19. Running

Two beautiful moon hung on the sky, one blue, one red. They looked like two beautiful eyes of heaven looking down on the mortals very happily about something. The tranquility of the forest and the cold breeze that sooth the soul washed through, moving the canopy in a slight dance.

This peace was broken by the clanking sound of metal.

*Cling**Clang**Clang*

"Shit!!!"

Jialiang cursed as he deflected another barrage of shuriken, before dodging the explosive kunais. His sword was drawn, his cloths were torn in many placed and his face was covered black due to explosions.

"How did they find us?" Jialiang asked.

Baiyun was busy deflecting shurikens of her own. "No point thinking," Baiyun commented as she hopped to another branch while the one she was exploded.

Baiyun and Jialiang were now in a chase and they were the prey. The chasers were covered from head to toe in black, wearing a plane wooden mask to cover their faces. They showed no skin and were relentless in their chase. Even when one of them died, they kept their pursuit without looking back. These were ninjas, ones who were sent to kill and never expected to return.

Baiyun and Jailiang didn't know how they were found. They had always hidden their traces and left false one, but they were still found and ambushed. They were caught in an initial explosion that still rung their ears. They were then jumped by twenty ninjas, but they were able to escape by using the item they had brought to fight beasts. The whole smoke bomb pack was wasted in the escape.

They had been trying to loose the ninjas for the past half an hour and their Qi was running low.

"We need to kill them," Jialiang spoke as he bit a Qi replenishing pill.

"No, we keep moving. I got a plan," Baiyun replied as she popped a pill herself.

Jialiang was conflicted, they couldn't keep running, but he followed Baiyun. Baiyun navigated through the thick canopy and kept going in Zig-Zag, making sure to not run in a straight line or give a specific destination.

The duo kept moving forward, always sure to not leave their backs open. They deflected the shurikens and kunais that were thrown at them. They also tried to strike back when they had a chance.

"Take this," Baiyun threw something to Jialiang.

Jailiang caught the item without much though and saw it was a vial. He turned to Baiyun with a questioning look.

"Put some on your cloth and cover your skin with the rest," Baiyun instructed as she uncapped a similar vial and poured the content on her hand and covered her skin with the purple-green viscous liquid. She then smeared some on her cloths.

Seeing that Baiyun had done so, Jialiang followed by popping open the vial and regretting it. The pungent smell hit him like a truck and made him want to vomit.

"What is this?" He questioned but Baiyun just gave him the look, forcing him to follow.

He gritted his teeth and held his breath as he poured the substance on his hand and smeared it on himself. His skin stung and itched the moment the substance made contact. He didn't know what it was but it was poisonous and very unhealthy.

"Do not stop moving," Baiyun commanded before sh pulled 5 exploding shurikens and threw them towards the Ninjas.

The ninjas separated to avoid it and Baiyun ignited them, creating a loud explosion. She immediately increased her speed. Jailiang kept close even though he didn't understand the plan.

But he didn't need to.

~RRRAAAWWW~

Jialiang looked back just in time to notice one of the ninjas in the back vanish into the shadow. He saw nothing but two yellow eyes. He immediately knew what it was. He just closed his mouth and kept forward.

The ninjas didn't notice until another two disappeared and they divide to keep the beast contained or to kill it. They couldn't let their prey escape or let the beast hunt them from the back. They had to kill their target, even if some of them had to be sacrifices today.

This division reduced the enemies the duo had to face.

"This was your plan? Awakening a beast?" Jialiang asked with a weird calmness.

"I hoped so?" Baiyun answered.

"You hope? It will catch us in matter of seconds," Jialiang had attained the tranquility of the man who knows he is dead.

Jialiang knew what it was, it was one of the beast they had come across before. The only reason they were not dead was due to it sleeping after its lunch. It had killed five fully grown Raging Bulls, if going by the fresh carcass that was around. The beast was a Dark Puma which was a rank 3 beast and the ninjas were only in the late stage of the foundation establishment.

"I have a plan," Baiyun repeated, "Xiao Jia, I have a plan."

"Arug," Jialiang groaned.

Baiyun and Jialiang kept moving without looking back, even when the cries of ninjas echoed through the silent forest. Baiyun suddenly turned while throwing the rest of her exploding kunias to her back. Baiyun immediately changed directions again and used her movement technique to increase her speed.

Jialiang followed and both turned into a blur through the canopies. Baiyun stopped when the length of trees ended and saw the abyssal maw below. This was a great divide in the Great Demon Forest. No one knows how it was formed, nor could one see the end. It was fully dark below and one could not see the end of it.

