray Mist Pearl; its power had likely reached an incredibly terrifying level! Could Dongfang Yueming... withstand it? What if... what if he also possessed such a bead?

Once the thought arose, it grew wildly like vines, instantly soaking her back in cold sweat.

However, facing this devastating blow, Dongfang Yueming didn't even lift an eyelid.

He didn't even draw his sword.

Just as the monster's claws were about to touch his face, Dongfang Yueming moved.

There were no earth-shattering fluctuations of true energy, no dazzling martial arts moves. He simply took a step forward, clenched his right fist, and threw a punch at the monster's chest!

Body Technique!

This is a strike that integrates dozens of Body Tempering fist, palm, and leg techniques, returning to simplicity and reaching the essence of physical application!

"Bang!!!"

A dull, resounding crash, like a battering ram striking a city gate, exploded on the stone platform!

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The menacing monster's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, its ferocious expression freezing, then replaced by endless pain and astonishment. It looked down, staring in disbelief at the fist that had pierced its chest and was even protruding from its back.

Dongfang Yueming remained indifferent, and with a flick of his arm, he exclaimed!

"Boom!"

The monster's entire upper body exploded like a watermelon detonated by Mighty Strength, instantly turning into a mixture of blood, flesh, and gray mist! The remaining lower body collapsed helplessly to the ground, then also turned into a puddle of mud.

One strike, instant kill!

The entire hall was deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned by this domineering and decisive scene, their minds going blank.

After a long while, someone swallowed hard, and the look in their eyes as they looked at Dongfang Yueming had changed from initial wariness and suspicion to pure, soul-deep fear.

That's incredible! Absolutely incomprehensible!

Wei Meng's face turned deathly pale. She stared at the spotless man who slowly withdrew his fist, and the terrifying thought resurfaced in her mind: If he also transformed... would anyone here survive?

Ignoring the complicated gazes of the crowd, Dongfang Yueming's eyes fell on the slowly dissipating corpse.

He frowned slightly, noticing something unusual.

[really...]

He understood.

The corpse before them, though being assimilated and dissolved by the surrounding mist, still retained a roughly human shape, with flesh and bones still faintly visible, making it resemble a decaying "corpse."

Hou Liang, who was killed in the illusion, and the imposter, turned into pure mist after their deaths, leaving not a trace of their physical form.

"I see." Dongfang Yueming suddenly understood.

[Those like Hou Liang are puppets who have completely fallen and been thoroughly corrupted by the mist; they are irreversible 'finished' monsters.]

[The person just now transformed voluntarily using the ' Gray Mist Pearl.' This bead is like a key, a shortcut to corruption. The user sacrificed their humanity and life in exchange for temporary but powerful strength. He was on the path to 'becoming' a monster, so even after death, he retained some 'human' characteristics.]

Having figured this out, the last trace of doubt in Dongfang Yueming's eyes dissipated.