Chapter 8: Dodged

Chapter 8: Dodging

The second stretch of forest looked just like the first, except after walking a while, the ground started sloping down.

Down, down, ever downward, the darkness stretched on forever, like it was leading straight to the center of the earth.

The trees grew taller, their tops still tangled with the trees around them, while their trunks stretched longer and longer below.

After walking half a day, even with their glowing artifacts lighting the way, they couldn't see the treetops anymore. All they could see were straight rows of trunks, the silence so deep that every tree felt like a towering tombstone, and they were like people walking through a cemetery with torches.

Creepy as hell.

Strangely, as they went down, the temperature didn't rise with the lower altitude—instead, it got colder and colder. This unnatural cold made Shang Yunduo feel like they really were walking through a graveyard.

He couldn't help glancing at the shadows around him. Every time they passed a tree, the light from their lamps made the shadows shift, and he felt like something alive was hiding in those shadows, staring at him.

If he wasn't walking with so many people, Shang Yunduo would've screamed.

He pulled his robes tighter and had to ask, "Daoist Niu, is the spot you found really the Midnight Lotus?"

His plant manual clearly said the Midnight Lotus needed a place with abundant spiritual energy and balanced yin and yang. This place is obviously way too yin-heavy, right?

Niu Chengdian said confidently, "Of course! We all saw it. We're almost there, Senior Brother Shang. You'll see for yourself."

He sounded so sure—could the valley floor really have enough yang to balance things out? Shang Yunduo was puzzled.

"There's light!"

Someone up ahead called out.

Shang Yunduo looked up. Around a big tree, faint specks of light appeared ahead.

The trees were thinning.

Niu Chengdian said happily, "That's the valley where the Midnight Lotus grows!"

Everyone brightened. The Zhang siblings, who were sick of walking, summoned their flying swords. Others started getting ready for sword flight. But then things went sideways without warning.

"Ah!"

Something flashed in the falling shards of light ahead. The tight string in Shang Yunduo's mind snapped. He moved before he could think, yanking the red-gold protective shield from his storage pouch and holding it in front of their group.

Clang, clang, clang—

A few small darts stuck into the shield, wobbled, then fell to the ground.

Jiang Ming and Yan Jia quickly put up ice shields in front of them. The Zhang siblings and the Qishan Three Friends were just as fast—Zhang Yan's Wood Fire Pearls detached from his bracelet and circled him and his sister. Tang Huan's giant sword acted as a shield for their trio, rebounding darts with sword qi. Bai Li used the moment to swing his fan, speeding the darts up, and sent them flying back into the scattered light.

The ambusher saw that and disappeared without a trace.

But the other rogue cultivators got screwed. A few couldn't dodge in time—they got nicked and screamed in pain. Li Wuzi, who was at the front, also got nicked and yelled, "The darts are poisoned!"

Everyone's faces went pale. They all quickly popped antidote pills and sat down to catch their breath.

"Are you okay?" Shang Yunduo put his shield away, breaking into a cold sweat only after the fact.

Yan Jia and the others said, "We're fine!"

With the faint light ahead, the forest had a bit of illumination. Shang Yunduo quickly scanned the area. He didn't see anyone else, but something was off.

Li Wuzi was close to the Zhang siblings. The other injured rogue cultivators were either near the Qishan Three Friends or near Shang Yunduo and Niu Chengdian. The attacker was clearly aiming for them—the Ninth Level Qi Refining types. The injured guys were just collateral damage.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Tang Huan, who had a short fuse, immediately gave chase, but as he passed the Zhang siblings, Zhang Yu's eyes darted, and she suddenly tossed a dart she'd just blocked right at him.

Bai Li, right behind him, flicked his fan and deflected the dart. Daoist Yuqiu stabbed his vine staff into the ground, and vines burst up from under the Zhang siblings' feet, lashing at them. Zhang Yu dodged fast, while Zhang Yan's Wood Fire Pearls ignited the vines. Tang Huan had already turned his giant sword on the siblings...

The situation flipped in an instant, leaving Shang Yunduo stunned, his jaw on the floor.

The Midnight Lotus hadn't even shown up, and they were already fighting?

He'd read most of a novel and knew that in this world, fighting over treasure was a life-or-death free-for-all full of deceit, but reading about it is one thing—living through it is something else. For a second, he stood there frozen, unable to process what was going on.

At first, getting targeted and hit with hidden weapons pissed him off. He hadn't even wanted to fight over the Midnight Lotus—this was a total random disaster.

Now he didn't have time to feel sorry for himself. Shang Yunduo swallowed hard and yanked out the shield he'd just put away.

If it weren't for the long hike, the two creepy forests that looked haunted, and the risk of getting lost alone, he'd have already turned back.

Yan Jia and Wang Ming clearly thought different. Seeing the Ninth Layer cultivators going at it, they wanted to charge ahead. "Senior Brother?"

