Chapter 70: The Darkness Encroaches!

The group of five ran along the silent street. They headed straight for the city center, fearing the ever-expanding darkness would engulf them.

"Stop!" Pang Jian shouted, coming to a halt.

Zhou Qingchen and the others followed close behind him and followed suit to stop in their tracks.

Holding his Dragonwood Spear, Pang Jian solemnly walked toward the corner of a nearby building. His eyes were fixed on a figure draped in a pitch-black robe adorned with a crimson mountain emblem on its chest.

This was the uniform of the Red Mountain Sect.

"A member of our Red Mountain Sect!" Zhou Qingchen cried out. Approaching the corpse, he said coldly with a stern expression, "They were killed and dumped here in the corner. The killer probably intended to continue with their killing spree, so they hastily disposed of the body to avoid drawing attention from any passersby."

"There are several bodies on this side, all from the Red Mountain Sect," Han Duping called out from the other corner of the building. Surprised at his discovery, he curiously asked, "Pang Jian, how did you notice this when we were moving so fast?"

Pang Jian responded callously, "Habit."

An essential trait of an outstanding hunter was their ability to keenly observe their surroundings and pay close attention to every detail.

After years of hunting in the Solitary Mountain Range, he had developed a habit of taking note of his surroundings and scrutinizing every inch of whatever terrain he traversed.

While the others kept their gaze fixed ahead during their advance, he remained aware of everything around him.

The corners of other stone buildings also lay more than the bodies they had discovered. Along their journey, he had spotted quite a few corpses.

This street had witnessed many bloody battles before they had entered Eight Trigrams City.

Not everybody took the time to clean up the battlefield and meticulously wipe away the bloodstains.

Most people simply dragged the bodies from the streets to a corner and left them there haphazardly. So long as they were not too conspicuous or easily noticed by passersby, it was sufficient.

"The bodies are vanishing," Pang Jian calmly informed the others.

That was what had truly grabbed his attention, prompting him to stop and take a closer look.

The others' faces paled in shock as they turned their gaze toward the corpses of the Red Mountain Sect's members before them. They watched the corpse slowly meld into the stone floor like water merging into the vast ocean.

The ground of Eight Trigrams City seemed to transform into a bloodthirsty beast that was leisurely devouring the corpses within the city.

Luo Hongyan knitted her brows as she gracefully crouched down for a closer look. "I said it before. When we killed Jian Yaoyang and his group, their souls vanished underground."

As she gazed at the disappearing corpse, she noticed that it was not only the flesh and blood but also the clothing and hair of the body that vanished along with it.

Her brows rose in astonishment as she muttered, "First the soul, then the flesh and blood. This ancient city is not what it seems."

The bones of the Celestial Phoenix that fell into the Solitary Mountain Range had merely aimed to kill its target and extract its essence.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent in Blackwater Pond and the black turtle in Black Orchid Lake had managed to survive without the bone of the Celestial Phoenix absorbing their beast soul.

Even when near a bone of the Celestial Phoenix, she had been able to refine Luo Meng's and Hong Tai's souls into Spirit Devils, indicating that it was not interested in souls.

However, in Eight Trigrams City, not even the souls were spared.

An uneasy feeling filled Luo Hongyan.

"When the light filled with extraordinary treasures emerged in the city center, the darkness from outside also started encroaching on the city. It seems the city is either guiding or forcing everyone toward its center," Han Duping said with a serious expression.

"Cultivators from the eight streets are all rushing toward the city center because of the extraordinary treasures there..." A chill ran down Zhou Qingchen's spine. "Perhaps, we shouldn't be hasty! If my intuition is right, the city center is likely engulfed in a bloodbath right now!"

Su Meng shrank into the corner. Her voice trembled with fear as she asked, "What do we do then?"

Behind them was the endless expanse of darkness of the Fifth World that continued encroaching on the city, forcing them to move toward the city center to avoid being swallowed.

The Mirror Tunnel was at the city center. The city center was also where the extraordinary treasures had revealed themselves. This meant that it was inevitably bound to become a brutal battlefield.

Moving forward meant that they would face the baptism of a bloody battleground.

If they retreated, the endless darkness would engulf them.

Neither advancing nor retreating was a favorable option.

"The darkness is encroaching on the city, but it won't reach us that soon," Pang Jian said, staring at the darkness behind them. He pondered for a moment, then earnestly suggested, "Moving forward is our only way out, but if we can suppress our desire for the treasures at the city center, there's no harm in slowing down our pace."

