Little Sorcerer, Divine Doctor-Chapter 811 - 304: The Enigmatic Fork in the Road

With the help of the Little Wild Fruit, other than Tang Yuan and Li Shao, all of the Five Great Forces successfully passed through Sea and Sky.

After passing through Sea and Sky, they reached a mountain ridge at an altitude of over four thousand meters. Ahead lay a section of mountain road leading to the official boundary of the Taoyuan Ruins.

From their position, they could vaguely see the ruins behind the dense forest.

Recalling the various legends about Taiyuan, even Cheng Bai, who was used to jesting, couldn’t help but straighten up, his expression becoming grave.

Perhaps due to that purple giant cloud or the increase in altitude, with the drop in temperature, the mountain path no longer basked in the bright sunshine they experienced upon entering the mountain.

The sky was overcast and oppressive, a heavy gloom hung around.

The green trees and red flowers were nowhere to be seen, nor were there any signs of birds, not even Demon Beasts. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"There’s a forked path ahead," after traveling some distance, they arrived at a crossroads where five paths diverged.

Five paths lay quietly, each looking identical.

They seemed as if any could lead to the mountain top, yet it was possible that only one truly did.

An eerie feeling crept into the hearts of all present.

The village chief hadn’t mentioned any forks in the road on the mountain before.

These paths looked quite new, contradicting the ancient history of the Taoyuan Ruins.

Why are there exactly five paths?

It’s as if someone had known there would be Five Great Forces entering the mountain and prepared them specifically.

No one dared to choose rashly. The correctness of the path chosen directly affected their chance of finding the Taoyuan Ruins.

The leaders of the major forces stepped forward, and after discussion, decided to draw lots to choose one path for each force.

Once the lots were drawn, Lan drew the first path on the left,

"Bai, Jiuxiao, we have to part ways here. Be careful," Ye Beiming separated from Cheng and Bu.

Yun Sheng also exchanged farewells with Tian Yiyu, Huo Yu, and the others.

The people from the Five Great Forces each entered their chosen forked paths.

Two hours later, the unfortunate Second Prince of Tang Yuan, Li Shao, finally arrived with his group of mages.

Ahead lay only a solitary mountain path, faint traces of human passage visible on it.

"Tsk, they’ve all gone, hurry up, let’s catch up immediately," Li Shao urged his group forward.

Having chosen their path, Yun Sheng and his team proceeded forward.

Along the way, everything appeared ordinary. The sides of the mountain path were piled high with thick fallen leaves, as if no one had passed through for a long time.

But after traveling some distance, Dugu Xiu suddenly called the team to a halt.

"Something seems off. We should be very close to the Taoyuan Ruins, yet after walking for two hours, it still appears far away," Dugu Xiu frowned at the barely visible white buildings atop the mountain.

Not only Dugu Xiu, Yun Sheng and the others also noticed this.

Although they were walking continuously, the scenery and path seemed endless.

"It’s late; let’s rest here for a while," with the sky darkening, Lan decided to let the trainees take a pause.

That night, twenty trainees and Hou Qin Warriors camped outdoors.

In the morning, they hastily consumed some dry rations and water, preparing to continue.

"Eh?" Upon counting the numbers, Lan suddenly found a trainee missing from the Mainland Elite Camp.

"We also have a missing martial artist," Dugu Xiu checked his team and found someone absent too.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

After inquiries, Lan learned from the missing mage’s companion that the mage had left to relieve himself in the forest during the night.

"The martial artist did the same, leaving the team in the latter half of the night," Dugu Xiu received similar information.

The sky remained gray; without the Time Hourglass, Yun Sheng and the others would find it difficult to distinguish day from night.

"Let’s go into the forest and see if we can find any clues. Everyone, stay together; maintain the same formation as on the mountain path," Dugu Xiu ordered his team to form up immediately.

Yun Sheng and Lan followed in the middle; everyone’s expressions were solemn.

After one night of absence, the lives of those two team members were likely...

The team left the path, stepping deeper into the forest.

Taiyuan Mountain was vast, and the trees, uncut for hundreds of years, were covered in dry grass and leaves.

In the deepest parts, even someone as tall as Ye Beiming and Dugu Xiu could be completely buried under foliage.

Several Hou Qin Warriors took the lead, hacking a path through, progressing for nearly half an hour.

"Look, everyone, ahead!" The warrior at the front saw a familiar figure facing away, leaning against a tree.

Finding the missing warrior, Hou Qin members, including Dugu Xiu, relaxed slightly.

These were Dugu Xiu’s loyal guards, having followed him since they were young; master-servant ties ran deep.

The attire and frame matched that of the previously missing Qin Soldier.

"You get everyone worked up," the leading warrior muttered, reaching out to punch him.

Upon hearing the commotion, the missing warrior turned around.

A strange rattling sound, akin to the shifting of bones, echoed.

Seeing the face, the leading Hou Qin Warrior cried out and stumbled back several steps.

This was no Hou Qin Warrior; it was a skeletal figure with half its face gone, the bone exposed. The other half was riddled with decaying flesh, with yellow eyes dangling from the sockets.

The skeletal warrior abruptly drew the sword at his waist, looking toward the warrior ahead.

The leading warrior was caught off guard; with a swish of the blade, his left arm fell.

Dugu Xiu and the Hou Qin Warriors were astounded, "Zombie."

The Hou Qin Iron Blood Knights truly lived up to their reputation; their discipline showed at this moment.

They formed small teams to protect the injured warrior, others shielded both Dugu Xiu and Lady Chi Bi.

"Boom"

As Lan and the others prepared to assist, a Fireball suddenly shot out from the forest.

Within the forest stood another person, the mage who’d disappeared before midnight, resembling the zombie warrior, half-decayed, half-skeletal, ambushing the team from the forest.

In just one night, the vibrant martial artist and mage had transformed into these eerie zombies.

"Chase," without hesitation, Lan led the mages to pursue the Zombie Mage.