Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 708 The Two Realms Return to One (Two chapters combined)

"Boom!!!"

The heartbeat emanating from deep within the tumor was no longer a muffled thunderclap, but more like the desperate roar of a dying beast in the abyss. Each beat caused the space to tremble, and viscous, dark red blood vessels convulsed wildly on the surface of the tumor, like countless leeches saturated with blood writhing and writhing in mucus. The gurgling sound of flowing blood mingled with a tooth-grinding, viscous sound, as if organs were being squeezed, particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"

The heartbeat grew increasingly violent, like a mad drummer pounding the gates of hell with a giant mallet covered in human skin! Heavy sound waves overlapped, creating ghostly echoes in the enclosed, dark space.

"It's this thing that's summoning them!" Xiao Ran's pupils constricted sharply, their icy sharpness almost piercing through the filthy flesh before him. Instinctively, he reached into the void, attempting to summon the blood-soaked, decapitated blade—

My palms are empty.

[Warning! You are within the range of the cursed legend and cannot use cursed items.]

A chilling notification sound exploded in his mind. Xiao Ran's lips curled into a cold, almost ferocious sneer.

His movements were as swift as lightning, shattering the congealed blood beneath his feet with a single step! His right fist condensed a visible, violent spiritual power, like a burning comet, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, and slammed fiercely into the swollen, crimson skin of the tumor, which seemed to breathe like a living creature!

"boom--!!!"

That wasn't the sound of flesh colliding; it was the booming of a heavy hammer striking a rotten anvil! The flesh on the surface of the tumor exploded like rotting fruit! Foul-smelling, dark blood mixed with viscous chunks of minced meat sprayed wildly in all directions like a high-pressure water jet!

“Sizzle, sizzle—!!!”

Where the filthy blood splattered, the ground boiled violently, rising up a pungent, fishy-green smoke, instantly carving out countless, bottomless, charred pits!

A pale blue aura of spiritual light emanated from Xiao Ran's body, flowing endlessly. The filthy blood and flesh that collided with this invisible barrier were like hitting a red-hot iron plate, instantly repelled and evaporated, leaving behind twisted black trails.

The tumor was severely damaged and convulsed violently! The surface blood vessels throbbed wildly like a dying venomous snake. The pounding heartbeat suddenly stopped, then resumed beating at an almost frantic frequency!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The rain was so dense it was like a torrential downpour pounding on a broken drum! This was no longer a call, but a desperate, dying scream!
“Roar——!!!”

The lurking demonic shadows around them were ignited! Countless low, hoarse roars filled with bloodlust rose and fell, merging into a death chorus from the abyss!

"Stop hitting them! They...they're going out of control!!" Shao Hongzhang was pale, beads of cold sweat soaked his temples, his voice trembled with extreme fear, and his legs could barely support him.

Xiao Ran ignored him! The mental energy on his fist compressed and spun wildly, condensing into a spiral-shaped, almost tangible, sharp drill! His fist once again pierced deeply into the wound that had split open in the tumor!
"burst!"

As soon as Xiao Ran had a thought, his spiritual power, which pierced through flesh and blood, exploded out.

“BOOM!!!!”

Flesh and blood flying everywhere!
The shockwave from the explosion, carrying a foul stench, rushed towards us! Several dark red arteries, as thick as a child's arm, were severed by the blast.

The filthy black blood gushed out like the floodwaters of the Styx, and a strong stench of decaying corpses instantly filled the air!
"Didn't you say they couldn't do anything to us?" Xiao Ran shook off the sticky blood from his fist, turned his head without looking back, and spoke in a voice as cold as ice cracking.

Shao Hongzhang's throat bobbed as he swallowed his fear with difficulty. He understood the reasoning, but the overwhelming malice emanating from countless pairs of eyes gleaming with hungry malice in the darkness around him almost crushed his bones and suffocated him!

The sarcoma, having suffered a fatal blow, finally weakened rapidly, its frantic heartbeat fading away like a candle flickering in the wind.

As the death knell faded, the howls of the demons gradually subsided, returning to a more dangerous, chilling stillness, like the calm before a storm.

Xiao Ran took two steps back, his sharp, hawk-like gaze sweeping over the layers of distorted figures silently surrounding him. "How much longer?" he hissed.

