Hidden Shadow – CH 184

Chapter One-Hundred-Eighty-Four: Sound Killer!

“It’s not a fog monster; it is just that the surrounding formation has changed,” Chu Dingjiang said calmly.

He turned and walked to his right. Everyone knew perfectly well that what they had just seen was a wall, but they followed him without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, they did not encounter the wall they had just seen.

The surroundings were shrouded in thick fog, obscuring their surroundings. Chu Dingjiang did not go too far.

Sun Dixian said softly, “The fog will dissipate by dawn, right?”

“No,” Sui Yuntong said confidently. “This is not an ordinary formation. This place feels very spacious, but it should be within a space. We are just going in circles in the fog.”

“You understand formations?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

Sui Yuntong shook his head. “I only know the basics. I cannot break this kind of formation. However, since it is a formation, it must have a key point. Break the key point, and the formation will be broken.”

“Just wait.” Chu Dingjiang sat down cross-legged. “There are living things in this formation; they will not remain still forever.”

Everyone followed his example and sat cross-legged, ten people back-to-back forming a circle, circulating their internal energy and preparing for battle.

Only An Jiu lacked internal energy. She placed the Dragon-Subduing Bow across her lap and closed her eyes for a short rest.

A cool mist swirled around her, like ice silk. An Jiu focused all her senses on feeling this mist. In an instant, she seemed to grasp something important. Before she could figure it out, a familiar sound of air being cut rang in her ears.

“An arrow!” As An Jiu spoke, the arrow in her hand was already nocked!

With a whoosh, the arrow left the bowstring, bursting into a dazzling blue light in the air. The arrowhead seemed to explode into a ball of light, cleaving through the oncoming arrows before hurtling into the depths of the mist with a destructive force.

A rain of arrows descended from all sides, and the group drew their swords to deflect them.

Chu Dingjiang’s protective aura erupted, shattering the approaching barrage of arrows.

Boom!

An Jiu’s blue arrow struck an unknown location, from which a deafening collapse resounded. The surrounding mist seemed to be sucked away by a giant mouth, obscuring everything. However, they could feel the howling wind.

“Go!” Chu Dingjiang led the way, moving with the wind.

The others followed closely, wary of the arrows.

Chu Dingjiang possessed a powerful protective aura; the arrows, instead of killing him, were shattered by the shockwave, leaving him completely unharmed by the rain of arrows. At his speed, he could reach the exit in an instant. However, the others lacked such strength, and he could not abandon An Jiu to leave first.

An Jiu lacked internal energy, putting her at a disadvantage in close combat. Outside, she was safer acting alone than with them, so Chu Dingjiang was not worried. But the formation was so unpredictable that even he could not guarantee a safe retreat, let alone others.

Opportunities often only last a moment. The gap blasted open by the arrows was quickly filled, and the formation returned to calm.

In the mist where nothing could be seen beyond three chi, twenty black-robed figures appeared out of nowhere, forming a large circle that surrounded Chu Dingjiang and the others.

“I have a feeling there are people around…” Although Sui Yuntong’s mental energy was suppressed here, he still retained a lingering intuition.

“Twenty,” Chu Dingjiang said, pinpointing the number of enemies. “Stop playing tricks and come out!”

The black-robed man panicked at first, but then realized that in this thick fog, they could see each other, while their opponents could not see them. The enemy was in the light, while they were in the shadows. He quickly regained his composure and silently observed the group’s weaknesses.

A hissing sound came from Qiu Yuntong’s bag. Two small snakes seemed to awaken from their slumber, poking their heads out, their reddish eyes greedily fixed on the fog. It was as if they desperately wanted a treasure inside.

Qiu Yuntong’s eyes lit up. He tore open the bag, exposing the two snakes to the fog, but they swiftly retreated, only cautiously peeking out again after a moment, seemingly wary of such “treasure.”

His attention shifted to the snakes, and he momentarily relaxed his guard, allowing the surrounding black-robed men to see him clearly. Immediately, two of them attacked him together.

A dark shadow flashed by, and Qiu Yuntong waved his folding fan, instantly transforming into a wisp of green smoke. Before the darkness had even dissipated, the shadow split into two, attacking from the left and right, a putrid stench filling the air.

Those on either side were about to offer assistance when he coldly said, “Nobody come any closer! Daring to show off your skills before Guan Yu!”

As he spoke, a large, blood-red umbrella unfurled and swept across.

The hands of the two shadowy figures were withered and thin, their three-inch-long fingernails as black as iron, producing a chilling hissing sound as they scratched the umbrella. The nails, however, did not tear the red umbrella, only releasing a puff of red smoke.

The shadowy figures, touched by the smoke, crackled and burned, disappearing into the mist. A few moments later, a piercing scream rang out.

This brief exchange was utterly baffling.

Li Qingzhi momentarily lost focus, suddenly sensing a surge of mist ahead.

“Watch out!” An Jiu raised her Dragon-Subduing Bow, sending two mental energy arrows flying.

The attack abruptly stopped.

Immediately, two dark figures rushed towards An Jiu’s face. She fired two mental energy blasts in response, but the two figures’ attacks did not falter; instead, they became even faster and more ferocious!

An Jiu gripped the Dragon-Subduing Bow with one hand and drew the sword hidden on her leg with the other, slashing fiercely at the two figures.

The figures paused, then suddenly retreated, their speed completely unaffected.

This was hardly a human action! And if it were human, An Jiu’s mental energy would not have been useless.

After a few breaths, the surrounding fog churned, and the black-robed figures surged in from all directions, ignoring Chu Dingjiang.

An Jiu sheathed the Dragon-Subduing Bow and met the attack with her twin swords.

The black robe, like a cloud, ignored the blades in An Jiu’s hands and directly enveloped her, forming a black cocoon.

Within the cocoon, An Jiu faced a woman carved from wood. The woman was bald, with a wide-open mouth and eerily empty eyes.

An Jiu cleaved the puppet in two from its head with her sword, releasing a surge of white vapor that instantly filled the cocoon.

A buzzing sound emanated from within the mist.

Outside, the small snake in Qiu Yuntong’s pocket flashed red in its eyes and suddenly darted out, frantically circling the black cocoon, trying to find an entrance.

Qiu Yuntong slashed at it a few times with his sword, but the black cloth, made of some unknown material, seemed impervious to blades.

An Jiu felt a sharp pain on the back of her hand; something was burrowing into her flesh! Just as she was about to investigate, she heard several cracking sounds above her head.

She felt a gust of wind on her cheek. An Jiu swung her sword to meet the attack from above, and another puppet shattered, releasing a similar large amount of mist.

An Jiu’s eyes stung unbearably, almost unable to open.

The small snake outside crawled onto the black cocoon, its urgency growing.

The surroundings were chaotic; the mist was even thicker than before, making it almost impossible to see one’s own hand in front of one’s face.

“Do not go far!” Chu Dingjiang warned the crowd as he channeled his inner energy into his palm. The black cloth seemed to melt away upon touching his hand.

Qiu Yunyun’s two snakes seized the opportunity to slither inside.

In the blink of an eye, the group had scattered, several people already missing.

“Old friend, we meet again.” The voice was hoarse.

The black cocoon dissolved, revealing a tall, slender man in red wearing a black mask, holding a long flute.

Chu Dingjiang coldly said, “Sound Killer!”