Baiyun turned and ran along the edge with Jialiang following her.

To cross the maw, one could jump to the other side, but a foundation establishment couldn't do it, not even a Golden core could. But there were other ways and one was a bridge made by a fallen tree, one that was more than thousand years old and massive enough for ten people to walk comfortably. This massive tree help the lower rank cultivators to cross, that is if they have a death wish to venture into the deep.

Jialiang knew all this and he followed Baiyun. He gave her trust and he knew that she wouldn't betray him.

They arrived at the tree bridge and immediately jumped on two floor high trunk. They were in the open and they didn't have much time. Baiyun and Jialiang didn't need to look back to know that the ninja were still on their tail.

Baiyun and Jialiang cross half the distance in a minute, they were going about 40km/h.

"We are almost on the other side," Jialiang was bit relieved.

"Keep watchful, don't le-

*BOOM*

The duo stepped on another set of explosive trap which flunk them from the bridge and into the abyss.

...

***

..

.

*Swushhhh**suwussshhh*

The wind splitting noise increased as Jialiang opened his eyes.

He saw a strip of blue with darkness enclosing it. His brain immediately kicking into panic mode as his senses felt no gravity. He looked to his sided, but again saw the darkness. He twisted his body and looked around and found Baiyun plummeting, unconscious.

"Baiyun, Baiyun, wake up," He shouted, but Baiyun was unresponsive.

Seeing that she was not getting up, he tucked and increased his fall. Jialiang fell fast and caught Baiyun, he nearly missed her due to how slipper her hand was. He then slapped her face a bit to make her wake up.

"Baiyun, wake up," He gave her another slap and Baiyun stirred to consciousness. "You awake?"

"Yes," Baiyun answered as her vision cleared.

"Okay, we need to find a way to not die," Jialiang stated as he looked into the abyss.

*Splash**splash*

A very faint sound of waves clashing entered his ears. Jialiang squinted his eyes and saw that it was a river raging through.

"We need to slow down," Baiyun stated.

"I have an idea," Jialiang stated and gripped Baiyun's hand.

He then put his strength to spin her, "What are you doing?" Baiyun asked.

"Getting you to the walls," Jialiang said as he flunk her to the nearer darkness.

Baiyun twisted her body with ease and pulled her daggers out of her pocket ring. She was ready when the wall arrived and smashed her daggers in, but was flunks back. The rock was to hard, however, Baiyun was not done. She didn't stab this time, but scratched the dagger, looking for a crack to log her dagger.

And to her luck she of one.

She pushed her dagger in and lodged it. The sudden halt dislocated her shoulder and made her want to scream, but Baiyun gritter her teeth and used her other dagger to create a hold. Making sure that she was secure, she looked down, but all she saw was black water.

"Jialiang!" She shouted.

"I am here," A voice answered from far below her.

Jialiang was handing on his sword, his swor d was lodged between two rocks. Baiyun let a sigh of relief. She then looked up and saw the strip of blue that was the sky. They were a great distance into the abyssal maw. Their only way was to climb up.

Baiyun turned down to see Jialiang, but her eyes widened and her pupil shrunk to a dot. She opened her mouth to call but before her voice could exit, the jaws closed with Jialiang in it. The fish fell into the water, leaving only the hand that was holding to the sword.

Jialiang was eaten by one of the river beasts before he could even react.

Baiyun stayed in shock for moments unknown. She snapped out and screamed but no voice came. She had lost her brother, lost an invaluable person in her life. The day had turned to hell, and now she regretted coming to this competition. She cried for time unknown before she pulled herself together. She pulled herself up and fixed her dislocated arm back in place without a cry.

She looked down at Jialiang's sword, but she can't retrieve it. She was too weak, she was too weak. She wiped her face and looked up. She had to climb, she had to live, for both of them. She vowed to return to retrieve the sword, but she need to survive first.

Baiyun turned and checked the wall for any grip. There were not many places to hold and the wall was slippery. She rubbed her hand on her cloth to make sure that her hands were dry before she tried to climb. She steadied herself before she pulled her dagger into her pocket ring.

She then began her climb.

*****

Okay, I am back to writing this.

But, I will have like a time skip in a few chapter. I know it feels rushed but this is a cultivation novel, you don't want me writing chapters of Lijen just sleeping.

So, yes the story will get faster, but I will try to keep everything interesting.

Good to be back, ヾ(≧▽≦*)o