Because if he fell asleep now, there was a chance he might never wake up again...

 

As soon as Bai Ke sensed something was wrong, an overwhelming wave of fatigue suddenly swept over him. It felt like his head was filled with thick sludge, clouding his mind, while his eyes burned and ached as if he might yawn any second and drift off to sleep with his head on a pillow.

The once sun-dappled forest now had a layer of mist rolling in. Though not particularly dense, it carried a faint fragrance, lingering subtly in the air. Unlike the sweet scent of flowers or the freshness of plants, it had a hint of medicinal bitterness mixed with the dampness of the mist, gently wafting at their noses.

Inhaling this bitter aroma, Bai Ke shook his head, trying to clear the sluggishness from his mind. It helped a little, but not much. He wanted to squeeze Junxiao’s hand to ask if he felt it too, but then he recalled a detail: earlier, while talking with Lin Jie, he had momentarily let go of Junxiao’s hand, forgetting his earlier warning upon entering the forest.

His heart skipped a beat, and strangely, his first thought wasn’t “thank goodness nothing happened,” but rather, “I wonder if Junxiao will be upset.”

This thought lingered briefly in his already sluggish mind before he dismissed it. Looking at Junxiao’s hand, he attempted an explanation, saying, “I wasn’t paying attention just now…”

Junxiao glanced at him knowingly, as if he had seen right through his thoughts. With a slight press of his lips, he took Bai Ke’s hand again, saying, “Don’t let your guard down again. This forest has more dangers than just those vines.”

“Right,” Bai Ke nodded and continued, “Do you feel anything strange? I felt unusually sleepy just now, and if you look at them—” He gestured toward Lin Jie, who was walking alongside them, then toward the distant disciples from the Xuanwei and Changling sects trailing behind. “They all look exhausted, like they’re getting further and further behind. It’s strange—they’re similar in skill level, so it’s odd that they’re falling into a line.”

“Sleepy?” Junxiao shook his head and looked to Yu Xian. “I didn’t notice. What about you?”

Yu Xian shook his head, then glanced at Lin Jie, who was struggling to stifle yawns. “Not at all. How could anyone be tired? We’ve barely walked any distance! If they’re this soft, how do they plan to survive?”

Yawning was contagious; Lin Jie, who had been holding back, finally gave in, yawning wide-eyed with teary eyes. “Come on, it’s not just me—I heard Meng Xi letting go a few yawns too!”

Junxiao frowned and exchanged a look with Yu Xian. Slowing his pace, he eventually stopped, waiting for the group trailing behind to catch up.

“I don’t feel tired, but this mist keeps getting thicker. We should stay cautious.” Yu Xian glanced around, gesturing toward the disciples of Xuanwei and Changling who were trying to catch up. “See, earlier we could still make them out. Now they’re starting to look like shadows in the fog.”

Bai Ke felt something wasn’t right, but couldn’t put his finger on it.

The disciples of Xuanwei and Changling finally caught up, each stopping to catch their breath, looking visibly fatigued.

“What could tire you all out like this?” Junxiao asked with a frown.

“We… we don’t know…” panted the youth leading the Xuanwei group. “It’s just this overwhelming exhaustion, our limbs feel weak, like there’s no strength in them. And it’s… stifling. Like something’s pressing down on us, making it hard to breathe.”

Hearing this, other disciples nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s like there’s a pot lid over our heads.”

“A pot lid? More like a vacuum bag!” one disciple from Changling rasped. “I feel like I can barely breathe.”

“Wait—” Lin Jie suddenly spoke, taking a couple of deep breaths and pounding his chest. “Now that you mention it, I’m feeling it too… damn, breathing deeper doesn’t help! Feels like I can’t fill my lungs.”

Bai Ke: “…”

Can you all please stop talking…

Whether it was psychological or real, Bai Ke started feeling short of breath too. It seemed like he was breathing in less air, with his breaths quickening as if something was pressing on his chest. Like Lin Jie, he tried to take a deep breath, only to feel he couldn’t quite fill his lungs.

It was as if he had opened a large bag to catch something substantial, only to find most of it was just empty foam, with only a few pieces of candy at the bottom. He took a deep breath, filling his chest to the point of tightness, yet the sensation of being fully oxygenated eluded him, always falling just a bit short.

Bai Ke frowned, realizing that rather than easing his chest tightness, these deep breaths only made the pressure on his chest feel heavier. Each unsuccessful attempt to fill his lungs left him feeling more anxious.

Normally calm and composed, Bai Ke rarely displayed any strong emotional reactions, no matter the situation. But this unfamiliar anxiety kept intensifying, furrowing his brow tighter and tighter, almost spilling over in a way he couldn't control.

