The four extinguished the fire beside the stream and continued deeper into the dense forest. According to the map Dugu Bo had given them, they now needed to head toward the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast habitat-of the four of them, only Feng Xiaotian's Soul Ring remained unaccounted for. They had walked for less than a quarter of an hour when Feng Xiaotian suddenly raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
Feng Xiaotian had caught the sickly-sweet, bloody scent Zhong Yue had mentioned that morning. It was faint, very faint, seeping out of the depths of the forest in thin wisps. Though barely noticeable, it was steadily growing stronger.
"Stay alert." Feng Xiaotian lowered his voice, his footsteps growing lighter, but he did not change direction-the ten-thousand-year zone circled in vermilion on the map lay deeper inside. Bai Yu's wind chime rested against her wrist bone, giving a faint, crisp tinkle with every step.
After another tea's worth of time, Feng Xiaotian stopped for the second time. This time, it was not something he smelled-it was something he heard. Rustling came simultaneously from beneath the dead leaves around them, behind the bushes, and deep within the canopy. Not from one direction, but from every side. Like a tide, those sounds closed in from the distance, growing denser and nearer.
Feng Lingtian's pupils contracted slightly. There was not one scent, but more than a dozen mingled together-rank musk, rotting stench, the smell of damp, cold earth, and the scents of beasts he could not name. "We're surrounded by Soul Beasts," he said in an extremely low voice. "At least a dozen, ranging from several hundred to several thousand years old."
Before he finished speaking, the bushes directly ahead burst apart. A black Soul Beast the size of an ox charged out, its body covered in rough, tough hide and a single dark-red horn growing from its forehead. Its nostrils flared wide as it frantically sniffed the air. Three more Soul Beasts darted out from behind the trees right on its heels-their target was Feng Lingtian. These Soul Beasts could smell the extraordinarily pure spiritual Qi of heaven and earth on this human, and it held a fatal attraction for them.
"Run!" Feng Xiaotian decided instantly. "Head for the poison miasma!"
The four sprinted east along the stream. Zhong Yue brought up the rear, his phantom tortoise shell solidified to its utmost as it shielded their outer flank. A two-thousand-year Soul Beast slammed into the shell, making its patterns of light shake violently, but Zhong Yue gritted his teeth and did not give an inch. Bai Yu ran in the middle, sending out continuous chimes from the Bell to disrupt the nearest pursuers. Feng Lingtian cleared the way ahead and to the side, activating Gale Flash Step repeatedly and sweeping a volley of feather blades behind them now and then to drive back the closing beasts.
A brief, pained howl rang out behind them-a Soul Beast pursuing too closely had stepped into a muddy hollow and been dragged under in one bite by something lurking beneath the mud. A hoarse sound of struggling followed immediately afterward. Vines extending from somewhere had wrapped around another Soul Beast's neck; it twitched twice, then went still.
The four burst out of the thickets. The trees ahead gradually thinned, revealing a relatively open slope. Feng Xiaotian was about to speed up when his steps abruptly halted.
"People."
Below the slope, seven figures were moving to cut them off from another direction. They wore matching black leather armor, with curved serpent patterns branded onto their shoulder guards. It was the Snake Fang Mercenary Corps.
Their leader was a full-bearded man carrying a heavy chopping saber, with a brass tracking compass strapped to his left wrist. He froze briefly at the sight of Feng Xiaotian and the other three, then broke into a grin. His gaze traveled over the fabric of their clothes-though smeared with mud and dust, the material was good, and the stitching in the lining was tight and neat. One glance was enough to tell they were not children from ordinary families. He scanned their surroundings again. There was no sign of any powerful presence nearby.
"Four little brats, daring to come to a place like this without any adults along." He grinned, greed slowly surfacing in his eyes. "What nice things have you brought with you? Take them out and let Uncle have a look."
Feng Xiaotian did not reply. His mind raced-behind them were over a dozen Soul Beasts, and ahead were seven armed mercenaries. Feng Xiaotian's gaze swept over the tracking compass behind the bearded man. The needle on the brass disk was spinning wildly, pointing not toward them, but deeper into the forest.
Feng Xiaotian glanced in the direction of the needle. Deep within the canopy over there was an enormous shadow. A pair of emerald-green, slit-pupiled eyes was slowly opening. This should be the beast Zhong Yue had seen last night.
