Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8688: Sneaking in _1

Zhao Hai moved stealthily through the sea of blood, a place where he felt completely at ease. The blood sea posed no threat to him; he could even disperse his form like the Blood Cloud Beasts, though he seldom chose to do so. It was important to remember he carried the bloodline of the Blood Cloud Beasts within him.

His current destination was the territory occupied by the Shadow Realm. He was intensely curious about the origin of the Shadow Realm Army's pervasive gray fog. Intelligence suggested this fog was continuously expanding, a fact that piqued his interest. While a magic weapon could be upgraded, its expansion rate seemed unusually rapid. Typically, upgrading a magic weapon required re-forging, a feat seemingly impossible for the Shadow Realm under current circumstances. Given this, the fog's persistent growth was particularly intriguing.

Zhao Hai was convinced that understanding the reason behind the gray fog's expansion would lead to a method of breaching it. This conviction fueled his determination to infiltrate the fog and uncover its secrets. The nature of such a vast, expanding artifact captivated him.

With less than a hundred miles separating him from the Shadow Realm forces, Zhao Hai soon reached the gray fog's fringes. He observed numerous Shadow Realm soldiers patrolling below, seemingly maintaining a state of high alert.

A flicker of excitement crossed Zhao Hai's face. He surmised that the Shadow Realm's gray fog might not be able to assimilate with the blood fog. If assimilation were possible, there would be no need for patrols in the blood sea. The gray fog was, after all, a magic weapon. Its owner would likely detect any intrusion immediately. Thus, sending patrols outside seemed redundant, unless the gray fog was incapable of merging with the blood fog. Despite the gray fog's coverage, the blood fog persisted beneath it, creating a vulnerable area requiring defense. If the inhabitants of the blood sea realm could infiltrate undetected beneath the fog, the Shadow Realm's attack range would be severely compromised, a fatal flaw for them.

Considering this, Zhao Hai's gaze sharpened. A closer inspection of the patrolling Shadow Realm soldiers revealed their diligence; their patrols were not a mere formality, nor did they appear to be a trap. This genuine vigilance put Zhao Hai at ease. He wasn't truly afraid of discovery; evasion was well within his capabilities. However, being detected would jeopardize his primary objective: unraveling the mystery of the gray fog.

Concealing himself from these ordinary soldiers was effortless, especially within the undetectable blood mist. Therefore, Zhao Hai didn't linger. After a brief observation of the Shadow Realm patrols, he bypassed them, descending into the sea controlled by the Shadow Realm Army.

He soon reached the base of the Shadow Realm's gray fog, his suspicion confirmed. Although the upper layers were shrouded in gray fog, the depths remained filled with the familiar blood fog, indistinguishable from elsewhere. Zhao Hai even noted a slight, albeit tangible, separation between the gray fog and the blood fog.

However, he also noticed a significant presence of Shadow Realm personnel, including Shadow Generals, within the blood mist itself. They had established a dense, layered defense, a testament to the area's vulnerability. Had it been anyone else, they would have been discovered instantly. This clearly represented a weakness the Shadow Realm felt compelled to heavily guard.

Zhao Hai proceeded to descend into the gray fog, remaining vigilant and observing the internal conditions. He believed that if a core existed within the fog, it would inevitably reveal itself. He watched and sensed with quiet intensity.

After advancing approximately a hundred miles, Zhao Hai detected something ahead within the gray fog. A particular section appeared darker and was noticeably larger than the surrounding area. Zhao Hai halted his progress, observing the section intently and assessing its dimensions.

He quickly confirmed his premonition: something substantial resided within the gray fog, something immense. Based on its size and the shadows it cast, he recognized it as likely being Lord Beiwei's palace. The imposing scale suggested formidable defenses, further validating his suspicions.

Zhao Hai opted against an immediate assault on the Beiwei Lord, recognizing the formidable difficulty in subduing him, even if he were to engage personally. This challenge stemmed from the gray fog acting as the Beiwei Lord's domain, making him a particularly elusive and dangerous opponent within his own territory.

