Chapter 454: Savage

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

After a moment, Chen Fei smoothly boarded the Zheng family’s ship.

Routine inquiries and the rather substantial boarding fee were all dealt with by Chen Fei. Using the Slaughter Spirit Technique, his current aura only indicated that he was at the mid-stage of the Aperture Tempering realm.

Within the Boundless Sea, the mid-stage of the Aperture Tempering realm wasn t considered particularly strong. It was precisely because of this cultivation level that Chen Fei was able to easily board the ship.

At this close range, Chen Fei sensed the dense aura on the ship, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Since this ship had attracted his attention, all Chen Fei needed to do was stay quietly on board, and he might just find what he was looking for.

As the sky gradually darkened, everyone returned to the cabin to rest.

Since Chen Fei had boarded the ship midway, there were no well-prepared cabins left for him. Instead, the Zheng family sailors had cleared a room for him.

Chen Fei sat cross-legged on the bed, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the ship’s hull.

On the entire ship, there were only some faint noises at this moment, as most people had already fallen asleep or were in meditation. The bright moonlight filtered through the mist, turning into scattered dots of light on the deck.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out from another cabin. Chen Fei’s eyes snapped open, and he quickly moved to the source of the sound.

By this time, many people had already gathered here. All eyes were focused on a pile of clothes at the front.

It wasn’t the clothes themselves that were interesting, but rather, the clothes had been worn by a person just moments ago. However, at this moment, the person who was wearing the clothes had nothing left but their skin inside them.

All the muscles, bones, flesh, and even the skeleton had completely disappeared.

If it weren’t for the skin that was left behind, no one would have thought that someone had been wearing these clothes just a moment ago.

“Who, who is it?” Cheng Huifang’s voice sounded somewhat sharp as her gaze scanned the surroundings. To her, everyone’s eyes seemed like those of a murderer.

Just a moment ago, her senior brother was sitting beside her in meditation, but when she sensed something was amiss, her senior brother had been reduced to nothing but skin.

Throughout the entire incident, Cheng Huifang hadn’t realized how her senior brother had been killed.

But there were only so many people on the ship, and the person who had harmed her senior brother must be nearby!

The onlookers remained silent, their expressions somewhat solemn. They had all seen Cheng Huifang’s senior brother today, and their cultivation levels were not much different from Cheng Huifang’s. They were all relatively new to the early stage of the Aperture Tempering realm.

While this level of cultivation might not be considered particularly powerful, it was still a presence in the Aperture Tempering realm.

But even with that, the fact that someone had been killed here without a sound and without leaving any traces was quite chilling. Killing someone at the early stage of the Aperture Tempering realm was something many present could potentially do.

However, achieving it without a sound and without leaving any evidence was something no one dared to claim they could accomplish.

The key point was that Cheng Huifang’s senior brother’s manner of death left behind only an empty skin. Such a method was undeniably cruel.

Even with the mental state of someone in the early stage of the Aperture Tempering realm, the process of being consumed likely maintained a certain level of awareness, which must have been excruciatingly painful, akin to a living hell.

It was not just the physical torment but also the torment of the mind.

Chen Fei stood in the background, observing the pile of clothes. Apart from Cheng Huifang’s senior brother’s aura, there was another faint presence that was easily overlooked but detected by Chen Fei.

It was the same resonance that had occurred inside Chen Fei’s body earlier.

Chen Fei contemplated, was this a demonic beast or something else? However, the likelihood leaned heavily toward it being a demonic beast that preyed on ’ human martial artists.

Chen Fei cast a discreet glance at Zheng Chuanwen not far away. What role did the Zheng family play in all of this? Were they also victims, completely unaware?

“Miss Cheng, please accept my condolences. This is likely the work of sea demons!” Zheng Chuanwen approached Cheng Huifang and spoke solemnly. “Every year when the mist appears, there are such fatalities.”

“A demon beast? Why did this demon beast choose my senior brother and not you!” Cheng Huifang’s appearance seemed somewhat manic, clearly deeply affected by her senior brother’s death.

“Miss Cheng, please be cautious with your words!” Zheng Chuanwen furrowed his brow slightly and whispered in a low voice.

Cheng Huifang’s mind went blank, and she involuntarily took a step back when facing Zheng Chuanwen, who was in the later stage of the Aperture Tempering realm. She looked at her senior brother’s clothes and tears flowed uncontrollably.

“It seems we have attracted the attention of sea demons. Everyone, please be cautious! Going forward, we will do our utmost to leave the mist as quickly as possible,” Zheng Chuanwen turned to look at the others and spoke with determination.

“What kind of demon beast is this that can suck the flesh and blood of people like this? I’ve never heard of such a thing before!”

I’ve heard about it a few times, but I never expected to encounter it today!”

“Do we have any way to defend against it?”

“I don’t know!”

As Zheng Chuanwen’s words fell, the voices around them became noisy. After all, being silently reduced to nothing but skin was extremely horrifying.

This had happened to cultivators in the early stage of the Aperture Tempering realm, and there were also many martial artists in the Body Tempering realm on the ship. Wouldn’t they be even more at risk?

“How about we stay on the deck, keep an eye on each other, and remind each other if there’s any situation!” someone suggested.

