Chapter 1141: Land of Absolute Silence

A low, muffled sound suddenly rumbled from the ground. Highly alert, Huang Fugui quickly exclaimed, "This isn't good! A demon beast is coming from underground. Be careful, Fellow Daoist Wang."

Huang Fugui immediately cast defenses upon himself, utilizing both defensive spiritual arts and a protective magic treasure.

After a burst of firelight appeared on Wang Mingren's body, a pale red light barrier enveloped him.

The ground beneath his feet softened and sank slightly. Wang Mingren inwardly cursed, realizing something was wrong, and with a flicker of his body, he reappeared more than ten zhang away.

A thunderous rumble! A massive yellow beetle emerged from the ground. It had a pair of inwardly curving mouthparts, resembling a giant rhinoceros beetle.

This was a fourth-rank demon insect, and it seemed to be skilled in earth evasion techniques.

Almost immediately after it emerged, a giant yellow hand, over ten zhang in size, materialized out of thin air and slapped heavily onto the yellow beetle.

With a muffled thud, the yellow beetle remained unharmed.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, run!" Huang Fugui shouted, a dazzling yellow light erupting from his body as he flew eastward. Wang Mingren followed closely.

At this point, splitting up to flee would significantly increase their chances of being defeated. Huang Fugui's escape speed was far too quick; if they separated, Wang Mingren would undoubtedly be caught by the fourth-rank demon insect.

As expected, the yellow beetle let out a sharp hiss, flapped its wings, and transformed into a streak of yellow light, chasing after Wang Mingren and Huang Fugui.

Once they flew far enough, they lost control of the formation. The Soul-Devouring Spiders broke free and quickly rushed back to their lair.

"Fellow Daoist Wang," Huang Fugui shouted, accelerating his escape, "we must find a place to hide, or we'll be caught sooner or later. Follow me!"

While fleeing, Wang Mingren deployed magic treasures to attack the yellow beetle, buying them some time.

A tremendous roar echoed from high above, as clusters of crimson firelight burst open in the sky, dazzlingly beautiful.

Twenty breaths later, they flew into a vast, dense crimson forest, with the yellow beetle close behind. The beetle's sharp mouthparts were directed forward, and wherever it passed, towering trees were severed at their trunks as easily as tofu, crashing down and kicking up large clouds of dust.

Huang Fugui and Wang Mingren used the terrain to their advantage, temporarily shaking off the yellow beetle.

Wang Mingren felt something assaulting him from behind. Startled, he quickly dodged.

Two thick yellow beams narrowly missed him, directly destroying over a dozen towering ancient trees. Wang Mingren was greatly startled.

He took out a red command flag and lightly waved it, causing countless crimson flames to surge forth, forming a five-zhang-sized crimson fire sparrow that pounced on the yellow beetle.

A thunderous roar! As soon as the crimson fire sparrow came within ten zhang of the yellow beetle, it was shattered by a burst of yellow light. The flames quickly spread, engulfing a large area, setting towering trees ablaze and sending thick smoke billowing.

Huang Fugui's escape speed continuously increased, widening the distance between himself and Wang Mingren.

A series of booming sounds rang out as Wang Mingren constantly waved the red command flag, releasing bursts of crimson flames to attack the yellow beetle, but to no avail.

The yellow beetle suddenly accelerated with lightning speed, instantly appearing before Wang Mingren, its sharp mouthparts striking towards his chest.

A golden light flashed on Wang Mingren's body, enveloping him in a golden aura—it was the Glazed Golden Body.

With a muffled thud, Wang Mingren was sent flying backward, spitting out a large mouthful of blood as his face turned pale.

His defensive spiritual art shattered instantly, but fortunately, Wang Mingren was wearing defensive inner armor.

Wang Mingren flipped his hand, and a pale golden talisman appeared, emitting astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations.

He cast the golden talisman, and the runes on its surface instantly glowed brightly, transforming into a giant pale golden lotus that struck the yellow beetle.

A thunderous rumble! The giant lotus struck the yellow beetle and instantly exploded, sending a visible wave of air rapidly spreading outwards. The powerful blast uprooted dozens of towering trees, sending dust flying and countless withered leaves swirling high into the sky.

Just then, the void distorted, as if the entire space was about to collapse.

Wang Mingren and Huang Fugui were startled as a massive black vortex suddenly appeared high in the sky. An irresistible suction force materialized out of thin air, causing towering ancient trees to sway violently and countless leaves to be swept into the black vortex by the powerful currents.

The spiritual light on Wang Mingren and Huang Fugui's bodies flickered wildly as their bodies uncontrollably flew towards the black vortex. They were eventually swept into it, as if they had never existed.

The yellow beetle tried to escape the area, but it was useless; it too was swept into the black vortex by the powerful currents.

A moment later, the black vortex vanished as if it had never appeared. The ground was now uneven, revealing a large empty space.

Wang Mingren and Huang Fugui felt their vision blur, suddenly finding themselves on a desolate plain. The surroundings were a hazy gray, and the ground was barren, devoid of grass, and covered in brownish-yellow stones.

Wang Mingren was horrified to discover that he could not use any spiritual power; he had become a mere mortal.

"I didn't expect to be swept into a Spirit-Depleted Zone. This is trouble," Wang Mingren said, frowning. In a Spirit-Depleted Zone, there was no spiritual energy, meaning cultivators had no spiritual power. Even Nascent Soul cultivators, once trapped there, were helpless.

"Heh heh, luckily, I came prepared," Huang Fugui chuckled, not showing the slightest trace of fear on his face.

A massive yellow beetle descended from the sky, landing on the ground not far away. It was the fourth-rank demon insect, now reduced to nothing more than a larger insect.

When Huang Fugui saw the yellow beetle, his eyes lit up. He pulled out five green throwing darts from his embrace. With a flick of his wrist, the five darts shot out, successively striking the yellow beetle's body with a series of muffled thuds, yet the beetle's surface remained unharmed.

The yellow beetle seemed enraged by Huang Fugui and pounced towards him.

Huang Fugui extended his right hand, his palm curved, and three miniature arrows shot out, flying straight towards the yellow beetle.

With a few muffled thuds, the arrows struck the yellow beetle and instantly burst open, gushing out a large amount of yellow liquid. It splashed onto the beetle's body, causing a wisp of green smoke to rise.

The yellow beetle seemed to realize that Huang Fugui was not to be trifled with, and it actually turned and fled. It couldn't use its demonic power, but it could still fly.

The yellow beetle was very fast and quickly flew far away.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, can you still use spiritual power?" Wang Mingren asked curiously.

"No, I'm just like you," Huang Fugui explained with a smile. "Those were hidden weapons, things mortals use. I didn't expect them to be useful here."

"You always carry these things with you?" Wang Mingren asked, a bit puzzled. "Did you know there was a Spirit-Depleted Zone here?"

Huang Fugui shook his head. "I was once trapped in a forbidden area for twenty years and nearly died," he explained. "Since then, I've always carried some things that mortals use. I never expected them to be useful again."