Fortune Across the World

Chapter 168: Facing Peril, Who Will Stand Together? (Part 3)

Chi Ni, with the two riders, galloped desperately as Le Mengxiao and her followers pursued relentlessly, constantly firing Shenji Arrows to impede them. After a harrowing escape through the thicket, they found themselves in a vast canyon—an uncharted territory of the mountain's front, a forbidden zone none from Danying Mountain had dared to venture into.

Le Zhuyi had no time to ponder the forbidden nature of the zone. Her priority was escaping the clutches of the traitors and tending to Ding Qiyu's wounds. However, at the canyon's end, they encountered a wall densely covered in vines, with no apparent way forward.

Pulling Chi Ni to a halt, Le Zhuyi glanced back at Le Mengxiao and her group closing in. Her brows knitted together, lips set in determination. Trapped at a dead end, it seemed they would have to fight to the death...

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Chi Ni let out a whinny, sensing something different about the vines. The horse charged forward, trusting its instincts. Le Zhuyi, startled, quickly regained her composure. Chi Ni had been her loyal companion for years; the bond between them was unbreakable. Trusting Chi Ni's instincts, Le Zhuyi was willing to entrust both her and Ding Qiyu's lives to her trusted steed.

Horses have an inherent ability to discern obstacles, and Chi Ni, a majestic creature, was no exception. As they neared the vine-covered wall, Chi Ni didn't hesitate, instead quickening its pace. Le Zhuyi straightened in the saddle, shielding Ding Qiyu with her body and raising her arm to protect her eyes. With a flurry of "swish" sounds and the crack of breaking branches, Chi Ni burst through the vines. Instead of crashing into a wall, they found themselves in a narrow gorge.

Le Zhuyi's arms and body were scratched by the hard vines. Ignoring her injuries, she opened her eyes to find the path ahead winding and shrouded in mystery. The dense foliage above let in only dappled light, casting the gorge in shadow.

Checking on Ding Qiyu, Le Zhuyi felt relief at her steady, albeit weak, breathing against her ear. Without hesitation, she urged Chi Ni into the shadowed gorge. After navigating the winding path, they stumbled upon signs of human construction: stone slabs paving the ground and walls, reminiscent of the mechanism path in the front mountains.

Sensing danger, Chi Ni halted, snorting and pawing the ground.

Le Zhuyi observed the path, murmuring, "Traps left by the predecessors." They had entered a death trap, a path riddled with mechanisms.

Barely conscious, Ding Qiyu heard her words, lifting her head with effort. The path indeed bore the hallmarks of a mechanism trap. Struggling to focus, she noticed scorch marks on one wall, asking weakly, "Zhuyi, what's on the wall?"

"I'll check," Le Zhuyi replied, releasing the Thousand Feathers Fire Whip's hold on Ding Qiyu and carefully setting her on Chi Ni's back. She dismounted swiftly, urging Chi Ni away from the mechanism path to avoid any potential traps.

Examining the wall, she found remnants of a control mechanism box, opened and subsequently burned. "It's a burnt control mechanism," she reported back. What once might have been a safe path had become a death trap.

Ding Qiyu suggested, "Try it. I'll see what kind of mechanism this is... Be careful."

"Alright," Le Zhuyi agreed without hesitation, picking up a stone to throw onto the path.

The stone struck with a "thud," triggering a reaction. The stone slabs cracked open, revealing metallic cylinders with sharp spiral blades. With a rumble, the cylinders began rotating, the walls tilting—dangerous to touch. The mechanism activated swiftly, resembling a river of steel blades, ready to shred anyone entering.