Chapter 351: Attack

The ringing continued incessantly.

Though it was clear and melodious, in this ill-timed environment, it felt as if it were a soul-summoning bell meant to claim lives.

Ruan Tao was being blocked, but he couldn't stay here forever. His cold gaze fell upon Gan Hua.

Even without him speaking, Gan Hua understood his meaning.

"I'll go."

After hearing those two words, Kong Yueling nearly burst into tears.

He was the only one she could rely on now.

"Go quickly and come back quickly," Ruan Tao urged.

They couldn't afford to lose all their people here.

Gan Hua nodded, but he had already mentally prepared himself for certain death.

Watching his receding figure, Kong Nian's expression turned so grim it could have dripped water.

She had never expected things to become this troublesome.

A moment later, the sound of fighting drifted from ahead. Even without seeing them, Kong Nian and Ruan Tao knew that Gan Hua must have engaged something.

They were now faced with two choices. First: go to support Gan Hua, but with a high probability of putting themselves in mortal danger as well. Second: change direction immediately to bypass the danger ahead, but in doing so, Gan Hua's chance of survival would be zero.

For Kong Nian, there was no hesitation between these two choices.

"Take the other way."

It wasn't just Kong Yueling who wore a look of despair; even a shadow of gloom flashed momentarily in the depths of Ruan Tao's eyes.

Whether it was Gan Hua or Kong Yueqing, they were true members of the Kong family.

But in Kong Nian's heart, they were nothing more than pawns to be discarded at will.

"Senior Brother Ruan, we can't just leave like this... *sob*... Have you forgotten that we went through life and death together with Senior Brother Gan?" Kong Yueling could no longer control the terror in her heart and sobbed aloud.

As expected, Ruan Tao remained standing where he was, not immediately following Kong Nian's instruction.

Kong Nian hadn't expected him to be shaken by such childish wailing. "Senior Brother Ruan, do not forget our purpose for coming here."

It was both a reminder and a warning.

The Clan Leader had already agreed to let her obtain all of Su Yan's energy. As long as she possessed that terrifying power, the entire strength of the Kong family would rise to a new level. So, what did it matter if one or two people were sacrificed now?

Ruan Tao said in a heavy voice, "It's not that I don't want to leave, it's that we can't leave anymore."

As his voice fell, a group of people approached them from within the mist.

Even if they didn't recognize these people, they could tell who they were. Everyone was wearing the clothes of the Zhou family, and their expressions were terrifying, looking like zombies.

Gan Hua soon appeared as well; his clothes were already soaked through with blood flowing from his wounds. Although he was still fighting desperately, he still could not stop the advance of these Zhou family disciples.

Seeing this scene, Kong Nian's expression became extremely unsightly. "What happened to them?"

Ruan Tao's face was solemn, and a surge of killing intent rose within him. "These people have had their consciousness stripped away; they've become puppets!"

Kong Nian's breath hitched, and a flash of horror surfaced in her heart. She knew all about puppets.

Once one became a puppet, they became a killing machine, completely losing all reason and the sense of pain, doing nothing but endless slaughter.

"Although they are all Zhou family members, Zhou Li and Zhou Chong are not among them." Ruan Tao calmly observed the approaching puppets, confirming the absence of those two.

"Can we handle this many puppets?" At this moment, Kong Nian didn't care about whether Zhou Li was alive or dead; she only wanted to escape the current predicament as quickly as possible.

Ruan Tao took a heavy breath. "We have to, even if we can't."

After saying this, he charged toward Gan Hua's direction.

Trembling with fear, Kong Yueling's mind had already gone blank from Ruan Tao's words, leaving her completely unable to fight.

Kong Nian cursed her a "useless waste" before joining the battle.

She could abandon Gan Hua and Kong Yueling, but if she lost Ruan Tao, setting aside whether they could handle the upcoming dangers, even if she truly encountered Su Yan, she wouldn't be able to carry out her next steps.

Therefore, she had to make it out alive with Ruan Tao...

***

"Su Yan, we've probably walked over ten miles by now. Just how large is this mist? Why can we still not see the edge?" Even an experienced exorcist like Du Jinsong felt a sense of irritability amidst this thick fog where they had lost all sense of direction.

Su Yan looked ahead. "Actually, we are already at the edge of the mist. The reason we haven't been able to break free is that we are currently being bound by a formation within this mist."

"There's a formation here?" Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing both showed expressions of shock.

"Yes. The reason this place is so eerie is because of a peculiar formation. As long as the formation isn't broken, we will continue to wander here indefinitely." Su Yan's tone was incredibly certain.

"Then do you know what kind of formation this is, and how to break it?"

If she knew, then all their problems would be solved.

To their disappointment, Su Yan shook her head. "I can't be certain yet, but it should be about time soon."

Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing looked at each other, completely failing to understand what she was saying.

"What do you mean, 'about time soon'?"

Before Su Yan could answer, the three of them simultaneously heard the sound of silver bells.

"Something's happening." Du Jinsong took a defensive stance.

Compared to others, they were far more composed upon hearing the silver bells.

In particular, Su Yan merely faced the direction from which the bells came, showing no unnecessary emotion.

A moment later, a group of figures, moving like the walking dead, appeared in their line of sight.

And these people were none other than the exorcists who had been traveling with them earlier.

After seeing the state of these people, Su Yan, Du Jinsong, and Zhang Ximing shared a silent understanding.

"Should we go over to them, or hold our ground here?" Zhang Ximing was already eager to try.

Compared to using talismans and spiritual power, his true strength lay in melee combat.

"Wait for them to come to us," Su Yan said unhurriedly. Since they were coming for them, there was no need to take the initiative.

"Alright!" The two men agreed simultaneously, preparing to strike at any moment.

Although the unconscious exorcists moved slowly, they were still heading accurately toward the three of them.

Su Yan's eyes, hidden beneath the black cloth, stared intently at these people, lost in thought.

Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing were the first to strike. Under their powerful attacks, they did not fall into a disadvantage even when facing over a dozen puppets.

However, they soon discovered that even if these people were knocked to the ground, they would recover and resume their attacks.

"Jinsong, we can't hurt them like this. We'll be worn down to death." The killing instinct within Zhang Ximing was already beginning to stir.

There was a way to deal with puppets—just chop off their heads...

"I know what you're thinking, but they aren't dead yet!" Du Jinsong immediately shot down his idea. They could kill true puppets, but they could not kill these exorcists who still had a glimmer of life left in them.

The hostility in Zhang Ximing's eyes slowly receded, and he followed Du Jinsong's words obediently.

It seemed they truly could only fight a war of attrition for now.

(End of Chapter)