Chapter 8: Blood Soul Stones (Part 2)

The rolling black fog was as thick as ink; nothing could be seen even a meter away. Only with the aid of vision-enhancing talismans could one see up to six or seven meters. Squad 12 crouched on the ground, waiting quietly.
Zhang Yaojin had been gone for over ten minutes, with no sign of activity yet.
Bang! Howl…
Guo Shier’s spirits lifted—he knew Zhang Yaojin had taken action. A faint vibration could be felt from the ground. Zhou Xiaoling waved her hand, signaling that as a master of talismans and martial arts with exceptional close-combat skills, she would lead the way.
Guo Shier silently summoned the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion and whispered, “Come up!”
Everyone climbed onto the scorpion’s back. In the darkness, scorpions were far more agile than humans. Guo Shier said softly, “Dingding, come up too—the scorpion is fast!”
The Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion moved swiftly through the dark fog, reaching the territory of the mutated ferocious dogs in just two minutes. Guo Shier said quietly, “In thirteen minutes, everyone must return to the scorpion’s back. Don’t be greedy! Take as many as you can find.”
Everyone jumped off the scorpion’s back. Each carried a rope, its end tied to the scorpion’s tail, ensuring they wouldn’t get lost.
Guo Shier felt a slight stir in his heart as tiny scorpions emerged from the scorpion’s back and scattered into the darkness. He could use these scorpions to search for Blood Soul Stones on the ground, provided he first found the first one as a sample for them.
Applying a talisman to his eyes, Guo Shier immediately saw various glowing lights on the ground. He spotted a thumb-sized stone that appeared dark red but emitted strange glimmers, standing out greatly from the others. He immediately concluded it was the famous Blood Soul Stone. He grabbed it and sent a command to the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion through his soul.
There were many tiny scorpions, and even if just one found a Blood Soul Stone, Guo Shier would reward it.
Soon, more scorpions returned, carrying two Blood Soul Stones in their pincers and placing them gently in front of Guo Shier. He was excited—this method worked well. With the scorpions’ help, he quickly gathered hundreds of Blood Soul Stones.
While silently counting the time, he stored the stones in the spirit-preserving talisman within his life talismans sphere—the safest way to keep them.

Guo Shier’s heart was pounding violently; he felt there wasn’t enough time at all. Suppressing his anxiety, he calculated that the time was right and immediately ordered the Dark-Winged Scorpion to move its tail. The ropes connected everyone, and as the signal was given, they quickly turned around. The little scorpions also returned swiftly, and in just over ten seconds, everyone was back on the scorpion’s back.

Without hesitation, Guo Shier ordered the Dark-Winged Scorpion to flee immediately. On the scorpion’s back, they quietly exchanged information about their gains. Aside from Guo Shier, each person had collected at least six Blood Soul Stones, with Lan Hu having the most—she had found eighteen. Of course, the silent Guo Shier was the real winner; with the help of the little scorpions, he had gathered many Blood Soul Stones, though he himself wasn’t sure of the exact number.

Sun Min’er said excitedly, “Everything went well! I found eight Blood Soul Stones!” He tried to keep his voice low but couldn’t help letting out a strange laugh. Zhou Xiaoling, angry, slapped him on the shoulder. Unexpectedly, the slap made quite a noise—slap! Sun Min’er, caught off guard, cried out in surprise.

Everyone was startled immediately. Guo Shier raised his finger, signaling them to be quiet. The area had originally been eerily silent, so such a loud noise was indeed frightening.

Zhou Xiaoling’s face turned red as she lowered her head. Sun Min’er grinned innocently.

Eagle Demon pricked up his ears. It was completely quiet around them, with only the faint rustling sound of the Dark-Winged Scorpion moving. After a moment, he sighed in relief and said softly, “Don’t get complacent… We need to leave the center of the dark mist zone as soon as possible. This place is too terrifying.”

Upon returning to the agreed-upon meeting point, Guo Shier retracted the Dark-Winged Scorpion and said, “Let’s wait here for Zhang Yaojin!”

Everyone sat down, excited. This time, their gains were enormous. With these Blood Soul Stones, they could not only report to their sect but also exchange them for many things they urgently needed, which would greatly benefit their improvement.

Suddenly, Eagle Demon said, “He’s here!”

Guo Shier was secretly surprised and whispered, “So fast!”

A figure emerged from the thick mist, leaving everyone stunned. It wasn’t Zhang Yaojin but a tall, thin man in black clothes.

The man probably didn’t expect to find a group of people sitting there either. Instinctively, he flew back two steps, raised his hands, and began moving them rapidly.

Guo Shier was terrified and shouted, “Grab him!” He realized the man was casting spells.

Eagle Demon and Zhou Xiaoling rushed forward at his command.