Shao Hongzhang jolted awake, his gaze snapping to the seven wooden stakes he had painstakingly laid out. The ghastly green flames atop the stakes had somehow acquired a strange yet sacred silver-gray halo! That halo flowed and intertwined as if alive!
"Almost there! It's done! At the latest, one incense stick's time!" Overjoyed, Shao Hongzhang's voice changed.

Xiao Ran nodded expressionlessly, but his eyes grew even deeper and more unfathomable. Something was wrong! Something was very wrong! These monsters had stopped their infighting and were now silently surrounding him... This unusual calm sent chills down his spine even more than their previous frenzied roars.

"Crack——!"

A crisp sound of snapping twigs suddenly came from the forest.

Five enormous figures, exuding a demonic aura of oppression, slowly stepped out of the dense darkness. They barely maintained the outlines and skeletons of humans, but their bodies had long been twisted and mutated, and each step they took carried a weight that made the earth groan.

Xiao Ran's eyes narrowed instantly to pinpoints! He recognized the identities of these five people.

These were the five Xuan Ding Guards he had seen not long ago.

These five men were already masters of martial arts, ruthless and experienced.

After breaking into this place, relying on their own formidable strength and the tacit cooperation of the five people, they slaughtered and plundered at an extremely fast speed, and quickly completed a terrifying transformation far beyond that of ordinary people!
Even in their grotesque forms, their eyes do not gleam with chaos and rage, but rather with a sharp, cold, cunning, and greedy glint, their human intellect and thought perfectly preserved beneath their demonic exteriors!
Five oppressive gazes, like tangible steel needles, scraped across Xiao Ran and Shao Hongzhang repeatedly before finally settling firmly on Xiao Ran.

From the cracked pores of Tan Shancai came a hoarse, strange sound, like sandpaper rubbing together, filled with undisguised greed and astonishment: "Your Excellency... who exactly are you? Why... is your appearance completely unchanged?!"

Ignoring the questioning, Xiao Ran took a step forward, his spiritual power silently surging, his gaze like a knife piercing the still weakly twitching filthy tumor: "Who are you? This thing, you're the ones who did it?" His killing intent was chilling.

They were all cunning foxes, and Xiao Ran's confrontational and sharp-tongued attitude instantly made the five Tan brothers understand that he was up to no good!
"Boy! You're asking for death!" Tan Shanming's four eyes flashed with ferocity, and his lips curled into an inhuman grin! "Pfft!" With a sharp whistle, a pale white bone spur covered in slime shot out of his mouth with lightning speed, aiming straight for Xiao Ran's brow!
Xiao Ran remained motionless, not even blinking. The bone spur, strong enough to pierce steel, passed through him like a phantom, "whoosh," and disappeared into the darkness behind his head.

But from beginning to end, Xiao Ran
A look of surprise and seriousness flashed across Tan Shanming's eyes as he silently retreated to Tan Shancai's side.

"Ha! Hahaha!" Tan Shancai let out a series of strange laughs like the hooting of a night owl, raised his crystal arm, and made an extremely stiff and ironic cupped-hand salute.

“My brother is outspoken and has offended you, esteemed one! I am Tan Shancai. These are the names of my kinsmen, Shanming, Shanye, Shanming, and Shanyuan. May I ask... your esteemed name?” The crystal arm twitched slightly unconsciously as the greeting was finished.

"Wealth, fame, career, fate, destiny..." Xiao Ran sneered inwardly, his voice filled with undisguised sarcasm. "Greed for wealth, fame, career, life, destiny... What a fine 'Zai Xi'! Even the name reeks of skinning, bone-splitting, marrow-draining greed. No wonder they're known in the martial arts world as the Treasure-Hidden Clan, leaving nothing but desolation wherever they go, even more chilling than the rats (tomb raiders) underground!"

Xiao Ran's words were like knives, piercing straight to the lungs.

The feigned politeness on Tan Shancai's face froze instantly! The four brothers beside him changed color even more, their mutated limbs cracking and popping, and a fierce aura soared into the sky!

