Chapter 198: Is the Little Wolf in Trouble? Or... Is Si Jin in Trouble?

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Is the Little Wolf in Trouble? Or... Is Si Jin in Trouble?

Xing Che raised an eyebrow, looking down at Yun Sheng with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Yun Sheng said quickly, "That contaminant on the other side only attacks Sentinels, not guides. I saw its last few waves of attacks, and they didn’t seem to affect you much. You could lead us in a charge across.

But not everyone can keep up with your speed, and there might be other High Order contaminants hiding over there. What I need you to do is scout ahead and figure out the exact situation."

Xing Che’s gaze shifted slightly. "You want me to go alone first? But what if the hidden contaminants don’t attack me, and then launch their assault when I bring the rest of you over?

Shengsheng, don’t forget, I told you they might be controlled by someone."

Yun Sheng was silent for a few seconds.

’The contaminants’ arrival was too convenient, and so was their retreat. It’s like someone is herding them from the shadows.’

’If they really are being controlled by someone, then that spiritual attack-type contaminant is likely just the first line of defense.’

’He might actually be right!’

Yun Sheng glanced at the open ground on the other side, her brow furrowed slightly as her mind raced.

A moment later, she looked away and lowered her voice. "You can take me with you."

Xing Che was taken aback. "You?"

"I’m not affected by spiritual attacks, and my spiritual power can sense things many Sentinels can’t. Besides, Si Jin’s spiritual body is nearby. When we go over and are out of everyone’s sight, it can help."

"It could be very dangerous over there. Aren’t you afraid?"

Yun Sheng looked at him, her gaze calm. "I am, but just waiting around isn’t a solution. And you said you wouldn’t let anything happen to me."

’And Si Jin, hiding in the shadows, won’t let anything happen to me either.’

’So, going with Xing Che is the safest option!’

Xing Che was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his lips curved up.

The smile was faint, but more earnest than any he had given before.

"Alright," he said. "I’ll listen to you."

They both looked up at Zhao Heng and quickly explained their plan.

After listening, Zhao Heng’s brows knitted together. "The two of you, going alone? What if..."

Before he could finish, a muffled groan came from behind him.

Veins bulged on the hand Qi Yao had on his sword hilt. His spiritual power surged violently again, as if something were tearing at him from the inside, sending shockwaves pulsing outward.

He was barely holding on. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the hilt. His eyes were so red his pupils were almost invisible.

Anyone could see he wouldn’t last much longer.

Yun Sheng glanced at him as well, her fingertips curling slightly.

’Earlier, to avoid exposing myself, I didn’t output much spiritual power. I only brushed against Qi Yao’s spiritual power, not daring to engage with it directly.’

’That’s why the soothing effect didn’t last very long.’

Seeing Qi Yao’s condition, Zhao Heng had no choice but to take a gamble. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. Go, but you must be careful."

Yun Sheng nodded. Just then, Cheng Nian and Li Wen, who had overheard their conversation, immediately rushed over.

"Yun Sheng, are you really going?" Cheng Nian asked, clutching her hand, her face full of worry.

Li Wen looked at her, her face also showing unconcealable nervousness and concern.

"It’s okay," Yun Sheng said reassuringly, glancing over at Xing Che. "He’ll protect me."

Cheng Nian was about to say more when Zhao Qian muttered softly from the side.

"That’s right. She has someone to protect her. What are you worried about?"

Cheng Nian whipped her head around and glared at her. "Zhao Qian, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!"

Zhao Qian’s face paled. She was about to retort but swallowed her words after Zhou Ying shot her a glare.

She lowered her gaze and clenched her fists, her eyes filled with simmering resentment.

’Why does Yun Sheng get to have someone protecting her every step of the way?’

’First, it was the White Tiger in the canyon, and now this Xing Che pops up. They all revolve around her.’

’She’s just a good-for-nothing who can’t even coalesce her spiritual power. On what grounds?!’

Yun Sheng didn’t look at Zhao Qian. She offered a few more words of comfort to Cheng Nian and Li Wen, then turned to Xing Che.

"Let’s go."

Xing Che glanced across at the open ground and said in a low voice, "Walking over is too slow, and we’ll be easy targets."

As soon as he finished speaking, he wrapped an arm around Yun Sheng’s waist and swept her up into his arms, bridal style.

Yun Sheng froze, instinctively grabbing his shoulders. "You..."

"Hold on tight." Xing Che looked down at her, the corners of his lips curving in a triumphant little smile. "If you fall, I’m not taking responsibility."

Yun Sheng remained silent, not bothering to argue with him.

Xing Che said no more. His figure shot forward, and he dashed toward the open ground at top speed, carrying her.

The wind howled past her ears as the shadows of the trees flew backward. Yun Sheng was held firmly in his arms, only the ends of her hair whipping wildly in the wind.

She turned her head, her gaze locked on the empty plain ahead, a sense of nervousness and unease welling up inside her.

Just then, Xing Che’s arm tightened around her, and his voice fell softly by her ear.

"Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

The instant Xing Che carried Yun Sheng into the open ground, the air changed abruptly.

An indescribable sense of pressure washed over them from all directions, as if countless eyes had opened in the darkness, staring them down.

The hair on Yun Sheng’s arms stood on end. She subconsciously spread her spiritual power, her senses expanding outward like a spiderweb.

’There’s something underground.’

They lay dormant deep within the earth, completely invisible to the naked eye.

But the oppressive feeling surged like a tide from beneath their feet, from all around, from every crevice in the soil. It tightened around them, ring by ring, forming a huge encirclement.

Yun Sheng’s fingertips grew cold. She lowered her voice. "There’s something underground. A lot of them."

Xing Che’s gaze turned sharp.

He, of course, had also felt the pressure converging on them. He instantly condensed his spiritual power into a barrier, shielding them both completely.

Yun Sheng closed her eyes, pushing her senses out even farther.

’The heartbeats of the things dormant underground are as dense as a drumroll, but they aren’t moving. It’s like they’re waiting for something.’

Then she sensed something else and said, her voice tight, "The spiritual attack contaminant is behind the low slope. The things underground seem to be waiting for its signal."

’If we had just come over like that earlier, I’m afraid...’

At this thought, a chill ran down Yun Sheng’s spine, and her fingers tightened on Xing Che’s collar.

’Thank goodness for Xing Che’s warning, or we would have been done for.’

’But how do we break this stalemate?’

Just then, a familiar aura fluctuated violently.

’It’s the little wolf.’

Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously looked around but saw nothing.

The aura fluctuated again, more violently this time, tinged with an irrepressible anxiety.

Her fingers suddenly clenched even tighter as a powerful sense of unease shot up from the bottom of her heart.

’Did something happen to the little wolf? Or... did something happen to Si Jin?!’

At that moment, the thick, foul stench from before wafted over again.

This time it was stronger, so strong it was as if someone had stuffed rotten fish and shrimp mixed with sulfur up her nose, making her eyes water.

Before Yun Sheng could hold her breath, Xing Che’s expression changed drastically. He shot out a hand and clamped it over her mouth and nose.

"There’s something wrong with this smell! Don’t breathe it in!"

His voice was extremely low, carrying a cold severity she had never heard from him before.

Soon, the foul stench grew stronger and stronger, so overpowering that even Xing Che’s brows furrowed.

His palm was pressed tightly against Yun Sheng’s face. His fingertips were slightly cool, but his hand was steady, not loosening in the slightest.

Cold sweat broke out on Yun Sheng’s forehead, but what worried her more was that the little wolf’s aura was growing increasingly chaotic.

’It’s as if something is affecting it, and it’s struggling desperately to break free, but it can’t!’