Douluo: One man returns, Fan Tianyin smashes Tang San to death

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps and fluctuations of soul power came from afar.

Lu Yu and Hu Liena quickly concealed themselves, hiding in the shadow of a giant tree.

A moment later, several figures emerged from the forest and converged towards the center of the canyon.

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes and identified the people—one of them was a group of members from the myriad races.

The young Soul Master of the myriad races walked with firm steps, his eyes filled with a hint of fanaticism, as if he were drawn by some kind of power.

Not far behind him, a titled Douluo with unfathomable aura followed silently, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily, clearly protecting him from the shadows.

The other group came from the Gara Empire, led by an old man dressed in yellow.

The old man was thin, but his steps were as steady as a mountain. He exuded a strong medicinal aroma. Lu Yu keenly noticed this and thought to himself, "A master alchemist? It seems that the anomaly of this place has attracted quite a few forces."

The fluctuations in the yellow-robed elder's soul power indicated that he was at least a level 82 Soul Douluo. Behind him were several young Soul Masters, all with solemn expressions, clearly equally shocked by the scene before them.

The air currents in the canyon grew increasingly violent. Soul Masters arrived one after another, but none dared to approach the floating corpses easily.

That aura of soul power was like an invisible giant hand, pressing down on all the soul masters present, turning their faces pale, and making their bodies feel as if some of their strength had been drained away.

Some Soul Masters with lower cultivation levels couldn't even stand up and could only sit cross-legged, circulating their Soul Power in an attempt to resist the oppressive feeling.

Lu Yu whispered to Hu Liena, "This aura has a strong suppressive effect on soul power; ordinary soul masters simply cannot withstand it."

We must be careful not to be influenced by this force.

Hu Liena nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the floating corpses. She murmured, "These corpses... why are they like this? They don't seem like inanimate objects, but rather like... some kind of living being."

There was a hint of unease in her voice. Lu Yu patted her shoulder, signaling her to calm down.

His eyes, however, were constantly scanning his surroundings, trying to find more clues.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound broke the silence of the canyon.

A young Soul Master, unable to contain his curiosity, tried to approach the floating corpse. But as soon as he touched the edge of the airflow, he was swept up by an invisible force and disappeared into the air.

The Soul Masters present were immediately thrown into turmoil. Some cried out in alarm, while others took a few steps back, their faces filled with terror.

Hu Liena gripped Lu Yu's arm tightly and whispered, "This place is too eerie; if you get too close, you'll be sucked away!"

Lu Yu's gaze grew increasingly profound. He noticed that the young Soul Master from the myriad races seemed to be summoned by something, a strange light flashing in his eyes. Without hesitation, he stepped towards the airflow area.

The moment his figure touched the airflow, he vanished instantly, just like the Soul Master before him.

The titled Douluo following closely behind was shocked. Two old men emerged from the shadows, one of them shouting, "Young Clan Leader!"

They tried to stop him, but they were too late and could only watch helplessly as the Soul Master of the Myriad Races disappeared into the air currents.

One of the elders, named Yang Shan, had a grave expression and whispered to the elder beside him, "This is troublesome. This thing can forcibly take people away! If anything happens to the young clan leader, we won't be able to explain it when we get back."

Another elder gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "We have no choice but to go in and see. We absolutely cannot let the young clan leader risk his life alone!"

Before the words were even finished, the two figures flashed and stepped into the airflow area, where they were immediately swept into the sky by the gale and disappeared without a trace.

The atmosphere in the canyon became even more tense. The remaining Soul Masters looked at each other, none of them daring to try again.

Lu Yu's brows furrowed more and more. He whispered to Hu Liena, "This place is not simple. Those corpses may not be real corpses, but rather vessels of some kind of power."

He closed his eyes, attempting to communicate with the "artificial intelligence" within his body.

Communicate to obtain more information.

A moment later, the voice of the artificial intelligence sounded in his mind: "Abnormal spatial fluctuations detected. The airflow area where the corpse is located is the 'small world entrance,' which is an alternative space restricted by the rules of the current world."

The space's origin is composed of soul power and the corpse's own strength; its specific level of danger is unknown.

Lu Yu opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

He whispered to Hu Liena, "This place is the entrance to a small world, which may hold secrets we have never seen before."

Hu Liena's eyes widened, her voice tinged with surprise and doubt: "A small world? What's that? Wouldn't it be too dangerous to go in?"

