One Hell of a Night
Hao Yingjun’s speed exceeded Mu Yu’s expectations. The others were awoken, unsurprisingly. Mu Yu caught up and found Hao Yingjun standing there alone. “What’s the matter?”
“Hong Yan has disappeared.”
Hao Yingjun’s executive functioning was down to spinning around and frantically searching high and low. Mu Yu swung Shadow Splitter Sword, lighting up the surroundings. The insects dashed to darkness.
The others arrived on the scene and questioned, “What happened?”
“Help m-”
Catching Hong Yan’s faint voice that was cut off, Gu Yitian sped off with Hao Yingjun following behind.
“Xue’er, stick with Mu Yu. I’ll stay in the rear,” commanded Cheng Yun, reasoning Xue’er would be exposed to danger if she was in the rear.
Mu Yu deftly dodged the branches as he hurried through the forest. The familiar scent grew more prominent again, but he still couldn’t identify it. He suddenly halted in his tracks, and the two behind him stopped to ask, “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t see them.” Mu Yu grabbed a tree and began his search using the trees. He reported, “We’re in trouble. The two of them went off in different directions.”
Cheng Yan didn’t like what he heard.
Xue’er was ghastly pale. The only source of light in the dark forest was their treasured weapon. “I hope they’re all right. Who would kidnap Sister Hong Yan?”
A good question, but nobody held the answer. “Elemental demons” were the two words that jumped into their minds. They made eye contact. Xue’er broke the silence. “Shall we fire a signal to notify the others?”
Cheng Yan shook his head. “We’re not sure it’s the work of elemental demons yet. They might not see the signal. Even if they do, we can’t put them through the risk of navigating their way here. We can’t just be sitting ducks waiting for reinforcements, either, so we’ll have to find them.”
“Senior Brother, you go after Chubby with Sister Xue’er. I’ll go to Gu Yitian,” suggested Mu Yu, pointing in different directions.
“You go with Xue’er. I’ll go after them.”
“Don’t worry, First Brother. I know what I’m doing. Trust me. Once you find them, fly up and use your weapon to lead the team,” Mu Yu argued with a nod before taking off.
“Get back here!” Cheng Yan was somewhat frustrated with Mu Yu’s brash actions. Cheng Yan was fast enough to catch them easily at his level. Nonetheless, he picked Xue’er up. “Xue’er, hang on tight.”
Cheng Yan removed his restraints and travelled dozens of metres in a single go. Xue’er was going to resist when Cheng Yan picked her up, but her surprise overwrote the desire. She stuttered, “Br-Brother Cheng Yan, you are a Golden Core Realm cultivator?”
“Don’t ask. I mean no ill will.”
It only took Cheng Yan a minute to locate Hao Yingjun after spreading his divine sense web. In a flash, he was beside Hao Yingjun.
“Stop running around!” demanded Cheng Yan, sternly tugging Hao Yingjun by the arm. “What are you chasing after her for in this darkness? Didn’t you notice you both lost each other? Are you searching for her, or are we searching for you?”
“You’re a G-” Hao Yingjun couldn’t move in Cheng Yan’s presence.
“Anything on Hong Yan?” questioned Cheng Yan.
Hao Yingjun shook his head.
Cheng Yan set Xue’er down and zipped off. The siblings heard, “Stay up in the sky, and keep your sister safe. Keep your weapons shining.”
“Brother, he really is…”
Hao Yingjun gulped as he nodded. Cheng Yan’s power was on par with his father’s when he triggered the old man. Detecting something approach at high speed, he pulled Xue’er aside. “Watch out!”
Something dark almost knocked Xue’er aside. When Hao Yingjun used his weapon to reveal the appearance of the silhouette, the two froze in place.
“Aaahh!” cried Xue’er, a second before she passed out.
Mu Yu took the express route – the trees. He needed to clarify for himself what the familiar scent was because he had a hunch it would be meaningful data.
With heightened senses and speed, Mu Yu swiftly pinpointed Gu Yitian, but he went after Hong Yan instead since Gu Yitian veered off course already. Mu Yu had no idea where he was heading. He noticed there were more and more trees closely packed together – not that it made a difference. If there was a concern, it was that he was going further and further from the others.
“Help… H-… Help…”
As Hong Yan’s voice was weak and fragmented, Mu Yu had a suspicion she was wounded. The familiar scent went off in a different direction. He had no choice but to give up on the scent. He pivoted and raced after Hong Yan.
Mu Yu saw a vacant space up ahead. Further along was a small hill formed from stones, forcing him to exit the trees. He carefully exited the trees. Underfoot were shattered rocks. Some grass grew in a scattered pattern inside the rocks. It was impossible to travel through them given their short size.
Crack! Mu Yu used his sword to light up what was under his feet. Bones! Startled Mu Yu couldn’t determine if they were human or animal bones. He scanned the floor in the vicinity to discover even more bones. Judging from their appearance, he assumed they belonged to a fiend. There was one odd skull. The chin was sharp, nose was long.
“Help… Help…” whimpered Hong Yan.
To avoid stepping on something and alerting the enemy, Mu Yu climbed aboard his sword and flew close to the ground. He heard heavy breathing with long intervals between each breath coming from within a dark and moist cave tucked behind a bulging boulder. He couldn’t hear Hong Yan’s voice anymore; he guessed she was within.
Honestly, Mu Yu was spooked. He lacked experience, and it didn’t exactly resemble a haven for civility. He had to rescue his companion, nevertheless. He adjusted his mindset and warily approached the entrance until he slipped all of a sudden. He looked down to see the white and sticky liquid that nearly put him on the ground. It smelt putrid.
Mu Yu looked up at the moon and birds soaring across the moon. Their chirps were pollution to the ear. He continued on, entering the cave with an entrance two metres high. All he had for lighting was his sword.
Drip! Startled Mu Yu took in a deep breath to calm himself. The cave didn’t appear to be nature’s creation. There were marks left behind – presumably from some animal clawing away – along with moss. The rancid smell grew stronger every inch further in he went. He almost saw his meal a second time when he saw more of the repulsive liquid.
“Hihihi…”
Be it a laugh or an utterance, it was spooky. Mu Yu carefully made his way in. On a certain step, he didn’t feel the ground and nearly dropped down. He jumped on his flying sword just in time; else, he would’ve gone down some pit.
Mu Yu scrutinised the cave in detail once he stabilised himself on his sword. The stench came from the pit. The white liquid was everywhere. White strings tied together fiend corpses suspended in mid-air. Some of them were missing half of their body. Some of them still had blood trickling from their corpses. One of them was a level two fiend, a blue lion. Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators wouldn’t pick a fight with them. Its head was brutally torn apart. The white liquid and its blood mixed together on its fur was vomit-inducing.
Hong Yan was also dangling from a white string. Blood had left her face. Her eyes were shut, too. There was no telling her status.
“Sister Hong Yan?” quietly hollered Mu Yu.
Mu Yu flew over to Hong Yan. Out of the blue, he felt an eerie wind billowing behind him. He pulled an emergency stop and flew away to create some distance. He used his sword’s light to see who it was. Mind swirling, his eyes flew wide open.
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