Hides Within the Forsaken Forest - Part 1

The gusts of the chilly breeze became harsher as the sun set, and the darkness was gradually consuming the land. So Eun and the others traveled to a wide and more conspicuous area, and because he was the last one who followed, the luminous light that was lit up by the disciples was a distance away from him.

Before, he originally wanted to slow down his pace to explore the forest, yet he forgot to acknowledge that his day will eventually come to an end. More important matters are waiting for them in the forest, and the night had arrived, so he doesn't have a choice but to suspend his sightseeing. Kicking on his horse to go after them.

From then moving forward, the sounds of the horses slowly stopped. So Eun had not yet witnessed an image of the Deities and warriors, assembling and preparing for the potential chaos that may happen. And he wouldn't lie if someone asked him that he was anticipating something even a bit when Yeonbin brought him here.

So, when he stopped his horse and apprehensively got off, he pretended to clean off his white sleeves.

Because only after having been in the actual place full of Deities like him who was late to grew accustomed to the cultivation world, So Eun felt a little out of place, and he was unable to think of what to do first.

To some advantage, acting like Dong-Hyun might save him from an awkward discussion and situations. But then he thought about it again, wasn't he got annoyed at Dong-Hyun the first time they met?

He emitted a sigh in disbelief, why is he even considering this thought?

He almost lost his wits of finding something useful to do while he's here. This time, by making the situation worse, he felt his mind clouding in disapproval when he realized that he hasn't planned a single introduction for the other Deities.

Formal greetings are simple, just be respectful.

Is that a big deal? Why is he even here?

He debated on his last thoughts of whether to escape quietly, or follow and hid behind the disciples' back for the meantime. But in the end, So Eun almost wanted to go back and pretend to be a mortal just for one day.

After much pondering, he looked around. Little by little, he speculated that Yeonbin baited him into coming here, that's because there were no traces of battle the moment they arrived, unlike what he said. Thus, he felt the gradual feeling of uneasiness creeping inside him. And the commoners, are also nowhere to be found.

The forest was engulfed in silence, merely footsteps crunching dried leaves made the place even more sinister yet serene. As some of them thought, but afraid to say it out loud, it was the usual calm before the storm.

So Eun was left far behind because of his inner tantrum. So he hastily ran towards them.

White sleeves fluttered in the gloomy wind. He caught up to them with the help of their flickering lamp held within their hands. So Eun shuddered at the thought of being alone in the middle of the forest at night. He mentally scolded himself for being too careless.

After a while, the dark seemed to grow horrendous. No one had the mood to chatter and gossip while they patiently crossed the woods, guarding the surroundings within the reach of their lamp.

So Eun was astounded, and his expectations went beyond when he realized that no one welcomed them in their arrival. And he did not anticipate the place and situation, would catch them off guard.

Yeonbin led the group, his nonchalant face and languid walking effortlessly lessen the younger disciples' anxieties. And they straighten up their body to follow the Deity. Feeling at ease with the single thought of having a Deity as their guardian. They all breathe in relief.

However, as soon as they calmed their senses, the pit-pat of rain came surging them from above, and it put out the fire in the open lamp they were carrying.

The moment the lights were extinguished, screams came from everywhere. The disciples and servants from the Palace of Yu-li were still inexperienced and had just started their careers.

And was brought here because of their vital energy to heal the warriors, some of them were skilled in battle, but mostly teenagers who are skilled in healing. They were already on edge when they entered this vicious place. And after their only direction in the night had died, terror immediately shocked their insides.

Evil beings like to cause trouble when it's dark, and they would highly seize an opportunity to move first when their target's sense of vision completely blackouts.

So Eun felt his blood ran cold when the area was devoured with darkness. The disciples shuffled to light another lamp, stumbling and falling in the process.

Being light on his feet, So Eun reacted quickly, using his extraordinary insight ability to stretched his hand, and tried to locate the lamps that fell within their grasps.

Moments have passed of them scurrying and yelling disorderly, all of a sudden, from ahead of them, a bright light had appeared and shrouded the blackness.

Yeonbin stared at them, the lamplight that was concealed with glass was held in his left hand.

His shadow danced distortedly on his side when the dying light reflected his facial features.

All of them naturally looked for the source of the light, and when they saw Yeonbin was there, some of them couldn't help to run towards him for their safety.

Yet, little did they know, that halfway on their tracks, So Eun instantly let out a guttural voice.

"Don't come near him!"