Chapter 125 - 122 Dark Skin Monster (3/4)
In the shimmer of golden light, Zhou Heng felt his body sink, and an irresistible force swept over him. Before he could enter the Nine Mystic Trial Tower, his vision blurred, and he found himself in a strange place.
It was a world of dismal green, a green stream flowing between banks of green mud, bordered by a green forest lush with green fruits.
The forest was supposed to be green, but green tree trunks, green soil, and a green sky made it appear eerily bizarre. Moreover, the trees were incredibly tall, each no less than a hundred meters, resembling green hills.
Only a silver-white moon hung in the sky, adding a touch of otherworldly color.
He was not alone here; Nangong Yuerong, Jiang Xuanling, and hundreds of others who had entered with him or been thrown in by Zhou Heng were all around, each wearing a bewildered expression.
Zhou Heng first looked for a way back but saw that he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere; there were no corresponding portals in his surroundings, only a swath of dismal green.
Strange! Too strange!
Zhou Heng had previously experienced trials in the Mist Valley, the underground world, and the Heart Net Hall, and he had developed a strong resistance to such phenomena. He quickly regained his composure, his murderous gaze locking onto Nangong Yuerong and Jiang Xuanling once again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before Zhou Heng could launch his attack, a series of thunderous roars came, and the ground trembled as if from an earthquake.
Everyone was jolted awake by the disturbance, an ominous sign in this unknown world.
Zhou Heng also retracted his intent to kill. Murdering now would be folly, drawing himself into deeper trouble. What in the world was causing such commotion?
The group debated their direction and turned their gazes toward the source of the noise.
Boom, boom, boom, the sounds grew closer.
"Brother Jing! Brother Jing!" Nangong Yuerong suddenly called out, urgency coloring her face.
—For the Nangong Clan, Jing Tian was not only a genius worth nurturing but he also held a significant secret relating to Zhou Heng’s sudden rise in Cultivation Level. They had chosen Jing Tian, thus nullifying their need for Zhou Heng, which is why Nangong Yuerong could act without hesitation.
But if Jing Tian were to die, everything would fall back on Zhou Heng. However, their relations had soured to a point beyond salvage, so when Nangong Yuerong couldn’t spot Jing Tian, her anxiety intensified.
Zhou Heng, still harboring a sense of camaraderie for his fellow sect member, looked around but saw no trace of Jing Tian. Could it be because Jing Tian was still in the Spirit Gathering Realm, he had been transported elsewhere?
Bang! Bang!
But the roaring was drawing nearer, and before long a vast expanse of the forest fell, revealing a colossal creature, thick and long, like an enormously magnified worm, three meters in diameter. Judging by only the part that was visible, it was at least twenty to thirty meters long.
This giant worm plowed through the trees, causing them to topple with thunderous crashes.
Then one by one, a second and a third giant worm appeared, slightly smaller than the first, but still enormous, their bodies segmented and covered in feet a meter long, disturbingly disgusting. Then a fourth, and up to eleven giant worms slowly emerged from the forest but moved quickly due to their size.
The eleven worms ignored the people, maybe because they had no eyes or ears and didn’t notice them. They simply moved to the bank of the stream and began drinking the greenish water. From here, one could clearly see each was a hundred meters long.
What appeared as a calm and beautiful scene was unnervingly bizarre and unsettling.
Screech! Before the astonished onlookers could react, a shrill scream sounded, and from the dense forest emerged at least a thousand creatures about three meters tall, running upright. Their heads resembled that of crocodiles, with sharp teeth; their bodies were covered with scales the size of coins, short forelimbs, and disproportionately long, powerful back limbs, a menacing dark red in color.
These creatures ran with astonishing speed—a single leap covering tens of meters, appearing like flashes of lightning as they charged toward the giant worms.
A blood-filled slaughter began without warning as the newly appeared monsters commenced a frenzied hunt, attacking the eleven giant worms. Despite the significant difference in size, the giant worms were helpless against the fierce Dark Skin monsters and were soon covered in wounds, green blood spurting everywhere.
"Initial Separation Realm! These monsters are all at the Initial Separation Realm!"
"Run, if they attack us, we can’t hold them off!"
"There are too many of them!"
The alarmed people shouted, and just then, several Dark Skin monsters noticed them, stopped their feasting, and turned their heads, their small eyes gleaming with a bloody gleam.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The bloodthirsty beasts charged without hesitation, their massive open mouths terrifying as they surged forward.
A few Initial Separation Realm monsters wouldn’t normally concern the group, but if they attracted the attention of all the creatures, they’d be in deep trouble! A thousand against a hundred, the sheer numbers would overwhelmingly crush them, swiftly annihilating everyone.
The people turned and ran downstream along the bank—the monsters had come from upstream, and going further in that direction could lead to encountering a second wave of creatures, which would trap them in a deadly pincer attack.
But it was too late!
