Chapter 156

"Yeye, we're already behind schedule—only by traveling at night can we reach Man Shui Cun!"

"Don't forget what's following us behind—camping at night? What's the difference from seeking death? Even without a Pressure Circle phantom, camping is too conspicuous! It could draw other anomalies anytime!"

"We must go faster, faster still! Only by reaching a human village before the Pressure Circle phantom emerges from the Pressure Flower can we truly escape danger and avoid its pursuit!"

"Otherwise, every single person in this team—including me—will die!"

An Shenyi's opinion was reasonable; Fang Yue turned to Blood Hunter.

"An Shenyi is right, but you're ignoring the actual situation."

"Look up carefully at your surroundings—everyone in the team, including the escort squad members, are utterly exhausted; their fatigue is written all over their faces."

"I also wish we could push forward nonstop straight to Man Shui Cun."

"But we can't. Even without the villagers, after the previous life-or-death crisis, their strength is already drained; if we keep marching without rest now, even the escort squad members can't hold out."

"If we don't camp and rest at night, then we must rest during the day—we need to find time to rest once, or someone will collapse before we reach Man Shui Cun…"

Before Blood Hunter could finish, An Shenyi snapped coldly: "Then let them die! We aren't their nannies. Again, if they dare step into the wilds, they must be ready to die at any moment—did they think this was a picnic?"

Blood Hunter said calmly: "Human stamina isn't a matter of willpower…"

"Then it's their fate! No one can save them! We either die with them or save ourselves—only two choices! Let me be clear: I'm not planning to die with you! And I'll say this—your escort squad is the most reckless I've ever seen in the wilds!"

With that, An Shenyi flung his hand away and stormed forward, refusing to discuss further with the two.

Blood Hunter shrugged at Fang Yue.

"In a way, I agree with An Shenyi's thinking—but Gu Yue Cun is my hometown. Many people there I don't like, but they're still familiar faces; I can't bring myself to abandon them so callously."

Fang Yue sighed. If Lin Ling were leading, the team would never have fallen into this situation—she'd have made a firmer decision.

But Fang Yue had no experience in this area and truly didn't know what to do.

Just as Fang Yue was thinking this, An Shenyi—who had just walked ahead—suddenly let out a sharp shout.

"Everyone, fall back immediately!!"

The team froze, halting in place, murmuring and hesitating whether to retreat.

"Fall back! Don't you understand me?! Fall back!!"

An Shenyi roared and retreated rapidly, quickly meeting Fang Yue, who was stunned.

"What's happening?"

"The Pressure Flower has appeared! Right ahead! The first Pressure Circle is about to close! Its closing speed has increased!"

What?!

Fang Yue's pupils shrank; he retreated while shouting orders.

"Listen to An Shenyi! Fall back! It's a Pressure Circle!"

Only when Fang Yue spoke did the team begin retreating in chaos.

Though Fang Yue tried his best to command, he couldn't match Luo Xin's precision in organizing a disciplined retreat.

Fortunately, the three other Deputy Captains assisted, and all personnel escaped the range just before the Pressure Circle closed.

In truth, it was pure luck—An Shenyi spotted the Pressure Flower just as it emerged from the ground and acted immediately; had they reacted even a moment slower, at least a few people would have died.

The two trenches closed, forming the Pressure Circle.

Boom!!

The ground within the circle sank slightly, like a light earthquake; fruits on trees nearby fell straight down and crushed into pulp, like so many corpses.

An Shenyi's face darkened.

"Its closing speed has increased, its range has expanded, and… its power is stronger!"

Fang Yue saw it too; his brow furrowed.

"Why is this happening?"

An Shenyi looked up at the sun in the sky.

"Probably… related to the time of day."

It was past noon now—around two or three in the afternoon—and drawing closer to nightfall.

"Yeye, since we're going to travel at night anyway, why not now break the team into smaller groups…"

"No, wait a little longer! We haven't tested our previous method yet!"

Earlier, Fang Yue and the others had proposed mixing Giant-Head Blood Dog blood with Scatter-Phantom Incense to confuse the Pressure Flower's senses and evade pursuit.

If it worked, we could still discuss options for both nighttime travel and camping.

An Shenyi hesitated, then nodded: "Alright."

Commanding the team to change direction, Fang Yue led them ahead toward the village path.

After moving a considerable distance beyond the Pressure Flower's range, Fang Yue signaled Blood Hunter and An Shenyi to begin their operation.

Pink urine and Scatter-Phantom Incense were applied; the team resumed their journey.

"If the Pressure Flower catches up again, you'll follow my method," An Shenyi said sternly.

"Yes. If this method fails… we split up and regroup at Man Shui Cun."

Fang Yue's words amounted to tacit approval of An Shenyi's plan; An Shenyi's mood improved slightly.

About half an hour later, thick fog blanketed the area; a black flower suddenly pushed up from the ground and bloomed in silence.

Light lines traced, marking a circle—the Pressure Circle Advent!

Heavy!!

The ground trembled slightly; a flock of birds flying overhead instantly dropped straight down, crushed into puddles of blood and flesh by the pressure.

But the Pressure Flower seemed to sense something; swaying gently with the breeze, it lingered for a long while.

Suddenly, as if startled, it plunged violently back into the earth.

When it reappeared, it was deep in the forest—same general direction as Fang Yue's team had taken, eastward, but with a drastically different angle.

And not long after the Heavy-Burden Flower burrowed underground and vanished, the blood-and-flesh corpses of birds on the ground of the foggy area once affected by the Pressure Circle were stamped with a trail of sheep-hoof prints, spreading forward — and the direction was unmistakably… the exact direction Fang Yue and the others had left in!

When it came to tracking prey, the Sheep Hollow seemed to have the edge over the Heavy-Burden Flower!

……

Village road.

"We're back!"

"We're back on the village road!"

"Wonderful! We're safe!"

Safe was a bit of a stretch, but they did let out a small breath of relief.

Like an executioner's axe hanging over their heads, it had drawn a little farther away — no longer so pressing, so close.

Listening to the cheers and celebrations rising from the team, Fang Yue didn't go pour cold water on them.

He looked toward An Shenyi and the Blood Hunter, speaking with some excitement.

"What do you two make of it?"

An Shenyi and the Blood Hunter exchanged a glance, a faint trace of excitement on their faces.

"It should have worked! Judging by the frequency of the Heavy-Burden Flower's appearances before, we should have been caught long ago — but we still haven't seen it show its head…"

(End of chapter)