Chapter 1248: It Doesn't Exist
Black Sheep and Yan Zhichun descended step by step, feeling as though this staircase had no end in sight.
Although only a minute or two had passed since the last member of the "Jidao" had entered, neither of them could see a single person—only these neverending steps plunging straight into the earth.
The staircase vanished at the end of their line of sight like an endless thread, as if leading from a mountaintop straight down into hell.
Within this space, Yan Zhichun felt a growing unease. The path was far too dark. She reached out and lightly touched the walls on either side, and the texture was even stranger.
She felt as though she was touching something that "doesn't exist."
These pitch-black walls on either side had no temperature, no hardness, no color, and didn't reflect light. When she reached out, she clearly touched something, but it was difficult to describe what exactly she had felt.
They walked for another ten minutes until Yan Zhichun's legs began to ache. Only then did the unchanging scenery finally shift—the end of the staircase seemed to lead to an irregularly shaped cave entrance.
She turned back to ask Black Sheep if he knew anything, but he said bluntly that this was his first time entering the "cargo hold" and that he had no knowledge of what lay ahead.
Before they could enter the strange cave, the scent of blood had already begun drifting faintly to their noses. Thinking carefully, it had only been a few minutes since they entered the "cargo hold," yet the smell of blood was already so strong—it seemed many had already died.
Yan Zhichun's heart clenched, and she instinctively quickened her pace, with Black Sheep following closely behind.
"Hey!" Black Sheep called out in a low voice from behind, watching her reckless advance. "Be careful!"
"The enemy we're facing is a 'Heaven-tier'... Do you think being careful will keep us from dying?"
Yan Zhichun stepped into the cave with a grim expression, and the scene inside instantly came into view.
It was an extremely vast plaza—so vast that she couldn't even see any walls on either side.
Yan Zhichun had imagined that the place where the "Ants" were imprisoned would be some kind of prison, perhaps filled with countless cages. But as far as the eye could see, it was just a dimly lit plaza. There were no visible light sources or lamps, yet somehow she could still make out the scene within.
Countless "Ants," like a writhing mass of insects, were scattered in small groups across every corner of the plaza. Some wandered slowly, some sat on the ground, others opened their mouths as if trying to speak, but their broken tongues could only produce faint rustling sounds.
Looking more closely, the members of "Jidao" were also scattered around the perimeter, on high alert. They crouched low, some even using the "Ants" to shield themselves, and stared warily in all directions. In the center of the plaza lay a large pile of dismembered corpses, making it impossible to tell who had died.
"What's going on...?"
Yan Zhichun couldn't immediately grasp the situation. Though bodies lay scattered everywhere, she saw no enemy at all.
"Bitch, get down!"
Zhou Mo's voice rang in her ears. Without hesitation, Yan Zhichun dropped low. In that instant, she felt something brush past the top of her head, and a sharp gust of wind lifted her hair.
It took a few seconds for the fear to catch up with her—if Zhou Mo hadn't warned her, she might have become another pile of mangled flesh.
Black Sheep squinted, looking into the air. Whether due to the dim light or sheer speed, he hadn't seen a thing when Yan Zhichun was attacked.
How fast would something have to be for an "Earth-tier" to not even see it at all?
Yan Zhichun glanced back and noticed that Black Sheep was the only one still standing in the entire plaza. She quickly called out, "Black Sheep! You should get down too! It's too dangerous like this!"
"Crouching down is useless," Black Sheep replied coldly. "There's an 'Earth-tier Zodiac' in this plaza. No matter where I hide, I'll be the most conspicuous target. Find a place to take cover yourself."
Yan Zhichun nodded solemnly, then crouched low and moved quickly until she reached one of the "Jidao" members. They huddled together behind one of the "Ants."
Black Sheep continued to observe the situation, trying to quickly figure out what had attacked everyone.
Where exactly was Tian Niu?
On this empty plaza, all he could see were countless "Ants." If that was the case...
In this so-called "cargo hold," where was the exit?
Black Sheep stared into the void, deep in thought. He had even sparred with Di Niu as a warm-up for this fight against Tian Niu.
Both were strong, lean women with similar builds. He had assumed their fighting styles would be comparable, but now it seemed he had been somewhat naive.
He hadn't even seen Tian Niu's appearance yet, and already members of this team were dying.
Still, despite this, Black Sheep was puzzled. No matter how strong the enemy was, there should at least be some trace left behind. Otherwise, how could they possibly kill something they couldn't even get a hold of?
Just as he was considering tactics, Black Sheep felt a subtle shift in the air currents around him.
Something invisible seemed to be tearing through the air toward him, moving at an unbelievable speed.
His expression changed. Instantly, he reached out his hands, intending to strike at the unseen attacker—but his subconscious screamed a warning of extreme danger, forcing his arms to cross instinctively in front of him.
*Bam!*
A brutal force collided with Black Sheep, producing a deafening sound. His entire body was lifted off the ground and sent flying into the distance. If he hadn't raised his arms to block, he would likely be severely injured and on the ground by now.
Yan Zhichun's eyes went wide at the sight. Her heart sank. It wasn't that the thing was "too fast to see"—it simply didn't exist. It had stopped for an instant when it hit Black Sheep, but it hadn't become visible.
"It's 'Concealment'..." Her eyes widened slowly. "This is bad... This ability is just too..."
Yan Zhichun realized that Tian Niu's ability would likely counter most of the "Echoes" here.
Officer Li and Su Shan crouched low behind three "Ants," peering out over their shoulders.
"Did you see it?" Officer Li asked.
"Over there!" Su Shan pointed at an empty space in the air, whispering.
"Good!" Officer Li stared at that spot of nothingness, reaching into his pocket. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull anything out.
After all, his enemy was emptiness itself.
He had thought that, after long training, he could pull out a heart with ease. But today, his enemies were either Xuanwu or Zhuque, and now there was a Tian Niu whose form he couldn't even see.
"No good..." Officer Li frowned, staring into the air. "Su Shan, what exactly is that thing?"
"It looks like... a woman?" Su Shan said uncertainly.
"Yes or no—what do you mean 'looks like'?"
"I can only see a glowing silhouette..." Su Shan said, her eyes reddening. "It resembles a woman, but she's carrying something huge on her shoulder—something bigger than her entire body. The two glowing shapes overlap, so I can't judge properly for now."