SFS Chapter 198 Anomaly
Chapter 198 Anomaly
You have received a new chapter update: Chapter 198, "Strange Change". Read the chapter here.
Wu Yazi: "Gentlemen, things have come to this point, there's no point in thinking about it anymore. Although Fellow Daoist Xu is strong, judging from his actions, he is not a bloodthirsty killer. He did save our lives just now."
"We... should go with the flow and not harbor any further thoughts! Survival must be our top priority! Remember, never provoke him! Brother Zhang, you especially must control your temper!"
Zhang Yan transmitted a muffled groan: "Don't worry, I'm not stupid! I'd rather avoid this kind of nemesis than not!"
After the brief telepathic exchange ended, the four looked up again, their faces now calm.
Wu Yazi led the way, his posture even more respectful than before: "Fellow Daoist Xu, after passing through this corridor, you will reach the bronze hall. Thank you very much for saving my life earlier!"
He solemnly bowed and thanked him again.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu simply gave a faint "hmm".
Although his divine sense was suppressed by this place, he still managed to keenly capture some of the process of the four people exchanging their divine senses just now.
Chen Xu understood, but didn't care.
The efforts of the weak to band together and scheme are futile in the face of absolute power.
Besides, Wu Yazi and the others had no ill intentions, so it wasn't worth him wasting any effort on them.
Wu Yazi led the way, his steps extremely light, as if afraid of triggering any remaining restrictions.
He would occasionally turn back, glancing at Chen Xu with a complex expression, his awe deepening.
"Stop!" Qianjizi suddenly shouted, and a talisman in his hand instantly ignited with a ghostly blue flame, pointing to a relief of a sea beast's eye on the left wall that seemed no different from its surroundings.
Almost simultaneously, Chen Xu also raised his hand, signaling to stop, his gaze fixed on the spot Qianjizi was pointing to.
"Fellow Daoist Qianjizi has excellent eyesight," Chen Xu rarely praised.
He naturally also discovered the deeply hidden restriction node, whose triggering mechanism was extremely subtle. If it weren't for Qianjizi's specially made talisman, it would be extremely difficult for ordinary Core Formation cultivators to detect it.
"Fellow Daoist Xu is too kind; it was merely a stroke of luck," Qianjizi quickly cupped his hands, his attitude respectful.
The burning, dark blue talisman slowly floated toward the eye of the bas-relief beast.
When they were still a foot or so away, two crimson spots suddenly lit up in the beast's eyes, and an invisible wave suddenly spread out.
"Retreat!" Chen Xu shouted, and the First Holy Spear instantly appeared in front of him, with a flash of lightning at the tip.
hum...
Wherever that invisible wave passed, it exuded a strong sense of decay and decay.
Liu Yiyi reacted extremely quickly, her ten fingers swiftly sweeping across the strings.
"Clang!!!"
A turquoise sound barrier instantly opened up in front of everyone, like a resilient water curtain.
Zhang Yan roared, and the earthen-yellow light of the Heavy Mountain Axe surged as it slammed into the ground, causing a thick earthen wall to rise up and block the sound wave barrier.
Even Wu Yazi summoned a small tortoise-shell-shaped shield to protect himself.
The invisible aura of decay and decay surged in like a tide of death, and Liu Yiyi's azure sound wave barrier was the first to be hit.
The originally clear and melodious notes sizzled the moment they touched the aura of decay, and the barrier dimmed and decayed at a visible speed.
"I can't hold on any longer!" Liu Yiyi's face turned deathly pale, the strings of her zither vibrated violently, and blood seeped from her fingers.
Boom!!
The stench of decay collided with Zhang Yan's earthen and stone barriers, and the hard rock layers quickly melted and crumbled.
Zhang Yan's tiger's mouth split open, his eyes wide with rage, and he frantically poured earth-yellow spiritual light into the barrier: "Damn it, hold it for me!"
"Get back!" Chen Xu shouted, and the First Saint Spear in his hand had already transformed into a streak of black light, and the violent Heavenly Evil Divine Thunder suddenly erupted.
The critical strike law of 【Transparent Lotus II】 roared through the meridians, giving the lightning the sharpness to tear through everything.
The spear shot out like a dragon, precisely piercing the core of the beast's eye in the relief.
With a piercing cracking sound, the crimson light in the beast's eyes flashed wildly before exploding like glass.
The source of the decaying aura was abruptly cut off, but the lingering effects of the collapse still gnawed at everyone like venomous snakes.
"Longyue!" Chen Xu shouted urgently.
Nan Longyue, standing to the side, was already poised to strike.
She formed a hand seal, and the phantom of Chiwen behind her raised its head and chanted, as a surge of pure water spiritual power welled up.
The lingering scent of decay and decay vanished as quickly as if it had encountered its nemesis.
Zhang Yan, who had survived the ordeal, leaned on his axe and gasped for breath, looking at Nan Longyue with eyes full of gratitude: "Fairy Nan, what skill!"