In a flash of lightning, Feng Xiaotian made his judgment. Rather than retreating, he took a step forward, the faintest hint of a smile rising at the corners of his mouth.
"Nice things?" Feng Xiaotian spoke softly, but every word was perfectly clear. "Yes. The question is whether you'll live to take them."
The bearded man's gaze sharpened, and he raised his chopping saber. But at that very instant, Feng Lingtian abruptly raised his hand-five Wind Plume · Feather Blades shot out, aimed not at the mercenaries, but at the canopy.
The feather blades struck the trunk, thoroughly rousing the green-eyed giant beast that had been lying in wait. It rose behind the canopy-a full twenty feet tall, its body covered in dark-green scales, with a metal collar around its neck. The runes on the collar glowed faintly. The sickly-sweet, bloody smell surged over them, blotting out heaven and earth, more than ten times stronger than before. Its age approached twenty thousand years.
The bearded man's face instantly went deathly pale. "Run-"
But it was already too late. The green-eyed giant beast let out a deafening roar and swept an enormous claw across them. The two mercenaries at the front did not even have time to scream before they were smashed into two clouds of bloody mist. The remaining mercenaries scattered, fleeing in every direction, but this was not the only Soul Beast-the pursuing pack had arrived as well.
Over a dozen Soul Beasts crashed into the mercenaries, tearing, trampling, and crushing. Screams rose one after another, and blood soon stained the dead leaves on the slope red. The bearded man barely blocked two blows before the green-eyed giant beast knocked his chopping saber away with one swipe, sending him flying backward into a large tree. The snap of his spine was clearly audible. His eyes widened, bloody froth spilling from the corners of his mouth. He twitched twice, then went still.
Feng Xiaotian did not look back at the slaughter. The instant the green-eyed giant beast attacked, he had already swept away with the other three.
"Quick! Run toward the poison miasma!"
The four raced along the route marked on Dugu Bo's map. The screams behind them gradually faded into the distance, but the sickly-sweet, bloody wind kept pursuing them. Branches had slashed several bloody cuts into Bai Yu's legs, but she gritted her teeth without a sound. Zhong Yue's phantom tortoise shell withstood two ranged strikes from the Soul Beasts behind them, and fine cracks had already appeared in its patterns of light.
When they reached the entrance of a valley shrouded in thick mist, Feng Xiaotian finally stopped. The mist was dark green, hanging heavily against the ground. It was the poison miasma Dugu Bo had laid down.
Feng Lingtian took a porcelain bottle from inside his clothes, tipped out a Clear Pivot Turbidity-Transforming Pill, and dropped it into a waterskin, giving it a shake. The pill dissolved the moment it touched the water. He had each of the other three take a sip, then gulped down a large mouthful himself. "This medicinal water will last several hours. That's enough."
The four plunged into the poison miasma. The Soul Beast closest on their heels could not stop in time, and half its body rushed into the miasma. White smoke instantly rose from its scales, and it retreated in panic with a wretched scream.
Inside the poison miasma, the four leaned beneath a rock wall, gasping for breath. Bai Yu tore off a corner of her clothes to stanch the bleeding from her leg wounds, her fingers trembling. Zhong Yue's phantom tortoise shell finally gave out, shattering into several fragments of light that dispersed into the air. Feng Lingtian pressed his back against the rock wall, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Feng Xiaotian stood on the outside, looking out through the dark-green mist. The Soul Beasts had not dispersed. They paced back and forth along the edge of the poison miasma, low whimpers rising from their throats. The frenzy stirred up by the pill's scent earlier had not completely subsided, but their instincts told them-this mist must not be touched.
They were safe for the moment.
Feng Lingtian had just closed his eyes to regulate his breathing when he suddenly opened them again. He turned his head and stared at the thick mist behind them for a long time.
"What is it?" Bai Yu asked quietly.
Feng Lingtian did not answer. His gaze swept back and forth through the depths of the mist twice before he finally said in a low voice, "Someone's following us."
Zhong Yue's phantom tortoise shell instantly condensed again. Bai Yu tightened her grip on her wind chime.
Feng Xiaotian did not turn around. His back was rigid, like a fully drawn bow. After a long moment, he said quietly, "I know. From the moment we entered the poison miasma, we weren't the only four in the mist."
Nothing could be seen deep within the thick mist. But the feeling of being watched clung to their backs and had never left.