Chapter 113: Spores in the Wind


    "Lie''er!" The battle soul, surrounded by a crowd, let out a mournful wail. With a sudden leap, it landed beside the two dead bodies.


    Seeing the situation turn dire, Han Ming knew there was no point in arguing. He turned and fled.


    "Give me back my son''s life! You can''t escape!"


    The battle soul roared, swiftly chasing after Han Ming.


    "Go!"


    Han Ming shouted in his heart.


    The demon soul detached from Han Ming''s body, shooting out several silver threads to entangle the battle soul.


    Meanwhile, a large group of pursuers closed in on Han Ming, including several strong warriors with the power of War Maniacs. Their speed far surpassed the others, keeping Han Ming firmly within their grasp.


    "Dammit, this is getting complicated," Han Ming muttered, frustrated.


    Killing Mo Tianqi''s two children by accident was bad enough, but now he had killed the son of a city lord. The influence of a city lord far exceeded that of an ordinary strongman. If this feud continued, there would be no peace.


    All of this stemmed from the Desert Snake Clan''s bounty on his head.


    Han Ming seethed with anger. *I never intended to provoke them, but they came after me first. Since they don’t want me to live, I’ll fight to the death. If I’m going down, I’m taking them with me.*


    "Xiao Jian!"


    Han Ming called out, untying the pouch at his waist.


    The red larva of the Destruction Butterfly obediently leaped out of the pouch and landed on Han Ming''s sword.


    "Go!"


    Han Ming swung his sword, flinging the red larva into the crowd behind him.


    "Ah!"


    A man who failed to dodge in time was instantly climbed upon by the red larva. He collapsed slowly.


    In the densely packed crowd, the red larva didn’t need to move much. It simply jumped from one person to another, draining their life force as it went.


    One by one, people fell.


    Some in the crowd finally realized something was wrong. They hadn’t even seen Han Ming make a move, yet many were already collapsing.


    Han Ming smirked inwardly. Taking advantage of the chaos, he pushed his speed to the limit, reaching a state he had never achieved before.


    From a distance, all that could be seen was a black figure swiftly cutting through the storm, eventually disappearing into the rolling sand.


    The demon soul, now far from Han Ming, transformed into a pale light and vanished into the wind.


    The pursuers, however, weren’t so lucky. The red larva, connected to Han Ming’s soul, was unharmed as long as Han Ming lived. With Han Ming gone, the larva had no restraints and happily continued to drain life force from the crowd, replenishing its own energy.


    Han Ming wasn’t worried about the larva. Even the Desert Snake Clan’s Viper Beast Soul had been helpless against it. The city lord’s strength paled in comparison to that woman’s, so he stood no chance.


    Han Ming ran for another full day and night. Even with his formidable physique, the relentless sprinting was taking its toll.


    He quietly hid beneath a barren hill, slipping into an abandoned crevice to rest and recover his strength.


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    The demon soul materialized once again.


    She coldly regarded Han Ming and spoke for the first time: "You’re an odd one. For a first-tier grand mage, your magical power far exceeds that of others at your level. But even so, you’re only a second-tier mage. My abilities depend entirely on your magic. If you were a fourth-tier expert, I could have wiped out that crowd with ease."


    Han Ming sighed bitterly at her words.


    "You’re so weak, yet you recklessly venture into the Five Perilous Lands. You truly don’t know your limits."


    Hearing the demon soul’s mockery, Han Ming shot her a sidelong glance and retorted, "Enough talk. Just do your job and act when needed. If I die, you’ll vanish too. If anyone’s overreaching, it’s you. You were fine as a demon soul, but you had to develop a consciousness."


    As night fell, the red larva, following Han Ming’s command, circled the wilderness storm several times before finally approaching.


    Through his soul connection with the larva, Han Ming knew the pursuers had been shaken off. The larva’s small size made it nearly impossible to track in the fierce wind. Many had been terrified by it, too afraid to chase it wholeheartedly, fearing it might turn back and attack.


    What now? Han Ming shook his head in frustration.