That s a good idea!” Upon hearing this proposal, everyone nodded.

Although the deck wasn’t as comfortable as the cabin, at a time like this, no one could afford to consider comfort. Survival was the top priority.

After a while, everyone had gathered on the deck, which had initially appeared somewhat spacious but was now crowded.

However, no one was complaining at this moment. In just a few more hours, they would be able to leave this layer of mist. Enduring for a few more hours was not a problem at all.

The voices of discussion on the deck gradually fell silent, and everyone watched their surroundings carefully, fearing that sea demons might suddenly attack from outside the ship.

No one was practicing, and no one was dozing off. They all stared with wide eyes, guarding against any unexpected occurrences.

Time passed slowly, and there were no unusual incidents, which slightly eased the tension of the group.

Chen Fei sat cross-legged on the deck, his spiritual awareness extending all around. He was curious about the method by which that thing devoured flesh and blood. When Cheng Huifang’s senior brother was killed, Chen Fei hadn’t sensed anything unusual.

But even so, Cheng Huifang’s senior brother had died silently.

“Sss!”

Amidst the sounds of the surrounding waves, a strange noise suddenly rang out, as if something had suddenly dissipated.

Chen Fei’s eyes shifted to the side, where a person was shrouded in green smoke. Their face contorted in pain, as if they were enduring extreme agony. However, oddly, not a single sound of screaming escaped their lips.

It was as if something had sealed their mouth shut, leaving them with only the ability to silently change expressions.

Chen Fei’s figure appeared right in front of the person, and at this close range, he sensed something familiar.

Chen Fei’s movements and the slight noise from earlier had alarmed everyone in the vicinity. Some people looked on in terror, taking several steps back in fear.

Those with slightly higher cultivation levels frowned as they watched. They were all on the same deck, yet this person had been attacked, and they hadn’t sensed anything at all. How terrifying was this?

With his right hand forming a sword-like gesture, Chen Fei lightly tapped the person’s forehead.

Madness, chaos, and even extreme excitement-all of these were present in the person’s mental sea. Their mental state was in an extremely bizarre condition, and this mental anomaly had caused a drastic change in the elemental energy ’ within their body.

From Chen Fei’s perspective, it was as if this person had ignited themselves.

“Snap!”

The sound of clothes falling onto the deck resonated, and the skin floated gently onto the clothes.

Chen Fei almost couldn’t stop it.

Compared to what had happened earlier, the degree of their aperture rupture was lighter. This person had used the most intense method to burn away everything within their body, leaving no room for anything to remain.

The people around them were even more horrified now. Unlike Cheng

Huifang’s senior brother, this person’s death had unfolded right before their eyes.

In just a short time, this person had transformed into this state. Anyone would have felt fear witnessing such a scene.

This person seemed to be a loner; there were no cries or shouts from anyone around them. All that was present was instinctual withdrawal, as if they were afraid of contamination that might turn them into what they had just witnessed.

The contorted, desperate expression on the face of the person moments ago was truly terrifying. What kind of pain was that, unable to be put into words?

It looks like he just fell asleep,” someone suddenly whispered.

Yes, I saw it too, he fell asleep,” someone else agreed.

Many people on the deck had been looking around nervously due to their fears. As a result, quite a few had witnessed the person’s previous condition.

“In a situation like this, he dares to fall asleep?” others exclaimed in surprise.

During sleep, one’s vigilance would naturally be at its lowest. Most people would prefer to keep their eyes open, so who would dare to fall asleep in such a situation?

Chen Fei’s expression changed slightly. Asleep? Dream Entry Technique?

Chen Fei suddenly realized where the familiarity he had sensed earlier came from. It was quite similar to the Dream Entry Technique! Of course, there were many differences between the two, and they were not the same cultivation method.

The Dream Entry Technique allowed one to directly disrupt another person’s mental sea and consciousness within the dream, controlling them and then igniting themselves, devouring every bit of flesh and blood.

In Chen Fei’s mind, there was suddenly a realization about the attacker’s method of attack.

Several tens of miles away.

Two figures were riding a small boat, breaking through the waves on the sea.

At the bow of the boat, one person held a compass and continuously adjusted the direction.

“How much longer do we need?” Du Guman, standing in the rear, spoke with a voice that sounded as if her throat had been rubbed with a blade, making it extremely hoarse.

“This thing is quite cunning, and combined with this layer of mist, we still can’t pinpoint its exact location,” Dai Yuqiu said as he looked at the compass in his hand, his brows furrowing.

“We’ve been wandering in this mist for several days already. We can’t just keep going like this!” Du Guman’s brows furrowed slightly, her tone filled with dissatisfaction.

As her words fell, the air around them suddenly turned icy, as if countless blades were surrounding them.

“This thing is currently devouring both humans and demons. In a few more days, we should be able to determine its location!” Dai Yuqiu replied promptly, not daring to be careless.

Du Guman seemed impatient but ultimately didn’t say anything more, and the oppressive aura in the surroundings gradually dissipated.

On the Zheng family’s ship.

On the deck, many people had already stood up, pacing back and forth.

Chen Fei looked ahead into the mist, knowing that the next time, they should

be able to catch the culprit!