Phoniex Requiem
Chapter 32: Exit of the Array?

Chapter 32: Exit of the Array?

Facing Zhuo Yifeng's warning, everyone held their breaths. Only then did they realize that their surroundings had suddenly become silent. Even the wind, which whistled among the trees all morning, seemed to have disappeared.

This was a sign a powerful ferocious beast was about to appear.

“Qiuqiu,” exclaimed Yun Ruoyan inwardly, “Can you determine what kind of beast is approaching?”

“Based on their scent, they are rather weak individually, but the amount is very much. It was like..it felt like..” Qiuqiu could not directly detect the identity of that ferocious beast.

“Strong smell! Snake, they're snakes!” Zhuo Lin'er's voice shook.

As he listened carefully, Yun Ruoyan discovered that she could indeed hear the susurrus coming from the west, the sound of friction between the snake skin and the ground!

“The switch came from the west, and they headed east. We will retreat to the south, ”command Yun Ruoyan soon.

The others followed him to the southern part of the forest, but they had just taken a few steps when they heard a shrill feminine voice from behind them.

It was Yi Qianying's voice!

Yun Ruoyan's heart was pounding. They remained where the tiger had appeared all day, and, based on what Pei Ziao had said, they would definitely spin back if they did not find a way out. Since they did not appear, Yun Ruoyan believed that they had left the line, but who would have thought that they would meet them here?

To be honest, it seemed like he could not stay away from his enemy even if he tried!

“Ah, why are there so many snakes around here?! Help!" Yi Qianying called out loudly once more.

“There are people in the south! Come quickly, ” Yun Ruoyao said to her entourage, then Yi Qianying and the others also walked to the southern part of the forest. They escaped from the snakes so quickly that they soon caught up with Yun Ruoyan's entourage.

“Why are you wherever we go?! You're a coward who ran away!” Lin Qingxue cursed them as she continued to run south.

Yun Ruoyu wanted to shout back at him, but her face was deathly pale, clearly having received a significant shock.

Behind them, a frightening sight was being laid out.

Green snakes, large and small, crept towards them in numbers too numerous to count. It felt as if the forest had suddenly come to life, green tendrils slowly encroaching on their field of vision.

The strange smell of snakes seeped into the air.

As Pei Ziao gripped the sword with one hand, he pulled Yi Qianying forward with the other.

"Aah!" Yi Qianying suddenly tripped, and she pulled Pei Ziao with her. Within moments, the two of them were surrounded by snakes.

Pei Ziao took off Yi Qianying's hand and plucked the dagger from his belt. With his sword and dagger, he killed the snakes as they approached before they could touch him or Yi Qianying.

The bodies of countless snakes were ripped apart by its blades, and the snake's ichor as well as entrails filled the air.

Yi Qianying half bent behind her body, her face green and white all over her body.

The herd of snakes chased the other lost ones, and they had no choice but to stop and fight the horde as well.

"They're too many, and we can't kill them all!" Lin Qingchen and Lin Qingxue fought each other, their swords dancing in the air.

As Yun Ruoyan turned around and saw her two cousins surrounded by snakes, she immediately turned around to help them, as did Zhuo Yifeng by her side.

When Yun Ruoyan and Zhuo Yifeng ran over to Lin's sister, they were surprised to find that the snake was quickly creeping away.

As if they had received some sort of order or were facing a mortal enemy, the snakes moved elsewhere.

"That must be the canine teeth of a sharp-finged tiger!" Qiuqiu exclaimed from Yun Ruoyan's mind.

“The saber-toothed tiger is a middle-class beast, and this patch of forest is likely its territory. The snake horde must have smelled a tiger from its canine teeth and mistook Zhuo Yifeng as the ruler of the region!”

Hearing this, Yun Ruoyan immediately called everyone over to approach Zhuo Yifeng. As expected, the horde of snakes that surrounded them avoided the group.

“Why don't the snakes bite them and only us?!” Yun Ruoyu shouted in frustration while continuing to swing her sword.

“They must have some kind of snake repellent artifact,” Yi Qianying's trembling voice sounded.

“Whatever the reason, we must follow the example of our sister.” Hearing Yun Ruoyao's words, the other three quickly understood what she meant. Two nights ago, when they faced the sharp-fanged tiger, Yun Ruoyan deliberately brought the tiger to them, so why didn't they do the same to her?

As a single unit, their foursome group quickly approached Yun Ruoyan's group.

“Those shameless cowards are coming our way! What do we do?" Lin Qingxue gritted her teeth.

There was no one in the group that Yun Ruoyan did not hate, but when she thought about how familiar Pei Ziao was with the territory, it was, he knew that he would be an asset when he found his way out of line.

“I don't like it, but I think it's better to keep it for now,” Yun Ruoyan announced coldly.

Although Lin's sister also hated the group and felt very strongly about their shameless escape two nights ago, they also couldn't bear to see them die, and didn't mind.

Pei Ziao, Yun Ruoyao, and the others quickly joined them, and the snake horde continued to surround them.

“Oh, what an unexpected! We thought you've long since left the array." Lin Qingxue did not waste any time stabbing Yun Ruoyu.

Yun Ruoyu gritted her teeth, still not fully recovering from the snake's shock.