Lu Yu smiled slightly, his tone carrying a hint of confidence: "There are definitely dangers, but this is also an opportunity for training."

The growth of a Soul Master is never without risk. Besides, if anything happens, I'll be there before you do.

He paused, then added, "Moreover, the fact that no one made a sound after those people went in suggests that it might not be a dead end."

Hu Liena bit her lip, a struggle flashing in her eyes.

Her trust in Lu Yu finally made her nod and whisper, "Okay, I'll go in with you."

But you have to promise me you won't be reckless.

Lu Yu smiled and patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously stepped towards the airflow area.

The violent airflow roared like a giant beast, instantly lifting them into the air.

Lu Yu felt a dark red light envelop him, his body seemed to be pulled by a huge force, the wind whistled in his ears, but his consciousness remained clear.

Hu Liena held his hand tightly, her eyes showing a hint of nervousness, yet also a sense of determination.

A few minutes later, the light gradually faded, and they passed through an invisible barrier. Their bodies suddenly felt light, and they landed on solid ground.

When Lu Yu and Hu Liena opened their eyes, they found themselves in a huge cave palace.

The interconnected passageways stretched into the distance, with faint fluorescent stones embedded in the cave walls, emitting a soft glow.

A heavy atmosphere filled the air, making even breathing feel difficult.

Lu Yu tried to mobilize his soul power, but found that it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, completely unable to circulate.

He whispered to Hu Liena, "There is indeed something strange here. My soul power is completely suppressed, and I can only rely on my physical strength."

Hu Liena's eyes grew more wary. She whispered, "This place reminds me of Killing City... that sense of crisis is exactly the same." She looked around, her tone grave. "We have to be careful. Those who came in before us might be nearby."

Lu Yu nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "The experience in the City of Slaughter gives us an advantage in physical combat. Now it's up to us to see how to deal with it."

The air inside the cave was cold and heavy, and a faint, low echo could be heard from afar, as if something was watching them from the darkness.

Lu Yu's footsteps echoed on the stone slabs of the underground palace, dull and oppressive, each step seeming to tread on some invisible chill.

The surrounding passageways meandered like a giant python coiled in a dark abyss, the mottled moss on the walls exuded a damp, putrid stench, and a faint, fishy smell permeated the air.

A cold wind whistled out from some unknown crack, brushing against the hem of Lu Yu and Hu Liena's clothes, bringing a chilling sensation.

Lu Yu's gaze wandered in the dim light, his brows furrowed slightly, his right hand unconsciously clenched, and his palm was slightly sweaty.

He whispered a warning: "We need to be careful, something's not right here."

Hu Liena nodded, her eyes sharp as an eagle's, scanning the surrounding shadows. Her slender fingers rested lightly on the short blade at her waist, ready to deal with any sudden danger.

On the walls on both sides of the passage, there are some white spots that appear and disappear intermittently, like some kind of ancient fluorite, or the eyes of some unknown creature, flickering with an eerie light in the darkness.

These points of light are distributed randomly; some are as bright as stars, while others are so dim that they are almost invisible. Occasionally, they will go out for no reason, as if they have been swallowed up by something.

Lu Yu stopped and stared at the nearest point of light. The white light trembled slightly, as if it were breathing.

He reached out, trying to touch it, but felt a chilling coldness just as his fingertips were about to touch it, forcing him to quickly withdraw his hand.

"This light... is strange."

He spoke in a low voice, his tone tinged with wariness.

Hu Liena frowned, her gaze sweeping over the points of light, and scoffed, "This underground palace is eerie in every way; it's probably not that simple."

The two continued forward, their steps cautious, each one feeling as if they were treading on the edge of an unknown abyss.

The underground palace's passages seemed endless, winding and turning, occasionally branching into several paths, each shrouded in darkness, exuding an unsettling stillness.

Just as Lu Yu was about to suggest taking a different route, a rapid whooshing sound suddenly came from the darkness on the left, as if something was rushing towards them at an extremely fast speed.

Lu Yu's pupils contracted, and his body instinctively turned to the side. He suddenly swung his right fist, which was filled with a terrifying wave that tore through the air with a deep roar.

The rushing "figure"

He was struck by a punch, and with a dull cracking sound, he fell heavily to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Hu Liena quickly approached and, using the faint white light from the wall, saw what was on the ground. Her expression changed slightly.

