Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

During the break, Huo Xiuxiu took out the two bells again and gently shook them. The bells emitted a clear and distant sound, as if they were conducting some kind of mysterious communication with the surrounding fog. Zhang Shi noticed that as the bells rang, the surrounding fog seemed to undergo a subtle change, becoming thinner.

"This bell... can really dispel the fog?" Ge Dalong asked curiously, with surprise flashing in his eyes.

Huo Xiuxiu nodded gently and explained, "These two bells can clear one's mind. They can temporarily weaken the power of the fog, giving us some freedom of sight and movement. However, the effect is limited. We must find a real way to leave here as soon as possible."

Zhang Shi secretly felt lucky that he hadn't lost the bell, otherwise they would be in a much more difficult situation now. He turned and asked, "Ms. Huo, how much do you know about the curse in this fog? Is it possible to find a way to lift it?"

Huo Xiuxiu shook her head, a trace of helplessness on her face. "The roots of the curse lie deep beneath this land, closely connected to the history of Huo Village. To lift the curse, we must find its source, but that's nearly impossible. Our only goal now is to find a safe way out."

As they talked, the fog seemed to dissipate briefly, allowing them to glimpse a vague outline in the distance. Zhang Shi keenly noticed this and suggested, "While the fog is thinning, shouldn't we take the opportunity to walk a little further?"

Huo Xiuxiu thought about it for a moment and finally agreed to the proposal. They set out on their journey again, taking advantage of the temporary dissipation of the fog to speed up their progress.

However, the good times didn't last long. As they sank deeper into the fog, the surrounding landscape began to take on a strange quality. Trees twisted and distorted, as if distorted by an invisible force; vines on the ground wriggled like living creatures, attempting to entangle their feet. Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong were forced to proceed with increasing caution, fearing they would stumble into danger.

"Be careful!" Huo Xiuxiu suddenly warned in a low voice, with a hint of nervousness in her voice, "I feel something approaching nearby."

Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong immediately became alert, gripping their weapons tightly and scanning their surroundings with vigilance. Just then, a giant, emaciated beast suddenly pounced out of the mist and headed straight for them.

Zhang Shi, quick-witted and swift-handed, swung his sword, narrowly missing the beast. Undeterred, it attacked again. Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong joined forces to fight, but the beast's speed and strength were beyond their imagination, leaving them unable to withstand it.

At this crucial moment, Huo Xiuxiu's bell rang again. The crisp sound seemed to possess some kind of magical power, instantly slowing the beast's movements. Zhang Shi, Zhao Feng, and Ge Dalong joined forces to counterattack, injuring the beast and driving it back.

"What is this?" Ge Dalong asked, panting, his face full of confusion. This creature was a little different from the black shadows seen outside the village.

"Cursed creatures, driven by the evil power of the fog, have become the guardians of this land." Huo Xiuxiu explained, "We must be more careful, there may be many more creatures like this."

Zhang Shi's heart sank. If all the monsters in the fog were as powerful as the behemoth just now, he knew the journey ahead would be even more difficult. But he also understood that they had no way out and could only continue on this path until they found hope of escaping.

After exploring for a long time, the group encountered creatures in the fog several times. With the help of Huo Xiuxiu, no accidents happened. They worked together to repel all the monsters.

Huo Xiuxiu looked up at the gray sky shrouded in mist and spoke to the few people.

"It's getting late, and it's very dangerous here at night. Let's stop here today and return to the cabin."

Zhang Shi and the other two nodded, thinking Huo Xiuxiu's words made sense, and they followed the marks all the way back. They hadn't gone far when the fog ahead suddenly grew thicker, and from time to time they could hear bursts of roaring and fighting.

Zhang Shi looked at Huo Xiuxiu and asked.

"What do you mean, do you want to take a detour?"

Huo Xiuxiu shook her head, her eyes full of confidence.

"Changing direction in this fog is courting death. Even if there are some formidable monsters ahead, we have to find a way to force our way through."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi and his companions drew their weapons and prepared for battle. In this foggy area, Huo Xiuxiu was their greatest support. Acting according to her ideas would be much safer than rushing around blindly on their own.

The group carefully followed the markings and groped forward. The sounds in the fog grew clearer, and Zhang Shi could already vaguely make out two creatures fighting ahead. Huo Xiuxiu gently rang the bell, temporarily dispersing the fog ahead. The group's vision suddenly widened, allowing them to clearly see the scene ahead.

In the open space, a winged, rotten humanoid creature stood in front. He looked like a winged man. He was holding a rusty spear in his hand, which showed that he should have a certain degree of intelligence.

The other party turned out to be the three-headed monster that had been devoured by the earth beast along with them. At this time, the three-headed monster was smaller than before, and it seemed that it had paid a price to escape from the underground.

Zhang Shi looked at its three heads, all intact. It seemed that Chen Beipan and the old woman could still be rescued. However, even though they were close now, the contractual induction between him and Chen Beipan was very vague, as if it was blocked by some means.

Both the winged man and the three-headed monster noticed the sudden appearance of Zhang Shi and his group. The winged man simply ignored Zhang Shi and the others and rushed towards the three-headed monster in front of him with a spear, seemingly determined to fight to the death with the other party.

The three-headed monster, however, was having second thoughts of retreating in his heart. He already had an old grudge with Zhang Shi and the others, and now he had a new enemy, the Winged People. He was worried about being besieged by both sides, so he just defended and did not attack, retreating step by step into the fog behind him.

"Don't let him get away, catch him alive."

Zhang Shi whispered instructions to his companions, then picked up Lao Duan and joined the battle.

The three-headed monster knew how powerful Zhang Shi was. The three heads roared towards the sky simultaneously, and its body condensed into human form again, and a copy of Lao Duan appeared in its hand.

With Huo Xiuxiu's support behind him, Zhang Shi felt relieved. He flashed behind the three-headed monster and launched a flurry of attacks, quickly leaving a trail of scars on its body. To Zhang Shi's surprise, the winged creature seemed displeased with his sudden appearance, roaring and turning its attention towards him. Fortunately, Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong intervened, stopping the winged monster from rejoining the fray.

During the battle, Zhang Shi noticed that the self-healing ability of these three monsters was obviously much slower. It seemed that something had happened to them and the situation was not good.

"Just when you're sick, I'm going to kill you!"

Zhang Shi's moves became more and more fierce, and the three-headed monster was soon defeated. It could only rely on its self-healing ability to escape in the fog.

Zhang Shi did not dare to stay too far away from his companions, so he slowed down his attack, but he also entangled the three-headed monster, leaving it no chance of escape.