Two hours later, as the sky darkened, four figures slowly appeared atop Kunlong Ridge.
The so-called Kunlong Ridge, to its left, was a steep cliff as smooth and precise as if it had been sliced open by a person, with no unevenness to be seen. Below the cliff was a downward slope with an incline of roughly thirty degrees, which would normally be ignored, but not here.
Because at the bottom of the slope was an abyss!
The slope was around twenty ters wide, which seed spacious, yet this place was a barren land!
On the hundred or so ters of the slope, not a single plant grew; the ground was littered with rough stones, leaving almost no spot to set one’s foot upon steadily.
The four people stopped in front of the slope, with none other than the Empress, who had co from the east, leading them.
"Is this Kunlong Ridge?"
Even the Empress couldn’t help but frown slightly at the sight of this barren land.
"Reporting to the Empress, this is indeed Kunlong Ridge." Wu Qiuyue held a holographic electronic map, the scenery depicted on it matched exactly what they saw before their eyes.
The Empress looked up at the sky and said indifferently, "After we set foot here, no matter what noises we hear, we mustn’t look back."
"Yes."
Just as the Empress was about to move forward, she thought of sothing and turned to Shadow Thirteen, "Thirteen, help Xiu share so of the burden. We can’t slow down our pace."
"Yes."
Wu Qiuyue looked at the Empress with slight surprise. In her understanding, the Empress would never say such words; in the eyes of the Empress, all the people in the world were her servants, whose duty and obligation it was to sacrifice themselves for her. She never cared for their hardships or sorrows, and would even kill people without a second thought when angered.
But now, the Empress had changed, suddenly becoming much gentler and more considerate than before. Such a change left Wu Qiuyue uncertain whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.
Although the road was difficult to traverse, the four of them kept moving forward without so much as a sideways glance at their surroundings. As they delved deeper into the barren land, fog began to swirl around them.
"Sister, sister..."
At that mont, a voice the Empress could never forget suddenly echoed in her ears.
"Sister, wait for ."
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort from the Empress, Qi force exploded from her body, dispersing all the fog around them!
"Huff—huff—"
Among the four, Xiu’s complexion was the worst; he suddenly started to breathe deeply, his head covered in sweat.
"Thank you, Empress, for the rescue. Otherwise, I fear I would have truly been unable to resist looking back just now."
"It’s just so little ghosts’ tricks. Focus your mind, breathe quietly, and dispel any distractions."
"Yes!"
Protected by the Empress’s indiscernible Qi force, the four safely passed through Kunlong Ridge.
No sooner had the Empress and her party crossed Kunlong Ridge than you eight arrived, panting heavily, half an hour later.
"Finally, I made it up. It... it almost cost my life!" Yang Kai collapsed onto the grass, his tongue hanging out as he panted heavily.
The journey up Kunlong Ridge was extrely rugged, with so parts so steep that they had to crawl on hands and knees to make it up.
You didn’t stop but headed straight to the sharply cut cliff.
Looking at the barren land before you, your eyebrows were tightly knitted together.
"What’s wrong?"
Wu Qiyi walked over, her face etched with concern as she looked at you.
You looked up at the sky, the sun had already set, and the sky was darkening, greatly hindering your visibility, making it difficult to see clearly even a short distance away.
"This Kunlong Ridge is not as simple as just a Burial Mound," you said seriously.
Seeing you speak so solemnly, the other seven quickly ca over to look at the barren land ahead.
Xiao Feng looked up at the steep cliff: "Wow, was this mountain split open by soone?"
"Read too many fantasy novels? Who could split a mountain like that? Co on, we shouldn’t wait any longer, or it will really turn dark," Yang Kai retorted and then stepped forward, ready to enter the barren land.
"Wait a minute!"
You grabbed hold of Yang Kai, your expression growing even more cautious.
"Old Shu, did you see sothing?" Wei Shuxian asked as he ca up beside you.
You nodded and turned to ask Yin Guihua who was beside you, "Do the villagers always pass through here?"
Yin Guihua shook her head, "There was originally a road at the foot of the mountain, but two months ago, a landslide completely blocked it. Now, the villagers go out by water, but the water route takes many turns and is even longer; besides, it goes through Long Forest, which is not on our way, so we have to climb over the mountain."
"Is this the only route?"
"There are other paths leading to the village, but none of them go in the right direction, and each one requires crossing over mountains and ridges. This one is the closest," she explained.
"But it’s also the most dangerous one," said Xi Yu, standing beside Wu Qiyi, looking at you. "Master Li, I suggest we go back. I saw a forest suitable for camping earlier, with a creek nearby."
"This place is quite sinister," Wu Qiyi also chid in.
Normally, you would have agreed with Xi Yu, but today, for so reason, ever since you entered the mountains, you’ve had a feeling as if soone was waiting for you not far ahead.
It was this feeling that urged you to press on tirelessly.
"Let’s go, we can’t stay here any longer. The weather in the mountains changes quickly; if it rains tonight, it would be bad," you said, shaking your head, firming up your thoughts.
Wei Shuxian agreed with your view, "Indeed, the weather forecast showed that there will be rain tonight through tomorrow. The soil here is relatively loose, which could lead to landslides if it rains. That would be a disaster for us!"
"Alright then."
Seeing Xi Yu nod, you took out seven Thousand Paper Cranes, folded from orange talisman paper, and distributed them to everyone.
"Once we enter, if anything unusual occurs, absolutely do not look back. If you feel you’ve lost your way or fallen into an illusion, then drop your blood onto the Thousand Paper Cranes; it will lead you in the right direction, just follow it," you instructed and emphasized once more, "Rember, no matter what sounds co from behind, never look back!"
Seeing everyone nod, you then turned to Xiao Feng and said, "Madman, you take the lead; Little Kai and Glasses, follow close; Er Ya, Xi Yu, Guihua, and Fan Yi in the middle, and I’ll be behind you. If sothing happens, I can respond in ti."
"Mhm!"
Your serious deanor caused everyone’s hearts to tense, with Yin Guihua clutching Fan Yi’s hand even tighter.
"Let’s go!"
With that, Xiao Feng took the first step.
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