The air grew eerie as black mist continuously swirled around, causing Ye Tiancheng to wear a grim expression, devoid of any smiles. At this critical juncture, Fatty could only try to lighten the mood.
"Brother Ye, I heard that scoundrel Ouyang Xunuo has already fled abroad. If that's the case, isn't he walking right into a trap? This time, when he shows up, we'll definitely beat him into a pulp!"
"Alright, I'm just afraid we won't be able to defeat him. If I could beat him, I wouldn't be frowning so much. We're in a weakened state, while he's like a reanimated corpse. He might be incredibly powerful now. The concentration of this black mist is unprecedented."
Having realized the gravity of the situation, Ye Tiancheng could no longer humor Fatty's jokes. Fatty felt extremely terrified. If Ouyang Xunuo were to appear now, he and Lin Xue might not be able to resist him.
Suddenly, several peals of thunder echoed outside, followed by a torrential downpour. The rain intensified, feeling as if it were pouring directly onto their foreheads, truly terrifying and capable of turning anyone into a drowned rat.
"We need to find a place to stop. This rain is too abnormal. This isn't rain; it's like someone is pouring water from the sky. If this continues, we'll all get soaked. The car will start leaking soon, and driving is unsafe. We can't see the road ahead at all."
Fatty had initially thought it was a bit of an overreaction. They were inside the car, so what was the rush? The rain wouldn't get inside. However, very quickly, a dense black fog gathered.
Within this black fog was potent black energy, which Ye Tiancheng couldn't dispel even with his true qi. It seemed the strength of this black energy was immense.
Most importantly, they couldn't see the road. Everyone felt that continuing on like this was a very bad situation, with a high chance of a car accident due to poor visibility.
Therefore, Fatty decisively pulled the car over. The heavy rain continued, and Lin Xue quickly used a spiritual artifact to create a protective shield, like a large umbrella, over the car.
Fortunately, no more rain fell directly. The earlier downpour cascaded onto the car roof, giving the impression that it might soon be smashed through.
"Ouyang Xunuo dares not show himself and resorts to these petty tricks behind our backs. He's not a man at all! If he has the guts, I'll smash his skull with my shovel and splatter his brains!"
Fatty was quite angry. When he got angry, he couldn't help but boast a little, though it wasn't genuine. He didn't actually wish for Ouyang Xunuo to appear. Even the mighty Lin Xue hadn't spoken, so what right did Fatty have?
Ye Tiancheng, usually the most arrogant, couldn't help but advise Fatty to be more low-key. If they actually provoked Ouyang Xunuo, it might be difficult to handle.
"That's enough. Once the rain subsides, we'll continue our journey. Let's try not to cause trouble. If we can't handle the trouble, we're just making things worse for ourselves."
Ye Tiancheng had a point, and Fatty immediately understood his meaning. He stopped talking and gazed out at the rain, lost in thought for a moment.
"It seems our journey to Hope City won't be peaceful. We should be mentally prepared."
Fatty might have been a jinx, because as soon as he finished speaking, the ground began to tremble, and everyone looked outside the car.
The rain suddenly stopped. Several black, circular, unidentified objects were bouncing on the ground. Their bouncing motion was somewhat like frogs, but they felt different. These were not frogs, but monsters exuding a dense black energy.
The monsters quickly approached and prepared to devour the entire car. The car shook violently, as if it could disintegrate at any moment, leaving only fragments behind.
They couldn't hold back any longer. Ye Tiancheng quickly channeled true qi into the ground to ward off the monsters' assault.
Lin Xue, even more so, used her spiritual power to rapidly form a large protective shield, enveloping the entire car.
It had only been a few seconds, but the car was already damaged, indicating the monsters' immense power. A single strike from them could leave them utterly defenseless.
Lin Xue felt her spiritual power being subjected to a powerful impact, and she suddenly became frightened. Her whole body began to tremble, though only slightly, and she quickly regained control, stopping the trembling. Then, Lin Xue shouted.
"Run! We have to leave here immediately!"
Fatty was quite cooperative. Even the usually calm Lin Xue had suddenly decided to escape, which meant they definitely couldn't hold on. Fatty quickly floored the accelerator. The four of them, inside the car, felt as if they were suddenly flying, bumping into each other without any regard for the path.
"Everyone, hold on tight! Fasten your seatbelts if you haven't already. Fatty is going to race! Everyone, pay attention to safety."
Fatty didn't ease up on the accelerator. Apart from brief pauses, he kept flooring it. All along the way, he drove the car like an airplane, truly pushing it to its limits.
"Is anyone feeling carsick?"
"We're fine. Let's just power through. The black mist can only affect a certain area. It's the same old trick, always trying to block our path, but they've never succeeded. Ouyang Xunuo is truly a rare idiot!"
