Chapter 67 : Betrayal
Chapter 67: Betrayal
Having received the Tree Spirits’ guidance, Long Tao no longer hesitated.
The three Tree Spirits who had expressed willingness to help watch over things did not entirely put him at ease, but it was already the best arrangement available.
After handing over three Spirit Stones again, he once more took out pills and medicinal paste from his bundle and made a second round of preparations against miasma.
After setting off, the first half of the journey was indeed as smooth as the Tree Spirits had claimed.
Although light interwove through the forest and branches and vines were everywhere, the path beneath his feet was faintly discernible.
At some forks, Long Tao could even see vines on certain trees proactively pointing him in the right direction.
This was clearly the handiwork of those three “Tree Spirit brothers who worked after getting paid.”
These Spirit Stones had truly not been wasted.
Long Tao felt somewhat reassured.
At the very least, within this stretch of “root-network territory,” he did not need to worry for the moment about hostility from the environment.
However, the strangeness of the Azurewood Demon Forest Secret Realm was far from something a single safe path could conceal.
The deeper he went, the more bizarre the surroundings became.
He even saw several flowers with faces resembling human faces smiling at him in a sinister manner, and who knew whether they were calling out something like, “Come play with us, sir.”
Long Tao held his breath and focused his mind, gripping the Scorching Prairie Ring in his hand.
He slightly activated its fire-aspect spiritual energy, which emitted a reassuring warmth and a faint sense of intimidation.
Even in this friendly zone, he did not dare gamble with his own safety.
He still had to be prepared in case these plants suddenly turned hostile.
After struggling forward for about two ke, faint sounds of flowing water reached his ears ahead.
The further he went, the louder the sound became.
Pushing aside the last layer of thick vines like a curtain, a broad river suddenly stretched across Long Tao’s view.
Long Tao froze on the spot, and a crude curse burst out in his mind.
This was the “stream” those Tree Spirits had described so lightly? He seriously suspected there was a fundamental gap in their understanding of that word! Even at its narrowest point, this “stream” looked to be over ten meters wide—anywhere else, it would deserve to be respectfully called a river!
The river water was murky in a way that made one’s heart pound.
It was not muddied by silt, but instead possessed an indescribable pitch-black, eerie hue.
Grayish mist lingered above the surface, exuding a deathly chill that rejected all vitality.
The riverbanks on both sides were abnormally “clean.” Even the omnipresent, ferocious demon plants of the secret realm kept their distance, as if this body of water were a forbidden zone that even they were unwilling to touch.
Even from a considerable distance, that bone-chilling cold that pierced straight into the divine soul made the hairs on Long Tao’s body stand on end.
In the rapid current, deep, bottomless whirlpools occasionally rolled up, radiating ominous auras.
From time to time, pale, bloated, and grotesquely distorted shapes flashed beneath the surface, leaving behind an intensely unsettling sensation.
Long Tao picked up a branch and tossed it into the river.
At a speed visible to the naked eye, the branch turned charred and brittle, as if all vitality had been instantly drained from it.
He sucked in a sharp breath, instinctively pulling his hand back, his heart filled with shock.
This river was indeed sinister! Forget wading across—just touching a single drop would likely spell huge trouble! Damn it… could this be some insignificant tributary of the legendary Nether River? The sect’s secret realm archives had never mentioned anything like this!
He was truly caught in a dilemma.
Take a detour? With his meager cultivation, traveling alone for a long distance deep in this perilous secret realm was just as dangerous.
But crossing the river directly? The risks seemed even more uncontrollable! He had originally planned to use the artifacts and talismans in his bundle to glide or fly straight across, but after witnessing the river’s terror, he immediately abandoned the idea.
He would probably be corroded along with his artifacts before even reaching the opposite bank!
Just as he was anxiously pounding his chest, a hard object at his chest reminded him of something.
Right! The emerald jade necklace Zhu Huaisu had given him before—the one that could use the Shrinking-the-Earth Technique.
He had brought it along as a final life-saving measure.
But after witnessing Golden Core and Foundation Establishment–level battles, he had subconsciously felt that even with this item, he would still be nothing more than meat on the chopping block, so he had temporarily forgotten about it.
Now that he thought about it… it could be used to cross this river.
With no time to lose, Long Tao immediately moved to a section of the riverbank where the river was relatively narrow.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly injected spiritual energy into the necklace.
The emerald gemstone at the center of the pendant dimly lit up with a faint glow.
The space ahead of him began to visibly twist and “compress.” The scenery in front seemed to be forcibly pulled closer and squeezed flat by an invisible hand, presenting a bizarre spatial sensation.
Thanks to his prior testing, Long Tao was not surprised by this.
Yet facing this strange black-water river, his heart was still uneasy.
He held his breath, focused all his attention, and carefully stepped forward into that compressed, folded space.
An intense sensation of weightlessness and terrifying spatial tearing struck instantly.
In just a brief moment of disorientation, when he regained his senses, both feet were already firmly planted on the land of the opposite bank.
