Huang Ying's group quickly made their way out of the cavern, a few ants following a short distance behind them and keeping an eye on them in case they tried anything. But Huang Ying and his group didn't do anything against the ants and simply ascended to the surface again, the bright light of the sun calling to them as they approached the exit.
The sun hung high in the sky when they stepped out of the entrance to the ant hive, not a single cloud in the sky to obstruct the warm rays. The only source of light during the one and a half months stay within the cavern was Ming Chang's orbs of fire so Huang Ying and the others couldn't help but bask in the light of the sun now that they had the chance.
The forest in an at least 50-kilometer wide area around them had been flattened and tossed aside, shattered trunks and branches, as well as bones and patches of skin, were scattered all around them. The collection of tall trees that coiled around each other and served as the center of the forest had also been torn apart, only a few thick stumps remaining.
The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, it was almost to the point where it felt like there was a faint red mist floating around. They had only been able to hear the sounds of battle so they had no way of figuring out just how many beasts, and possibly humans, had died during this month and a half long battle. Looking at the ruined area around them, a few floating orbs that were nearly completely translucent, only a light milky mist floating around in them, caught the attention of Huang Ying and the others.
"Wraiths? If they've started forming then saying that a lot of lives were ended here would be an understatement."
Wraiths could be considered a rather peculiar type of living beings, they were a congregation of fragmented souls. Any living being would leave behind a slight fragment of their soul when they died, the stronger the being was the longer it would take this fragment to dissipate. When a large number of these fragments gathered then there was a chance that they could gather together, growing stronger and stronger as more and more fragments fused together.
If they reached a certain level of strength, they would gather together into these orbs, at which point they would then start to automatically absorb not just the soul fragments, but also the Qi within the area. If they were left unchecked and got to absorb enough, the wraiths would gain consciousness and the ability to move around, increasing the range at which they could absorb Qi and soul fragments. A wraith with consciousness was for all intents and purposes a soul-based Demonic beast, if one entered a weaker village or city then it might even suck out the souls of all the people living there.
These wraiths were still in their orb form and hadn't chosen a form for themselves so they clearly hadn't gained consciousness yet, meaning that they were fairly harmless. Ming Chang was just about to open her mouth to discuss how they should proceed now, her words stopping when she saw that Huang Ying was walking up to one of the wraiths.
Huang Ying curiously looked at the wraith for a second before stretching out his arm and placing his palm on it. Black sludge poured forth from his hand and surrounded the wraith, a lamprey-like mouth swimming around within the sludge, grinning with glee. The sludge sank back into his body after a few seconds, the wraith already vanished as it had been devoured by him.
Huang Ying clenched his hand slightly while looking at it, the corner of his mouth rising slightly. Just like he thought, devouring a wraith would increase the strength of his soul slightly. Beasts for the body, men for the energy, and wraiths for the soul. Devouring any of the three would also slightly increase the strength of the other two aspects, but it couldn't be compared to the increase he got if he devoured the being most suited for that aspect. He unclenched his hands, the voice of Guo Shui drawing his attention.
"That thing of yours is really freaky, munching down on corpses and wraiths like that. Is it the law of gathering, or do you just have some type of mutated bloodline?"
Huang Ying turned around and faced his group, who were all looking at him with somewhat peculiar gazes, as if they weren't quite sure what to make of him and his abilities. Huang Ying flashed them a slightly cocky grin and shrugged his shoulders, his silence serving as his only response, forcing Guo Shui and the others to drop the topic.
"Whatever, keep your secrets for yourself while you still can, you won't be able to keep things hidden for long once you start becoming more famous. But anyway, we should probably leave the forest as quickly as we can, we've already spent far too long here. The entire center of the forest has been wrecked so it should be safe to trace our steps back, it should also be the fastest way to return."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
No one had anything to say against Guo Shui's words, all the beasts at the center of the forest had likely relocated for a bit before one of them started rebuilding the ruined area. Huang Ying took advantage of the empty area to eat up the other seven wraiths that had formed, Ming Chang and the others not commenting on it as none of them were capable of making use of the wraiths.
They passed by the stumps that remained of the coiling trees that once served as the centerpiece of the forest, Huang Ying's gaze landing on the light brown eggshell fragments that littered the area. The deep crimson eye looking at him from within the egg as they fled was still fresh in his mind, so although he had no proof to back it up, he was certain that the being within the egg hadn't died here.
