Chapter 12: The Dreadful Escape


    Mary''s group joint tightened up, their mind fell more into despair, and their flimsy wills was finally crumbling down. What started out as a seemingly ordinary servant testing quickly turned into their worst nightmare.


    Far more intense thanst time, the ground quiver from great forces of several raging charging Spirit Monsters beasts. Beasts that all far surpassed the might of the previous rounds of beasts.


    Mary''s group eyes all helplessly looked over to the ones that started this whole mess. The two shabby-looking youths, still dressed in their same ripped clothes, were smiling proudly at them.


    While Mary''s group despaired, the duo were quite happy with this sudden development.


    With their way, their bodies were reacting to the ck mes, while it still didn''t hurt, they knew they wouldn''t be at top tier condition. And now their work will be finished for them.


    Before anyone could react, though, Ani''s eyes glossed over to the now still Anne. The once mighty and confident Qi Formation youth of the Wrathful n nowy still in a sickly purple-red blood puddle.


    Purple Lines ran down her whole body showing off a grotesque appearance even in death. However, Ani paid her death no mind as she said, "When they''re not against us, that ce sure is handy!"


    Ani crouched down to take back the scalpel as she was sure it woulde in handy for the future.


    "Handy when ites to being as cruel as possible, now then," Darcel snided and suddenly,


    ''Pa!''


    He mmed his hand into the ground, making a dark shape hand imprint there. Looking over to Mary''s group while doing so, Darcel had remarked at least they have enoughmon sense to understand their position.


    Even if the beasts were all several meters away, their speeds would indeed traverse such a distance in mere seconds. But Mary''s group did be confused about this action of Darcel.


    Standing up, Darcel exchanged nces with Ani and told the group, "I wonder how savagely you''ll get ripped apart? Ah, well, it''s none of our concerns now."


    While talking, he turned off his Darkness glow hand and was reinforcing his warm feeling legs. Amplifying his legs, Darcel now felt hot down there but more soothingly hot than a painful one.


    "Darcy may be crude with his words, but your sacrifices will be remembered!" Ani proudly told them and amplified her legs like Darcel.


    She, too, felt the hot soothing sensation that admittedly fueled her with some excitement.


    The rustling of grass only grew closer and the ground shaking only got more intense. Still, Mary''s group couldn''t understand what these two were talking about.


    There was just no way they believed they could outrun these beasts, right?


    "Argh!! You! You two! What bullsh-" The enraged words of the robust boy were caught off when,


    ''Hua!''


    In a trail of ck mes did Darcel and Ani sprinted off! They ran in some random direction, but their speed caused even the robust boy eyes to widen.


    After only a second, neither he nor the others could spot just where they ran off to. And to make matters even worse, like the beasts were right next to them, they all heard,


    "DARGH!!"


    Fear, dread, and hopelessness spanned across all of their faces. With Anne dead, their talisman spent and them not even at one hundred percent, their deaths were assured.


    Theirst thoughts would be on just what the hell was that freakish duo of ck and white


    .


    zing through the woods at a fiery pace, Darcel and Ani felt entirely new with the addition of ck mes. Already they felt like they entered a whole new realm of cultivation!


    Darcel and Ani knew and were forced to practice with their devouring abilities regarding Qi. But they didn''t expect absorbing the properties of an Elemental Law would heed such good results.


    While thinking upon this, Darcel''s attention focuses on an uing vast cave. He calcted they have been running for at least ten minutes or so, and this would be a good pit stop far away from that n.


    Luckily as well, the two managed to avoid any of the previous beasts Darcel''s Darkness had called upon.


    Moreover, by smashing his imprint into the ground, he was sure those Spirit Monsters were enjoying their time with Mary''s group.


    "Here."


    Darcel simply said and pointed to the cave for Ani to see. She smiled and nodded, locking her attention on there as well.


    The distance of a few meters was crossed in a couple of seconds by the duo. Safely they made it inside the cave, skidding a bit when stopping their runs.


    Looking at the open, unsecured entrance, Ani immediately gained an idea. Her hand glowed white and focused on several random chunks of rocks lying around outside.


    With a squeeze of her hand, Ani pulled those rocks to the cave entrance, making a makeshift close door.


    "Fuuu, that went far smoother than I expected! And we even got a chance to spend quality team bonding time!" Ani sighed out while leaning down on the walls of the caves.


    Her glowing white hand illuminated the cave enough to see around. And Darcel promptly sat right next to her while taking in the sight of one of the mysterious ominous caves here.


    Like other structures in these woods, everything was in a glossy back texture. But just barely could Darcel notice a hint of a small blue glow in the ckness of the rocks.


    "Don''t get too rxed now, airhead. Even if we''re out of the fire, we''re still in unknown dangerousnds. So for no we sh-"


    "Should cultivate right, right. Oh, Darcy, if it wasn''t for mine brightness, you would be too cynical and boring on your own!" Ani finished his sentence as she immediately leaned on Darcel''s shoulder.


    Their already rising warming bodies felt another burst of warmth and soothe by this intimate contact. It was like their mind and bodies were getting purified by this warm sensation.


