Chapter 114: Dread Forest! Moving Corpses!
Recalling the earlier events, Chen Xuan had the urge to curse himself. He had been far too careless to agree so quickly.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel at Tang Yuechen’s persuasion abilities.
Perhaps she truly possessed the potential to become a great Sect Leader.
While these thoughts were racing through his mind, Chen Xuan lowered his gaze.
A vast forest stretched beneath him.
Towering trees rose like black pillars that wished to pierce the heavens, while the ground below was stained a dark gray, as ash had been scattered upon it.
Seeing this, Chen Xuan’s expression turned solemn.
He no longer had the time or will to joke.
The Death Qi permeating the forest was impossible to miss.
Dread Forest.
Located in the eastern region of the Tianxuan Domain, it was known as a territory filled with powerful beasts.
Due to its close proximity to human settlements, a dedicated organization had been established to monitor its activity.
It was through the reports from that organization that Tang Yuechen had concluded that this place was the source of the recent disturbances.
As Chen Xuan descended, he remained alert.
Although past records suggested nothing within the forest could threaten him, those records were based on old information.
Given the strange incidents occurring throughout the eastern region, there was every reason to believe circumstances had changed.
A golden sword materialized in his hand.
Honglan’s tiny figure emerged above the blade and swept her gaze across the surroundings.
A trace of surprise flashed through her eyes.
"This place is dangerous. Chen Xuan, be careful."
"I can tell something is seriously wrong here."
Her warning left Chen Xuan speechless.
Of course, something was wrong. Otherwise, why would he have come all this way?
However, knowing that Honglan was speaking out of concern, he kept those thoughts to himself.
He merely nodded to show that he understood.
Then, clasping her sword form tightly, he stepped into the forest.
--
The interior of Dread Forest was even more unsettling than its exterior would suggest.
A suffocating silence shrouded the entire area, and no animal or beast could be seen.
The only signs of movement came from the vegetation itself.
Some trees slowly swayed their branches despite the absence of wind, while thorny shrubs twisted toward the sky and vibrated eerily.
Wisps of black mist drifted between them.
The Death Qi had grown so dense that it was visible to the naked eye.
As Chen Xuan advanced through the forest, his instincts continuously warned him of danger.
Though everything suggested that he was alone and there was no threat, it was clear that reality said otherwise.
Chen Xuan did not wander aimlessly.
Instead, he followed the areas where the Death Qi was most concentrated, knowing full well that only by going there would he be able to discover the source behind everything.
Time passed.
He did not know how long he had been walking.
Just as the Death Qi had turned fully black, his ears suddenly twitched.
A noise came from far away, almost like a whisper or murmur.
Most people would have overlooked it.
But considering the time and, more importantly, the place, it made Chen Xuan’s eyes narrow.
The next instant, his figure blurred.
Both the Aura-Concealing Pearl and the Origin Concealment Technique were activated to their limits to help him conceal his presence.
As his figure turned into a streak of light, he rapidly sped toward the source of the sound.
--
Elsewhere within the forest, a group of more than a dozen figures was making its way through the darkness.
Or rather, several living people and a number of corpses.
With mangled body parts, melting faces, and limbs twisted at unnatural angles, these corpses stood upright, walking forward like ordinary people.
At the head of the group stood a young man.
He held a bronze bell in one of his hands and shook it repeatedly.
With every shake, a clear chime rang out.
The corpses seemed to respond to the sound, their footsteps moving in perfect rhythm with each note.
The man held a small compass in his other hand.
Its needle pointed toward the outer region of the forest, guiding the group forward.
"Senior Brother Chu, are you sure that this treasure works? We have been walking for quite a while."
The only girl in the group suddenly spoke.
She showed no fear of being surrounded by walking corpses and directed her question toward the young man.
"Elder Xia specifically warned us not to venture too deep into the forest, especially under the current circumstances."
"Don’t worry, Junior Sister."
The young man comforted her, smiling gently.
"I’ve already sensed its location. It’s only a few hundred feet ahead."
Moments later, the young man’s face brightened.
His pace quickened as the others behind him hurried to follow.
Before long, the needle on the compass began spinning wildly, as though the object had malfunctioned.
Yet none of them paid attention.
Their eyes were fixed on the black flower growing from the barren earth around them.
Gray mist coiled around each of its petals, while ghostly figures danced upon them.
"An Undead Flower!"
The girl couldn’t help but exclaim.
"This is a Nascent Soul-grade material!"
The voice of the girl was not excited, but rather fearful.
For no other reason than that they were only at the Foundation Establishment realm.
In the face of such a treasure, it was impossible to say what one would do.
Especially for demonic cultivators like them.
She instinctively took a step backward and opened her mouth to speak when a flash of crimson filled her vision.
It was the fresh blood of her companions.
The moving corpses suddenly turned around and attacked their group from behind.
Like starving beasts, they lunged at the cultivators. Their hands tore through their flesh while their yellow teeth ripped through the cultivator’s throats.
The scene was horrifying yet equally quick.
By the time the blood settled, only two people remained alive.
The girl and the young man.
Seeing the terror in her eyes, the latter smiled gently.
"Junior Sister, don’t be afraid."
"I have no intention of killing you. That would be far too wasteful."
His smile widened.
"As long as you surrender a fragment of your soul and agree to become my slave, everything will be fine—"
Just as the young man was about to finish his words, his head suddenly exploded.
Bang! Blood splattered.
At the same time, the animated corpses collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
However, the girl was far from relieved.
An unknown figure had appeared in front of her.
Before she could react, the other party calmly stretched their hand toward her head.
The next instant, she felt as though an invisible force had reached into her body and dragged her soul out.
Then came a pain so intense that it seemed to tear her very soul apart.