    In the distance, he spotted another faint shadow. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was another city.


    He had no choice but to detour. Reaching the Desolate Flame Prison as quickly as possible was his priority.


    Not daring to delay, Han Ming rested briefly before setting off again under the cover of night. He took a wide detour, successfully bypassing the small city.


    After several more days of trudging through the storm, Han Ming encountered a few more small cities, all of which he managed to avoid.


    By his calculations, he should be nearing the Desolate Flame Prison. The thought brought him some comfort.


    "Who’s there?"


    A shout came from afar.


    Han Ming paused, turning to see several figures approaching.


    "It’s him!" one of them screamed in terror.


    *Damn, they’ve recognized me!* Han Ming cursed inwardly. The glaring red blood character on his forehead was impossible to miss, even from a distance.


    He couldn’t stay here. Gritting his teeth, Han Ming bolted westward.


    The group that had spotted him didn’t dare give chase. Instead, they rushed to the nearest city to report his presence.


    The eighteen cities maintained constant communication. After the first city lord’s son was killed, the lord had alerted the others, putting out a bounty on Han Ming.


    When the city lord received word that Han Ming had been spotted nearby, he immediately dispatched a large force to pursue him. At the same time, he informed the next city’s lord of Han Ming’s whereabouts.


    Han Ming’s path to the Desolate Flame Prison would inevitably take him past the next city.


    Sure enough, a day later, another city came into view. But this time, it was different. The area for miles around the city was surrounded. Han Ming, unaware of the city’s exact location due to the blinding sandstorm, only realized it when he was too close.


    By the time he spotted the people, they had already seen him.


    "He’s over there! Get him!"


    A furious shout rose from the crowd.


    Han Ming seethed. *You just won’t let it go, will you? You won’t stop until I’m dead.*


    But the sheer number of people ahead made it impossible for Han Ming to force his way through.


    Just as the crowd surged toward him, a strong wind swept in from the horizon. In the distance, a faint green mist drifted closer.


    Han Ming noticed the mist immediately but didn’t understand what it was. *Whatever it is, I should run into it. It might obscure their vision.*


    But before he could act on the thought, he changed his mind.


    The mist was moving too fast, and the crowd was directly in its path.


    A distant scream of terror reached his ears. The pursuers, forgetting about Han Ming, turned and fled.


    Curious, Han Ming stayed put to observe. The green mist spread endlessly, making it impossible to bypass. He decided to wait and see what would happen.


    The mist moved swiftly, quickly engulfing the nearest group of people.


    As soon as the mist touched a person, a large, sea-urchin-like object appeared on their body. It was green, covered in sharp spines, and expanded rapidly upon contact with skin.


    The person screamed as the spiny growths pierced their body.


    In mere moments, dozens of people on the right flank were enveloped by the mist. Screams filled the air.


    Han Ming’s heart raced. He guessed the green mist was composed of countless seeds. Upon contact with human skin, they rapidly grew into spiny spheres the size of human heads.


    "Spore swarm! It’s a spore swarm! Run! Back to the city!" someone on the left flank screamed in panic.


    Seeing the mist’s destructive power, Han Ming quickly retreated to a safe distance. The mist was moving horizontally, and Han Ming was far enough away to avoid it.


    From a distance, he watched as chaos erupted. The crowd scrambled desperately toward the city.


    Some, caught in the mist, sprouted green spiny balls on their faces, arms, legs, and even through gaps in their clothing. They collapsed, bleeding profusely, and died wailing.


    Others, nearly escaping the mist’s edge, were overtaken just before reaching safety. They fell to the ground, reaching out toward the city with despair in their eyes, only to perish inches from survival.


    Han Ming watched in awe. The Desolate Storm had few magical beasts, which he had expected. With so many strong warriors from the eighteen cities hunting daily, it was no surprise.


    But he hadn’t anticipated something like this.


    The Five Perilous Lands of the Desolate Forest were truly fraught with danger. Perhaps he had been lucky so far, avoiding many of the hazards.


    At least he hadn’t encountered the legendary Temporal Storm—yet.