Do you know the way to the exit?

 

Yu Xian practically dropped a barrier array in an instant, encircling Bai Ke and the others within it. His movements were so fast they seemed almost rough; Bai Ke stumbled as he was shoved into the array, nearly bumping into Meng Xi.

The three, confused and flustered, were jostling around inside, while, in front of them, white lights flashed wildly. Strong, oppressive energy rippled out, mixed with startled shouts and screams of confusion.

Once Bai Ke and the others steadied themselves and looked forward, they saw young disciples in various sect robes getting flung out of the chaotic scene like sandbags.

The coordination between Junxiao and Yu Xian was undoubtedly a tacit understanding. Junxiao threw several disciples their way, and Yu Xian’s long sleeve swept them all up, tossing them into the array one after another. Normally reserved or aloof, the disciples were now crammed into this protective array like noisy little chicks, huddling together, trapped but safe.

Several disciples, bewildered and scratching their heads, nudged each other and muttered, “What... what happened? How did we end up thrown in here?!”

“I saw some strange disturbance ahead. Looked like some snake-like thing sprang from the ground—came at us so fast I barely glimpsed it before someone grabbed me and tossed me over here,” replied a flustered disciple. Embarrassed by his helplessness, he hurriedly tried to dash out of the array to help, only to be stopped by Yu Xian, who, almost as if he had eyes on the back of his head, raised a hand to stop him.

“I want to help!” the disciple protested. “Leaving only a few out there to face this—it’s too dangerous, and we can’t just stand here doing nothing!”

It was clear most of the disciples from Xuanwei and Changling felt the same, wanting to bypass Yu Xian and assist in the fight.

“Tsk—don’t flatter yourselves!” Yu Xian had lived for far too long, and despite these disciples being about Bai Ke and Lin Jie’s age—nearly or already adults—they were just bunch of naughty kids in his eyes. Typically, Yu Xian preferred peace and quiet, but now, with all these people buzzing around him talking incessantly, he could practically feel his scalp tingling.

He gave a halfhearted remark as if he were soothing children, then ignored them, opting instead to handle the situation by force. With a flick of his sleeves, he shifted his stance, sending the last few disciples that Junxiao threw his way tumbling back into the array. They were sent flying in, effectively stacked atop each other, knocking them all back and almost making a few cough up blood from the impact.

Finally scrambling up, looking around at each other—they realized that everyone was now accounted for, no one missing.

Looking up again, they saw that only one figure remained visible beyond the curtain of dust and light.

“Oh no, is that Hengtian Sect disciple out of his mind?!” someone exclaimed in stunned disbelief.

At this rate, how long could he possibly hold on?

Almost everyone in the array, except for Bai Ke and Lin Jie, thought the same thing. Ahead, amidst the dust and shadow, flashes of something black and snakelike flickered in and out, moving so fast they could barely capture even a brief image of it. Meanwhile, that lone figure was continually intercepting the dark shapes, crushing each one as it appeared.

But who could say how long he would last? Or if, with one misstep, he might be struck by one of those tails and left bloodied and torn?

“No way!” The disciples from Xuanwei and Changling refused to stand by and be mere spectators, beginning to trace runes in the air with their hands in an attempt to force their way out and join the battle.

However, just as they were halfway through their spells, a thunderous “rumble” echoed out. The ground beneath them trembled, and the earth split as countless dark “tails,” which they had initially thought were snake-like, burst up from the ground all around them, soaring several meters high in an instant. They twisted and writhed, resembling a dense forest of enormous pillars, each whip-like swing slicing through the air with a heavy “whoosh,” their weight and strength enough to crush anyone in their path.

Looking around, they realized that aside from the small area protected by the array they stood on, there wasn’t a single safe spot left anywhere.

As soon as the tails shot up from the ground, Yu Xian rose swiftly, leaping dozens of meters into the air.

Those monstrous things seemed to catch sight of prey after starving for hundreds of years, swarming furiously toward where Yu Xian and Junxiao hovered. In moments, the two were engulfed, their forms completely obscured.

The disciples within the array: “…”

One stared blankly at the writhing mass surrounding them and muttered dazedly, “Is this supposed to be a trial, or an abattoir…?”

 

Another person murmured in the same dazed tone, “If one of those things smacks us, we’ll end up dead bodies in this godforsaken place, right?”

Bai Ke replied just in time, “No, we won’t.”

