readsfreenovel Chapter 186 The Fragile Trap
Chapter 186 The Fragile Trap
As the three stepped into this mist-shrouded land, a musty, decaying smell assaulted their senses. They quickly discovered that the town before them had become dilapidated, with houses leaning and collapsing, streets riddled with cracks and potholes, and the once bustling and vibrant scene was nowhere to be found.
What's chilling is that, despite the town's apparent desolation, there are still some living people. Their figures appear and disappear in the mist, their eyes empty and lifeless, as if devoid of souls. Each person is muttering incantations, their voices low and indistinct, as if they are telling some unknown secret or fear.
These people were dressed in all sorts of ways; some wore tattered robes, while others wore modern clothes. Some walked with faltering steps, as if carrying a heavy burden, while others walked briskly, appearing unusually hurried. Moreover, they spoke different languages; some spoke ancient and obscure dialects, while others spoke fluent foreign languages.
The three entered the town but attracted no attention. The people seemed completely oblivious to them, continuing with their own busy lives.
Just as Ling Yunxiao was about to reach out to grab one of them, Zhong Kui had already pressed down on his shoulder.
“Master, these are just wooden puppets, they have no soul. You don’t need to waste your time. Let’s walk around and take a look. After all, we came here following those blood-red eyes. Our top priority is to capture them.”
As Zhong Kui spoke, he flicked his wrist, and the jet-black soul-snatching rope was thrown out. The next second, the once invincible soul-snatching rope landed lightly on the ground, as if it had suddenly lost all its spiritual power and was no longer able to move.
Zhong Kui frowned slightly, then a cold smile crept across his face. He turned to look at Ling Yunxiao, about to say something. A gentle breeze blew by. Zhong Kui, dressed in a bright red official robe, vanished from the spot.
Ling Yunxiao blinked. The Book of Humans doesn't have a summoning time, which means that Judge Zhong Kui was dismissed by something here? Is there something here that can restrain the Book of Humans?
Thinking of this, Ling Yunxiao reached out and took out the Judge's Pen and the Book of Life and Death, and with a wave of his hand, wrote a line of words:
"Old friends return on the Bridge of Helplessness"
After a moment, there was no response. Just as Ling Yunxiao was shocked and about to try other abilities, the Judge's Pen's voice rang in Ling Yunxiao's mind, and Ling Yunxiao breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master, this is a small world existing in a past timeline. The outside world may be another universe, or it may be a person's spiritual world. Just now, the Judge only realized that his presence here would affect the balance of this small world, so he withdrew."
Before you figure out where you are, please do not damage this place.
If this is a small world filled with spatial and temporal turbulence, then you and Captain Wangmian are in danger. You will be swept away to an unknown place and never be able to return to the primordial world or this place.
The judge's pen spoke with a very serious tone, but Ling Yunxiao accepted it quickly.
After all, whether it's Pandora's Box or the seal of Squad 136, there are countless self-contained worlds in the world of God of War. This isn't some special ability.
The only thing that is certain is that this place is very fragile, so much so that even Zhong Kui could not bear it. That is why the Book of Life and Death dared not casually summon people from the underworld to help Ling Yunxiao.
It seems they were completely unaware of being outmaneuvered while traversing the fog. The one who struck is almost certainly Azathoth.
"Captain, this is a separate little world. We've been set up."
As soon as Ling Yunxiao finished speaking, Wang Mian's expression changed. He hadn't taken a close look at the situation here during the River of Time, and had only made sure they weren't in too much danger before returning. Now, hearing Ling Yunxiao's words, he couldn't help but feel worried.
Seeing the silver light shimmering on Wang Mian's body, Ling Yunxiao quickly reached out and patted him on the shoulder, smiling slightly.
"Don't waste your time. We were prepared to be trapped before we came, so let's just wander around here!"
Seeing Ling Yunxiao's confident demeanor, Wang Mian then restrained his divine might.
The two walked slowly through the town. The pedestrians here were still like puppets on strings, seemingly busy, but strangely awkward at first glance.
The two eventually stopped in front of a tavern and slowly walked inside.
Unlike the bustling atmosphere outside, the thick smoke inside the tavern nearly choked the two of them as they pushed open the wooden door. Ling Yunxiao pulled Wang Mian back several steps, fanning himself as he looked into the tavern in surprise.
It's easy to see that this is a tavern that has been abandoned for many years.
The smoke and dust lingered for a long time before dissipating, and the two had completely lost the desire to go inside. Just looking at the thick layer of dust at the entrance, it was clear that it couldn't have been easily swept away. Moreover, the chairs inside the tavern were completely rotten and unusable.
"Forget it, let's find a more open place and go camping!"
Wang Mian sighed, and soon the two discovered a series of sad stories.
First of all, the outdoors is bustling with people and quite noisy. The indoors is even more consistent; you can feel the erosion of time by simply opening any door, and experience the traces left by the quiet passage of thousands of years.
Finally, the two stopped by a big tree. Ignoring the two women whispering to each other, Wang Mian reached for his ring.
Then, Captain Ling Yunxiao smiled apologetically and spoke softly with some difficulty.
"When we first entered the blessed land, we gave the ring to that medical giant. All our luggage and forbidden items are in that ring! Moreover, we originally divided the task of having Si Xiaonan's ring carry food and water."
"So, we have no tents, no luggage, and not even food or water?"
Ling Yunxiao was utterly astonished. They had traversed the mist so many times, but this seemed to be the first time they had been so disheveled. Thankfully, their hunger could be relieved by the Healing Technique; it was just a bit boring, and they had no idea how long they would have to sit there.
"It's alright, let's go back to that quiet tavern from the beginning! I've practiced time acceleration in the blessed land for a long time, maybe we can try to rewind time there."
Wang Mian suddenly remembered that Kronos was able to transform a barren land into a prosperous place through the laws of time, so he wanted to try it too. He couldn't let Ling Yunxiao be exposed to the wind and sun here.