Chapter 678 Youre Stupid If You Dont Run (1/2)

No, not just the grass. Every plant and the soil all had similar changes.

The brown tree bark, green leaves, yellow soil all turned the same colour and hardened.

What is going on?

What could cause something so terrifying?

Was It human?

No, they did not know anyone who could cause such a large-scale change.

No matter what, this horrifying scene was beyond their imagination.

As they watched the scenery change, a chilling cold pierced their soles and then throughout their bodies as if they were encased in ice. The cold stung their nerves.

We can’t stay!

Run!

The faster ones sprinted as fast as they could. There was no need to hide anymore, and their totemic energies were released to its maximum. However, the bit of aura radiating from their bodies was like a wisp of smoke in the face of a storm- it disappeared before anyone could sense them.

They were so tiny, so insignificant!

The ones who were initially hiding in the trees started swinging from tree to tree like monkeys, running for their lives. They screamed in terror, fear consuming their minds.

In their peripheral vision, they saw the land turning from a forest teeming with life to a grey-white piece of barren land!

No plant, no insect hiding among the leaves were spared!

They felt changes occurring to their bodies but forcefully subdued the effects with stubborn totemic energy. However, the oppressive energy was eventually too much for them to handle.

The trees around them had turned grey like an invisible hand was smearing grey paint across the land. That hand was currently moving towards them.

Quick!

Hurry!

“Ah---”

A scream of agony rang. Everyone’s hearts leapt to their throats, feeling even chillier.

The more focused ones did not hesitate even for a moment, letting out a roar as they ran even faster. This person did not dare look back, worried he might lose the bit of courage he had left to run, he might completely break down if he turned around.

But some people did turn around.

They turned around towards the person who screamed. They knew who it was. Before the incident, this person had been hiding among the bushes. When they turned, they saw a man collapsing to the ground, his legs grey-white. The two hands he used to support himself off the ground were quickly turning grey too, as well as parts of his torso. The grey quickly spread across his entire body.

A tree that had turned grey snapped in half, its crown falling on the ‘human sculpture’.

Thud!

The ‘human sculpture’ broke in half, the crack extending from his left shoulder to the right side of his waist.

Within the cross section was a little bit of red in the centre. It looked like blood but the drop never got to touch the ground. Even the drop of blood eventually turned grey.

Everything happened within seconds.

The ones who witnessed this felt as if their head had exploded, the wind knocked out of their chests. They forgot how to breathe, then their knees gave out as their totemic energy went haywire.

Amongst the chaos, they forgot about the tree branches in front of them. Two people stumbled and fell off the tree.

The ones on trees had a small chance to escape but after touching the ground, chances were too slim.

It felt like they were falling onto solid rock instead of what was supposed to be grass!

If they had not turned to look, would they have fallen?

Ignoring the pain, they sprinted like mad. There was no time for regrets. They would never come to Flaming River Trading Point again!

However, they felt strength quickly draining from their thighs, becoming heavier and eventually losing their senses and control.

Slam!

They collapsed on the ground, unable to carry on.

“No---”

“Save me!”

They felt the same feelings as their friend who had turned into stone.

But no one slowed down.

The frontmost person had already disappeared from sight. Anyone slower met the same fate as them.

Very soon, this patch of forest descended into eerie silence. All that was left was an expanding patch of grey-white.

…

Meanwhile, Zheng Luo at the Flaming River Trading Point was deep in thought. He had already received a message about Shao Xuan and the rest finding the bat leader and the king stoneworm. His greatest concerns were not the ill-intentioned intruders but the unpredictable beast.

They had put in a lot of effort building this trading area with great potential. One king beast was enough to destroy everything they built.

“Boss, some of the people you mentioned went looking for Yi Si,” informed Duo Kang.

Zheng Luo had noticed some people he suspected were from the other side of the ocean infiltrating the trading area. He’d instructed Duo Kang to keep an eye on them and only assigned stronger warriors to this task. These people’s disguises had fooled many weaker warriors already but Zheng Luo and Duo Kang were experienced enough to spot them. However, before finding out their true intentions, they did not want to expose these people. They already had many things to worry about, might as well avoid this trouble while they still could.

When he heard Duo Kang, he rubbed his face, frustrated. “What did they do?”

“They don’t seem to be doing anything, just sitting around to talk. This one guy seems to know I’m watching him but did not intentionally avoid me.” Duo Kang wasn’t sure what they were here for either.

“Leave them be. Stay on guard, watch our surroundings.”

“Boss, the king stoneworm won’t come over here right?” Duo Kang was worried too.

“I don’t know, we’ll have to wait for their news. Shao Xuan and the rest have already gone to track it down. The forest is huge, don’t think it will come here.”

“Oh.” Duo Kang scratched his ear, feeling antsy. He had faced a king beast before and that had been a nightmare. He did not want to do it again.

After sitting for a while, Duo Kang left. Might as well spend his time watching those suspicious people.

The person targeted by Duo Kang and Zheng Luo was currently sitting in Yi Si’s house.

This visitor wore a furless, sleeveless leather top with coarse burlap trousers. A colourful snakeskin belt was cinched around his waist with a few pouches hanging from it. Bone ornaments hung around his neck, and patterns were drawn on his exposed shoulders using dark green pigment. His dishevelled but coarse hair was casually tied up with some straw rope but since it was short, after tying it, his pony tail pointed upwards. He looked like a tribesman from any other tribe that frequented the trading area.

This person surveyed Yi Si’s house with a look of contempt. He pursed his lips, making a judgement. “This place is better than your house on the other side.”

“Of course, why do you think I came here?” Yi Si poured some water into a cup and handed it to him. He had made the ceramic cup himself and drew the patterns on it. It was the same as the kind he had on the other side of the ocean. He preferred using something that looked more familiar.

The guest chugged the cup of water. “One more cup! I was out all morning, I’m parched. But this Flaming Horn’s trading area indeed should not be underestimated. This place suits my taste!”

“Don’t tell me you’re here to take this place from the Flaming Horns?” asked Yi Si.

“How is that possible? This is a large place, it’ll take too much effort. But I do want to cause a bit of trouble, I want to see how much they can stand.”

“You guys really like to entertain yourselves, huh. But the Flaming Horns are short-tempered. If you anger them, you’ll be in deep trouble,” said Yi Si.

The other person pursed his lips, ignoring Yi Si. “Do you think us ‘Changle’ people are scared of angry Flaming Horns? It’s only fun when they’re angry anyway.”

“Wu He, since you lent me your long-winged bird, I feel obligated to warn you,” advised Yi Si patiently.

“Speak.” The other person shook his foot wrapped in a broken shoe, looking nonchalant.

“Don’t provoke the Flaming Horns. If you really want to challenge them, now is not the time.”

“Yo~ I thought you couldn’t do the Yi family’s divination readings? How would you know that?” Wu He ignored him.