Chapter 354: Encountering a Treasure

It was only natural for Su Yan to think this way. After all, the Zhou family had coveted the treasures in the ancestral lands for over a hundred years, and Zhou Li had once mentioned that someone had reached the final stage before. Therefore, it was impossible that there were no records of how the previous person had solved the challenges.

"If that is truly the case, then it would be for the best." Ma Chulong spoke with heavy concern, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

The Zhou family members were the first to disappear into the mist, and they hadn't even given a single warning to the others. If Su Yan hadn't been so capable, wouldn't they have all been wiped out?

Su Yan naturally knew what he was worried about, but if the Zhou family had really forced everyone to perform sacrifices at the very first stage, they would have been truly foolish.

However, her teacher had once taught her never to entrust her safety to others, no matter the circumstances, so she still needed to find a way herself.

Just as they were discussing a strategy, the sound of silver bells rang out once again.

The hair on everyone's bodies stood on end, and their expressions turned horrified once more.

It was after this very sound had rang out previously that those puppets had appeared.

Even Ma Chulong's breathing quickened as he instantly prepared himself for another fight.

"Su Yan, it's that sound!"

Su Yan had naturally heard it too; it was indeed exactly the same as before.

"Don't act rashly."

Her words carried the weight of a divine decree to everyone present.

The sound of the silver bells seemed very close to them, yet Su Yan looked dozens of meters ahead and found nothing unusual.

"Everyone stay here. Even if you encounter puppets, just remember not to attack them proactively. I'm going ahead to take a look."

With a simple instruction, she prepared to head toward the source of the sound.

"Su Yan, let Lanlan go with you so you can look after each other," Ma Chulong decided decisively.

In truth, he had his own selfish motives. Even though he and a dozen other exorcists were here, it was still much safer to stay by Su Yan's side.

Su Yan glanced at him.

Ma Chulan opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.

"Alright. Lanlan, come with me." Su Yan agreed.

Ma Chulong nodded to Ma Chulan.

Though Ma Chulan was uneasy, she followed in Su Yan's footsteps under Ma Chulong's urgent gaze.

Watching their figures disappear into the mist, Ma Chulong's heart tightened.

*Ring, ring, ring~*

The sound of the silver bells seemed to be stirred by the wind, ringing incessantly.

Ma Chulan followed closely at Su Yan's side, but for some reason, she began to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

"Su Yan, why do I feel a bit dizzy?"

It wasn't just a feeling of lightheadedness; even Su Yan's figure appeared to be doubling.

Su Yan stopped immediately to check on her condition.

That bell sound was clearly getting closer and closer.

Ma Chulan's breathing, pulse, and temperature were all completely normal.

Yet, as the sound continued, her dizziness grew more severe.

"It's happening again."

With a pained murmur, she tightly clutched her head and covered her ears, as if that were the only way to find relief.

Looking at her current state and listening to the continuous sound, Su Yan suddenly realized where the problem lay.

"Lanlan, don't listen to that bell."

"Su Yan, I... I can't take it anymore..."

Blood actually began to trickle slowly from Ma Chulan's nostrils; it was clearly impossible for her to simply stop listening.

Su Yan swiftly produced a talisman and directly sealed her hearing.

The moment the talisman took effect, Ma Chulan's pain and distress ceased instantly.

*Huff! Huff!*

She gasped for air, her clothes already soaked through with sweat.

"Are you feeling better?" Because her hearing was sealed, Su Yan wrote the question directly into her palm.

Ma Chulan nodded hurriedly. "As long as I can't hear that bell, I'll be fine."

Instead of relaxing, Su Yan's expression grew even more solemn.

This bell sound was truly bizarre.

She continued writing, "Can you walk?"

She had a premonition that the source of the sound wouldn't be far away.

Ma Chulan did not want to be a burden and immediately pulled herself together.

Although not being able to hear was difficult, the physical discomfort had truly vanished.

Su Yan walked with great determination, which gave Ma Chulan a sense of security.

After all, being immersed in this thick mist was truly terrifying.

After about a few minutes, Su Yan suddenly increased her pace.

Sensing her change in behavior, Ma Chulan's heart rate unconsciously quickened.

After walking another few hundred meters, the thick mist suddenly thinned out.

And the silver bell sound, which had been lingering in the woods, became exceptionally piercing.

Su Yan didn't understand why she wasn't affected by the bells, but when she saw the scenery before her, she froze in place.

"What... what is that thing?"

Ma Chulan's eyes widened even further, her voice trembling slightly from the sheer shock.

She saw a tree.

A tree unlike any she had ever seen.

It stood towering and immense, its extent impossible to see at a glance.

The branches were covered in dense, red leaves, with every vein clearly visible.

What made it even more peculiar was that it seemed as though some liquid was slowly flowing within the leaves, which would drip from the tips a second later.

At this moment, the leaves swayed without any wind, emitting a sound like "silver bells."

Even behind her black cloth, Su Yan's vision was shaking violently. As she stared intently at the massive tree, an ancient book that Granny Li had shown her long ago surfaced in her mind.

That book described various precious and extinct things; this great tree, from its appearance to its red foliage, bore a striking resemblance to the description of one such plant.

At this thought, Su Yan's breathing even quickened. If it truly was that thing, then they had encountered a massive treasure!

"Ah! Su Yan, come here, quick!"

While she was lost in thought, Ma Chulan had already moved to the other side of the tree and let out a terrified scream.

Su Yan's breath hitched. Thinking she was in danger, she rushed over at top speed.

Ma Chulan was still standing under the tree, her hands tightly covering her eyes, her entire body trembling.

Since her hearing was sealed, Su Yan immediately grabbed her wrist.

As if having suffered a massive fright, Ma Chulan shakily raised her arm to point at a certain spot on the trunk, while she herself dared not look again.

Su Yan immediately looked in the direction she was pointing, and her face instantly changed.

Two people were hanging from the trunk, their bodies entwined with dense branches and leaves, leaving only their heads exposed.

Strands of spiritual energy were being absorbed from the two people into the foliage, making the originally bright red leaves appear even more blood-colored.

Such an eerie scene was indeed enough to make one's skin crawl, but most importantly, Su Yan quickly recognized that the two people hanging on the tree were none other than the first to go missing—Zhou Li and Zhou Chong!

(End of Chapter)