Chapter 105: Friendly Fire
"So the fellow Daoist is brother Yu Nianzhen?" Bai Ruyue asked.
At their first introduction, she had given her true name and didn’t expect that the other three lied.
She was a little annoyed but didn’t dwell on the matter.
At least she now knew the person’s name.
With that information, it would be easier to learn more about him.
’It won’t be long before he is mine.’ She thought, and her mood improved.
"Brother Yu and brother Yue can take their time to recover." Xuan Ke said.
With their disguise, they could blend in and avoid danger for the time being.
"Unfortunately, there was no antidote in the belongings of the six." Jiang Yue lamented.
He looked to the horizon and saw the pink cloud was still expanding.
"There is no need to worry about that." Xuan Ke said.
"There isn’t?"
"Think about it, the Death Flower Ascension Front wants to harvest our origins. For that, they need us alive for the time being. I don’t believe the effect of the pink cloud is deadly."
"Still, it won’t do if it incapacitates us."
"There is that..."
The five looked at the cloud and worried.
"There is no use in worrying. Let’s do what we can first." Yu Nianzhen suggested.
He grabbed Jiang Yue, and both sat cross-legged to cultivate.
Half an hour later, Jiang Yue opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath.
His qi was fully replenished, and he looked at Yu Nianzhen before standing up.
"Did anything happen?"
"Look at that." Wang Xue’er pointed at the pink cloud.
For some reason, the cloud had stopped expanding when it was three metres from their position.
Instead, it was getting thicker and darker.
"Looks like it will rain soon." Jiang Yue observed.
He was grateful that the cloud had stopped expanding, but he was also apprehensive.
He didn’t know if the situation was a fluke or a predetermined arrangement.
If it was luck, they could be grateful and sit back to watch the situation.
If it wasn’t, it was likely that the situation happened for a reason.
It was also likely the death flower ascension front members were supposed to do something or act in a certain way in reaction to the situation.
However, they were imposters.
They didn’t know the arrangements of the Death Flower Ascension Front.
In that case, it was likely they would be discovered.
"Has no one come to the exit?" He asked.
Wang Xue’er shook her head.
After half an hour, no one had arrived at the exit.
In Jiang Yue’s mind, there were only four reasons for this.
One reason was that everyone else was captured by the Death Flower Ascension Front.
The second reason was that others had found a way to leave the valley.
As for the third possibility, it was likely that the others were using various methods to hide in the valley.
Finally, it was also possible that the others were watching them from somewhere near the exit.
In their disguise, they would be mistaken as members of the Death Flower Ascension Front and ambushed as they had done to the previous six.
’I hope it’s not the fourth possibility.’ Jiang Yue hoped and looked around.
It would be terrible if they were suddenly attacked and not given a chance to explain themselves before they got killed.
"Be careful everyone." He called and then went to stand beside Yu Nianzhen.
Now that he thought of the possibility, he couldn’t rest assured.
"Did you find anything brother Yue?"
"No. However, we are dressed like members of the Death Flower Ascension Front. We could be ambushed at any moment."
Before he said it, the others hadn’t thought of the possibility.
Now that they did, they couldn’t help but feel the absurdity of it all.
’I don’t know which situation is more dangerous.’ Jiang Yue thought.
Without the robes, they would be attacked by the Death Flower Ascension Front.
With the robes, they would be attacked by possible allies.
"Maybe we should remove the disguises." Bai Ruyue suggested.
From what was revealed earlier, all five were on the ascension front’s target list.
Even if they were discovered by the Death Flower Ascension Front, they wouldn’t be killed immediately.
This would give them a small chance to escape and survive.
However, if they were discovered by others, they wouldn’t be given a chance to explain.
They would be killed before they could say anything.
"What do you think?" Wang Xue’er asked.
She didn’t like Bai Ruyue, but the other had a point.
"I also think..."
However, Xuan Ke didn’t get to finish his words before a spiked metal ball rushed at his head.
