The sound of flesh and blood parting.
Fang Ming shook his right arm, or rather, his tentacle, flicking off the foul-smelling liquid on the sharp, scaled blade.
"The third one." Fang Ming looked at the monster corpses on the ground, wisps of white smoke rising from them, quickly "corroding" them into nothingness.
In just ten minutes, three monsters had attempted to ambush Fang Ming.
Now completely monstrous himself, Fang Ming's strength was considerable. Coupled with the fact that the monsters ambushing him were all small, he dealt with them swiftly.
However, it was strange that the corpses of the monsters Fang Ming killed seemed to be corroded by something, quickly decomposing and disappearing.
"So, the many other types of monsters in Bai Mu Village originated from the white fog." Fang Ming observed the types of these small monsters and found they were exactly the ones that appeared in Bai Mu Village at night.
"Bang, bang, bang…" A series of footsteps suddenly echoed from one direction. Fang Ming's head snapped up, his heart tightening. Judging by the sound, it seemed to be something large.
The environment in this white fog was vast and open. He didn't even have a place to hide!
"Since I can't hide, I'll fight for it."
Fang Ming struck a fighting stance, preparing to face an unknown enemy. As for running, fleeing aimlessly in the white fog would only lead to him getting lost. It was better to fight this unknown enemy, as it offered at least a chance of survival.
A monster the size of a house appeared in Fang Ming's vision, its terrifying aura exuding a heavy pressure.
"Xiong… Sha…" Fang Ming's pupils contracted. This monster was actually a Xiong Sha!
This Xiong Sha was as large as a giant black tiger. On its head, three human faces contorted in expressions of pain. More human faces continuously surfaced on its body. On its ribs, two gaping maws remained tightly shut, emitting wisps of black smoke. Six human hands extended from its back, steadily supporting a cushion.
A figure resembling a human was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, as if in deep meditation!
This guy… could actually ride a Xiong Sha as a mount? Fang Ming was shocked.
After all, Xiong Sha were collections of the dying resentment of many beings, with the strongest resentment forming the core and undergoing certain transformations to become a Xiong Sha.
This meant that a Xiong Sha was not a single entity. Subduing one was easy, but to make the entire Xiong Sha submit meant that all the resentments forming it had to agree. How powerful would one have to be to achieve this?
"Hello, Fang Ming." A gentle voice rang out. The person sitting on the Xiong Sha opened their eyes and looked at Fang Ming.
Fang Ming watched him warily. How did this person know him?
The last person who knew his name was the principal. So who was it this time?
How was it that ever since he arrived in this unknown white fog world, it felt like home? Everyone knew him?
"Who are you? How do you know me?" Fang Ming asked cautiously.
"You can call me [Chang Sheng]." Chang Sheng smiled gently, his expression as soft as that of a graceful young master from a painting.
If it weren't for the Xiong Sha beneath him, Fang Ming would have suspected he was a noble young master of etiquette.
Chang Sheng continued, "I came today mainly to confirm if you had arrived here. As for how I know you, it's naturally from your father."
My father again? Fang Ming was starting to suspect what his father was up to, advertising his son all over the place. Anyone would think his father had a screw loose.
"Do you know where my dad is?" Fang Ming asked.
"I do." Chang Sheng's answer was almost identical to what the principal had said. "In other words, your parents are currently in this white fog. As for their exact location, you'll have to find that out for yourself."
Fang Ming frowned upon hearing this. Although he hadn't expected this person to provide clues, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by his words.
"Why did you specifically come to see me? I don't even know you," Fang Ming asked.
Chang Sheng smiled and said, "I've come to return something to you."
With that, he patted the Xiong Sha beneath him with his right hand. The Xiong Sha understood and opened the giant maw in front of it. A ball of light slowly emerged from its abdomen and flew towards Fang Ming.
Fang Ming caught it. The moment it touched his skin, it integrated into him, forming a faintly glowing character on the back of his hand. It only subsided after a moment.
"What is this?" Fang Ming asked, looking at the character that resembled "川" with confusion.
"This is your key to returning," Chang Sheng said, his tone suddenly serious. "You'd best not lose it, or returning will be very troublesome."
A key to returning?
Fang Ming's heart leaped with joy. Could he leave Bai Mu Village with this?
Seeing Fang Ming put away the "key," Chang Sheng slowly closed his eyes, and the Xiong Sha beneath him turned and retreated into the white fog.
"Hey, you haven't told me how to use it yet," Fang Ming called out urgently, having inexplicably acquired this thing without knowing how to use it.
"You'll know when the time comes," Chang Sheng's voice drifted from afar, sounding hazy.
Fang Ming shook his head helplessly and began to miss his diary. With it, at least he wouldn't be clueless about everything. Now, in this world, he felt like an illiterate.
The sudden appearance of Chang Sheng didn't disrupt Fang Ming's plan. In fact, it was somewhat beneficial.
Because of the residual aura left by the Xiong Sha, the smaller monsters dared not approach this area for a while, giving Fang Ming a brief respite.
