In the dead of night, waking from a deep slumber, Wang Xuan found that his companions had vanished without a trace. This felt like a nightmare to everyone.
Thirty-seven people were missing!
No clues were left behind; there hadn't been a sound just moments ago.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. The pitch-black forest was so dark that they couldn't see their own hands in front of their faces. The area was eerily quiet, only the sound of their own heartbeats drumming in their ears.
"The three on night watch are also missing," someone stammered.
People could hear each other's breathing grow heavier, their hearts racing as they stared into the dark depths. Was there a pair of malicious eyes watching them from the shadows?
Some newcomers trembled, chills creeping up their spines, their scalps tingling as if electrocuted. This was far more frightening than watching a horror movie alone in the middle of the night.
In reality, this was a real-life horror film unfolding in the darkness.
They had no idea what was approaching, or if it intended to take even more of them away.
Was this still their homeland, or a strange planet in an unknown star system? It could even be in a parallel universe; this was a terrifying new world.
The Secret Realm remained shrouded in mystery.
"Ah-woo…"
A cry suddenly pierced the stillness, breaking the silence like a sharp knife, sending shivers through the crowd. Who was crying?
Everyone recoiled, realizing that there was no one speaking nearby; the voice came from the unknown, dark forest.
"Is something nearby?" a female newcomer asked, her voice quivering. She regretted coming to the Secret Realm, her body shaking.
"Wah…"
Not far away, a genuine sorrowful wail echoed, but it sounded different from a normal human cry—more chilling and ethereal.
"Don't scare yourselves; that's just a mourning bird, not some demon or monster!" an experienced hand said. Having been to the Secret Realm three times, his experience proved invaluable at critical moments, and many felt somewhat reassured by his words.
Otherwise, with so many missing just now and the sound of crying nearby, it was enough to terrify anyone, especially newcomers, who might panic and make mistakes.
Yet the old hand didn't mention that the appearance of the mourning birds meant a significant amount of blood was likely nearby, something that had deeply stirred them. They were lingering, drawn to the source of blood.
With so many having disappeared, the experienced ones could only imagine what kind of tragedy was playing out in the dark.
Now, it was late at night, and everyone had lost their sleepiness. In this strange and terrifying forest, they were all on high alert.
Finally, the darkness began to dissipate, and dawn broke in the east.
Some newcomers sighed in relief; for those with fragile mental states, this night could have been the breaking point. They had just arrived in the Secret Realm and had already lost a third of their group!
As daylight broke, the tension and fear in everyone's hearts eased considerably.
"Let's investigate the area," Zhao Qinghan suggested, wanting to see if any clues were left behind from last night. They still didn't know what had caused the disturbances, which left them uneasy.
The New Technique master Yang Lin moved, wanting to understand what kind of anomaly was present that had yet to reveal its true nature.
Wang Xuan gripped his long knife and also stepped out into the forest.
"Wang Xuan!" Zhao Qinghan glanced at him. Just one night had passed, and there had already been trouble. He was her classmate, and she didn't want any accidents to befall him.
Nearby, some people exchanged strange looks.
"I have keen spiritual perception; I'll go take a look," Wang Xuan said, genuinely wanting to investigate what had silently taken people away last night, which made his expression slightly serious.
In the morning, dawn light filtered through the mist and into the forest, but it was hard to dispel the gloom in people's hearts.
Wang Xuan and Master Yang Lin traveled two miles before discovering gruesome white skeletons hanging from the trees.
When others arrived and saw this scene, some newcomers felt their calves trembling, their hands shaking as they held their knives.
The skeletons had remnants of flesh clinging to them, with large areas of bloodstains on the bones, swaying in the wind like macabre swings.
Some of the eye sockets still held eyes; before dying, those people had seemed filled with endless terror. It was a tragic sight that incited fear and boundless rage in everyone, wanting nothing more than to slay the culprit immediately.
But even now, they had no idea what kind of creature was behind this massacre.
Zhao Qinghan, Zheng Rui, Wu Yin, Zhou Kun, Zhong Qing, and others frowned; they had had an inauspicious start, facing such horrors on their first night!
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"These people have toxins in their bodies," a female explorer tested with a special kit, discovering that the remnants of blood and flesh contained sedative components.
Someone nearby cursed, "They must have dragged them away after they fainted. No wonder we slept so soundly last night; we must have been affected by some toxins."
Several experienced hands who had been to the Secret Realm multiple times gathered to discuss the situation for a long time but ultimately couldn't identify what had attacked them at night; they had never encountered such a thing before.
Zhong Qing suggested, "Let's leave this forest quickly. That creature's lair must be nearby; this place isn't safe."
This area had already created a psychological shadow for everyone, and no one wanted to linger here any longer.
At the break of dawn, they continued on their journey.
Wang Xuan increasingly felt that this new world was suitable for those who practiced the Old Technique. His body's vitality was growing stronger, and if he stayed here for a year and a half, even without consuming strange substances, he would naturally become a grand master!
One couldn't deny that the scenery in the Secret Realm was beautiful. In the dense forest, between the peaks, colorful light bands twisted and turned.
Various special energy substances drifted like mist or smoke, illuminated by the sunlight, creating a magnificent sight.
…
In the afternoon, they arrived at a large river. They initially planned to find a way to cross, but then they noticed something unusual.
On the opposite slope, it looked as if it were covered in evening glow—a vivid red. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a swarm of blood ants, each as large as an egg, moving together in a dense mass, enough to trigger intense discomfort for anyone with a fear of clusters.
"This situation isn't right; the blood ants are migrating en masse. Something unusual might be happening ahead; we should slow down," an experienced hand strongly advised.
