They ran as if their lives depended on it.
The group had been running from noon to dusk, from the Gra.s.s-pecking Cliff to the lush green forest and all the way to the dark wasteland. The sun gradually descended, dimming what little light in the wasteland as twilight gained strength.
Standing against a backdrop of the setting sun, Ye Que and his seven companions looked at the pure-black silhouette that had gradually transformed into a blood-red canvas from afar.
By now, they had noticed some rhyme and rhythm to all these phenomena. Every hour since the destruction of the maple forest, the ground would collapse, disappear, and become a hole of immeasurable depth. The ground would start caving in from the sides and gradually compress toward the center. The process would last for 15 minutes each time.
This place was like a living rounded pocket that progressively shrunk in an attempt to herd all living creatures toward its center.
The blood-colored flying insects were so far behind that no trace of them could be seen. However, just because they couldn"t see the insects didn"t mean that the insects didn"t exist. Death was certain to await those who dared to let down their guard.
During their mad dash to safety, they finally spotted other cultivators—all corpses.
Judging from their clothing, these cultivators included monks from the Mount Yin Sixth Buddhist Temple and Taoists from the Salvation Palace of Mount Yang. Some were obviously warriors from the Demon Race. When Ye Que examined their stomach and arms, he discovered the Hill Tribe.
Seeing as these people were covered in wounds, they had evidently died battling.
The only thing that Ye Que couldn"t explain was the lack of blood in these corpses. It didn"t appear to be the work of Blood-sucking Beasts. Rather, it seemed like the ground had absorbed the blood from these corpses.
If he were to speculate using clues he obtained along his way, he was sure his group was the last to enter the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum. He didn"t know if it was a fortunate thing or not. The ones who entered this place first were caught in a b.l.o.o.d.y battle while the ones who entered after experienced the ground chasing them out.
Either way, it was terribly dangerous.
Li Jianqi, a genius in the Starburst Realm, naturally didn"t need an explanation from Ye Que. She adjusted her running pace on her own accord. To someone born with a gift for swordsmanship like her, it wasn"t anything challenging. On the other hand, the six disciples had to receive care and support from Ye Que.
He patiently instructed them on how to take in Qi, condense Spiritual Force while running, and how to maximize their running distance while using the least amount of Spiritual Force and physical energy. This knowledge wasn"t something they could learn from the masters at the Qingqiu Sword Sect.
After all, no battle would require them to run such a long distance.
It wasn"t until the darkness swallowed the sky whole that Ye Que and his companions finally came across a group of living cultivators.
There were more or less 30 of them. Nearly all of them were disciples from various sects in Qingqiu. Judging from their appearance, their situation wasn"t any better than theirs. The disciples looked dejected and depressed; none maintained their arrogant and prideful air.
"h.e.l.lo, we"re from the Qingqiu Sword Sect."
"Oh, and from the Silent Monastery of the Floral Fragrance Valley too."
As usual, Nalan Rongruo took the lead in engaging with the other group. Despite her young age, she was good at feigning familiarity and unafraid of interacting with strangers. In fact, she even looked excited at the prospect.
"Oh."
The group seated on the ground raised their head to look at Ye Que and his companions before making a perfunctory acknowledgment. They pointed to the other side and it appeared that they considered this to be enough for a greeting.
Caliginous Stars and Moon.
It was pitch-black all around.
The group didn"t even bother setting up a fire. They sat on the ground in complete darkness while quietly recovering their Spiritual Force. When nearly an hour had pa.s.sed, they stood up in unison and continued walking. Once again, no one said a word.
"What"s wrong with them? They seem odd," Nalan Rongruo quietly asked her Senior Brother.
"They must have encountered something terrifying or something is giving them great pressure, so much so that they"re not even unwilling to say a word to us," Qi Shenghua replied in an equally quiet voice.
"Could it be those blood-colored insects? Or the cracking and sinking ground?" Nalan Rongruo speculated.
"Would you be scared of those things?" Li Jianqi interjected.
"Of course, I"d be worried. But I wouldn"t go so far as to say I"m scared," Nalan Rongruo replied.
"If you"re not scared, why would those Qingqiu disciples be? Cultivation-wise, they"re stronger than you!" Li Jianqi said. Her hands were clasped behind her back.
"Then what do you think it is?" Nalan Rongruo asked.
"No idea." Li Jianqi walked away with a shrug.
They followed the group and ran for a good 15 minutes. Silence once again fell over everyone. This time, Ye Que discovered that not everyone in the group was focused on meditating. One of them would always be on high alert, observing all activities in their surroundings.
He used his shoulder to nudge Nalan Rongruo and motioned at the man who wasn"t meditating with his lower lip.
What he received was the expression of someone who understood perfectly what he meant.
The girl swiftly walked over to the man. No one knew what tactics she pulled but the two soon began chatting. They even gesticulated while talking as if they were describing something.
Sometime later, Nalan Rongruo returned to her group with news that she had learned.
"The danger within the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum isn"t restricted to just insects and cracking ground. The scariest things in this wasteland are wolves, an endless pack of human-eating wolves. They"ve been ambushed three times so far. In the beginning, there were more than 50 of them but now they were down to 30."
"Wolves?" Li Jianqi was confused.
"What"s there to be afraid of?"
"The wolves here are apparently vastly different from the ones we typically see. They"re like… well, they"re like a troop of soldiers that had undergone strict training. They"re organized and attacks as a team," Nalan Rongruo said, recalling her conversation with the man earlier.
