One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng stared at that spot, then looked up at the direction outside the airport, shrouded in chaotic spiritual energy, faintly visible under the gloomy sky. The jade pendant and warm jade heart on his chest began to heat up slightly again, this time with a hint of... a subtle, almost imperceptible pull.

"Is the car ready?" He put away his tablet.

"Ready, bulletproof, specially made chassis, capable of handling complex terrain. I'll take you to the edge of the restricted area," Old Zhou said immediately.

"No need. Give me the car. You stay and guard the perimeter, establish a defensive line. Without my order, no one—including company personnel—is allowed to enter the area within three kilometers of Buddha's Head." Nie Lingfeng's tone left no room for doubt. "This is 'Dawn's' authority."

Old Zhou paused for a moment, then met Nie Lingfeng's calm yet unfathomable eyes. A chill ran through him, and he immediately nodded, "Yes! I'll arrange it right away!"

Soon, a specially modified black SUV was handed over to Nie Lingfeng. He and Chen Duo got in, and Nie Lingfeng drove himself. The car sped out of the airport like a black cheetah, heading towards the Leshan scenic area.

The closer they got to the scenic area, the more obvious the abnormalities became. The roads were twisted and cracked, large areas of vegetation were withered and dead, and the air was filled with dust and an indescribable smell that mixed with incense, rust, and a faint, sweet, fishy odor. The original mountain road had collapsed in several places, forcing Nie Lingfeng to drive along the bumpy, rugged terrain.

Finally, about a kilometer from the edge of the restricted area marked on the map, the off-road vehicle could go no further. The ground ahead looked as if it had been pounded by a giant, riddled with crisscrossing, enormous cracks and bulges. Thick, impenetrable grayish-white mist poured out from the cracks, obscuring visibility and severely interfering with perception. The chaotic and violent spiritual energy here had become so concentrated that it created tangible pressure, making even breathing difficult.

Nie Lingfeng stopped the car and got out with Chen Duo. He tried to extend his senses, but his usually sharp spiritual sense, which could easily cover several kilometers, could only barely extend about a hundred meters under the interference of the thick fog and chaotic spiritual energy. Moreover, the information that came back was fragmented, full of distortion and noise.

"Stay close to me, don't stray more than three steps from my side." Nie Lingfeng grasped Chen Duo's hand and channeled a gentle, peaceful stream of Xuanwu True Scripture internal energy into her, helping her resist the oppressive spiritual energy from the outside world. Chen Duo nodded, and with her other hand, she secretly formed a phoenix seal. A faint golden halo enveloped the two of them, slightly separating the chaotic spiritual energy that was trying to erode them.

The two trudged deeper into the thick fog, their steps uneven. The ground beneath their feet was strangely soft, sometimes as hard as iron, sometimes as soft as a swamp. All around was deathly still; not even the wind or the chirping of insects could be heard, only the faint sound of their footsteps on the sand and stones, and the clearly audible sounds of their heartbeats and breathing.

After walking for about ten minutes, the thick fog ahead suddenly churned violently, as if something was stirring within it. Nie Lingfeng immediately shielded Chen Duo behind him, and his Snow Drinking Blade was instantly drawn and held horizontally in front of him.

The thick fog parted to both sides, and a figure staggered out.

He was a young man wearing the company's standard combat uniform, his face covered in blood, his eyes unfocused. He was holding a twisted and deformed alloy dagger in his hand, and he had multiple lacerations on his body. The most serious one was on his left shoulder, where a hole the size of a bowl was gushing blood. The edges of the wound had an eerie bluish-black tinge, and tiny, black, earthworm-like energies were constantly wriggling and eroding it.

He is one of the missing field personnel! Judging from his injuries, he must have been in an extremely fierce battle, and his wounds have been contaminated by some kind of evil energy.

"Help...help me..." The young man saw Nie Lingfeng, and a faint light shone in his unfocused eyes. He reached out his hand and cried out hoarsely, "There's...there's a monster...something...is coming out of the Buddha's eye..."

Before he could finish speaking, the thick fog behind him exploded! A huge, ferocious black shadow, carrying a nauseating stench and terrifying pressure, pounced out!

It was a monster the size of an elephant, covered in dark red scales, with a single horn on its head! It resembled a lizard, but its limbs were as thick as pillars, its claws and teeth as sharp as knives, and corrosive saliva dripped from its gaping maw, scorching the ground into small pits. Most bizarrely, its eyes were a pure, crazed blood red, without pupils, only endless ferocity and a destructive desire.

The aura emanating from this monster… Nie Lingfeng's pupils constricted sharply—chaotic, violent, carrying a strong fire attribute, yet mixed with a deeper, more chilling evil! Unlike the fiery holiness of the Fire Qilin, this monster's aura was more like… the corrupted, distorted power of the Qilin!

"roar--!!!"

The unicorn monster let out a deafening roar, its blood-red eyes fixed on Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo. It slammed its hind legs against the ground, transforming into a dark red afterimage, and pounced forward with a piercing shriek that tore through the air! Its speed and power far surpassed any enemy it had ever encountered before!

"Chen Duo, save him!" Nie Lingfeng shouted, advancing instead of retreating. His Snow Drinking Blade unleashed a dazzling icy blue light as he slashed at the onrushing monster!

The Six Secrets of Frostbite—A Glimpse of Startling Cold!

The extremely cold and yin energy of the blade tore through the thick fog and struck the monster's giant claw with pinpoint accuracy!

