AWB Chapter 357 Investigation
Chapter 357 Investigation
Zhang Yuanshan's movements suddenly froze. His gaze swept over the runes on the ground, and his expression became even more ferocious: "You mortals, how dare you..."
"Now!" Xi Wuxu shouted.
Mo Ming seized the opportunity, burning the Demon-Suppressing Sword in his hand to its limit, piercing the air and aiming straight for Zhang Yuanshan's chest.
"Ah!!!" Zhang Yuanshan let out a shrill scream as his body was pierced by the Demon-Suppressing Sword, and the raging flames instantly devoured the evil within him.
Amidst the intense struggle, Zhang Yuanshan's body gradually returned to normal, while the ball of white light was completely incinerated by the flames, eventually turning into a wisp of black smoke and dissipating into the air.
Mo Ming slowly sheathed the Demon-Suppressing Sword, his gaze coldly fixed on Zhang Yuanshan lying on the ground.
"ended."
After the battle, the dense forest was silent, the air thick with the smell of scorching heat and gunpowder.
Zhang Yuanshan collapsed to the ground, his face pale, his chest rising and falling weakly, as if he had just escaped from hell.
His eyes regained their clarity, but his expression remained pained, and his lips trembled slightly as if he wanted to say something but could not utter a sound.
Mo Ming slowly sheathed the Demon-Suppressing Sword. The flames on the sword gradually died down, but it still emitted a residual warmth. He turned to look at Xi Wuxu and the others, his gaze cold and sharp.
"How is he?" Mo Ming's voice was deep and carried an imposing aura.
Xi Wuxu crouched down, reached out to check Zhang Yuanshan's pulse, and then looked up and said, "He's still alive, but his breath is very weak. After the evil spirit was expelled, his body suffered a severe backlash, and he probably won't be able to recover to normal in a short time."
"Will he wake up?" Wang Tinghan asked anxiously, his eyes filled with worry.
Xi Wuxu was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know, but at least for now, his life is safe."
Mo Ming nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the group. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable air of authority: "Tell me what happened. From beginning to end, don't miss any details."
Xi Wuxu took a deep breath and recounted in detail Zhang Yuanshan's unusual behavior, from his initial patrol to subsequent changes in his actions and his possession by evil spirits during the battle.
His tone was calm, but every detail revealed the complexity and danger of the situation.
After listening, Mo Ming frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Where is Zhang Yuanshan's patrol area? Where did his initial abnormality begin?"
"It's in the southeastern region, just outside the territory," Xi Wuxu replied.
“The southeast region…” Mo Ming repeated in a low voice, a cold glint in his eyes. He turned to Wang Tinghan and Wu An: “You two, when you were patrolling with Zhang Yuanshan, did you notice anything unusual?”
Wang Tinghan shook his head: "No, we patrolled in groups, and Zhang Yuanshan was in charge of the southeast area alone that day. We went there later, but didn't find anything unusual."
Wu An added, "However, Zhang Yuanshan seemed a bit strange after he came back. He said he didn't find anything unusual, but his behavior was obviously off, as if he was deliberately hiding something."
Mo Ming nodded, his eyes growing even more profound: "It seems the problem lies in the southeast region. I'll go take a look."
“Chief, let me go with you!” Wang Tinghan said immediately.
"No, thank you." Mo Ming refused. "You all stay here to take care of Zhang Yuanshan; he's still very weak. Xi Wuxu, you stay here too and arrange for people to guard the shelter to prevent any more evil creatures from invading."
Wang Tinghan nodded.
Mo Ming didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards the southeast area.
As night deepened, the woods in the southeastern region were shrouded in an eerie silence.
The trees here are taller than elsewhere, but their branches and leaves are withered and shriveled, as if some force has drained their life force. A putrid smell permeates the air, and even the wind seems heavy, carrying an ominous air.
Mo Ming slowly stepped into the woods, his footsteps rustling softly over the thick layer of fallen leaves. His eyes scanned his surroundings warily, his hand already gripping the hilt of the Demon-Suppressing Sword, ready to strike at any moment.
"The aura here..." Mo Ming murmured to himself. He could sense that there was some lingering aura of evil spirits in this forest.
As he ventured deeper into the forest, Mo Ming discovered many strange marks. The ground was covered with irregular gullies, as if dragged by some enormous creature.
The tree trunk was carved with some twisted symbols that emitted a faint black light, like some kind of curse.
Continuing onward, Mo Ming soon arrived at an open space. In the center of this open space stood a huge black stone tablet, covered with dense runes, emanating unsettling energy fluctuations.
On the ground surrounding the stone tablet, a huge magic circle was drawn. The lines of the magic circle were blurred, but you could still vaguely make out the image of a monster with outstretched wings at the center.
"It really is a summoning circle. Although this place is on the edge of the territory, it has already exceeded the perception range of the superior domain. No wonder it was able to embed itself here without anyone noticing."
Mo Ming's gaze turned cold. He could sense that although the magic array had been destroyed, the residual energy was still powerful, indicating that an extremely powerful evil entity had once been summoned here.
In other words, there are other evil entities hiding on the sky island.
"Damn it, who is it?! Who is summoning evil creatures on the sky island?" Mo Ming's face grew increasingly gloomy.
He slowly approached the stone tablet, his demon-suppressing sword slightly unsheathed, the flames on its blade illuminating the surrounding darkness.
"Om-"
Just as Mo Ming approached the stone tablet, a low humming sound suddenly filled the air. The runes on the stone tablet began to emit a faint glow, as if activated by some kind of power.
"As expected, there's something else hidden." Mo Ming said coldly, and the Demon-Suppressing Sword in his hand was suddenly drawn. The flames on the sword instantly erupted, turning into a blazing pillar of light that pierced straight into the stone tablet.
"boom!"
The flames crashed against the stone tablet with a deafening roar. However, the stone tablet remained unmoved; the flames were absorbed by the runes and seemed to vanish into thin air.
"This stone tablet... is part of the seal?" Mo Ming's brows furrowed even more.
Just then, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. The remaining runes of the magic circle around the stone tablet lit up, and black smoke poured out of the magic circle, condensing into a twisted black shadow.
"Roar--"
The shadowy figure let out a low roar, as if from the depths of hell. Its form was indistinct, but a pair of enormous wings and a long tail could be seen, exuding a strong aura of evil.
“The residual will of a low-level evil creature…” Mo Ming stared coldly at the shadowy figure, raising the Demon-Suppressing Sword high, and the flames reignited.
The dark figure did not retreat, but instead pounced on Mo Ming with such speed that it was almost invisible.
"You're courting death!" Mo Ming sneered, and suddenly swung the Demon-Suppressing Sword in his hand. The flames transformed into an arc of sword energy, slicing the black shadow in half at the waist.
"laugh--"
After the shadowy figure was cut in two, it turned into a pool of black liquid and dripped onto the ground.
However, the liquid did not dissipate, but quickly seeped into the ground, as if it were absorbed by some force.