Chapter 296: Red Mist, White Bones
Ren, Diana and Scarlett were currently in the graveyard of thousands of magical beasts. The locals called it Death Valley.
The graveyard of thousands of magical beasts was not an ordinary valley. Tainted energy filled the air, and nothing grew on the ground where the beasts had fallen.
Not only that, but in some places, the air also reeked of decay as if the beasts' hatred had seeped into the earth and refused to go to the underworld.
Of course, they were not surprised by this because countless magical beasts had died in this place.
[Friendly reminder, Host. Tell your women not to cultivate in this place because absorbing the tainted energy could drive them insane.]
"Scarlett, Diana, don't cultivate when we are here." Ren delivered the message. "This place is not suitable for humans to cultivate."
"Un." Scarlett nodded.
"I can feel it too, Handsome." Diana responded. "This valley has become a corrupted place for human."
She would not have come to this kind of place if it were not for Ren because it made her feel sick.
Ren skimmed their surroundings as they explored the valley.
'System, turn on the scan feature. Tell me if you discover something.'
The scan feature was the main reason why Leon suggested Ren visit Death Valley because it was better and more precise than any tracking skill or detection magic.
[Ding! Scan Feature has been activated.]
"Ice Clone." Ren created five clones to help him find the mysterious pool. "Send a signal if you discover any trace of the pool."
"Alright." With those words, his clones scattered in separate directions.
[Host, a large number of magical beasts are heading your way. Their ranks range from 1-star to 3-star.]
"Scarlett, Diana, let's leave this place now." He would not have been worried if he were alone.
But with Diana and Scarlett by his side, he had to be careful because Diana was only at Master rank while Scarlett was at the Grandmaster rank.
"Ren, why do you suddenly want to lea-" before Scarlett had finished her words, countless magical beasts were approaching them.
"Tch!" Ren clicked his tongue and released his 5-star aura, trying to scare the beasts.
Some of them changed direction the moment they sensed his terrifying aura, while the rest kept charging forward.
In that situation, they could not move freely.
If they stopped or swerved too suddenly, they risked being trampled by the beasts behind them, so they had no other choice but to keep running.
Ren retrieved his sword from his space ring and swung it. "Die."
The magical beasts at the front widened their eyes as a powerful slash flew toward them.
In that moment, they only had two choices: stop and be trampled by those behind them or face his attack head-on.
Since they believed their chances of surviving were higher by facing his attack, they chose to keep running.
But when his slash was about to land on their bodies, they finally realized that facing his attack was a grave mistake.
"Ggoooorrrr…" More than a hundred magical beasts were slashed in half.
Their upper bodies flew into the air while their lower bodies dropped to the ground, turning the green grass red.
But even so, the magical beasts behind them didn't stop running as if they had not seen anything at all.
Ren was annoyed and swung his sword again.
However, the same thing happened again.
When they were close to them, Ren used the Golden Bell Divine Shield skill, protecting his women from the wave of beasts.
*Ding…Ding…Ding…
Countless chimes filled the air as they slammed into the golden bell barrier.
Most of the magical beasts that crashed into the golden bell died on the spot, while the rest were thrown back several meters, slamming into those behind them and getting trampled to death in the chaos.
Diana and Scarlett, who were standing on either side of Ren, clenched their fists as waves of magical beasts charged toward them.
Even though they believed in Ren's skill, a trace of worry still appeared on their faces.
Many of them were 3-star magical beasts, so getting caught in it would instantly put them in a life-and-death situation.
'So many… is he going to be fine?'
Scarlett and Diana looked at him with worried expressions.
At the same time, Ren was trying to understand the situation.
He believed there had to be a reason behind it because he felt like they were fleeing from something dangerous.
'Ice Clone.'
He created one clone and ordered the clone to investigate it.
The clone nodded his head and flew into the sky.
As he approached the direction the magical beasts were fleeing from, something caught his attention.
'A fog?'
He saw a dense, red fog rolling behind them.
The fog crept over the valley like a living creature, swallowing everything before it.
The clone's expression turned to horror as he saw countless 1-star and 2-star magical beasts getting caught by the fog because, within seconds, their flesh dissolved, leaving behind only bare skeletons.
'This is dangerous!'
Without waiting for another second, he returned to where Ren was.
"Ren, take them and get out of here immediately!" The clone descended from the sky and stood in front of the golden bell barrier, trying to buy time. "They are fleeing from a deadly fog. If it touches you, it will leave nothing behind but your bones."
"Deathly fog?" Scarlett and Diana's expressions turned to horror upon hearing the clone's words.
When the clone activated the Golden Bell Divine Shield skill, Ren grabbed their hands and soared into the sky.
From above, the trio watched in silence as the red fog devoured everything in its path.
Diana and Scarlett could not help but shiver when they saw countless magical beasts reduced to nothing but skeletons.
Their bodies were not stronger than those of magical beasts, so the thought of being devoured by the red fog left them pale and breathless.
'Luckily, his clone had warned us!'
They kept looking at the fog as Ren carried them to a safe place.
As they flew past the two hills, the scenery around them changed abruptly.
The chaotic moment had transformed into a peaceful one.
The terrifying sight of the deadly red fog rolling in and the panicked sounds of magical beasts fleeing for their lives had completely vanished.
It was replaced by a serene valley with a vast lake at its center as if they had stepped into an entirely different world.
"Lake?" Scarlett was stunned by what she was seeing. "Where are we?"
Diana skimmed her surroundings with a look of surprise. "The magical beasts and the deadly fog had vanished too. Did we get teleported somewhere?"
"Let's explore this place." Ren slowly descended from the sky.
Scarlett and Diana rushed toward the lake as soon as they landed. Their faces lit up with excitement as if they had never seen a lake before.
"Sister Scarlett, this lake is so beautiful and big!" Diana stated.
"Un! It's beautiful!" Scarlett dipped her hands in water before turning to Ren. "Ren, come here! The water feels good!"
Ren approached them slowly.
'Just where are we? Are we still in Death Valley? But the air in this place feels fresh. This is not like a graveyard of hundreds of thousands of magical beasts.'