“Hmm?” The group, still looking stupefied, turned to him. “Why not?”

Pointing to the vines outside the array, Bai Ke explained, “We came across them earlier on another path—a wild monkey wandered over, and just a few of these vines wrapped around it. In about two seconds, there wasn’t a trace left—not hide, bones, or blood—just the scent of blood lingering in the empty spot it once lay.”

Everyone: "…" What the hell?!

“So… then, won’t those two be… be…” someone stammered in horror, pointing to where countless vines swarmed and tangled.

Before they could finish, a series of deafening explosions erupted.

It was like thousands of balloons popping one after another, a sharp “bang-bang-bang” sound that seemed to echo inside their heads. Then, the vines, which had been twisting and coiling around a single spot, collapsed in an instant as though the supporting walls of a massive skyscraper had been knocked out, falling with a thunderous crash.

When Bai Ke had been lifted up by Junxiao earlier, the sight had seemed magnificent but not terrifying. But now, standing among the others in the array, looking up at countless enormous vines, each as thick and tall as a multi-story building, collapsing over their heads—it was like a test of heart strength.

Everyone in the array had a similar thought, their minds racing in panic, as if they had thousands of divine beasts running wildly in their hearts. This array might conceal them from the vines, but could it really withstand the impact of all that mass crashing down on it?

As the vines began to rain down on them, no one took any chances—they hurriedly activated all manner of protective, defensive, and impact-resistant spells and arrays, layering themselves in defenses. Ready to strike out at any moment, they prepared themselves to carve a way out should those vines actually come crashing down on them.

“Holy sh—!”

Just as the mass of vines, tangled together like a dark wave, seemed about to fall onto them, the group tensed, ready to act. But at that moment, a muffled boom sounded, and the vines disintegrated into fine powder, hanging like mist in the air, shrouding the forest in a thick haze.

In the dense dust that limited visibility, two shadowy figures gradually descended, coming to stand just in front of Bai Ke and the others within the array. The taller one swept a long sleeve with a “whoosh,” clearing the dust in an instant.

Xuanwei and Changling disciples: =口=

Yu Xian, seeing this group of dazed disciples huddled together like clueless little chicks, sighed and quickly dismissed the array, releasing them from the confinement. Then, tucking his hands into his sleeves, he stood next to Bai Ke and his group.

Junxiao, meanwhile, ignored the stunned gazes directed at him, giving Lin Jie a pat on the shoulder and saying to him and Meng Xi, “Let’s go.”

As they started walking, Junxiao casually reached over and took hold of Bai Ke’s wrist, pulling him closer and adding, “Take this path, and don’t walk too close to the trees on either side.”

Bai Ke glanced briefly at the slender fingers wrapped around his wrist, then followed along with a serious expression, his gaze steady.

At this point, the disciples from Xuanwei and Changling, who had originally been leading the way, quietly fell to the back, following Bai Ke and his group at a cautious distance.

Initially, they eagerly expressed their admiration and gratitude toward Junxiao and Yu Xian. But after receiving nothing more than a few perfunctory “ha ha” laughs from Yu Xian, and not even that from Junxiao, who only gave them a nod before ignoring them, they eventually gave up.

Lin Jie, watching from the side, clutched his chest dramatically, thinking: This is that classic aloofness of the masters I read about in novels—the same familiar vibe.

The group continued on, each immersed in their own thoughts. After walking a good distance, they finally realized… something was wrong!

"Where... exactly are we heading?" Lin Jie glanced around, unable to hold back his question.

This clearly wasn’t the pre-planned path.

Previously, Junxiao and Bai Ke had mentioned that they suspected Hengtian Sect might have set traps along the paths taken by the disciples from Xuanwei, Changling, and Hengtian, intending to lure them into a trap to feed the blood beasts Hengtian Sect was raising. The recent events had proven their suspicions to be at least eighty or ninety percent correct. But even if they were aware of the traps, they still needed to carve out a way through them, or else finding the supposed exit would only be more challenging.

However, the route Junxiao and Yu Xian were taking didn’t seem to align with the planned path.

Bai Ke couldn’t help tugging on Junxiao’s sleeve. "Do you know the way to the exit?"

"Not exactly," Junxiao replied, pausing before adding, "But just now, while Master and I were dealing with those vines, we deliberately tangled with them for a while and noticed something unusual."

 

Translator : DarNan