"Ahhhh!"
Goodness knew where Jiang Junlin had harvested the fire, but it was exceptionally hot. It caught on their bodies, and, when completely unprepared, being set on fire was very dispiriting.
At that moment, you could hear Su Ci screaming within the sea of fire.
Of course, this was not the fire from the Beacon of Flame, so Elder Shentu would not react.
"Su Ci!"
The green-clothed disciple roared. He pulled Su Ci, and all of them ran for it.
Whoosh!
Finally, the five of them made it out of the sea of fire. Along the way, they had employed all kinds of dao techniques to protect themselves. Even so, they were burnt badly. For example, Lan Shuiyue's long hair had been badly scorched, and her body was covered in black burns. She looked horrible.
"Wu Yu's escaped! Chase him! We must catch him! I will tear him to pieces!"
Lan Shuiyue spat and raged. To her, she had not even began to shame her opponent, when such a thing had actually happened.....
"Over there!" Someone had spotted the direction of Wu Yu's escape. The blue-robed disciple and Ni Hongyi were the least affected, and immediately took up the chase.
Wu Yu was anxious to leave. He had not concentrated the Firestarter Gem on any of them. Although they were badly burnt, no one was gravely injured.
"You!" The green-robed disciple helped Su Ci, and did not chase.
"Su Ci's legs are burnt!" The green-robed disciple's face was contorted with rage. Lan Shuiyue looked. True enough, more than half of her leg was burnt, and the petite beauty was crying in pain.
"You go chase. I have the Hibiscus Skin Regeneration Dew to help her heal." Lan Shuiyue was even more incensed now, as she spat her instructions to the green-robed disciple.
"Su Ci, I'll be right back!"
The green-robed disciple left, leaving Su Ci to Lan Shuiyue's administrations.
Lan Shuiyue was slower than Ni Hongyi and the other two, so there was no point in her chasing.
Lan Shuiyue was still cursing. She helped Su Ci over to a rock to sit, and retrieved a small bottle from her Sumeru Pouch. She dripped the magical medicine on Su Ci's leg.
"Why haven't they brought him back yet?" Lan Shuiyue was getting anxious, and ugly. She continued to cast glances at the direction Wu Yu had gone toward.
The juicy meat had been in her hands. She had just had a taste, but then it escaped.
By this time, the Firestarter Gem's flames had already subsided. All that was left was the charred ground they stood on.
Su Ci did not dare to speak. She anxiously looked in the same direction. She was angry that she had already gotten so wounded upon entering the Valley of Immortal Fate. Wretched luck.
After one hour!
Pa!
Lan Shuiyue chopped vengefully at a thick tree trunk. She cut it to bits, then whirled around, saying to Su Ci, "Your movement is impaired. Wait here, and don't go anywhere. They haven't returned yet. I'm going to take a look."
"Don't...."
It was a nervous time to be alone in the Valley of Immortal Fate. Especially if she was wounded.
Just as Su Ci said “don't,” Lan Shuiyue had already disappeared into the grey fog. She could not stop her.
"Lan Shuiyue, what creature are you? If you weren't the disciple of the Sect Protector, would you still dare to scold us!?"
Su Ci looked loathingly in the direction Lan Shuiyue had gone. Of course, she did not dare to say such things to her face. After all, her dao companion had always shown Lan Shuiyue respect.
Huff huff......
The cold air was thick around the Lake of Jade. Before long, Su Ci was beginning to feel the bone-biting cold. She could hear the wail of the wind through the nearby forest, which sounded like demons wailing. There were also a few venomous snakes on the ground, watching Su Ci balefully from a distance.
"Damn it, I'm going to find them!" Su Ci was a little apprehensive. She stood up, but her thigh was still recovering, and it was difficult to move.
"It won't work. The Valley of Immortal Fate is so big. If I get lost and they can't find me, it'll be even worse...." On second thought, she decided to stay.
It was getting even colder, and Su Ci curled up, constantly casting worried glances in their direction.
Thud thud.
Suddenly, there were footsteps.
"They're back!"
Su Ci was overjoyed. She craned her neck in the direction. A tall, thin figure emerged from the fog, drawing closer.
Soon enough, the person was in Su Ci's field of vision.
Su Ci was startled to find that it was not someone she knew. The guy was extremely handsome, and was the kind that would make ladies swoon. His movements and his smile all compelled the eye.
It was as though he was a perfect work of art created by heaven.
"You, who are you?" Su Ci did not know why, but her heart was beating very quickly.
"I? Guess." The person approached step by step. The refreshing smile that played on his lips reminded one of a spring breeze.
Su Ci was lost in her reverie, then quickly snapped to. "Out of the ten-odd core disciples, you were not among them. You're a demon!"
After demons shapeshifted, they could conceal their demonic aura. Hidden among humans, they were basically undiscoverable.
"That's right. I'm a demon." The man smiled slightly.
Su Ci remembered that there were three demons released into the Valley of Immortal Fate in total. The Black Bear Spirit was the most famous. There was also a fox demon and a shark demon.
