Chapter 1127: The Blindfolded Battlefield

Zhao Yisheng and the people around him were choked by the thick smoke, coughing repeatedly. They were far too close to Zhong Zhen, where the smoke was the densest in the entire area.

"Cough, cough..." Zhao Yisheng coughed as he spoke, "Are you all okay... Linjian, are you still here...?"

"I'm... I'm here..."

Linjian's voice came from nearby, and Zhao Yisheng quickly narrowed his eyes, waving his hand to disperse the thick fog as he made his way to her side and pulled her behind him for protection.

"Is anyone else around...?" Zhao Yisheng turned and whispered, "Xiaoxiao, Jin Yuanxun, Han Yimo... are you still here?"

But there was no response from nearby, so Zhao Yisheng and Linjian swallowed nervously and began moving slowly toward what they remembered as the direction of the giant bell.

"What on earth is wrong with that madman...?" Zhao Yisheng muttered quietly, "He won't listen to reason... and suddenly releases this massive fog..."

"You should keep your voice down," Linjian said. "It'll be trouble if he hears us. He's probably already alerted Bai Hu, so we have to be careful with every step we take..."

"That huge explosion earlier really has me worried..." Zhao Yisheng said. "It sounded like something was being built and then instantly destroyed..."

"Don't worry about that," Linjian said. "Focus on the giant bell."

"Alright..."

The two of them knew that on a battlefield full of "echoes," information was always more important than abilities, but right now, everyone was like fighters blindfolded, with no idea what was really happening.

Jin Yuanxun held his injured arm and silently followed behind Zhao Yisheng and Linjian.

He had heard Zhao Yisheng's calls but hadn't responded right away. Instead, he picked up an iron rod from the ground, gripped it tightly, and trailed quietly behind them, staying hidden to guard against Zhong Zhen's potential sudden appearance.

Just as Zhao Yisheng had said, Zhong Zhen's behavior was incredibly strange. Although everyone in Tian Tang Kou knew he wasn't a good person, there was no reason for him to go on a killing spree alone in a place like this.

Zhao Yisheng had shouted a few times in the smoke, and theoretically, Zhong Zhen should have shown up to attack, but he hadn't appeared. So Jin Yuanxun had no choice but to move forward even more cautiously, trying not to make a single sound.

But at that moment, his ears twitched as he heard slightly noticeable footsteps behind him. He turned back in confusion and saw Zhong Zhen, with a sinister grin, suddenly swinging a knife down at him. Jin Yuanxun quickly raised the iron rod to block the deadly strike.

The clash of weapons made a loud noise, causing Zhao Yisheng and Linjian ahead to spin around abruptly. They saw Jin Yuanxun and Zhong Zhen locked in a tense standoff with their weapons.

"Uncle, you..." Jin Yuanxun gritted his teeth as he gripped the rod. Although he was agile enough, he couldn't match an adult man's strength in a direct contest. "Have you lost your mind...? What did we do to you...?"

Zhong Zhen didn't answer. He just grinned wickedly and pressed down harder with the blade. Jin Yuanxun tried to use his Yueqian, but the situation was too urgent, and his "belief" was affected.

"If you won't talk, then I won't hold back..."

As soon as Jin Yuanxun finished speaking, he noticed the blood on Zhong Zhen's ear. He furrowed his brow, as if realizing something.

"It seems like he can't hear..."

"Can't hear...?"

Zhao Yisheng was stunned for a second, but he quickly realized this wasn't the time to think about it. To save Jin Yuanxun's life, he rushed forward and awkwardly delivered a flying kick, hitting Zhong Zhen but ending up falling to the ground himself.

Zhong Zhen stumbled back a few steps and was about to attack again when a massive figure emerged from the dense smoke behind him and wrapped steel-like arms around his neck.

"Xiaoxiao...!"

The one who had locked onto Zhong Zhen was indeed Xiaoxiao.

Seeing that his teammates were safe, Zhao Yisheng felt a bit relieved. The only one missing now was probably Han Yimo, still lying somewhere unknown.

With his throat gripped, Zhong Zhen acted decisively, flipping the folding knife in his hand and stabbing rapidly at Xiaoxiao's arm.

Xiaoxiao grunted in pain and quickly retracted her hand. She checked her arm and saw five deep wounds, all gushing blood.

Seizing the moment while Xiaoxiao was distracted, Zhong Zhen kicked at her knee. As she bent forward, he thrust the knife toward her throat.

With no other choice, Xiaoxiao extended her arm again to block it, getting stabbed in the arm once more. Blood splattered everywhere.

As Zhong Zhen charged in to finish her off, Jin Yuanxun finally regained his focus and used Yueqian to appear beside Zhong Zhen. He swung the iron rod at the man's wrist, expecting to disarm him, but Zhong Zhen pulled back his hand and slashed the dagger toward Jin Yuanxun's neck instead. Jin Yuanxun leaned back to dodge, but his eyebrow was still cut open.

Before he could react, Jin Yuanxun disappeared from the spot again to avoid further attacks, reappearing behind Zhong Zhen. But before the rod could land on his head, Zhong Zhen released another burst of thick smoke.

The sudden pressure forced Jin Yuanxun back a step, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. He coughed violently and felt something pierce through the fog toward his chest.

In the next second, he felt a chill in his chest, and everything stopped. Zhong Zhen had stopped moving, and so had he.

Jin Yuanxun looked down at his chest in disbelief. The knife had pierced just the tip, with drops of fresh blood trickling down his shirt. It was gruesome, but the wound didn't seem fatal.

Jin Yuanxun slowly stepped back, pulling away from the knife. Only then did the sharp pain hit his chest, and more blood began to flow steadily.

He looked up in confusion as the smoke gradually cleared and saw Zhong Zhen. His eyes widened in shock.

There was a perfectly round, transparent hole in the middle of Zhong Zhen's throat, blood pouring out profusely. Clearly, Zhong Zhen had already been dead before stabbing him.

"Damn it..." Jin Yuanxun muttered under his breath. "What the hell is going on...?"

Zhao Yisheng and the others rushed over to check, feeling that the situation was becoming more and more baffling. Had someone attacked Zhong Zhen?

But besides the four of them, there were no other "participants" around. Who could have done it?

Zhong Zhen's body fell straight to the ground like a statue, completely still.

"It feels like there's someone else watching us..." Zhao Yisheng whispered to the group.

No sooner had he spoken than the spot where Zhong Zhen had fallen began to twist and distort. A figure in a suit started to materialize beside the body.

Everyone stared in confusion, and the next second, they all gasped.

The figure was wearing a Hou mask, clearly a person disguised as a monkey.

"Oh my god..." Zhao Yisheng swallowed hard. "This path is way too tough..."

Before they could prepare, the figure lifted its head, its gaze piercing through the mask, and uttered four unexpected words:

"Ji Dao Wan Sui."