Chapter 1248: Guiding Light

Most of those who had made it this far were not weaklings; each possessed extensive experience. Thus, upon encountering the mist, many grew wary and began leaving special markers along their path.

Initially, when told they could leave, these individuals felt a sense of smug satisfaction, even contemplating keeping quiet to let the others perish there. To their dismay, after searching for a long time, they found none of the marks they had left. In their panic, any thought of trapping others vanished, and they began shouting in alarm.

Fear is contagious, and more and more people cried out. Even Lion Spirit, Princess Sorena, and Jinshi began to feel unnerved, as some among them had also left marks, only to find they were gone.

From a distance, Yan Xuehen remarked, "This mist is peculiar; it seems to be connected to the earth's power. The entire formation is constantly shifting, so it's only natural that their marks are gone."

"This formation is constantly changing?" Yu Yanluo asked in surprise. "But then why have we not noticed any movement of the surrounding trees throughout our journey?"

"That is the subtlety of advanced formations—they can prevent those within them from perceiving any changes," Yan Xuehen praised, filled with admiration. "I wonder which master created this grand formation; it truly is a work of astonishing genius."

Yun Jianyue grumbled discontentedly, "Stop praising them. I know your White Jade Capital excels in formations, and as an abbess, you're naturally skilled. Quickly, think of a way to break this formation." Had she not been injured, she would naturally not have needed such trouble, simply breaking it with brute force. Now, however, she had no choice but to yield to reality.

Yan Xuehen's face flushed slightly. "I still need more time," she said. After speaking, she squatted on the ground and began drawing with a twig. The lines appeared to be some of the routes they had just traversed, along with the complete outline of the forest they had initially seen from across the swamp. Clearly, she was performing complex calculations.

Gazing at her perfect profile as she worked intently, her skin subtly radiant, even Yun Jianyue, despite their frequent disagreements, had to admit that this "ice maiden" was indeed stunning. No wonder everywhere she went, people revered her as a celestial being.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the demon race was also engaged in their own study. Princess Changning of the Peacock Clan and Jinshi of the Roc Clan attempted to fly high, hoping to break through the mist and get a full view. However, as soon as they ascended a little over three feet, they both plummeted back down.

Both wore expressions of terror. "We can't fly anymore," they exclaimed. Other powerful individuals also attempted to take flight. Although they hadn't reached the Grandmaster level, some were already Ninth-Rank, for whom brief aerial movement was typically not an issue. Yet, everyone discovered they couldn't fly, which instantly caused an uproar.

From a distance, Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "Are these members of the demon race living in a dream? Only now realizing they can't fly? They're truly worse with each passing generation."

Yu Yanluo, standing nearby, quietly remarked, "I am also of the demon race."

Yun Jianyue immediately offered a slight smile. "I wasn't talking about you," she clarified.

Witnessing this exchange, Zu An couldn't help but smile faintly. They had already discovered they couldn't fly upon entering this area, so it was clear this unique place had stripped everyone of their flight abilities. He wondered what kind of formidable being could create a formation of this caliber. He was curious whether his Wind-Fire Wheels were still functional, but with so many watchful eyes around, revealing them would be too conspicuous, so he decided against it for the time being.

Just then, a sudden shout came from another direction: "Who are you?" Immediately after, a tall, dark figure flashed past and swiftly vanished into the thick mist.

"What happened?" Lion Spirit demanded discontentedly. They had been in the middle of discussing important matters, and now his subordinate had suddenly cried out, which made him appear to have lax control over his people.

"Reporting, Little Prince," replied the Lion Clan subordinate who had cried out, his face pale and his voice trembling slightly. "I suddenly turned my head just now and saw someone… someone I didn't recognize standing beside me, so I called out."

After entering this misty forest, although everyone had intentionally grouped together, they were not truly as close as brothers. To guard against unknown dangers, those from the same clan had naturally huddled together. Thus, encountering an unfamiliar person right beside them was like seeing a ghost.

"It's just one extra person. Is there any need to panic like this?" Lion Spirit snorted coldly, feeling utterly disgraced for the Lion Clan. He resolved to send this subordinate to the front lines to fight the Hyena Clan upon their return.

"Little Prince, he… he…" The subordinate stammered, pointing to another companion beside him, his teeth chattering so loudly it was clearly audible. The other princes and princesses looked over and their expressions also changed. They saw that the Lion Clan expert appeared perfectly unharmed from the front, but a large gash had appeared on his back, his internal organs completely consumed. Strangely, he still retained his upright posture from life, standing rigidly there, a mysterious smile still on his face, as if he felt no pain whatsoever.

"What in the world is happening!" Even Xiong Da and Xiong Er, typically thick-skinned, found their throats dry.

