Chapter 1448: Don't Worry About Me |
The rock pillars of the rock forest vibrated. The runes glowed with light, synchronized and resonating with Sun Xiaowu.
Zhang Lie asked in concern, "Are you alright?"
Sun Xiaowu coughed several times. Black smoke belched out, representing mental impurities.
"Captain, take a look at me. Do I look like I'm alright?"
Zhang Lie considered Sun Xiaowu carefully. The fluctuations in his vitality were stronger than before, a sure sign of an evolution. Every piece of flesh and bone shone and sparkled with golden runes, making him look far more impressive than before, but Sun Xiaowu's aura was unusually weak.
"The inheritance is incomplete," Sun Xiaowu explained.
Zhang Lie frowned. "Was it because I destroyed a few of the pillars?"
Sun Xiaowu shook his head. "What's here is only part of the inheritance. I'll have to head to the center of this forest.
Zhang Lie glanced at the pillar of light that reached toward the skies and nodded. "Do you need help?"
The other cultivators had also moved on, deliberately avoiding passing close by Zhang Lie.
The first melee at the rock forest had consumed all their desire to get into another fight, at least for the short term.
In particular, none of them had any intention of going against Zhang Lie.
Some of the cultivators had already formed an alliance, resulting in teams possessing incredible strength.
On the way, Zhang Lie asked, "What was going on with the demonic seed?
Sun Xiaowu shook his head. "I'm not sure myself. I never expected that the seed would already have taken root in my mental avatar. It was all but a ticking time bomb—and I never discovered it until now! Thank goodness the golden runes illuminated the problem."
"Can you resolve it?" Zhang Lie asked.
"I'll start by expelling the demonic energy and see if that solves the problem."
Before them, the rock forest receded. Fog filled their surroundings; everything seemed to be growing less and less realistic.
The cultivators were all trudging along at a sluggish pace, bound by the domain of this mysterious space. They couldn't walk faster even if they tried.
"Argh!" Suddenly, screams came from the cultivators at the very front.
"Be careful. It's an abyss!" someone murmured.
A pitch-black abyss lay at the edge of the stone forest, shrouded by fog and difficult to spot without careful attention. A terrifying suction drew in any cultivators that drifted close by.
Furthermore, none of them were able to fly with this domain sapping their strength.
One cultivator tossed in a large rock, but even after fifteen minutes had passed, no one could hear the sound of it landing. Who knew what horrors lay beneath the abyss?
The cultivators looked around until someone found a log bridge made of a single ancient darkwood log, forming a simple and treacherous path forward.
The cultivators blanched. Would they have to fight each other for the right to cross?
"There are more log bridges over here!"
The cultivators quickly discovered other log bridges all around. There were dozens of them in all. Zhang Lie and Sun Xiaowu frowned. Who knew if there were others that had gone before them?
As they stepped onto the log, the suction coming from below weakened. The log glowed with light, shining with mysterious runes.
They looked down at the thick fog below them that was occasionally scattered. It was pitch-black, as though a beast stood before them prepared to devour everything in sight.
"We're almost there!"
Suddenly, a frightening aura erupted. Someone was attacking the log bridge and attempting to destroy it.
"Damn it!" Zhang Lie shouted.
They were almost to the cliff on the other side, but someone was starting at them. He was attempting to take the opportunity to dislodge the cultivators and send them falling into the abyss.
"Ming Youyu!" Someone immediately recognized a protege of the netherworld lands, a young cultivator steeped in the aura of death. Vitality seemed to have deserted him; his eyes were cold and unfeeling.
However, the log bridge was particularly sturdy. Mysterious runes infused in the log prevented it from being destroyed.
Suddenly, Ming Youyu pulled out a black netherworld sword and slashed at the abyss.
"Be careful!" Zhang Lie shouted.
After the abyss was attacked, a howling wind rose up into the air. It revolved and formed a black hole that devoured the cultivators on the log bridge.
A cultivator shouted, "As expected of a cultivator from the netherworld lands! Evil and vicious, sparing no expense to get rid of any competitors barring his way!"
"Ming Youyu's trying to monopolize whatever lies on the other end of this bridge and eliminate us all!"
"You'll pay for this!" Zhang Lie shouted.
Unfortunately, none of the cultivators were able to fly within this domain.
He and Sun Xiaowu were struggling to hold on. The black hole's suction was immense, and they could lose their balance at any time. Wind ripped at their bodies like sharp blades, wounding exposed skin.
On the other end of the bridge, a roar caused even the void to tremble. The log began to shake, and the force of the abyss grew stronger.
A purplegold denglong strode by Ming Youyu's side, its howl shaking the very heavens.
Stars began to fall from the sky, and even the moon seemed to crumble.
Pale blue genetic energy rippled about Zhang Lie's arms. He flicked his wrists, causing a frightening aura to descend on the world. The sky began to darken, and a fish the size of a whale materialized in the air.
"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar]!"
A howling gale swept over the log. As more and more genetic energy gathered around Zhang Lie's arms, it looked as though he were at the heart of a whirlpool.
A huge wave soared into the air. As Zhang Lie punched forward, the fish slammed its huge tail on the ground and sent a torrent of water surging.
Ripples of energy spread out from Zhang Lie, warping the space around him. The towering waves looked like enraged black dragons, flooding the abyss.
"Open!" As the waves burst apart, the air filled with echoes of Zhang Lie's signature genetic energy, shattering space and swallowing up all life in its vicinity.
The abyss trembled. Divine radiance filled the air.
"Don't worry about me," Sun Xiaowu said, his body glistening with light. Golden runes lit up around his body to protect himself.
Despite the fact that the inheritance was incomplete, Sun Xiaowu's body had already been reforged. Impressive defenses resisted any invasion.
"Very well!" Zhang Lie's eyes lit up as killing intent filled the air.
He wouldn't have to worry about Sun Xiaowu any longer. Zhang Lie activated his full strength as he made to kill the man and beast waiting at the end of the log bridge.