All three demons had been bound by the Demon Fishing Rod.
"You're the Black Bear Spirit!"
Su Ci had not expected the Black Bear Spirit's shapeshifting to have such delicious results.
"I encountered a demon. The others can't return in a short time. If I don't use the Beacon of Flame, then this demon is sure to deal me grave harm!
"Who would have thought that I, Su Ci, would fail again this time. I am so unlucky!"
She was not content, but nevertheless hurried to pull out her Beacon of Flame, saying to the demon, "Don't come any closer. I'm backing out."
It was said that as long as the released demons could force the disciples to use their Beacon of Flame, they would be rewarded.
As she spoke, she activated her spiritual power, preparing to tear the Beacon of Flame talisman.
Whoosh!
The Beacon of Flame was actually in the hands of the man. Su Ci was rooted. She could not believe this was happening. And she did not understand how the Beacon of Flame had come to be in her opponent's hands.
"Delicious."
The man was actually smiling. He put the Beacon of Flame in his mouth, and it disappeared with a few chews.
"De... de...."
Su Ci's face was pale. This was the most impossible thing in the whole world!
The demon had actually taken the Beacon of Flame that was supposed to safeguard her life. And then eaten it.
"Don't call out. I don't like noise." After the man finished eating, he smiled. The situation seemed extremely dangerous.
“Eh?”
Su Ci was trembling all over.
She was just about to scream out, when she realized that she could not open her mouth. Before she knew it, the man had appeared behind her, his hand over her mouth. He extended his tongue, licking the length of her neck. "Exquisite."
"I...." Su Ci was petrified with fear. She did not understand how this could happen. The demon should have been tamed. How dare he treat her like this!
But she could not move under his control.
"Ooh!"
The man moved, dragging Su Ci with him into the Lake of Jade. The water rippled, and both sank into the Lake of Jade.
Bang, bang, bang!
In the next moment, the icy waters of the Lake of Jade churned, and a large cackle sounded. It was as though a huge beast was thrashing inside. Of course, such a scuffle only lasted for three breaths of time. After that, thick blood spread throughout the water. Almost half the Lake of Jade was stained red.
The bloody, moving water continued to circulate.
Oh!
The man returned to shore, his body spotless. He licked his lips, satisfied. "Women always taste better than men."
After a few more steps, he looked at the bloody water in the Lake of Jade. He frowned slightly, then opened his mouth, causing the bloody water to solidify into a pearl of blood, which he swallowed.
"This way, no one will know she died. And I can continue hunting."
The man gave a satisfied laugh as he vanished into the fog.
Perhaps Su Ci had forgotten, but the three demons were all controlled by the Demon Fishing Rod's fishing lines.
But this man was not.
......
"Su Ci?"
After a short chase, Lan Shuiyue had not found anybody, and could only return to the Lake of Jade, frustrated. Otherwise, even she might have gotten lost.
"Where has she gone?"
After returning to the Lake of Jade, she looked all over but could not find her. There were no signs of struggle on the site either.
She had not gone far either. If Su Ci was met with trouble, she only had to shout, and Lan Shuiyue would have heard her.
"This girl. She doesn't know what's good for her. I asked her to wait for me for a while, but she ran off on her own. This Valley of Immortal Fate is so dangerous. If she met a demon, that's not my fault.”
Lan Shuiyue ranted for a while, then sat down on the bank of the Lake of Jade. Each time she thought of Wu Yu, she got angry. The Clearwater Twin Swords continued to cut towards the Lake of Jade, causing waves.
......
"Lan Shuiyue!"
Finally, Wu Yu had shrugged off the three fifth tier of the Qi Condensation pursuers, using the fog and complicated terrain to his advantage.
Of them, Ni Hongyi had been the closest, and had almost caught Wu Yu a few times.
If he was caught this time, then he would really be bullied without recourse.
Presently, he was hidden in a clump of trees, panting heavily and with a wild look in his eyes.
"Who would have thought that I, Wu Yu, would actually be forced to kneel by a little girl today." This was an extraordinarily big disgrace. He would not forget it, even in ten years.
"Perhaps I didn't want to agitate you before. But now, I will definitely let that spoiled girl taste hardship!"
Normally, Wu Yu hated internal fights, and he detested fighting women even more. But Lan Shuiyue's pride had crossed a line.
"For now, she has four helpers. To pay her back now is difficult! But I don't believe that there is no way in the vastness that is the Valley of Immortal Fate!"
He clearly held his emotions distinct from his grudge. If one did not take revenge, then one could not call himself a gentleman.
Of course, the most important goal was still the immortal root.
Wu Yu was just preparing to leave. The vicinity was blanketed with poisonous insects and spider webs. One moment of carelessness and he would have his face full of web.
Suddenly, a voice came from the side.
"You, don't leave, okay...."
It was a soft, feminine voice that would melt anybody's heart.
Wu Yu turned back.
Beside him stood a woman of unparalleled beauty. Her clothes were sheer and gauzy. Her skin was fair as snow, and could be seen oh-so-vaguely......