Chapter 514: Chapter 514

Every so often, the faint echo of distant screams reached Han Yu's ears. It made him shudder. He could not tell how far away they were, or who they belonged to.

The dark cultivators were still hunting.

His only choice was to run and hide, to survive long enough to find an opening, a path out... if such a thing even existed anymore.

But then, as he reached the crest of a low rise, he noticed something strange ahead.

The land dipped into a shallow basin filled with pools of water. The ground looked soft and damp, some patches firm and others sinking slightly under the weight of moisture. A foul yet familiar scent of wet earth and stagnant water reached his nose.

He froze, his eyes widening as realization struck him. The murky waters, the twisted mangrove roots jutting from the soil, the faint buzz of insect life.

"This place…" he whispered.

He had passed through this very marsh before, during their journey toward the tomb. The sight of it brought a sudden chill to his heart.

'How could this be here?' Han Yu knelt and touched the ground.

The mud was thick and cold, and when he lifted his hand, it left a faint shimmer of spiritual residue. The soil itself felt slightly distorted, carrying traces of the spatial cracks that had torn through the realm.

"No… this isn't possible," he muttered. "The southern marshes were far away from the tomb. For them to appear here…"

The only explanation was that the spatial fractures had extended far beyond what anyone had imagined. Whole regions had been torn from the outside world and pulled into this inner realm. The realization made his stomach twist.

Then, a darker thought crept into his mind.

He whispered it before he could stop himself. "No…"

He could not stay still. Panic gripped him as he broke into a sprint, wading through the shallow pools and ducking under the gnarled mangrove roots. He searched frantically for something familiar, anything that could confirm or deny what he feared.

Minutes passed before he found it. A large tree stood on slightly higher ground, its bark dark and streaked with old scars. Near its base, there was a distinct mark carved into the wood, a triangular notch with a cross within it.

Han Yu's knees gave way.

He fell to the ground, his hands trembling as he stared at the mark. "No… no, no, no…"

This was the mark he had made himself when he traveled through the marshes and had went scouting with other disciples. There was no mistake. This was the same tree.

'How can this be...?' His heart sank into despair.

Even this place had been dragged in.

The Undying Life Charm he had painstakingly set up had been hidden deep within these marshes, far from the tomb. It had been his one failsafe, a final measure should he perish within the inner realm. If he died, his soul would return to that charm's anchor outside this world, reviving him safely beyond its boundaries.

But now, that safety was gone. The location of the charm had been pulled in along with everything else. If he died here, he would revive here... within the same cursed realm.

Han Yu buried his face in his hands.

The exhaustion of his flight, the terror of the unknown, and the weight of despair all crashed down upon him.

His body trembled as he whispered, "There's nowhere left… nowhere left to go."

He lay there motionless, staring blankly at the sky. His thoughts scattered, drifting between fragments of memory and cold realization. His hope, his one chance of escape, had vanished.

A minute passed like that.

Then, a faint sound stirred him.

At first, he thought it was the rustle of the marsh's shifting mud, but then it came again, a sharp, wet sound followed by a muffled cry.

Han Yu tensed. He turned his head slightly, straining his senses. The noise grew clearer. A scream, raw and panicked, echoed across the still air.

He pushed himself up, crouching low behind the mangrove roots. Through the gaps in the foliage, he saw movement.

A black-robed cultivator was chasing two figures across the marsh.

The pursuer's laughter was wild and twisted, his voice carrying a cruel delight. The two fleeing disciples wore the robes of an unorthodox sect, their garments torn and stained with blood. They stumbled through the muck, gasping for breath as they tried to escape.

Han Yu watched their movement, trying to figure out who they were. All he could remember that they were part of the unorthodox sect's but he didn't remember their name, just the crest they had on their robes.

In normal times he might've considered them a threat, but right now they were the prey instead of a predator.

"Run all you like!" the dark cultivator shouted. "There's nowhere to go!"

He swung his blade, a curved weapon wreathed in faint black qi.

The air trembled as it struck. One of the fleeing disciples was cut down instantly, his scream ending in a gurgle.

The other turned to fight in desperation but was quickly overwhelmed. The dark cultivator cut him down just as easily, his laughter echoing long after the bodies fell. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꜰire.net

Han Yu watched in horror, his pulse racing. He could feel the suffocating power radiating from the killer. This one was not as strong as the winged man or the swordsman, but still far beyond what he could handle.

Then, before Han Yu could move, he felt it, a wave of spiritual sense sweeping through the marsh.

It passed over him once, then again. A faint pressure locked onto his position.

The black-robed man turned sharply, his gaze locking on the spot between two mangrove trees. His mouth curled into a grin.

"Well, well," he said, his voice dripping with mock amusement. "Looks like I found another bug to squash."