"This is a guiding lamp," Miao Shao said, pressing the lamp into Xiao Man's hand and urging her onto the boat. "Do not turn back before reaching the shore. Once on land, keep walking forward, and you will reach the Myriad Ghost Forest. You will be safe once you exit it."
Miao Shao then handed Xiao Man a map. "This is the map of the Myriad Ghost Forest."
"Thank you, Guard Miao," Xiao Man accepted it. "Why are you sending us away so suddenly? Where has Wuhuan gone?"
"You don't want to leave?" Miao Shao raised an eyebrow and asked in a low voice. If you don't leave now, you might not be able to leave when you want to!"
Xiao Man shook her head and boarded the boat with Nangong Yu. This river was called the River of Suffering, the path taken by those leaving the Ghost Realm. This path was not calm and smooth, especially this River of Suffering. When crossing, one must never look back. Once you look back, you will be trapped in this River of Suffering and unable to reach the shore.
After boarding, the boatman rowed, and the small boat, like a lone leaf, swayed away. Familiar voices seemed to drift from behind. Xiao Man, remembering Miao Shao's instructions, did not look back.
Nangong Yu remained calm, as if he had heard nothing.
"A'yu, are you scared?"
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man blankly, not understanding what she was saying. He pointed to his ears, indicating he could not hear. Xiao Man couldn't help but smile. Closing off one's hearing was an excellent way to avoid being ensnared.
"Man'er."
A familiar voice echoed in her ears. Xiao Man almost turned back, but she forcefully restrained herself, breaking out in a cold sweat. Her gaze involuntarily fell on Nangong Yu. Just as she was about to close her hearing, she heard the voice from behind, filled with sorrow.
"Man'er, don't leave me behind."
Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Xiao Man's forehead. She ultimately chose to block her hearing, shutting out all sounds. These were illusions, soul-stirring illusions, not to be believed!
Seeing Xiao Man's pained expression, Nangong Yu immediately grasped her hand. Xiao Man glanced at Nangong Yu, stabilized her mind, and looked forward with determination. The peak of Cang Mountain, she would eventually go there. She also wanted to know what awaited her at the peak of Cang Mountain!
Miao Shao watched the small boat disappear and prepared to return. As he turned, he saw Wuhuan standing behind him. He didn't know how long he had been there, and he lowered his head guiltily.
"Your subordinate greets Your Majesty."
"What is the penalty for releasing them without authorization?" Wuhuan asked in a low voice. A thick fog rose, obscuring everything on the River of Suffering. But he knew the River of Suffering could not trap Xiao Man. She had easily escaped the vast desert; the River of Suffering was nothing to her.
"Your subordinate acted on his own initiative, please punish me, Your Majesty." Miao Shao immediately knelt to plead guilty. He didn't know Xiao Man's identity, but General Zangfeng had said that Xiao Man was the hope of the demon race. This was why Zangfeng hadn't killed her even after she had killed Zangxu.
"Go and receive one hundred lashes." Wuhuan turned around, his eyes cold and emotionless. It was good that they had left now, but ultimately, they would return, bringing back what belonged to him.
Cheng Ze and Cheng Le were in a sorry state. They were trapped in the Myriad Ghost Forest, unable to find an entrance. They had left the Underworld City and entered the Myriad Ghost Forest, but they couldn't get out. They kept circling in the Myriad Ghost Forest, unable to find their way out.
"Cheng Ze, I can't go on," Cheng Le said, collapsing onto the ground. "All the food we brought is gone, and we still haven't found the entrance to the Ghost Realm. Could that old man from the Heavenly Sword Sect have lied to us?"
"He has no reason to lie to us. Since he said the entrance to the Ghost Realm is in the Myriad Ghost Forest, then it must be in the Myriad Ghost Forest. We just haven't found it yet."
"So much time has passed. Xiao Qin entered the Ghost Realm. Is she… still alive?" Cheng Le asked cautiously. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't stay in the Ghost Realm for long. Moreover, Xiao Man was only at the Golden Core stage. She would likely be eaten by the demons and monsters in the Ghost Realm, leaving not even her bones behind.
"She'll be fine. She'll definitely be fine!" Cheng Ze said, trying to comfort himself. "She'll definitely be fine!"
"If she dies in the Ghost Realm, what will we do?"
"We'll see her alive or find her corpse," Cheng Ze said calmly. If they gave up searching based on mere speculation, the Young Sect Master would surely destroy them!
"There isn't even a single spiritual beast in here. Our skills are useless. Let alone rescuing her, if this continues, we'll both die here." Cheng Le lay sprawled on the ground, sighing about how unlucky Xiao Man was, wondering why the demon race was so fixated on her.
Cheng Le's gaze fell on a tree not far away. Someone was sitting on the tree, watching him with an amused expression. The person's appearance was very familiar.
"Xiao Qin?"
"Stop being lazy and get up to search."
"Cheng Ze, Xiao Qin!"
"I know, Xiao Qin is trapped in the Ghost Realm!"
"No, Xiao Qin!" Cheng Le sat up and pointed to the distance. "She's sitting right there!"
Cheng Ze followed Cheng Le's direction but saw no one. "Are you delirious? Are you hallucinating? I don't see any trace of her."
Cheng Le rubbed his eyes and looked at the tree in disbelief. It was still the same tree, but the person was gone. Cheng Le scratched his head. "That's strange. Why is she gone? Could I really be hallucinating?"
"Who are these two people?"
"They should be Wen Ting's men," Xiao Man said softly. "When I was being pursued by Zangfeng, these two wanted to help, but I didn't expect them to follow me here."
"Should we bother with them?"
"Let's lead them out. It's a way to repay them for their help." Xiao Man's figure flashed, and she was suddenly behind Cheng Le. She reached out and patted Cheng Le's left shoulder. Cheng Le turned around and saw no one. Xiao Man patted his right shoulder again. Cheng Le turned around again and still saw no one, feeling a chill run down his spine. He scrambled forward.
"There's a ghost!"
"Where's the ghost?" Xiao Man ran alongside Cheng Le.
"Behind you… ah!" Cheng Le let out a scream, drawing Cheng Ze back. "Are you… are you human or a ghost?"
Xiao Man slapped Cheng Le hard, sending him tumbling to the ground. "In broad daylight, do you think I'm human or a ghost?"
"You… you escaped from the Ghost Realm?" Cheng Le's voice trembled. Someone had entered the Ghost Realm and escaped completely unharmed! Although they were looking for the entrance to the Ghost Realm, they had prepared themselves to die there. Yet, Xiao Man had emerged from the Ghost Realm, seemingly unharmed.
"We didn't enter the Ghost Realm at all. Like you, we've been wandering in this Myriad Ghost Forest for many days before encountering you." Seeing a faint black aura around their brows, Xiao Man knew they had been poisoned. She threw two pills to Cheng Ze. "One each, it's an antidote."
"Thank you, Young Master Xiao." Cheng Ze handed one pill to Cheng Le and swallowed the other himself.