The group continued their journey towards Mount Wuyin in silence.
Mount Wuyin appeared close, but it was actually quite a distance from their tribal village. Despite the illusion of proximity, it took them several hours to finally reach the foot of the mountain.
Wu Xiaolan, Wu Ming, and Wu Lei stopped and informed Gu Qianying and the others, "This is Mount Wuyin. There is a path at the foot of the mountain that leads up to the cave where the Saintess disappeared."
Gu Qianying and Su Cheng acknowledged their words. Gu Qianying then asked the three, "Do you still intend to proceed further? If you are afraid, you can wait here for our news."
Wu Xiaolan, Wu Ming, and Wu Lei exchanged glances. Wu Xiaolan, speaking for the three, declared their decision, "We wish to accompany you up the mountain to find the Saintess."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianying expressed her admiration for Wu Xiaolan, Wu Ming, and Wu Lei's loyalty to Saintess Lu Zhu, nodding as she said, "Very well. Since that is the case, you shall continue to lead the way. Together, we will rescue Lu Zhu."
After this minor interlude, the group of six continued their ascent.
However, even before reaching the summit, the atmosphere grew eerily terrifying.
Gu Qianying, who had been holding Xiao Yihao's hand, sensed that something was amiss. She picked up Xiao Yihao, handed him to Su Cheng, and braced herself, fully alert to their surroundings.
Su Cheng also perceived the strange and heavy atmosphere. He accepted Xiao Yihao from Gu Qianying, holding the little one securely in his embrace.
The five adults and one child continued forward in this tense atmosphere, vigilant against any unfolding changes.
Suddenly! Dark shadows emerged from ahead of the group.
These shadows were amorphous, taking on human-like forms with eyes. However, these were not real human eyes, but glowing green ones.
The shadows were sinister, their green eyes exuding an eerie allure.
Gu Qianying and the others knew they were in trouble.
Looking at the shadows, she identified them, "These are evil spirits. Everyone, be careful."
Hearing Gu Qianying's words, Su Cheng pressed his lips together, holding Xiao Yihao even tighter.
Wu Xiaolan, Wu Ming, and Wu Lei backed into each other, forming a defensive circle to guard against sneak attacks from the evil spirits, standing ready for battle.
The group of green-eyed shadows, intending to surround Gu Qianying and her companions, showed no fear upon being identified. Instead, they laughed even more maniacally, "Heh heh heh heh—"
The evil spirits cackled and launched their attack on Gu Qianying and the others.
The group found themselves in a fierce struggle. The shadows seemed tireless, attacking in waves. However, Gu Qianying, Su Cheng, Wu Xiaolan, Wu Lei, and Wu Ming, having traveled for hours, were beginning to feel fatigued.
Suddenly, in a moment of inattention, Wu Xiaolan was pulled into the encirclement of the evil spirits by one that got too close.
Wu Xiaolan struggled valiantly, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; she could not prevent the evil spirits from closing in. As the evil spirits were about to tear chunks of flesh from Wu Xiaolan, the situation became extremely perilous.
Gu Qianying moved swiftly, executing a spinning kick that sent the evil spirit closest to Wu Xiaolan flying. She immediately grabbed Wu Xiaolan's arm and pulled her back to the group.
Just as Wu Xiaolan narrowly escaped danger, trouble arose with Su Cheng and Xiao Yihao.
Su Cheng firmly shielded Xiao Yihao with one hand while brandishing his sword with the other, fending off the evil spirits.
However, trying to manage both, Su Cheng was somewhat overwhelmed.
Several evil spirits stealthily approached Su Cheng, attempting to restrict his movements. Cornered by these spirits, Su Cheng was almost immobilized.
Su Cheng felt a surge of anxiety, his concern for Xiao Yihao's safety paramount. He quickly shouted, calling for Gu Qianying's assistance, "Qianying! Come help me!"
Hearing Su Cheng's cry, Gu Qianying's attention shifted from Wu Xiaolan to Su Cheng.
The moment her gaze shifted, Gu Qianying saw a sight that made her hair stand on end: Su Cheng and Xiao Yihao were almost engulfed by the surrounding evil spirits!
Gu Qianying's heart filled with urgency and anger. She flew forward, intending to rescue her beloved son, Xiao Yihao, and her partner, Su Cheng.
She channeled the demonic power within her. Instantly, Gu Qianying's robes billowed, and her dark hair flew around her.
She circulated the meridians throughout her body, condensing some of her demonic power into her palm, and unleashed an attack on the evil spirits surrounding Su Cheng and Xiao Yihao.
Gu Qianying's demonic power perfectly suppressed the evil spirits. The layers of dark shadows, upon receiving Gu Qianying's attack, could not withstand it and were all injured.
Gu Qianying pressed her advantage, continuing to wield her demonic power against the evil spirits. She drove them back, forcing them into a desperate retreat, and finally, they fled in disarray.
Seeing the evil spirits vanish from the area, Gu Qianying, along with the other two and the people from the Wu clan, breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiao Yihao dared to lift his head from Su Cheng's embrace, looking at his mother to see if she was injured.
"Mother, how are you feeling now? Does it hurt?"
Touched by her son's concern, Gu Qianying gently patted Xiao Yihao's head, reassuring him, "Mother is fine. Thank you for your concern, son. Mother is doing very well now."
Then she addressed the group, "Everyone, let's rest for a moment, and then we will continue our journey!"
Su Cheng and Xiao Yihao nodded, about to step forward with Gu Qianying towards the summit of Mount Wuyin.
At that moment, Wu Xiaolan let out a startled cry, "Oh no! Wu Ming is gone!"
Gu Qianying stopped, turning to look beside Wu Xiaolan and Wu Lei. Indeed, Wu Ming, who had been fighting alongside Wu Lei and Wu Xiaolan moments before, had vanished.
She had been so busy rescuing others that she hadn't paid attention to what was happening with Wu Lei and Wu Ming.
Su Cheng also frowned, his gaze sweeping over Wu Lei and Wu Xiaolan. Suspecting they might know something, he asked them, "When you were dealing with the evil spirits, did you notice anything unusual, or did you see anything Wu Ming did?"
Wu Xiaolan recalled the scene and shook her head, "Shortly after being attacked by those dark shadows, I was captured by them. Fortunately, my benefactor intervened and saved me. After that, I was focused on calming my emotions and keeping an eye on the evil spirits, so I didn't notice the situation of those around me."
Wu Lei also recounted his experience, "I didn't notice anything unusual either. I was solely focused on fighting. By the time I came to my senses, Wu Ming had already disappeared."
Based on the accounts of Wu Xiaolan and Wu Lei, Wu Ming had truly vanished from that spot without any apparent reason.