He reacted quickly, and the others were not far behind.
Jiang Yue cast his eyes about, but didn’t see anyone.
’There are using our own tactics against us.’ He thought in annoyance.
"Death Flower Ascension Front dogs, I will kill you today." A man appeared out of nowhere.
He wore heavy armour and carried a flail in his right hand.
The flail had three striking heads, each attached with a metal chain to the metallic handle held in his hand.
Jiang Yue sighed when he saw this.
Before anything more was said, the man jumped and swung the flail.
All three striking heads flew towards Yu Nianzhen, and Jiang Yue narrowed his eyes.
He coated his whip with qi and swung it to defend against the striking heads.
"Wait, we are not death flower ascension front members." Bai Ruyue screamed.
Unfortunately, the enemy didn’t hear, or if he heard, he didn’t care.
He continued his attack, and the others stared in exasperation.
"Is he alone?" Wang Xue’er asked.
No matter what, she couldn’t understand the man’s confidence.
What gave him the confidence to attack five people by himself?
After all, they weren’t cultivators from the mundane world.
They were all elites from various regions.
"Die." The man shouted as the whip met the spiked heads.
A loud bang was heard, and the sound echoed in the area.
Jiang Yue retreated three steps, and the attacker retreated five.
"We are not members of the death flower ascension front." Bai Ruyue took the chance to shout again.
"Who are you trying to fool?"
The man readied himself to attack a second time.
This time, Xuan Ke grasped his staff and stood in front of Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue.
"We killed them and took their cloaks." Wang Xue’er said and pointed at the dead bodies on the ground.
"Is what you are saying true?"
"It’s all true."
"Awh..., this..., I didn’t know fellow Daoists."
’Is he stupid?’ Jiang Yue wondered as he looked at the contrite man.
He came alone to attack and readily believed when they showed him ’evidence’.
However, that evidence was absolutely not convincing to a smart person.
After all, those six dead bodies could be anybody.
They could be people who tried to escape and got killed before they could.
"Fellow Daoists, why have you not escaped?" The man asked.
"We can’t leave." Wang Xue’er pointed at the exit.
The man walked towards it and returned when he felt the cruel intent of the formation.
"This is bad."
"What’s the situation in the valley?" Jiang Yue asked.
"The death flower ascension front is still attacking the area owned by the BlueStar Treasure pavilion. I don’t know what they are looking for."
Jiang Yue frowned when he heard that.
Xuan Ke had previously told them about the guardian formation.
If the ascension front was still attacking the formation, it meant the guardian formation was abnormally powerful.
This kind of formation should be guarding something equally powerful.
If that were the case, it would be bad for everyone in the secret realm if the thing fell into the hands of the Death Flower Ascension Front.
"We shouldn’t allow whatever is in the formation to fall into the hands of the death Flower Ascension front." A voice said.
"Nianzhen, have you recovered?"
Jiang Yue quickly examined the other and breathed out in relief.
Yu Nianzhen’s qi was running smoothly, and the mental fatigue was largely relieved.
Although it wasn’t fully relieved, Yu Nianzhen’s condition was better, and fighting would not be a problem.
"I am fine."
"I was just thinking the same thing as brother Yu."
Xuan Ke no longer had his ever-present smile.
Like Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue, a cultivator of his aptitude could detect the small changes in the secret realm.
He felt that things would turn worse if the death flower ascension front got whatever was being protected by the BlueStar Treasure pavilion.
"We need to organise ourselves and find allies."
Jiang Yue cast his eyes on the air around them.
He hoped to find irregularities that indicated cultivators using invisibility talismans.
Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything, and he sighed in disappointment.
"Take this first." Jiang Yue handed over the last robe and mask to the flail-bearing man.
The man took them but didn’t wear them immediately.
"I don’t know if this is a good idea."
"It is the only way to get close to other members of the death flower ascension front." Jiang Yue informed.
