CHAPTER 580: CHAPTER 569: ENEMIES ON A NARROW ROAD_1

Less than an hour later, Qin Feiyang and his companion caught up with the main group.

Fatty immediately asked, "Boss, how did it go?"

Qin Feiyang replied, "The war sword needs to be pulled out for the black skeleton to awaken." There was no need to conceal this, but naturally, he wouldn’t directly point suspicion at Dongfang Wuheng and his companion.

Fatty wondered, "So you’re saying, the person who pulled out the war sword in the valley was indeed..."

"Ahem!"

Qin Feiyang coughed deliberately, interrupting Fatty’s words.

Fatty paused for a moment, then, understanding, he scanned the crowd and barked, "Who was it? Step forward now!"

"Not me."

"It wasn’t me either."

People denied it one after another.

Fatty looked everyone over, his gaze suddenly landing on Wu Yan and Xu Yang. "Master Fatty now seriously suspects that it’s you two playing tricks behind our backs!"

"Fatty, don’t make groundless accusations and slander good people!"

"What evidence do you have to accuse us?"

The two were incensed instantly.

"You, good people?" Fatty scoffed. "Everyone has seen your selfish behavior on this journey. You’re nothing but self-serving scoundrels. Master Fatty firmly believes that apart from you two, no one else here would stoop to harming everyone like this."

Xu Yang roared, "Bastard, I challenge you to a duel!"

"So you think Master Fatty is scared of you? Bring it on, Master Fatty will take you on!" Fatty rolled up his sleeves, looking fierce and spoiling for a fight.

"Enough!" Dongfang Wuheng spoke up at that moment. "Junior Brother Fatty, your claims are useless without any evidence. Xu Yang, Wu Yan, you both should stop as well."

Qin Feiyang glanced at Dongfang Wuheng, a flicker in his eye, then patted Fatty’s shoulder. "Without concrete evidence, don’t jump to conclusions."

"I didn’t say anything," Fatty shrugged.

The group continued moving forward.

This whole farce was intentionally created by Fatty. Because with this uproar, it would seem their suspected targets were Xu Yang and Wu Yan; the real culprits, Dongfang Wuheng and Murong Xiong, would certainly let down their guard. Once they dropped their guard, those two would sooner or later expose themselves.

Before they knew it, dawn was nearing. Despite having the four-Elixir Pattern healing pills, after an exhausting night of battle, everyone was worn out both physically and mentally.

Dongfang Wuheng looked towards the horizon where the bloody moon was setting and the bloody sun was about to rise, then loudly announced, "Day is about to break. Everyone hold on a bit longer."

The group nodded. They just had to hold on until daybreak, then they could rest properly.

"Huh!" Just then, Fatty suddenly yelled in surprise. "Am I seeing things?"

"What?" Everyone looked at him, puzzled.

Fatty pointed forward and said, "Stop looking at me, look forward! Doesn’t that look like a forest?"

"A forest?" The group was visibly surprised, then hints of excitement appeared. If there was a forest up ahead, it could signify that they might have reached the Death Marsh.

Everyone started peering forward. But dawn hadn’t broken yet, and the bloody fog obscured their view. They couldn’t see clearly, only discerning vague shadows.

"It looks like a forest," someone spoke up.

Dongfang Wuheng ordered, "Let’s move closer to confirm."

Carrying a mix of nervousness and hope, the group quickly advanced.

Tens of breaths later, the objects in the distance finally appeared clearly in everyone’s view.

It was indeed a dense wilderness. Ancient trees towered high, like large green umbrellas. Thick vines, like pythons, coiled around the ancient trees, exuding an air of primeval strength. The ground was overrun with wild grass and thick shrubs.

The overall scene was desolate, mysterious, and eerie. Before even approaching, it instilled a sense of fear.

Someone exclaimed, "Look, there’s a Stele over there!"

Following the direction where the person pointed, everyone saw a Stele erected at the edge of the forest, about five to six meters high, inscribed with four forceful and bold characters:

—Death Marsh!

"We’ve finally reached the Death Marsh!"

"There are no skeletons in the marsh; we should hide in there," someone suggested, and everyone was thrilled.

"Don’t go!" Lu Xingchen spoke gravely. "We have no idea what’s inside the Death Marsh. There’s no need to take the risk, as dawn is already near."

Qin Feiyang agreed with Lu Xingchen’s view. The Death Marsh was a place even Wang Hong feared; how could it possibly be safe? It was better to wait until daybreak, when everyone had recovered to their peak, before proceeding.

"No matter how dangerous the Death Marsh is, it can’t be more dangerous than these skeletons, right?"

"There’s still some time before dawn. If we continue fighting like this, there’s bound to be more casualties."

"Senior Brother Wuhen, we all think it best to enter the Death Marsh."

However, most ignored them, urging Dongfang Wuheng for his approval.

After a moment of internal struggle, Dongfang Wuheng nodded. "Alright, we’ll go in. But remember, do not let your guard down."

Immediately, a large part of the group surged into the Death Marsh.

But Lu Xingchen didn’t enter.

Qin Feiyang and Fatty locked eyes; they didn’t go in either.

Ren Wushuang, Shen Mei, and Dong Zhengyang, seeing Qin Feiyang and the others hadn’t gone in, also stayed out.

