Chapter 151: Caught In A Trap

Chapter 151: Chapter 151: Caught In A Trap

Sui Sui continued chasing the balding bird through the forest, growing increasingly annoyed with its constant tricks.

Every so often, the bird would turn its head while running and spit a small flame at him, forcing him to use his spirit power to dispel it before it could reach him. The flames weren’t particularly powerful, so dealing with them was hardly difficult. However, it was still annoying.

Fortunately, the bird didn’t seem particularly fast. Perhaps its lack of feathers was affecting its ability to fly, or perhaps it simply wasn’t very good at escaping, but despite its repeated attempts to shake him off, it hadn’t managed to put much distance between them.

Sui Sui gradually closed the gap, keeping his eyes fixed on the creature as it hurried between the trees. Seeing that the troublesome bird was finally within his grasp, Sui Sui immediately stretched out his hand, determined to catch it this time and put an end to their ridiculous chase.

However, just as Sui Sui’s fingers brushed against the bird’s scraggly feathers, his foot suddenly pressed down on something hidden beneath the fallen leaves.

A faint click sounded beneath his feet.

Sui Sui paused, sensing that something was wrong, but before he could react, the ground around him rustled violently. Several cords snapped taut, and a large net shot up from the ground, spreading rapidly toward him.

His eyes widened as he tried to retreat, but he was a step too slow. The net crashed down over him, its sheer weight knocking him to the ground and trapping both him and the red bird beneath its broad mesh.

"What the hell is this?!"

Sui Sui struggled to push the heavy net off himself, but the more he moved, the more awkwardly tangled he became in the mesh.

Before he could figure out what kind of trap he had triggered, a familiar voice drifted over from nearby, carrying a hint of mockery that immediately made his heart sink.

"Well, well. Look who we have here. Bai Sui Sui, you’ve finally fallen into my hands!"

Sui Sui turned his head. Sure enough, Chu Ran was approaching with several disciples behind her, all of them looking down at him from a safe distance. The smug expression on her face left little doubt that this was no chance encounter. She had clearly been waiting for him to walk right into this trap.

Although a bad feeling settled in his stomach, Sui Sui refused to let it show. He stopped struggling long enough to meet her gaze, then asked, "What do you want this time, Chu Ran?"

"What do I want?" Chu Ran repeated with a scoff. "Bai Sui Sui, do you really think I’ll let you talk your way out of this? Save your breath. I have no interest in hearing your excuses."

She approached the net, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she looked down at him. After all the times she had watched him cling to Senior Brother Yizhou, the sight of him trapped helplessly at her feet was enough to lift her spirits considerably. For once, he couldn’t simply hide behind that innocent face of his and expect everyone to come to his rescue.

Then her gaze landed on the talisman tucked between the folds of his robes.

Sui Sui had deliberately kept it somewhere easy to reach so that he could activate it immediately if he encountered danger during the trial. Unfortunately, he hadn’t considered the possibility that someone might take it from him before he had the chance to use it.

Chu Ran’s lips curled. Without giving him time to react, she reached through the mesh and snatched the talisman away.

"Heh. How does it feel, Bai Sui Sui?" She held it up between her fingers, admiring her prize before slipping it into her own robes. "You probably never imagined you’d end up in my hands, did you? You’ve been so busy sticking close to Senior Brother that you must have forgotten your place."

Her expression darkened as she looked down at him.

"Who do you think you are? You don’t deserve to stand beside him, much less keep him all to yourself. Since you refuse to stay out of the way, you might as well die here!"

Sui Sui frowned. So this was about Yizhou again? Why was it always him who had to suffer the consequences whenever someone had a problem with that man? If Chu Ran liked Yizhou so much, shouldn’t she be going after him instead? Why drag an innocent bystander into it? He wasn’t interested in stealing him thank you very much!

Unfortunately, explaining that to Chu Ran would probably be as useful as talking to a wall. From the way she was acting, she had already decided that he was her enemy, and nothing he said would change her mind.

Sui Sui frowned, silently piecing together what had happened. He still didn’t know how Chu Ran’s group had managed to conceal such a large trap, but her words had confirmed his suspicions. They hadn’t stumbled across him by accident. They had waited for him to walk into their trap.

Before he could question her further, Chu Ran reached into her storage pouch and took out a small bottle. She shook it lightly, and the powder inside shifted with a soft rustle.

Sui Sui’s attention immediately turned to it. Something about the way she was holding the bottle made him uneasy. "What’s that?"

