It had been two days since Hei Qin escaped from his sect. The sect was in an uproar. The disciples couldn't believe that Gui Ling was dead, whether they were second-ranked or third-ranked disciples.
"Master ordered us, the second-ranked disciples, to solve our own mess, it seems."
A young man with red hair said this. He was one of the second-ranked disciples and ranked third on the list. He was currently sitting on a chair.
"What are you talking about, Xue Luo? Our mess? How is this our mess? It's all that fucking Hei Qin's fault. Why did he have to violate our master's orders? I knew he was up to something that night. Damn it!" Feng Gu said, his voice filled with anger.
"Then why didn't you stop him that night, idiot?" another voice said coldly. It was Xuan Ye, who stood there leaning against the wall.
"You—!"
Before Feng Gu could vent his anger, he was stopped by Xue Luo.
"This is not the time to fight among ourselves. I know what you're thinking, Feng Gu. But what can we do? The master has given the order. We can only grit our teeth and follow it."
Xue Luo sighed. However, soon, his lips curved into a dreadful smile.
"Also, don't forget… killing is a joyful job, after all."
Xuan Ye shook his head helplessly and reminded them, "Huh, then who is going to kill him? And as far as I know, he won't use our sect's teleportation formation. He must travel through the Black Mist Forest… and I will tell you now, I won't go to that forest. So, which one of you is going to decide? As for me… I'll take my leave."
As he said this, he quickly disappeared into thin air, as if he had never been there at all, leaving the other two with blank expressions.
'That bastard!'
"Ahem, Feng Gu, how about you take the credit for killing Hei Qin? Master will definitely give you hefty rewards," Xue Luo said with a beaming smile.
"Drop the act. We both know how dangerous the forest is…" Feng Gu thought for a second. "...and there is no guarantee he will survive in the forest."
"We can't deny the master's orders… Let's do it like this. we will wait outside the forest. If he miraculously survives and comes out, we will give him a warm welcome. After all, he was our junior brother."
"We will do that."
Their entire sect lay in a valley between mountains, surrounded by a vast forest called the Black Mist Forest. They built their sect in this place because it was a perfect hiding spot for an evil sect like them. And even if the righteous sects knew, how would they come when the place itself was so dangerous?
Of course, people with high cultivation could enter without fear of this forest. But how high would their cultivation have to be?
***
The thick black mist penetrated the forest, intertwining with the tree roots. Occasional screams made it feel as if the forest itself were screaming in pain, while various ghosts played hide-and-seek with their companions.
In the distance, a tiny blue flame slowly became visible. The minuscule flame gradually proliferated into a light that scattered the darkness around it. The blue flame exuded a tranquil fragrance, offering solace to any weary existence.
The blue flame stemmed from a lantern, which was carried by a young man with long dark hair and ashen eyes.
The young man's eyes wandered in all directions; he saw that the ghosts were quivering from something he possessed.
"It's a good thing I have this lantern. I can easily avoid low-level ghosts. I have to get out of this forest before I meet the things I shouldn't." Hei Qin's face was slightly covered with sweat.
He looked up to see if the sun was out, but the trees were so large they were like a sheet that made the forest feel as if it were isolated from the outer world altogether. For some reason, he felt stuffy and uncomfortable. Without waiting another second, he took one step after another, quickening his pace.
After a short distance, strange voices crept into his ears. The voices sounded soft and gentle, as if they belonged to his closest loved ones, whispering that they would never do him any harm.
"Child..."
"Child..."
"Can you hear me..."
Amidst these intertwined, benignant voices, a single voice stood out. It sounded old and rusty. Hei Qin's body shook slightly. Nevertheless, his legs didn't stop. He tried to focus on the sound of his lantern swaying to distract himself from these benevolent voices.
'Spirits? It seems I have gained the attention of some high-level spirits.'
Spirits were different from vengeful ghosts because they possessed intelligence. Even the lowest types of spirits had a kind of instinct close to intelligence, and this spirit had the intelligence to speak. It had to be a high-level one.
"Child... child..."
The old voice became agitated.
"Hey! I know you can hear me!"
The old voice tried to speak with Hei Qin, but the other voices kept disturbed the old voice.
"Hey! You fucking low-level imps, can you shut the fuck up? I am trying to speak with him!"
With one shout from the old voice, the other voices disappeared into thin air.
"Now, it's peaceful."