Consequently, Zhao Hai refrained from attacking and continued his stealthy infiltration of the gray fog. He harbored a strong intuition that the Beiwei Lord's current location was not at the center of this pervasive mist. Thus, he pressed onward, meticulously observing the unfolding situation within the fog before committing to any decisive action.

Simultaneously, Zhao Hai's awareness grew that the Beiwei Lord's true strength far surpassed his initial estimations. He was certain that the forces concealed within the blood fog had not participated in any prior engagements. The quantity of individuals hidden within the blood sea was substantial, nearly matching the numbers of the Shadow Realm Army they had previously confronted.

This implied that the Beiwei Lord had at least half of his forces discreetly positioned. Although Zhao Hai couldn't fully grasp the reasoning behind the Beiwei Lord's decision not to deploy his entire army for a swift annihilation, he remained confident that such a move would have forced them into a purely defensive posture. Overcoming an army exceeding two million from the Shadow Realm would have been an insurmountable task. The Shadow Realm inhabitants were, after all, incredibly difficult adversaries. Their previous victory was attributed to two key factors: the Xenomorphs' attacks neutralizing the fog-based tactics and the seamless sword array, a unique group-annihilation technique, which had compelled the Shadow Realm Army to retreat into the gray fog. However, Zhao Hai understood that with adequate preparation, defeating them would be nearly impossible.

Zhao Hai's expression remained impassive. He was acutely aware that the sheer numbers of the Shadow Realm Army posed no genuine threat to him. He possessed a vast reserve of undead and alien forces yet to be unleashed. His primary concern was the gray fog itself. He firmly believed that once this impediment was removed, all other challenges would dissipate. Without the gray fog, the Shadow Realm Army would be rendered as toothless as a tiger, posing no significant danger.

Zhao Hai continued his descent into the deeper layers of the fog. He had lost all track of the distance covered but still perceived no discernible change in the gray fog's properties. This peculiarity piqued his curiosity, yet he maintained his composure, proceeding further. The sheer expanse of the gray fog suggested that haste was unnecessary.

Suddenly, Zhao Hai received an urgent message via the communication array. It was from Zhu Yong, informing him that the six major sects were exhibiting unusual activity, amassing an army. Intriguingly, their apparent target seemed not to be the Shadow Realm forces, but rather the Blood Slaughter Sect and the Giant Demon Sect.

Upon receiving this intelligence, a subtle smile graced Zhao Hai's features. He was not taken aback, having anticipated such a turn of events. He promptly instructed Zhu Yong to relay this information to Laura through the designated communication medium, empowering her to manage the situation independently.

In truth, Zhao Hai surmised that Laura had likely already been apprised of the developing situation and had initiated her own countermeasures. His instruction to Zhu Yong served primarily as a signal to Laura, indicating his current unavailability and implicitly delegating command of the frontline operations to her.

Zhao Hai harbored no doubts that the moment the six major sects initiated their offensive against the Blood Slaughter Sect, the Shadow Realm Army would seize the opportunity. They would undoubtedly launch retaliatory strikes against Spirit Array Island. Their success or failure in this endeavor was secondary; the act itself was strategically vital. Such a move would not only strike at the Blood Slaughter Sect but also sow discord between them and the six major sects. It would further solidify suspicions of the six major sects colluding with the Shadow Realm. Even if they failed to win over the six major sects, they would succeed in shattering their prestige within the Blood Sea Realm, rendering their affiliations irrelevant.

Should the six major sects lose their standing, their ability to rally other sects against the Shadow Realm Army would evaporate. This scenario would render the Blood Sea Realm experts significantly more vulnerable to the Shadow Realm Army's advances, ensuring the latter faced no disadvantage. Therefore, Zhao Hai anticipated that the Shadow Realm Army would inevitably act in concert with the six major sects' offensive.