"Are you completely sure of the information? We already met two beasts at the second level and around nine beasts at the first level. What we invested in preparations already became waste. And we still have to fight Zhi Rui and Zhun Xuying." A half-burnt face young man wearing an elegant dark green robe said.

"One is a level Three expert that has a talent only inferior to Zhi Rui. While Zhi Rui herself fought two demonic cultivators a level above her and won. I'm starting to think we'll lose more than we can earn" A Roguish fat woman followed up.

They were both glaring at a middle-aged couple meditating cross-legged While holding hands.

Another black haired boy by the side visibly trembled to hear the remarks.

He wanted to make some quick fortune and heard they were gathering, but he didn't expect the other two.

The dark-haired Middle aged man opened his eyes slowly.

"I warned we would be going through an uncommon route. If you already wasted everything you brought then you didn't prepare enough. That's your problem." He said.

The White-haired middle-aged woman in front of him glanced at the fat woman. "Lose more than gain? Zhi Rui has enough resources to create a micro-branch of the light sect. we have a reliable source."

The green-robed Young man scoffed. "You say so, but who knows if it's true."

The fat woman laughed "True, you two are cast outs of the outer sect, you'd jump at any ray of light thinking of it as salvation HAHA."

The couple looked at each other's eye. a string of purple and red intertwining each other shone in their eyes

They got up the middle aged woman sighed refreshed. The man coldly looked at the fat woman and elegant young man.

"If you're doubting my words then just go back to the sect, I don't have time for noncommitted people."

The white-haired woman laughed at the fat one. "I agree with you, we're really hopeless, and if we see a ray of hope, then we'll jump at it, just like you would do, should someone toss a piece of meat at your general direction."

The fat woman's eyes narrowed into a slit.

The man laughed and snorted."With this attitude, the rumors must be true. You both had an affair and eloped from your respective marriages ignoring the clan rules starting a war, and when they try to hold you responsible, you ran to another clan and with them finished your own families off. A true romance!" He laughed all loud.

The boy with smooth black hair uneasily looked at both sides. He was a level two like the couple but the man in green and the fat woman were both level three people.

But the couple ignored them.

The fat woman eerily chuckled. "We made an oath of non-aggression until we're back to the sect. But after that, you're both already at the bottom of the bottom in the sect if we choose to mess with your life, you'll have to leave. And outside the sect, we can kill you without a second thought."

The middle-aged man didn't even blink. The man in green frowned at his nonchalance.

'We might be the drags in the inner sect but we're still stronger than these outer sect disciples. Why is the couple so relaxed!?'

The middle-aged men creased his brows and spoke.

"Let's get this over with, from the route we took, we should be an hour ahead of Zhi Rui and Zhun Xuying. Let's do it the way we talked." the man looked at the green wearing young man "You and the boy will stall Zhun Xyuing." He turned to the fat woman "My wife and I will pin Zhi Rui down and you deal the finishing blow. Can you do it?"

She scoffed and turned away.

As the boy and the elegant man got in their positions.

The middle-aged man looked to his partner, seeing the same resolution of always they both together got up on top of a tree.

As they waited, one hour passed. they breathe turned soft and still.

the couple on top of the tree saw nothing on the horizon. The hot air of the forest prickled the skin, and the sweat flowed down.

'Something is wrong' The man thought he looked this wife and she had the same worried look in her eyes. Suddenly they both widened their eye at the same time and slightly moved to the side a wheezing sound passed by his the man's ear.

On the trunk of the tree, a black arrow stuck in.

At once the couple still holding hands ran down the tree with a speed only seen on the peak of the level three. They reached the ground and ran ahead. Arrows flashed in front of them no matter the direction they took. with a grunt, as one they jumped in the opposite direction. That's when the couple saw it.

The man in green robe disheveledly defending himself from a smiling lady knight's piercing sword pokes.

The fat woman was squealing in pain as a beastly man swung his claws at her throat, she jumped putting her stomach on the way. Her robes tore apart with the sound of hitting thick iron the fat woman flew in the couple's direction.

"Xu'er" The middle-aged man said, and his wife behind him clasped their two hands with each other. Their eyes shined.

They suddenly turned around from where they came from and ran away the fat woman cried their name but the couple just kept on, the arrows grazed their skin, but they did not felter. Ten meters ahead the arrows rain of arrows went thin and the man caught a silhouette of the young level two boy that came with them.

A boy a little over sixteen, His eyes shined with hope seeing them coming in his direction. The man' 's face hardened, his wife clenched his hand tighter.

Taking ahold of himself, the man heard noise coming from behind him without hesitation he grabbed the boys hand. And pulled him. His wife's hand reached his back with a palm and he froze like a rock. The man abruptly stomped the ground, he punched the frozen boy. Sizzling red fire exploded on the frozen boy's back. He exploded in the pursuers direction. Chunks of ice piercing through trees as if it was nothing Hurled. And the couple turned away.

They heard a muffled scream and the sound of steel hitting the ice.

The didn't stop to see, they kept running madly.

They knew they could run away now. The man turned back to see his wife when a thin imperceptible gush of wind came from ahead, their scalp went numb.

They threw themselves to the ground. With their speed they rolled a few times, the man got up first grabbed his wife and ran but a white-robed elegant woman looked them coldly.

They jumped to the right but stopped as the wounded beastly man stood there with bulging veins and bloodshot eyes. Restlessness came over them and they tried another direction; The lady knight from before smiled at them. With despair, they turned one last time.

They froze, a chill crawled their spine, his wife held him in place as he stumbled backward. Her eyes ever staring forward.

An injured, purple scaled snake with green shining eyes stared them, blood came out of several wounds in its skin. Its body was thick enough for an adult to barely close arms around it

A bloodied Zhi Rui sat cross-legged on the beast's head. Staring at them with interest.

"As usual, the desperate fell into the trap of hope." She said.

The man ignored everything and turned to the woman, her eyes shined a little "It was worth it" She said. The man sighed, "I agree, but it should've last longer." they clasped their hands and joined foreheads staring deeply at each other's eyes.

Their energy interlaced into one and went back on their minds when it reached it'd be all over. Before it could a howling scream disrupted their concentrated minds.

With an illusory ghost on her back, Zhi Rui laughed and spoke as they were stunned in place.

"First consider this proposal, if you still want to die later, then I'll let you."