Everyone indeed sensed something was off; they had only just arrived in the Secret Realm and had already encountered various anomalies—poisonous bees clashing, blood ants migrating, and mysterious creatures attacking at night.
They followed the river and found a suitable place to rest before dusk.
It was a dense purple forest, with trees that were purple from leaves to trunks, giving off a very peculiar smell.
The fruit it bore was the size of a fist, dark purple, looking quite appetizing. When peeled slightly, juice flowed out, but it didn't smell fragrant or sweet—instead, it had an unbearable pungent odor.
An experienced hand shouted, "Everyone, regardless of whether you like this smell, you must apply it to your bodies tonight. Not only is it unpleasant for you, but all kinds of fierce beasts will also hate it and keep their distance from this odor."
It was indeed foul-smelling; not only was it pungent, but Wang Xuan also sensed a hint of a stench. He endured the discomfort and applied it to his body.
He noticed Wu Yin applying it with a grim expression, gritting her teeth. The women were similarly discontent; after her brother doused her with the liquid, Zhong Qing directly gave him a beating.
Although Goddess Zhao acted decisively, she also struggled to suppress her feelings of disgust while applying the ointment, ultimately putting on a gas mask.
Everyone followed suit, as they had planned to wear masks tonight, unsure if that strange creature from last night would reappear.
"Qinghan, over here." Zheng Rui whispered, noting that two genetically enhanced individuals had reached the master level beside him. He wanted Zhao Qinghan and the master Yang Lin from the New Technique field to rest in their area for the night.
Once again, Zhao Qinghan insisted on having Wang Xuan follow her, fearing he might run into trouble.
Zheng Rui felt a bit dissatisfied. He had a good impression of Zhao Qinghan but didn't think he had any obligation to take care of Wang Xuan.
Zhao Qinghan calmly replied, "Everyone else is here voluntarily for the high compensation, but my classmate was invited by me. I want to ensure his safe return."
"Alright then!" Zheng Rui glanced at Wang Xuan, feeling that he was a burden.
Wang Xuan ignored him, lying down beside Zhao Qinghan and going to sleep.
In the dead of night, he opened his eyes again. This time, his spiritual domain expanded, searching with all his might. He finally sensed something unusual—it was coming from the sky.
There were a group of figures? Over a hundred meters in the air, a cluster of shadows turned out to be humanoid creatures with grotesque faces, protruding fangs, and cold, menacing eyes!
With human faces, beastly bodies, and flesh-like wings, these beings looked fierce, coldly gazing down below before silently approaching.
Eventually, these creatures perched atop the treetops, exhaling green mist, undoubtedly some kind of toxin that could induce fainting.
Wang Xuan flicked small stones one after another, hitting some of the faces below as an early warning.
In fact, many people dared not sleep that night, fearing that the man-eating beasts would appear again.
A crowd was filled with fear and anger, realizing the creatures had followed them, treating them like rare delicacies. Even the pungent fruit juice did not scare them off.
Finally, everyone saw these creatures clearly.
Their faces were six parts human, with protruding fangs, sunken eyes, bat-like wings, feline bodies, covered in black fur, allowing them to blend well into the night. Their claws were extremely sharp.
"Kill!"
As the group of beasts silently descended, trying to drag some individuals away, everyone erupted, swinging their long knives.
Puff, puff, puff!
Blood spattered as some beasts were struck, falling to the ground.
Since they chose to use poison and launch a night attack, their strength was definitely not enough to overpower everyone. Seeing what they were now, fear subsided; they weren't true demons, so what was there to fear? The flames of revenge surged!
Wang Xuan swung his knife repeatedly, chopping down four monsters in a row.
"No one noticed him," as everyone was preoccupied, fiercely battling against the sky, wielding their knives.
The two leaders charged in, avoiding the encirclement, spotting Wang Xuan's area as a slaughterhouse, and one of them dove straight toward him.
It nearly got hit by a knife but dodged at the last moment, then headed straight for Zhao Qinghan, who was caught with a cry of alarm.
Clearly, she wore top-tier protective gear, which included internal armor; otherwise, she would have been easily captured.
Beside her, Zheng Rui's face turned pale. Faced with a master-level monster, he wanted to rescue her but couldn't overcome his fear and quickly retreated.
The monster did not kill Zhao Qinghan immediately; it flapped its massive wings and soared into the moonlit sky.
The fierce creature flew, shattering branches that blocked its path, soaring over the treetops.
Under the moonlight, Zhao Qinghan's hair danced in the wind, her pale face devoid of color, looking helpless as she gazed down, opening her mouth but saying nothing, only letting out a faint sigh.
She was taken away, and that final glance made everyone's hearts tremble—she possessed a kind of mournful beauty.
Zheng Rui couldn't bear to look at her and lowered his head.
Others tightened their grips on their alloy knives, feeling a sense of helplessness.
Suddenly, a figure surged upward; Wang Xuan had no hesitation and had been attempting to get closer. He nimbly climbed to the top of a large tree, leaping into the air to grab Zhao Qinghan's ankle!
On the ground, many gasped in surprise, not expecting anyone to be so bold at the last moment.
Recognizing him, everyone showed expressions of astonishment, no longer viewing him as an incompetent lackey; in a critical moment, he dared to risk his life to save her. No matter the outcome, such a person was truly worth making friends with.
Zheng Rui's face turned pale, filled with guilt and heartache. He knew Zhao Qinghan wouldn't survive; no one taken by monsters in the Secret Realm had ever returned.
That monster's speed was terrifying, soaring into the sky, under the moonlight, resembling a world-dominating demon, exceptionally frightening. After capturing two people, it sped away rapidly.