Beyond the great gate, dense purple-black mist permeated everywhere.
Black figures, one by one, wandered numbly within it.
No…
They could no longer be called human.
Their flesh and blood had all rotted and melted away, with putrid flesh hanging disgustingly on their bones.
They exuded an evil and terrifying aura.
Wandering aimlessly, seemingly never tiring…
The scene was exceptionally quiet.
Yet, strangeness permeated every corner.
Ye Fan was the first to step through the great gate.
The others hesitated for a moment before following.
The instant they stepped through the gate, the monsters inside moved!
Like beasts catching the scent of blood, they roared and charged towards the group!
Their voices were low and hoarse, carrying some unknown power.
Just hearing their roars caused a moment of mental fog!
Combat.
It was about to erupt!
The weakest of these monsters possessed the strength of the peak Nascent Soul stage, while the stronger ones reached the second or third layers of the Soul Transformation stage!
Furthermore, their defense was outrageously formidable!
The techniques of the group, upon striking them, only chipped away at layers of rotten flesh.
And after the rotten flesh was removed, new flesh quickly grew!
Their healing speed was incredibly fast!
Fortunately, this monstrous healing speed was not limitless.
After trying for a while, the group discovered that by concentrating attacks on one spot, the speed of destruction could surpass the speed of healing.
Fortunately, the greatest weakness of these monsters was their slow speed.
Although dealing with them was somewhat arduous, it was manageable overall.
The few monsters in the second or third layers of the Soul Transformation stage were indeed terrifying, but with Old Ancestor Yad wielding his divine sword, the battle became relatively easier.
The only troublesome aspect was the liquid that occasionally splattered from the monsters.
Through the explanation of the well-informed Gusna, they already knew that this substance was highly contagious.
Once it touched someone, they would be assimilated into their own kind!
Although they were not certain if they would be assimilated 100%, no one dared to risk it!
Overall, although this battle was somewhat troublesome, there was no significant danger.
The group fought as they advanced, slowly moving towards the divine palace.
The deeper they ventured into the divine palace, the denser the purple-black mist became.
And the stronger the enemies grew!
Preliminary judgment indicated that the source of everything was the divine palace in the deepest part!
All secrets and answers were hidden there!
After fighting for about an hour, the group temporarily halted.
Previously, they had been unleashing continuous attacks with barely any pause, which heavily taxed their true qi.
While this expenditure was negligible for their cultivation levels, the place was too dangerous, and they dared not let their condition deteriorate too much.
Most importantly, the enemies they were encountering were growing increasingly powerful!
The weakest among them were at the first layer of the Soul Transformation stage!
For them, whose highest cultivation was only at the peak Nascent Soul stage, the pressure had increased severalfold!
Although the monsters themselves were slow, that slowness was relative.
When the monsters' cultivation levels increased, this so-called slowness was no longer so slow.
Just like earlier.
A sect leader at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage, caught off guard, was splashed by the mucus of a first-layer Soul Transformation monster.
As soon as the mucus touched his right arm, it spread rapidly!
Everywhere the mucus touched, it immediately began to rot and dissolve!
In the blink of an eye, the mucus had spread to his shoulder!
Fortunately, a sect leader nearby reacted with lightning speed and severed his right arm immediately.
By the time the severed limb hit the ground, only the bone was left!
The sect leader with the severed arm quickly retreated to the back of the group, enduring the pain as he treated his wound.
Even now, his heart was pounding wildly!
It was too terrifying!
After clearing a safe zone, the group began to rest in place.
They were still a considerable distance from the divine palace in the deepest part.
Merely based on the current trend, they were unsure if they could reach it safely…
To be honest.
If the entrance had not vanished, many people would probably have wanted to retreat by now.
Everything here was clearly beyond their control…
Half an hour later.
The group set out again.
However, they no longer dared to walk so recklessly as before, instead trying to choose areas with fewer monsters.
As the monsters' strength increased, the group’s combat methods also underwent significant changes.
They abandoned fierce assaults, opting for containment instead.
Most of their true qi was used to maintain protective shields, and then they used techniques to disrupt the monsters’ movements.
The role of the main damage dealer naturally fell upon Old Ancestor Yad…
With greater ability comes greater responsibility.
Old Ancestor, you are the last hope of the entire village!
Old Ancestor Yad couldn't help but curse inwardly at their cautious behavior.
But this was not the time to dwell on such matters; he could only endure it silently…
As the group pressed forward, the purple-black mist around them had become terrifyingly dense!
The visible range was now less than ten feet!
The visible range here did not refer to what the naked eye could see, but the range of divine sense scanning.
This purple-black mist was actually capable of blocking divine sense scans!
And that strange oppressive feeling from before intensified as the mist thickened.
Various negative emotions were once again amplified in their hearts…
At the rear of the group were several sect leaders at the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage.
Their strength was completely inadequate to deal with the current battle.
They could only trail at the end of the formation, occasionally interfering with the monsters’ actions.
Suddenly!
Several monsters darted out from the surrounding mist!
Their speed was significantly higher than the monsters they had encountered before!
In almost an instant, they reached the backs of those sect leaders!
Sensing movement behind them, the sect leaders instinctively tried to dodge.
But it was too late!
The monsters’ claws easily tore through their backs!
Purple-black mucus spread through the wounds!
In moments, it covered their entire bodies!
“Roar—!”
The sect leaders transformed into monsters and charged towards the people in front.
“Sizzle…”
As their claws came into contact with the true qi shields, they emitted a grating, corrosive sound.
The sect leaders in front were forced to abandon their previous targets and engage them in combat.
Perhaps due to their recent assimilation, their combat power was noticeably weaker than other monsters.
After a few exchanges, they were dealt with by their former companions.
But soon, new monsters emerged from the mist!
The sect leaders who had just resolved their companions had no time to relax before being forced back into battle.
Although the true qi shields could block the monsters’ claws, the corrosive nature of the mucus was truly monstrous!
With essentially one claw strike, the true qi shield was destroyed!
The group had to scramble to replenish new shields, invisibly increasing the consumption of true qi!
And without their containment, the pressure on the sect leaders in front increased dramatically!
Old Ancestor Yad, while indeed powerful, was now struggling to fend for himself.
At this moment, he could barely protect himself, with no extra capacity to spare for others!
The situation.
Had suddenly become perilous!
“Seniors, we can’t hold on much longer…” Old Ancestor Yad was forced to cry for help.
Ye Fan, who had been observing from the sidelines, finally moved.
He raised his sniper rifle and pulled the trigger!
“Whoosh—!”