Chapter 116: Reunion
The area was thick with trees and overgrown grass. Leo and Kai fled in panic, the swarm of white spiders hot on their heels. Before long, they reached a patch of land covered in bright, alluring flowers—trumpet-shaped blooms in shades of pink and red. Beautiful. Leo considered diving into the flowers for cover. But then he spotted scattered bones beneath the tall grass, some fresh. His instincts flared. He changed direction.
Kai, desperate and blind with fear, plunged straight in.
A bizarre sight followed. One of the trumpet flowers snapped open and swallowed him whole.
"Cannibal Flowers! They've been extinct in the cultivation world for ages!"
Leo remembered a biography written by a Palace disciple named Glyph. It described flowers exactly like these—beautiful, alluring blossoms that lured birds and beasts close, then devoured them.
A chill ran down Leo's spine. Through the translucent stem, he could see Kai struggling inside. A flash of fire. Kai burst out, screaming, tumbling to the ground. His robes were reduced to scattered shreds, his face coated in slime and corroded into a pitted, hideous mess.
But Kai's luck had run out. He stumbled into two more flowers. Their trumpet mouths gaped wide—one caught his head, the other his legs.
"Damn!" Leo moved to save him, but the swarm of giant white spiders had caught up. He had no choice but to retreat, or risk getting tangled in their sticky webs.
Crunch. The flowers pulled. Kai tore in half. The blossoms closed, rippled, and he was gone.
With Kai dead, the lead on the Purple Ginseng died with him. Frustrated, Leo spun and lashed out with his cyan flying dagger, shredding the lead spiders. Then he ran again.
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He'd covered barely a hundred meters when his tracking talisman vibrated.
Leo blinked. Over twenty days since his team had scattered, and this was the first time he'd sensed fellow disciples. And from the vibration, there were several of them. Better keep the artifacts hidden. Leo switched his cyan dagger for the golden flying sword.
Noises ahead. Leo ran a little further and came face to face with a group of over thirty cultivators. Fifteen were Palace disciples, led by a pale, slender beauty—Vera, the same woman who had chewed him out at the Combat Arena.
The other group wore blue robes embroidered with flying snow—disciples of the Ice Profound Sect.
"Junior Sister Vera, fancy running into one of your sect brothers here. Looks like he's in a spot of trouble. Care for some help?" The Ice Profound Sect's leader, a handsome young man in white, fanned himself gracefully, his eyes warm as he looked at Vera.
"Thank you for the offer, Senior Brother Monty, but my Palace disciples can handle this. Junior Sister Quiver, take a few and deal with those white spiders." Vera's pretty face was expressionless as she glanced at Leo.
"Yes, Senior Sister Vera." A tall woman with an ice bow led six others forward. All seven nocked arrows. Quiver's ice arrow flew, piercing a third-grade spider clean through. The others fired in coordinated volleys, their tactics flawless.
Leo was impressed. This seven-woman archer squad could match a dozen ordinary disciples. No wonder Vera, outnumbered by the Ice Profound Sect, could still dismiss Monty's advances. Their arrows alone, and their teamwork, more than made up for the numbers.
After a few volleys, the swarm, reduced to a dozen, fled into the grass. Leo recalled his golden sword. He'd been ready to help, but the archers had handled it. Saved him the trouble.
The seven archers sheathed their bows, their crisp movements drawing admiring glances from the male disciples of both sects.
"What are you standing there like a log for? Get in line." Vera's cold voice cut through the air.
The other disciples smirked, wondering what this poor fellow had done to offend her.
Leo rubbed his nose. He knew exactly why. Vera still remembered him standing by while Zlat fell at the Combat Arena. But all she gave him was a cold shoulder. That was better than knives in the back, or leaving him to die.
"Junior Brother, you came from that direction. Heard anything about Purple Ginseng?" Monty fanned himself, his tone casual.
"Senior Brother jests. I've been alone, lucky just to stay alive in this place. No chance to seek news of Purple Ginseng." Leo shrugged. He wasn't lying. Kai might have known, but Kai was dead.
"Then we'll have to search the area ourselves." Monty sighed, disappointed.
"Senior Brother Monty, this area is vast. Searching together will waste time and effort. How about we split up during the day, leave markers, and reunite at night?" Vera's tone was less a suggestion and more a decision.
"An excellent plan. Though parting with you, Junior Sister Vera, pains me. Take care. If anything goes wrong, signal immediately. I'll rush to your aid, even at the cost of my life." Monty's face was full of reluctant concern.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. If there's trouble, I'll let you know." Vera nodded stiffly, then led her disciples away.
"Senior Brother Monty, that one—he's no ordinary disciple. Escaping dozens of white spiders takes skill. And Vera only suggested splitting up after meeting him. There's something going on." A sharp-eyed disciple murmured.