It was out there somewhere, stalking around as it hunted him, it might even be on the way to the Fierce Flame Academy. Just the thought of it caused the corners of Huang Ying's lips to curve up slightly. It had absorbed an untold amount of bloodlines, and even a bit of his own blood as he was dropped into the lake of blood that had filled the nest. It would certainly be a rather ridiculous beast, it would certainly make for an excellent opponent that he could use to temper himself.
The group swiftly fled from the center of the forest and headed for the outskirts of the forest at full speed, no Demonic beasts daring to approach them after noticing the cultivations of Ming Chang and the others. But even though they could continue moving without pause, only stopping twice to rest and eat during the entire journey, the march from the center of the forest to the edge still took them a little over nine days.
It was only upon reaching the exit of the forest that the group let out a collective breath, as long as they were still in the forest there was no telling if they might get snatched up by another strong Demonic beast. Luckily, strong Demonic beasts were smart enough that most wouldn't risk leaving their territory and giving strong humans an excuse to gather up and hunt them down.
Standing on the rolling plain that stretched out for a bit outside the forest, the group of six people couldn't help but look at each other. They had escaped from the jaws of death together and fought together, and now the time for them to split up had arrived. They would all return to their respective academies and continue walking their own paths, there was even a chance that they would never meet again.
The silver-haired Lang Zan swiped her own interspatial ring and took out another ring, a blue one covered in small cloud engravings. She tossed the ring to Huang Ying, using her thumb to gesture towards the others.
"Here you go, Little Ling, it's a gift from the lot of us. Can't really send you off with nothing after you went through the trouble of saving our asses. We were supposed to give it to you earlier, but watching you run around with nothing but tattered pants was too funny so I held on to the ring for a while."
Huang Ying's eyebrow couldn't help but perk up slightly when he saw Lang Zan's smirk, catching the ring before it hit him in the face. He looked down at the ring in his palm and insert a bit of his Qi into it, the ring instantly familiarizing itself to him, making it so that unless he died or specifically opened it, only his Qi could be used to open it.
The inside of the ring was rather large, about 500 meters in all directions, and about half of the space was currently occupied. The contents were a mixture of pill bottles that were clearly labeled, Spirit Stones, normal currency, and some clothes he could wear. He took out one of the ocean-blue robes and changed into it, taking out the two items he was the most interested in. One was an apple-sized orb of white jade covered in tiny engravings and the other was an item that looked like a metal chariot just large enough to hold two standing people. Seeing the items he took out, the crimson-haired Han De took the chance to explain what they were.
"That orb is a type of communication system, you just insert a bit of your Qi into it and then you can send a message to any other jade that has been registered in it. We've all registered our own jade's into it so that you can contact us whenever you want, we might also contact you in the future if we're bored. That other item is one that you'd best be careful with, it's really damn expensive. By inserting either Spirit Stones or your own Qi you'll be able to make the entire chariot fly, it is an indispensable item for any cultivator who likes to travel."
Huang Ying's eyes lit up slightly when he heard the description of the two items, they would be more than just a little useful to him, especially the chariot. He gave the jade orb a quick test by sending a simple hello to the others, all of them also making sure that he received their messages. He then put away the orb and placed the chariot on the ground, stepping on it while speaking frankly.
"Call it cliche or cringe, but I'll say it frankly. Our paths diverge here, but our hearts remain connected, you can call upon me in the future if you should ever need anything or if you just want to talk. It might take a while, but there will come a day where we meet up again, and once that day comes I'll make sure to embarrass the lot of you with how strong I've become. You'd best do everything you can to increase your own strength, otherwise, I'll laugh at you once I beat you down in a duel."
The others couldn't help but grin upon hearing Huang Ying's straightforward words, Lang Zan stretching out her fist. Huang Ying and the others stretched out their own fists and bumped them all against each other, the simple act serving as the quiet goodbye of the group.
Huang Ying insert some Qi into the chariot and directed it with his mind, Li Jun giving him a bit of advice on how to steer it more easily. The chariot soared into the sky and vanished into the distance, heading directly for the Fierce Flame academy. Too much time had already passed while Huang Ying was within the ant hive, it was time to kill those who should be killed.