Chapter 440 - 308: The Crisis Is Here

Chapter 440: Chapter 308: The Crisis Is Here

He calmed his breath, half-closing his eyes in a posture of conserving energy, hoping that the dark shadow would leave on its own.

DRIP... DRIP...

The cave was utterly silent, save for the sound of dripping water and the ticking of the pocket watch on his person.

The warmth from Feng San Niang continuously transferred to his body.

But Tang Wen’s heart grew colder and colder.

Since the other party wasn’t in a hurry, he couldn’t afford to be either.

Waiting for Hu Lan’s reply might bring a turn of events.

...

Hidden in the shadows, Hu Yun followed the footsteps of the Extraordinary Tracking Mouse.

She moved in fits and starts, eventually arriving at the edge of a cliff.

Below the cliff, a white mist swirled.

The Tracking Mouse stopped, letting out a piercing squeak, refusing to go any further.

Hu Yun stepped forward, her golden eyes piercing through the fog.

The cliff faces on both sides were barren. Not even a single one of the usual vines or pine trees could be seen.

The rock walls were as smooth and steep as if carved by a knife and axe!

Staring at the gloomy, gray sky, she found herself in a difficult situation.

Even if the Tracking Mouse was willing to go down, there was no path.

However, the three mutilated Fifth Grade experts on the Tracking Mouse’s back displayed astonishing Life Force.

They writhed ceaselessly with their heads and necks, trying to break free from the chains and leap off the cliff before them.

Hu Yun arched a sharp brow, her gaze hesitant.

The cliff was right there. With her cultivation, she could easily help them along.

A single gust of wind was all it would take to send the Tracking Mouse and the three Fifth Grade experts down the cliff.

That place might be the destination of this trip.

The Huang Family’s secret to cultivating Fifth Grade experts might lie at the bottom of the cliff.

She silently reached out a hand, then abruptly stopped.

’Time to think from their perspective.’

’If I were one of the Huang Family...’

’And the secret to my family’s survival was at the bottom of this cliff...’

’Then I would definitely have set up an inescapable trap at the top.’

’Something to ensure not even a bird could fly past alive.’

’No, I’d have set up traps and hidden sentries far away from the cliff!’

At this thought, a sudden chill ran down her spine.

The path here had been completely clear, and she hadn’t sensed any problems at all.

The Extraordinary Tracking Mouse was about the size of a small calf.

The three Fifth Grade experts, who were nothing but heads and torsos, were tightly bound by chains to its back and sides.

Hu Yun concealed her aura and hovered motionless in the air with the kitten-like White Tiger, engaging in a contest of endurance with an unseen enemy.

The Tracking Mouse squeaked erratically, its cries growing more and more shrill.

Strangely, it could have clearly turned and fled, but it didn’t. It just spun around in circles anxiously, at a complete loss.

’Something is definitely wrong.’

Beneath her Moon Traveling Clothes, Hu Yun held her breath and focused her mind.

The situation was growing bizarre, but she was unwilling to give up.

After all, a method to mass-produce Fifth Grade combatants was just too tempting!

Time slowly passed.

The three mutilated Fifth Grade experts struggled even more violently.

It was as if they had gone mad, desperate to get to the cliff.

BANG!

A chain snapped.

The mutilated Fifth Grade expert tied to the left side of the Tracking Mouse was the first to break free, tumbling off its back and over the cliff.

Hu Yun’s expression was steady, her gaze perfectly calm.

The White Tiger in her arms pricked up its ears.

After a moment, the White Tiger gave up. It couldn’t hear anything.

It was as if the white mist concealed a bottomless abyss.

Once you fell, you would never hit the bottom!

BANG! BANG!

The sounds of snapping chains echoed one after another.

Hu Yun’s breath hitched.

The White Tiger couldn’t help but ask via telepathy, "Do we run or chase?"

The moment she heard this, Hu Yun’s expression changed drastically.

She had been locked onto by Spiritual Power!

An ethereal voice sounded, "The Moon Traveling Clothes have many flaws. For instance, once you enter water or mist, they offer no concealment and are easily seen through."

Before he could finish, Hu Yun pushed off with the tip of her toe, not retreating but advancing, charging straight toward the cliff and into the white mist!

"Heh! Quite clever, but unfortunately—"

’Unfortunately what?’

The next moment, Hu Yun understood.

The instant she stepped into the mist, the white before her eyes abruptly transformed into blood-red!

The change was sudden and absolute. Her entire vision was filled with red, as if this place had always been a blood mist, and the white mist had never existed.

’How is this possible?’

’I’m a mighty Peak of Fifth Grade expert, how could my very sight be deceived?’

’I can’t even tell the difference between white and red mist?!’

CRACKLE—

Hu Yun transformed into silver-white lightning, blasting through the mist.

WHOOSH—

The White Tiger followed close behind, riding the wind in pursuit.

