Chapter 514

I took off running down the mountain.

In the forest, wind and clouds surged instantly, and bird cries filled the air.

Feng Wu reacted quickly, the twang of his longbow's string ringing incessantly.

What excited me even more was that, with the Soul-guiding Lamp in hand, it itself had a deterrent effect on those things.

Several ghost faces flew out impatiently, wreaking havoc among the flock of birds.

With these few good helpers, I could finally catch my breath.

As long as I wasn't caught by Dìshì, I still had a chance.

Behind me, Dìshì let out a painful groan.

He deliberately lowered his voice, but I still heard it.

Indeed, that evil bone had a great influence on him; the lamp oil could temporarily hold him back!

Even before I took action, I had already figured out where I should flee.

I originally wanted to go to the Cold Pond to soak, suppress the Nirvana fire, and by the way take the Soul-guiding Lamp, then venture deep into the Phoenix Ridge and cross over…

But now I can't do that.

Running further into the Feng Clan's interior is even less realistic.

The patrol there could easily capture me, and besides, Dìshì surely has his minions planted in the Feng Clan.

So my only choice is the Wild Grave Hill.

The mountain cavern stretching from Wild Grave Hill to beneath the Phoenix Ridge belongs to the Feng Clan and is also under Dìshì's control.

What I'm betting on isn't that this cavern will shelter me; I'm heading for that stone door that almost sucked me in last time.

Place oneself in a deadly situation to then survive.

The letter left by Dìhuán said that he dared not explore the world behind that stone door, but perhaps I could.

Then I'll give it a try!

I moved the stones, entered the passage, opened one stone door, then another… turned past the Screen Wall…

As I ran in this way, I discovered that the flock of birds dared not follow into this mountain cavern.

It must be that there is normally a restriction here, which just now happened to block them.

It seems my choice was correct!

Dìshì was delayed by the lamp oil for a while, but he will surely catch up sooner or later; I must summon my courage and race against time.

But when I turned past the Screen Wall and rushed straight for that door, I suddenly stopped.

I stepped back step by step, retreating to the side of the Screen Wall, staring at a trail of blood on the ground.

This trail of blood is quite fresh; although some of it has dried, its color hasn't turned dark, nor has it been completely soaked into the ground.

The blood trail spread out from inside that stone door, extending all the way to the back of the Screen Wall, but it stopped abruptly at the inner side of this entrance stone door.

In other words, not long ago, someone had walked out from inside that door.

He was injured; judging from the continuity of the blood trail, the wound was quite serious.

But he didn't step out of the mountain cavern's stone door; instead, he turned back the way he came.

He must have stood for a good while inside the inner side of the entrance stone door, because the blood there is the thickest.

Based on the timing, it should have been exactly when I was undergoing Nirvana in Cangwu Mountain.

He sensed it.

I followed the blood trail to the entrance stone door, then went from the stone door to the Screen Wall, wanting to replay the intruder's state of mind at that time.

After all, Dìshì will surely come after me sooner or later; if I rashly enter that stone door and bump into whoever is inside, would I be caught between two forces?

I cannot allow myself to be attacked from both front and back.

Drip-drop.

Just as I walked to the side of the Screen Wall again, a drop of blood fell from above onto the ground before my feet, startling me so much that my whole body shuddered; I even dared not lift my head to look up.

Could that person not have returned to the stone door, but instead be lurking above the Screen Wall, ready to ambush at any moment?

But if someone really were watching me at such close range, I would surely notice, and Feng Wu would not fail to alert me.

I waited a little while, but there was no movement.

I cautiously lifted my head to look, and upon seeing it, I froze again in place.

At the corner of the Screen Wall, a bloody willow-branch bracelet hung diagonally, a drop of blood about to fall, swaying faintly beneath the bracelet.

The willow-branch bracelet had become a tacit agreement between me and Liu Junyan.

I don't know whether he is aware of all that has happened outside.

Ever since he chased after the Golden Scale and left, his whereabouts have become erratic.

The first time I saw the willow-branch bracelet outside Wǎngsǐ Chéng, it gave me a hint and also gave me the confidence to move forward bravely.

Because I know he has always been there.

And today, in this mountain cavern, I saw the willow-branch bracelet again.

It was soaked in blood.

The one who came out of that dangerous stone door was none other than Liu Junyan.

At this moment, I seemed to truly comprehend his state of mind clearly.

He doesn't know where he came from; behind that stone door he searched all the way, facing constant danger and suffering a grave wound.

At that moment, he sensed my Nirvana Tribulation.

Following the direction of the Nirvana Tribulation, he emerged from that stone door, his hand always tightly gripping the willow-branch bracelet.

At the entrance stone door he hesitated for a moment; he wanted to come find me.

He had once promised me that when I underwent Nirvana, he would guard me outside Cangwu Mountain, and when I emerged successfully from Nirvana, I would be able to see him at first glance.

But there were more important things waiting for him inside that stone gate.

After a brief stay, he had to leave.

He left this willow branch bracelet, perhaps just to tell me that he had been here.

He had kept me company here when I was undergoing Nirvana…

But how could he be so certain that I know about this hidden underground cave?

How could he be so sure that I would definitely see this willow branch bracelet?

Or is it because he managed to find his way here all along, which is connected to my previous visit to the cave, when I accidentally opened that stone gate here?

I dare not think further; I don't have much time left.

I tapped the ground with my toes, leapt up, snatched the willow branch bracelet, without hesitation summoned the long bow, drew the string full, and shot toward the stone gate.

The stone gate opened again, and I rushed inside.

No matter what dangers lie inside that stone gate, no matter where it leads, I am no longer afraid.

Because this is the path Liu Junyan took when he came.

The stone gate boomed shut behind me with a loud thud.

Yin Sha Qi filled the entire space, and the mist was black.

Fortunately I have the Soul-guiding Lamp, which can light my way forward.

But every step I take forward is extremely difficult.

The Yin Sha Qi was too heavy, pressing on me so I could barely breathe; the Nirvana fire inside my body began to show signs of awakening, attacked from inside and out, ice and fire in double layers, I felt terrible, gradually beginning to gasp for air.

After walking like that for about ten or so meters, I looked up and saw another stone gate appear ahead.

Instantly puzzled, I wondered where all these stone gates came from.

But upon closer look, I suddenly realized that this is none other than the stone gate I had just opened when I came in.

I was clearly walking straight ahead, so why did it feel like I had turned in a circle and ended back at the starting point?

This was even with the Soul-guiding Lamp lighting the way.

Right, I had only been using the Soul-guiding Lamp as a lighting tool, but such heavy Yin Sha Qi might still need a bit of deterrence.

Thinking this, I activated the Soul-guiding Lamp, commanding the ghost faces to clear the path: 'Ghost faces, go!'

Several ghost faces leapt out at once……