It wasn't a person, but a mummified corpse, wrapped in a tattered white cloth. A faint, dark red aura emanated from the cloth, like some kind of evil energy slowly flowing through it.

The mummified corpse's limbs were twisted, and the empty eye sockets on its head, devoid of eyeballs, seemed to be watching them, sending chills down their spines.

Lu Yu crouched down and carefully examined the broken, mummified corpse, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "This thing... doesn't seem like an ordinary dead object."

He reached out and touched the white cloth. The moment his fingertips touched it, he felt a bone-chilling cold seep into his body. He quickly withdrew his hand, a look of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

Just then, Hu Liena suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on the depths of the passage, and whispered, "Lu Yu, up there!"

Lu Yu followed her gaze and saw a series of rapid footsteps coming from the depths of the underground palace, accompanied by a low roar, as if countless ghosts were awakening in the darkness.

Immediately afterwards, a red light surged from afar; it was countless pairs of eyes glowing red, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness.

Mummified corpses, even more mummified corpses! They swarmed in from the depths of the passage, their sheer number sending chills down one's spine.

Lu Yu quickly stood up and stood beside Hu Liena, whispering, "These mummies are quite powerful, comparable to the level of a Great Soul Master. The problem is... this place restricts soul power."

Hu Liena's face darkened. She tried to mobilize the soul power within her body, but found that the soul power was as if it were blocked by invisible shackles, and she could only exert less than 30% of its power.

She gritted her teeth and said, "With our soul power suppressed, we're no different from ordinary people. These mummies are not easy to deal with."

Lu Yu's gaze swept over the approaching mummies, and he said in a deep voice, "There are too many of them. Don't linger in the fight. Find an opportunity to retreat."

Before the words were finished, a cacophony of footsteps echoed from the three passageways simultaneously. More mummies surged in from the left, right, and front, their eyes glowing crimson, uttering indistinct growls, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at the two, forming an encirclement.

A cold glint flashed in Lu Yu's eyes. He suddenly raised his right palm, and a terrifying power condensed in his palm. The force of the Eight Extremes Collapse exploded in the narrow passage, and the air was compressed, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

With a single palm strike, the group of mummies in front of him was sent flying by a tremendous force. Several mummies crashed directly into the wall, making a crisp sound of bones shattering. The lower-level mummies instantly turned into a pile of broken bones.

However, one of the larger mummies was only knocked back a few feet without being seriously injured. It let out a low growl and pounced again, its speed so fast that it brought with it a gust of cold wind.

Lu Yu's pupils contracted slightly. This mummified corpse's power far surpassed that of the others, comparable to the Soul Venerable level. Ordinary attacks were almost ineffective against it.

"There are too many of them, and our soul power is restricted. It's not worth fighting them head-on."

Lu Yu quickly assessed the situation and turned to Hu Liena, saying, "We need to retreat and find a safe place."

Hu Liena nodded, and with a flick of her short blade, she cleaved a lunging, mummified corpse in two with a clean and swift motion.

The two fought and retreated, moving towards the passage behind them, only to discover more horrifying sights along the way—countless corpses were piled up in the openings on both sides of the passage, some already reduced to bones, others still retaining dried flesh, and a heavy aura of death permeated the air.

Hu Liena's gaze grew colder as she whispered, "What kind of place is this underground palace? How could there be so many dead people here?"

Just as the two retreated to a relatively spacious fork in the road, a faint groan came from the wall.

Lu Yu's gaze sharpened, and he turned to look. He saw a man leaning against the wall, his leg pierced by a sharp arrow, blood staining the ground red.

He was wearing a tattered black outfit, with strange, sticky substances on it, like some kind of dried liquid.

Upon seeing Lu Yu and his companion, the man's eyes flashed with excitement, and he cried out hoarsely, "Save me! Save me! I can grant you any request, give you anything! I have a map of the underground palace; I can lead you away from here!"

His voice carried a hint of despair, yet also a strange urgency.

Upon hearing this, Hu Liena sneered and swept her gaze across the man like a knife: "The underground palace is so mysterious, where did you get the map from, a guy who can't even mobilize his soul power? Stop pretending to be a god."

The man was taken aback by her retort. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a rebuttal. His eyes grew even more anxious, and his hands gripped the ground tightly, as if trying to hide something. (End of Chapter)