"Thank you for your attention. Are you disappointed that we didn't die?" Lin Qingchen made him choke on his words.

Yi Qianying covered her mouth in embarrassment.

“Sister, we went two nights ago to keep our family strong. Please try to understand.” Yun Ruoyao seemed to have no guilt at all.

When he looked at Yun Ruoyan's group again, he was also surprised that they were still alive. In fact, she felt somewhat guilty, because even though Yun Lan would not blame them for their actions, it was truly embarrassing to leave the family and run away.

But Yun Ruoyao's mental conditioning was excellent, and she quickly hid her guilt behind cold and logical reasoning.

Not wanting to speak to him, Yun Ruoyan ignored his words. He looked at the horde of snakes that surrounded them, neither attacking nor moving away, his forehead wrinkled thinking.

“We can't let them surround us like this. We have to find a way to get rid of them,” he can only exclaim.

Seemingly unaware of Lin's sister's insulting expression, Pei Ziao walked directly to Yun Ruoyan's side. Like a shadow, Yi Qianying followed behind him. Yun Ruoyan's eyes started to hurt just by looking at the couple, and she turned her head to the side.

“Actually, we have just found our way out to the misdirection array.”

"Hmm?" Pei Ziao's statement made Yun Ruoyan turn around. "Whatdidyou say? have you found a way out?

“Ruyoan sister, don't listen to her! If he really found a way out, why haven't they left yet? Are they waiting to see if we really die?”

Lin Qingxue looked at Pei Ziao arrogantly. He looked quite handsome, but he was just a coward at heart! Their family's core pills had been in vain saving a bastard like him.

“Sister Ziao is not lying! We actually found the way out,” Yi Qianying quickly explained. “We were just about to leave when we accidentally triggered a trap and incited a horde of snakes. That's how we ended up being chased all the way here.”

"really?" Lin Qingxue's tone of voice was still very suspicious. "It sounds almost like the truth."

"Forget over! It doesn't matter if they don't trust us.” Yun Ruoyu finally took a breath. He had suffered internal injuries against the sharp-fingered tiger, and even though he had consumed the life essence pill, he had still not fully recovered. “I don't think you're the one who called us cowards, even though you don't even believe the truth! Looks like you guys aren't the brave type either.”

“There is no reason for us to lie to you, everyone wants to get out of here immediately,” Yun Ruoyao added.

"Alright, lead the way.” After thinking for a moment, Yun Ruoyan made up her mind.

Yun Ruoyu and Yun Ruoyao looked at each other before stepping forward. Yun Ruoyan looked towards the Lin sisters and Zhuo Yifeng, directing them forward with her eyes.

As they moved, the horde of snakes crept after them.

Pei Ziao walked right behind Yun Ruoyan, his eyes drifting towards her from time to time.

From his examination these past few days, he was surprised to find that Yun Ruoyan had changed: she had become smarter, more athletic, and assertive. His character is very attention-grabbing.

His gaze landed on Yun Ruoyan's straight back, on her dark and shiny hair tied into a ponytail, her white and unblemished neck, and the red bodysuit that accentuated her body.

If one only looked at her from behind, she looked like a rare specimen of feminine beauty. His face was really pity. Pei Ziao sighed.

"Ouch!" Something had made Yi Qianying stumble, and Pei Ziao was too distracted by her thoughts to catch her in time. He staggered forward and crashed into Yun Ruoyu, who was walking right in front of him. [1]

“Why did you join this expedition if you can't even walk steadily? Are you trying to kill yourself?” Yun Ruoyu pushed him to the side in disdain.

"Sorry, Ruoyu!" Yi Qianying apologized profusely.

Pei Ziao also frowned. She was not sure why her father gave their family's recommendation to Yi Qianying. After all, why is such a gentle girl here?

This kind of place was much more suitable for strong-willed women like Yun Ruoyan.

His mind continued to drift to one idea, to marry the two girls, one to accompany him on his cultivation, and the other to stay in his mansion, he said, to give him the most gentle hug and friend when he was tired of cultivating.

As he continued to dream, Pei Ziao's face showed a rare depraved smile.

"All right, we're here." Yun Ruoyu and Yun Ruoyao stopped moving. In front of them was a building that looked like a mountain cave.

“If we walk through here, we will be able to leave the line of misdirection,” Pei Ziao pointed to the cave while speaking. At that moment, the snake horde had spread to a wider area, and they could feel the eyes of countless small beads being fixed on them.

“You can enter first,” Yun Ruoyan said firmly after glancing at Pei Ziao and Yun Ruoyao.

"Of course." Yun Ruoyu stepped into the cave.

Yun Ruoyao, Yi Qianying, and Pei Ziao followed. The moment he entered the entrance, Pei Ziao turned around and glanced at Yun Ruoyan, but the latter only stared back coldly. Although he felt his gaze seem a little strange, he did not care about it.

The cave was dim and dark, and even after walking for fifteen minutes, they still had not seen a way out.

“How much longer do we have to walk?”

"We're almost there, almost!"

Yun Ruoyao and the others started to walk even faster.

Yun Ruoyan started to get an unpleasant premonition. He was just about to consider returning when he realized that the road ahead was branching off. He dashed forward, but Yun Ruoyao and the others suddenly disappeared!

...****************...

1. Shadow again.