255: Chapter 255 Behind the Scenes, the Real Culprit

The thick fog rolled, like a boiling mire.

Several massive black shadows lunged from all directions, carrying a nauseating stench.

Chen Ran stood still in place, his robes flapping loudly in the turbulent air currents.

His expression was calm, his eyes deep as an abyss, as if the murderous intent surrounding him were merely a gentle breeze brushing against his face.

"Clang."

A crisp sound of a blade rang out suddenly, like the roar of a Dragon, tearing through the surrounding air.

The two monsters charging at the very front suddenly stiffened in mid-air.

The next moment, their massive bodies split smoothly from the center of their brows, turning into two halves and crashing listlessly to the ground.

Before the filthy blood could splash, it was shredded into blood mist by the invisible Saber Qi, then quickly swallowed by the surrounding thick fog.

Chen Ran held his long blade, his steps unhurried as he strode forward.

With every step he took, a flash of blade light flickered.

Whenever a flash of blade light flickered, a monster fell.

Severed limbs were scattered all over the ground, and dark red blood soaked the soil.

Yet, Chen Ran's black robes remained untainted by a single speck of dust, as clean as fresh snow.

The slaughter continued for a while.

The monsters surrounding him seemed endless; one batch died, and another surged out from the depths of the thick fog.

Chen Ran's brows knitted slightly.

He stopped his steps and scanned his gaze slowly across the rolling white fog surrounding him.

These mists appeared chaotic and disorganized, but in reality, they hid mysteries.

He keenly noticed that whenever he attempted to move toward the southeast, the fog ahead would suddenly become several times denser.

Not only that, the monsters surging from that direction were clearly much more powerful.

The fog was flowing like an invisible river, attempting to push him away from that direction.

"Is this afraid of me?"

Chen Ran sneered inwardly.

Such clumsy attempts to cover up the truth only exposed the opponent's reality.

Since this mist was hindering him in every way, the source must be there.

He no longer paid attention to the monsters surrounding him that feared not death, turned his wrist, and pointed his long blade obliquely at the ground.

The pure cultivation power of several centuries within his body, like a dormant, angry Dragon, began to slowly awaken.

The aura on his body was no longer deliberately suppressed, flowing throughout his entire body along his Meridians.

Chen Ran took a step and dashed straight toward the southeast.

"Roar!"

The monster hiding behind the scenes seemed to have sensed his intention, and the thick fog boiled violently.

Over a dozen monsters, even larger in size and covered in bone spurs, roared as they rushed out, attempting to block his path with their flesh and blood.

Chen Ran's eyes were indifferent; he didn't even spare them a glance.

He casually swung the long blade in his hand forward.

"Swish!"

A crescent-shaped, frigid Saber Qi whistled out, slicing through the dozen monsters at the waist instantly, as if cutting tofu.

A rain of blood poured across the sky.

Chen Ran stepped over the corpses covering the ground.

The further he went toward the southeast, the thicker the fog became, almost turning into a solid white wall.

Chen Ran's True Qi surged around his body, forming an invisible protective barrier that completely isolated the eerie fog attempting to invade his body.

The long blade in his hand swung and slashed continuously, forcefully hacking open a path through this thick sea of fog.

He did not know how long he had walked.

The fog ahead finally began to thin out.

Chen Ran stopped his steps, his gaze piercing through the last few wisps of residual fog, landing on a low-lying valley ahead.

In the center of the valley, a behemoth was coiled.

It was a giant clam as large as a small hill.

The giant clam's shell presented a translucent moon-white color, its surface covered with intricate, natural spirit patterns.

Those spirit patterns flickered with a faint, deep blue light, as if they possessed life, flowing slowly across the shell.

The giant clam's shell opened slightly, revealing the soft, glowing flesh inside.

An endless stream of thick white fog was being spewed out from that soft flesh, spreading in all directions.

"Phantom Soul Mirage."

Chen Ran looked at the giant beast, and records about this demon surfaced in his mind.

This was an extremely rare monster, born with the ability to spew Mirage Qi that could delude the mind and distort space.

However, it only existed in ancient records; he hadn't expected that such a monster could actually exist.

No wonder this patch of fog was so eerie; it could even isolate his Divine Sense.

The corners of Chen Ran's mouth curled up slightly, outlining a cold arc.

"Found you."

He muttered to himself.

Seemingly sensing Chen Ran's gaze, the Phantom Soul Mirage's massive body trembled violently.

The deep blue spirit patterns flowing on its shell flared with light instantly.

It felt the terrifying aura radiating from the human before it; it was a lethal threat.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Phantom Soul Mirage's huge shell slammed shut.

With a dull "thud."

The surrounding ground shook violently, and the Phantom Soul Mirage's massive body began to sink rapidly into the earth, attempting to escape by burrowing underground.

"Want to leave?"

Chen Ran's eyes turned cold.

Having finally found the real culprit, how could he let this opportunity slip by?

He took a deep breath, and at this moment, it erupted without reservation.

Chen Ran gripped the hilt of his blade with both hands and raised it high.

A blinding cold light erupted from the long blade, like a cold moon falling into the mortal world.

"Slash!"

His tone was indifferent as he spat out a single word.

The long blade slashed down with a boom.

"Boom!"

A terrifying Saber Qi, dozens of zhang long, carrying the momentum of splitting the heavens and the earth, poured out from the edge of the blade.

Wherever the Saber Qi passed, space seemed to be torn apart, emitting a terrifying screech.

In the face of this world-destroying power, the thick white fog was like residual snow under the scorching sun, instantly melting and dissipating.

The Saber Qi slashed fiercely onto the Phantom Soul Mirage's massive body just as it was about to sink underground.

The entire mountain range shook violently at this moment.