Chapter 253: Ruin Expedition (17)

'Why did you say that?'

D had notified them about the fact that Lurelands are all independent sub-spaces. He also conveyed that the name came from its salient feature.

Lee creased his brows as he recollected D's words. Hudson was also wondering what these sub-spaces had in store for them.

[Lurelands are vast but not aesthetically attractive. But they have mysterious treasure troves hidden in them. The quantity sometimes surpasses even the Ruins which gives away an artefact or two.

As a sub-space, the Lurelands may contain indigenous species originating from its characteristic energy. Very rarely, these spatial extensions produce and nurture their own races. But such feats are only done by Lurelands above a critical size.]

By this time, the party of 13 students and a professor have reached the end of the 50-metre tunnel. The light that emitted from the other side of the tunnel blinded the students and they covered their eyes from the illumination. But the Foresight came up and helped him to see a vague image of vast greenery through the shine.

When they completely exited the tunnel, they were standing on a flat surface which could be assumed to be a cave entrance on the side of an extremely tall mountain. From there, the students saw the expanse of an immeasurable forest with green colour and nothing else. Their eyes almost popped out at this unanticipated scenery.

*swoosh*

A noise came from the behind and Lee turned around instinctively. He saw 19 cultivators exiting the tunnel like a big hunting party. One of the cultivators who had a short stature had thrown a kunai at Lee Shen.

The thin and visibly light-weight projectile flew at Lee and he saw it approaching like a slow-motion movie. Lee felt amused and extended his hand and caught the kunai.

It was then a few among the students who had broken through sensed a faint voice followed by silence. They turned around and saw the party exiting the cave. Their alertness as they raised their weapons informed other students of the danger behind them. The fact that the hostility came from cultivators made their hearts beat like crazy!

The cultivators were astounded to see someone catch their fastest projectile weapon. What made them fume with angry was the peculiar smirk of Lee's face. They mistook his amusement for insult.

The man with the short stature hid his expression with a threatening tone.

"You are talented to catch my dart. You are powerful, I give you that.

But if you want to escape in one piece, then leave those kids and run away."

Lee saw a disgusting look on the cultivators. Not only were they eyeing on the girls but also on the chiselled physique of boys!

Lee opened his palm and saw the kunai. He did not reply to the threat as he inspected the weapon thoroughly. As he did this, he took a step and turned to the students.

"Students, there are two rules in combat.

One, never drop your guard."

A short silence enveloped them. A bachelor cicada's chirping could be heard in the background.

(A.N. It is to indicate the forest ambience. Nothing else.)

"What is the second rule, professor?"

Renji raised his voice with doubt.

"Two, always strike first and don't speak before you win."

The voice was gentle yet had an unexplainable sensation in it. The students felt their spirits lifted and morale boosted by these words.

As Lee spoke, the kunai began to float in his open palm. Lee extended his hand towards the cultivators and they saw the dart dynamically rotating under his control. Then it disappeared.

*zing*

The cultivators barely heard the kunai flying past their necks. Before they could react, the kunai had gone several times back and forth around them. After a few seconds, one of the 19 felt something oozing from his neck. He reached to touch and feel what it was but failed.

His head fell detached from his neck!

That was not it. His 18 accomplices followed his lead.

Even before the students could start their expedition, they have seen a cold-blooded slaughter!

The bloodied kunai floated in front of Lee Shen. Controlled by his Mana, it was nothing more than an obedient dog. He walked towards the students with the kunai floating above one of his shoulders.

Most of the students have frozen at this quick change of events. They were not able to comprehend what the hell had happened. A second before, the cultivators threatened them. The next second, they fell dead. Two of the students had an urge to puke which they suppressed by channelling Mana.

"This is the advantage of adventurers over cultivators. If controlled with ample focus, the Mana will enable you to control objects with mere thoughts."

The solemn voice resounded in the students' ears and they were dumbstruck. They had not thought of such a possibility beside empowering melee attacks. Their faces reflected a mixed expression from witnessing the slaughter and a new objective to achieve.

"Unless you work hard, this achievement will remain a dream."

The kunai froze in the air and then turned downwards. Its sharp tip had a drop of blood accumulating at its tip. The drop of blood detached from the kunai's tip and ran at the ground.

But the floating projectile dyed in red did not let the droplet complete its journey. It dashed downward like the descend of a Thunderbird and shattered the droplet to numerous micro-droplets!

The students saw this and their admiration for their professor only increased. In their hearts, Lee Shen had become an unparalleled existence.

Their sparkling gazes felt strange to Lee, so he urged them to move from the spot. He also warned that if they did not move fast enough, others could find their trail before disappearing into the forest and revenge might be executed.

The flat ground where they stood had a set of uneven stairs leading down into the forest. When they further examined, they saw multiple sets of stairs that led to different places and locations. As the eldest students and Lee Shen's first disciple, Gillian took leadership.