The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3237 The Merged Shadow Attack
Chen Mo led Ouyang Nan back to provide support, carrying the wood on their backs.

The two figures swayed in the firelight as they tied a large bundle of timber with ropes and carried it on their backs. The timber was heavy, but it carried the hopes of everyone in the camp.

However, the campsite, though only fifty or sixty meters away, was like an insurmountable chasm, extremely dangerous.

Because there's a gap in the middle, there's no firewood or flame. Although a flame could illuminate this section, without a flame, a shadowy figure could easily leap out from the darkness and launch a sneak attack.

After all, as long as one gets too close to the flames, it won't have much of an effect on the shadowy figure. In fact, many people can now see that the shadowy figure is afraid of the intense heat of the flames, not so much of the light. It's simply that the shadowy figure is used to hiding in the dark and doesn't want to spend too much time in the light.

However, if one can kill, then fighting in the light is not impossible, but if one gets too close to the high-temperature flames, the shadow will definitely avoid them.

So if there are no flames on the road, then even if there are flames burning on both sides, but only light in the middle, it cannot stop the shadowy figures from sneaking out. A shadowy figure could jump out from there at any time.

To ensure a safe arrival at the campsite, Chen Mo took two burning logs from the area of ​​flames in the passage, handing one to Ouyang Nan and keeping one for himself. The flames roared in the night wind, sparks flying, illuminating an area of ​​about ten feet around them, but unable to penetrate the darkness beyond.

"Stay close to me, don't leave the firelight's range," Chen Mo whispered, his eyes sharp as he scanned the unknown darkness ahead. His daytime vision allowed him to see the surrounding darkness very clearly, and he knew that the shadowy figure was watching them from not far away.

Those crimson eyes followed the two of them closely, constantly searching for an opportunity to ambush them. Once they left the range of the flames, they would charge forward and attack.

Ouyang Nan gripped the torch tightly, nodded, and followed closely beside Chen Mo. She knew that there was no room for error at this moment.

Sure enough, upon seeing someone walking in an area without flames, even though they were carrying torches, the shadowy figures lurking in the darkness became restless, like sharks that had smelled blood.

Even more surprisingly, the shadowy figures have undergone a bizarre transformation. They have merged into each other, their bodies melting together, becoming even taller and more ferocious.

The merged black shadow was nine feet tall, with long, slender limbs like withered branches, and its scarlet eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light. It was also more powerful and dangerous than before.

"Gah—!"

With a sharp screech, three dark figures darted out of the darkness at the same time, forming a triangular formation to surround Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan. They moved so fast that they left three black afterimages in the air as they rushed straight at Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan!
Everyone in the arena was watching the two of them.

Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing, who were demolishing the building, saw a dark figure dart out of the darkness, its form drastically changed, and their expressions changed instantly. Their movements involuntarily stopped, their eyes fixed on the battlefield.

"They've changed!" Chen Mo has daytime vision, which is why he can see clearly how the shadows in the dark are changing, but Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing do not have daytime vision and only now have they been able to see the changes in the shadows.

Qian Ying stared at the merged black shadows, his voice filled with barely concealed shock. He said to Zhou Zixing, "No, we need more incendiary materials, otherwise we won't be able to withstand the shadows' attacks. The shadows are even more dangerous and troublesome now!" A strong sense of unease welled up within him. If the shadows could merge and evolve, what was their limit? Three merged? Five merged? Or more? If that were the case, even a master of the Innate Realm would likely find it difficult to withstand.

Thinking it over, Qian Ying glanced at the still-unfinished main hall before her, a resolute glint in her eyes: "Speed ​​up the demolition! We need more flames, bigger bonfires! Everyone, no stopping!"

In truth, Qian Ying wished she could set the entire hall ablaze, as that would create a much larger fire. Unfortunately, the problem was that it wouldn't ignite; every joint, every pillar, every door and window, even the main beams, was protected by a protective barrier.

Moreover, these barriers are strange. Unlike the barriers he had encountered before, which would leave no barrier protection after breaking through a section, here, every place is protected by a barrier.

In fact, Qian Ying didn't understand, but Chen Mo knew very well that this was another application of the formation. When building the main hall, the wood used would be engraved with formation patterns to form an independent protective formation.

This is also to reinforce the wood, making it stronger, preventing weathering, and extending the lifespan of the building.

Therefore, even if Chen Mo were to demolish these buildings, he could only do so one by one, just like Qian Ying, instead of destroying them more quickly.

Furthermore, because each of these components is covered with array patterns, they are not only sturdy and durable, but also fireproof and waterproof. They can only be destroyed and ignited by breaking the protective array.

Therefore, it was impossible for Qian Ying to set the main hall on fire; the only option was to dismantle it gradually.

This explains why, despite having numerous martial artists, dismantling the timber was so slow; these formations were extremely difficult to destroy. They weren't particularly special formations, just sturdy, fireproof, waterproof, and insect-proof arrays, so brute force was required.

In the campsite area, the flames weakened again, so the wood had to be gathered together to make the flames burn higher. However, with the gathering, everyone's positions also had to be relatively close together.

All the warriors had to gradually move closer together, crowding together, back to back in a circle, gripping their weapons tightly, their eyes scanning the surrounding darkness with fear.

They didn't know which direction the shadow would dart out from, or where death would strike in the next second. That unknown fear was more tormenting than the shadow itself. Some teeth chattered, some palms sweated, but no one dared to make a sound, for fear of alerting the hunter in the darkness.

Ouyang Ruoxi and Ouyang Nana stood beside the flames, their delicate bodies tense, their eyes fixed on the battle unfolding on Chen Mo's side. Although the distance was less than fifty meters, and they were only vaguely visible in the firelight, the dark area without flames made them extremely nervous, their hearts pounding in their throats.

The two women were completely helpless and unable to help Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan. After all, their strength was too low, only at the ninth level of the Acquired Realm, with Ouyang Ruoxi having just recently advanced and her foundation still unstable. If they actually attacked, they would be torn to shreds by the shadowy figure and would only become a burden.

"Chen Mo, you must be careful!" Ouyang Ruoxi clenched her hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms, but she didn't even notice. Her beautiful eyes were full of worry, yet also held a glimmer of hope.