650: The Witch

The Witch

Far from Red Lotus Country, a group of nearly eighty people had camped for the night, breaking off into their own respective groups. Among them, there was one particular group that was far greater than the others. 2

In fact, they were a third of the entire group, almost thirty people being led by one person, Zhi Jinguo. 

They were somewhat isolated from everyone else and were on the receiving end of many wary looks. After all, who wouldn't be on their guard against them? These hooded figures would show no remorse, even to those of their own kind. 

No one would want to be dragged off into one of their experiments. 

As for the Witch, herself, she stared up into the sky before looking at the fire in front of her. There were five others sitting with her, the other members of the Fourteen Evils. 

"We should reach Red Lotus Country in a few days and then to the Misty Blood Tomb", one of them said. 

"Mm, we'll have to see just what exactly is there. For even Yingba to disappear, surely it is no ordinary Cursed Land."

They all looked to the old woman who quietly stared into the fire. Despite the warmness of the flames, her skin still seemed ice cold, nearly blue in color. Her eyes suddenly moved, looking at the others with a dead stare. 

"It is... quite interesting. For this particular place to be different from the others, it doesn't seem like cursed land. Not even that oaf could do a thing, there's more to it but we won't know until we get there."

"Right."

They all nodded as she continued. 

"Whatever the case, something is there. It is only a pity that the other two aren't joining us", she spoke with a disappointed tone. 

The others perked up as she said this.

"Do you mean Xia Lang and Yao Junli?" one of them asked. 

She didn't really react to the question, merely staring into the fire. 

"Yes, it is unfortunate. Perhaps, I would've found an opportunity to study them but both of them have gone their own paths in this. Who knows, maybe we'll see them there."

The others looked at each other, quietly thinking about the coming days. Things were getting going to get a bit messy for them. 

"From what I hear, some of the old experts have gone out of hiding to check it out as well. Searching for any treasures to help them break through."

"I mean, they're probably reaching the end of their lifespan and have become desperate now. There's only so long they could delay it. I mean, going from the First Sky to the Second Sky adds two hundred years to your life span. How is that not enough time to break through?" 

They all nodded except for the old woman who said nothing. 

"Hah, you're still at the beginning stages of the Sky Realm. Reaching the Second or even Third Sky isn't that difficult but from looking towards the Fourth and Fifth, even a thousand years might not be enough", she replied. 

Looking at them, Zhi Jinguo continued her explanation. 

"The amount of power that you need to accumulate before breaking through increases by a hundredfold. It could even be more than that, it could be hundreds of times. It took me several dozen years to find out just how much is needed."

From here on, everyone had grown silent, not just the other members of the Fourteen evils but their followers. Eighty-odd people were quiet, listening to her words. As dangerous and frightening as she was, her desire for knowledge was nearly second to none. 

Whatever she said was sure to be helpful and enlightening. 

"Interestingly enough, there's no limit to how much you can gather, after all, it's a game of endurance and a game of waiting. You might think that they're desperate, to move at the end of their lifetime. But that is just them biding their time, making sure that they have the highest chance of success. After all, there's no point in having all of this power if you're going to fail your tribulation and die."

She tapped her staff on the ground a few times, picking at it. 

"Honestly, it all seems unfair, doesn't it? How all of the progress and power that we've gained can be robbed from us. Where does it all go? Is it just wasted? Does it just return to the world? There's no telling just what mysteries lie beyond us."

Getting up from her place, she turned to leave. 

"I'm feeling a bit tired actually. I'm going to rest for the night and I believe that it would be best for everyone to rest and recuperate. Even I am unsure as to what the Misty Blood Tomb has."

Walking off, she entered a tent and left everyone out. 

They were all lost in thought, pondering the questions she presented them. 

Indeed, what was the point of all they've done if they could be robbed of it? They would face one hurdle after another, each one higher than the last. In shorter words, it really did seem unfair, like a game that they were set to lose. 

And just a short distance away, hidden within the shadows was Ying Yi along with a dozen others. 

Watching the camped cultivators, he glanced at everyone, making several hand movements to everyone. The other twelve watched and nodded, slowly spreading apart, sneaking through the darkness. 

There were a few rays of moonlight shining through, just providing enough light to see a sliver of their silhouettes. 

As they moved closer and closer, all of them started to take notes on the group. Every one of them had a dark green piece of jade, pointing them at the scene and recording it. 

Meanwhile, Ying Yi had the white jade in his hands, glancing at it once in a while as he waited for a message to come. Turning his attention back to camp, he couldn't help but think back on what Zhi Jinguo said. 

"For someone like the Witch, such words were so sage-like", he thought, "And it seems that they aren't going to be the only ones coming now. Ahh, the guild is going to have quite a lot to do with the Misty Blood Tomb."

He then looked back down at the White Jade in his hands, thinking about Ming Yue.

"Her existence is still a secret but how long is it going to last? As much as I've tried to keep it under control, more and more eyes have begun to pay attention to it. She hasn't left any trails but it won't be long now, someone s going to find out at some point. At the very least, it would be a good time to reveal herself after this but if she wants to leave quietly, I have no reason not to respect it."

She was a powerful ally to have and in Ying Yi's eyes, she was worth all of the trouble. 

Looking at the jade one more time, he put it away and continued to monitor the camp. The fires were still going as a night watch had been set. Each group had its own people to send out, taking over one of six campfires at every hour. 

It was a quiet night, a night where he believed things would just go quietly. 

However, such a thought would not come to pass. 

"Mm, I wasn't sure before but it seems like I was right. I figured that there would be people watching us."

Seconds later, an old woman's voice echoed through the area, causing everyone to suddenly jump. 

"Shit! We were found?!" 

Ying Yi quickly moved and everyone gathered in one place where they saw the Witch herself, standing there nonchalantly. 

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