"You—are—looking for—death—!!" Tan Shanming's eyes were bloodshot, and his roar shook the leaves in the forest! They had roamed the martial world for decades, and even before they submitted to the King of Chu, no one had dared to humiliate the Tan family to their faces like this!
The muscles on Tan Shancai's face, covered in scales and crystals (if they still existed), twitched violently a few times. He forcibly suppressed the hint of displeasure, twisting it into an even more sinister, fake smile:

"Ha...haha...every profession has its own rules, and every sect has its own code of conduct! Although my family is in the business of treasure hunting, we have always adhered to our ancestral teachings: we will not take what belongs to us, nor will we take what belongs to us! You have a very deep misunderstanding of my family!"

Xiao Ran nodded as if suddenly enlightened, his face showing an extremely exaggerated expression of "admiration": "Oh—! I understand! Kill the owner, and the treasure will naturally be ownerless! Trick the villagers away and destroy the village, and it will naturally be homeless! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Wonderful! Incredibly wonderful!"

His voice suddenly turned cold, like an ice pick piercing to the bone, "If you didn't have such skill in killing and seizing property, how could you have gathered up the 'blessings' of the Three Rivers and Five Lakes to offer as tribute to that old dog, the King of Chu?!"

"You?!" The last shred of pretense on Tan Shancai's face shattered completely! Thick green mist erupted uncontrollably from his gill openings!

The killing intent swept out like a tangible cold wave! He never expected that Xiao Ran would so directly pierce through this veil of pretense.

The purple light within Tan Shancai's crystal arm flickered wildly. He stared intently at Xiao Ran, his voice seemingly emanating from the deepest hell: "Fine... very fine! I tried to reason with you, but you pressed on relentlessly. Do you really think the Five Tigers of the Tan family are paper dolls?!" The last few words were a roar!
"Oh?" Xiao Ran crossed his arms, looking relaxed, but his eyes remained sharp. "Five tigers? I think they're five sick cats. Show me what tricks you have up your sleeve and let me see how much of your 'scraping' skills you have left."

Tan Shancai let out a cold, gloomy snort and fell silent. The five brothers instantly dispersed, like five ghostly figures, vaguely occupying five positions. Their cold and violent auras intertwined to form an invisible net, completely sealing off all possible escape routes for Xiao Ran! The air became so heavy it almost solidified.

“This…this…” Shao Hongzhang’s heart jumped to his throat, and cold sweat soaked his back again. He subconsciously looked at the seven wooden stakes again.

The flames atop the wooden stake had completely transformed into pure silver! The flames surged fiercely, almost engulfing the entire stake! Within the flames, countless thin, wispy silver threads collided and twisted wildly, gradually revealing illusory characters!

"It's done! It's almost done!"

Shao Hongzhang's face lit up with joy, and he grabbed Xiao Ran's arm, speaking excitedly.

Amidst the flames, a surge of energy could be seen, with strands of silver threads constantly intertwining and transforming into scattered characters.

This means that the suppressed literary pillars are beginning to break through the suppression of the tumor, and the literary talent of this dynasty over the past 300 years will be enough to set things right.

Thinking of this, Shao Hongzhang could no longer contain his excitement.

However, Xiao Ran's mood was completely different from his. While facing Shao Hongzhang's joy, Xiao Ran's eyes were more focused on the actions of the Tan brothers.

"boom!!"

At that moment, a ray of silver light burst forth from the flames, and in an instant, shimmering light appeared, revealing a magnificent masterpiece.

After finishing her makeup, she whispered to her husband, "Is my eyebrow makeup fashionable?"

The elegant and graceful imagery of poetry drifted down with the light rain, landing on the ground and transforming into shimmering ripples. Wherever pure talent passed, the filth and defilement of flesh melted away like ice and snow!
"Great! Great! Your talent has been revealed!!" Shao Hongzhang shouted with ecstasy.

A few drops of silver light unintentionally fell onto the huge tumor, and the originally dirty and tough flesh was instantly ignited, rising up wisps of purifying silver flames!
However, just as Shao Hongzhang was overjoyed, a shadowy figure, moving with incredible speed and carrying a chilling killing intent, suddenly burst out of the forest and charged towards Shao Hongzhang. Seeing this, Xiao Ran immediately stepped in front of Shao Hongzhang, raising her fist to meet the shadowy figure's attack.

