In the dense forest, Zhang Yuan darted like the wind.
After becoming a martial artist through Entering Force, his physique and strength had greatly improved. Coupled with his nightly diligent practice, his Qi Blood limit increased daily.
Most importantly, Zhang Yuan was very familiar with the terrain of this area.
Therefore, the towering trees and omnipresent vines in the forest could not hinder his running at all.
For some unknown reason, Zhang Yuan felt an indescribable sense of urgency.
It was this intuition that led him to decide to find Brother Ya one last time.
No matter if the other party could heed the warning, Zhang Yuan planned to lie low in the county city for some time.
He had done his utmost!
The little creek ahead appeared in Zhang Yuan's sight without surprise.
He breathed a sigh of relief, stopped his pace, and prepared to call Brother Ya.
The speed at which the Chen Family was clearing the way was quite fast. With the increasingly tacit cooperation among the strong laborers, it wouldn't take long to enter Brother Ya's territory.
By then, the Linhai City God Statue would also come along.
Although Zhang Yuan didn't know what kind of divine power this statue possessed, the mere thought suggested it was not something Brother Ya could contend with.
Actually, to speak the truth, Zhang Yuan was being a little too worried.
Brother Ya obviously possessed intelligence and was not a brainless beast; it should know how to seek advantage and avoid harm in the face of danger.
But if he didn't make this trip, Zhang Yuan would feel uneasy.
Just consider it meddling!
"Brother Ya~"
As soon as Zhang Yuan shouted, two black feathers suddenly shot out from the dense forest, instantly swooping down in front of him.
One of the black feathers swiftly slipped into Zhang Yuan's arms.
The other silently exploded into words in the air.
Run!
Zhang Yuan was stunned, involuntarily clenching his fists.
Originally, Zhang Yuan came to warn Brother Ya, but now it was Brother Ya issuing the sternest warning to him.
Without any hesitation, Zhang Yuan immediately turned and fled in the direction he came from.
Roar~
The next moment, a deep roar traversed the mountains, reaching afar into his ears.
Zhang Yuan's hair stood on end, a strong sense of fear arising within him.
Although the sound seemed distant, the impact on his heart was profoundly strong.
As if a prehistoric beast was awakening from slumber, declaring its presence over a hundred-mile radius.
And issuing a final ultimatum to foes!
Zhang Yuan didn't know what kind of entity the roar belonged to, but he could certainly feel it was far above him.
He wished he had more legs, using every last ounce of strength to flee desperately.
After sprinting several miles, Zhang Yuan suddenly sensed an anomaly behind him.
He couldn't resist turning back, almost losing consciousness in terror!
Only to see large swathes of black fog crazily sweeping forward, rolling tumultuously at an astonishing speed, engulfing the forest like a plague.
The forefront was already close to Zhang Yuan.
He seemed to smell an eerie scent, goosebumps rising all over his body!
Damn!
What a terrifying existence it was.
Zhang Yuan's scalp almost exploded, his speed of escape miraculously accelerating further.
He successfully dashed out of the dense forest.
At this moment, Zhang Yuan saw not far away the team chopping trees and clearing a path.
Hundreds of strong laborers worked diligently like ants, unaware of the approaching danger.
Perhaps due to the protection of the City God Statue, they felt no fear of the eerie.
But could the eerie following Zhang Yuan truly not contend with the City God Statue brought in by the Chen Family?
Zhang Yuan didn't believe this powerful eerie had anything to do with him.
It was very likely that the Chen Family's act of inviting the deity to open the mountains had angered the great eerie lurking deep in Qianfeng Mountain.
Conflict had erupted!
This was the reason Brother Ya warned him.
And in such a conflict, Zhang Yuan estimated he wasn't even counted as cannon fodder.
He resisted the urge to seek protection in the clearing crew's midst, fleeing in another direction.
As he disappeared into the trees, Zhang Yuan couldn't suppress a roar: "The eerie is here, everyone run!"
Many villagers from Chen Family Village were among the crew clearing the mountain road.
Zhang Yuan recognized most of them.
He couldn't bear to see these familiar neighbors become sacrifices.
Thus, he warned everyone.
It was still possible to run now!
Upon hearing Zhang Yuan's shout, many of the young and strong men looked up, puzzled, in the direction of the sound.
The scene they saw left them utterly terrified.
"Eerie!"
Cries of alarm echoed one after another, many villagers hurriedly dropping their tools, crying as they scattered in all directions.
"What are you running for?"
A few Chen Family household servants responsible for supervising were furious, swinging their whips at the fleeing villagers: "Do you want to die!"
They too were panicking inside.
But thinking of the invited City God Statue, they didn't completely lose their composure.
At this moment, the City God Statue placed on the altar by the roadside suddenly emitted a myriad of golden rays.
This golden light, shining upon them, made people feel warm and very comfortable.
"Lord City God has manifested!"
Someone shouted: "Everyone, come kneel and worship quickly!"
Seeing this, the panicked people immediately gathered, kneeling reverently before the statue, sincerely praying for Lord City God's protection.
As the prayers grew louder, the area covered by the City God Statue's light expanded.
A moment later, it clashed head-on with the surging eerie black fog.
The latter instantly collapsed and dissipated like snow meeting the blazing sun, emitting a sizzling sound.
Upon seeing this scene, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Their faith in Lord City God grew even stronger.
However, the eerie black fog did not retreat; instead, it continued to expand, beginning to surround the area where the clearing crew was located from different directions!
The people's cheers diminished significantly.
These black fogs began to shift, manifesting in the appearance of wolf, beast, tiger, and leopard forms, vividly lifelike as they bared their fangs and claws.
They relentlessly assaulted the defensive line of the City God Statue, compressing the protective halo bit by bit.
Hundreds of villagers instinctively huddled around the altar, curling up close together.
Their prayers trembled with fear.
In a frenzy of terror, someone lost faith in the City God Statue.
He suddenly dashed out, fleeing madly in the direction outside the mountains.
But as soon as he ran a few dozen steps, exiting the golden light's cover, a mist-formed tentacle shot forth like lightning, wrapping around him tightly.
"Ah!"
The next instant, this villager was mercilessly dragged into the thick fog.
Heart-piercing screams suddenly erupted!
From a mile away, Zhang Yuan suddenly turned his head, his heart pounding fiercely as if it were about to burst free from the confines of his chest.
His vision was filled with rolling surges of black fog.
Endless and boundless, covering the mountains and plains!