"Could there be some fierce beast hiding in here?" Princess Changning of the Peacock Clan asked, her small face ashen, clearly terrified. The thought of being hollowed out from behind was horrifying.

"No, it seemed to be something humanoid," Jinshi of the Roc Clan shook his head. His clan was renowned for their keen eyesight, but the mist here was too strange to clearly discern the attacker's features. However, he was certain it was humanoid.

The Lion Clan subordinate also confirmed, "That's right, it was indeed a person, but they moved too quickly for me to make out their features. I only remember they were entirely bluish-grey, with an unusually colored skin."

"Useless! You couldn't even see them clearly from that close?" Lion Spirit cursed angrily, then raised his head to scan their surroundings, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

From a distance, Yun Jianyue sneered, "This young lion is truly tyrannical. He's not old, but his temper is immense."

Yu Yanluo explained, "Among the demon race, bloodline and the reverence for strength are paramount; gentle tactics are not valued. So, as long as he is powerful enough, no matter how cruel his demeanor, none of his subordinates would dare to harbor thoughts of rebellion."

Yun Jianyue said coldly, "Indeed, a land of beasts. Uh, I wasn't referring to you."

Yu Yanluo was speechless.

Zu An felt a pang of curiosity. Given Yun Jianyue's obvious disdain and scorn for the demon race, could it be that she truly possessed no demon bloodline herself? But then, what was the nature of her relationship with Yun Yuqing?

"Could it be someone who entered with us, launching a sneak attack?" Qiao Heng said, glancing towards Duan Tiande, who stood in the shadow of a large tree.

Duan Tiande sneered, "You don't need to use this as an excuse for personal revenge. We Night Elves do not have the habit of gutting people like that."

Ma Huang, standing nearby, also hastily distanced himself. "Nor is this a method used by the Blood Clan," he stated.

At this moment, a small chubby youth timidly suggested, "It's also dangerous to stay here. Why don't we keep moving?"

"Move? Do you even know which direction to go?" others retorted disdainfully. Many wondered which family's subordinate this was, exhibiting such a lack of common sense.

"Perhaps we could try heading southwest?" the chubby youth suggested, pointing towards a section of the forest.

"You know the way?" Princess Sorena asked, scrutinizing him with curiosity.

The chubby youth shook his head. "No, I don't," he admitted. "I just had a dream yesterday about a bun shop to the southwest, so I thought we might as well try that direction."

Everyone nearby had assumed he had some profound insight, but upon hearing his reason, they all began to curse him.

"Get lost! Who asked for your opinion here?""Whose subordinate is this? Take him away, he's making a spectacle of himself."

From a distance, Zu An looked at the chubby youth with a puzzled expression. Though he didn't recognize his appearance, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Almost at the same moment, Yan Xuehen also softly stated, "I've roughly found a few clues. Let's head southwest first."

Yun Jianyue sneered mockingly, "Ice Maiden, you're not doing well. Even a common chubby boy calculated a little faster than you."

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed," Yan Xuehen replied in surprise, looking in that direction. Unfortunately, the chubby youth was already gone.

Zu An couldn't help but speak up in Yan Xuehen's defense. "Sister Yan clearly calculated it at the same time," he insisted.

Yun Jianyue showed no intention of admitting fault. "Given her status, isn't it still shameful to calculate it at the same time as an ordinary person?" she retorted.

Zu An wisely closed his mouth, deciding it would be best to first explore the southwest direction.

Noticing the activity on their side, Lion Spirit scoffed, "They actually believe what an idiot says?" He was unaware that Yan Xuehen had calculated it herself, assuming they were merely following the chubby youth's suggestion.

At this point, Qiao Heng of the Elf Clan said in a low voice, "Since we have no leads ourselves, why don't we follow them and see?" He felt a subconscious affinity, having just been saved by Zu An.

Lion Spirit declared arrogantly, "It would be unwise to rashly proceed based on some inexplicable reason. It's better to let them scout ahead and see what happens."

Princess Sorena frowned slightly. "This dense mist is truly strange. If we get too far apart, we'll lose sight of each other. Even if they do discover something, we won't know." After saying this, she proactively followed them. The Silver Shark Prince, who had always diligently attended to her, naturally clung to her and followed as well.

With someone taking the lead, everyone else soon began to follow Zu An's group one after another. Lion Spirit and his subordinates remained in place, appearing conspicuously isolated.

"Little Prince, are we staying here?" a subordinate asked tentatively.

"Stay? Are you out of your mind? The main group has already left. Are we supposed to stay here and wait for that unknown monster to attack us?" Lion Spirit snapped, slapping his subordinate before following the others with a disgruntled expression.