However, the punch passed right through the opponent's figure without any hindrance, leaving Xiao Ran with nothing.

The demonic shadow then pounced on Shao Hongzhang, its claws piercing through his head.

Although there was no actual contact, it did startle Shao Hongzhang.

It took him a while to come to his senses, and his face turned terribly pale. Even though he had prepared to risk his life, the fear between life and death still made Shao Hongzhang feel extremely uneasy.

Looking back, he saw the guy who had attacked him slowly stand up. He was a figure nearly two meters tall, his whole body covered in gray bones, even his head was covered by a thick layer of bones.

After missing his first attack, the opponent stared coldly at Shao Hongzhang.

Seemingly just recovering from fear, or perhaps fueled by rage, Shao Hongzhang immediately burst into a tirade: "You beast! You think you can kill your grandfather?! My head is right here, come and take it if you dare!!"

"do not talk!"

At this moment, Xiao Ran spoke up to remind him, feeling increasingly uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

However, having just experienced the trauma of a brush with death, Shao Hongzhang completely ignored Xiao Ran's advice and continued to provoke her, pointing at the huge, already ignited tumor and saying, "Wait a little longer, when this thing is completely ablaze, the world will be restored to order, and all of you beasts will die!!"

Just as Shao Hongzhang was getting into his rant, Xiao Ran suddenly realized something, her expression changed drastically, and she turned around to see that the guy who had attacked Shao Hongzhang was now only five or six meters away from him.

"Be careful!!"

Xiao Ran's pupils constricted sharply, and his figure became a blur as he focused his mental energy into his fist and slammed it towards Shao Hongzhang's back.

At that moment, Shao Hongzhang was completely unaware of the danger. By the time he came to his senses, the opponent's claws were already reaching for Shao Hongzhang's forehead.

But Shao Hongzhang didn't take it to heart at all. After his experience, he didn't think these things could pose any threat to him.

Unexpectedly, the next second Xiao Ran's fist collided with the opponent's sharp claws.

"Bang!! Crack!!"

First came a muffled thud, followed by the sound of bones cracking. The sharp claws covered in bones in front of him crumbled inch by inch against Xiao Ran's fist. The body covered in bone spurs flew more than ten feet like a rag doll, crashing into three ancient trees before finally coming to a stop.

Seeing this, Shao Hongzhang's expression changed drastically. He turned around in shock to look at Xiao Ran: "What's going on?"

They were clearly not in the same space, yet Xiao Ran's fist collided solidly with the other's.

"Have you forgotten something?!" Xiao Ran shook the blood off her fist, her face dark as she glanced sideways at Shao Hongzhang.

Shao Hongzhang stood frozen in place, his face still frozen with the shock of surviving a disaster. He looked around blankly. The silver flames burning on the seven pillars had formed a curtain of light, and the tumor was covered with a layer of silver flames, rapidly shrinking under the firelight. In just a short while, it had shrunk by more than half its original size.

Seeing that he still didn't understand, Xiao Ran pointed to the scattered silver light: "Look carefully, this talent is assimilating the space."

Shao Hongzhang wants to use Wenzhu to set things right and correct Huangchao's distorted space. This means that when Wenzhu breaks the seal, their space will overlap with that of these monsters.

Xiao Ran squinted and looked around. The restless eyes were already starting to stir impatiently. Finally, his gaze locked onto Tan Shancai and the others, and he said coldly, "Otherwise, what do you think they are waiting for?"

Shao Hongzhang swayed, seemingly finally understanding, but still unwilling to accept it, he argued for himself: "No, no, once the Wenzhu breaks the seal, its three hundred years of talent is not something these evil spirits can get close to. How dare they?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran did not argue further. Facts speak louder than words; Shao Hongzhang was indeed capable, but he had some personal flaws.

This guy's problem is that he's too arrogant.

"puff!!"

Just then, a ray of silver light pierced through from under the tumor, transforming into a piece of writing before everyone's eyes. Its literary talent scattered like streaks of sword light, splitting the shrunken tumor in two.

The silvery light spilled down, making the surrounding space even more hazy.

"Roar!!!"

