Leaf Chen, with Bai Yijun and Zhuge Fan beneath the black mist barrier in the sky, looked down upon the vast, undulating black earth. The ground shuddered with a deep rumble, splitting open into massive fissures. From the depths of the dark, towering forest trees, thick black tentacles burst forth, shooting skyward with unstoppable force.
These black tentacles seemed to have a limited reach, unable to touch Leaf Chen and the others standing near the black mist barrier. “W-What are these things!” Yue Ling clutched Zhuge Fan’s sleeve, her face pale with terror.
Leaf Chen stared at the ground below, his brow deeply furrowed. After a moment of contemplation, he stated, “This must be the monster that generated the black mist barrier. And the reason our divine sense is suppressed in this area is likely also its doing.”
“Look, the Wheel Turning Saint King has been captured,” Zhuge Fan exclaimed, pointing downward.
Leaf Chen, White Dragon, and the others focused their gaze. White Dragon chuckled lightly, “He deserves it. Who told him to aid the tyrant? Back at the Genius Peak, he tried to bully our little Chen Chen with his brute strength. He deserves to die!”
Leaf Chen watched the Wheel Turning Saint King bound by the black tentacles, his expression tightening. He glanced at White Dragon and Yue Heng, saying, “You all wait here.” With that, he nodded to Bai Yijun.
A single look passed between them, and they understood each other's intent, as if guided by some unseen resonance.
Leaf Chen’s figure flashed, and he shot downward like a perfectly straight black sword. As he plummeted, he happened to cross paths with Bai Tian, who was ascending. Their bodies grazed one another in the air; Bai Tian’s expression was grim, his eyes radiating undisguised hostility.
Leaf Chen’s face remained impassive. In that fleeting instant of contact, he landed directly before the Wheel Turning Saint King. Black flames erupted from his hand, compressing into a razor-sharp black dagger, which he slashed across the black tentacles gripping the Saint King’s body.
The black tentacles parted as easily as ice under the black dagger, revealing a thick, emerald-green fluid that exuded a foul stench.
Leaf Chen severed the black restraints in a few swift motions, freeing the Wheel Turning Saint King. He found the man bleeding profusely and barely clinging to life. Leaf Chen immediately lifted his body and rocketed back toward the sky.
At that moment, the black tentacles writhing on the ground seemed to single out Leaf Chen as their target, swirling to surround him.
Leaf Chen, carrying the Wheel Turning Saint King, weaved through the aerial assault of the tentacles with effortless grace, moving like flowing water, before arriving back before White Dragon and the others.
Bai Tian instantly stepped forward, looking at the Saint King with deep concern. He anxiously asked Leaf Chen, “Is he alright?”
Leaf Chen glanced at him, then at Bai Yijun beside him. His expression did not change as he shook his head slowly.
The Wheel Turning Saint King was utterly limp, unable to even stand steadily. He gasped heavily, blood constantly bubbling from his mouth. This blood, initially bright crimson, was gradually turning a deep, inky black.
Leaf Chen sighed softly. “He is about to mutate into a corpse.”
White Dragon, Zhuge Fan, and the others froze momentarily, then looked upon the gruesome, torn state of the Wheel Turning Saint King, frowning in somber reflection.
The Wheel Turning Saint King, once peerless and magnificent in the ancient world, had fallen to such a wretched state today. How fickle are the changes wrought by creation!
Bai Tian’s face grew even more pained. He gripped the Wheel Turning Saint King’s shoulder tightly. “Brother Saint King, wake up, wake up…”
The Wheel Turning Saint King’s consciousness seemed to be fading; he was delirious. If Bai Tian hadn't held him, he likely would have plummeted. As Bai Tian shook him vigorously, his head flopped limply back and forth.
Leaf Chen frowned. “You should let him go. He will soon become a mutated husk. If he scratches you later, you will also be infected.”
“But, but…” Bai Tian looked at him with anguish. “He is my sworn brother. How can I, how can I…”
Huo Feng, who was nearby, saw his friend's profound grief and felt a pang of sympathy. The arrogance on his face softened, and he sighed lightly. “It has happened; try to accept it.”
Bai Tian looked at him, then cast one last look at the Wheel Turning Saint King. He could only heave a deep sigh and slowly let go.
Leaf Chen raised his hand and beckoned. The body of the Wheel Turning Saint King vanished, drawn into his Internal Universe.
“What are you doing?” Bai Tian stared at him, shocked and enraged.
Leaf Chen replied calmly, “He is about to become a mutated corpse. I will ensure he has a whole body left, and in turn, offer him to the Gods.”
