Chapter 152

An Shenyi frowned.

"Why? We've already left the Pressure Circle; the Reckless Flower shouldn't threaten us anymore."

"No, it's not about the Reckless Flower…"

Fang Yue hurried to speak, but before he could finish, a sudden loud thud echoed from behind.

Immediately after, he saw Niu Niu—who had just been behind them—suddenly kicked through the air like something had slammed into him, arcing gracefully past their eyes before vanishing into the forest, letting out a long, piercing scream.

"Wai bi wai bi!!"

Fang Yue: …

An Shenyi: …

"W-what just happened?"

Fang Yue sighed and turned to look behind.

"That's what I was trying to tell you—Niu Niu's being followed by a massive weirdness!"

This was the message Niu Niu had just sent; otherwise, Fang Yue wouldn't have noticed that something was trailing him.

"What?! But I didn't see anything…"

An Shenyi suddenly fell silent.

Because he heard the sound—and saw the vision of blood exploding like a waterfall.

It was as if something within the Pressure Circle's range had been crushed until it burst into heavy bleeding.

Amid the splattered blood, An Shenyi barely made out a phantom, horned humanoid shape lying crumpled in the air ahead, crushed so severely it couldn't move, emitting a shrill bleating, its eyes locked fixedly on the black flower nearby… yet it wasn't dead! Even as it bled profusely under the Pressure Circle, it somehow struggled to rise, barely lifting itself up!

"Phantom Weirdness?!"

An Shenyi's pupils shrank, his face paled, and without waiting for Fang Yue's reply, he lunged to drag Fang Yue backward.

But as he reached for Fang Yue, he saw Fang Yue's expression suddenly change—he charged forward instead.

"Yeye?!"

"It's going to destroy the Reckless Flower!"

What?!

An Shenyi's face darkened as he looked ahead—there, the Phantom Weirdness, still drenched in blood and affected by the Pressure Circle, was charging forward with its fading silhouette, bleating fiercely at the black flower, sprinting at terrifying speed!

An Shenyi was utterly stunned.

This Phantom Weirdness's defense is too strong!

Thoughts flashed through An Shenyi's mind like lightning—he suddenly brightened and shouted again: "Yeye! Come back! Let it destroy the Reckless Flower! Don't stop it!"

"Wha—"

Fang Yue had just reached the Reckless Flower to intercept it, but upon hearing An Shenyi's words, he instinctively processed them—and instantly understood. But it was too late; in that brief hesitation, the Phantom Weirdness had already raised its hoof and kicked out.

Fang Yue's face changed—he drew his blade instantly to block.

Boom—a deafening crash. The blade trembled violently, as if about to fly from his grip.

At the same time, Fang Yue felt the world spin—he lost all control of his body, his vision blurred rapidly, and he was flung high into the air.

52!

Am I… in the air?

Fang Yue, just like Niu Niu before him, had been launched into a parabolic arc by a goat's hoof.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Wind howled past his ears; as the arc began to descend, he quickly adjusted his position and plunged the Leng Yue blade into the root of the nearest large tree to absorb the impact.

He sliced through several tree roots and branches, leaving deep, earth-piercing gashes in the roots, before finally crashing down with a thud, rolling three or five times before landing in disgrace.

When he looked up again, he saw the branches and roots directly ahead had been violently cleared—like a gardener had hacked them into a straight path leading straight to the sky, carved by the Leng Yue blade.

21!

Sunlight poured down. Fang Yue straightened his numb legs, frowning.

He looked around.

He… seemed lost.

That wasn't good news—but at least he knew the direction his arc had come from; if he returned to the Reckless Flower, he could reorient himself.

As Fang Yue was thinking this, someone nearby shouted excitedly.

"Aba aba!!"

Fang Yue: …

No way… could it really be that coincidental?

Fang Yue turned his head stiffly—and there, hanging from a tree, was someone.

Now that he thought about it, he and Niu Niu had indeed been kicked in the same direction… but…

Fang Yue stared gloomily at Niu Niu.

"Stop saying 'aba.' Speak normally."

"Ye Ge! Ye Ge, thank goodness! You came to save me! I knew you'd come! Ye Ge, forever the god!"

No—we don't have that kind of telepathy.

Fang Yue glanced upward secretly and confirmed: Niu Niu had sent a flood of messages after being kicked, but Fang Yue had been too busy to notice.

Fang Yue sighed, climbed the tree, dragged Niu Niu down, and asked: "So, where did you get this thing?"

This goat-shaped Phantom Weirdness had weak attack power—it kicked Niu Niu, then kicked itself, and neither of them died.

But its vitality was truly tenacious—it could withstand the Pressure Circle and move freely within it, determined to destroy the flower.

I wonder which is stronger: the goat Phantom Weirdness or the Pressure Weirdness.

No… the Pressure Weirdness is probably stronger.

An Shenyi might not have seen it then, but Fang Yue's Human Grade skill, Analysis Pupil, clearly saw the Yang Xu Gui.

The Yang Xu Gui's eyes were streaming black blood!

This proves it is a Black Grade Initial Stage Gui Yi, and also explains why Fang Yue and Niu Niu survived.

Even so, as a Black Grade Initial Stage Gui Yi, Yang Xu Gui should still be among the top in its tier—that defense was enough to make Fang Yue whistle in shock.

Of course, it might also be because there was no reference point; after all, Fang Yue didn't know what his own nighttime self experienced inside the Pressure Circle.

Regardless, from An Shenyi's fearful expression, it was clear that an ordinary Postnatal Third-Rate Martial Artist couldn't withstand the Pressure Circle's pressure.

"Ye Ge, that thing wasn't my fault! I was just running along, trying to head back down the village path, and guess what I saw?"

"... If you keep speaking in riddles, I'll clean house for An Shenyi right now."

Niu Niu was startled and quickly sent a message.

"No no no! Ye Ge, I'm telling you, I'm telling you... why do you suddenly seem so irritable?"

"Don't pile up those silly words—it's disgusting!"

"... Cough! Let's get back to the point. Where were we? Right, right—I escaped the escort team, then headed back down the village path, and on that path, I saw a woman covered in holes. I'm so smart I instantly guessed she was a Gui Yi, so I turned and ran."

"But that thing seemed to fixate on me—it chased me down. I gritted my teeth and traded two blows with her, then got knocked flying, off the village path. I chugged healing pills while screaming for help—that's when I messaged you."

"Wait!"

Fang Yue frowned: "Where did you get those pills?"

"Bought them... from someone."

Niu Niu's gaze clearly avoided his eyes. For those pills, he'd been... by An Shenyi...

(End of Chapter)