As soon as Adrian got a clear handle on his current situation, he quickly scurried away from the hole. Who knew if any other beast was aware of the hole, or worse still, if there were more scorpions that could return soon?
The ground beneath his boots was softer than the desert sands he had grown accustod to—dark soil mixed with ash, warm to the touch, as if embers still slept beneath the surface.
Only when the cavern entrance was completely out of sight, swallowed by foliage and distance, did he finally slow.
He bent forward, hands braced against his knees, drawing in ragged breaths. Each inhale burned faintly, the air tinged with fire-aspected Qi. It wasn't hostile, but it was dense—thick enough that even breathing felt like cultivation.
Adrian straightened slowly, forcing himself to remain alert despite the exhaustion clawing at his limbs. The Crimson Forest was not a place where one could afford to relax. If the desert had been openly lethal, this place felt deceptively calm—quiet in a way that put him on edge.
The forest stretched endlessly in every direction. Trees towered above him, their bark black and cracked like charred iron, while their leaves burned with a deep crimson hue, resembling frozen flas.
After taking so ti to catch his breath, Adrian stared at the massive mountain in the distance that seed to look a little closer now, and with careful consideration, began making his way deeper inside the forest. The scorpion tunnel, while dangerous, had been a trendous shortcut.
So much so that he had already surpassed the majority of those who had entered the mystic realm together. Even his so-called 'team' probably hadn't made as much headway as he had.
The only ones who would be ahead of him would be Julian's team and those of the major families from Stonehold City. However, this head start wouldn't last long. He had to make the most of this.
Adrian began making his way towards the Crimson Peak. he had only been walking for less than half an hour before suddenly...
ROARRRR!!!
He heard the loud roaring of a beast. Just from the roar alone, Adrian could tell that it was a Rank 4 beast. Not wanting to even entangle himself with it, he took a detour, rapidly increasing the distance between himself and the roar.
However, his current situation was akin to jumping out of the frying pan only to end up in the fire. Perhaps due to his rapid escape, he failed to monitor his surroundings thoroughly.
He had barely gotten far enough to not hear the roar anymore when he stumbled upon a clearing in the forest. By the ti he noticed the multiple presences there, he had already made too much noise and had already been noticed.
When he stepped into the clearing, he encountered four individuals. From their robes, he could tell that they were from a sect. In fact, it was a sect that Adrian was all too familiar with.
Their pale blue robes with cloudy patterns were enough to make him instantly recognize the sect that they ca from.
'Cloudcrest Sect.' He thought to himself.
There were four of them, standing loosely in a small clearing ahead. Their posture was relaxed, careless even, as though the Crimson Forest was nothing more than a scenic backdrop. Their auras rolled outward in slow, confident waves, completely unrestrained.
All four of them were in the Golden Core realm, and not in the beginning stages. Adrian felt a cold weight settle in his chest. So they had made it this far as well. The Cloudcrest Sect was not a small or obscure power in Stonehold City. They prided themselves on their elegance and superiority as mbers of the Orthodox alliance.
In reality, they were infamous for bullying weaker cultivators, snatching opportunities through numbers and pressure rather than rit.
Adrian's mind flashed back to his previous encounter with mbers of their sect. He already didn't have a good opinion of the sect, and could only hope this encounter would be better than previously.
However, it seed even that was too much to ask for.
The four Cloudcrest disciples turned to face him fully now.
Their gazes road over him without restraint, stripping him down to his cultivation level and condition. There was no fear in their eyes—only mild interest, as one might look at an unfamiliar tool.
"Ohh! I didn't think a Foundation Establishnt realm cultivator would be able to make it so far." One of them said. He was a man of average height. His hair and facial features placed him as a man in his late thirties.
Out of the group, Adrian could feel that his aura was the weakest. However, it was still many tis stronger than his own. Adrian knew he was in a tough spot, and he needed to tread carefully.
"Haha, fellow cultivators, I was just lucky enough to make it here. Intruding upon you was an accident. I hope the fellow righteous cultivators won't take offense. I'll take my leave now." Adrian said, and without even waiting for a response, he turned around and wanted to run away.
However, before he could even take two steps, a cold voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Stop right there!"
'Damn it!' Adrian groaned internally. With visible reluctance, he turned around to face the cultivators from the Cloudcrest sect.
The one who spoke was a tall man who looked slightly younger than the rest. From his general aura and the deference given to him by his teammates, it was easy to conclude that he was the leader.
"Is sothing the matter, fellow cultivator?" Adrian asked, though he had a faint inkling of what was going to happen.
The man who spoke had a relatively cold deanor, though the words he spoke were filled with false sincerity.
"Since we are righteous cultivators, we can't leave you here in this dangerous place. Why don't you follow us, and we'll escort you out?" He asked, though his tone suggested that it wasn't really a question.
"No ne-" Before Adrian could properly refuse the offer, one of the remaining two individuals ca and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, while speaking in a cheerful and boisterous tone.
"Senior brother speaks the truth. As righteous cultivators, we should really help those in need. Don't worry, we'll definitely take care of you." He said, directly cutting off Adrian's path to refuse.
With great reluctance, Adrian could only nod his head in agreent. Seeing Adrian nod his head, the four individuals flashed excited grins at one another.
However, at that mont, the roar that resounded in the forest previously could be heard once again. It seed to have co closer, making everyone tense up. They knew that a beast that could openly expose its location in this forest wouldn't be weak.
With a collective nod, they decided to leave this place imdiately. They imdiately entered a formation and placed Adrian in the center of it. To an outsider, it looked like they were making good on their promise to protect Adrian.
Only Adrian knew how truly suffocating being in their center was. For him, it was no different from being in a cage. While they were running, Adrian couldn't shake the feeling that sothing was wrong.
From their movents, it didn't seem like they were moving in disarray. They looked like they knew exactly where they were going. The realization made Adrian suspicious of their intentions.
After running for a little while, they arrived at a region that was relatively quieter than before. There were no small critters that were running around, and no birds could be seen flying above.
The fiery red canopy of the trees seed deserted and empty. Adrian stared at the scene with narrowed eyes. Just as Adrian wanted to ask what they were doing here.
A glare from the so-called leader made him eat his words. It wasn't really the fear that caused him to stop speaking. It was because he noticed the utter seriousness in the face of the disciple.
Looking at all of them, he saw the sa amount of seriousness on their faces. He could imdaitely tell that this region would be filled with danger.
But if it was so dangerous, then why co here in the first place? That was the question he ultimately decided against asking for now.
Finally, they stopped by a boulder that was wedged beside a noticeably larger tree. The boulder was big enough to hide all five individuals if they were huddled up together.
After hiding, the four Cloudcrest disciples had a somber look on their faces. Then one of them addressed Adrian.
"Listen, friend." Hearing them call him 'friend', Adrian could only scoff internally. In reality, they had never even bothered to ask about his na. In their minds, calling a rogue cultivator a friend was already more honor than he deserved.
Still, he didn't bother correcting them. Or rather, he couldn't. He was in their clutches now, and any disagreent with them would immdeiately put him at a disadvantage.
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