Chapter 606: They are Here

"Let's continue."

The group had been wandering for days on end. Because the dim light that reached the forest floor was constantly present, they had no way to determine how many days had gone by and could only travel depending on their current condition.

They had rested more than ten times already, and usually one rest a day would be enough. However, their surroundings were exactly the same as when they entered the forest at the very start, so they did not know how far they were, or what their progress was.

As the cascading light was constant, they also did not know if their rest time was the same as in the other regions, or if it had changed after entering this forest. In fact, their normal sense of time had gotten lost, and they could only progress little by little.

"This place is even worse than the damn scorpions!" Ling Xiao was getting frustrated, and he could not help but pull his hair in helplessness.

Although he had felt annoyed when they were being constantly besieged by the Blacksclaed Vine Scorpions, it was much better than this constant worry and uncertainty. Also, the time spent when battling the scorpions felt much shorter than the time they had spent in this timeless jungle.

"Quiet." Xue Wei's brows furrowed as his eyes quickly roamed across the surroundings. His frown deepened as he felt something wrong.

From the time they had entered and until now, they had not met any other living being than the trees, and they haven't yet found an explanation for the origin of the bloody mud.

However, for the first time, Xue Wei felt the breath of living creatures closing in on them. But instead of feeling relieved to experience this change in their surroundings, he got extremely vigilant.

The breath of living beings that approached them was not a single breath, but countless, and the speed by which they were advancing was also worrying.

"Prepare for battle."

The others had also realized that something was wrong, so when they heard Xue Wei's order, they all gathered in pairs, so they could guard each other's backs. Luoluo and Bai Tianyi stood back to back, while Ling Xiao and Hei Gou made up the second pair.

Xue Wei remained on his own intentionally, but the position he took was just in front of Bai Tianyi and Hei Gou, so although he did not have anyone standing back to back, he had full faith in the two of them and their ability to avoid letting anyone sneak up on him.

Xue Wei's hands were already transformed into dragon claws, and the others were tightly holding onto their weapons as well. Even Bai Tianyi had conjured a sword from his spirit energy, so that he would be able to react at the first possible moment.

The group had been feeling frustrated due to the neverending gloomy forest, but now that a change had happened, they did not know if they should feel relieved or depressed.

The number of beings that were rushing their way was in no way small, and since they could not see what kind of creatures they were, they felt very helpless in their preparations.

"If it is any kind of insect, then make sure to use the inscriptions. They are only one time use, but I made a lot of them. Take the ones that explode and conjure up fires. Insects should be easy to burn, and we might not be able to fight them with our weapons.

"In case there are bigger animals, then you can use the freezing inscriptions to either slow them down or even stop their advance. With the number of approaching enemies, we need to use anything we have to keep an upper hand in the upcoming battle."

Xue Wei was giving out orders, and he had at no point considered that these creatures that were approaching would be friendly. The whole No Man's Land was full of dangers and traps; any wrong move would cost them their lives.

The atmosphere had turned tense, and all of them felt their heartbeat speed up. The adrenaline was rushing through their bodies, and they began to feel the familiar anticipation before a battle.

This group of people had been dancing at the edge of life and death time and time again. They had gone from arrogant and hotheaded youths to more mature and hardworking experts.

Throughout their short lives, they had already experienced many things, and seen through the brutality and greed of man. The world was not black and white, it was not possible to speak about good or evil, and only those with enough strength could stand out.

"They are here."

Ling Xiao's voice was no longer as carefree and languid as usual, instead it was tense and hoarse. While he was the most casual and carefree of them all, he also understood the reality of their predicament, and knew when to reign in his nonchalant attitude.

He could be cynical and casual when the situation allowed for it, but right now, they depended on one another, and the serious gleam in his eyes was not fake.

"Throw the Blazing Fire Inscriptions!"

Xue Wei had also noticed that their opponents had arrived, and the sight that greeted him made him feel chilled to the core.

He had initially expected to see either a huge swarm of insects or some beasts arriving, but what was in front of him made him feel disgusted.

There were indeed countless insects and beasts standing in front of them, but none of them were alive. Their bodies were partly rotten, and decayed flesh could be seen through their fur.

These undead beasts were emotionless as they charged at their group, making Xue Wei call out his orders as he too tossed out the first inscription at hand.