Ye Tiancheng detested Ouyang Xunuo's pretense of cleverness. If his strength allowed it now, he would have confronted that scoundrel directly.
Despite what they said, their escape did not cease. They sped along, treating ordinary roads like highways. Fortunately, there were no other cars on the road, so there were no safety concerns. They finally managed to escape the area shrouded in black mist.
When Ye Tiancheng clearly felt the black mist around him weaken to an almost imperceptible level, a smile finally appeared on his face, as he relished the fresh air.
"This Ouyang Xunuo, it seems he didn't come in person, but merely conjured some black mist. He's probably trying to create a diversion. I'd like to see what capabilities this scoundrel actually possesses!"
"Alright, Brother Ye, you've made me sweat. Let's find a place to refuel later. Today, Fatty wants to eat Sichuan cuisine, the more fragrant and spicier the better. I need to eat a lot, otherwise, I really suspect I might starve to death."
Fatty had been very tense throughout the journey, and he had indeed expended considerable energy. He needed to replenish his nutrients.
"There are still a few here. They're quite fast to have kept up with our car."
Ye Tiancheng didn't engage with Fatty's words but instead noticed something alarming. Those strangely shaped creatures were actually clinging to the car. Since they had exited the black mist's coverage, they had weakened considerably. Even on the car, they couldn't bite through the car parts with their sharp teeth and turn them into powder as they could before.
"Brother Ye, I request permission to use my shovel to eliminate these monsters. It's a good opportunity to accumulate merit for that wandering soul. We shouldn't waste this good thing."
Ye Tiancheng thought Fatty had a point. These few monsters that had accidentally been carried out of the black mist cluster were no longer very strong. It would be better to leave them for Fatty to deal with properly, which would also help increase the merit for Fatty's shovel.
"Then it's settled. These monsters can't move, they should have no combat power left. Fatty, you drive your car without interruption. We'll stop at the restaurant later, and you can finish off these damned things."
They arrived at the restaurant half an hour later. During this time, Fatty kept staring at the monsters as if they were a piece of fatty meat, worrying that if the monsters died, he wouldn't be able to accumulate merit.
When the car stopped and the engine was quickly turned off, Fatty rushed to the monsters' side, his right eye fixed on them, as if trying to discern something.
"Brother Ye, this is bad. These monsters seem to be dead."
"If they're dead, they're dead. They're just a few monsters, not worth pitying. Even if you accumulate merit, it won't be much. Don't add to your worries. I expect there will be plenty more when we reach Hope City."
Ye Tiancheng intended to comfort Fatty. Losing a prize like that would be hard for anyone to accept. But who would have thought that while Ye Tiancheng was speaking, the monsters suddenly came back to life and flew directly towards Fatty's face? Fatty felt a burning pain on his face and immediately cried out. At the critical moment, Ye Tiancheng used his true qi to strike the monster, sending it tumbling onto the ground, legs in the air.
This truly enraged Fatty. Injured, he somehow found the strength to pick up his precious little shovel and began to wildly smash the monsters, beating them into flattened messes that spewed green liquid.
Fatty still felt unsatisfied. Even though the monsters were thoroughly dead, he continued to smash them relentlessly.
"I'm so angry! These monsters are disgusting and poisonous, but they also tried to play dead! They almost got me killed."
Fatty felt quite humiliated remembering it. If he had been disfigured by these small monsters, where would his Fatty persona go from then on?
"Fatty, don't move. I'll help you treat the wound on your face."
Ye Tiancheng had only focused on the monsters earlier and hadn't noticed Fatty's face. Upon seeing Fatty's current terrifying facial injury, Ye Tiancheng didn't want Fatty to see his own appearance, fearing it might scare him.
"What's wrong? Brother Ye, although my face hurts a bit, it's not that bad. You don't need to worry about me excessively."
Fatty didn't know yet. The wound was indeed quite large, and it could be described as deep enough to see bone. In such a situation, it would be best to quickly use Ye Tiancheng's true qi to heal it. This was not the time to show how strong he was.
"Promise me you won't look at the wound on your face. I'll help you treat it."
Ye Tiancheng was afraid that Fatty might develop a psychological scar if he saw his own ghastly appearance, so he dared not let Fatty look, trying his best to block his gaze.
"It's fine. I'm a grown man, what am I afraid of? No matter how terrifying it is, I won't be too scared."
Fatty confidently glanced at his reflection on his phone and was immediately terrified. His whole demeanor changed. A glaring bloody hole, where bone was almost visible.
"Brother Ye, it's over! I'm going to be disfigured! It hurts so much! It hurts to death!"
The moment he saw the wound, Fatty couldn't hold back. He might not have been good-looking before, but at least he could be seen in public. Now, how could he face anyone? He would surely be laughed at.