Li Luo's squad had passed with flying colors, to the consternation of many watching.
Many among them had spent several days trying to overcome the trauma of Stumbling Mind…
And yet these three had cleared it like a bothersome fly. They felt cheated of a show, and also somehow humiliated.
Were newcomers these days all made of such stern stuff?
Jiang Qing'e was pleasantly surprised, while Qiu Bai and Tian Tian goggled at them. These newcomers were more reliable than expected.
They had already mentally prepared themselves for a few days' wait.
Jiang Qing'e's radiant smile seemed to light up the gloomy air around them.
Ignoring the infatuated looks her way, she walked out of the barrier, only pausing briefly to deal with the transition.
Qiu Bai and Tian Tian followed just as easily.
"Let's go. It's time to get purging," Jiang Qing'e said, striding ahead into the fog.
Li Luo's squad hurried after, while Qiu Bai and Tian Tian brought up the rear for defensive purposes.
Duze Honglian watched sourly as they disappeared into the fog.
"Let's go. We have targets to hit as well," she said peevishly. "We're going to clear a level three purification tower before Jiang Qing'e's group. If possible, we'll take the other level three purification tower too.
"If both are ours, then our points will definitely be the highest in this purging mission."
Her team nodded eagerly, just as ready to beat Jiang Qing'e for once.
Although the Black Swan Squad was strong, surely Li Luo's newcomer squad was far behind their own in terms of firepower. Jiang Qing'e would definitely move more cautiously than usual.
Duze Honglian stepped out of the barrier as well, leading her own team onwards.
Behind them, other teams were starting to move out as well, and the still silence of the Umbra Cave now stirred with action.
The murk was a troubling presence. The lack of vision and constant whispers grated on one's nerves, wearing away at their wills.
Li Luo and the others walked on, passing the occasional stone lamp hung from pillars along the road. They had energy stones within them that emitted a faint light to guide the students.
Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu were extremely jumpy, their movements jerky.
Li Luo was much calmer. The figure ahead of them gave him a sense of security.
It was dry, tedious plodding, and none of them bothered with conversation, instead choosing to concentrate on keeping a good pace.
The tedium did not last for long. A strange wail came from ahead, and Jiang Qing'e halted.
Behind her, the others prepared their resonant powers and weapons.
One moment the fog remained blank, and then the next there was a loud chittering as black creatures leaped out of the dark.
They looked like spiders, but a closer look sent a chill down Li Luo's spine. At the ends of their claws were not tapered ends, but dismembered hands that looked grotesquely spliced on.
And in the middle of each spider's body was a human mouth, complete with pearly-white teeth.
The human-hand spiders laughed like babies, the high-pitched voices jarringly horrific.
"These are the lowest level of Others, hand spiders. Their laughter can cause hallucinations, but if you simply shield your ears with resonant power, you can deal with them easily enough."
Jiang Qing'e called back calmly. Her sword rose as she charged, tearing into their ranks.
An arc of light resonant energy turned the hand spiders to ashes, their high-pitched laughs of delight turning to screams.
"The Others are really twisted," Li Luo said with deep feeling. His scalp was still crawling from the encounter, and he patted his head to make sure there wasn't a hand spider on his head or something.
"They are born of evil thoughts... which came from all of us. Our hearts. That is why you can see human parts attached to the Others.
"The hand spiders are as easy as they come. They can't even strictly be considered white eroders. When you see Disaster Class Others, you'll truly know what twisted is," Jiang Qing'e explained while she double checked the map. She beckoned for the others to gather around.
"Our goal today is this level one purification tower. Over the next few days, we'll push to clear these towers to secure a safe path back," Jiang Qing'e said, pointing at a line of level one purification towers.
They nodded. Their main goal was the level two and three purification towers a little further ahead, but the Umbra Cave was too dangerous. Before they went that far, they would have to clear the way there. If the danger was too great, at least they could fall back in a safe manner.
A cautious and prudent approach.
Tian Tian scrutinized the route. "Leader," she said quizzically, "your route isn't the most direct path to the nearest level two purification tower."
Jiang Qing'e pointed to another spot. "Because I intend to go there."
Li Luo looked to see that she was pointing at an area marked with a bloody skull.
He didn't need any explanation to know that it was an incredibly dangerous place.
Qiu Bai looked up at her, alarmed. "The forbidden zone?"
Tian Tian was a little quicker. "Not the forbidden zone," she said, looking at Li Luo. "The Onyx Lake outside, right?"