"The map Her Majesty the Elf Empress gave us should be fine."
The three of them had lost their way while searching for the Merfolk's territory. Deep in the forest, every path looked the same. They had left conspicuous marks on the trees, recognizable at a glance, yet after marking their way forward, they ended up right where they had started. The round trip took two hours.
Refusing to believe it, they walked the route again, carving fresh marks along their new path. The result was still the same.
"Seventh Sister, is there some strange formation here? Why can't we get out, no matter how much we walk?"
"It isn't a formation." Seeing her open her mouth, Qian Wanyu added, "It doesn't seem to be a barrier, either."
"A ghost wall."
Wei Junlan wandered around the spot, then approached the tree to inspect it. He called to them, "Come take a look. Is something wrong with my eyes? Why do I feel like the marks on this tree are slowly fading?"
Marks carved only two hours earlier should not have become so indistinct. Besides, they had marked the trees twice to help identify them, and both sets of marks seemed somewhat blurred.
The three exchanged looks, utterly at a loss.
"We're tired from walking. Why don't we rest here for a while?" Qian Wanyu suggested. After two attempts, four to six hours had passed, and they were still circling the same spot. It was neither a formation nor a barrier...
The answer was almost ready to reveal itself.
Qian Wanyu sat quietly for a moment, then gradually spread the consciousness in her soul sea over the ground for dozens of miles around her.
Seeing that Seventh Sister was cultivating, Dongfang Minghui called softly to her but received no response. She