436: Chapter 434: Bizarre Monsters, Like Maggots Clinging to Bones, Like Shadows Following Us

The shouts from the distance were extremely urgent, as if some terrifying existence was chasing them from behind, causing them to flee in panic without caring about the path.

Upon seeing Jun Mengqing, they were overjoyed and immediately began sprinting towards her.

The Cultivators from the Cangxuan Holy Land frowned slightly. Those didn't seem to be Disciples of the Cangxuan Holy Land, yet they were shouting for the Saintess?

"They're people from the Jietian Sect. I didn't expect them to have come here as well."

Someone recognized the origins of those people. Jun Mengqing had already identified them earlier; they carried the aura of the Jietian Sect's identity tokens.

However, because of Lin Chen, she held no goodwill towards these Jietian Sect Disciples either.

Back when the incident was causing such an uproar, these Jietian Sect Disciples had been heavily involved in fanning the flames.

Regardless of whether they had malicious intent, whether they were deliberately applying pressure to curry favor with Lin Chen, or whether they were just mindlessly joining the commotion, Jun Mengqing was very displeased.

But given the current precarious situation, as the Saintess of the Jietian Sect, she naturally wouldn't stand idly by.

"Halt!"

The Cultivators from the Cangxuan Holy Land had already stepped forward, blocking the way. They had heard about the matters concerning Jun Mengqing beforehand; in fact, several of these Disciples had followed Cui Xuaner and witnessed the great battle between Gu Shengge and Lin Chen.

At that time, there were Jietian Sect Disciples who had made arrogant remarks, showing little respect for Jun Mengqing. Now, they stood firmly on the side of protecting her.

The Jietian Sect Cultivators rushed close but were stopped. Panting heavily, their faces still wore expressions of intense anxiety.

The group also kept their attention fixed on the area behind them. On the path they had fled from, they hadn't seen any terrifying presence.

Jun Mengqing frowned slightly, her gaze indifferent as she observed these Jietian Sect Disciples. There were six in total, all looking extremely nervous and agitated, which was very strange.

"What happened to you all? Why are you so frantic?"

At the front, a female Disciple, her face still pale with fear, said in a terrified voice, "Saintess, it's demonic, evil entities! Our spell attacks had no effect on them. We were constantly harassed, and three Junior Brothers were directly devoured!"

Jun Mengqing's expression turned serious. "What do you mean, spells were useless?"

The female Disciple trembled, as if recalling something horrifying.

"None of our Cultivation Techniques or Law-based powers had any effect on those demonic creatures. They hide in the shadows and appear whenever they're hungry to devour us!"

The Cultivators from the Cangxuan Holy Land scoffed at this, one of them snorting coldly. "Hmph, since when have you Jietian Sect Disciples become such cowards? We've seen the monsters in this Secret Realm too, and their numbers are beyond your imagination!"

Having caught their breath somewhat, the Jietian Sect Disciples also erupted in anger. "You people from the Cangxuan Holy Land are merely traveling alongside our Saintess! What gives you the right to speak to us, members of the Jietian Sect, in such a manner!"

An immediate argument broke out between the two sides, the noise harsh and grating. A trace of displeasure flashed across Jun Mengqing's beautiful face. "Be quiet! Since they are Jietian Sect Disciples, they may accompany us. However, none of you are to argue any further."

With Jun Mengqing mediating, everyone quickly fell silent and stopped speaking.

"Where are these demonic creatures you mentioned?" Jun Mengqing inquired about the monsters' whereabouts.

Since they claimed the monsters were constantly following them, the solution was simply to take action and suppress them.

The female Disciple from the Jietian Sect clasped her hands and reported, "Saintess, those demonic creatures might be right beside us, right now."

Hearing this, everyone's gazes instantly turned sharp, sweeping their surroundings, trying to ferret out the monsters and slay them.

However, after searching everywhere, they couldn't even detect an abnormal spiritual energy fluctuation, which was truly infuriating.

The female Disciple said bitterly, "They can't be seen. They seem to be able to hide in the shadows using something. They only emerge to feed when hungry. Our companions were devoured silently while we were resting. By the time we noticed, they were already more than half eaten!"

The expressions of terror on the faces of these Jietian Sect Disciples deepened. As Cultivators, they were accustomed to life and death, but witnessing their companions being brutally torn apart and devoured bite by bite right before their eyes was a scene that still made their scalps tingle and their spines run cold.

If they couldn't detect the monsters, they certainly couldn't deal with them either. For now, perhaps the only plan was to wait for the monsters to reveal themselves.

Then they could see what exactly was going on.

They set off again. Due to the warnings from the Jietian Sect Disciples, they proceeded with extreme caution. No one strayed too far, sticking closely together in a group.

They also quickened their pace, searching everywhere, hoping to rendezvous with Gu Shengge sooner. Though no one said it aloud, everyone felt in their hearts that being near Gu Shengge was the safest.

The group marched on, but the further they went, the more uneasy they became. It seemed they had entered a misty region, filled with thick clouds and fog that even obscured their vision.

Jun Mengqing immediately wanted to lead everyone to retreat, but when she looked back, the path they had come from was also shrouded in thick mist. Everything was a hazy, chaotic blur, impossible to see clearly.

The group groped through the mist for an unknown length of time. Under the heavy blanket of clouds and fog, their bodies gradually showed signs of fatigue, their condition deteriorating rapidly.

It wasn't just a few individuals; everyone was experiencing this.

Jun Mengqing took out the Mysterious Dark Night-Purifying Pearl and expanded a five-hundred-meter diameter zone around herself, isolating the group from the external mist.

"This place is abnormal. Everyone, rest quickly and recover."

No one dared to delay. They immediately sat cross-legged, trying to restore their bodies. The hidden energies within the mist also began to reveal clues. On the expanded energy barrier, faint, dark, and cold purple energies could be seen flitting about stealthily, appearing and disappearing.

These forces were extremely weak. Without careful observation, they were undetectable. Their effects were also subtle; only prolonged exposure in such an environment might allow one to notice something amiss.

The group quickly sensed the abnormality, their hearts chilling. They all began taking Medicinal Pills.

However, after taking the pills, their weakness not only didn't alleviate but intensified drastically. Their spiritual energy was largely depleted.

"Don't take the pills! Don't take the pills!" someone shouted.

Those who had taken the pills carefully perceived their condition. Their spiritual energy was being rapidly consumed. It was as if something terrifying that devoured spiritual energy was lurking within their bodies, continuously draining them.

"Inside me... inside me, there seems to be something. Worms? Worms are constantly devouring my spiritual energy!"

Jun Mengqing grabbed the shouting female Disciple and sent her Divine Thought inward to probe her condition. She soon saw what the Disciple meant by 'worms.' Those dark purple, originally faint energies, after entering the human body, had actually integrated into the Bloodline and begun to turn against their host. (End of Chapter)