"Doesn't this white fog have day and night cycles?" After a long time, the surroundings remained shrouded in thick fog. Fang Ming began to try to find his way back to Bai Mu Village.
But the fog was too dense, and coupled with the white fog's ability to disrupt perception, Fang Ming quickly became lost. He couldn't find his way back following his memory.
After fumbling around for a while longer, Fang Ming was still in the white fog. This made him a little anxious. While he wasn't afraid of the white fog, being in such a silent environment made him feel uneasy.
"Squelch." He casually dealt with another small monster that had ambushed him, and Fang Ming simply sat down on the ground.
"I can't just wander around like this anymore," Fang Ming thought. "If I'm heading in the wrong direction, will I ever get out of this mist?"
He had to think of a way.
"Another minute without my diary, I miss it." Fang Ming felt a pang of sadness. When he returned, he would definitely find his diary. Without predictions and guidance for the future, he felt restricted in everything he did.
"Caw caw~" Another flying head monster emerged from the white fog, its face contorted as it attacked Fang Ming.
Fang Ming didn't even want to look at such minor characters. Yes, he had become arrogant. He realized that after becoming a monster, he had at least half of Amber's strength, making him a formidable monster.
"Die." He flicked his right tentacle, and the scaled blade flashed, slicing the flying head monster in two. It fell to the ground, emitting a sizzling sound and white smoke.
"Speaking of which..." The arrival of the flying head monster suddenly sparked a question in Fang Ming's mind. "How do these monsters get to Bai Mu Village? I'm also a monster, so why can't I find the way to Bai Mu Village?"
Thinking about this, Fang Ming felt he had discovered a blind spot. The monsters from the white fog appeared in Bai Mu Village at night and left during the day.
If that was the case, Fang Ming thought of a possibility – Bai Mu Village must have something different at night that attracted a large number of white fog monsters to enter, only to be preyed upon by the villagers.
Wait for night. Treat a dead horse as if it were alive.
Since he couldn't leave anyway, he might as well wait according to his guess for Bai Mu Village to enter night and see what happened, then return.
In the white fog, time seemed to stand still. The surrounding scenery never changed. Fang Ming took out some food he had brought from Amber's house and ate a little, quietly waiting for Bai Mu Village to enter the night.
Time trickled by, and night soon enveloped Bai Mu Village. Streams of white fog slowly flowed towards Bai Mu Village, as if to fill the void.
Groups of white fog monsters entered Bai Mu Village along the fog flow and began to be "hunted" within the village.
Fang Ming also keenly sensed the flow of the white fog and, his heart filled with joy, quickly got up and ran in the direction of the fog's flow.
"After becoming a monster, I can actually sense the flow of the white fog. No wonder those monsters could always find the way to Bai Mu Village." Fang Ming suddenly realized. He could now clearly sense these obvious changes in the white fog. As for finding people precisely in the white fog like Chang Sheng, that was clearly beyond Fang Ming's capabilities.
A few minutes later, with his last step, the white fog before him instantly dissipated, and the familiar Bai Mu Village came into view.
Fang Ming glanced back at the white fog with a strange expression. He hadn't expected to be so close to Bai Mu Village, yet he had wandered in the fog for a whole day without finding his way out.
This suggested that this white fog was more than just obscuring vision.
"I wonder if Zhao Xue can escape safely," Fang Ming sighed. "As long as she's not caught by the people in Bai Mu Village again, dying in the white fog is better than dying at the hands of these villagers."
He looked up towards the plaza. The sky there was unusually dark. It was obvious that "fishing" was going on again. He didn't know which unlucky Xiong Sha had been tricked into coming today.
It was unsuitable to implement his plan at night. Fang Ming found the direction of the ancestral hall and stealthily headed towards it. He needed to go back and find his diary to ensure his plan would be foolproof!
Along the way, he avoided various monsters, and with his monstrous physique, he reached the main gate of the ancestral hall within half an hour, adhering to the principle of running whenever possible.
There were no villagers guarding the gate at night. Fang Ming cautiously approached the gate, wondering if the feeling of being watched from within the ancestral hall was still there.
"Unnecessary personnel!"
"Entry forbidden!"
Suddenly, two stern shouts startled Fang Ming. He quickly looked towards the source of the sound.
He saw that the two guardian statues had come to life! Their colossal bodies rose from their bases, and dozens of eyes glared fiercely at Fang Ming, their hideous faces revealing a bloodthirsty coldness.
"Holy crap! I knew these two things were alive. I didn't expect them to wake up at night." Fang Ming's mind was a whirlwind. The first time he saw these two statues, he felt that although they looked strange, they were so lifelike, as if they were alive.
He never expected them to be truly alive!
Monsters could vaguely sense the difference in strength between each other. Fang Ming could guess the terror of these two with his toes, and knew he couldn't deal with them. He immediately turned and fled.
The two statue monsters did not pursue when Fang Ming fled. They mechanically walked back to their pedestals and transformed back into statues. Rather than monsters, they seemed more like puppets carrying out a guarding duty.