Chapter 72: Ensnared (1/2)
The northwest region of the Slaughter Array was towering mountains and precipitous ridges, extremely steep and uneven terrain; thus, it was a long time before Qin Yu’s group finally reached the border of the area. By now, the sky was dark, but even in the dim light, they finally could see the distinct foothills ahead. From here, they could head straight to the center of the array.
“Qin Yu, you’re certain you want to go back to the pagoda?” Qing Yun, walking behind Qin Yu, couldn’t help but asking.
Qin Yu didn’t answer, but rather replied with another question, “Are you afraid?”
“W-what would I be afraid of? If you dare to go, then I’ll go too.” Qing Yun’s voice dropped.
Qin Yu laughed playfully. “That’s good then. Let’s speed up a bit and try to leave this place before we sleep.” The group immediately quickened their pace. A canyon lay ahead.
The four weren’t even halfway through the canyon when suddenly, Qin Yu, in the lead, shouted, “Stop!” The word had yet to fall when his steps abruptly halted, causing the other three to stop as well and look at him with surprise.
“Da Ge, what happened?” Mu Rongyue asked curiously.
“There’s danger.” Qin Yu’s expression shifted.
“Danger?” The others hadn’t reacted when a series of crashes echoed from above. Overhead, a huge net appeared to snare them.
“Not good! Quick, get out of the way!” Qing Yun shouted as she unsheathed her sword. “Ninth Form of Azure Edge Sword: Sword Breaking the Heavens!” A magnificent, dazzling cyan light soared into the sky, tearing through the huge net that fell toward them. The tattered remains landed harmlessly on the ground around them.
“Strong!” Everyone, including Qin Yu, couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. The nine forms of the Azure Edge Sword of the Qing Family was truly extraordinary. Not only was Qing Yun’s cultivation high, but her fighting strength was also powerful.
“Hahahaha! Not bad. Looks like you’re not that weak.” An insufferably arrogant, haughty laugh echoed from the sky above. “But, this bit of strength is still nothing in this Prince’s eyes.”
“Who?!” Mu Rongyue shouted into the sky. The voice was somewhat familiar to her. Whoosh! No one responded to Mu Rongyue, and the only answer she received was the sudden ominous appearance of dark figures.
Each shadow was like a black whirlwind. Descending with the arrogance of tyrants from above, the black-clad troop surrounded the foursome. Altogether, there were ten people wearing the same black uniform of hunters. However, they differed from hunters as they all wore a black, demon-faced mask to hide their identities. 1
Qin Yu glanced at the masked men. Before him, nobody could conceal their level of cultivation. All of these martial artists were at the Immersion Realm or higher, and some of them were even in the late stage of the Immersion Realm. So strong? Qin Yu was secretly surprised. Not only did these people have high cultivation, each of them also held a strong aura of killing intent. Most were at the middle stage of the Immersion Realm, and a few were at the late stages of the Immersion Realm; their troop couldn’t be called weak at all.
“Who are you guys?” Mu Rongyue shouted loudly and glared at them. She still felt the auras of their captors were strangely familiar; but, as they all unfortunately wore masks, she couldn’t identify them.
The masked faces were frigid, and the figures simply stood there like frozen sculptures, not emitting a single sound, nevermind a reply. “Heheheh! Royal Sister, have you forgotten even the sound of my voice?” The male voice from earlier rose once again.
“‘Royal Sister’?” Mu Rongyue’s delicate body trembled. And, as if a revelation had suddenly occurred to her, her head jerked up, and her beautiful face paled. “You… You’re Mu Rongrui?”
“You’ve finally remembered me, ahahaha!” The laugh boomed, reverberating in the canyon as a young man holding a longsword jumped down from overhead. He slowly turned around to reveal a masked face. Qin Yu’s gaze locked onto him before he touched the ground.
The young man wore flowery, brocade robes. His skin was fair and clear. The penetrating aura of royalty emanated from his body. But, Qin Yu was a little baffled: The man seemed to be at least 25; yet, didn’t the competition only allow those 20 and younger? Although those were the official rules, in reality, there were many unspoken rules as well.
The young man’s cultivation at the height of the Immersion Realm was the strongest among the group. Moreover, he actually had a foot in the Transformation Realm and appeared to be just about to break through. He was extremely powerful.
Qin Yu turned his head, a serious expression on his face. This man was too strong. If Qin Yu faced one of these assailants alone, then it would be fine; but, right now, there was Mu Rongrui and eleven or so other masters to face. The situation was far from good.
Seeing that it really was Mu Rongrui, Mu Rongyue frowned, and she shouted at him angrily, “Mu Rongrui, what are you all doing?! How could you benefit from killing so many people?”