Shang Yunduo instinctively looked for Niu Chengdian. That guy had actually crouched down by Li Wuzi to treat his wounds!

No way he could just rush over.

Being a Ninth Layer Qi Refining cultivator right now made him a live target. If he were the real "Shang Yunduo," he could've shouted big, "Bring it on, you think I'm scared?" But right now, he was just a hollow shell—all bark and no bite. He had to play it safe.

Shang Yunduo made a snap decision. "We split up."

That way, they wouldn't target him and drag Yan Jia and the others into it. He couldn't save them, and he couldn't just stand there. "Don't go for the Midnight Lotus. Keep your eyes open and just focus on catching Cold Toads."

Yan Jia and Wang Ming were taken aback. Did Senior Brother just call them too weak to help? That must be it—with his cultivation level, he didn't need their help fighting for the Midnight Lotus.

"Yes!" They both straightened up and, along with the others, scrambled forward to be first.

The five locked in chaos were already watching Shang Yunduo and Niu Chengdian. Seeing neither had moved, Zhang Yu glanced at Yan Jia and Wang Ming but ultimately didn't chase them.

Noticing the Qi Refining Third Layer guy hadn't moved either, Shang Yunduo whispered, "You'd better stay far away from me."

The other glanced at him and walked off.

Shang Yunduo stood alone, the air around him feeling even colder. Maybe he should find a companion...

Someone he wouldn't feel guilty about dragging into trouble.

His eyes immediately settled on Niu Chengdian, still tending to Li Wuzi.

After all, this guy would get targeted anyway, and he was careful and skilled. Surely he wouldn't mind an extra burden.

Just as he lifted his foot, someone up ahead shouted, "It's the Midnight Lotus!"

Even from far away, the sharp-eyed and keen-eared cultivators heard clearly. It wasn't just him—the five who'd been fighting to the death a moment ago instantly stopped. With a tacit understanding, they each hurled a few hidden weapons at each other, then mounted their swords and sped forward full speed.

Only Zhang Yu, in the midst of her rush, still remembered him and Niu Chengdian. Shang Yunduo raised his shield just in time to block a volley of ice spikes.

Sigh, too much!

He fumed for a moment. One against two—he couldn't win. He'd endure.

Seeing Yuezhang Fairy’s angry face, Shang Yunduo felt much better—he wasn’t the only one being picked on. He originally wanted to go over and strike up a conversation, but a glance at Niu Chengdian’s grim face made him stop in his tracks.

Shang Yunduo felt an unexplained fear.

Even though Niu Chengdian quickly regained his composure and asked worriedly if Yuezhang Fairy and Li Wuzi were hurt, Shang Yunduo held back.

“Senior Brother Shang, are you injured?” Seeing Shang Yunduo staring at him, Niu Chengdian quickly asked. “If you don’t mind, I have some pills…”

Shang Yunduo’s heart went cold and he kept his expression icy, shaking his head and saying coldly, “No need.”

Then he turned and strode off alone.

Yuezhang Fairy and Li Wuzi watched in confusion. Yuezhang Fairy couldn’t help complaining on behalf of her friend, “These big sect disciples are way too hard to please. Daoist Niu, we can figure out the Foundation Building Pill from the market later. Why must we go to that lousy sect?”

Niu Chengdian gave a bitter smile and said, “Let me think it over.”

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Shang Yunduo truly regretted coming.

After hesitating for a while, he decided to go forward anyway.

Since he was already here, and he didn’t remember the way back anyway, he figured he’d just go with the flow.

Now he didn’t need others to lead the way; he just had to follow the fast-flying glowing artifacts ahead to find the location.

As he walked, Shang Yunduo put away his Glow Pearl.

He stepped onto his flying sword and flew forward carefully, slowly, and silently.

Ahead, at the edge of the dense forest, the cultivators came out one after another. The view opened up, revealing vast stretches of ponds bathed in the setting sun. The calm water surfaces looked like golden mirrors. In the very center of the central pond, a moon-white lotus hung low, half-hidden in the water, glowing softly in the sunset.

Instantly, the arriving cultivators surged forward.

“Midnight Lotus!”

“It’s mine! Nobody better take it!”

“Ah!”

“Bai Li, I’ll protect you. Break the formation!”

“Break the formation—argh!”

Cultivators who didn’t understand the barrier tried to smash it by raw power, thinking that with enough spiritual power, they could smash through common formations.

The brawl had no starting signal. Amid the scramble, everyone was an enemy in the fight for the Midnight Lotus. The second the lotus was spotted, the conflict kicked off.

Those who reacted slowly didn’t even see the lotus clearly before they died.

Shang Yunduo, just stepping off his flying sword, stopped short, took a step back, and retreated into the forest.

From his lifelong experience, the earlier you join a brawl, the worse you get beaten.

