Chapter 296 - 176: Blood Battle Rules, Followers of the God of Slaughter

Chapter 296: Chapter 176: Blood Battle Rules, Followers of the God of Slaughter

Pei Ze gazed into the distance. At the edge of his vision lay a heavy, shadowy mist, and even with his keen eyesight, he couldn’t make out what was inside.

Su Ya and Peng Yan gripped the hilts of the swords at their waists, their expressions cautious as they surveyed their surroundings.

The Shadow Realm’s reputation for danger was well known, even to Knights like them.

"Let’s go."

Pei Ze casually cast a spell on the two of them to protect them from shadow energy damage, then slowly floated high into the sky and flew forward.

The Shadow Realm was filled with shadow-type Energy Particles. Without protection, long-term exposure would erode the body. The lucky ones would simply have their life force extinguished—a clean death that ended all suffering.

The unlucky ones would be transformed into mindless Shadow Creatures, doomed to wander the Shadow Realm for the rest of their lives until they were killed by other Magical Creatures or outsiders.

That was why one had to be at least a Legendary Knight who had awakened their Elemental Power to enter the Shadow Realm.

For anyone below the rank of Legendary Knight, entering without the protection of a powerful companion was no different from seeking death.

The terrain in the Shadow Realm was largely uniform, with no distinct landmarks. Even with a Magic Map, Pei Ze didn’t know his current location.

Only after finding a settlement to use as a point of reference could he consult the Magic Map to find the locations of the Thunder Abyss Giant and the Netherworld Crow.

For now, all they could do was explore.

Strong gales howled high in the sky. Pei Ze flew at high speed, his calm gaze sweeping over the landscape below.

As he spread his Spiritual Power, the obscuring effect of the mist finally lessened significantly.

Within the heavy, shadowy mist, he could faintly make out countless bizarre monsters.

On land, there were six-legged horses and three-headed dogs.

In the forests, there were massive black apes and gorillas with four arms.

Underground, there were swarms of Fierce Rats with teeth as sharp as blades.

Lurking in the water were enormous squid and sea serpents.

In the sky, there were night owls with piercing shrieks and Shadow Eagles with venomous talons.

Pei Ze even saw an immense figure streak past in the far distance—what appeared to be a legendary Shadow Giant Dragon.

He immediately cast an Invisibility Spell Ball on himself and the two Knights, barely avoiding detection by the Shadow Giant Dragon and surviving the close call unscathed.

After all, a Shadow Giant Dragon was a creature so formidable that even Elemental Mages found it difficult to handle!

If they had truly faced the Shadow Giant Dragon, Pei Ze might have been able to escape by giving it his all, but Su Ya and Peng Yan would have certainly lost their lives.

The incident left the two Knights drenched in a cold sweat, giving them a much deeper appreciation for the dangers of the Shadow Realm.

From then on, the trio proceeded with even greater caution.

Pei Ze avoided the Magical Creatures they encountered whenever possible, careful not to rashly start a fight.

When a fight was unavoidable, he used his full strength to end it quickly, lest they attract more Magical Creatures.

As native inhabitants of the Shadow Realm, these Magical Creatures could generally conceal themselves within the shadowy mist, making them difficult to detect. They were always ready to launch a surprise attack.

If Pei Ze hadn’t been a Wizard, with his Mental Force Field constantly covering a one-kilometer radius around him, it would have been incredibly difficult to guard against the creatures’ ambushes.

On several occasions, Su Ya and Peng Yan were attacked by Magical Creatures without sensing a thing. If Pei Ze hadn’t intervened beforehand, the two of them would have been injured long ago.

Seeing this, the two of them couldn’t help but look dejected.

After breaking through to become Tier Three Legendary Knights, they had been feeling rather pleased with themselves, thinking they finally had enough power to be of help to Pei Ze. But their experiences after entering the Shadow Realm were shattering their confidence time and time again.

"Don’t worry about it."

Noticing the change in their expressions, Pei Ze said with a smile,

"The Magical Creatures of the Shadow Realm are notoriously treacherous and cunning. Never mind you two—even Official Wizards can easily be taken advantage of if they aren’t adequately prepared."

Pei Ze’s comforting words seemed to lift their spirits a little.

It was worth noting that while the creatures of the Shadow Realm were treacherous and cunning, and seemed to possess no small amount of intelligence, it was impossible to communicate with them peacefully.

People had tried to subjugate the native creatures of the Shadow Realm in the past, but most had failed.

Only some of the weaker Magical Creatures could be forcibly enslaved through the power of a contract.

The three settlements in the Shadow Realm had reportedly enslaved some of these native creatures for labor.

The sky in the Shadow Realm was perpetually overcast. With no sun to rise or moon to set, it was impossible to feel the passage of time.

This, combined with the monotonous scenery, created the illusion of being shackled to a place where time stood still.

Fortunately, Pei Ze had anticipated this and brought a quartz clock with him, allowing him to check the time whenever he wished.

They traveled through the wilderness for two days, taking one break along the way. But all they saw was more wilderness, without the slightest sign of a settlement.

Under these circumstances, Su Ya and Peng Yan were beginning to grow anxious.

During their next rest, Su Ya said with a tight frown, "Sir, searching aimlessly like this is no solution. We don’t even know if we’re headed in the right direction."

With no sun, no stars, and not a single distinct landmark, they had no way of navigating in the Shadow Realm.

They seemed to be constantly moving forward, but for all they knew, they might have just been walking in circles.

In contrast to Su Ya’s anxiety, Pei Ze remained perfectly calm, his expression tranquil.

"Don’t worry," he said. "We just need to find a few Wanderers, and there’s a good chance they can tell us where the nearest settlement is."

’Wanderers?’

Su Ya and Peng Yan froze, their expressions full of confusion.