One by one, the Dark Skin Monsters stopped what they were doing with their mouths and began to chase after Zhou Heng and the others.
The chase did not last long, for the speed of these monsters was astonishing. They quickly surrounded most of the people, only a few experts like Nangong Yuerong and Jiang Xuanling were barely able to maintain distance and vanished into the distance instantly.
The Dark Skin Monsters formed a circle and surrounded most of the Martial Artists. Their three-zhang-tall bodies were tiny compared to giant worms but were absolute behemoths to humans.
Zhou Heng was also among the crowd. If he had used the Swift Cloud Radiant Step, he would have run away without a trace long ago, but for him, these Dark Skin Monsters were also a splendid feast, capable of providing him with a massive accumulation of power.
The battle of life and death was deadly from the onset; these Dark Skin Monsters would not bother with any opening statements and launched a fierce attack immediately. In a moment, blood splattered, limbs flew, and a merciless massacre unfolded.
Zhou Heng was not one to repay evil with kindness. These creatures had previously forced him into a corner, indifferent to his life and death; naturally, he would not extend a helping hand. His Black Sword swung, and he began to reap his rewards.
Encounter a monster, kill! Encounter a person, also kill!
He had to be ruthless because several individuals who knew of his powerful combat ability had actually hidden behind him! For such villains, what courtesy was there to consider? Kill—dying at the hands of the Dark Skin Monsters was better than being killed by him; at least it could increase his Cultivation Level.
Zhou Heng did not deliberately kill people, but whoever tried to take advantage of him was mercilessly slaughtered. Before long, no one dared to stay near him; only several Dark Skin Monsters continued to assault him.
The defensive power of these Dark Skin Monsters was actually shockingly strong. Even if their vital areas endured the punch or palm of a Martial Artist at the Initial Separation Realm, they remained unharmed. Their scales provided immense defence by absorbing a huge amount of power.
Only when a Magic Artifact enveloped with Spiritual Power slashed down could it slice off a few scales, but to truly inflict lethal damage to these monsters, one had to first completely strip them of their scales.
The Martial Artists were already at an absolute disadvantage in numbers and even more so in defensive power. It did not take long for more than half to fall dead or injured.
Zhou Heng danced with his Black Sword, creating dark Sword Waterfalls out of thin air. As his sword passed, one by one, the Dark Skin Monsters thunderously fell; their seemingly strong defence could not resist the Black Sword in the slightest.
Although he was alone, his killing speed was by no means slower than that of those Dark Skin Monsters. When the number of Martial Artists fell to over thirty, Zhou Heng had slain seventy to eighty Dark Skin Monsters, his battle power was shocking.
"Zhou Heng, I am willing to be your servant, save me!" a man shouted desperately as he fought his way over.
"Save me, save me, I am willing to be your woman, you can do whatever you want!" a fairly attractive woman cried urgently.
"Save me!"
"Save me!"
The survivors were frantically calling out, willing to agree to anything to save their lives! Of course, whether they would keep such promises later was not something that could be guaranteed.
Zhou Heng, turning a deaf ear, merely swung his Black Sword, continuously reaping the lives of the Dark Skin Monsters. In fact, it was already commendable that he was not kicking them while they were down.
All those who had come here were young elites from major Sects, highly valued by their Sects, each equipped with various life-preserving items. It was these things that enabled them to hang on by a thread.
However, the reason these were called life-preserving items was that they could only be used at critical moments—if they could be used all the time, they would not be considered life-preserving items. Under the frenzied attack of the Dark Skin Monsters, another dozen people fell into pools of blood and were quickly dismembered and devoured.
The flesh and blood of the Martial Artists were also nourishing to the Demon Beasts!
Zhou Heng was no less impressive, with another twenty or so Dark Skin Monsters falling at his feet. Beneath the Black Sword, any defence was merely for show.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just then, three fifteen-zhang-tall Dark Skin Monsters charged madly towards him, their incredible speed alone told Zhou Heng that all three were from the Land Cleaving Realm!
Unbeatable!
Zhou Heng hadn’t let his previous victories cloud his judgement. He was virtually invincible at the Initial Separation Realm, but he was still just at the First Layer Heaven of the Initial Separation Realm and utterly incapable of contending with beings from the Land Cleaving Realm. He had also killed over a hundred Dark Skin Monsters. He had earned enough!
It was time to retreat!
"Aooo—" The three Land Cleaving Realm Dark Skin Monsters roared simultaneously as they charged towards Zhou Heng, their strong hind legs sprang forward, and their slightly smaller forepaws shattered the heads of several Martial Artists like chopping vegetables.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Heng activated Swift Cloud Radiant Step, sprinting away swiftly.
The three Land Cleaving Realm Dark Skin Monsters pursued relentlessly, and the small gap that had just been created was quickly closed up by other Dark Skin Monsters, leaving the last dozen or so Martial Artists still struggling in desperation.
Their fate was already sealed. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)