A Night of Desperation

Chapter 443: Lost Way 3

"This is fucking called taking care...!" Zhang Kajing couldn’t help but blurt out a curse at this moment, but mid-sentence, under Yu Hong’s gaze, she recalled the pain of being beaten previously and instantly knew to shut her mouth.

"Understood."

If she kept blabbing, the scene from before might be replayed.

Seeing her acquiescence, Yu Hong nodded and exchanged a glance with Ku Chan, beginning to communicate through whispered transmissions.

Soon after finding out about Zhang Kajing’s little movement from Ku Chan, Yu Hong pondered for a moment.

"Find a chance to dump her later."

"Leave her outside? Not kill her directly?" Ku Chan transmitted with surprise.

"Don’t be so impulsive, I promised her father to take care of her," Yu Hong frowned.

"What if she finds her way back?" Ku Chan frowned as well.

"This is Black Disaster Black River, who knows if the one who comes back will be her," Yu Hong said.

He originally wanted to keep Zhang Kajing as a re

The girl’s eyes were empty, seemingly noticing them too, she showed Yu Hong and the others a sincere yet strange smile.

Glug glug...

The carriage’s wheels slowly carried the girl into deeper fog, from beginning to end, the girl’s gaze followed the trio, smiling, sitting by the door motionless.

Until the carriage vanished into the fog, Ku Chan gradually relaxed his body.

"That carriage... there were people sitting inside, they gave me a very strong sense of oppression," he transmitted.

"This is Black River, inside Black Disaster, don’t act recklessly before others make a move," Yu Hong gently spoke.

The other two nodded and continued to keep up.

Yu Hong led the way forward.

After about another two hundred meters.

On the left side of the road, a brown pavilion started to slowly appear within the grey fog.

The pavilion had a yard in front.

In the yard, two kids with ingot-shaped hairstyles, white and chubby, were quietly looking at Yu Hong and his companions through the open courtyard door.

They wore smiles on their faces, stone-still, like sculptures, yet their eyeballs slowly followed them.

Outside the courtyard, on the greyish-white open space, stood an elderly Taoist with white robes and white beard.

The Taoist’s eyes shone with silver light, carrying a brownish-red wooden sword on his back facing the pavilion, motionless.

His attention seemed completely focused on the pavilion, oblivious to the appearance of Yu Hong and his companions.

"The pavilion is being radiated by Black Disaster Red Value, and that Taoist is a Spirit Disaster," Ku Chan quickly transmitted.

Yu Hong nodded without changing his expression and continued moving forward.

Passing through the courtyard and attic, the Taoists and children all disappeared into the thick grey fog, vanishing from sight.

Gradually, as they kept moving forward, more and more buildings emerged in the surrounding fog.

Most of these buildings were various types of residential complexes, with their main doors wide open, revealing crowds of pale-skinned people with strange appearances either standing or sitting inside.

And on the outskirts of these crowds were corresponding monsters emitting the spiritual fluctuations of the Spirit Disaster.

Some of these monsters were Taoists, others were soldiers in silver or golden armor, but they were not Dragon-men, they were purely human soldiers.

As the trio passed by, these individuals paid them no mind but instead concentrated on guarding the pale crowds inside the buildings.

After moving forward for more than ten minutes.

Finally, the grey fog ahead began to turn white.

Within the thick white fog, a giant circular portal over thirty meters tall slowly came into view, floating right in front of them.

The edges of the giant circular portal were decorated with vine, bead, ruyi, and various mythical creature patterns, and at its center was a white swirling halo of light.

"Are we... going in?" Zhang Kajing whispered on the side.

"Of course," Yu Hongdao replied, gazing at the white circular portal as he slowly approached.

"This must be the entrance to the Spirit Disaster..."

According to their previous position in the Dao Mai World, this should have been the entry to the Dao Mai World.

But now...

’Did the Dao Mai World get devoured?’ Yu Hong speculated in his heart.

He turned his head and looked at Zhang Kajing.

"You go first."

"..." Zhang Kajing’s face froze, not daring to talk back, and could only move forward, step by step towards the circular portal.

Then, she stepped into it.

Hiss.

The next second, she shattered into particles of white light and disappeared without a trace.

Just as she entered.

Yu Hong and Ku Chan simultaneously and tacitly flashed back, retreating rapidly.

Covering a distance of over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye, the two quickly returned to the original landing spot of the Black Light.

Without hesitation, they boarded the ship, started it, and left.

*

*

*

Elsewhere, deep within Black River.

At the bottom of the thick, black river water, Marissa and Ryan stood apart, both with hands slightly open and mirroring each other’s actions as if summoning something.

Hum.

Finally, at the riverbed, a black circular archway silently and slowly opened.

The gate was positioned right between the two at the bottom of the river.

Inside the gate.

A creature resembling a humanoid withered tree in dark green color slowly walked out of the black gate, bent at the waist, tremblingly moving as if it might fall at any moment.

It was draped in a thick black robe and trembled as it walked, seemingly ready to topple over at any moment.

"Marissa... Ryan... Is it you, calling for Holy Tower..."

"Erosion... is being obstructed..." Marissa replied with her head lowered, "We’re unable to fulfill our duties as messengers..."

"That is your affair... You should not have awakened me prematurely... This will only waste my cognition..." said the tree creature discontentedly.

"Alone, our strength is not enough to complete the erosion;we need the power of the giant trees..." Ryan answered.

"If we cannot fulfill the erosion task within the designated time, when the Mother Tree starts to spread seeds and devour worlds, unpredictable consequences might arise..." Marissa followed.

"... How many tens of thousands of years... No one has resisted the Mother Tree, just as no one can cut off the spread of seed," the tree creature replied.

"But there are now those who resist by introducing the Light Disaster." Marissa said, "I was repelled, and had Ryan not arrived in time, perhaps..."

"Light? I understand..." The tree creature sighed, turned its head, and reached back into the gate, extending its hand, and gently pulled out a black seed.

It spread the seed in its palm and then gently blew on it.

Hoo...

The black seed cracked open with a snap, and in its palm made of countless tree branches, it quickly took root, sprouted, and grew black tendrils and tender leaves.

In less than ten seconds, a black dandelion, shimmering with silver light, grew in its palm.

Whoosh!

The tree creature blew again.

The myriad of silver seeds from the dandelion scattered with the wind, spreading far into the distance in the river water.

Those dispersed seeds floated like silver snow, drifting high and low, going further and further away.

"Go..." it sighed softly, "My most beloved children... Go find the root of the obstruction to the erosion."

A great number of dandelion seeds flew out of the river, rising into the fog-shrouded half-sky, and quickly took root and germinated on their own. The mist then caused them to swell and enlarge in the blink of an eye, transforming into brown plant creatures over five meters tall.

These plants had thick roots that they used as legs, and branches for arms, flailing about.

They moved and flew like humans, wandering throughout the black fog, searching.

At the bottom of the river.

The tree creature retracted its hand with satisfaction.

"That will do, Marissa. Once you find the target you cannot resolve, I will deploy the giant wood troops to handle it. And as a price for waking me prematurely, I will claim half of your harvest."

"Of course, my lord," Marissa said, bowing humbly. "May Holy Tower protect you."

The tree creature nodded with satisfaction.