He turned to look at Junxiao and Yu Xian, the two people he could rely on most among those present. Every obstacle they had faced on this journey seemed to be dealt with effortlessly by these two, and he thought this time would be no different.

However, Junxiao merely furrowed his brows, pressing his palm against his chest, and gave Bai Ke a slow shake of his head. "It seems we’ve entered some sort of formation laid down by the Hengtian Sect."

Bai Ke recalled Yu Xian mentioning how mysterious and profound formations could be. No one, even the most powerful figures, would dare boast they could break any formation they encountered. Even after studying countless scrolls and understanding every formation referenced within, one could never be fully prepared.

Setting up a formation required meticulous precision—every step, every symbol, even every gesture had to be exact, not one bit off. With so many intricate details, even a slight variation could change the entire formation.

So even a powerful master would have to exercise caution when facing a seemingly minor opponent’s formation. A slight alteration to a crucial detail could transform it into a complex and unfamiliar formation that even the powerful would find difficult to handle.

The moment Bai Ke saw the reactions of Junxiao and Yu Xian, his heart sank. They had likely encountered one of the Hengtian Sect’s formations—a custom design crafted to be challenging and unfamiliar even to experts.

Yu Xian and Junxiao began scanning their surroundings.

Bai Ke noticed the subtle gleam in Junxiao’s dark eyes as he carefully observed the surrounding trees, the fog, and even each person in the group.

"When encountering a tricky formation, panicking won’t help," Bai Ke suddenly remembered Yu Xian explaining how to break formations. "There are many methods to break a formation, but they all boil down to one common goal: finding the formation’s gate. Once you locate it, the formation can be broken. The gate always has clues; since formations are created by people, not nature, they can’t perfectly mimic the real world."

At the time, Yu Xian had elaborated extensively, but Junxiao had summarized it with a single phrase: "Look for the flaws within the formation."

Now, seeing Junxiao and Yu Xian’s movements, Bai Ke surmised they were likely searching for those very flaws.

However… the Hengtian Sect wasn’t just any small-time group. It had a prestigious history spanning thousands of years and was now a dominant force. With centuries of formation expertise, the Hengtian Sect’s formations likely wouldn’t be able to trap individuals like Junxiao and Yu Xian indefinitely. But they could still pose a considerable obstacle. Breaking this formation would not be as simple as lifting a finger.

Yet, with so many people trapped within the formation, how many would hold out until Junxiao and Yu Xian managed to break it?

Perhaps due to the lack of oxygen, Bai Ke’s thoughts turned more pessimistic with each passing moment.

Reality, however, proved even worse than he anticipated. Despite Junxiao’s reminder to control their breathing, the stifling pressure had pushed the others into a state of growing anxiety, making it nearly impossible for them to comply.

Bai Ke felt his breathing grow heavier. At first, he was still breathing through his nose, but soon he couldn’t help but start breathing through both his mouth and nose.

He could feel his heart pounding heavily, deprived of oxygen, its beat growing louder and faster with each labored breath. The pressure spread through his chest, even vibrating in his throat. His vision began to blur, and his mind felt increasingly foggy, his thoughts slowing to a crawl.

Through his uniquely sharp eyes, he could see the hazy figures of the others from Xuanwei and Changling, each tortured by anxiety and discomfort.

He saw one person pounding on their chest, as if trying to break through it, the dull sound overlapping with his own rapid heartbeat, creating a dizzying resonance in his mind. He also saw someone collapse to the ground, clawing desperately at their neck and chest, groaning and squirming in pain.

In the midst of this chaos, Lin Jie’s voice barely reached his ears: “I…I’m getting a nosebleed.”

That single line felt like a grim prelude.

As Lin Jie’s words faded, Bai Ke was hit by a thick, metallic scent of blood, and the broken, faint sounds of others’ moans and cries seeped into his consciousness. Dizzy and disoriented, Bai Ke felt himself spin, and then he crashed shoulder-first to the ground. Pain shot through his chest, followed by a bitter metallic taste rising in his throat as he coughed up blood.

He felt his awareness drifting, slipping further and further away…

A deep, consuming drowsiness swept over him. He trembled, coughing up more blood-tinged foam, and bit down on his tongue in a desperate attempt to stay awake.

Because if he fell asleep now, there was a good chance he might never wake up…

A jumble of voices echoed through his mind, some near, some distant, scattered and incoherent:

“In this forest, whatever happens, hold onto my hand and don’t let go.”

“Seems we’ve fallen into a formation.”

“Getting out of breath just walking—how fragile can you be?”

“Meng Xi also yawned a few times.”

“Just find the flaw in the formation.”

“Look, we could still see each other a moment ago, but now we’re all hazy figures in this fog.”

…

Wait—

Just as he was about to lose his last bit of strength, Bai Ke suddenly realized what had been wrong all along.

 

Translator : DarNan