Chapter 356: The attitude is subtle, the undercurrents surging!

Su Ming's face remained expressionless.

Now this situation seems to be becoming clearer and clearer.

The one who gave him the bronze fragment……

Most likely it's beneficial to him!

So……

Could it really be his father?

"Whoosh——"

Su Ming let out a breath, tossing aside all those chaotic thoughts in his mind.

For now, there's no time to think too much.

"Follow me."

The group pushed forward another approximately one kilometer.

The speed was slower than expected by more than double.

It's not a matter of stamina.

It's the ground beneath our feet that's tripping us up.

Those dark red blood-vessel patterns automatically retreated within a twenty-meter radius around Su Ming.

But retreat is retreat——

They don't go far.

They stubbornly stay locked at the twenty-one-meter mark.

Packed tightly.

Like a pack of stray dogs blasted outside the safety line.

They dare not approach.

But they absolutely refuse to scatter completely.

To an outsider, within twenty meters the living soil retreats, and the carpet of red blood threads parts like Moses parting the sea, opening a broad, smooth road.

It's as easy as walking on flat ground.

But in reality, it's really not easy to walk!

With each step, the thigh muscles feel as if filled with lead.

Although there's clearly no wind in the air, there is an unusually viscous resistance.

Like being stuck in a swamp.

And as if the whole heaven and earth were pressing down on the chest with an invisible hand.

"Damn it!"

Su Ming's consciousness dove into the Dimensional Reduction Warehouse.

That bronze fragment is now hot, like a fresh piece of charcoal just out of the furnace.

The surface verdigris has flaked off in several places.

A faint, ferocious tiger phantom can be seen, silently roaring.

"A consumable……"

The residual energy in the fragment is locked in a struggle with this mutated land!

These patterns are absolutely not as respectful as they appear on the surface.

The attitude is subtle, the undercurrents surging!

"Mr. Su, the space seems to have folded!"

From behind, Shu Chong looked at the miniature compass in his hand, his voice hoarse.

He somewhat wanted to curse, and somewhat couldn't save face.

Originally, they five special forces members should have been scouting ahead at the front!

But now?!

Instead, they're all in a defensive formation, stubbornly following behind Mr. Su!

It seems even the little girl beside Mr. Su is better than them!

"Hah……"

Zhi He exhaled, adjusting his mindset.

"According to our stride, we've walked at least three kilometers."

"But judging by the angle of the distant mountains, the linear displacement has advanced at most eight hundred meters."

Those two sentences made the team's atmosphere seem even more silent.

"Damn!"

"This is practically an upgraded version of a ghost wall!"

Tu Bo Shu scratched his head, kicked the ground with his boot, his face turning deathly pale.

"These things have always been trying to cause trouble!"

"The flat ground we see, in the logic of the formation, might be an inverted ninety-degree cliff."

He paused, then swallowed.

"If it weren't for your method, making them retreat three li……"

"The situation would be absolutely a hundred times more dangerous than now!"

Su Ming didn't answer.

This place is indeed not fit for humans to stay.

The stretch of road they just walked has already become nauseating.

Every so often, the ground shifts without warning.

It feels like a hiccup.

Clumps of sticky black‑red bubbles surged up from the earth, and when they burst, they released a putrid stench.

The odor, tinged with scorched fishy smell, slammed straight into the nostrils.

It stuck in the throat, impossible to swallow.

When the first hiccup occurred, Zhi He vomited.

As a traveling officer, his physical condition is somewhat weaker.

By the third hiccup, even Zha Yao, the rough man whose nerves are so thick he could use a detonator as chopsticks, turned a shade paler.

The least affected was the little girl Zhao Xinghe.

The accompanying Red Ling acted like a shield, blocking all anomalies!

"Let's keep moving!"

Su Ming spoke, and stepped forward again.

Rest here?

Who the hell would rest in a stench‑filled toilet?!

Eight kilometers.

It changed.

"Mr. Su!"

Lao Gou suddenly halted, his tone urgent.

Everyone froze at once.

The air was silent for two seconds.

Thud…

Thud…

Thud…

It wasn't a sound.

It was a vibration!

It traveled from the soles upward, through the calves, up to the knees.

The frequency was extremely low, almost beyond human hearing.

But the bones knew.

"Damn! The formation is flipping!"

Shu Chong suddenly pulled out a compass.

The copper needle spun like mad.

He crouched, pressing his fingers to the ground.

The next moment, his complexion changed drastically.

"We've encountered a Death Gate, thirty meters straight ahead!"

"And... it's actively approaching us!"

As the words landed, Su Ming saw.

The ground ahead split open a fissure without warning.

It wasn't wide—just two fingers' breadth.

But the crack spread to both sides at extreme speed.

In a blink, it spanned over ten meters.

Like a mouth slowly opening.

What seeped from the fissure wasn't light, nor heat.

Instead it was cold.

A rust‑smelling chill that could freeze breath into shards.

"Retreat!"

Shu Chong had just shouted a word.

Su Ming had already moved.

He ordered Zhao Xinghe to run backward.

He himself reached a hand into the Dimensional Reduction Warehouse.

He seized the Bronze Fragment.

It was scorching.

Hotter by another order of magnitude than before.

The vague seal patterns on its surface were glowing.

A faint bronze hue, like a moon submerged in deep water.

Su Ming didn't hesitate.

He lifted the fragment before him and stepped toward the fissure.

"Mr. Su—"

Lao Gou's fur bristled, and his voice got stuck in his throat.

Because…

They saw it with their own eyes…

The crack actually stopped!

It stopped in front of Su Ming.

The widening fissure, as if slapped by someone, froze in place.

Two seconds later.

The cold air rising in the fissure began to contract.

One inch.

Two inches.

The crack sealed.

Silently.

The ground became smooth again, as if the mouth that just tried to swallow people had never existed.

Shu Chong lowered his head to look at the compass.

The copper needle stopped trembling.

It steadily pointed due north.

"Death Gate… has vanished."

His voice sounded distant.

Damn it, how could this be possible?

This Death Gate didn't just change location.

It simply disappeared without a trace!

In the whole Nine Palace Layout, Sheng Sheng is missing a Gate.

It's as if someone gave a greeting—

That person is one of us.

Don't make it difficult!

The group stared at each other.

Finally, everyone's gaze fell on the unremarkable, rust‑stained Bronze Piece in Su Ming's hand.

It is…

This little trinket?!