Chu Ran raised her brows, feigning surprise. "Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Beast Powder?"

She pulled out the stopper, and a faint, unfamiliar scent drifted from the bottle. Her smile widened as she tilted it over him.

"This little thing attracts spirit beasts and drives them into a frenzy. Once the beasts nearby catch its scent, they’ll come running. And when a whole group of frenzied spirit beasts surrounds you..." She paused, enjoying the look on his face. "Tell me, Bai Sui Sui, how long do you think you’ll last?"

Before Sui Sui could stop her, Chu Ran scattered the powder over him. Fine particles dusted his clothes and settled against his skin, leaving the strange scent clinging to him.

Sui Sui’s expression changed at once. "Chu Ran, you—"

"What? Have you finally realized what’s going to happen?" Chu Ran laughed, clearly pleased with herself. "Unfortunately, it’s a little too late for that."

She slipped the empty bottle away and took a step back, looking him over as though she were already imagining the sight of him being chased down by a horde of spirit beasts.

"I’d love to stay and watch you get torn apart, but I still have to do other things." She turned away, then glanced back at him with a cruel smile. "So, do try your best to survive. I’d hate for all my effort to go to waste if you died too quickly."

With that, Chu Ran turned and left, her companions following close behind. None of them showed the slightest intention of releasing Sui Sui. They simply walked away, leaving him trapped in the net with the Beast Powder scattered over his body.

Once their footsteps had faded into the distance, Sui Sui immediately began struggling to free himself.

The net was much sturdier than it looked. No matter how he twisted or pulled, the ropes only tightened around him, leaving him with even less room to move.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this was a magical artifact designed to restrain its target. Otherwise, there was no reason for the ropes to be so difficult to break or for him to be unable to find even a single loose section.

Not willing to give up just yet, Sui Sui tried gathering his spiritual power to force his way out. However, the moment he attempted to channel it, the energy dispersed as though it had sucked by an invisible barrier. He tried again, only to receive the same result.

Sui Sui’s heart sank. Lowering his head, he examined the ground beneath him and noticed faint patterns carved into the soil. A formation!

He wasn’t familiar enough with formations to identify this particular one, but given that he couldn’t use his spiritual power, it was most likely designed to suppress or interfere with it. Whoever had set this trap had clearly prepared for the possibility that he might try to fight his way out.

Sui Sui took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Panicking wouldn’t help him escape, so he began examining his surroundings more carefully, looking for any weaknesses in the formation. He tested its boundaries from several directions, but since he was being help down by the heavy net, every attempt ended the same way. No matter where he went, he couldn’t find a way through.

Things became even more troublesome when he tried sending out a message for help. Normally, he would at least be able to sense whether his message had reached anyone, but this time, he received no response at all. He couldn’t sense anyone outside the formation, much less establish a connection with them. It was as though an invisible wall had cut him off from the outside world entirely.

Sui Sui’s expression gradually turned serious.

Chu Ran and her companions had clearly come prepared, and judging by how carefully they had arranged everything, escaping wouldn’t be easy.

Of course, although he was at a disadvantage not, it’s not like Sui Sui really had no more options left, still had one last option: enter his dimension.

However, there is still another problem, It was like this, even if he entered the dimension to escape the immediate danger, he would still return to the exact same location when he gets out.

This is because unlike most cultivators’ dimensions, which were formed from spatial rifts, his, seemed to operate on entirely different principles.

In most cases, dimensions are formed from spatial rifts, meaning they. could be moved through the cultivator’s will, allowing them to change their locations. The distance they could travel depended on the cultivator’s strength and level of cultivation. Naturally, the stronger the cultivator, the farther they could move their dimension.

Sui Sui’s dimension, on the other hand, couldn’t be moved at all. Of course, this might have something to do with the fact that he hadn’t gained complete control over it yet. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something unusual about his dimension. Like, It didn’t seem to have been formed from a spatial rift in the first place, making it even more mysterious than he had initially thought.

Unfortunately, its special nature didn’t make his current situation any easier.

Also, What if he did enter the dimension, but by the time he came out, a whole pack of spirit beasts had gathered around him? He would have nowhere to run and might even end up delivering himself straight into their mouths.

Worse still, what if someone witnessed him suddenly appearing out of thin air? That would undoubtedly arouse suspicion. Sui Sui had no intention of exposing the existence of his dimension unless absolutely necessary.

Just as Sui Sui was racking his brains for another solution, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Ha! What an idiot!"