Chapter 356: Chapter 260: Revival of the Earth Spirit Stele! Fu Ming

This put him at ease. He decided to observe his surroundings first, making sure not to stray too far from the barrier so he could retreat at a moment’s notice.

But as Yang An took a few dozen steps forward, he began to approach the jungle ahead.

Peering through the gaps between the trees, he saw a clearing in the jungle where a bonfire was burning.

The burning firewood was gray, and so were the flames.

And right beside the bonfire sat a gray, cross-legged figure!

The instant he saw the figure, a flicker of disbelief flashed through Yang An’s eyes, and he froze in place.

The figure by the bonfire, who seemed to have been waiting all this time, slowly raised his head.

He was gaunt, but a faint smile graced his refined, gentle face as he looked over at Yang An.

Then, an incredibly familiar voice slowly drifted over.

"I’ve waited a long time for you... You’re finally here."

"Fu Ming...!!!"

A sudden breeze rustled the grass and trees of the forest.

But upon seeing this person and hearing his voice, Yang An looked as though he had seen a ghost.

He instinctively took two steps back, preparing to retreat through the barrier and back into the Earth Spirit Stele.

’Isn’t Fu Ming dead? How can he be here?’

Most importantly, Yang An couldn’t sense his aura at all. He had merged with this world; his entire being, just like his surroundings, was gray.

Yet as he sat there quietly by the bonfire, it was also as if he didn’t exist at all.

"You don’t need to worry. Master isn’t here. We don’t know where he went, either. He was supposed to enter this place with us."

Fu Ming’s voice came again, sending another chill down Yang An’s spine.

"We?!"

"Yes, we... But for now, I’m the only one who’s lucid."

Fu Ming’s voice was unchanged—familiar and comforting.

But as he spoke, the spark in his gray eyes dimmed, and he looked utterly desolate.

"Are you saying... Wild Forbidden and You Hong’Er are here too?"

Yang An took a deep breath, his guard up. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Fu Ming nodded slightly, his smile never wavering.

"Not all of them. Some were not qualified to come here."

"Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be dead?"

Yang An voiced his greatest confusion.

He suddenly had a thought and mentally called out to the Bow Lady, because she could see souls.

But the Bow Lady hung silently on his back. No matter how he called, there was no response.

"That’s right. We should have died, and we shouldn’t have come here. In a way, we have you to thank for it. It’s because you killed Master that we were able to come here.

"I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I want to know, how did you kill Master?"

Fu Ming explained, then asked.

"I..."

Yang An hesitated to explain. He was extremely wary of this figure from his past, as he had no way to verify if this was truly Fu Ming.

’Is this really Fu Ming, or an imposter?’

But just as he uttered that single word, before he could say more, a burly, wild figure suddenly shot out from the woods, charging straight for him.

The wind swept past the bonfire, bending the flames completely to one side. Even the firelight was gray, merely casting a brighter illumination on the surroundings.

The figure was incredibly fast. Just like with Fu Ming, Yang An couldn’t sense his presence. By the time he reacted, the figure was already in front of him, raising a hand.

The arm was thicker than Yang An’s thigh as it threw a punch straight at him.

In the heat of the moment, with no time to activate his Jade Kala Vajra Body, Yang An crossed his arms in front of him to block.

His body had been tempered by both Golden Dust and Magic Light, so despite the surprise attack, Yang An wasn’t flustered.

BAM!

The fist landed on his arms. A faint pang of pain shot through them, but it was fleeting. Yang An only took a few steps back, completely unscathed.

But the figure who had attacked him let out a hysterical cry.

"You killed him! You killed him! You deserve to die! Die!!"