c153: A Fork in the Road
[March 1, 2020] ... A culprit within the group was the most likely possibility. There was only one inheritance, and only one person could enter the final floor. To get there, you had to either be the best and beat out all other opponents, or eliminate as many as you could to increase your own odds.
Wasn"t a place were sight was limited the best place to do that?
Not everyone thought of this, but the experienced adventurers certainly did.
"Don"t say anything," Ming Xi wrote on the palm of Feng Wu"s hand.
Feng Wu cleverly followed his example and wrote the word "OK" onto his palm in reply.
He nodded. As long as they stayed quiet, whoever was attacking would have a harder time targeting them. But the most important thing was to lose the crowd of people around them. It was dangerous to stay with strangers.
The corridor was silent. Even footsteps were barely discernible. It looked like everyone was keeping quiet, breathing lightly and stepping softly, so as not to be the next victim.
Ming Xi"s group of four kept moving forward while holding hands. They needed to move quickly to get out of the darkness.
Light peeked through a hole ahead of them, seemingly like an exit. The thought of finally leaving lifted everyone"s spirits.
Pei Qing and Drew were particularly excited. Neither of them enjoyed holding hands with each other. They could finally leave! Thank goodness!
The light was like a beacon. Those around Feng Wu, who had been walking, increased their pace. There were only ten spots, so if they didn"t hurry the quota would get filled and they"d be out of luck.
"Xiao Wu, let"s hurry too. Don"t let those guys steal all the spots." Pei Qing was about to release Feng Wu"s hand and rush forward.
She was walking sandwiched between him and Ming Xi, one on either side. The boys had been consciously trying to protect her.
Those behind them rushed forward as he said this.
"Don"t go, it"s dangerous." Feng Wu kept a hold of Pei Qing"s hand. Her voice was serious.
Even if Pei Qing couldn"t see her face, he could tell she was serious from the tone of her voice. He took her advice and didn"t rush off.
As for Drew, well Feng Wu was his savior. This combined with his experience trailing after her on the savannah, and he completely trusted her words. He decided not to rush off either.
"Xiao Wu, how do you know it"s dangerous up ahead?" Pei Qing asked.
"I"m not sure, but up ahead gives me a bad feeling." Most likely because Feng Wu was so flawless and pure, she was more sensitive to foul auras.
"Xiao Wu, do you know if there"s an exit up ahead?" Drew wondered out loud. It was a rhetorical question and he didn"t expect her to answer, after all she had never been here before, so how could she know?
Ming Xi answered for her. "There"s no exit. Only a beast - a very powerful one."
Pei Qing was surprised. "You know?" Feng Wu only knew the hole ahead was dangerous but Ming Xi knew what was inside it. Incredible.
"Well, I can smell the beast. The closer we are the stronger the scent is." Ming Xi frowned as he looked at the hole. He was getting a bad vibe from it. Whatever was beyond the hole wasn"t your average ordinary beast…
He didn"t let his fears on. The guys would likely be disturbed if they knew it wasn"t an ordinary beast but a "terrible beast." Beasts with violent tendencies that craved bloodshed were called "terrible beasts." They loved to kill.
"Mm, Senior Ming Xi is right." Feng Wu thought the beast also smelled bad. She loved animals, but she didn"t like this one. She didn"t think it would like her either.
Drew asked what they should do if they weren"t going in.
"Let"s go this way." Ming Xi took the lead and led them to another path.
Apparently there was a fork in the road. It was so dark there was no way to see it, that Ming Xi could find it, he really was a fifth year at Xingguang Holy Academy.
Pei Qing and Drew were impressed. They wondered if they would ever get to the point where they could navigate even in the dark.
"How did you know the path was there?" Pei Qing was curious.
"The wind. There were sounds of it blowing from this direction. So there had to be an opening." Ming Xi explained.
Pei Qing understood and didn"t ask anymore. Please forgive him, when he lost his sight he apparently lost his sense of hearing too.
The four walked hand in hand.
Meanwhile beyond the hole everyone else flocked to…
It was obvious from the sounds a fierce battle was raging. The first people who walked through the hole were either killed or severely injured. Of the twenty people who took the dark path, only twelve were left - eight having died already.
No one could have known that waiting in the light inside the cave was one of the four great "terrible beasts," the Sky Devouring wolf, born with a desire to devour all things.
A Sky Devouring wolf could destroy a small country. No one Star Marshall hall sent to deal with it every came back alive. It was a top tier "terrible beast." Aside from G.o.d and holy beasts, none of the other beasts could compare. beast ranking:
1. G.o.d beasts
2. holy beasts
3. regular magical beasts
"d.a.m.n! We have to get out of here!" a middle-aged sword master yelled out.
The Sky Devouring wolf wasn"t stupid. How could it let its prey escape so easily? If it entered the cave, then it was is food!