Chapter 29: No Way to Escape

  Wu Cheng suddenly opened his eyes, feeling intense pain all over his body. What happened? Where am I?

  He struggled to sit up and scanned his surroundings. He realized he was lying in a clearing in a forest, the air thick with the smell of blood, and the pce was eerily silent.

  As his vision cleared, he saw that the ground around him was littered with corpses. Their clothes were torn, some soaked in blood, others stained with mud. Yet, the distinctive markings on their clothes were still visible. Some wore robes, others wore Daoist tunics, some were dressed in the uniforms of the Kingdom's Imperial Guard, and a few had the characters "Weiping" written on their clothes.

  Wu Cheng's hand trembled as he reached out to grab one of the bodies, which wore the "Weiping" uniform. His throat felt dry, his heart pounding violently, and his fingers were stiff, almost unable to exert strength. But he forced himself to flip the body over, trying to identify the person.

  When he turned the body over, his breath nearly stopped. The body… had no face!

  Wu Cheng gasped sharply and instantly let go of the body.

  "What’s going on?"

  He fought against the fear rising in his chest and turned over another body beside him.

  Still, no face!

  A cold chill ran up his spine, and his whole body felt frozen. His hairs stood on end, and his heart raced uncontrolbly.

  At that moment, a blood-curdling scream shattered the silence of the forest.

  Wu Cheng's body jolted, and he immediately ran toward the source of the scream.

  Once again, he found another clearing in the forest. This time, he saw a humanoid monster covered in fur, gnawing on a bloody arm!

  Not far from the monster, stood a blood-soaked figure. It was his eldest senior brother!

  His senior brother’s left shoulder was completely hollow, blood pouring out, and his face was as pale as paper, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. Despite this, he gritted his teeth and stared at the monster, his eyes burning with unyielding will.

  "Wu Cheng! Run! I can hold it off for a while!" his eldest senior brother suddenly shouted when he saw him.

  Wu Cheng wanted to run, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move.

  His senior brother's eyes turned red, and he cried out hoarsely, "Listen! Hurry and find someone to help! This isnd is filled with ability users and cultivators. You’ll definitely find someone to help!"

  Wu Cheng suddenly realized and turned around, sprinting with all his might!

  The monster licked its lips, tossing the arm aside and letting out a sinister ugh. "Go on, run. Let’s see if you can escape!"

  "This forest is a secret realm. The perimeter is surrounded by barriers. Only by passing through the space between two specific trees can one enter this secret realm. The outer barriers block all sound and scent. Those outside will never hear or see what happens inside. Those who enter the secret realm, unless they defeat me or I allow them to leave, will forever be trapped in this forest."

  Wu Cheng was already far away and did not hear these words. His eldest senior brother gathered the remaining strength in his right arm, and just as the monster ughed in triumph, he suddenly punched. "Damn monster, taste the Weiping Martial Arts Hall’s highest-level martial art, the Hundred Strikes Divine Fist!"

  Wu Cheng pushed himself with all his might, charging toward the edge of the forest. The dense branches scratched his face, leaving bloody streaks. The muddy ground made his steps unsteady. He had no time to think; his mind was focused on one thought—find someone to help.

  But after running for what seemed like an eternity, he began to feel something was wrong. The forest in front of him seemed endless; no matter how far he ran, he couldn’t reach the end.

  In his panic, his foot suddenly caught on something, and he fell to the ground.

  He turned his head to look, horrified, unable to speak.

  The thing that tripped him was a body dressed in the "Weiping" uniform. The body was twisted into an unnatural position, broken and mangled, blood and flesh in a terrible mess. Wu Cheng's gaze slowly moved up to the face, and then he saw it—the familiar face of his eldest senior brother!

  The eldest senior brother, once so strong and mighty, now y like a pile of mud on the ground. Half of his head was missing, and the remaining half had empty eye sockets, staring bnkly at the sky, as if pleading for help.

  Wu Cheng’s stomach churned violently, and a wave of nausea surged up his throat. His chest felt like it was being crushed, and he couldn’t breathe. He remembered that sinister voice, "Go on, run. Let’s see if you can escape."

  It dawned on him now. He had been running in circles in the forest! After all this time, he had returned to the same spot.

  At that moment, a giant bck shadow appeared behind him...