Wandering Swordsman |

Meanwhile, Shen Mo attacked the Demon-Refining Beast with all his might, each strike imbued with his profound inner strength. He wielded the Tai'a Sword, its light streaking across the night sky like a meteor, each strike sending sparks flying from the beast's hard scales. Despite this, the Demon-Refining Beast's massive body seemed unharmed; instead, it was enraged, letting out a deafening roar that seemed to tremble the entire valley.

He knew that only by drawing the attention of this ferocious beast could he buy them time to escape. Seeing the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, Shen Mo immediately stopped attacking, turned, and sped off in the opposite direction, using this as a way to lure the demon-refining beast away.

The Demon-Refining Beast moved like a small hill, each step accompanied by a violent tremor in the ground. It followed closely behind, its massive form appearing and disappearing among the trees. Shen Mo felt the pressure from behind growing stronger; each step felt like walking on a knife's edge. But he gritted his teeth and persevered, his speed increasing rather than decreasing. He prayed only that he would encounter totems along the way to escape the Demon-Refining Beast's pursuit.

However, fate seemed determined not to let him off so easily. During his swift escape, Shen Mo encountered no totems. He changed directions several times, trying to find a way out, but each time he failed.

The trees in the dense forest were towering, their branches and leaves so thick that they almost completely blocked out all the light, making the surroundings exceptionally dark and damp. A faint, putrid odor permeated the air, causing a sense of unease. Shen Mo proceeded cautiously, remaining constantly vigilant in case of sudden danger.

As Shen Mo passed through a dense forest, a high wall suddenly appeared before him.

This high wall, reaching tens of feet in height, is built of black boulders and covered with moss and vines, giving it an ancient and mysterious feel.

Seeing the high wall, Shen Mo's heart sank. He clearly remembered seeing this wall when he entered the Demon Refining Mountain, because it was the very wall that surrounded the mountain. Now, it had become the biggest obstacle to his escape.

Shen Mo stood at the foot of the wall, looking up at the tall city wall, and his mind was instantly filled with thoughts: What should I do now?

As the footsteps of the demon-refining beast grew closer behind him, the invisible pressure made him feel suffocated. At this critical moment, Shen Mo steeled his resolve and decided to try his lightness skill to scale the high wall.

He took a deep breath, concentrated all his strength in his legs, and then leaped into the air. His body, like a nimble cheetah, drew a graceful arc in the air, flying towards the top of the high wall.

Just as he was about to touch the top of the wall, Shen Mo felt a powerful force coming from beneath his feet, as if an invisible barrier was blocking his progress. He was startled, and before he could figure out why this was happening, he began to fall back down.

As Shen Mo landed, the Demon-Refining Beast closed in to within ten steps of him, its massive claws lashing out with a whistling sound. At this critical moment, a figure suddenly leaped down from the high wall. The figure moved with the lightness of a falling leaf, and before even touching the ground, the Demon-Refining Beast seemed to sense something terrifying and fled in panic, leaving Shen Mo alone, completely bewildered.

The figure landed steadily, and Shen Mo looked at the lonely back, feeling a strange sense of unease. But Shen Mo didn't think too much about it at the moment. Instead, he politely bowed and clasped his hands in thanks to the figure, saying, "Thank you for your help, senior. I am deeply grateful."

However, the figure did not reply, but simply turned around.

When the figure turned around, Shen Mo was startled—it was actually a dried-up corpse. Its skin clung tightly to its bones, and its eyes were empty and lifeless, as if it were a spirit that had traveled from ancient times. A person with a weak heart would probably be terrified out of their wits by this sudden sight.

"Who are you?" Shen Mo asked warily, while secretly on guard. However, before he could react, the dried corpse immediately attacked him. The dried corpse moved with lightning speed, and the tips of its fingers flashed with an eerie light, clearly indicating some kind of deadly poison.

Shen Mo quickly dodged to the side, but the dry corpse's attacks were exceptionally swift, each strike aimed directly at vital points.

During the brief exchange, Shen Mo discovered that the aura emanating from this dried corpse was comparable to that of the three great demon lords, which greatly alarmed him.

Shen Mo knew that if he continued to fight, he would surely die. So, during a lull in the dry corpse's deadly attacks, he decided to escape.

Shen Mo struggled to dodge the attacks of the dried-up corpse while searching for a chance to escape. Each time a dried-up corpse's finger brushed across his cheek, bringing a chill, Shen Mo realized how close death was to him. However, his eyes remained unusually firm, showing no sign of retreat.

A moment later, Shen Mo deliberately created an opening to lure the dried corpse into attacking. Just as the corpse's fingers were about to touch him, Shen Mo seized the moment and suddenly accelerated towards the forest. The trees swayed gently in the wind, as if applauding his bravery.

Shen Mo's figure darted through the bushes like lightning, trying to use speed and agility to shake off the terrifying presence behind him.

Once inside the forest, Shen Mo used the trees as cover, constantly changing direction in an attempt to shake off the dried corpse. He would leap onto tree branches, swing across obstacles using vines, each movement fluid and natural, as if he had become one with the forest. Yet, even so, he could still feel the chilling aura relentlessly following him, sending shivers down his spine.

However, after running for a short while, Shen Mo could no longer sense the presence of the dried corpse. When he looked back, he found that the corpse had only chased him to within a hundred meters of the high wall before stopping, standing there quietly, as if guarding something and preventing anyone from getting close. Its empty eyes were still fixed on the direction Shen Mo had fled, as if warning anyone who dared to approach.

"The dried corpse isn't moving! What's going on?" Shen Mo wondered, but he didn't go back to check. He knew that in this place full of unknowns and dangers, any curiosity could become a fatal weakness. The Demon Refining Mountain concealed many unknown secrets and dangers; besides the Demon Refining Beasts and the mysterious dried corpse, who knew what else awaited him? Ensuring his own safety was the most important thing right now. With that in mind, Shen Mo quickened his pace.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the surroundings grew darker and damper, a faint, unsettling stench permeating the air. Shen Mo proceeded cautiously, remaining constantly vigilant in case of sudden danger.

His mind raced back to what had just happened, trying to find clues to explain why the dried corpse could move freely like a living person and why it would stop chasing him at certain locations.