Free Web NovelChapter 118: Chapter 113: Unknown Horror in the Mist
Yu Changsheng didn’t stop Wang Xin Yu as she fled. He ignored the cries of alarm from below, glancing at the Biluo Snake she hadn’t had time to recall.
Without hesitation, Yu Changsheng commanded his Red Refining Snake and Golden-Winged Eagle to attack, but it found an opportunity to slip off the Cloud Platform.
The platform was suddenly deserted, leaving only Yu Changsheng and his Spirit Pets.
Yet, Yu Changsheng’s expression showed little sign of relaxing. Instead, it was grave as he stared intently at the dense fog drifting up from below the Cloud Platform, not daring to let his guard down.
It was as if the dense fog were a man-devouring maw, concealing some great calamity.
This all sounds more complicated in the telling, but from the moment Yu Changsheng attacked to the end, only a few breaths had passed.
He had been observing from the shadows, intending to strike when the other two combatants had grievously wounded each other, allowing him to swoop in and reap the rewards.
But the surrounding fog grew increasingly thick and was highly unusual. Even his Divine Sense, which was comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator, was being obstructed, preventing him from seeing clearly.
Meanwhile, the feeling of unease in his heart intensified. He could tell that although the two on the platform had temporarily joined forces, they were still on guard against each other and not fighting with their full strength. There was no way a winner would be decided anytime soon.
Left with no other choice, Yu Changsheng couldn’t afford to wait. He had to seize the opportunity to get on the platform and swiftly clear the field.
’The Elder overseeing the competition said Yuntai Valley has many dangerous environments, and only the Cloud Platform is a relatively safe place...’
’But thanks to my Divine Sense, the journey here has been startling but not truly dangerous...’
Atop the Cloud Platform, Yu Changsheng held his breath and focused his mind, muttering to himself.
’Could it be that this fog is the real danger? Or is this an unforeseen event?’
Yu Changsheng fully extended his Divine Sense, paying close attention to everything around him, though he couldn’t see much in the strange, dense fog.
But he could faintly sense the vast, hazy silhouette of something unknown lurking within it...
The silhouette felt as vast as an abyss, as deep as the sea. The aura it unintentionally exuded gave Yu Changsheng a sense of its unfathomable depth. Just a moment of exposure was enough to make his face turn deathly pale, the pressure nearly unbearable.
In contrast, Yu Changsheng’s Spirit Pets—both the Red Refining Snake and the stronger Colorful Star Deer—had unstable auras. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably as if they were being suppressed.
However, the silhouette seemed to harbor no malicious intent. The feeling it gave Yu Changsheng was more of playfulness and... curiosity?
’An incense stick... Just hurry up and burn.’
Yu Changsheng had no other choice and dared not take any chances. He had his three Spirit Pets spread out into the Spiritual Beast Four Extremes Formation, waiting in strict formation while silently counting the passing time.
According to the trial’s rules, as long as he could occupy a Cloud Platform by himself for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he would succeed and be teleported out.
More than half the incense stick’s time had passed. Just then, the dense fog below the Cloud Platform suddenly roiled, as if some behemoth within had turned over in its sleep, causing a great disturbance.
SSSK... SSSK... SSSK...
It was the sound of a snake’s tongue flicking rapidly, urgent and filled with an inexplicable terror.
"Ah... Biluo Snake... no... don’t... Stay away! What is that thing?! No, no, I still want to—"
It was Wang Xin Yu’s voice.
Sharp and laced with unspeakable terror, her screams came through the fog already faint, then stopped abruptly.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
In place of her unfinished words, there was a scalp-numbing chewing sound. Clearly, the being within the fog was feasting heartily. Finding its meal delicious, it couldn’t help but let out a satisfied burp.
Atop the Cloud Platform, a cold shiver ran down Yu Changsheng’s spine, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety.
’Wang Xin Yu and her Biluo Snake... they must be gone.’
Yu Changsheng slowly exhaled, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek.
He could feel a strange gaze from below the Cloud Platform, sizing him up.
It seemed to be pondering: To eat, or not to eat? And if it were to eat, how should it begin?
Yu Changsheng’s mind went blank for a moment. Fear surged into his consciousness like a tidal wave, transforming into a colossal blood python that spanned the heavens and the earth, blotting out everything before it moved to devour him!
’Wrong! This is wrong!’
Yu Changsheng’s eyes flew open. With a jolt of his Divine Sense, he bit down hard on his tongue. A coppery taste filled his mouth, and he used the sharp pain to regain some of his clarity.
’My emotions are off. I shouldn’t be this terrified...’
Coming to his senses, Yu Changsheng let out a long breath. His face was covered in cold sweat, and his back was soaked through.
’The being in the fog can influence my mind! It’s amplifying my emotions!’
’Even with my Divine Sense, which is comparable to a Golden Core cultivator’s, I’m still being affected... This being is far beyond anything I can hope to fight!’
As this reality set in, Yu Changsheng’s expression turned grim. He looked up at the barrier of light covering the Cloud Platform.
’What in the world is hidden in this Yuntai Valley? The Elder overseeing the competition surely wouldn’t have put a Tier Three Demon Beast in here, right?’
’Or could it be that... it isn’t a Demon Beast at all?’
The moment that thought arose, the dense fog around him began to roil again. A small portion of it surged toward the light barrier.
The moment it made contact, the light barrier flickered erratically, looking as if it would shatter at any second.
’It can’t be...’
Yu Changsheng’s eyes widened.
Only ten breaths remained before the incense stick’s time was up!
But the light barrier only flickered for a moment. In the next instant, ripples of golden light began to emanate in circles from the center of the Cloud Platform—precisely where Yu Changsheng stood—spreading across the barrier.
Golden threads appeared on the barrier’s surface, rapidly mending the spiderweb-like cracks. It was being reinforced and maintained.
No matter how the fog battered it, it only stirred up more golden ripples. It was clear the barrier couldn’t be broken in a short amount of time.
Seeing this, Yu Changsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
’Thank goodness this Cloud Platform has its own defensive reinforcements.’
In that moment, another five breaths of time passed. Only five breaths were left.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when the being in the fog seemed to take an interest. Vaguely, Yu Changsheng thought he saw a long head emerge.
It wasn’t a snake’s head, but it was similar. A turtle’s?
Suddenly, a call echoed out.
The call wasn’t harsh or ear-piercing. It was like flowing water, like a whispering wind, like falling rain, like clouds unfurling and rolling across the sky...
It flowed slowly into the depths of his soul, spreading through his Sea of Consciousness and his entire being. It carried an indescribable vibration that caused even the surrounding Spiritual Qi to resonate with it.
Even the Spiritual Qi in Yu Changsheng’s body began to fluctuate in time with the sound, ebbing and flowing like the tide, swirling like unfurling clouds.
PTUI...
With his qi and blood thrown into chaos, Yu Changsheng’s face flushed red, then turned deathly pale. A sweet taste rose in his throat as he spat out a mouthful of vital blood, his body swaying unsteadily.
CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...
On the Cloud Platform’s just-reinforced light barrier, cracks began to spiderweb across its surface once more, unable to withstand the pressure.
VMMMM... VMMMM... VMMMM...
The Cloud Platform instantly erupted in a brilliant golden light. A vast power surged forth, flooding every corner of the platform in a flash!
Another two breaths passed! Only three breaths remained before the incense stick’s time was up. The fluctuations of a teleportation array began to gather, preparing to activate.
