Chapter 856: Who Is Unlucky?

The strange tide surged, seemingly endless.

A thick, cold, and malevolent Qi surged to the heavens, from which countless inexplicable and eerie whispers emerged, carrying the power to pollute the mind as they continuously spread.

Many explorers within the safe zone dared not venture out at this time, forced to hide behind the light barrier and wait for the strange tide to pass.

After all, there were no other Marquis-level powerhouses present, and in such an environment, even those with the strength of the Great Heaven Phase Realm would be trapped within the strange tide, continuously drained by countless strange creatures.

However, Li Luo and the Azure Underworld Banner relied on "Qi-Combining" and did not fear this strange tide, especially since no Destruction-grade True Demon strange creatures had appeared yet.

But Li Luo did not intend to be continuously drained here, especially with the "Tiger Division" led by Zhao Jingyu lurking in the distance. With a single command, the eight thousand members of the Azure Underworld Banner moved in unison, and under the surge of massive energy, they tore through layers of the strange creature torrent, rapidly heading toward the distance.

Zhao Jingyu saw Li Luo and his group moving away and sneered, "Trying to run?"

Having finally waited for Li Luo to be alone, this was the perfect opportunity to severely wound him, and Zhao Jingyu had no intention of letting him go just like that.

He waved his hand, and the entire "Tiger Division" moved as well. Violent energy roared, seemingly forming the giant shadow of an ancient fierce tiger. The giant shadow enveloped the Tiger Division, charging directly through the strange tide.

The strange tide surged like a black flood, while the units led by Li Luo and Zhao Jingyu were like two dragon boats, continuously breaking through the giant waves and gradually moving away.

About ten minutes passed in this manner.

Li Luo finally felt his vision clear up, and the pervasive malevolent Qi dissipated; they had finally fought their way out of the strange tide.

Li Luo glanced at the strange tide behind them, where countless eerie strange creatures writhed, emitting inexplicable whispers filled with pollution. Fortunately, he had led the Azure Underworld Banner this time; otherwise, even with his semi-finished Glazed Fiend Body, he would likely have been forced to hide like the explorers in the safe zone, relying on the protection of the stone platform's light barrier, not daring to show his head.

Afterward, he saw Zhao Jingyu, who was in hot pursuit.

"This blockhead is truly persistent."

Li Luo narrowed his eyes, a flash of killing intent crossing them. Zhao Jingyu had provoked him repeatedly, and even with his gentle nature, he couldn't help but feel a hint of annoyance.

But in the end, Li Luo held back, choosing not to engage in a bloody battle with Zhao Jingyu.

Because that inexplicable feeling of being watched earlier left him feeling vaguely uneasy.

Regardless of whether it was an illusion, it was better to reunite with Li Fengyi and the others as soon as possible. Only by gathering the power of the four banners would they not fear the dangers within this Dark Domain.

After all, there were quite a few True Demon-grade strange creatures in this Dark Domain.

"I'll endure him a little longer."

Thinking this, Li Luo ignored Zhao Jingyu and led the Azure Underworld Banner to advance at full speed.

While traveling, Li Luo took out the map Li Feng had given him earlier to identify the route. With the powerful formation of the Azure Underworld Banner, as long as they didn't encounter True Demon strange creatures, even Great Heaven Disaster-grade strange creatures would be easily wiped out by him. Therefore, his most important task now was to avoid areas where True Demon strange creatures appeared and not provoke them.

"This direction will pass through two dangerous areas."

Li Luo looked at the map; there were two areas marked in blood-red on their route, indicating the presence of True Demon strange creatures.

Fortunately, the route only approached these two areas rather than passing directly through them. If they kept their presence low, they shouldn't disturb the True Demon strange creatures within. After all, these True Demon strange creatures possessed intelligence, and as long as one didn't actively provoke them, they might not necessarily attack.

It would naturally be best if both sides kept to themselves.

Thinking this, Li Luo continued forward. The eight thousand members of the Azure Underworld Banner sped across the gray-black plains, the ground vibrating slightly in their wake. The eight thousand people moved as one, united to protect themselves from the pervasive malevolent Qi.

Not long after Li Luo and the Azure Underworld Banner passed, the sound of a tiger's roar echoed, and Zhao Jingyu, leading the Tiger Division, pursued them once again.

But Li Luo still did not engage with him, continuing to travel at full speed.

Li Luo's behavior infuriated Zhao Jingyu, but there was nothing he could do, so he could only continue the pursuit.

As the two sides chased and fled, Li Luo realized they were approaching the two areas where True Demon strange creatures existed. He immediately ordered everyone to suppress their aura and tread lightly.

"As long as we pass through here, we can reach the meeting point, and then it will be easy."

