The moment the Dragon Scale landed with us, he had already transformed back into his human form. He gently swayed the jade-bone fan in his hand and followed my gaze.
This was no longer an underwater world. Instead, it was a towering mountain range covered in lush greenery that reached up to the sky.
However, this was not the scariest part. What was even more terrifying was that this was not a mountain range made of black soil. It was a mountain built with countless mutilated corpses.
In other words, it was a so - called mass grave, with various tombs connected in a row. The dense forest seemed lush and thriving at first glance. But upon closer inspection, one could see countless eerie white bones hanging from the trees. Those trees seemed to have grown out of the bodies of these animals or dead people.
"After entering the dense forest, remember not to walk too fast, and never run. Otherwise, you may stir up the white fluff on the ground. Once you inhale the white fluff, the consequence will be the same as those people on the trees. You will be burst alive by the plants."
The Dragon Scale looked serious and specially took out a veil to cover my face.
"Why are you putting this on me?" I asked, looking a bit disgusted and dodging backward.
"Because you're too beautiful. What if that evil immortal takes a fancy to you and makes you his wife? Then I'll lose both you and everything else."
Bai Qi pursed his lips helplessly and said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. This thing can block the white fluff. Remember to be gentle and quiet. Don't run fast, or you'll stir up the white fluff, and the consequences will be unimaginable."
For some reason, I always felt happy whenever I saw Bai Qi.
I nodded with a big smile on my face. I doted on him so much that the Dragon Scale looked extremely jealous.
"I didn't expect, little lady, that you like the cute - boy type. I'll grow a tail for you to see tomorrow."
Bai Qi and I ignored him and walked into the depths of the dense forest before him.
There was only one bluestone staircase on this mountain, winding up to the mountaintop. The black - wood forests on both sides, with their gnarled branches, seemed to wrap around various skins, looking both terrifying and bloody.
I was sandwiched between the two of them and was well - protected, which reduced my sense of terror a lot.
Although the Dragon Scale was behind me, from his highly vigilant appearance, I knew that this place must be dangerous.
"Wait. Don't go forward," the Dragon Scale said in a low, warning voice.
After all, Bai Qi was a general who had led troops, and his obedience was quite high. As soon as the Dragon Scale told him to stop, he immediately halted and didn't move forward.
As soon as his footsteps paused, a fiery - red object flashed across their faces. It was so fast that they couldn't tell what it was. It stirred up a pile of white fluff on the ground, which flew several feet high.
Bai Qi turned around, and I quickly covered his mouth and nose for him.
His big blue eyes looked at me brightly. Under normal circumstances, people would protect themselves first when in danger. He didn't expect that I would cover his mouth and nose without hesitation.
"Ouch... ouch... ouch..." After several wails, the animal that had just darted past them was now not far away. Its body had started to swell.
It turned out to be a red fox that had become a spirit. The seeds had taken root and germinated in its body. The branches had burst through its skin and stretched out bloodily. Drops of red blood from the branches dripped onto the ground, attracting a bunch of wandering souls to watch.
This was no different from being disemboweled. It made my hair stand on end.
"Do the seeds grow so fast in the body?" I was a bit nervous and couldn't bear to look at this terrifying scene.
It wasn't that I was afraid for myself but that I was afraid of implicating the two of them.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here," the Dragon Scale said, encouragingly holding my arms on both sides. I suddenly felt a bit dazed, as if Gu Yuan was right beside me.
I suddenly turned around and saw the Dragon Scale's face. I felt a bit disappointed.
"How did this fox that had become a spirit get in here?" Bai Qi waited until the white fluff had settled before continuing to walk forward.
"They all came for the inner core of the Nine - Infant."
I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. "Isn't this overestimating themselves? Even the upper - level immortals can't handle that thing. How dare a little demon who has just transformed into a human form take such a risk? Isn't this just seeking death?"
"Maybe they had no choice, just like us," the Dragon Scale replied.
When he said this, I felt even more uncomfortable.
"While there's still time, you two should go back. After all, this is my own business. I shouldn't implicate you."
Bai Qi didn't even answer me. He just ignored my words as if they were nonsense.
The Dragon Scale hooked the corner of his mouth and said, "Gu Yuan's business is my business."
"Not good. The wind is rising," Bai Qi said. He drew a blue shield with one hand in front of him, trying to block the sudden strong wind.
The Dragon Scale cursed under his breath. "I don't know which little demon has fallen into the trap."
Then he formed a seal with one hand and propped up a golden shield, trying to reinforce Bai Qi's barrier.
But the white fluff was like catkins in spring when it met the wind. It was flying all over the sky, and the barrier couldn't stop it at all.
In a short while, the whole forest was filled with flying white fluff, just like snow.
The Dragon Scale wanted to say something but couldn't.
He waved at the two of us, signaling us to leave quickly. Bai Qi grabbed me and was about to walk forward, but the bluestone path just now had disappeared.
It seemed that they had entered a maze.
There was not only white fluff here but also wandering souls and ghost fires formed by accumulated grudges, wandering around and trying to find substitutes.
"Have we been discovered?"
The Dragon Scale nodded. He resisted the fierce attacks of countless wandering souls with both hands. Those wandering souls didn't care about their own lives. Even if it was like moths flying into the fire, they still wanted to find a way out for themselves.
While the two of them were fighting against the wandering souls, a pair of blood - red eyes as big as lanterns appeared in the howling wind and heavy snow.
Following that was the ear - piercing screech from the monster's mouth. The screech carried a fierce wave of energy and the wind and snow, directly hitting Bai Qi's shield.
Bai Qi had used all his strength to consolidate the shield, but it seemed to be in vain. The blue shield in front of him was like a thin layer of ice.
The powerful shock wave shattered it with a gentle tremor. Bai Qi's body suddenly retreated. His throat felt a surge, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Seeing that the white fluff was about to get into Bai Qi's nostrils, I quickly threw myself on him and helped him drive away the white fluff.
However, I was too hasty in my action, and the blood - red eyes had already locked onto the target.
Those eyes were like ghost fires and rushed towards Bai Qi and me.
The fiery eyes were getting closer and closer. Through the mist, a huge dragon's head appeared in front of me. It opened its blood - red mouth, let out a roar, and pounced on us.
Bai Qi grabbed me and dodged to the other side.
The Dragon Scale didn't expect this thing to come so fast. He took out his precious sword and flew into the air. With a wave of his long sword, a sword qi with sparks and lightning rushed towards the dragon's head, trying to stop the fierce attack of the dragon.
While the Dragon Scale was fighting against it, another pair of blood - red eyes appeared in the air and quickly rolled Bai Qi and me under its body.
"Ah..." The sound of bones creaking after being squeezed echoed in my ears. I felt that I was about to be strangled to death by this monster.