The two Peak Fifth Grade experts joined forces, covering several miles in the blink of an eye!

’Not good!’

The woman and the tiger couldn’t stop in time and slammed heavily into the ground.

They smashed two massive craters into the earth.

When they crawled out of the craters, their faces were filled with inexplicable shock.

’We were clearly flying upward just now!’

’How did we end up crashing down?!’

’Has our sense of direction been reversed too?’

Hu Yun put away her Moon Traveling Clothes, her expression grave as she looked at the cave before them.

Calling it a cave was perhaps inappropriate; the mountain gate before them, dozens of meters tall, was clearly man-made.

A clear voice drifted over, tinged with deep disappointment. "Just the two of you?"

Hu Yun brushed her hair back, her voice icy. "To kill you, it’s more than enough."

"HAHAHAHAHA!" the man roared with laughter.

The blood mist, so thick it was almost solid, parted with his laughter, revealing a path.

A black-robed figure stood in the distance before Hu Yun.

"It’s you? Just escaped from the Thunder Jade Mine, have we!" Hu Yun deliberately taunted.

Though the black robes were identical, there were always differences in a person’s build and posture.

She recognized him as the leader of the black-robed men she had seen at the Thunder Jade Mine!

At that time, that Sixth Grade Tracking Mouse had been right by his side.

"It seems it was you who killed those useless fools."

Hu Yun did not speak.

The black-robed man continued talking to himself, "You followed me here. Aren’t you afraid I have other cards to play, that I could just kill Tang Wen directly?"

Hu Yun still did not answer.

The black-robed man abruptly threw back his hood, revealing a pale, ferocious face. "Once you’re dead, I’ll have plenty of ways to deal with him!"

Hu Yun stepped forward, her beautiful eyes glinting. "Since I’m going to die anyway, do you dare let me see the secret your Huang Family has been hiding?"

It was a simple taunt that even a Martial Disciple from outside Ganshan City wouldn’t fall for.

But Hu Yun was certain he wouldn’t refuse.

Because the man before her could hardly be called a living person.

To be alive in such a state, and to have seized power...

It was like mastering a Supreme Yang cultivation technique, possessing immense wealth and peerless looks, but being a eunuch!

Intense desire paired with a broken body could absolutely turn a person into the most disgusting deviant.

Huang the Ninth gave a bizarre smile. "I’ll let you look for a lifetime!"

SWOOSH!

He flicked his black robe, and his figure was instantly obscured by the surging blood mist.

Hu Yun stopped in her tracks, secretly regretting her hesitation. ’This man is afraid of death. I should have captured him just now, regardless of the cost.’

Having lost their target, Hu Yun and the White Tiger took a few steps back, concealed their auras, and changed positions, not daring to act rashly.

Although she didn’t know how the enemy had confused her sight and senses...

...Hu Yun discovered that the people here weren’t as mindless as the black-robed men she had encountered before.

The situation was strange. It seemed these people were also wary of her.

Inside the cave, before the Blood Pool.

Huang the Ninth walked in from outside. Gazing at the giant log in the Blood Pool, he said coldly, "Our guest is at the door. Are you still not going to make a move?"

One by one, red, bloody eyes opened.

"You didn’t mention before that a Thunder Department Fifth Grade expert was coming, did you?"

Huang the Ninth laughed in exasperation. "It’s just one woman and one tiger out there! If we each threw a punch, we could beat them to death!"

"Well said, Xiao Jiu. I’ll leave my punch for you to throw."

Huang the Ninth: "You!"

"Heh heh, and my punch too."

"And mine!"

"..."

Beneath his cloak, Huang the Ninth sneered silently. ’A bunch of old fossils!’

"Esteemed family elders and seniors, let’s stop with the pointless chatter. Since no one is willing to step up, I’ll have to enter the Blood Pool myself, and all of you will go together!"

Instantly, the cave fell silent.

At that moment, in another, equally silent stone cave...

Tang Wen had not received a reply from Hu Lan, but he had received an unexpected development.

The good news: that smear of a shadow had finally left the corner of the wall.

The bad news—it was now floating right above his head.

It was like seeing the sword hanging over his head about to fall.

Tang Wen’s mood relaxed. He gave Third Lady a shove, sending her rolling a few times to put some distance between them.

With the bizarre black shadow so close, Tang Wen didn’t dare take his eyes off it for even half a second, so he could only push Third Lady away.

"Ahem, Sir Shadow, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh?" the shadow spoke, its tone unexpectedly calm. "You were very afraid of death just now, but now you don’t seem to be. Very well!"

The moment the voice fell, Tang Wen’s pupils contracted violently. Black claws descended from above, and he didn’t even have time to shout "I’m afraid!"

His only option was to fight for his life!

The light of a blade flared from his left hand as his right hand crushed a piece of jade.

An invisible tiger claw and a biting Sword Gang shot straight toward the black shadow!