Chapter 69: The Leaf Demon Appears Part 1

Old Tang, Zhang Qingshui, and Huang Qi did not dare to delay upon seeing this and hurriedly followed behind Wang Ya as they dashed forward rapidly.

Old Tang asked loudly while sprinting at full speed, “Xiao Wang, what happens if they take the wrong path or trigger a labyrinth trap?”

Wang Ya ignored Old Tang’s words and closely followed behind Wang Cheng’an as she sprinted, while uneasily reminding him, “Dad, you must stick to the path exactly. If we take a wrong turn, we’ll all die here.”

Wang Cheng’an, who ran ahead, responded loudly with an “Okay!”

Wang Ya saw Wang Cheng’an leap into the air from more than ten meters ahead and plunge into the darkness in front. She saw that this straight passage, over twenty meters long, led into the darkness, and she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She rushed to the spot where Wang Cheng’an had leaped and followed suit, jumping into the darkness ahead.

Old Tang, Zhang Qingshui, and Huang Qi did not dare to stop either and charged after Wang Ya into what seemed like a cliff abyss shrouded in darkness. In the instant Old Tang leaped into the darkness, he shone his flashlight ahead, but the blackness was so deep that even the flashlight beam could not reach its end. Yet, the moment they leaped from their position into the darkness, the scene before them suddenly changed dramatically. What met their eyes was not darkness at all, but a vast expanse of densely packed plant roots as thick as thumbs. They recognized at a glance that these were precisely the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots!

The scenery changed so abruptly that in the instant they spotted the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Roots, they had already crashed heavily into them. The three of them flailed about in panic, grabbing onto the lush roots to steady themselves.

Old Tang looked up and saw Wang Cheng’an and Wang Ya hanging steadily above. Zhang Qingshui and Huang Qi, slightly below and to the side of him, had also stabilized their positions, though somewhat disheveled. He asked, “Is everyone alright?”

Huang Qi replied, “I’m fine.”

Zhang Qingshui also responded, “Not bad.” She looked down at the pitch-black darkness below her feet with no end in sight, took a heavy breath, and then turned her head toward the passage they had just run through. The passage had vanished without a trace, replaced by a sheer, straight cliff face. Suspecting it was an Illusion Technique, she pulled out a Glow Stick and threw it toward the spot where they had leaped from. The Glow Stick struck the rock wall and bounced back, falling toward the abyss below. In the instant it hit the rock wall, Zhang Qingshui saw a faint fluctuation of Magic Array energy on the surface it touched, realizing that the passage had been set with a Magic Array.

Zhang Qingshui understood that only now had they truly entered the Feng Family’s territory. That Giant Snake was the Mountain Guarding Demon Beast, and this Labyrinth was equivalent to the guardian Magic Array at the mountain gate. Wang Ya had let them in and even allowed her to lead them, merely to shut the door and beat the dogs inside. She said to Wang Ya, “Wang Ya, even if this Labyrinth is a grand array, it might not trap them. Although I didn’t leave any guiding marks for them, we haven’t concealed our auras, so they can completely track our scents along the route we took to find us.”

Wang Ya glanced suspiciously at Zhang Qingshui below her, puzzled by what she meant by revealing this. If she was helping the Zhang Family and the forces of the Righteous and Evil Paths against her, shouldn’t she be worried about those people in the Labyrinth right now? She asked, “Zhang Qingshui, is it really okay to betray both sides like this?”

Zhang Qingshui smiled lightly and said, “Wang Ya, if I wholeheartedly helped them deal with you, I’d be a real fool.” She added softly, “It’s nothing but a contest of interests.” She reached up, removed her earring, and with a slight force, crushed the Listening Device disguised as an earring, tossing it into the abyss below her feet.

Wang Ya thought to herself, “Dog bites dog, a mouthful of fur!” These people fought ruthlessly over interests, casting aside all principles and righteousness! Her hands gripped the roots of the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower tightly, and red-glowing Demonic Aura seeped into them. She focused her mind and silently called out to the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Leaf Demon, “Ye Zi! Ye Zi…”

Perhaps because the Demonic Power in Wang Ya’s body shared the same origin as these roots, when she infused her Demonic Power into them to call Ye Zi, she found her thoughts entering this lush network of roots. It was a world composed of countless Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower roots, like a vast ocean or a forest brimming with vibrant life. She inhaled the rich Yi Wood Spiritual Energy, feeling as comfortable and at ease as bathing in a spiritual-energy-filled morning mountain forest. Endless powerful Yi Wood Spiritual Energy poured into her meridians and dantian through her palms gripping the roots, like clear springs irrigating a parched stream, nourishing her with comfort and an inexplicable sense of security—like a wandering traveler returning home or a drifting water weed taking root. This ocean-like vast root system was like a warm, comfortable home—her home—and she was not alone in it.