Chapter 487: The Bizarre Black Shadow

Next to him, Liu Ying turned to look at Shen Daoxing. Then, she glanced at the mountain forest, her eyes narrowing as she said meaningfully,

"Heh heh heh. Little Junior Brother, did you know? Ten thousand years ago, the Great Sword Immortal created this Tianze, which spans thousands of miles, with a single slash of his sword. He carved out a pure land for the entire Human Race. From then on, he stood guard within Tianze, repeatedly thwarting invasions from the Ancient Fierce Beasts and the Demon Race. He won our Human Race precious time to develop, and he remained here for several thousand years, guarding Tianze right up until he ascended.

"And after he ascended to the Upper Realm, his former residence remained here in the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss. Legend has it that it conceals limitless treasures, perhaps even the inheritance the Great Sword Immortal left for posterity! There might even be an Immortal Soldier inside!"

’The Great Sword Immortal’s inheritance? An Immortal Soldier?’

Shen Daoxing turned to look at the pitch-black forest, suddenly feeling a spark of interest.

Without a second thought, Shen Daoxing nodded and followed the Jade Pendant forward.

Before long, Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying arrived within the mountain forest. Towering ancient fir trees shot up from the ground all around them. Their dense leaves blotted out the entire sky, allowing only mottled slivers of sunlight to pierce through the canopy and dapple the forest floor.

The surroundings were deathly still. There was no birdsong, no chirping of insects. At a glance, it didn’t seem dangerous at all, but the thick, lingering stench of blood in the air put Shen Daoxing on high alert.

Suddenly, a bush not far from Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying trembled, and a middle-aged man shot out, flying on his sword.

He was a tall man with chilling features and an indifferent expression. His sharp eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through anything, held a brilliant gleam. It was obvious at a glance that he was an extraordinary individual.

Upon seeing the man who had suddenly appeared, Liu Ying was taken aback. "Qin Tiannan," she said in surprise. "The peerless genius from Cangzhou’s Celestial Dragon Empire, hailed as a talent seen only once in a millennium. He broke through to the Earth Profound realm in his twenties and reached the Refining Dust realm in his forties. But this is strange... Why is he here? Didn’t he mysteriously disappear a hundred years ago?"

"A hundred years ago? He’s from a century ago?"

Shen Daoxing froze, a questioning look on his face as he turned to Liu Ying.

Just then, another man in lavish robes flew out from the tall grass nearby.

Seeing this person, Liu Ying was taken aback yet again. "Pan Jie. The unparalleled prodigy of the Dayan Sect, another genius of the highest caliber, just like Qin Tiannan. But he, too, mysteriously disappeared a hundred years ago."

As they watched in confusion, Qin Tiannan and Pan Jie, the two peerless geniuses of Cangzhou and masters of the Refining Dust realm, had faces filled with utter terror. They kept glancing over their shoulders, fleeing for their lives in Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying’s direction.

It was as if they had encountered something truly terrifying.

However, they had not managed more than a few steps.

A sinister, eerie aura suddenly swept down from above, blanketing everything. It was a cold that pierced the mind, a power that felt as if it could corrode the soul.

Abruptly, one, two, three... ten pitch-black shadows appeared in the forest without any warning.

They had long arms and long legs, their bodies as slender as bamboo poles. But they were merely inky-black shadows, as tall as the towering ancient trees around them. They were faint and indistinct, as if they didn’t truly exist at all.

Yet after appearing, they simply reached out with their large hands and effortlessly seized Qin Tiannan and Pan Jie. Lifting the two men, the shadows brought them to their mouths and slowly opened them.

Shen Daoxing saw with perfect clarity as Qin Tiannan and Pan Jie struggled desperately in terror. Something transparent, like a soul, was drawn from their bodies and slowly sucked into the enormous mouths of the shadow monsters.

Immediately, Qin Tiannan and Pan Jie went rigid. They were frozen in poses of struggle and shouting, but they had already turned to stone.

CRASH!

As the terrifying shadow monsters loosened their grip, the petrified bodies of Qin Tiannan and Pan Jie fell and shattered to dust upon hitting the ground.

Two masters of the Refining Dust realm, both geniuses among geniuses, had been utterly powerless in the grasp of these monsters. Their souls had been sucked right out.

At this sight, both Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying froze in shock.

And at that very moment, the shadow monsters abruptly raised their heads and looked in the direction of Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying.

Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying exchanged a look and, without a moment’s hesitation, turned and fled.

Shen Daoxing could feel countless pairs of cold eyes fixed on his back, emanating a chill that felt as if it could freeze his very soul.

Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying ran without stopping, covering a great distance.

But Shen Daoxing felt that the pairs of cold eyes behind him had not disappeared; on the contrary, they felt even closer.

A sudden shiver ran down his spine as an intensely cold and eerie aura washed over him, threatening to freeze his very soul. The things behind them were about to catch up.

At that moment, two large hands suddenly shot out from the trees beside Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying, grabbing their shoulders. With a SWOOSH, they were pulled aside.

"Shh!"

Shen Daoxing then saw a beautiful woman in green robes holding a finger to her lips, signaling for them to be quiet.

Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying immediately froze and held their breath, feeling waves of ghastly cold brush past them.

Before long, Shen Daoxing could distinctly feel the soul-piercing coldness from before gradually fade into the distance, eventually disappearing completely.

Only then did Shen Daoxing relax. Looking around, he found himself inside a massive tree hollow.

Standing before him were four people: three men and one woman. It was obvious from their attire that they were all disciples of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect.

Before Shen Daoxing could say anything, the woman in green who had saved them spoke first. "You’re disciples of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, aren’t you?"

She had evidently seen the Cyan Nether Sword Sect uniform on Liu Ying and deduced their identities.

Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying nodded in unison.

Shen Daoxing studied the four people across from them. "And you are?"

The woman in green who had just saved them appeared to be slightly older than Shen Daoxing. She had gracefully curved eyebrows and was elegantly dressed. Her every move was poised and gentle, and she exuded the aura of a mature woman.

Behind the woman in green stood two men who looked quite similar to each other. They were plump with a friendly appearance, and both were currently staring at Shen Daoxing with wide, curious eyes.