Chapter 97: Encounter With A Demon
Sky Forest was named for its spruces.
Soaring spruce trees could be seen everywhere. The trees were hundreds of yards tall, straight as spears, and thrust into the sky.
Standing at the entrance of the forest, the disciples couldn't help feeling as though there was something dark and dismal about the vastness of the dense trees.
Once all the disciples had gotten off the huge flying chariot, they were distributed into small groups before being allowed to head into Sky Forest. Every group contained ten disciples — five inner disciples and five outer disciples.
Zen was surrounded by the five inner disciples from Drizzle Peak as soon as he jumped out of the chariot.
“I don't give a hoot what happened between you and Yale,” a black-robed disciple said as he stepped forward, his voice haughty and supercilious. “You do as I say if you want to survive the forest. If you're going to behave as you did in the flying chariot, you will find yourself in the belly of the demon. Remember that, boy!”
“Don't get cocky when you don't have the right to be. You know what they say, 'the nail that sticks out must be pounded down'. You are just an outer disciple, and only a half-step into the nature level. You still need our protection during the trial. Why do you have to pick a fight with Yale and drag us into it? To be clear, we will not get involved if Yale comes after you later,” another black-robed disciple added.
“I heard that you made quite a reputation for yourself among the outer disciples. But let me make it plain, outer disciples are at the very bottom of the pile. What you achieved was nothing compared to what inner disciples can do. Now learn your lesson and look before you leap,” A third black-robed disciple said to Zen.
The remaining two disciples glanced at Zen coldly. Then the five inner disciples turned to head forward.
Gury, Henry, and the other two outer disciples followed quickly. As they passed Zen, each spared him a sympathetic glance.
Of the four outer disciples, Henry took great pleasure in seeing this.
This trail was extremely dangerous. If the inner disciples had decided to leave Zen to his fate, Zen would definitely be headed to his execution. So the sight of Zen being chastened by inner disciples filled Henry with great joy.
Zen smiled lightly at the rebuke from the inner disciples. But his heart turned cold.
Zen wasn't a cold-hearted man.
He had spared the lives of the Luo children even though they had bullied him and had also tried to kill him.
At Cloud Sect, things had changed for Zen. He felt a sense of belonging even though he had been at Drizzle Peak for a short while. For the first time in a very long time, Zen felt revived by the warmth of his friendship with Nory, Sean, Wurth, and the others.
However, the inner disciples had a hostile attitude toward him. Today, they drew a line between them because he was at war with Yale.
But it really didn't matter. Zen had never enlisted other people's help to protect himself. He had cultivated his powers to such a great extent that he felt self-sufficient. In any case, the future was unpredictable. Perhaps during the trial, the disciples would end up begging for his protection!
Zen's smile faded as this thought. When he stepped into Sky Forest, he was wearing his usual calm expression.
Sky Forest was different from the rain forest in the south. Spruce trees pressed close and formed a dense canopy that shut out the sky. Occasionally, some sunlight seeped through the leaves, but on the whole, the forest was very dim and quiet.
They heard strange bird chirping from time to time. Sometimes the birdsong was distant, sometimes it sounded very close, but nobody could make out where it was coming from.
Once they had entered the forest, the disciples were engulfed by the bleak atmosphere. Everyone was on high alert. After all, it was Sky Forest.
Sky Forest was not the front line of the battle. It was located between the Imperial Capital and White Emperor City. The White Emperor City was closest to the Shura Battlefield. Still, many demon scouts secretly crossed the front line and hid in Sky Forest. Although inner disciples possessed power comparable to ordinary demon soldiers, there were few absolute certainties in a fight. You never knew who would win until the last minute.
Henry, Gury, and the other two outer disciples of Drizzle Peak reached for their weapons as they moved warily behind the five inner disciples.
Compared to them, Zen seemed most relaxed.
His soul, which had been forged was way stronger than normal people, including the five nature creatures ahead.
So Zen was more sensitive than others. His senses were heightened to sense even the slightest noises like the wind stirring the grass. No sound could elude him!
As the Drizzle Peak disciples pressed further and further into the forest, they separated from the other Cloud Sect disciples.
Watchfully, they followed the trail in the forest for about twenty miles.
Then, there was a sharp crack. An inner disciple who had been sent to scout ahead had stepped on a dry branch.
“What happened?” Henry was the first to call out. He had never been in a situation like this and found that his nerves were strained all the time.
“Relax, Henry. It's no big deal. I just stepped on a branch.” The disciple turned and gave Henry a mocking smile.
“Watch out!” Just as the inner disciple turned to speak to Henry, a huge snake emerged from behind a thick spruce trunk.
