Chapter 361: Multiple Crises
"It’s getting dark. Let’s rest here for the night."
In this godforsaken place, there wasn’t much difference between night and day, but it still had some effect.
Besides, everyone had just been through a battle. They were all exhausted and in desperate need of rest.
This was the territory of those three Magic Beasts. Since they had just died, other Magic Beasts probably wouldn’t dare to approach for the time being, making it relatively safe to rest here for the night.
That night, the group took turns on watch. Lu Sangjiu sat by the fire, distractedly poking at the flames, her mind on Xie Ningyuan.
’I wonder how he’s doing? The Bodhi Pearl rushed over to him; it should be able to help, right?’
’He has to be okay.’
At some point, Luo Linlang woke up. Seeing Lu Sangjiu lost in thought, she walked over and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Lu Sangjiu snapped back to reality, shook her head with a faint smile, and said, "Nothing. Second Senior Sister, why are you awake?"
Luo Linlang grunted in acknowledgment. "My injuries are mostly healed. It’s my turn to keep watch. You should go get some rest."
Lu Sangjiu nodded and was about to get up when Luo Linlang suddenly called out to her.
Turning back, she saw a conflicted expression on Luo Linlang’s face. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, "Little Junior Sister, have we... have we been abandoned by the sect?"
Lu Sangjiu froze for a moment, then saw a trace of anxiety in Luo Linlang’s eyes.
It seemed that after so many days with no one coming to find them, all sorts of wild thoughts had been running through Luo Linlang’s mind. But she had been afraid of hurting morale, so she never dared to ask.
Only now, with just the two of them, could she no longer hold back and asked cautiously.
Seeing her like this, Lu Sangjiu chuckled softly. She didn’t answer, but instead asked a question of her own, "Does that matter?"
"Even if everyone else gives up on us, we won’t give up on ourselves, right?"
With that, Lu Sangjiu patted Luo Linlang on the head. "Senior Sister, we will definitely find the Demon God Hall and get out of here alive."
Lu Sangjiu’s words seemed to put Luo Linlang at ease, but she still turned her head away awkwardly. "I’m the senior sister here. What are you doing, patting my head? You have no respect for your elders!"
Seeing that some of her energy had returned, Lu Sangjiu just smiled and didn’t bicker with her.
Luo Linlang paused, then couldn’t help but ask, "Xie Ningyuan..."
The moment she said his name, Lu Sangjiu knew what she was going to ask.
She shook her head. "He’s probably run into some trouble, and it’s not a small problem. He can’t even look after himself right now, so we can’t count on him."
Realization dawned on Luo Linlang’s face. "So... you were worried about him just now?"
’Little Junior Sister has such a good temperament. Even in this difficult situation, she’s always encouraging us to be optimistic. It really doesn’t seem like her to be sad all by herself late at night.’
Luo Linlang had been wondering about it. Now, hearing her say this, she instantly guessed the reason.
Lu Sangjiu didn’t hide it, nodding as she said, "I am a little worried."
’For someone in the Body Integration Realm like him to feel troubled, it must be a massive problem.’
’And that Pseudo Heavenly Dao clearly bears him ill will. Who knows what kind of tricks it might have pulled?’
Luo Linlang thought for a moment. Instead of offering any comfort, she said with rare earnestness, "Little Junior Sister, it must be hard loving him, right? Why don’t you... just stop?"
Luo Linlang didn’t ask if she liked Xie Ningyuan; she was already completely certain of it.
As another girl, she could naturally tell that Lu Sangjiu liked Xie Ningyuan.
But whether Xie Ningyuan liked Lu Sangjiu back... to be honest, she wasn’t so sure about that.
It wasn’t because Xie Ningyuan treated Lu Sangjiu badly, but because of his status as a Buddhist Practitioner. It just made people feel like he wouldn’t be so reckless.
Besides, she had never seen him suffer any backlash, which made him even more inscrutable.
Lu Sangjiu didn’t argue. She was silent for a moment before smiling and saying, "That’s not really something you can control, is it?"
"But don’t worry, Senior Sister. I’m very clear-headed about it. I won’t get hurt."
Seeing that she didn’t seem to want to talk about it anymore, Luo Linlang could only sigh softly and drop the subject.
The two of them fell silent. Just as Lu Sangjiu was thinking about heading back to rest, her expression suddenly changed. "Not good!"
She quickly woke the others. "Follow me, now!"
Before the others could even figure out what was happening, Lu Sangjiu was already sprinting in a certain direction.
Out of trust, they didn’t bother asking questions and just ran, following close behind her.
They didn’t have to run far, however, before they quickly understood what was going on.
The buzzing sound coming from far behind them was simply too loud to ignore.
A sky full of tiny flying insects swarmed toward them from behind, the buzzing from their vibrating wings enough to make one’s skin crawl.
"Oh gods, what the hell are those things!"
Luo Linlang’s face turned pale with fright, and she ran even faster than before.
She couldn’t help it; she had a bit of trypophobia. Seeing so many insects packed so densely together made her feel sick.
Lu Sangjiu was in no better state. After all, the last time she came to the Forbidden Land, it was these annoying insects that had "scared" her away.
But even so, she still gave everyone a quick rundown as they fled.
"These are a mutation of the Demon Moon Moth! The powder on their wings is highly toxic, and they’re venomous themselves. Don’t let the powder touch you, and don’t get bitten!"
Easier said than done. The Demon Moon Moths were incredibly fast. Even flying low to the ground with Sword Control, they couldn’t shake them. In fact, the distance between them kept shrinking.
To make matters worse, just as they were about to be caught, two medium-sized Magic Beasts suddenly appeared ahead of them!
Luo Linlang couldn’t stop a curse from escaping her lips. "Fuck, they’re not giving us any way out!"
Lu Sangjiu’s brow furrowed, the Domination Map already in her hand. "Charge past them, but don’t get tied down in a fight!"
Hearing this, the group immediately unleashed their Spiritual Power, picking up even more speed.
As the Magic Beasts pounced, they used their Sword Control to deftly evade them, quickly rushing past the two creatures.
But the Magic Beasts clearly had no intention of letting them go. They gave chase, and a huge claw swiped down from the air, nearly injuring Shen Yuzhao, who was at the rear.
After nimbly dodging, Shen Yuzhao swung his sword behind him without even looking back, successfully impeding the demon beast for an instant.
And at that moment, the Demon Moon Moths finally caught up.
A portion of them went after the two Magic Beasts. The two sides fought for a moment, but soon the Demon Moon Moths were plastered so densely over the Magic Beasts that from a distance, they looked like a pale, mottled mass, their original colors completely obscured.
The sound of faint chewing, accompanied by the wretched screams and roars of the Magic Beasts, was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
However, thanks to these two Magic Beasts, nearly half of the Demon Moon Moths were held back, and the number now chasing them was clearly much smaller.
But Lu Sangjiu’s group was still overtaken quickly. With no escape, they had no choice but to fight.
Against this kind of enemy, Luo Linlang’s Phoenix Fire was once again miraculously effective, greatly relieving the pressure on the others.
But her Spiritual Power was limited, and they couldn’t rely on her alone.
As Lu Sangjiu swung her blade, her gaze swept across the sky full of moths, and she finally made a decision.
She took a few steps back, her hands rapidly forming seals. The next moment, she unleashed her ultimate technique, Thousand Silk Entanglement!