Chapter 371 - Its Him (2/2)

The one who spoke this time was a white-robed young man holding a red Immortal’s Sword. He wore a small frown. His eyes were as limpid and bright as moonlight. It was Yu Yifeng. His cultivation had skyrocketed in the past year and he was now in the true mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. Behind him were Mu Shaoai, Qingyu, Zhou Li, and Luo Shangyan—who had been frowning the entire time.

Luo Shangyan spent the past year putting her all into cultivating. The speed of her progress was astonishing as well. She was now in the true beginner-stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. However, no one had seen her smile even once in the past year.

“I don’t feel too good! Yu Shiyi, how do you plan on compensating me?” Zhiluan hovered next to Luo Shangyan and started kicking up a fuss. A dozen or so red packets were plastered on his head, making him look rather comical.

Qingyu placed a hand over her mouth and burst into laughter. “You deserved it! Who’s the one who said he isn’t afraid of vicious ants because he has Divine Skills for protection?”

“D*mned girl!” Zhiluan was so furious that his entire face reddened. Before this, Yu Yifeng had proposed that they smear a layer of medicated water on their skin to ward off mosquitoes. However, he thought himself above it and declared that he was an envoy that the Jade Emperor personally dispatched to the Human World, had Divine Skills for protection, and wasn’t afraid of some venomous insects… Well, the outcome was clear.

Yu Yifeng coughed once and handed him the bottle of medicated water. Then, he addressed the group. “Alright. We must now pinpoint the location of the extraordinary treasure as soon as possible. We can’t let those from the Devil’s Practice steal the opportunity. The consequences are unimaginable if it falls into their hands. Martial Uncle Mo Xuan came here last month, and it’d be best if we can join him.”

They already spent two days in the Miasma Mountain Range, a place where clear skies would suddenly be replaced with rain and vice versa. Miasma shrouded many places, making it rather orienting. Hearing that they could meet up with Moxuan Zi, one of the Seven Sons, boosted their morale. After trekking for a while, Mu Shaoai suddenly said, “We can’t let the treasure fall into the hands of the Devil’s sects. But what about the Thousand Feathers Sect, Divine Mist Sect, and Xianyong Sect?”

A momentary silence later, Yu Yifeng replied, “It’d be ideal it ends up with one of the Orthodox sects, but we should try our best to bring back the treasure anyhow.”

His implication was clear. Both the Devil’s Practice and Orthodox Path coveted this treasure. Not only would the treasure boost their prestige among other Orthodox sects, but they could also add another great treasure to strengthen their sect.

The Jade Qing Sect had been gaining fame in recent months. Naturally, they wanted to take it up a notch. On the other hand, the Divine Mist Sect had always proclaimed themselves the top sect but other sects had been showing signs of surpassing them. Pressure was mounting on them. Like the Bloodied Fiend Sect, they would do anything to obtain the treasure on this mountain range.

“And another thing. I heard the Corpse Refinery Sect has been occupying a place nearby. Martial Uncle Mo Xuan suspects that the disappearance of the thirty-one people has something to do with them. Everyone, please be careful,” Yu Yifeng added, and then continued to lead the way.

The group continued to trek for four hours. The towering trees in this forest had crisscrossing branches that made it difficult to fly on their swords. Flying also made them easily detectable, especially to those from the Devil’s Practice. Even if the mountain road was strenuous, they had no choice but to travel on foot.

After walking for a little more, the sky suddenly darkened and began to drizzle. Yu Yifeng put up a layer of Barrier and blocked the rain for them. However, the road ahead became even more difficult to walk on.

“Why don’t we find shelter from the rain first?”

“I agree! This Great Immortal is about to die from exhaustion!”

Zhiluan was terrified of the venomous insects crawling on the ground, for they seem to target him alone. Hence, he unfolded his wings and flew all the way. Before, he could still lay on Xiao Chen’s shoulders and doze off. Now, whose shoulders could he lay on?

“Wish that d*mned kid is here. Even though it’s pretty unlucky to follow him sometimes…”

His inadvertent complaint silenced everyone. They had no idea that Xiao Chen had escaped the tower. Even if he had escaped, there wasn’t a place for him in the Orthodox Path anymore…

It began to rain harder, so much that the tree leaves rustled loudly from the weight of the raindrops. Qinyu’s smile was gone. Every time she recalled the person who removed her Devil’s Carnage Qi without a care for himself, she would think of the person who slaughtered at Tianyuan City as well. She didn’t know which one was the real Xiao Chen.

Luo Shangyan looked downcast. She didn’t want to say anything, and in fact, she hadn’t spoken a word since the beginning of the trip. The rain picked up and a mist began to fill the air, making their surroundings turn hazy. She thought she saw a person wearing a woven raincoat in the distance, but when she blinked, the person was gone.

“Junior Sister Luo! It’s dangerous! Where are you going?”

Yu Yifeng cried out in surprise at Luo Shangyan suddenly running off without rhyme or reason. No one knew what was wrong with her, but they chased after her all the same.

“Junior Sister Luo, come back!” Yu Yifeng kept shouting, but Luo Shangyan didn’t seem to hear him. She acted as if she was possessed and kept running ahead.

Soon, she was completely drenched. Her hair clung to the sides of her face and drops of water slid down her chin. But those weren’t raindrops. They were tears.

Finally, after running for about 1,000 or 1,500 meters, all she saw was the mist. The person in the woven raincoat was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he had never existed.

When the rest of her group caught up to her, Yu Yifeng said in a panicked voice, “What are you doing, Junior Sister Luo?” He hastily put up a layer of Barrier above her head.

Luo Shangyan’s chest heaved up and down. As if she was speaking to herself, as if she was dreaming, she muttered, “It’s him. It’s him…”