Everyone knew it was extremely unwise to fight here, but at this point, no one dared to stop. It was the most terrifying close-quarters battle. The man quickly completed the incantation, and dark-colored talismans appeared on his body, forming a set of dark black armor. The Eagle Demon and Zhou Xiaoling had already closed in. The Eagle Demon let out a low growl and punched straight at the man’s face. Suddenly, a huge talismanic blade appeared in Zhou Xiaoling’s hand, sweeping forward. With a loud sound as it cut through the air, it aimed at the man’s waist. The man in black’s expression changed slightly; he realized the two were fierce fighters with extremely sharp attacks. Suddenly, he vanished from his spot. Guo Shier was shocked again and said, “Teleportation talisman!” The Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion suddenly appeared beside Guo Shier, and the little scorpions quickly climbed out and scattered into the darkness. Crack! Guo Shier pointed to the side and said, “He’s over there!” One of the little scorpions had already been killed. But scorpions couldn’t be truly killed—the one that was shattered turned into a cluster of tiny spirits, returning to the nest on its back. It could recover after resting in the talisman for a while. The Eagle Demon and Zhou Xiaoling only roared a few times at first, then focused on slashing. The man in black killed several little scorpions in a row, growing furious, and cursed, “Bastards! I’ll kill you!” The Eagle Demon swung his blade fiercely. The man retreated while firing a series of pale blue ice spikes. The Eagle Demon continuously shattered the ice spikes with his talismanic sword. Though the ice spikes couldn’t hurt him, they slowed him down. Zhou Xiaoling also rushed over, swinging her huge talismanic blade downward. The sharp whistling sound terrified the man in black. It wasn’t the blade itself he feared, but the sound it made as it cut through the air. Fighting in such a place, who knew what might be drawn forth? The man in black grew impatient and growled, “Stop! If you want to die, keep fighting! If you don’t want to die, stop!” Zhou Xiaoling and the Eagle Demon also didn’t want to fight, but the series of incantations the man in black had used when he first appeared forced them to fight. In fact, the incantations he used were defensive, not offensive. Zhou Xiaoling held her large talismanic blade ready, while the Eagle Demon placed his talismanic sword across his chest and asked, “Who are you?” Guo Shier came over with the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion, staring at the man in black and saying, “We don’t want to fight… but we’re not afraid either!” Both sides were somewhat feisty on the outside but weak on the inside. Fighting in such a place was like an old man hanging himself—too impatient to live. The man in black’s expression changed, and he said, “This isn’t my fault! You started it!” Guo Shier examined him carefully and asked in confusion, “A Holy Master?” The man’s expression turned grim, and he threatened, “How dare you talk nonsense?”

“He’s not talking nonsense—because you truly are a junior saint!”
Zhang Yaojin emerged from the thick fog. The man in black was stunned for a moment before suddenly laughing, “Heh, impressive! An intermediate saint!” He seemed relieved.
Both of them were violators, so there was no need to worry about the other reporting them. Once the inspectors arrived, neither of them could escape.
Zhang Yaojin said, “Let’s go! Leave this place… You’re really bold, daring to fight here!”
Guo Shier thought for a while before deciding to use the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion. This ancient sigil worm was fast, outrunning humans in the dark, and made almost no sound as it moved. Hidden by the dense fog, it was virtually silent. He told everyone to climb onto the scorpion’s back and follow Zhang Yaojin. The man in black hesitated for a moment before leaping onto the scorpion’s back. He said nothing either, just crouched at the edge of the scorpion’s back.
Zhang Yaojin glanced in surprise at the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion and nodded, “Not bad, an ancient worm. It’s perfect for use here.”
Guo Shier glanced at the man in black and sighed inwardly, but he didn’t drive him away. More trouble meant less pain—after all, he had already covered up one violator, so one more didn’t matter. Strictly speaking, he was also a violator, as he wasn’t from the main continent but had sneaked in using coordinates given by Li Ran.
Zhang Yaojin’s speed suddenly increased. At first, he was concerned about whether those behind him could keep up, but soon he realized he didn’t have to worry. The Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion was indeed an ancient secret worm—fast and silent in movement—so he accelerated again. Guo Shier was surprised to find that Zhang Yaojin’s speed was almost on par with flying. He had to exert all his effort to make the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion keep up.
The man in black kept staring at the surrounding fog. Suddenly, he asked, “Kid, what’s your name?”
Guo Shier replied, “My name is Guo Shier.”
The man nodded and said, “I’m Chen Zhen Dong. Remember, we’ve never met…” With that, he disappeared into the fog.
Sun Min’er muttered softly, “It’s just a saint. What’s the big deal…”
Guo Shier didn’t dare get distracted. He kept his eyes fixed on Zhang Yaojin ahead. He now admired this guy greatly—able to move so quickly through the fog, no wonder he could evade the shuttle car’s pursuit. This guy wasn’t only fast but also skilled in bizarre evasion methods. Even with full concentration, Guo Shier found it difficult to keep up. Without the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion, he knew he definitely wouldn’t be able to follow Zhang Yaojin.

The noise around them grew louder, with faint roars that disturbed people’s minds. Suddenly, Zhang Yaojin shouted, “Turn back!” Then he turned and ran. Guo Shier quickly urged the Dark Winged Scorpion to follow closely, without asking why. He trusted this guy’s judgment of danger.