The group walked forward on foot. Although Ye Lanxin had been here many times, each time she had narrowly escaped death, so even she was extremely cautious and vigilant, preferring to walk slower rather than be careless.
Ning Beichen intended to use his senses to perceive the surrounding situation and check for any danger.
However, when Ning Beichen released his senses, it was like a stone sinking into the sea; he couldn't sense anything at all. Moreover, it felt as if something was lurking and watching him. He quickly ended his sensory scan, startled.
"This place is strange. I can't sense the surroundings, and it feels like something is watching us. Everyone be careful."
Ning Beichen urgently warned everyone.
"I also sensed something in the abyss peeking at us."
Luo Yingying had also sensed it earlier, experiencing the same as Ning Beichen.
"Since Yingying has the same feeling, it proves that my earlier sensation was not unfounded. In any case, everyone must be careful."
Ning Beichen reminded them again.
Besides Ning Beichen and Luo Yingying, the others present were Liu Yilin and Ye Lanxin. Among these four, Liu Yilin was the weakest in terms of strength, but even so, she possessed the strength of the Fanciful Realm.
Furthermore, with Luo Yingying's guidance and instruction over the past few days, Liu Yilin's strength was not weak; she merely lacked experience in dealing with enemies.
Ye Lanxin was even more extraordinary. The fact that this woman could travel the ancient path multiple times and even escape after being struck by Oblivion could not be attributed to mere luck. She must have her own exceptional qualities.
The four walked cautiously along the ancient path. As they reached a narrow section, a peculiar horizontal wind suddenly began to blow.
Liu Yilin, being light, was instantly swept up by the horizontal wind and fell towards the adjacent abyss. Fortunately, Ning Beichen had not relaxed his attention on Liu Yilin and immediately leaped over, grabbing her foot to try and pull her down from the air.
However, this peculiar horizontal wind was incredibly strange; it even pulled Ning Beichen up with it.
Seeing this, Luo Yingying also leaped up and grabbed Ning Beichen's foot. With a flick of her other hand, a whip shot out rapidly towards a large rock.
With a bang!
The whip pierced the stone, making the boulder a support point. Then, with a strong tug, she pulled Ning Beichen and Liu Yilin, who were in the air, down.
After landing, the three were all visibly shaken and terrified.
Fortunately, Ye Lanxin had quickly taken shelter behind the boulder, thus narrowly escaping the danger.
The group hid behind the boulder, shielding themselves from the strange wind. Fortunately, the strange wind came and went quickly, disappearing in a short while.
Only then did Ning Beichen and the others emerge from behind the boulder.
Although their strength was considerable, it was of no use against this sudden, strange wind. It was no longer a matter of cultivation level; there was simply no way to resist it.
After the strange wind dissipated, they continued their journey.
This time, they became even more cautious. Not knowing what dangers lay ahead, rushing forward was not a good idea. What they needed now was not speed, but safe arrival.
"Miss Ye Lanxin, have you encountered such strange winds before?"
Ning Beichen asked as they walked.
"Never."
Ye Lanxin herself found it somewhat strange.
Ning Beichen frowned. He felt that the sudden appearance of the strange wind was not normal, which reminded him of the lurking entity in the abyss. He wondered if it was behind this.
But even if it was, Ning Beichen could do nothing, as flying with swords was impossible here. If they fell into the abyss, they might lose their lives.
Unable to investigate further, Ning Beichen could only increase his vigilance. However, they noticed that the path ahead was becoming narrower and narrower, to the point where only one person could pass at a time.
"Wait a moment, something's not right. When I came last time, there was no such situation."
Ye Lanxin said urgently.
Ning Beichen and the others immediately stopped. In fact, by now, they all felt that something was amiss, but none of them could pinpoint the root of the problem. Turning back was impossible, and waiting in place would be useless.
"No matter the situation, we have no other choice but to press on. We'll face whatever comes."
Ning Beichen said.
"You're right. Everyone just needs to be careful. Even if something is truly lurking in the abyss watching us, it probably wouldn't dare to show itself, otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten this far."
Luo Yingying said.
"Yingying is right. If the entity watching us from the abyss were truly powerful, it wouldn't resort to such petty tricks."
Ning Beichen agreed with Luo Yingying's reasoning.
However, this guy's address for her had progressed from Sect Master Luo, to Sect Master, then to her full name, and now to Yingying. The more intimate the address, the more it made Luo Yingying grit her teeth in anger, but she couldn't do anything about this thick-skinned fellow. Thus, each time, she could only give him a death stare or a beautiful, rolling eye.
After making their decision, the group continued forward, with Ning Beichen now taking the lead.
This narrow path was less than a meter wide, and it was visibly getting narrower ahead. Therefore, they could only proceed with extreme caution. It wasn't that they were afraid of falling, but rather they were worried about another sudden gust of strange wind or something similar.
But what they feared came to pass. However, it wasn't a strange wind, but rather a large swarm of bats appeared in the sky. These bats were the size of basketballs, with wingspans reaching up to two meters when spread. Their teeth were sharp, their wings were like blades, and their strength was immense.
Especially when these bats swooped down from the sky, they were like living bombs attacking Ning Beichen and his companions.
"Careful!"
As Ning Beichen spoke, he struck out with a palm towards the bats in the air.
The palm wind, accompanied by a whirlwind, struck the bats, turning several of them into bloody pulp.
Luo Yingying, showing her mettle, slashed with her long sword, instantly dispatching over a dozen bats.
Liu Yilin was initially flustered, but after calming down, she also began to attack the bats.
She used the precious sword given to her by Luo Yingying, which was originally a treasure of the Flying Immortal Sect and possessed powerful attributes that made Liu Yilin even stronger.
Ye Lanxin also watched over Liu Yilin, so Liu Yilin was not in danger.
Ye Lanxin's weapon was a peculiar paper umbrella. Its material seemed to be oiled paper, but its defensive capabilities were astonishing. When the bats collided with her umbrella, it was like hitting steel plates. Not only did it protect Ye Lanxin, but the bats themselves were smashed into pulp.
"Careful!"
Ye Lanxin, holding her oiled paper umbrella, saw Liu Yilin being surrounded by bats. She shouted and immediately threw her oiled paper umbrella.