"Soldier-like wolves? Impossible! Even if there"s a Wolf King among these wolves, they"re still animals. How can they compare to a troop? It"s not like they can think strategically. Don"t tell me they"re a bunch of demons that attained mythical powers!" Li Jianqi retorted indifferently.
The others were instantly stupefied.
"Demons that had attained mythical powers!"
"Do you think it"s possible?" Li Jianqi whispered with uncertainty.
Right then, a voice drifted to their ears. "There"s no need to guess. The Demon Race is definitely nearby and they"re not alone. It"s likely there are many of them around, and with high cultivation to boot."
"That"s also why we didn"t make a bonfire." The man spoke in a terribly quiet voice. "We"re now racing against time."
"There should be quite a number of us disciples from the Cultivation World entering the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum this time. Why should we fear them?" Nalan Rongruo asked after pondering over it.
"Of course, we outnumber the disciples of the Demon Race. But who could bring us together? The division between sects is an invisible ravine. Us disciples from Qingqiu managed to emerged unscathed because we were able to support each other. Even the monks from the Mount Yin Sixth Buddhist Temple and the Salvation Palace of Mount Yang would only exchange greetings when they meet; how could they be asked to fight together? What sect doesn"t hold grudges from the battles over the past hundred years? Who could sincerely work with one another?" the man said pensively, sighing.
Under the night.
Darkness stretched on without an end.
Ye Que and his companions settled down on the ground without speaking.
The melodious sound of a wolf"s howl came from afar. Soon, they discovered green flitting lights at the end of the dark wasteland: the eyes of the wolves. However, these green lights didn"t immediately charge at them and watched silently from a distance.
The pack of wolves alternated between converging and scattering. There appeared to be few of them, yet many at the same time.
"Let"s go. We can"t rest anymore." Someone from the other group issued a command and the rest looked around helplessly.
The group began to quietly decamp and continued walking into the faint night.
Li Jianqi walked close to Ye Que and whispered, "This is no solution! If all we do is avoid the wolves, they"ll bite our heads off sooner or later!"
"What do you propose?" Ye Que glanced at the young woman whose long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
"Since we know demons are controlling these wolves from afar, we must teach them that we"re not an easy target." Li Jianqi shook her fist.
"Did you think they wouldn"t think of such a simple answer?" Ye Que pointed to the group of people walking in front of them.
"Just because they can"t do it doesn"t mean we can"t." Li Jianqi pointed to herself and then Ye Que.
"We haven"t seen the masterminds or the offensive power of these wolves. I can"t guarantee that I"ll return alive," Ye Que said earnestly.
After some thought, he added, "Get this straight: I"m terribly afraid of death. If something happens that is beyond my ability, I"ll take care of myself first. My priority is my life."
Li Jianqi didn"t expect such an answer from him. Surprised, she asked, "Don"t you Qingqiu Sword Sect disciples pride yourselves on never fearing death and never lacking courage? Why would you think this way?"
Ye Que shrugged. "My master is the Intoxicated Immortal. He taught me sword skills from the Qingqiu Sword Sect and nothing else. Besides, I"m not officially their disciple."
"Strictly speaking, I"m just a common Rogue Cultivator."
"Of course, I"d be reluctant!" Ye Que said matter-of-factly.
"I have no idea how you train your swordsmanship. And you say you want to remain invincible within a one-meter s.p.a.ce with that way of thinking?" Li Jianqi gave Ye Que a despising look.
"It"s precisely because I"m afraid of death that I can remain invincible within a one-meter s.p.a.ce."
"It"s only when you"re unafraid of death that you can cultivate a sword that can travel a thousand miles to sever your opponent"s head." Ye Que gestured with his hand. "If a sword carrying my True Energy travels a thousand miles away from me, then what do I use to protect myself?"
"I always thought that a sword like that is a complete joke."
"It looks awesome, I"ll give you that. But I"d basically be playing with my life," Ye Que said with certainty.
"You"re just a coward. Why find so many excuses?" Li Jianqi scoffed. She ignored Ye Que and walked by herself. Occasionally, she would look over her shoulder and carefully scan her surroundings.
After the group changed directions for the third time, Li Jianqi abruptly vanished into the night.
Aside from Ye Que, no one took notice of her. Female disciples from the Silent Monastery had always been independent. Since she was neither a Qingqiu disciple, a sect mate, nor a friend of theirs, no one paid her any attention. In the ley lines of sovereignty of the Imperial Mausoleum, it was best if everyone could support one another. However, if someone disappeared from the group, no one would search for the missing person.
Time quietly elapsed.
Under the cover of the night.
A girl with a head of long hair that cascaded like a waterfall and her ma.s.sive goldfish sneaked up to a pack of wolves as quiet as a ghost.
Unknowingly, the ground started cracking again and the trained pack of wolves dashed in a particular direction in their usual manner. Nevertheless, it was a worldly phenomenon and a rarely-seen disorder revealed itself in the pack of wolves.
A pet.i.te silhouette took advantage of this disorder to infiltrate the pack.
Soon, an incomparably sharp Sword Qi shattered the firmament and pained howls shattered the night sky.
"Is she unafraid of death just because she"s born a sword genius?"
"It"s enviable how silly this girl is!"
Ye Que, who was seated on the ground, stared into the distance with a raised eyebrow as he muttered to himself. Then, he shut his eyes. In the midst of danger, one must ensure that his state was constantly at an optimum. This was a lesson that he paid for with uncountable bloodshed.