Wu Yazi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken: "Thanks to Fellow Daoist Xu and Fellow Daoist Nan..."
His gaze inadvertently swept over the wall near the beast's eye, which had been shattered by Chen Xu's spear.
A large area of bronze rust had been peeled away due to the energy impact, revealing an ancient mural with mottled colors underneath.
"Huh? This is..." Wu Yazi leaned closer to take a closer look and saw that the mural had rough lines and depicted a group of ancient people kneeling and worshipping.
Dressed in simple clothing made of animal hides or grass, they knelt with fanatical and devout expressions toward a blurry, enormous vortex in the center of the image.
Deep within the vortex, the shadowy outlines of some indescribable creatures, resembling tendrils or limbs, could be vaguely seen, exuding a chilling and eerie aura.
"This...is this some kind of ritual to appease evil spirits?" Qianjizi also came over, his brows furrowed, his fingers rubbing the dark red paint remaining on the edge of the mural, sniffing it, his expression changing slightly.
"It's blood! And it's spiritual blood imbued with powerful resentment! This mural... was painted using the blood of cultivators or powerful beings mixed with special spiritual materials!"
"Hiss..." Zhang Yan gasped, looking at the blurry vortex and shadow, feeling a chill run down his spine.
"Damn it, this place is really creepy! What kind of thing are they worshipping?"
Nan Longyue also felt a vague sense of unease. She moved closer to Chen Xu and whispered, "Senior, this mural... makes me very uncomfortable."
The shadowy outline in the vortex, seemingly separated by endless years and the barrier of the mural, exuded a chilling aura originating from the instinct of life, causing the sea spirit bloodline within her body to tremble slightly.
Chen Xu's gaze was fixed on the blurry vortex and the shadowy tentacles, a chill creeping up his spine.
The bizarre shape of this sacrificial evil object bore a striking resemblance to the Fish Emperor, sending chills down his spine.
"This place is not safe to stay any longer!" Chen Xu's voice was more solemn than ever before.
Although Wu Yazi and the others did not understand why, they dared not question Chen Xu's judgment.
"Listen to Fellow Daoist Xu! Let's retreat!" Wu Yazi immediately responded, and followed Chen Xu as they turned and left.
"Damn it, I've had a feeling this place is weird for a long time!" Zhang Yan roared, holding his giant axe across his chest, and turned to charge back the way he came.
Qianjizi quickly pulled out several talismans shimmering with silver light: "I have space-breaking talismans here. Although they can't directly break through the space here, they can temporarily interfere with the restrictions and speed things up!"
Liu Yiyi had her Jiao Wei Qin (a type of zither) placed in front of her, her fingertips on the strings, ready to use sound waves to clear a path or defend herself.
However, not long after everyone turned around.
"Thump...thump...thump..."
A deep voice rang out without warning.
The entire ruins trembled violently.
The ground undulated and writhed like the skin of a living creature, and countless fine bronze rust dust fell down.
The once silent reliefs on the walls, whether depicting pained faces or ferocious sea beasts, now have eyes that glow with a scarlet light.
At the entrance to the corridor where everyone had come from, several incredibly thick tentacles suddenly burst forth from the ground and the walls on both sides.
These tentacles are covered with hard scales, and their tips split open to reveal ferocious mouthparts that emit a strong, fishy stench.
Like giant pythons awakening, they thrashed about wildly, instantly sealing off the only escape route completely.
"Watch out for your head!" Nan Longyue exclaimed.
Above the dome, more bronze structures twisted and crumbled, and dozens of tentacles rained down like a storm, lashing out at the crowd with destructive pressure.
"Form a defensive array!" Chen Xu shouted, and the First Holy Spear instantly transformed into a dark light screen to meet the lashing tentacles.
The tentacles collided with the Holy Spear, unleashing a blinding burst of fire.
The immense force made Chen Xu's arm go numb. Even more terrifying, a cold and foul energy flowed through the gun and frantically invaded his body.
Chen Xu groaned, his entire right arm instantly becoming numb and stiff, and strange blood-red patterns even appeared on the surface of his skin, spreading upwards at a visible speed.
"Senior!" Nan Longyue exclaimed, controlling the blue-green water and wood spiritual energy to surge towards Chen Xu's arm, trying to wash away the filth, but the effect was minimal.
"Don't touch it, retreat quickly!" Chen Xu's voice was tinged with pain as he forcibly activated the "Mysterious Water Dragon Awakening Technique" and the "Pure Origin Technique".
The golden core within his dantian spun wildly, unleashing a burst of pure Xuan Shui spiritual power that fiercely clashed with the cold, foul power that had invaded his body.
However, the foul energy contained in these tentacles was too malevolent, like a maggot clinging to a bone, and was actually eroding and assimilating Chen Xu's spiritual power.
The spread of the blood-red lines on his arm slowed down slightly, but did not fade away. Instead, it brought waves of sharp pain and numbness that went deep into his bones.