At the same time, a sharp roar came from in front of us, followed by "whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!" three figures rushed forward first.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three figures moved with ghostly speed, accompanied by a bloody gust of wind that tore through the air, rushing straight towards Xiao Ran!

The leading demonic figure, with a ferocious face, had a grotesque gash on its twisted bone face, letting out a silent roar. Its claws blazed with dark light, like two enormous ghostly claws coated with deadly poison that distorted space, tearing through layers of air and aiming straight for Xiao Ran's heart! Where the claws passed, they left behind streaks of black corrosion, emitting a nauseating stench of burnt bone marrow.

The demonic shadow on the left completely transformed into a writhing, churning storm of flesh and blood! Countless scarlet tendrils burst forth from its torso, each as sharp as a steel needle.

The demonic figure on the right stretched and softened eerily, like a boneless sludge monster. Its limbs transformed into several pale tentacles covered with suckers, secreting a slippery, dark green slime. Wherever it passed, the ground sizzled and emitted highly toxic green smoke!

"Humph!"

Xiao Ran's pupils flashed with a cold light. Facing the attack from three sides, he neither dodged nor avoided! His body suddenly sank, and the filthy blood beneath his feet exploded, creating a deep crater! On his right fist, the violent mental energy was no longer simply compressed, but suddenly condensed and compressed to the extreme.

Without the cursed object's blessing, Xiao Ran's strength was greatly reduced, but it didn't faze him at all. He combined his fist techniques with his mental power.

"die!"

A chilling word escaped Xiao Ran's throat. Instead of defending against any attack, he slammed his fist, imbued with destructive power, into the ground in front of him!
"Boom!!!"

Centered on the point where Xiao Ran's fist landed, a visible destructive shockwave, mixed with countless pale blue arcs of mental electricity, exploded out in a ring shape like a raging white tide!

The first to be hit, the demonic shadow, its terrifying claws tearing through space, emitted a teeth-grinding "crunch" the instant they came into contact with the shockwave! The dark light flickered wildly, like a candle in the wind, and then shattered inch by inch.

His massive body was as if it had been struck head-on by an ancient ferocious beast. He let out a painful howl and was violently thrown away by the unparalleled force, crashing into the writhing flesh wall dozens of feet away, where he was deeply embedded, his flesh and blood a mangled mess!
The demonic shadows on the left and right sides were even worse.

The seemingly viscous and tough flesh and roots were torn apart instantly like snowflakes under the scorching sun before the blazing white shockwave, not even having time to utter a mournful cry.

Those cunning, pale tentacles, as the shockwave swept over them, convulsed and withered violently, like slugs scalded by red-hot iron rods! The tough suckers were charred black, and the highly toxic mucus they secreted was instantly evaporated!

The power of Xiao Ran's punch shocked even the Tan family brothers hiding behind him.

But the surprise was only brief; it was replaced by burning greed.

With such a powerful physique, one need not elaborate on one's innate abilities.

They devoured so many people and became like this, yet their fundamental nature could never reach perfection.

Xiao Ran's appearance now gives them hope.

As long as they devour this guy, the five brothers will surely be able to achieve perfect innate qualities.

Thinking of this jar of good fortune, he stared intently at Xiao Ran: "Good, very good, perfect potential, but how long can you hold on?!"

At this, the five brothers of Tan Shancai all stood up and pointed at Xiao Ran at the same time: "Attack him together! Tear him apart!"

As soon as the words fell, the figures around Tan Shancai and his group could no longer suppress their inner hunger and charged towards Xiao Ran with sharp roars.

"start!"

Xiao Ran frowned, quickly formed hand seals, and then stepped forward. As the corpse pool unfolded, the Yin Sha Formation that Xiao Ran had previously buried was also activated.

"Hu~~"

A cold wind rose from the ground, and countless cracks appeared in the ground, revealing a black pool of corpses as viscous as tar.

Those figures who rushed into the pool of corpses suddenly stopped, as if their bodies were being crushed by a boulder, and their limbs became stiff.

Upon closer inspection, it's easy to see that a huge rock has appeared above their heads, hanging behind them, constantly growing larger until it presses these guys to the ground, rendering them completely immobile...

(End of this chapter)