    Darcel had a small smile while feeling this sensation but still said,


    "You need someone like me to ground you in reality. Or else your head will fly off into the skies. Let''s just get to the eighthyer since I''m sure that we''ll smoothly make it to that city with our speed."


    "Hmmm, fine. In this position, I''ll relent...for now~." Ani had soft sweet giggles as she closed her eyes to cultivate. Leaning on Darcel''s shoulder gave her the calmest serene bliss she needed.


    Darcel as well closed his eyes, feeling steady, calm, and the same soothing bliss while cultivating.


    Focusing more in detail now, Darcel could sense a fiery warm sensation swarming around his soul. His Darkness had seemed to put the properties of ck me there, allowing him ess to its use.


    After all that fighting, his body was now in a perfect stabilized condition for another continuous breakthrough. Focusing on drawing out more of the bug''s energy, Darcel also familiarizes himself with this ck me.


    Andpared to other times when cultivating, things were strangely even smoother and faster for him.


    His mind immediately went to the cute white-haired girl lying on his shoulder, which provided him with anotheryer of warmth.


    ''Heh, she really is my good luck charm.'' Darcel tenderly thought about the girl before focusing back on cultivating.


    Only a few minutes passed since the two started cultivating, and in both Darcel and Ani''s mind,


    ''Bang!''


    They effortlessly broke through their mental blocks and stepped directly into the Qi Foundation Realm''s eighthyer! In no time at all did the two skips twoyers achieving demonic genius speed.


    However, no happiness was shared between the two when their eyes had abruptly snapped open. The perilous feeling of danger tensed up their joints and sharpened their minds as they looked around the cave.


    When they both had a breakthrough, a terrifying feeling of dread permeated throughout the whole cave. This sinister, deadly feeling was akin to several des being pointed straight at the duo neck.


    Ani shined her hand an even brighter white as the two both jumped to their feet. Still, all they could see for miles in this cave was just the glossy ck rocks and a long walkway down the cave.


    "No need to waste time here anymore," Ani spoke in a new serious tone since the situation was turning bad for them. Her eyes immediately snapped to the cave entrance, and she shined her hand over there.


    "Don''t need to tell me twice. Let''s go?" Darcel agreed with leaving, but he noticed something odd when looking at the caves'' entrance. The mere fact none of the rocks were moving already left Darcel worried.


    All of the rocks were glowing white, but they seemed just impossible to budge. And when looking at Ani''s expression, it was one of someone struggling to open something.


    Her hands were tightly clenched, her teeth were grinding, and her frustration was building. It didn''t matter how hard she pulled, even with her newyer, she couldn''t break her own damn rocks!


    "Heeeh...want to leaave?"


    Darcel and Ani''s body went cold, and all movement from them ceased. Actual cold sweat formed and dribbled down their faces. That person sounded far too close to them like they were right in their ears.


    Yet when looking around, their eyes didn''t see anything but glossy ck rocks! No matter where their eyes darted to, it would be in a vain attempt to pick up where that voice came from.


    It was then, a tremendous pressure wrapped the two from behind, giving them the terrifying feeling of death. Their pupils dted, and their bodies straighten up when hearing,


    "Juust behind youu"


    ''Hua!''


    Narrowly, Darcel and Ani desperately flung their bodies forward while feeling something incredibly sharp graze their clothes. The twonded on their feet and promptly turned around.


    Doing so finally allowed them to gaze upon who was making that frightening voice. But it wasn''t like anything the two could''ve expected.


    The being before them was mysteriously translucent! It had a figure resembling a human, but it had this strange long dress like clothes on.


    Though the duo was able to clearly see sharp blue ws extending out of this creature''s supposed sleeves.


    Never before in either of Darcel or Ani''s life had they stumbled upon such a creature. They also didn''t have any memories of someone talking about this kind of being.


    This would''ve been a neat discovery if the two weren''t feeling immensely pressured at this moment.


    "This...this is like some childhood story ghost or something." Ani breathlessly said, and Darcel was inclined to agree. Being translucent with a blue outline did at least speak ghostly vibes.


    "We''re not alooone"


    ''Chi!''


    The ghost-like creature''s eyes shed a harsh blue light while talking. The sudden and brief sh of light was far too great than anything the duo was expecting, and it forced the two to shield their eyes.


    "You can open uuup now"


    Like they needed the ghost permission, the duo was tempted to ignore the ghost mocking call. However, the feeling of dread and death had explosively multiplied!


    Snapping their eyes open, Darcel and Ani immediately felt the air get sucked out of them.


    Five new ghost-like creatures had joined the fray, all staring menacingly at the duo. Oddly enough, while watching, the two had noticed three of the ghosts had a figure simr to a woman.


    But this small detail meant little in protecting their lives.


    The pressure brought upon them wasn''t so great they wouldn''t be able to move. Still, the duo knows their chances of winning was extraordinarily slim.


    Their eyes bear witness to the ghosts raising their ws slowly, all proiming in a terrifying unison,


    "Diiieee"