Chapter 86

Gu Fei carried Ling Luoyan and ran for over twenty to thirty miles, far away from the territory of the unknown savage beast, before stopping by a small stream. He put down Ling Luoyan, who was still in shock.

Gu Fei looked around and realized that this was a rare and picturesque place. The mountain spring water gathered into a stream, the clear water flowed gently, and one could vaguely see unknown small fish swimming in the stream.

The small stream was surrounded by intertwined vines and various colorful flowers, which bloomed brightly, creating a scene of vibrant colors. The fragrance of the flowers wafted through the air, giving a refreshing feeling. The melodious bird songs from the branches of the large trees by the stream made it an ideal place to rest.

The tall trees blocked the scorching sun, creating a large shaded area under them.

Gu Fei sat down on the protruding roots of a large tree. He was still shaken by the powerful savage beast they had encountered. It was the strongest among the fierce beasts he had ever seen. Even cultivators at the Transcendent Realm would have to retreat if they met such a beast.

"What... what was that thing!" Ling Luoyan, her face pale with shock, asked in a trembling voice. Although she did not see the appearance of the fierce beast that roared like thunder, the roar alone was enough to shake one's mind, indicating how terrifying the beast was.

"The 800-mile Yunmeng Mountain is indeed not simple, to have such a powerful savage beast living here," Gu Fei muttered to himself, not answering Ling Luoyan's question. He was also still shaken by the encounter.

Just now, they had unknowingly intruded into the territory of a terrifying savage beast.

"I don't want to stay in this cursed place anymore. You better think of a way to get us out of here quickly!" Ling Luoyan said, having witnessed the cruel law of the jungle, which was truly shocking.

"Hmph! Without experiencing storms, how can one see the rainbow? If you can't endure such minor hardships, how can you become a strong person?" Gu Fei said dismissively.

The appearance of this fair-skinned, red-lipped, and extremely handsome young man disappointed him. Are all the disciples from noble families so weak? Gu Fei couldn't help but think of Wang Yuanzhi, who used to bully him frequently.

Wang Yuanzhi was a typical noble family disciple who bullied the weak and feared the strong. When Gu Fei's cultivation was low, Wang Yuanzhi would bully him at will, but once Gu Fei's cultivation improved rapidly, Wang Yuanzhi no longer dared to trouble him.

However, Dongfang Chen was also from a noble family, yet he was a worthy opponent. It seemed that not all noble family disciples were mediocre.

Gu Fei looked at the sky; after all the commotion, it was already noon. He thought that if they continued like this, they would not be able to leave the primitive forest before sunset.

"Who says one has to become a wild man in the mountains to become strong!" Ling Luoyan glared at Gu Fei and said loudly. She was still shaken by the roar of the unknown savage beast, her heart still pounding.

"Hehe, if you want to leave this place quickly and return to your comfortable ship, there is actually another way," Gu Fei suddenly said with a wicked smile, looking at Ling Luoyan.

"What do you want to do?" Ling Luoyan, seeing Gu Fei's expression, instinctively tightened her clothes and moved backward.

Gu Fei walked toward Ling Luoyan with a wicked smile, reaching out his hand to grab her.

"No!" Ling Luoyan, frightened, immediately tried to dodge.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Gu Fei cursed, then grabbed Ling Luoyan under his arm, pushed off the ground with his feet, and leaped onto the canopy of a nearby large tree.

"It turns out he wasn't going to do anything bad!" Ling Luoyan blushed and felt extremely shy. Moreover, she was dressed as a man, which added a different kind of charm compared to when she was dressed as a woman.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, what am I thinking? How embarrassing."

However, deep down, Ling Luoyan felt a bit disappointed that Gu Fei didn't do what she had expected. Women's hearts are truly hard to fathom; they want something, but when it happens, they reject it. Is a woman's heart really like a needle at the bottom of the sea?

Gu Fei carried Ling Luoyan under his arm, stepped on the tree canopy, and flew eastward. He dared not pass through the territory of the unknown savage beast and instead took a wide detour to avoid it.

The roar of that unknown savage beast was already earth-shattering and soul-shaking, indicating how powerful it was. If they really encountered it face to face, Gu Fei would surely die.

Soon, the figures of Gu Fei and Ling Luoyan disappeared into the forest.