He hid in the shadows of the trees and looked around for Yan Jia and Wang Ming, intending to call them back, but they had already charged into the fray and were already fighting someone two-on-one, and they weren’t losing.

“Hey…” Shang Yunduo waved again, but then felt eyes on him from one side. Turning his head, he glimpsed a silver-gray figure behind a tree trunk.

Shang Yunduo: “...”

The person didn’t hide after being discovered, but Shang Yunduo, a supposed Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator, felt even more awkward. “What a coincidence.”

Pei Jie glanced at him and asked, “Aren’t you going?”

Shang Yunduo: “...”

“The Midnight Lotus is about to be taken.”

“...” Shang Yunduo thought, Like I care about that? But he bluffed, “I don’t know formations.”

All brute-force attempts to break the barrier failed. Even the Zhang siblings had to temporarily retreat after some probing.

Several Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators began to extricate themselves from the chaos.

“Stop fighting! The barrier needs to be unlocked from somewhere else.” Bai Li, shielded by his companion and focused on cracking the barrier, said helplessly, “It looks like the Bagua Moon Shadow Formation.”

Tang Huan asked, “How do we open it?”

Bai Li: “Eight people need to inject spiritual power into the formation from eight directions simultaneously.”

Tang Huan: “Eight?!” Tang Huan frowned deeply. There were only three of them: him, the thickhead, and Bai Li.

The Zhang siblings, hovering in the sky, exchanged glances. “How do we open it?”

Bai Li: “After the moon rises, each person stands at one of the eight trigram positions and simultaneously inputs spiritual power into the formation, channeling moonlight to unlock it.”

The three of them plus the two Zhang siblings added up to five. They still needed three more.

Bai Li looked toward several Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivators.

Just then, Niu Chengdian and Yuezhang Fairy showed up late, supporting Li Wuzi. Tang Huan said, “Just in time. You three, do you understand formations?”

Li Wuzi was too pissed to answer. He had originally come to break the formation; if not for being poisoned, he would have already studied how to crack it. He took out his formation compass, mumbled spells as he tested it, and finally said, “It’s the Bagua formation.”

Tang Huan tsk’d. “We already knew that. It’s a Bagua… what Bagua formation?”

Bai Li smiled. “The Bagua Moon Shadow Formation.”

Li Wuzi’s face paled. After testing a bit more, he said reluctantly, “Yes, it’s the Bagua Moon Shadow Formation.”

Hearing this, the Zhang siblings were even more convinced.

There was still some time before the moon rose, so they sat down to discuss how to break the formation.

Li Wuzi, still weakened by residual poison, couldn’t handle the strain of breaking the formation, so he would be responsible for leading Tang Huan, who knew jack about formations, to the right spot.

So they were still down one person.

Niu Chengdian was surprised. “Eh, where is Senior Brother Shang?”

“Haven’t seen him,” Tang Huan said carelessly. “Just grab a Qi Refining Eighth Layer to fill in.”

He looked around and saw Huang Gun, who sat with his eyes shut, holding his sword, along with the few Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivators he had brought. “Daoist Huang, do you understand formations?”

Huang Gun stared at him without a word.

These three had been brought by him, but they’d drifted off to mingle where the Ninth Layer cultivators were. That was bad form, but he didn’t want to deal with them. However, knowing he couldn’t pick the Midnight Lotus without breaking the formation, he swallowed his anger and nodded. “A bit.”

Tang Huan said, “Good, then you take the Zhen position. I’ll go to the Li position with the sick guy.”

Li Wuzi took a moment to realize that "the sickly one" referred to him, and his beard bristled with anger.

Tang Huan went on speaking. "Bai Li is responsible for the Kun position, Wooden Head for the Gen position, you two for the Qian and Xun positions, and that young lady for the Kan position. What else is missing...?"

After assigning his own people, the Zhang siblings, and Yuezhang Fairy, he glanced around and saw only Niu Chengdian remaining.

Bai Li said, "Dui."

Tang Huan exclaimed, "Correct! Dui! Dui is yours."

Niu Chengdian found his string of "rights" somewhat amusing and a bit speechless. "Alright, I'll take the Dui position."

Tang Huan said, "We've got the people, but how do we ensure we all act simultaneously?"

Bai Li was momentarily at a loss.

He knew the sound transmission technique, but he couldn't transmit it across such a large distance. The entrance here was at the Kun position, while Qian was on the mountain opposite. It would take a Core Formation cultivator or even a Nascent Soul cultivator to send a sound transmission that far.

Niu Chengdian said, "I happen to have something that might do..."

With that, he pulled out a whistling arrow.

"This should work fine."

This kind of signal arrow, used by sect disciples to summon their peers, could be seen clearly across a whole mountain.

"We'll use the whistling arrow as the signal. When it reaches its highest point, that's the moment for us to act."

Author's note:

Yun Duo: Regret, anxiety, fear, watching the drama... Hey, buddy, you're hiding here too!

Pei Jie: ...