Chapter 317: Encountering a Barrier Again

“It’s different.”

Su Yan's answer left the siblings stunned for a moment, clearly not understanding what she meant.

Su Yan continued, “The path we’ve walked is different.”

Her tone was exceptionally certain.

“How do you know?” Ma Chulan wasn't questioning her ability, but rather the fact that beyond the immediate vicinity of the three of them, the surroundings were filled with impenetrable trees, making it impossible to even discern direction. How could she be so sure they hadn't encountered a "ghost wall" (a spatial loop)?

Su Yan wanted to say it was because she could see it, but such an answer would clearly fail to dispel their fear.

“Although it is extremely easy to lose one's way in the forest, we certainly haven't. Since we entered, we have been walking southeast continuously, without deviating at all.”

“Really?”

If that were the case, it was somewhat good news.

Su Yan nodded in response. “Furthermore, my eyes are blindfolded, so I can actually discern directions more clearly than you two can.”

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan exchanged a glance, finally gaining a modicum of confidence.

“Then, should we keep going?”

“Yes. This place can't be infinite.”

Perhaps it was because of Su Yan's calmness, but the two siblings felt as though they had found a pillar of support, and the three of them continued forward.

As they walked, Su Yan suddenly stopped.

“What is it?”

As Ma Chulong asked, he looked in the direction she was facing, and then his heart gave a violent tremor.

Not far from the three of them, there was actually a moving flicker of candlelight.

Having walked for so long, they had even grown accustomed to the deathly silence of the forest; the sudden appearance of light actually made their scalps tingle with dread.

Moreover, they were carrying torches, and even the light from those torches could only illuminate a distance of about one meter. Yet, that moving candlelight could be seen from such a distance—this was absolutely abnormal.

Ma Chulan gripped his sleeve even tighter.

Even though they were exorcists, it didn't mean they wouldn't feel fear toward the unknown.

“Su Yan, over there... what is it?”

She asked Su Yan with a trembling voice.

“It's too far to see clearly. Let's go take a look.” After Su Yan spoke, she quickened her pace.

At this moment, the two siblings, who remained standing in place, were utterly in awe of her.

Was she really not afraid at all?

To avoid being left behind by Su Yan, Ma Chulong snapped out of it and immediately grabbed Ma Chulan's hand, chasing after her.

The candlelight looked very far away, and indeed, once they actually began to pursue it, it was a long distance.

Not only was it far, but it was also moving.

The forest was thick with weeds, and there weren't even paths. Although they were moving at their maximum speed, the distance to that candlelight seemed to grow wider and wider.

“Hey! Is that a person or a ghost over there? If you're a person, please wait for us! If you're a ghost, please wait for us too!”

Ma Chulong thought of a foolish idea and began shouting at the top of his lungs.

But once he actually shouted, he realized that this forest not only swallowed light but also prevented sound from traveling very far.

“Stop shouting, he can't hear you,” Su Yan reminded Ma Chulong, also to save him some strength.

If she wasn't mistaken, it should be a person carrying something like a kerosene lamp.

Ma Chulong was panting heavily, cold sweat already breaking out on his forehead.

“Could it be ghost fire?”

If it were ghost fire, then their current actions were a complete waste of time and energy.

Su Yan did not answer immediately. After a moment of hesitation, she replied, “I think it looks like candlelight.”

The eyes of the Ma siblings lit up. If it was candlelight, it meant there was someone there.

That person was very likely the missing Gu Yang!

Su Yan naturally hoped for this as well, which was why she chose to pursue the candlelight with unwavering determination.

“Let's go.”

After catching their breath, the three set off again.

This time, they had only moved forward for about half an hour before they stopped again.

Looking at the forest they had finally emerged from, they even experienced a moment of daze.

After all, they had believed there was nothing here but trees.

The view ahead suddenly opened up, and even the moonlight poured down completely.

“Su Yan, look over there!”

Ma Chulong suddenly shouted in excitement.

Su Yan and Ma Chulan both looked in the direction he was pointing.

In the clearing several hundred meters to the east of the three of them, two people were standing.

To be precise, there was one man and one woman. The woman was standing there, while the man was tied to the center of a circular platform.

And that man was none other than Gu Yang.

Su Yan's expression turned grim, and she charged forward like a sharp arrow.

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan did not delay for a single second, running at their fastest speed.

However, just as the three were less than a hundred meters away from Gu Yang, they were suddenly blocked by a massive barrier energy.

Su Yan had charged too fiercely and could only barely steady her footing, but because of the violent collision, the qi and blood in her body surged.

The siblings were also affected by the impact, their faces turning quite pale.

“It's Liu Yiyi!”

Ma Chulong suppressed his pain, his furious gaze landing on Liu Yiyi inside the barrier.

However, he was even more shocked by how Liu Yiyi could use such a powerful barrier.

The strength of this kind of barrier would likely be considered extremely formidable even within an entire clan; the barriers previously used by Feng Zong did not have this much power.

Yet, Liu Yiyi was merely Feng Zong's dog.

Su Yan had also seen Liu Yiyi long ago, and the energy in the depths of her eyes began to churn.

The biggest mistake she had made was not killing this woman directly back then.

Liu Yiyi also saw them, and her features immediately contorted. “You again! How did you actually find this place?!”

Clearly, their appearance was extremely unexpected to her.

Su Yan's rapidly shifting gaze landed on Gu Yang to confirm his condition.

“Brother Gu!”

Gu Yang's consciousness seemed somewhat dazed, but he still immediately heard her call. He opened his eyes and looked toward the source of the voice in disbelief.

When he recognized Su Yan, his whole body began to struggle violently.

“Yan Yan, don't come over here!”

He would rather this be a hallucination than have Su Yan truly appear in such a dangerous situation.

Once Su Yan confirmed he was still lucid, her tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

Next, she only needed to break this damn barrier and rescue him directly.

“Brother Gu, don't be afraid. We will save you right away.”

At this point, it was clearly impossible to continue hiding her identity.

Since such a price had to be paid, Liu Yiyi shouldn't even dream of walking out of here alive!

Gu Yang desperately wanted her to leave quickly, unwilling for her to suffer even the slightest harm to save him. But looking at Su Yan's gradually cold face and the powerful aura radiating from her entire body, the words at the tip of his tongue could not be uttered.

(End of Chapter)