novelraw Chapter 296: No One Escapes
Chapter 296: No One Escapes
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation.
The six members of Tai Bai Academy reached a consensus and cautiously made their way toward Star-Plucking Mountain.
Yu Zhao let out a faint sigh and flicked her finger.
An invisible restriction suddenly ignited, emanating an eerie glow.
“Stop!” Wei Ying immediately called out, her sharp and commanding expression tinged with seriousness.
“It’s a restriction,” murmured a young man referred to as Junior Brother Sha.
All eyes turned to a scholarly woman among them.
Wei Ying nodded toward her. “Junior Sister Ning, it’s up to you.”
“Understood,” replied Junior Sister Ning as she retrieved a pair of gloves, shimmering and thin as cicada wings, from her storage pouch. She slowly slid them onto her slender fingers.
Her hands were remarkably beautiful—fair and jade-like, with perfectly proportioned fingers. The gloves seemed equally extraordinary, exuding a heavy, unidentifiable aura.Once donned, the gloves fused seamlessly with her skin, becoming nearly invisible.
Junior Sister Ning took a few steps forward to the restriction and began tapping the air in a peculiar rhythm with her gloved fingers.
Soon, a spiritual ripple appeared soundlessly.
Her eyes lit up, and she exhaled a beam of spiritual light.
The ripple spread outward, and the restriction retreated wherever it touched.
“Wei Senior Sister, hurry, I can’t hold it for long,” she urged.
“Move,” Wei Ying ordered, leading the group with swift steps. The others followed closely.
Yu Zhao and Hua Tu lingered at the rear, erasing their traces as they went.
Hua Tu felt a vague unease, glancing around as they proceeded. It wasn’t until Junior Brother Sha muttered, “It’s eerily quiet,” that Hua Tu realized the unnatural stillness of Star-Plucking Mountain—no sounds of birds, insects, or rustling leaves.
The vast forest was like a land of death.
His casual demeanor vanished, replaced by heightened vigilance.
After nearly half an incense stick’s worth of time, Junior Sister Ning’s spiritual power ran out, and she requested help from Wei Ying.
Wei Ying infused spiritual energy into her while encouraging the group. “We’re almost at the summit. Hold on a little longer.”
The disciples of Tai Bai Academy looked up at the mountain peak, towering into the clouds, and felt a twinge of anxiety.
They had barely covered half the distance. Would everyone’s combined spiritual power even last until the summit?
And even if they reached the top, would they still have enough strength to rescue anyone?
Wei Ying, too, realized how reckless her decision to act tonight had been and felt some regret. But midway through, their courage alone kept them moving forward. Giving up now would sap their morale and make descending even riskier.
Her only hope was that Junior Sister Ning, with their support, could lead them in one determined push to the summit.
“Junior Sister Ning, don’t worry. I’ve got your back,” Wei Ying reassured.
Feeling the warmth at her back, Junior Sister Ning’s eyes brightened. She wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but Wei Ying’s words seemed to fill her with boundless energy, greatly easing her fatigue.
Attributing this to her senior sister’s encouragement, she quickened her pace.
Wei Ying kept stride.
Following her lead, the disciples of Tai Bai Academy increased their speed without realizing it.
Another incense stick’s time passed, and the six reached the summit.
Wei Ying and Junior Sister Ning exchanged glances, astonishment mirrored in their eyes.
Had they truly climbed to the summit without additional help? It was practically a miracle.
But there was no time to dwell on this—saving lives took priority.
The six circled the summit but found no one. All they saw was a massive altar in the center, surrounded by ninety-eight jade pillars.
At the center of the altar stood a giant jade pillar, ten times thicker than the others, with intricate carvings forming a totem-like pattern.
One glance at the pillar filled Wei Ying’s mind with visions of blood and corpses, sending a chill down her spine.
“Senior Sister Wei, I found no trace of anyone.”
“Nothing here either.”
“Could we be too late? Has the sacrifice already occurred?” whispered the group as they reconvened.
“No,” Wei Ying said firmly. “We were told the sacrifice is scheduled for tomorrow. Such a crucial event is unlikely to change.”
Their journey here was spurred by their poor performance in the recent cultivation competition, which had led to harsh training and extra assignments back at the academy. While resting by the roadside, they had stumbled upon a Golden Core cultivator attempting to abduct a female cultivator.
After rescuing her, they used unorthodox methods to extract information about the Heaven’s Punishment Organization and their sacrificial plan. Without hesitation, they had diverted their path to Star-Plucking Mountain to intervene.
Their initial drive to save lives had left no room for considering the potential dangers. It wasn’t until they encountered the restrictions and altar that fear crept into their hearts.
They suppressed their fear, their expressions betraying nothing.
Wei Ying gritted her teeth. “If we can’t find anyone, we’ll lie in wait here until they appear.”
The group fell silent, recognizing that further searching might alert their enemies.
“Junior Sister Ning, can you manage?” Wei Ying asked.
“I can,” Junior Sister Ning responded.
With the group’s help, she used a protruding rock to set up a concealed restriction. Together, they hid inside it, waiting silently.
Junior Sister Ning’s gloves, an heirloom treasure, had been key in breaking the restrictions and guiding the group this far. Without them, her restriction skills would only suffice against peers, offering no protection against more advanced cultivators.
Hua Tu, for instance, could detect flaws in the concealment with just a glance, without even opening his third eye.
Only after Yu Zhao reinforced the restriction with two illusion techniques did it manage to deceive Hua Tu’s scrutiny.
Curious, Hua Tu asked, “Do you have a grudge against them?”
Yu Zhao shot him a sidelong glance.
“With your skill, you could completely erase their presence,” he added.
The group’s hiding spot might pass at first glance, but a closer look would reveal its weaknesses—a standard below Yu Zhao’s expertise.
Yu Zhao smiled faintly. “They’ll reveal themselves sooner or later in their effort to save lives. If I conceal them too well, it will draw Tian Pu Zi’s attention. This level is just right.”
Given Tian Pu Zi’s cautious nature, he was unlikely to have only one stronghold.
To prevent his escape, Yu Zhao intended to use Wei Ying and her companions as bait while she waited for the right moment to act.
“No one escapes!” she vowed.
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