"clang--!!!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing was accompanied by an explosion of bone-chilling cold! The monster's giant claw was slightly deflected by the blade's energy, and a thick layer of white frost condensed on its scales, but it was not severed! Only a deep, white gash remained, revealing the exposed flesh!

"Such a tough defense!" Nie Lingfeng's heart skipped a beat. Although he hadn't used his full strength in that strike, it was still enough to split metal and shatter stone, yet it had only wounded the monster's flesh?

The monster, in pain, became even more enraged, unleashing a dark red, sulfurous breath of fire! The air distorted where the flames passed, and even the thick fog was instantly evaporated!

"Phoenix True Fire—Defend!" Chen Duo had already dragged the injured field personnel to the back. At this moment, she formed hand seals and shouted, and a golden flame barrier rose in front of her and the wounded, blocking the dark red flames that were shooting towards them. The two flames collided, making a "sizzling" burning sound. The golden Phoenix True Fire was clearly superior, quickly purifying and forcing back the dark red flames.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Nie Lingfeng moved like the wind, instantly circling to the monster's side. He swung his Snow Drinking Blade repeatedly, unleashing a torrent of blade energy that targeted the monster's weak points, such as its joints and eyes. At the same time, he was also carefully observing the monster.

Swift in movement, immensely strong, with astonishing defense, and capable of breathing fire… these characteristics do indeed resemble the Fire Qilin. However, the lingering evil and chaos emanating from it, so diametrically opposed to the Qilin's sacred aura, and its blood-red eyes filled only with destructive desire, all indicate that it is no divine beast, but rather… a demon! A monster born from the corruption of some force!

"Could it be... that the Fire Qilin in Lingyun Cave has also been affected? Or is this monster something else entirely?" Nie Lingfeng's mind raced, but his hands didn't stop moving. He stopped probing, a three-colored light flashed in his eyes, and the Three-Part Returning Qi surged into motion. The cold light on the Snow Drinking Blade was instantly tinged with a hazy, chaotic gray, and its power surged!

"Three-part return to origin—Slash!"

With a single slash, the hazy blade energy was no longer cold; instead, it carried a chaotic aura that seemed capable of disintegrating and devouring everything, tearing through the air and striking the monster's neck with deadly force!

"Pfft!"

This time, the scales couldn't completely block it. The blade's energy pierced deep, and dark red, foul-smelling blood gushed out like a fountain! The monster let out a shrill, agonizing howl, its massive body twisting wildly, smashing the surrounding ground into a mess.

Nie Lingfeng pressed his advantage relentlessly, his figure moving like a ghost as he followed closely behind. His Snow Drinking Blade transformed into a sky full of blade shadows, enveloping the monster within them. Each strike contained the disintegrating power of three parts of the Returning Origin Qi, continuously adding deep, bone-revealing wounds to the monster's body.

The monster finally became afraid. A primal fear flashed in its blood-red eyes. It actually took a few steps back, swung its thick tail fiercely to force Nie Lingfeng back, then turned around, pawed at the ground with its limbs, and fled madly into the depths of the thick fog—towards the Buddha's head—without looking back!

"Trying to run?" Nie Lingfeng's eyes turned cold, and he was about to give chase when suddenly his chest burned again! This time, the heat was so intense he almost groaned! Immediately afterward, an overwhelming, irresistible calling, seemingly from the depths of his soul, surged from the direction of the Buddha's head! At the same time, he clearly sensed that deep within the dense fog ahead, at the center of the chaotic and violent spiritual energy, an ancient, desolate aura, imbued with supreme majesty yet faintly familiar, was slowly awakening and rising…

It's Lingyun Cave! Is it the Fire Qilin? Or... something else entirely?

Nie Lingfeng stopped and looked in the direction the monster had fled, then at the company field agent lying on the ground barely alive, and then at Chen Duo beside him, whose eyes were filled with questions.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the burning sensation in his chest and the trembling in his soul, and walked to the wounded soldier's side. He knelt down, quickly examined his injuries, and carefully used the Qilin Fire to burn away the writhing black energy at the wound site. Then he took out his communicator: "Old Zhou, send a medical team to the edge of the restricted area to provide support. There's a wounded soldier, seriously injured, corrupted by evil energy. Also, a suspected contaminated Fire Qilin variant monster has been discovered and has fled towards the Buddha Head direction. I will continue to investigate further. Before I leave, no one is allowed to enter!"

After saying that, he looked at Chen Duo, his eyes grave: "Chen Duo, what lies ahead... might be very dangerous, more dangerous than we can imagine. You..."

"Wherever you go, I'll go," Chen Duo interrupted him, her voice soft but unusually firm. Her emerald eyes reflected Nie Lingfeng's face, and also the huge, faintly visible shadow in the distant fog. "And I also feel... something there, like it's calling to me."

Looking into Chen Duo's clear and determined eyes, Nie Lingfeng felt a surge of warmth, boundless pride, and resolve.

Whether what lies ahead is the Lingyun Cave, the Fire Qilin, the conspiracy of "that being," or... the "path" to the original world, he is determined to explore it!

For the truth, and also for... the girl beside him who was willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Okay." Nie Lingfeng grasped Chen Duo's hand, the two smiled at each other, then turned around and, without hesitation, stepped on the bloodstains and footprints left by the unicorn monster, heading towards the deepest part of the thick fog, towards the huge, compassionately smiling Buddha head, and walked resolutely.

The wind seemed to pick up even faster. Thick fog churned, as if foreshadowing a storm that would sweep across two worlds, about to erupt with a roar centered on this abruptly appearing Buddha head.