With Xiao Yue leading the way, the group quickly vanished into the mess of jagged rocks, finally shaking off the demon mosquitoes and green fireflies.
The demon mosquitoes and fireflies clashed even harder behind them, black and cyan light intertwining as insect corpses rained down into the valley. In just a quarter of an hour, the fiercest spot was piled high with fallen bugs.
Once they entered the rocky maze, Jian Dan's sense of urgency eased a little. Her taut nerves relaxed just enough that Xiao Yue didn't have to keep such a punishing pace.
The wolf twitched his nose and sent her a voice transmission.
"Mo Yue, we need to hurry. The scent's fading fast. I'm afraid we won't catch it soon."
Her eyes sharpened. "Is the demon lord wiping away his traces?"
"No. It's another scent, covering his."
"Can you tell what it is?"
"Not familiar."
"Alright. Speed up, I'll make sure everyone keeps up."
"Got it!"
Once wolf and master finished, their pace jumped back to a desperate sprint. Sword cultivators Jian Mao and Jian Jing quickly noticed. Jian Mao matched Jian Dan's speed and asked,
"Junior Sister, is there a new danger?"
"Yes. The demon lord's scent is being washed away. Xiao Yue's afraid we'll lose the trail. We have to hurry."
"Understood. I'll pass the word."
A quarter hour later, the entire team knew the reason and clung tightly to Xiao Yue's lead.
But the further they went, the slower Xiao Yue became. In the chaotic rocks, he had to sniff and test the air again and again before confirming the direction.
The slower it got, the worse the cultivators felt. Jian Dan and the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples behind her all sensed the same creeping dread. It was instinct, sharpened by life-and-death battles, and as sword cultivators, their intuition was razor-sharp.
"Senior Brother, I've got a bad feeling."
"Me too," Jian Mao muttered with a sigh.
The slower pace gave everyone a chance to catch their breath.
"Kuang Dao, what about you?" Jian Mao asked.
Kuang Dao frowned, uncertain. "Doesn't feel good."
"Same here," Jian Jing added, "but at least there's no mortal danger yet."
"Then we'll keep moving, carefully," Jian Mao decided, relaying the order.
Lady Di and Bei Ze passed it along at once, both keenly aware they were the ones dragging everyone down.
"Lady Di, we'd better stop holding them back. People will wait once or twice, but if it happens again and again, even I wouldn't stand it."
"I know, Ze Zhēnzūn. I'll spread the word."
She didn't dare delay and quickly darted back and forth, making sure everyone heard.
The three lagging women knew perfectly well they were slowing the squad, but none of them could say out loud that they'd give themselves up if it happened again. Every cultivator cherished life. They'd struggled this far, and they weren't about to throw it away.
Finally, Xiao Yue halted at a fork, sniffing for a full quarter hour before glancing back at Jian Dan with uncertainty.
"Xiao Yue, has the scent vanished?"
"Yeah. I can't tell anymore." His ears drooped, frustration in his tone.
She knew he'd done his best. Stroking his head, she pulled a purple-hearted fruit from her storage pendant and popped it into his mouth.
"Rest for a bit. Then choose whichever path feels right. I trust you."
Xiao Yue devoured the fruit in one gulp, licking his lips before slowly absorbing its pure spiritual energy. Once done, he opened his eyes, chose a path, and padded forward.
The team adjusted their formation, steadier now, and followed. This time, it didn't take long. In less than a quarter hour, they emerged from the rocks.
"Well, what do you know, you're not completely useless."
The first sight waiting for them was Yu Linhai, who'd been possessed. He sat cross-legged on the ground, his aura cold.
Jian Dan stepped out next, offering a formal bow before scanning the surroundings. One look nearly broke her composure. Her killing intent surged, and the Mò Xī Jiàn flashed into her hand.
The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples who followed reacted the same. Lady Di's squad fared only slightly better. The moment they saw the massive brown tree, their expressions twisted.
The demon immortal arched a brow. "A Human-Faced Demon Tree. Nasty one."
Jian Dan clenched her teeth. A hundred meters away stood the towering monster, trunk so thick it would take four people to circle it. Countless faces writhed on its bark, twisted in endless agony. From its branches hung eight cultivators like cocoons.
Two had already turned brown, skin shriveled tight over bone, robes barely clinging to their frames. One was dead. The five survivors still hung on, their purple robes unmistakable—the uniform of the Purple Sky Sect. Among them, two were familiar: Xiao Yong and Xiao Rong.
Because their cultivation was higher, they hadn't withered yet, though their faces were pale and their bodies bound into brown silk cocoons.
"Junior Sister, you know them," Jian Mao and Jian Jing said at once, catching that fleeting killing intent.
Jian Chun answered for her. "They're from the Purple Sky Sect, Dao companions Xiao Yong and Xiao Rong."
Jian Dan closed her eyes for a moment, let out a long breath, then opened them sharp and clear. "They must be the second squad sent by the Purple Sky Sect. Whether they fell straight into this place or got trapped later, we don't know."
"Doesn't matter. We've met them. If they can be saved, we'll save them," Jian Mao said calmly.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Everyone turned toward the possessed demon lord.
"Don't look at me. I just seized this body. My Primordial Soul hasn't merged with the flesh yet. I can't help."
"Senior, if we don't kill this Human-Faced Demon Tree, none of us will leave alive," Jian Dan pressed.
"Heh! If I feed it you lot, I'll leave just fine."
The moment he finished, Jian Dan flickered out of sight with Cotton Candy's help. In the blink of an eye, Liu Chuan's chains wrapped around him, hurling him straight at the tree.
Lady Di's squad was stunned. Fairy Lu didn't hesitate for even a breath.
"You dare!" the possessed one roared.
"Why wouldn't I? You were about to trade our lives for your escape. Should we thank you for it?"
As Liu Chuan flung him, he sliced the man's wrist. Golden-tinged blood spilled, and the Human-Faced Demon Tree instantly lashed out, a thick brown vine wrapping the stolen body.
The man snarled and summoned his demon blade, hacking at the vine. But the strike failed to cut it clean.
Liu Chuan yanked back, whipping him across the back to send him flying faster toward the tree. The vines snared him tight, binding him as the ninth dangling cocoon.