81 Slipping the Noose

Wuying desperately fled his pursuers for kilometers before he finally felt a glimmer of hope. Ahead of him was a massive and ancient tree, and the sun was still an hour from peeling back the night.

As he madly rushed around the tree trunk and finally fully escaped the sight of the Fire-Eaters he sighed with relief and activated his Darkness energy.

Wrapped in darkness, Wuying took another path and used his movement technique to its limit to create as much distance as possible.

Fleeing west, Wuying kept his Darkness Cloak skill active for over two hours, taxing his energy to the limit after the suns began to rise. He finally found a tree known for having such an intense scent that it obliterated any trace of other scents for meters around itself and swiftly burrowed into its expansive roots to hide and recover.

Finally feeling a measure of safety, Wuying blocked his sense of smell and began to meditate and recover.

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Yun proceeded to explore the cave, even going so far as to map it out on a piece of leather she had with her. Thanks to her powerful cultivation she had an extremely strong awareness of distance, allowing her to easily and accurately map the area.

Each time she reached the end of a path she would extend her senses into the stone as far as she could to check for hidden paths and chambers, but she never had any luck with this. Eventually she returned to the first intersection and only had two paths left to explore.

Choosing randomly, Yun proceeded down the new path for what felt like ages before she felt anything change, but by the time she felt a difference in her environment it was too late.

Her vision began swimming, distorting.

Her head felt light and fluffy.

Her feet struggled tp leave the solid earth.

Finally she toppled, her vision dimming as she landed on the hard stones.

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Yun opened her eyes to the bright twin suns, blinding her momentarily until she felt that her body was immobilized and turned her head to the side.

"Little one, you're mighty brave to be walking those caves alone. Tell me, how's that old dog Lei doing back in the city, hmm?"

A gravelly voice greeted Yun's ears from a distance as she struggled to see anything around her. She could tell she was in the open, and that the ground beneath her was covered with hardy grasses, but she still couldn't see more than a blur. She felt almost like she was back in that Queen's cavern after the death screech.

"No answer? Are you still trying to figure out where you are? Don't worry, child, you're safe here. You won't be able to see anything though."

Yun was about to ask why when she noticed something odd at the edge of her vision. She turned her head further before she noticed what it was. There was a distinct line where the blurriness ended on the ground less than a meter from her body. This must be some sort of obscuring array formation!

"Where have you taken me? Why am I immobile?"

"You're somewhere safe, don't worry. And the immobility will wear off in time, it's a consequence of the powder I made that knocked you out so easily. Now, how about you answer my questions?"

"Lei? Don't know any Lei, sorry."

"Oh really? Far as this old man can tell you're from the Hunting Hall, and I know for a fact that old scoundrel Lei wouldn't leave there any time soon. How about we try again before I decide I don't like your attitude? How is that old scoundrel?"

Yun was silent for a few moments, thinking about what she should say, when she started to feel pain in her feet. She realized that if she kept avoiding the question this old man would likely torture her, so she decided to play along with any questions that didn't reveal too much.

"Fine, fine! Stop whatever it is you're doing. That old Lei you're talking about must be Elder Lei, he's been an Elder for years now, and is fairly close to being the chief of them."

"Oh, so he's managed to climb up from being a Deacon at last? Must have made some advancements since last we met. Tell me, how did a child like you get to be where you're at today? You're quite impressive if I've not missed my guess!"

Yun was stunned for a moment, not knowing how she should respond.

"I guess I've got some talent. Elder Lei gave me some resources and I placed highly in an Inter-Sect tournament."

"Oh no no no, that's surely not all of it. Come, tell me the whole tale."

Yun stopped talking at this point, unwilling to risk revealing too much of her life.

"So you won't divulge? Fine, fine, this old one won't force you. . . "

As his voice faded away so too did Yun's mind. She once again passed into unconsciousness unwillingly and stayed there.

Not long after, Wuying also woke, and felt like he was having trouble seeing, but he was sure he had fallen asleep beneath the roots of that tree in the forest. This certainly wasn't there, as he could feel the warmth of the suns on his fur even though he couldn't see too well.