The tension among the guards, which had eased a little in the past few days, returned in full force the moment the caravan entered the pine forest.

Conversations ceased. Hands no longer left the hilts of their weapons. Even the spiritual oxen seemed nervous, sensing the unease of those controlling them.

Kyrian pulled on the reins of his horse, slowing down until he stopped. Yanyu did the same beside him, her eyes scanning the deep shadows between the trees.

"This is the place…" she whispered, her voice slightly tense.

Kyrian didn't reply immediately but closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened them again, his sword-shaped irises reflected a faint light coming from a completely random spot in front of him. He was seeing. Not just the forest, but what seemed like the very fabric of the place.

And then he saw it.

It was almost invisible, a distortion in the air like heat. But to Kyrian's eyes, it was clear as water.

A translucent, rippling barrier stretched from one side of the road to the other, cutting the forest in half.

Kyrian immediately remembered what it was. He had once learned about it from Wei Feng. It was a natural formation, a formation created by nature itself.

It emanated a subtle aura that begged to be ignored, to be forgotten.

"Stay here," Kyrian ordered suddenly, his voice low but carrying an authority that echoed through the wagons.

He then dismounted his horse.

"What is it? What do you see?" Lao Shen asked, his face slightly pale.

"The reason for the disappearances. It's a natural formation, a trap of nature," Kyrian answered without looking back.

Yanyu quickly dismounted, drawing her sword, already sensing what Kyrian was about to do.

"I'm going with you."

Kyrian looked at her, his eyes serious.

"It might be dangerous. We don't know what's on the other side."

"That's exactly why you shouldn't go alone," she replied, her determination unshakable.

He studied her face for a moment, then nodded.

"Hold on. Don't let go of my hand, or we might get separated."

He extended his hand, and Yanyu grabbed it tightly. Together, they began walking toward the distortion in the air.

To Lao Shen's guards, it seemed like they were simply walking along the road.

Then, after about ten steps, their figures simply… vanished. There was no sound, no flash of light. Kyrian and Yanyu just disappeared into the air like ghosts.

A murmur of terror swept through the caravan. Several guards stepped back.

"Heavens…" Lao Shen whispered, his face filled with horror and realization.

"So that's it… that's what it was all along, what happened to the other caravans." He looked at the empty spot where Kyrian and Yanyu had been, and a new wave of fear hit him.

"Heavens. I hope they're all right. If two inner disciples of the sect die here…" He muttered, only now realizing he had let them go.

****************************************************

On the other side, the sensation was immediate.

That 'feeling' that had made Kyrian choose the mission, and that had been present up until they entered the forest, suddenly dissipated.

It was like a fine, subtle thread, a call that had sparked his curiosity. But it was cut the instant he entered the formation. As if it had fulfilled its purpose.

He looked back. The road was empty. The caravan had completely vanished.

The forest around them was a silent, perfect replica of the one outside, but here, the silence was absolute. There was no wind, no sound of life. It was a perfectly claustrophobic trap.

Then he felt Yanyu's hand go limp in his. He turned quickly.

Her eyes were glassy, her expression empty, as if her mind was shutting down, being swallowed by the stillness of the formation.

"Yanyu!" Kyrian's voice cut through the silence like a blade.

He yanked her toward him, making her crash into his chest. But she didn't wake. His eyes then glowed. Qi surged forth, the sword's intent flaring around Yanyu.

It cut across her cheek. In that instant, she gasped, her eyes blinking rapidly as consciousness returned to them.

"What… what happened?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I felt… my mind fading. As if… I was about to stop existing…"

"It's the formation," Kyrian said, his gaze severe as he scanned their surroundings.

"It seems to drain one's will. Stay focused. Don't let go of my hand."

Gripping his hand more tightly, she nodded as he began walking again, dragging Yanyu with him.

His Sword Eyes gleamed with steady intensity, the sword intent active within them at all times.

He analyzed the flow of energy around them. The Qi appeared in his vision. He could see the boundaries of the formation, invisible walls of distorted energy surrounding an area about two hundred meters in diameter.

He searched the area methodically, hoping to find bones, wreckage from wagons, any sign of the missing caravans.

But there was nothing. The formation was immaculate. It was identical to the world outside. As if everything that had entered it had already been digested, leaving behind only a ghostly forest.

Finally, after a few minutes, they reached the opposite boundary.

Kyrian stretched out his free hand and touched it. His palm pressed against an invisible, smooth, unyielding resistance.

He pushed, first with physical strength, then channeling Qi into his arm. The barrier didn't even ripple.

They were trapped.

Yanyu looked at him, fear finally beginning to take hold in her eyes.

"Kyrian… we… we can't get out?"

He didn't answer right away. He wasn't as worried as she was yet.

Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, his gaze was sharper than ever.

He stopped channeling Qi and sword intent, leaving only his eyes at work.

In his vision, instead of the countless particles of Qi that existed everywhere outside the formation, there were lines, organized, taking specific shapes.

He focused on following each line, trying to find meaning.

As he traced them, he saw it, a tiny point. A concentration of pure, untamed energy.

It didn't come from the ground, the trees, or anything else, but from a small tangle of pine roots in a clearing at the exact center of the formation.

The energy wasn't evil, but it felt strange, as if it didn't belong there. It pulsed like the very heart of the formation. The Qi flows and energy currents all stemmed from that single point.

Kyrian and Yanyu approached while he tried to make sense of it, what it was, and why something like that had called him here.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.