Eventually, only the six of them remained outside to battle the skeletons.

The Death Marsh seemed to be a forbidden zone for the skeletons. None pursued those who entered; instead, they all converged on Qin Feiyang and the remaining few.

"The ground is firm, not swampy."

"Haha, indeed there is always a way out!"

Those who had entered the marsh surveyed their surroundings, their faces alight with joy.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Wuheng turned to look at Qin Feiyang and the others, suggesting, "There’s no immediate danger here. You guys should come in and rest."

"Senior Brother Wuhen, why are you trying to convince them?"

"If they like fighting skeletons, let them fight!"

"Not gonna lie, now that I’m a bystander, these skeletons seem sort of cute."

"Senior Brother Qin, Senior Brother Dong, keep up the good work! We fully support your endeavor in wiping them all out!"

As they watched Qin Feiyang and the other five, completely surrounded by skeletons, those inside crossed their arms and openly jeered.

Shen Mei looked at Dongfang Wuheng and the others, who indeed hadn’t encountered any trouble. She was somewhat tempted and whispered, "Should we go in?"

"Discretion is the better part of valor. I’m not going to take that risk," Lu Xingchen shook his head.

Qin Feiyang paused for a while before speaking to Shen Mei, "Brother Lu has a point. Let’s hold out a little longer."

"Alright," Shen Mei nodded.

"Sigh!" Upon hearing the responses from Qin Feiyang and Lu Xingchen, Dongfang Wuheng sighed, turned to Wu Yan and the others, and said, "Don’t waste time; rest now."

"Alright!" Wu Yan hollered.

Xu Yang said jokingly, "We get to rest and watch a show at the same time. What a fine arrangement."

Fatty’s gaze hardened; he sneered, "Let’s see how long you folks can remain smug."

"Haha..."

"We may not know what the future holds, but at least for now, we hold the advantage."

"You guys carry on; we’re enjoying the show!"

The pair laughed wildly.

Fatty’s hands clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking loudly.

Qin Feiyang glanced at the two laughing figures, turned to Fatty, and said, "Don’t pay them any mind."

"Exactly," Lu Xingchen nodded in agreement. "Only death can teach these ignorant fools a lesson."

"Death?" Wu Yan and Xu Yang sneered. "It’s hard to say who will die just yet. But before you die, you better return our medicinal herbs."

"HAHAHA..."

Suddenly, a hearty laughter resounded through the area, echoing for a long time.

"Who is that?" Dongfang Wuheng and the others were shocked. They immediately spun around to look at the forest behind them. The laughter had come from that direction!

"Someone’s here!"

Meanwhile, the six outside, including Qin Feiyang, were equally bewildered. Could it be more skeletons?

"That’s not right!" Fatty abruptly remarked. "Boss, this voice sounds familiar."

"Familiar?" Qin Feiyang paused briefly, then listened carefully to the echoes.

Seeing Qin Feiyang and Fatty’s reaction, Dong Zhengyang, Ren Wushuang, Shen Mei, and Lu Xingchen exchanged bewildered glances.

Familiar. Those simple words, at this moment, held a very important piece of information. This meant the owner of the laughter wasn’t a skeleton, but a human!

Suddenly, Qin Feiyang’s gaze quivered. He said in a low voice, "It’s him!"

Fatty nodded. "Yes, it’s him!"

"Who?" The other four looked at them in surprise.

"I never knew the Spirit State had so many idiots." Qin Feiyang was just about to speak when the hearty laughter echoed again.

"Yes, I was quite worried before, but now it seems my concerns were entirely unnecessary," another voice chimed in—a woman’s voice, full of deep sarcasm.

"It’s them, as I suspected. Enemies always cross paths," Fatty muttered.

Murong Xiong shouted, "Who the hell is it? Stop messing around and come out and die!"

"Die?" the woman’s voice retorted. "Who lent you the audacity to utter such arrogant words? Ice Elephant’s Rage!"

From within the forest came the woman’s sharp cry, followed by an overwhelming surge of power that erupted suddenly.

BOOM!

CRACK!

The next moment, from the left side of the forest, continuous thundering noises erupted. Ancient trees were shattered, the earth cracked open, and a giant ice elephant came rushing out like a whirlwind, crushing everything in its path!

"War Ancestor!" Dong Zhengyang’s expression changed. Even without seeing the person, he could tell from the aura emanating from the Ice Elephant that the one executing this technique was a War Ancestor, no less powerful than him!

Murong Xiong and Dongfang Wuheng also paled and shouted in unison, "On guard!"

"Savage Bull’s Charge!"

Simultaneously, Murong Xiong sprang into action. As he waved his hands, an earth-yellow Savage Bull instantly materialized. It was immense, well over a hundred feet tall, resembling a small hill and exuding an astonishingly fierce aura!

MOO!

Next, the Savage Bull let out a thunderous bellow and then charged towards the Ice Elephant. It too crushed ancient trees and tore through the earth, its momentum unstoppable!

BANG!

The two colossal beasts violently collided, reducing everything within several kilometers to dust.

"So, you do have some skill. No wonder you dare to be so arrogant," the woman’s voice once again filled the air, brimming with disdain. "But can you withstand their next assault?"