“Hump”

A figure emerged from the shadows of a rock, a smirk playing on their lips. It was a man, with long black hair cascading down his back, and his eyes filled with a ruthless glint.

"I must say, you’re impressive, not only did you notice me but you also noticed the guy on the opposite side," the man said, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. "I was hoping to catch you off guard, but it seems you're already one step ahead."

Meng Lin's eyes narrowed as she didn’t recognize the man, she could feel a threatening aura coming from him and it made her cautious.

Thinking for a bit she looked on the other side of the ruins to call out. “ Liang Chen, do you know who that is”

Suddenly, on the side a rock shook before lighting up with qi to revealing a man standing atop it.

A young man in white sect robes and a symbol on his forehead, he held curious look on his face as he looked towards Meng Lin.

He jumped down from the rock and landed gracefully on the ground before crossing his arms to look at the man with a long hair.

"Oh, I know him," Liang Chen said, his voice filled with overconfidence and sarcasm. "Zhang Wei, of the Scarlet Demon Sect, he is cunning and deceitful, always up to no good."

Zhang Wei chuckled, his smirk widening. "I see my reputation precedes me," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"But then again the same could be said about you, the Unruly Liang Chen of the Soul Shattering Sect, or should I say, Luan Huang of the Pa…”

Before Zhang Wei could finish his sentence, a powerful multicolored claw appeared where he stood and swiped at him with lightning speed.

Boom!!

Liang Chen stood afar with his hand raised and his eyes burning with distain. "You dare speak that name, You know nothing."

Zhang Wei emerged from the shadow of another rock with his calm and confident composure being broken, however a wicked smile still formed on his lips. "Ah, Luan Huang, still haunted by your past, I see," he taunted. "But it doesn't matter, we will meet again on the other side.”

Zhang Wei’s body began to turn into shadows before he disappeared into his own shadow, leaving behind a chuckle of a laughter.

Meng Lin glanced at Liang Chen with a puzzled expression and thought for a moment before speaking.

"He escaped..."

Liang Chen sighed, his expression turning from anger to frustration, he calmed down with a long breath before turning to Meng Lin.

"Zhang Wei is a master of shadow manipulation," he explained. "He can merge with his own shadow and travel through the shadows around, making it nearly impossible to catch him."

“Shadows” Meng Lin commented with a hand under her chin as she began to think.

“In any case, this is the Dead Zone so it’s pointless to fight others, it will only attract more attention” Liang Chen said.

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Meng Lin nodded in agreement. "You're right," she said noticing how he didn’t seem to be acting normal. "We should focus on getting out of here as quickly as possible."

“We” Liang Chen suddenly snorted, “there is no we, it’s every man for himself in the Dead Zone. You should be worried about your own survival."

Meng Lin frowned, not expecting such a response from him, however thinking about it she understood, he was going back in character.

“Is there no way of getting out of this zone” Meng Lin asked.

Liang Chen's eyes flickered as he shook his head. "The Dead Zone is surrounded by a barrier that prevents anyone from leaving”.

"only those who possess a specific artifacts can break through the barrier, but such artifacts are rare and difficult to obtain."

“Artifacts” Meng Lin said remembering the mission they came here for, she naturally knows what artifacts are, but in the context of breaking through the barrier, it piqued her curiosity.

Liang Chen noticed her interest and scuffed. "Barrier Breaking Artifacts are powerful objects imbued with ancient magic or special abilities," he said. "They are as rare as Top Grade items, it’s a bit different from a sect artifact, the likes of you can’t even obtain it”

Meng Lin felt more annoyance at his words , but she kept her composure. She knew that getting angry wouldn't do anything in their situation.

"And what if I have the artifact that you’re talking about" she said, her voice steady.

Liang Chen's eyes widened in surprise at Meng Lin's words. He studied her for a moment, trying to gauge if she was serious or just bluffing.

"Prove it," he said skeptically. "If you truly possess such an artifact, show it to me."

Meng Lin reached into her robe and pulled out a crystal globe that surged with spiritual power, It had ancient symbols etched onto its surface. She held it up for Liang Chen to see.

"This is a similar item to the artifact you spoke of, isn't it?" she asked.

Liang Chen stared at the Globe, his eyes narrowing in recognition. “A Realm Breaking Crystal” he stepped forward and carefully looked all over the item.

"Yes, this is it," he said, his voice filled with a slight happiness, “however it’s not gonna work against a barrier, it can only break through realms not barriers”

He suddenly reached into his robe to pull out a small black pendant.

"This is the Shadowbreaker Pendant, an artifact that’s purpose is to break through the barriers of the Dead Zone."

Meng Lin suddenly froze “You had a way out all this time” her voice held a mixture of disbelief and caution.

Liang Chen shrugged nonchalantly. "It can only be used once, you think I’d share with you moreover there are consequences for using it on two peoples” he admitted. “However now that we have this, I’ve changed my mind”

Meng Lin's eyes narrowed as she processed Liang Chen's words.

She felt a bit uneasy at his blatant disregard for her earlier and she couldn’t help but blurt out. “We, there is no we, remember”

Liang Chen smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Well, I've changed my mind now," he said, his voice filled with amusement. "Having a partner with a Realm Breaking Crystal might come in handy, if you allow me to use it once I can take you with me out the dead zone”

Meng Lin raised an eyebrow, still skeptical of Liang Chen's sudden change of heart. "And why should I trust you?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

Liang Chen chuckled, his expression softening slightly. "Because, as much as I hate to admit, it seems that we both have something the other needs."

“Why do you need the Realm Breaking Crystal ?" Meng Lin questioned, her voice steady but filled with curiosity.

Liang Chen sighed, his eyes wandering off into the distance for a moment. "I have my own reasons for wanting it," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "But I assure you, it's not for nefarious purposes."

Meng Lin studied his face, searching for any signs of deception. She considered his words, weighing the risks and benefits and in the end, she realized that she does not have any other way of getting out of the dead zone.

"Fine," she said, her voice firm. "But this doesn't mean I trust you completely. We'll work together for now, but once we're out of this Dead Zone, we go our separate ways."

Liang Chen nodded, a smile playing on his lips. "Agreed," he said. "But let's focus on finding a way to the barrier first. We'll worry about the Realm Breaking Crystal afterwards.”

Meng Lin held the Realm Breaking Crystal tightly in her hand, her thoughts racing with the possibilities and uncertainties ahead.

She knew that teaming up with Liang Chen was a risk, but it seemed like their goals aligned, at least for the time being.