...

At dusk, a group of people moved through the uninhabited primitive forest. Leading the way were two men in green robes, each holding a bright single-edged knife.

The two men in front swung their knives, cutting through the weeds and thorny bushes in front of them, while the others shouted a name loudly.

One of the voices, slightly hoarse but full of energy, echoed far and wide in the mountains, much farther than the others.

The person who shouted so differently from the others was an ordinary old man in a green robe with white hair.

"Old Zhong, do you think Miss Ling was kidnapped by our enemies? Otherwise, why would she suddenly disappear!" A young maid in a green dress said to the old man, tears welling up in her eyes, looking very anxious.

"Hmm! With Miss Ling's martial skills, who could kidnap her without a sound? There must be something strange going on," Old Zhong said solemnly.

"That Gu Fei's identity has been verified. Tai Xuan Sect does have such a person, and he is a skilled cultivator. With him by Miss Ling's side, no one could harm her. Could it be that..." Old Zhong suddenly thought of a possibility, and his face turned grim.

When Gu Fei was discovered with Miss Ling and the others, he was severely injured and unconscious in the river. Could it be that the people who injured him came back? If that's the case, Miss Ling is in grave danger.

This group of dozens of people were from the Hao Tian Caravan, sent to search for Ling Luoyan and Gu Fei. Old Zhong and Ling Luoyan's personal maids, Xiaocui and Xiaoyue, were among them.

They didn't just send one group; they divided the hundreds of guards from the three large ships into eight small teams, entering the Yunmeng Mountain from different directions to search for Ling Luoyan and Gu Fei.

Unfortunately, after a night of searching, they not only failed to find the two but also lost six or seven well-trained guards from the eight teams.

The primitive forest was full of unknown dangers. Even the experienced guards of the Hao Tian Caravan, each with remarkable skills, could not avoid casualties.

"Miss Ling, where are you!" Xiaoyue, dressed in a light yellow dress, said anxiously.

Xiaocui and Xiaoyue were Ling Luoyan's personal maids. If Ling Luoyan met with misfortune, they would not survive either.

The group moved forward cautiously, shouting loudly, but only heard their own echoes in the mountains, with no response from Miss Ling.

Under Old Zhong's lead, the group crossed a slope, passed through a thicket, and entered a basin. The guards, holding single-edged knives or long swords, moved cautiously through the tall ancient trees in the basin.

No one knew if there were fierce beasts or venomous insects hiding in the surrounding grass and behind the trees. Several of the guards had already been killed by the sudden attacks of hidden beasts.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, someone stepped on a dry bone on the ground, startling everyone, who stopped. Seeing no abnormalities, they continued moving forward.

"Crack!" Another sound of a bone being stepped on echoed through the misty forest, which seemed to be filled with many white bones. The group's shouts gradually weakened.

The deeper they went, the more animal bones they found scattered in the forest and grass, creating a terrifying scene.

Soon, everyone was too scared to shout, as they seemed to have entered a strange and sinister place. Someone noticed that among the bones on the ground, there were human bones.

This place seemed wrong. Old Zhong's brows were furrowed, and his face was grim. Everyone realized that something was amiss with this forest.

The basin was eerily quiet, with no small animals or birds in sight.

The tall ancient trees in the basin had lush branches and leaves, making the place seem even more sinister and terrifying at dusk. Xiaocui and Xiaoyue, even they, drew their long swords from their waists, looking around vigilantly.

As they moved deeper, the bones on the ground became more numerous. A young man with golden hair waved to stop everyone.

"Old Zhong, something is wrong. Let's retreat and take a detour!" Xiaocui said to Old Zhong.

Old Zhong scanned the surroundings and made a gesture for everyone to stop. This basin was indeed strange. There was no sign of the usual fierce aura of savage beasts, suggesting that no powerful beast was living here.

Everyone moved quietly, slowly retreating, trying to leave the basin.

"Thud!"

Suddenly, a white, bony claw extended from the ground and grabbed the ankle of a guard in a green robe holding a single-edged knife.

"Ah!"

"Thud!"

Dirt and bone fragments flew everywhere. The guard could only let out a short, sharp cry before being pulled into the ground. Everyone was shocked and quickly retreated.

...