The snake's trunk-like body had a grey-green color that matched the spruce's bark. This camouflage had allowed it to hide in plain sight.
The snake lunged at the inner disciple, Its jaws opened wide as if it were going to swallow its prey whole.
At that point, a jet of silver light skimmed over the snake's head, and a second later, the snake was cut in half.
“We haven't found demons yet. But there are other creatures in the forest as well. Be careful, Qiu.” The inner disciple who had killed the snake said flatly, a shiny sword in his hand.
The inner disciple, Qiu saw what his peer had done. Qiu hurriedly cupped one hand in the other to salute him. “Thanks for saving my life, Cleve!”
Zen who had been trailing behind them saw how Cleve Lin had killed the snake. His brow arched. Even though Drizzle Peak ranked bottom among the other peaks, it didn't lack talented body refiners. Cleve Lin had shown exceptional power in this kill. The snake was only a fourth-rank beast, but Cleve's reaction wasn't much slower than Zen's.
Zen had his hand on his space ring at that moment. If Cleve had not killed the snake, Zen would have finished it with his flying knife.
Cleve nodded, took back his sword, and then led the team forward.
Cleve Lin was the leader of the Drizzle Peak disciples.
They did kill many beasts along the way, but they hadn't met any demons either. The five inner disciples complemented each other pretty well and killed some fierce beasts. Once the beasts were dead, they cut their bodies open and took the crystal cores.
Henry, Gury, Zen, and the other two disciples had been reduced to the role of bystanders.
It wasn't until noon that they stopped at the edge of a valley after a long stuttering journey.
“You and you, go find some firewood and make a fire,” Qiu said curtly as he pointed at Henry and Gury.
Henry and Gury were two of the most talented outer disciples at Drizzle Peak. They had never been bossed around like this.
They felt deep resentment at Qiu's order, as a result of which, testiness crept into their eyes.
“What? Do you have a problem with that? If so, I have an easy solution. You don't have to obey my orders if you choose to explore Sky Forest independently. We protect you, and in return, you do as I say. We clear?” Qiu said coldly.
Henry and Gury exchanged sour glances. They had no choices but to obey Qiu. Their lives were in the hands of these inner disciples. And quitting the trial at this stage was not an alternative. Whether they liked it or not, they would never make it out of the vast forest alive without the inner disciples' protection.
They had no choice but to look for firewood.
“The rest of you should keep watch beside the valley,” Qiu glanced at Zen and the other outer disciples as he commanded.
Zen wanted to say something but thought better of it.
The ten disciples were a team now. Qiu was not asking too much by putting them on watch duty.
Zen walked along the edge of the valley. When he identified an appropriate spot, he climbed on a huge slick stone to get a better look.
Sky Forest stretched before him. All he could see was spruce trees, an endless ripple of green.
“We're on a demon hunt. But we haven't seen hide nor hair of demons till here,” one of the outer disciples beside Zen said.
“It makes sense. The forest is too vast, and the demons are too few. If you want demons so badly, perhaps you should go to the White Emperor City. Once you're standing on the city wall, you can have as many demons as you like,” the other outer disciple answered.
Zen fell silent at their words. Humans in the eastern region had built a veritable golden age of prosperity ever since the Burning Sky Empire was founded. But over the recent hundred years, the realm had been under constant attack by demons. As a result, the whole Burning Sky Empire had been put in an untenable position.
It was a blessing that the Empire had two men to rely on to control the situation. The first was the ultimate expert from the Burning Sky Palace, and the other was the leader of Cloud Sect. Both of these men had fathomless power.
Demons would have already taken the White Emperor City and even devoured the whole eastern region had it not been for these two outstanding men!
Smoke drifted from the valley after half an hour. And then, Zen and the other two outer disciples were called to return as the meal was ready.
They gathered around the campfire and ate their meal.
“Cleve, have you really killed a demon before?” Qiu asked as they ate.
“Yes. It was four years ago,” Cleve replied with a smug smile as he ripped off a chunk of meat from a roe deer. “At that time, I was still an outer disciple of Drizzle Peak, and the Shura Battlefield was about to close. I entered the trial to slay demons. We cornered a demon soldier, and I made the lethal strike.”
Killing a demon soldier as an outer disciple was something Cleve should be proud of. Nevertheless, he continued with a little modesty. “Still, it was pure luck. I was not as strong as I am now. If I meet a demon soldier now, I can kill it in three strikes.”
Just as Cleve was prattling on about his history with demons, an inner disciple who had been busy devouring his meat, suddenly interrupted in a sharp, rasping voice, “Is that so? I'd like to see if I can survive three strikes from you. Show me your sword!”
All of a sudden, a terrifying evil spirit emanated from the inner disciple.