However, before any joy at his success could arise, a bone-piercing chill instantly enveloped him! Long Tao shuddered violently and hurriedly looked down to inspect himself, only to discover in horror that a layer of extremely faint yet unmistakably clear black aura was coiling around his entire body.
That aura was icy to the core, extremely similar to the deathly energy emanating from the river water earlier, and it was constantly trying to burrow into his body!
“Damn it!”
Long Tao was horrified.
Not caring about the cost in spiritual energy, he activated both Scorching Prairie Rings without hesitation!
“Buzz!”
Blazing waves of fire instantly surged outward, and the surrounding temperature rose sharply.
The black deathly aura clinging to his body, though strange, was ultimately very weak and was quickly dispersed by the supremely yang and forceful fire spiritual energy.
Only after the very last trace of black aura had completely vanished and the chilling sensation around his body had fully faded did Long Tao finally let out a breath, still shaken, fine beads of cold sweat already seeping from his temples.
Yet he was also filled with lingering fear, his face pale.
Even using the Shrinking-the-Earth Technique—something close to instantaneous movement—he had still been unable to completely avoid the river’s erosion! If he had truly followed his original plan and attempted to glide or fly across… he would probably already be a withered corpse fallen into the river!
…
On the other side, Fang Wuqi, Zhu Huaisu, Luo Yusi, and Chu Yuanbai had formed a defensive formation.
Before them, the corpse of a Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect disciple lay limply against a tree.
The charred hole in the chest was especially glaring, clearly beyond saving.
Before they could recover from the shock of a fellow disciple’s death, the forest on both sides suddenly stirred without wind.
The Dark Cloud Treading Snow Cat on Zhu Huaisu’s shoulder was the first to let out a sharp warning cry.
Immediately afterward, two ghost-like figures emerged from the shadows, with a few nearly imperceptible strands of transparent spider silk clinging to them—clearly having triggered the alert web Luo Yusi had set up in advance.
A trace of annoyance flashed across the faces of the two Wuyi Sect assassins.
A perfect ambush opportunity had been exposed because of these damned spider webs.
Even so, they still sealed off the path from left and right, seemingly completely unconcerned about the disadvantage of facing four against two.
On the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect’s side, they immediately assumed a battle stance.
Fang Wuqi stood alone at the very front, shielding the others behind him, his expression calm and composed.
Just as tensions peaked—
An unexpected change occurred!
Chu Yuanbai, who had been standing slightly behind Fang Wuqi, suddenly flashed a vicious look in his eyes and struck without any warning—but his target was not the enemy, but the completely unguarded Fang Wuqi in front of him!
A jet-black, lightless short spike silently appeared in his hand, engraved with anti-spell runes.
With lightning speed, it stabbed straight toward the vital point at Fang Wuqi’s back!
The strike was both fast and ruthless, with timing grasped perfectly.
The two assassins opposite also seemed to have anticipated this and immediately coordinated to launch their own offensive.
Yet what shocked everyone was that after the short spike pierced Fang Wuqi’s body, there was no scene of blood and flesh flying or life-saving artifacts being triggered.
That body suddenly went limp and collapsed, turning into a wisp of green smoke, while layers of transparent spider silk were revealed, tightly entwined.
“What?!” Chu Yuanbai’s expression changed drastically as he instantly realized he had been tricked.
Without hesitation, he leapt forward and quickly retreated to the side of the two assassins, assuming a defensive posture.
“When did you discover it?” he shouted into the empty forest.
The real Fang Wuqi slowly emerged from behind an ancient tree, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger.
“Earlier, Fellow Daoist Luo transmitted a message to tell me that Junior Brother Nan was not dead at all—it was you who lied. Although I was more willing to believe you as a fellow disciple of many years, as the team leader, I could not afford to leave myself unguarded. My substitute technique is not yet well-refined, but thanks to Fellow Daoist Luo’s spider silk reinforcement, it managed to deceive all of you.”
Hearing the news that Nan Yuchen was not dead, Zhu Huaisu felt a flash of joy, followed immediately by even greater fury as she glared at Chu Yuanbai.
If it had only been a lie, there might have been room for explanation, but his actions now made everything clear—this man had completely defected to the enemy.
Chu Yuanbai, for his part, could no longer be bothered to argue.
He was only secretly puzzled as to how that golden spider spirit had known Nan Yuchen was not dead.
He suddenly recalled that before leaving the team, Long Tao seemed to have whispered something to Luo Yusi… but now was not the time to dwell on such insignificant figures.
At present, the situation was three against three.
With the strength and coordination of the two assassins, the advantage still lay on their side.
“Fang Wuqi,” Chu Yuanbai sneered, “I have never believed my talent was inferior to yours. Today, let me properly see just how powerful this Red Blood Wedding Garment Art you’ve cultivated for so many years really is—whether it truly lives up to the legends.”
Fang Wuqi’s spiritual energy erupted explosively.
He clenched his five fingers into fists, producing cracking sounds, his gaze calm yet filled with icy sharpness.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you never forget it for the rest of your life. After all… you won’t have much of that life left anyway.”