Hearing this, Bai Tian and Huo Feng’s expressions shifted slightly. They were stunned by Leaf Chen’s seeming ruthlessness—one moment risking his life to save the Saint King, and the next, upon realizing it was futile, immediately claiming the body to exchange for contribution points.
The world was not short of ruthless people, but one whose face changed faster than turning a page was truly chilling.
White Dragon, Zhuge Fan, and Yue Heng exchanged glances, merely shrugging helplessly. They were long accustomed to Leaf Chen’s methods.
Rage boiled within Bai Tian—not necessarily for the death of the Wheel Turning Saint King, but because of the faint smile playing on Leaf Chen’s lips, he felt utterly played. Now that the Saint King's corpse was in Leaf Chen’s hands, it was equivalent to taking down an Era Realm expert, worth at least several billion contribution points!
Just then, the black tentacles below the ground multiplied rapidly, and a terrifying roar suddenly erupted from the deepest parts of the earth. The sound wave hammered against their eardrums, seeming intent on drilling directly into their minds.
Huo Feng’s face changed drastically. “Not good! That monster is coming out! Retreat quickly! We cannot fight it. That creature is at least at the Heaven-Defying Realm!”
Bai Tian’s face paled, recognizing the gravity of the situation. Though he still possessed many trump cards, facing a Heaven-Defying Realm monster was like striking a stone with an egg.
Rumble—
As Huo Feng spoke, the entire ground suddenly curled up, rising like a colossal wall toward the sky, standing vertically. The countless giant trees stood out like thorns upon this immense expanse of soil.
“Blood... I need blood…”
Waves of thought, filled with ferocious hunger, transmitted from within the massive structure.
The entire ground then rose, like a lid flipping open. The exposed section formed the creature’s back, with the dense mass of giant trees resembling the barbs along its spine. The portion that had been buried beneath the surface, now vertical, revealed an interior the color of fresh, deep blood. What truly made Leaf Chen’s pupils contract were the countless tiny, sharp white teeth embedded in this crimson surface!
“This, this…”
White Dragon’s eyes widened; he sucked in a sharp breath of horror. “Could it be that this is just the creature’s mouth?”
A mouth of this size alone was terrifying; what the entire body must be like!
“Run!” Leaf Chen roared.
Huo Feng and Bai Tian quickly snapped back to reality. Without further hesitation, they unleashed the energy within them and shot toward the black mist.
However, the moment the two entered the mist, the black vapor, which had seemed like a natural barrier, began to writhe in a bizarre manner. Dense fog coalesced into countless tentacles that ensnared and tightly constricted their bodies within.
Huo Feng roared in fury, unleashing the raging flames from within his body to incinerate the black tentacles wrapping around him.
These black tentacles seemed to fear fire; as they were consumed by the intense flames, they vanished like smoke. Yet, the black mist was vast and inexhaustible. As one set of tentacles burned away, another immediately formed, ceaselessly pulling at him, preventing escape.
Bai Tian, on the other side, was drenched in sweat. Trapped within the mist, black tendrils coiled around him like venomous snakes. He knew these tentacles were extensions of the fog; if they tightened their grip and sank deep into his flesh, recovery would be impossible, and he would surely become a mutated husk.
He let out a low growl. In his rage, he cast aside all caution regarding his strength. A sharp, brilliant sound erupted from him as a dazzling, golden longsword materialized before him, forming a brilliant golden shield that enveloped his body. The golden sword hovered around him, slicing the encroaching black mist into countless fragments. With a clear, high-pitched sword cry, it carried Bai Tian’s body soaring upward, breaking free from the mist’s embrace, and piercing through the void to flee.
Huo Feng, watching from the side, was stunned. He had not expected Bai Tian to be hiding a Void Heaven Artifact. Although Huo Feng’s true body had reached the Void Heaven Realm, he possessed no such artifact—and crafting one was notoriously difficult.
There were many Void Heaven Realm martial artists, but few Void Heaven Realm artisans.
In his moment of stunned hesitation, the surrounding black tentacles rapidly swarmed forward, binding him tightly. He was moments from being crushed into his very flesh—the end of everything. Just then, a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder, wrenching him free from the black mist tentacles. His protective divine fire, in the presence of this hand, seemed to recognize the most noble of emperors; it spontaneously retracted into his body, daring not to manifest.
The one who rescued him was, of course, Leaf Chen.
Huo Feng returned to the air, feeling as if in a dream, and stammered, “You…”
Leaf Chen waved him silent, then turned back to White Dragon and the others. “It is not safe to exit through the black mist barrier. Follow me.” He immediately took Bai Yijun’s hand and led White Dragon and the others along the edge of the barrier, flying toward its far end.
Huo Feng frowned, but finally clenched his jaw and followed after them.