Suddenly, a startling red light split open in the sky, like a crack in the gates of the underworld, instantly illuminating the unknown darkness ahead.
Xu Yuehuai suddenly tightened the reins, his gaze fixed on that ominous light, and his heart began to race.
"Stop!" Qi Guze shouted.
The procession stopped immediately, and the horses paced restlessly.
"Your Highness, I'll lead some men to scout ahead." Yan Qing stepped forward, as if he had already disregarded life and death.
Qi Guze nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes: "Approved."
Yan Qing quickly gathered several agile guards and galloped towards the source of the red light, leaving behind a trail of fading hoofbeats.
Xu Yuehuai stared at them as they gradually disappeared into the distance, feeling uneasy. "The falling flames were most likely man-made."
Bei Ye couldn't help but show surprise: "Man-made? How could someone be so bold as to do this in this desolate wilderness?"
Bai Yu picked up the conversation, his tone tinged with amusement: "Yeah, what a coincidence that we happened to run into such a strange thing?"
Just as everyone was discussing this, the Ghost Doctor took out several exquisite porcelain bottles from his bag and handed them to everyone one by one: "Take all these pills, just in case."
Xu Yuehuai took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation, her gaze never leaving the approaching flames.
The firelight grew brighter and brighter, as if it were about to devour the entire night sky.
A short while later, the tranquility was broken by the chaotic sound of horses' hooves and frantic shouts.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Yan Qing, covered in blood and in a disheveled state, rushed back to the ranks, his face as pale as paper and his eyes filled with terror.
"What is that firelight?" Qi Guze asked.
Yan Qing, still panting, said intermittently, "I didn't see clearly. Everyone else was engulfed by the flames and is probably dead. Only I..." Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.
Lu Li reacted quickly, helping Yan Qing to his feet and settling him onto his horse.
"Hoo hoo!"
The flames seemed to come to life, suddenly accelerating like a ravenous beast opening its blood-red maw to pounce on the crowd.
"Retreat back the way we came!" Qi Guze made a quick decision, his figure flashing as he landed steadily on Xu Yuehuai's horse. He gripped the reins tightly with both hands, squeezed his legs hard, and the horse, in pain, burst forth with unprecedented speed, galloping back the way it came.
Lu Li followed closely behind, carrying the unconscious Yan Qing. The others followed suit, keeping pace with Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai.
The flames followed closely behind, burning everything in their path and leaving behind only scorched earth.
As Ghost Doctor, Bei Ye, Bai Yu, and the others retreated, they remained vigilant about their surroundings, fearing that something else might happen.
Finally, they were forced to the edge of a small hill, with a steep cliff in front of them and raging flames behind them.
Qi Guze reined in his horse and stopped. "Although this place is dangerous, it is the only way to survive."
Xu Yuehuai gazed at the abyss below, then looked up at the approaching flames, "I wonder if those villagers are in danger."
"We are already struggling to survive. Only by saving our own lives can we have a chance to find out the truth and protect more innocent people," Qi Guze said calmly.
No sooner had the words been spoken than the flames arrived, and the crowd gathered together, preparing for a final stand.
Just as the flames were about to mercilessly devour everything, a strange and dazzling light suddenly burst forth from beneath the cliff, like the first light of dawn breaking through the long night, yet carrying with it an indescribable and eerie aura.
The eerie light enveloped them, and a burning sensation rose within them; they felt as if they were being burned to death.
But the next moment, my whole body felt light, as if I had no weight at all.
They slowly fell to the ground, opened their eyes, and found themselves in a place completely different from before.
The familiar wilderness and ancient roads were no longer surrounded by a vast and unimaginably strange land.
The sky was a pale purple, the stars were dazzling and seemed brighter than the outside world, the rocks were jagged and varied in shape, and exotic flowers and plants were scattered among them, giving it a somewhat unreal and illusory feel.
An inexplicable sense of danger lingered in the surroundings, reminding everyone that this was not a safe place.
"Where is this place?" Xu Yuehuai realized that she had never been here before, and it should not be a place marked on the map.
"Danger ahead!" Bei Ye pointed ahead.
As everyone looked ahead, they saw a group of strange and ferocious-looking monsters slowly approaching. Some of them were covered in thick scales, while others had sharp horns on their heads. Their eyes gleamed with greed and bloodlust, as if they wanted to treat the group as their meal.
"Not good, we're surrounded!" Bai Yu reacted quickly, drawing his longsword with the tip pointing straight ahead, his entire body radiating a chilling fighting spirit.
The group quickly stood back to back, forming a tight defensive formation.
The Ghost Doctor took out several bottles of special medicinal powder and quickly scattered them around, attempting to drive away or confuse the ferocious beasts.
However, these ferocious beasts seemed to have no reaction to the powder, continuing to press forward, emitting deafening roars that filled the entire space with tension and oppression.
"Quickly find a place to hide!" Qi Guze shouted, and took the lead, leading Xu Yuehuai to retreat and hide.
The group ran with all their might, and finally found a natural cave made of huge rocks just as the encirclement of the ferocious beasts was about to close in.
They filed in, while the Ghost Doctor stayed behind, using all his strength to push a boulder down, sealing the cave entrance and temporarily blocking the beast's pursuit.
Inside the cave, everyone began to check their injuries and adjust their condition together.
Xu Yuehuai took out the tinderbox he carried with him and lit a pile of dry grass. The firelight illuminated a corner of the cave.
She immediately asked the Ghost Doctor, "Is Yan Qing alright?"
The Ghost Doctor was bending down to bandage Yan Qing's wounds. "His injuries are not life-threatening."
"However, the conditions inside this cave are limited, so his recovery will certainly not be so fast."
Qi Guze said from the side, "This place is strange and unpredictable. We can only rest here for a while. We still need to find an opportunity to move immediately."
After they rested there for a while, they sent people out to find a way out, but everyone found that there was no road leading to the outside world at all.
However, just when everyone was at a loss, Bai Yu suddenly said, "There seems to be a strange barrier nearby that has trapped us in this area."
"However, I noticed that there seem to be some traces of an array at the very edge."
The group followed Bai Yu to that edge of the area and, sure enough, discovered something unusual about the surroundings.
“These seem to be related to some ancient formations recorded in an ancient book I saw before,” the Ghost Doctor said. “But I still need to study how to break these formations.”
“It seems we’ll have to live here for a while longer,” Xu Yuehuai suggested. “Lu Li and Xiao Rui, you two will be responsible for going out hunting and bringing back food and water; Ghost Doctor will continue researching ways to break the formation; and Bei Ye, Bai Yu, and I will be responsible for guarding against the ferocious beasts attacking again.”
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