"Senior!" Nan Longyue looked at the hideous blood marks on Chen Xu's arm and was extremely anxious.
Just then, a heart-wrenching scream tore through the chaos.
Qianjizi, who was a little distance away from Chen Xu, was about to activate a stack of Void-Piercing Talismans in his hand.
A tentacle descended silently from the dome, like a venomous snake hunting its prey. Its mouth, split open at the tip, suddenly opened and swallowed him whole in an instant.
There was no earth-shattering collision, only the sickening sound of bones cracking and the terrifying sound of flesh being ground up, which came from the mouthpiece.
The protective aura and talisman light of Qianjizi instantly went out, leaving him without any life force.
"Qianjizi!!" Wu Yazi roared in anguish, his eyes wide with fury.
He and Qianjizi had been friends for nearly a century, like brothers. Now, witnessing his dear friend being so brutally murdered, he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
He subconsciously activated the tortoise-shell shield, but the spiritual light flickered violently due to his loss of focus.
"Watch out, Lao Wu!" Zhang Yan roared and swung the Heavy Mountain Axe, its crimson and yellow light surging as he fiercely cleaved a tentacle that was attacking Wu Yazi from the side.
But the tentacle only paused slightly, leaving a faint white mark on its scales, before sweeping across with an even more violent, pungent wind.
boom! ! !
Zhang Yan's protective aura shattered like paper, and he was violently sent flying, crashing into the bronze wall covered with reliefs behind him.
The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. He coughed up blood, his chest caved in, and his eyes quickly became unfocused.
Without pausing, the tentacles opened their pointed appendages and, as if sucking up juice, instantly wrapped around Zhang Yan's battered body, devouring it completely.
A master of physical cultivation, yet he couldn't even last a single breath!
"No!!" Wu Yazi cried out in despair, his mind completely broken.
The light of the tortoise-shell shield dimmed instantly, and a tentacle that emerged from the ground silently wrapped around his ankle and pulled him sharply.
Wu Yazi felt an immense force and a chilling coldness instantly invade his body, causing him to lose his balance and be dragged to the ground.
He watched in horror as more tentacles surged in from all directions, like giant pythons coiling around him.
"Fellow Daoist Xu... save me..." Wu Ya Zi's last cry for help was drowned out by the sound of bones cracking as the tentacles tightened.
Liu Yiyi witnessed her three companions die tragically one after another in the blink of an eye, and her mind was already filled with boundless fear.
She instinctively plucked the strings of the scorched-tail harp, trying to protect herself.
However, as soon as the music began, several tentacles ignored the interference of the sound barrier and instantly wrapped around the Jiaowei Guqin, twisting it forcefully.
The guqin, her treasured instrument that had been with her for many years, broke instantly.
Another tentacle, like a sharp arrow, pierced through her protective aura and emerged from her chest.
Liu Yiyi's body trembled violently. She looked down at the tentacles dripping thick blood onto her chest, and the light in her beautiful eyes quickly dimmed.
She tried to say something, but only a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed out...
From the eruption of the tentacles to the complete annihilation of the four Core Formation cultivators, only two or three breaths had passed.
In the ruins of the entire Bronze Plaza, only Chen Xu and Nan Longyue remained.
"Senior... Senior..." Nan Longyue's face was pale, and her delicate body trembled slightly with fear.
Chen Xu's heart sank to the bottom; this was an existence they could never contend with.
"No... this corrupting power is too high-level. Forcing resistance will only accelerate the erosion!" His mind raced.
"Longyue, come closer! Defend with all your might!"
At the same time, above the dome, an even thicker, gigantic tentacle suddenly tore through space, crashing down with the force to destroy everything.
Nan Longyue's pupils shrank suddenly, and the phantom of the dragon-like creature let out a long roar, unleashing its spiritual power without reservation.
Instantly, countless thick water columns, like raging dragons, condensed above her and Chen Xu's heads.
A deafening roar swept across the entire ruins. Nan Longyue was struck as if by a heavy hammer, spitting out a mouthful of bright red blood.
But at that moment, a fierce glint flashed in Chen Xu's eyes, and without the slightest hesitation, he summoned something.
An indescribable, profound Daoist aura instantly spread out, and a warm, pale yellow light emanated from Chen Xu's palm.
The small tripod with three legs and round ears, its design extremely simple and ancient, appeared out of thin air and hovered in front of Chen Xu.
The moment the small cauldron appeared, the entire ruined square fell silent.
The terrifying tentacles that were waving wildly all paused for an extremely brief moment.
All the scarlet relief eyes on the walls flashed violently, as if they had encountered a natural enemy with fear.
Chen Xu felt his spiritual power uncontrollably pouring out, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, into the Xuanhuang Cauldron.
The abundant spiritual power of the early stage of Core Formation was drained away by 70% in just one breath.
His body swayed from the extreme emptiness, and he was held up by sheer willpower.