The scene left the nearby soldiers shaking, yet they kept their grip firm on their weapons and cut or deflected every root that came at them.
Hua Zhenfeng and Bao Qingcao at his side cut down any root that came near without mercy—they were already past twenty, and more kept coming. It didn't trouble them in the slightest; their endurance was such that neither had even broken a sweat after all of it.
While Hua Zhenfeng, sword in hand, brought a downward cut across a root sliding in front of him, the ground beneath his feet cracked and a root burst through, coiling around one of his legs.
The root tried to drain him and failed spectacularly, releasing large quantities of yellow liquid that only ran down his leg and pooled on the ground.
"Bao Qingcao, cut this tick off me," he said, shaking the leg with the root wound around it. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and added, "The root. I'd like to keep my leg."
Bao Qingcao turned around and smiled. In one motion she cut the root free and mocked him. "Do you think I go around cutting people's legs off?"
Xue Yanluo caught this out of the corner of his eye and laughed. He had to stop watching when the ground beneath him trembled and a timid root crept out, dragging itself cautiously along the floor. Had it known what was coming, it wouldn't have dared to appear. A foot cast a long shadow over it and crushed it flat, the yellow liquid spreading across the area. "Disgusting," Xue Yanluo muttered at the mess the liquid had made on his boot.
Amid the chaos, Xue Yanluo crouched and touched the tree liquid—it felt quite strange. He picked up a handful of dirt soaked with it and held it in his palm; it was only the dirty earth that left any mark on his clean skin, while the liquid slid off without resistance and dropped quickly to the ground.
Another advantage of being a vampire… But why? This liquid seems to have a life of its own, or at least something close to a sentient being. Does it only attack humans? No—the path was full of dead animals and beasts, so that's not it… Though Xue Yanluo tried to find an answer, he ended up putting the handful back on the ground and wiping his hand on a cloth.
The trees' agitated state lasted nearly half an hour, until the light shed its greenish tone and returned to how it had been before.
The roots fell to the ground, where they dragged themselves along and bored holes to hide in, as though suddenly shy. Not a single soldier celebrated—instead their alertness sharpened, more afraid now knowing the roots had gone underground.
Xue Yanluo breathed out in relief, having been close to stepping in himself when he saw the soldiers protecting him beginning to falter and fall back. Hua Zhenfeng and Bao Qingcao had pushed their physical strength to its limit, cutting through root after root, to the point where Bao Qingcao's weapon got stuck in one and was dragged underground with it.
Xue Yanluo looked at the sky hidden behind leaves and branches and sighed. "I hope this forest lets us out already," he said to the air.
Hua Zhenfeng stepped closer and reproached him. "My lord, saying things like that in situations like these brings bad luck."
"You believe in things like—" Xue Yanluo closed his mouth, then his eyes for a moment, and breathed deeply. "Yes, perhaps I should," he said, somewhat deflated.
Once everything had settled, the group marched in the same direction as before, and the going was much smoother.
An hour later they had nearly crossed the forest and reached its far end. A quick headcount showed over twelve hundred still standing—heavy losses, but not catastrophic.
Everyone with authority to make decisions had gathered to discuss their next steps.
"Our destination is those three pillars in the distance," said General Huo. "That hasn't changed."
"This first stretch has already cost us many men—we'll need to be twice as careful going forward," said Division General Pei.
"We can't afford to be so timid," another division general scoffed. "At that rate it'll take years to reach them."
Xue Yanluo said nothing, largely indifferent to whatever they decided—all he needed was to keep those two beneath him safe.
When the meeting seemed to be going cold with no one putting forward a plan, a soft voice drew everyone's attention. "I think we should join forces with another group—Qi, for instance. Our relationship with them is decent enough," proposed the Fifth Prince.
Half an hour later the small meeting ended, and it was decided to link up with Qi to get out of this hostile stretch alive. General Huo sent one of his personal guards as a representative to carry their proposal to Qi.
Two hours later the messenger was back, and every face around him looked uneasy—he had returned too quickly. There was no way he could have found Qi, negotiated with them, and made it back in two hours.
"My lord, we found the Five Eternal Seals Sect and asked if they knew anything of Qi or the other groups. There's no word of Qi, and of the other four groups, three have come out, and it seems they've had the same idea as us—they've already allied among themselves."
"Did the Five Eternal Seals Sect say anything?" asked Division General Pei.
"They — they've proposed that we ally with them as well and get out of this place alive," said the messenger soldier, who had begun rubbing his hands together as he spoke.
Xue Yanluo's eyes fixed on the soldier's rubbing hands, and he asked, "Did they ask for anything?"
"Yes — YES! A fifth of whatever we gain from the cores."
"Quite confident," General Huo said drily. "Good — confidence like that doesn't exist without something to back it up. Let's see what they have."
"But General, that's asking a lot."
General Huo turned a sharp look on the division general who had spoken, and the air began to hum, growing hot, visible ripples appearing to the naked eye.
The division general's legs shook uncontrollably. He dropped to the ground, his back soaked with blood as he clutched his chest.
Instantly the air thickened, and a great gash dozens of meters wide opened inches from the division general, plunging to an unknown depth. General Huo looked at the man one last time. "I did not give you leave to question my decisions," he said, and turned away.