He looked at the others.

Su Meng was the first to speak up. "Then let's take it slow!"

Zhou Qingchen and Han Duping exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.

Luo Hongyan was the one most eager to reach the city center. However, she soon calmed down as she watched the bodies vanish. She also nodded in agreement. "Alright then, let's take it slow."

***

In the tallest tower of Eight Trigrams City, Li Jie sipped on his green fruit juice as he squinted his eyes and took in the sights of the eight streets below.

Not a single person on any of the streets could escape his gaze.

On one of the streets, he spotted a girl in white making her way along the corner of the street all alone.

Ten zhang behind the girl in white was the steadily advancing tide of darkness from the Fifth World.

The girl seemed aware that the incoming darkness would not yet engulf her. She maintained a constant distance from the encroaching darkness, neither hastening nor slowing her pace as she leisurely advanced.

There were no signs of other people on the street ahead of her

"She's astute," Li Jie muttered, gaze roaming until he spotted Pang Jian and his group.

"Huh!" Li Jie was astonished.

Previously, when the pillar of light rose in the city center, Pang Jian and his group, like everyone else on that street, sprinted toward the city center.

Seeing this, Li Jie silently shifted his attention and chose not to observe them further.

He had not anticipated that they would abruptly stop midway and unexpectedly switch to moving at a leisurely pace.

"Did they suppress their inner greed or did they discover something?" Li Jie murmured, a glimmer of curiosity flickered in his eyes.

As he pondered, his eyes wandered and settled on Dong Tianze. His group had almost reached the city center. Dong Tianze was someone he paid close attention to and he was eager to see Dong Tianze's performance.

Li Jie nodded to himself. "He's quite ruthless."

Dong Tianze rushed out of the street and did not hesitate to join the brutal battlefield. He fought fiercely in the blood-soaked central square, and in the blink of an eye, he had killed everybody on his side of the square.

The members of the Sinister Soul Temple accompanying did not even get a chance to act. They merely watched as Dong Tianze became the center of attention.

Li Jie was alarmed. He turned his head to watch another street.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

In an area engulfed in the darkness of the Fifth World, near the city gate, there were signs of a person!

Li Jie's expression grew grave. "Was someone cultivating in one of the stone buildings and, unaware of the extraordinary treasures or the encroaching darkness, is now trapped inside? Or did someone intentionally conceal themselves there?"

The former was not an issue. However, if that person had intentionally concealed themselves, they would undoubtedly become a problem in the future.

Thus, that area became the focal point of Li Jie's observations. His eyes frequently swept over it, wary of any unforeseen developments.

Li Jie clasped his hands together in prayer. "Oh God, this is the first trial my family has arranged for me. Please, let nothing go wrong."

***

Whoosh!

A crimson blaze burst forth from the tip of the Dragonwood Spear.

Having slowed down their pace, Pang Jian had time to analyze the intricacies of the Earth Blaze Technique. He channeled the earthflame energy into his spear's shaft and used the array within to amplify it, resulting in a burst of the crimson blaze.

The spear's shaft had turned crimson, and as he wielded the Dragonwood Spear and thrust it forward, the entire Dragonwood Spear resembled a fiery meteor.

Zhou Qingchen glanced over and helplessly said, "Pang Jian, the Dragonwood Spear I gave you won't last much longer. Its shaft is made from dragonwood, and even though it has an array that enhances its strength and sturdiness, it's difficult for a wooden shaft to endure the power of the Earth Blaze Technique for a long time."

Luo Hongyan nodded in agreement. "The Earth Blaze Technique you're cultivating isn't compatible with the Dragonwood Spear. As your earthflame energy grows, you'll eventually need a new spear. The shaft of the new spear must be crafted from refined metal to withstand the power of the Earth Blaze Technique.

"We don't have such a weapon in our possession. However, there's no need to worry. I saw a spear within the pillar of light. Its shaft is made from some kind of rare refined metal."

Pang Jian's eyes lit up.

While there were no issues when he only channeled spiritual power into the Dragonwood Spear, he noticed that the conduction rate was much slower when he mixed his spiritual power and earthflame energy to circulate within the spear's shaft.

The arrays within the spear's shaft were also incompatible with his newly refined earthflame energy.

However, after hearing about a suitable spear appearing within the strange pillar of light in the city center, Pang Jian was filled with anticipation.