Inside The Black Mist

The hall's floor was covered with worn-out carpet, covered in dust and other dirt, showing signs of aging. Tianyang lifted the carpet, revealing cold tiles beneath and large square stones about a foot wide, their quality surprisingly intact despite the dim environment and countless signs of erosion.

A cross-shaped light spot poured in from the direction of the main door, casting a faint blue glow on the tiles. Without hesitation, Tianyang drew the Crimson Moon Warblade.

With Star Essence infused, the conductive patterns on the blade began to glow, adding a magical hue to the knife.

As the edge of the blade lit up with a crimson glow, the temperature around sharply rose, and beads of sweat formed on Tianyang's forehead.

He turned the blade and gently inserted it.

The hard stone seemed to offer no resistance before the heated blade of the Crimson Moon Warblade pierced through effortlessly.

Tianyang didn’t dare to plunge the sword too deep, fearing to damage whatever laid beneath the stone. Without knowing how Su Lie's secret would manifest, the young man remained cautious.

Stopping after the blade had sunk an inch into the stone, Tianyang proceeded to cut around the edges of the light spot on the tile. Soon, the floor bore a circle of red, cross-shaped marks.

Using the warblade, Tianyang pried up the tile, revealing loose gravel underneath. Sheathing the knife, he reached down and sifted through the gravel.

Before long, he touched something solid. Tianyang hurriedly brushed the surface gravel aside. Moments later, a mechanical lockbox appeared before him.

He retrieved it, its surface scratched and worn, bearing signs of age. Despite his eagerness to open the box, the robust mechanical lock posed an insurmountable obstacle.

Next to the lock, someone had scratched a line of text with a sharp tool. "Don't attempt force, or you'll receive a surprise."

There was even a smiling face carved afterward!

Tianyang frowned in thought.

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Indeed, there was something hidden beneath the cross. One of Su Lie's cryptic phrases had already been validated.

So, what could the second phrase be?

Could it possibly be...

Just then, Tianyang suddenly tensed all over, instinctively ready to roll. But before he could move, something violently collided with his back!

The object carried a strong penetrating force, causing the starry defense armor on Tianyang's back to light up. He felt a burning sensation.

Muscles in his back tensed instinctively, without waiting for commands from his brain, resisting the slight burning sensation. Meanwhile, his entire body trembled imperceptibly, dispersing, guiding, and resolving the strong impact on his back.

These actions were almost entirely instinctive. In an instant, Tianyang managed to neutralize most of the impact. His body regained mobility, and he rolled to the side, simultaneously raising his assault rifle toward the main door and firing blindly.

Grabbing the lockbox, he dashed into the space beside the hall's main door, barely escaping behind the wall just as a gray-white elemental beam broke through the door.

The beam created a small elemental storm inside, releasing energy shocks that made it hard for Tianyang to breathe.

Then, a voice from outside rang out, "Come out, what are you hiding for? Aren't you supposed to be tough? Why hide?!"

Another elemental beam shot through the door, blowing away a large section of the already shaky spiral staircase.

Watching the smoke billow from the side door, Zhou Wang's eyes turned bloodshot, a malicious grin on his face.

He desperately wanted Tianyang dead.

The incident last time had him exiled from the fortress to Yunxiang Base, originally destined for labor in the mines. Fortunately, the Yun family took him in, sparing him from hard labor.

Yet none of this diminished his hatred for Tianyang. Since arriving in Gemstone Town, Zhou Wang had been looking for an opportunity for revenge.

Finding that Tianyang had left the team without explanation only fueled Zhou Wang's desire for vengeance.

But that was not important. What mattered was that his archenemy was alone, sparking a daring idea in his mind.

So he kept a close eye on Tianyang.

Fortune favored the prepared mind. Just moments ago, Zhou Wang saw Tianyang sneaking out of the camp again, and he knew his chance had come!

Inside the side door of the hall, Tianyang placed the briefcase down and cautiously stuck half of his head out towards the door. He saw Zhou Wang standing in the hall, who, without a word, fired a gray light gun.

The assault rifle was raised, and a beam of star essence exploded in mid-air, detonating the light gun. Tianyang shouted, "Zhou Wang, have you lost your mind? Do you know what you're doing?"

Zhou Wang reached out to shield himself from the explosion's raging winds, eyes wide open, a slightly crazy smile cracking his lips. "Of course, I know what I'm doing! I'm here to finish you off. If you're looking to blame someone, blame yourself for being careless and alone!"

"Finish me off? Right here?" Tianyang leaned against the wall and smirked. "Looks like you really have lost it."

"That's right, I've lost it. I once had a bright future ahead of me, but thanks to you, now I have to serve as a watchdog for the Yun family."

"It's all because of you! You bastard, you've ruined my future! Tell me, how can I let you off?!"

An elemental light gun came blasting through, this time blowing up the wall. Tianyang could only move to the other side and shout, "Zhou Wang, everything that's happening today is entirely your own doing. I advise you to stop now; you still have time to turn back."

"Fuck you!"

Zhou Wang spread his hands, and gray light gathered around him, forming seven or eight elemental spears. "A level 1 warrior like you, I want to kill you. It's no different from stepping on an ant!"

Hands pressed forward, those elemental light guns like shells swoosh, swoosh, swoosh traced gray light toward the side door of the hall!

As this wave of light guns was fired, Zhou Wang felt weak for a moment. The continuous attack had consumed a large amount of his Star Essence.

Even though he didn't believe Tianyang could survive this bombardment, Zhou Wang cautiously reached for a bottle of Star Essence replenishing fluid.

Just then, Zhou Wang suddenly saw Tianyang's Star Essence manifesting, flashing out from the door.

He raised his hand first, and the assault shooter fired a beam, hitting his hand holding the replenishing fluid.

The palm was instantly pierced by the beam, shattering the replenishing fluid in the palm and spilling the faint blue radiance on the ground.

Before Zhou Wang could scream in horror, he saw Tianyang's figure transform into a blurry stream of light.

That silver stream of light easily dodged the light gun Zhou Wang had fired, and in an instant, it had already arrived in front of him.

Zhou Wang was horrified and wanted to retreat, but suddenly, a crimson light flashed across his eyes.

He felt a heat in his throat, wanting to say something, but when the words came to his mouth, they turned into a series of gurgling noises.

In his mind, a cold and cruel thought emerged, Was my neck cut open?

Driven by this thought, Zhou Wang covered his neck with both hands. Soon, he felt something warm1 flowing out of his neck.

Raising his hand to look, lit by the faint blue light from outside the building, he saw his palm filled with dazzling crimson.

Zhou Wang began to feel a little dizzy, the colors in front of his eyes gradually becoming richer, the red becoming redder, and the black becoming darker.

After a whirlwind, he saw the dome of the hall, saw those pictures covered in dust.

The world, gradually blurring...

The battle was over.

Tianyang looked at the man beneath his feet; his pupils dilated, but blood continued to flow from his neck. Now, even if he has a bit of a hold on him, he still has to do it.

Something Warm1 - Blood