Chapter 470: Inescapable Death

Su Mu stood steadily atop the lotus flower, casually glancing at his traveling companions.

There were barely a dozen of them in total, but every single one was an elite handpicked by the two Saint Lords from their respective domains.

The Lord of Dawn and the Lord of Primal Desolation had each brought two Saint Grade experts. The rest were all Gold Kings.

The weakest member of the group was likely Chu Ying, the sole Gold Grade present.

The only reason she had been brought along was because the Lord of Dawn feared she might leak information if left behind in the Dawn Domain.

When the lotus rose to its highest point in the sky, it suddenly radiated a soft white light. The petals began to grow, expanding until they folded together, completely encapsulating everyone inside.

Once they were sealed within, Su Mu felt spatial fluctuations rippling from the outside. The lotus was clearly transporting them through space.

After several consecutive spatial jumps, the lotus petals bloomed open once more. Before him lay the same Divine Ruins he had previously departed. It was still shrouded in an endless dark purple mist that blotted out the sky.

The group stepped off the lotus. The Lord of Dawn cast his gaze over. "Captain Zhou, we will trouble you to lead the way from here."

Su Mu smiled faintly and strode into the dark purple fog.

Within the Divine Ruins, the group pressed forward under Su Mu's guidance. Nerves were pulled taut. Their expressions were grave as they constantly scanned their surroundings, terrified that a divine abomination might suddenly leap out.

Only Su Mu at the front and the two Saint Lords in the center of the formation maintained their composure.

Following the images he had extracted from Chu Ying's mind, Su Mu charted a course straight toward the core region of the Divine Ruins.

The journey proceeded in silence. No one was in the mood to chat in a place where danger could strike at any moment. This heavy, nerve-wracking atmosphere dragged on for a full day.

They traveled for a full day, seeing nothing but endless urban rubble. It felt less like exploring the Divine Ruins and more like picking through a destroyed city.

"This is the Divine Ruins? It doesn't seem quite as dangerous as the legends say," someone in the entourage whispered.

The urge to communicate was an innate human desire, and transcendents were no exception. A full day of oppressive, silent marching had driven many to their limits.

"Don't let your guard down. I might not have been to the Divine Ruins before, but I have a few God Hunter friends. Anything can happen here."

"I know, I was just making an observation."

Right at that moment, Su Mu abruptly halted at the front of the group. As their guide and resident veteran God Hunter, his sudden stop caused everyone else to freeze in their tracks.

"Captain Zhou, did you discover something?" the Lord of Dawn asked.

As a Saint Lord, his strength stood at the absolute pinnacle. But facing a dual Divine Ruins, even he didn't dare to be the slightest bit careless. He placed tremendous value on the judgment of an experienced God Hunter like "Zhou Qiong."

Su Mu offered a faint smile. "It's nothing. I just spotted an old friend."

An old friend?

A strange expression crossed the Lord of Dawn's face. How could someone have friends in the Divine Ruins? Was it a surviving member of Dawn's Blade? Yet within his perception, there seemed to be no one in the shadows ahead aside from a hidden Silent Spirit.

"Help! Can someone please help me?" A woman's voice drifted over from the distance.

Su Mu leaped into the air, his figure gliding laterally in a bizarre trajectory for dozens of zhang before alighting beside a half-collapsed high-rise.

In the shadows of the high-rise, a woman in a black casual trench coat was crying for help, her face streaked with tears.

"Miss Li Weiwei, we meet again," Su Mu smiled.

Li Weiwei froze. She turned her head, pleasant surprise washing over her face. "You're... that gentleman from last time. Have you come to save me?"

Su Mu smiled and shook his head. "No. I'm here to kill you."

Li Weiwei's expression instantly warped into terror. "Kill me? Why would you kill me? I don't have any grudge against you..."

"Won't we have a grudge once I kill you?"

Swish!

Su Mu flicked the Netherbone Fan in his hand, sending a howling gust of bone-chilling wind sweeping out.

"Ahhh!!"

Li Weiwei let out an agonized scream. Under the onslaught of the freezing wind, her body was completely annihilated, disintegrating inch by inch.

Killing Li Weiwei hadn't actually been intentional. If anyone was to blame, it was this Silent Spirit for happening to appear right in front of him just as he was holding his newly acquired Netherbone Fan.

And so, in the spirit of testing out the Netherbone Fan's power, Li Weiwei had to die.

Seeing Li Weiwei's demise, an odd look flickered across Chu Ying's face within the group. It reminded her of the time she had "saved" Su Mu.

"Does Captain Zhou have a history with this Silent Spirit?" the Lord of Dawn asked casually.

Su Mu nodded. "She killed a member of Dawn's Blade before."

The Lord of Dawn said no more. A mere Silent Spirit wasn't worthy of his attention.

The Lord of Primal Desolation, however, was growing impatient. "Stop wasting time. How much longer until we reach the core region?"

Su Mu silently pushed up his Tinted Glasses. "Soon. Past this ruined area is a forest, and the core of the Divine Ruins lies within it. However, a considerable number of divine abominations are lurking in those woods. I'll be relying on you all when the time comes."

The group resumed their journey, and it wasn't long before they saw the forest Su Mu had mentioned.

The moment he laid eyes on the forest, the Lord of Dawn became visibly thrilled. "This is the aura of the Merciful Holy Mother of Myriad Blossoms!"

He stared out into the eerie woods. A foul stench of rot washed over them. The surrounding trees were twisted and hideous, with dark red mucus oozing from the crevices in their bark.

The ground was completely choked with vibrantly colored mushrooms and jagged, serrated leaves.

Countless white fungal threads connected the trees to one another, draped across the branches like a sprawling spider web.

Whoosh!

The Lord of Primal Desolation's tall figure flickered, teleporting directly in front of a massive tree. Reaching out, he stroked its trunk with barely concealed excitement.

This giant tree grew in an incredibly bizarre fashion. Certain sections were covered in normal bark, while others were made of pulsing biological flesh.

"This Saint Lord can sense the aura of Fallen Sin Maitreya as well!"

The two Saint Lords exchanged a glance, both catching the unmistakable flash of joy in the other's eyes.

"Forward! Advance immediately!" the Lord of Primal Desolation ordered, urging the group into the forest.

"Wait." Su Mu suddenly reached out and grabbed the person walking at the very front.

"Those white fungal threads in the forest drop spores that are invisible to the naked eye. If inhaled, they will take root and sprout inside your body, devouring your flesh and blood to grow countless new threads."

The person he had stopped turned pale with lingering dread, casting a look of deep gratitude toward Su Mu.

Su Mu met his gaze and returned a polite smile.

"Everyone, hold your breath as we move forward. Remember, under no circumstances are you to touch those white threads. These things are alive. The moment you disturb them, you will be attacked."

With that warning delivered, Su Mu took the lead and stepped directly into the forest.

Having Su Mu guiding them bolstered the group's confidence. At times like this, a veteran God Hunter truly was the most reliable asset.

Everyone present was a powerhouse of formidable strength. Holding their breath and avoiding the threads would be near-impossible for an ordinary person, but for them, it merely required a bit of extra caution.

There would be no idiotic blunders like you'd see in a movie, where someone would just so happen to brush against the threads by accident—unless... someone was trying to cause trouble on purpose.

Someone like Su Mu, for instance.