Chapter 182: Monster?

Chapter 182: Monster?

"Ancient era?"

He looked down at the well, narrowing his eyes slightly, and chuckled. "I figured this was just some ordinary little trial realm, but looks like it's not that simple after all."

In just one day, he'd run into two evil entities. If word got out, the whole Great Wilderness Spirit Realm would be buzzing.

"So, are we still going in?"

Excitement flickered in Ye Congyue's and Ye Canglan's eyes. "Young Master, that guy's Nine Abyss Fire is so pure!"

"The talent he awakened must be insane."

Ye Canglan barely finished speaking when Ye Congyue tugged his sleeve.

Ye Canglan immediately shut up.

His gaze shifted to Ye Junhe, who was ahead of them.

Everyone knew that in their clan, the more bloodline you inherited, the higher your status.

Right now, the highest-ranked in their clan was Ye Junhe.

But even Ye Junhe could only conjure a palm-sized flame.

But that guy, Lian Song...

Ye Junhe smiled. "Of course we're going down there."

"After all, we've gotta bring every clan member back, right?"

"Besides, I'm curious—if nobody's missing, how did an extra clan member just show up out of nowhere?"

By the time Ye Junhe and his two companions went down, Shen Lian had already reached the far end of the passage.

Still no sign of anything, but the stench of rot and blood in the air kept getting thicker.

Chen Xue couldn't help frowning.

Suddenly, she noticed Shen Lian stop dead in his tracks.

Chen Xue instantly held her breath. "What's wrong, Master?"

Shen Lian gestured for her to look forward.

When Chen Xue looked, her whole body jolted in shock.

There stood a hunched, grotesque humanoid figure, filthy from head to toe, with long hair dragging on the ground like a tangled mess of weeds.

The most horrifying part was its body—covered in pockmarks and hollows.

The creature kept its head down, its hands moving frantically near its mouth, like it was gnawing on something.

Chen Xue squinted. It looked like a hand.

She looked again and saw storage pouches and magical artifacts scattered all around.

Was it gnawing on a cultivator?

Before Chen Xue could get a closer look, the monster vanished.

Her heart lurched. "Where'd it go?"

The thought barely crossed her mind when Shen Lian spun around and thrust his sword out.

But to his surprise, the monster caught the blade with its bare hand.

Frowning, Shen Lian channeled spiritual energy into Chen Xue and blasted the monster away.

The creature let out a pained shriek and slammed into the wall with a dull thud.

It struggled to pick itself up off the ground.

Shen Lian finally got a look at the monster's eyes.

Under that tangled mess of hair, the creature surprisingly had a pair of strikingly beautiful eyes.

Shen Lian also noticed chains binding the monster's limbs and neck.

The chains seemed to restrict its movements, and were inscribed with ancient, archaic runes.

What Shen Lian didn't notice was that the moment the monster saw him, something flickered in its lifeless eyes. It tilted its head and stared at Shen Lian.

Chen Xue said, "Is this the village's secret? They keep a monster here?"

Chen Xue looked again and saw the monster's exposed skin was all pitted and scarred.

Shen Lian stayed expressionless, uninterested in any of this. He just wanted to know where Yan Huaixuan was.

What made Shen Lian anxious was that ever since he'd arrived here, he couldn't sense Yan Huaixuan's presence anymore.

His brows furrowed deeply.

Yan Huaixuan, where the hell are you?

Shen Lian turned to go.

But the monster suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

Shen Lian stared at it blankly. "Move."

The monster opened its mouth, revealing that its tongue had been cut out.

It grabbed Shen Lian, as if trying to say something.

But Shen Lian stayed expressionless and simply walked past it.

Seeing Shen Lian about to leave, the monster panicked and reached out to grab his hand again.

Shen Lian: "Get lost—"

But unexpectedly, the moment the monster grabbed him, a sentence flashed through his mind.

"Take me out, and I can give you everything you desire."

Shen Lian paused. He narrowed his eyes, staring suspiciously at the monster before him.

The phrase surfaced in his mind again: "Get me out of here."

"You're looking for Yan Huaixuan, aren't you?"

Shen Lian noticed a flash of golden light in the monster's eyes.

Shen Lian immediately shoved him away. "Are you using mind-reading on me?"

The monster trembled and gestured, "Get me out of here."

"Please, I can take you to Yan Huaixuan."

At that, Shen Lian narrowed his eyes. He raised his hand, and a pill materialized in his palm.

Shen Lian said coldly, "Once you swallow this pill, your life and death will be mine to control."

To his surprise, the monster grabbed the pill without a second thought and swallowed it whole.

Seeing this, Shen Lian stowed away Chen Xue and said coolly, "Follow me."

The monster reached out and brushed Shen Lian's wrist.

A sentence surfaced in Shen Lian's mind on its own.

"Cut these chains off me."

Shen Lian glanced at him, then with a swift slash of his blade, severed all the chains.

Excitement flashed in the monster's eyes, and he gestured with his hands.

"Quick, let's move."

He gestured as he tried to edge closer to Shen Lian.

Just then, Shen Lian heard a sound nearby.

Chen Xue said, "Someone's coming."

Shen Lian stayed calm and pulled the monster into a corner to hide.

He slipped a pill into his own mouth and the monster's, and their forms began to turn translucent, their auras nearly disappearing.

Shen Lian also deliberately concealed his presence.

The people coming down the passage indeed didn't notice them and simply walked past.

Only then did Shen Lian realize the newcomers were Ye Junhe and his two companions.

Chen Xue frowned. "Them?"

He also noticed that when no one else was around, Ye Congyue and Ye Canglan showed great reverence toward Ye Junhe.

It didn't match the sibling relationship Ye Junhe had described in the slightest.

Shen Lian didn't want to get tangled up with them, so he led the monster toward the exit.

But to his surprise, the moment they emerged from the well, the monster broke free, turned, and bolted, even spitting out the pill as it ran.

Chen Xue's face changed. "Not good—he tricked us! He never swallowed it."

Chen Xue was panicking.

But Shen Lian stood there, not moving an inch.

Chen Xue watched as the monster barely made it four or five meters.

The next second, a chain appeared around the monster's neck.

It yanked the monster down with a scream, sending him rolling on the ground.

The other end of the chain was in Shen Lian's hand.

Chen Xue was stunned.

Shen Lian's face was cold as he reeled in the chain, dragging the monster toward him bit by bit.

He looked down at the creature being dragged along the ground like a dead dog.

"You really thought I'd trust you that easily?"

A twisted look flashed in the monster's eyes as he glared up at Shen Lian with hatred.

Shen Lian said icily, "Either tell me why you know Yan Huaixuan and where he is, or you die right now."