The SUV rolled over the last jagged rock before entering the dense border fog between Yunnan and Myanmar.Like a hungry beast, the mist swallowed the vehicle whole in an instant.
Chen Jiuzhang dug his fingernails deep into his palm, staring at the distorted jungle silhouettes outside.His stomach churned uneasily.
The harrowing scenes from the Blade Credit Clan's village—those they barely escaped—replayed in his mind like a flickering reel.Each moment reminded him that behind every clue about the Guixu Secret Realm were traps—deadly and relentless.
Beside him, Shen Qingluan shivered with the vehicle's motion.Tiny droplets clung to her eyelashes—it was unclear whether they were mist or cold sweat.
Chen Jiuzhang reached out to brush the hair from her forehead.His fingers touched her skin—it was ice cold.
His heart clenched violently.
The life-extension pill was wearing off.He could clearly feel her breath weakening—as if she might vanish like the mist at any moment.
"You must hold on."He screamed silently within, his nails piercing his skin without realizing it."I can't lose someone important again."
"Cousin, the map shows the entrance is within the fog."Su Nian broke the dead silence. Her voice trembled despite her efforts to control it.
She clutched the bronze bell tightly, her knuckles white from the strain.Cracks on the bell's surface shimmered faintly in the fog.
Chen Jiuzhang noticed her swallow hard.Suddenly, it hit him:This cousin who always seemed strong… was also barely holding herself together through fear.
He instinctively grasped his Serpent-Slaying Blade.The carved markings on the hilt—left by his father—pressed into his palm.It was his only comfort in this moment.
Zhang Chengying slammed the brakes.The electric car screeched, its tires grating against the earth.
"Something's wrong with this fog!"His voice cracked with panic. The peachwood sword in his hand, still stained with blood from the Blade Credit village, was now emitting heat.
"Even my new compass needle is spinning crazier than me delivering takeout!"
Chen Jiuzhang followed his shaking hand and saw the dashboard compass:Its red needle spun like a mad top—clearly pulled by some malevolent force.
Old Wu exhaled a smoke ring slowly.But even his smoking pipe trembled—betraying the unease he tried to hide.
"The Prophecy Scroll's omen..."He stopped mid-sentence, his withered fingers rubbing the brittle page.
"When the mist rises, the seven souls scatter. The stars reveal chaos between yin and yang. This fog… may devour human souls."
Chen Jiuzhang felt a chill race down his spine.The birthmark on his nape suddenly burned—it responded to Old Wu's words like an echo.
The moment they stepped into the fog, Chen Jiuzhang's breath caught.
The damp mist felt like icy tentacles—creeping into his nose and throat.Every breath was like swallowing razor blades.
He could hear his heart pounding in his ears—so loud it drowned out his companions' footsteps.
The jungle ahead warped and twisted.Trees morphed into monsters, vines like lurking serpents poised to strike.
"Is this really the entrance… or…"
He didn't dare finish that thought.He forced himself to tighten his grip on the Serpent-Slaying Blade.The runes on its edge flickered in the fog, mocking his fear.
Suddenly—a cough.Shen Qingluan's weak, stifled cough pierced the oppressive silence like thunder.
Chen Jiuzhang spun around on reflex—Only to see a wall of dense mist.
Terror surged through him like a tidal wave.
He groped blindly through the fog—grabbing at empty air.
"Qingluan!"
His shout echoed into the void, filled with desperation and dread.
Then—a cold hand grasped his wrist gently.
He nearly collapsed in relief.
"I'm here,"Shen Qingluan whispered. Her voice was faint, but firm."Don't panic. We'll face it together."
Chen Jiuzhang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He looked at his companions—faces pale, but eyes resolute.
He thought of everything they'd been through—His father's sacrifice, his mother's final words, his friends' unwavering trust.
It all ignited something inside him—a strength boiling within.
"No matter what lies ahead, we face it together."
He clenched his fist. The burning pain in his birthmark transformed into a surge of power.
"Guixu Secret Realm—here we come."