Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 699 - 156: Illusion Array

Under Yue Jinghua’s irresistible might, Compass could only dejectedly walk deeper into Mist Canyon.

Seeing the wretched look of the fatty, Shalman couldn’t help but ask, "Jinghua, are you sure the Divine Runes on his body are useful?"

"Are you actually worried about him, of all things?" Yue Jinghua teased. Ever since Shalman had gone through heartbreak, she stopped trusting men, ignoring the men in the Mercenary Group. It was surprising to see her show concern for Compass.

Shalman spat and retorted, "What are you blabbering about? I only asked because he saved me before," yet as she spoke, her face glowed a bright red.

"Whether it’s a mule or a horse, pulling it out for a walk will reveal the truth," Yue Jinghua said with confidence in her own Divine Runes.

But compared to Compass’s safety, she was more concerned about the strange phenomena inside Mist Canyon at the moment.

This mist, despite it being daytime, showed no signs of dissipating.

The whole Mist Canyon felt deathly still.

The Burning Poison Algae she had placed near the campsite also seemed to be lethargic, as if fearful of the mist.

Rock Monsters started to emerge around them, eying the few people in the campsite with predatory intent.

"Qian Luo, have you discovered anything?" Yue Jinghua thought that the Rock Monsters in Mist Canyon couldn’t just materialize out of thin air, believing they couldn’t leave the canyon until the source was found.

Upon entering the canyon, Qian Luo’s expression had been grave, apparently reckoning upon something.

While Yue Jinghua was drawing Divine Runes, Qian Luo had turned into bat form and flown into the canyon to explore. Just by her expression, Yue Jinghua could determine that Qian Luo must have discovered something.

"I believe that this mist is not naturally formed but released by an Array. Also, those Rock Monsters are likely created by Illusion Techniques," Qian Luo as an Array Master, felt something was off upon entering Mist Canyon.

She flew through the canyon last night and found it enshrouded in a strange Dark Energy. The Rock Monsters seemed lifeless, aimlessly wandering around.

Today’s Mist Canyon seems like a large Array that only allows entry, not exit.

"Illusion Techniques? But those Rock Monsters can attack people, which doesn’t seem like Illusions. Just yesterday, we saw a Rock Monster collide with Compass, shattering into pieces," Shalman’s Five-Colored Spiders were also driven into a frenzied escape under the Rock Monsters’ attack.

"If it were just a simple illusion, it wouldn’t be able to create Rock Monsters with real attack power. However, there’s a legend among the Beastmen of our Bilun Continent. It speaks of a snake-like species within the Dark Beasts that are near gods. Half-human, half-snake, their eyes can petrify people, and the souls of those turned into stone statues, or of Dark Beasts, would be devoured by these Snake Women. The High Priests among those Snake Women could use those souls to create spirits with real attack power. Additionally, after being refined by the Snake Women, these spirits gained the ability to revive from the dead." What Qian Luo knew were legends passed on in Bilun Continent, unknown to Yue Jinghua and the others.

"Snake Women?" Yue Jinghua’s eyebrows twitched upon hearing this.

If it were Snake Women, then wouldn’t her own Snake-haired Gorgon also be a Snake Woman?

Yue Jinghua immediately summoned Snake-haired Little Gore.

Little Gore shook her golden little head and snuggled into Yue Jinghua’s bosom, showing her affection.

As Yue Jinghua’s army of Dark Beasts grew, Little Gore had fewer opportunities to appear.

But under the influence of Mo Xi’s Dark Power in the Sea of Consciousness, Little Gore had grown from the initial appearance of a three- or four-year-old child to the size of a Human Race child around seven or eight years old.

Little Gore rubbed against something, then suddenly, a hint of confusion flashed through its azure eyes.

"Hiss--" It became excited, shaking its head and neck as if it had smelled something, and hissed towards the mass of fog.

"Gore, could it be one of your kin?" Yue Jinghua saw Little Gore’s reaction and knew there must be something tricky about this foggy valley.

"Is it a Snake Woman? An unripe Snake Woman," Qian Luo and Shalman were also seeing the true form of the Snake-haired Gorgon for the first time, both clicking their tongues in wonder.

The Snake-haired Little Gore was beside itself with excitement, floating in the air with its golden hair fluttering in the wind, beckoning Yue Jinghua to follow it forward.

"All of you follow me, and don’t wander off," Yue Jinghua summoned a group of giant-winged mosquitoes to encircle the trio before following Little Gore into the fog. The direction the three of them headed was exactly opposite to the direction the Compass had taken earlier.

At this moment, deep within Mist Canyon, the Northern Expedition Army led by Peng Bojinuo was already at the end of its tether.

The disheveled Jin Nuo, so vibrant in the Imperial City, was covered in filth, his armor stained with dirt, and the dragon pattern on his chest was dim and lusterless. Who would have imagined that this desperate army was the famous Dragon Rider Team of the Dragon War Empire?

The situation of the other dozens of Dragon Knights wasn’t much better either.

Nobody would have expected this Northern Expedition to be so exceedingly difficult.

Having just arrived in Shang Kingdom, Little Jinuo learned about the scandalous affairs between Zhan BeiAo and the Empress Dowager of Shang. In a rage, he severed ties with Zhan BeiAo.

Leading his troops intending to return to the Dragon War Empire, they were ambushed midway by a group of unidentified Black Armored Soldiers and forced into this canyon.

At first, they did not sense anything amiss, but soon they encountered a situation similar to Yue Jinghua’s.

Day and night, a thick fog that never dissipated.

And there were rock monsters that lurked everywhere like ghosts.

Among those rock monsters, various rabbit-like creatures would devour the vegetation within the canyon, and various Tiger Lion Beasts would hunt every prey in the valley to extinction.

Those humanoid rock monsters were hauntingly provoking the Dragon Knights.

To reduce consumption, they had to retract the Sub-Asian Dragons back into the Dragon Pattern, but this significantly weakened their combat strength.

The food they brought had been eaten up long ago, and the food they could find was becoming increasingly scarce.

This morning, the Dragon Knights who went out to look for food discovered that even grass roots could no longer be found in the nearby area.

"Captain, it’s no use. The brothers haven’t closed their eyes for several days, and there’s no grain or rice, we can’t hold out. We must find a way to break out," said the pallid-faced Dragon Knights. Their will, corroded by the endless fog and the relentless onslaught of hunger, was as fragile as a thin thread.

"No, there’s a large group of rock monsters outside. We might deal with one, but not a horde," Despite the predicament, Little Jinuo’s will was incredibly strong, and he quickly made a decision: "Split our forces in two, one for an assault, the other to cover the rear. In the worst-case scenario, at least half of us will make it out."

Jinuo knew they had to break out before everyone’s will collapsed.