Li Luo maintained his speed while keeping a sharp eye on the distance. It was said that those two True Demon strange creatures usually only lurked deep within their respective mountain ranges, and they were only on the outskirts, so in all likelihood, they wouldn't disturb them.

Just as this thought crossed Li Luo's mind, he suddenly saw a figure slowly walk out from a pitch-black forest in the distance.

Li Luo's gaze tightened. The figure was extremely obese and wore purple robes. Their face looked as if it had been squeezed into a ball, smiling quite kindly. The person's belly was extremely conspicuous, with a protruding curve much larger than that of a woman ten months pregnant.

The obese figure walked slowly out of the forest and stood on the main road ahead. Their narrow eyes were pitch black, with no whites visible.

This obese man's arrival was strange. Li Luo's heart sank slightly, and information about the True Demon strange creatures in this area flashed through his mind.

Big-Bellied True Demon: obese, ghost mouth on the belly, loves to devour humans.

Li Luo waved his hand, signaling the Azure Underworld Banner members to stop. He stared intently at the obese figure; vaguely, he seemed to see the belly under the robes writhing slightly, as if the sound of chewing was coming from within.

When Li Luo stopped, the obese figure grinned, then slowly tore open their clothes, revealing a rolling, fleshy belly. On that belly, a large mouth filled with fangs was dripping with saliva.

The obese figure reached a hand into their own flesh, actually dragging out a human arm, and stuffed it into the fanged mouth on their belly. The mouth immediately began to feast, biting the arm until blood splattered everywhere, swallowing it in a few gulps.

This eerie scene made one's entire body turn cold.

Li Luo's expression darkened. The obese man before him was clearly the Destruction-grade strange creature mentioned in the intelligence: the Big-Bellied True Demon.

"What rotten luck."

Li Luo frowned. This "Big-Bellied True Demon" was supposed to be lurking deep in the mountains; they had only just passed the outskirts, so why did it appear directly?

This didn't seem to make sense.

While Li Luo hesitated, a tremor came from the distance behind them. Zhao Jingyu was seen speeding over with the Tiger Division.

However, when they were still some distance away from Li Luo's side, Zhao Jingyu waved for his people to stop, because he also discovered the Big-Bellied True Demon blocking Li Luo's path.

"Hahaha, Li Luo, it seems you really are a jinx. You can even be blocked by a True Demon strange creature while walking here." Zhao Jingyu laughed loudly, his eyes staring at Li Luo with malicious intent. He planned to wait for Li Luo and the Big-Bellied True Demon to both be severely injured before moving in to reap the rewards.

Killing intent flowed in Li Luo's eyes. The situation was truly dangerous now: a Big-Bellied True Demon in front and Zhao Jingyu lurking like a tiger behind.

It seemed a bloody battle was inevitable.

Just as Li Luo stood ready, preparing to seize an opportunity to strike, his expression suddenly shifted, and he cast his gaze toward the position even further behind Zhao Jingyu.

There, a massive amount of malevolent Qi was whistling out, and the next moment, a figure slowly walked out from within.

It was a thin figure in white clothes. This figure was no different from an ordinary person, but as it took its steps, its head slowly twisted, and everyone discovered that the back of its head also had a human face.

The front face was male, the back face was female.

Both the male and female faces were wearing smiles.

The position where it appeared perfectly blocked the rear, but while blocking Li Luo, it seemed to have also cut off Zhao Jingyu's retreat.

Two-Faced True Demon!

Seeing this, Li Luo's face twitched slightly. He vaguely felt that something was wrong, because attracting one True Demon strange creature could be considered bad luck, but the appearance of these two, one in front and one behind, seemed like they were prepared.

Was this aimed at him?

However, Zhao Jingyu, who had been a thorn in his side, had instead become a barrier between him and the Two-Faced True Demon.

Zhao Jingyu realized this as well, so his previously laughing face stiffened bit by bit, his eyes shifting uncertainly.

"Damn it, two True Demon strange creatures appearing at the same time, how could I be so unlucky?"

Zhao Jingyu couldn't help but curse loudly. Such a probability was usually quite rare; how did he run into it directly?

Was it his bad luck or Li Luo's?

Zhao Jingyu's expression was uncertain, and he waved his hand, attempting to lead the Tiger Division to withdraw from the side.

But as soon as he moved, he noticed the smile on the Two-Faced True Demon's face becoming more intense, and it slowly drifted toward him.

That appearance clearly showed it had no intention of letting him go.

Consequently, Zhao Jingyu's expression turned completely dark.

His position had instead helped Li Luo block the Two-Faced True Demon that had come to surround them from the rear.

(End of chapter)