Pathway

"Hehehe. You should know we don't die easily, Barang. Hehehe."

Said Yu Guiying as she firmly clasped arms with the half-dwarf, Barang. Her happiness couldn't be suppressed as she continued laughing.

"So good to see you again too."

"Hahaha, great to see you alive too, my friend."

The demon, Kagau, uttered as he took his turn in clasping arms with Barang. He was nodding his head as he smiled broadly.

"Knew you'll surely make it. You truly have undying soul."

Indeed, they were friends. Ju Feng watched as their auras grew stronger the more they happily crooned with one another. Yes, these were powerful entities. Although not like the Rakshasan god, their auras were still highly oppressive. He decided to maintain his silence until they would acknowledge his presence.

Removing some items from her spatial storage, the human lady flicked her hand and a bamboo-padded seat appeared. She sat down and set down the items beside the drawn circle. Using one hand to grab some medicinal herbs from a little container beside her chair before dumping them in her mouth. She was closely examining the circle as the others joined her.

"The square?"

"Yes, Yu Guiying. You know with the square formation, we have the utmost chance."

"Yes, I know that, but the square formation requires four of us. There's no short way to it, unless we risk our lives."

The demon, who was sitting on a rise on the floor, also observing the circle, quipped in his agreement. The square formation requires four immortals for it function properly. There was no question about the failure of any attempt with lesser number number of people.

"That won't be good, Barang. We could die in the process."

"Wait, wait. I understand your concerns. I know this too. Before, I wouldn't have indulged in this, but now, I can."

"And why is that?"

The two of them looked at him with cautious curiosity.

"You failed to notice the fourth person when both of you arrived."

"What?!"

"Who?!"

They stood up and looked around until their gazes fell on Ju Feng who had already moved to a far corner of the place. From the moment they'd arrived, he had withdrawn to the corner, leaving the nascent immortals to their own. From their talks, he knew he had no reason to be there. What they were about to do would certainly kill any cultivator below the golden core stage.

"Oh... didn't see you there, young one. My bad. Come closer."

Yu Guiying said as she waved at Ju Feng.

"Four we are. It must've escaped my sight too, kid."

The demon agreed and he turned his gaze towards the half-dwarf.

"I guess you are right to indulge big, Barang. Although he's extremely weak for such formation, we can actually make it work."

"Yu Guiying, Kagau, meet Ju Feng."

Barang said as he did the introduction, just as Ju Feng joined them around the drawn circle. 

"As you already noticed, he's still at the foundation level. Your expectation of him shouldn't be too high."

"Don't worry, Barang. In our situation, I don't think we can have too high expectation of anybody. Though, he's extremely weak, I believe he can do."

Yu Guiying waved the concerns away before focusing on Ju Feng.

"Well kid, it doesn't matter why you embarked on this journey... Why you want to see the oracle. Right now, you're here and you've got to be ready. See the light of your vale? It's faint. If you don't leave this place, you'll die eventually. If you leave this place on your own, you'll also die. Be ready when we are. That's your only option if you want to live pass this day."

"Fate beckons, kid."

Kagau beamed at Ju Feng before voicing more louder.

"Audience with the oracle."

The dwarf who was making some additions to the circle drawn on the floor, paused.

"Patience, Kagau. Patience. You'll have your audience with the oracle soon. We just need to survive the Valley of Retribution."

"Yes, Kagau. Patience."

Yu Guiying nudged the demon as she smiled brightly.

"Hope you're not that eager to ask if you have a chance with me. You'll be so disappointed,  Kagau."

"Ah, my poor soul is fully broken. I guess I'll drown myself in my tears now. Goodbye everyone."

Kagau removed a jar from his spatial storage and downed the content in gulps.

"Finest nectar wine. Now, I'm reborn."

"Hehehe."

Everybody bust into laughter as they continued to watch the big demon. Ju Feng realized this was a true friendship these three entities had and a high level of closeness. He already knew this place was different to others he had been. He could easily die in here. They could be his only chance at survival and there was no way he would stay behind. With them, he decided he would go.

After making necessary adjustment to the circle, Barang  finally achieved the best arraignment for the formation.

"This is how we'll arrange ourselves once we enter the valley. Then after the third bell, we move to this. When we reach the outskirts of the  palace of the oracle, that's when we will activate the Four Souls Diadem. Everything we have laboured for together, will go into use there. Let's make good use of it."

After going through the plan, they gave Ju Feng some medicinal pills. The pills would raise his strength, almost a level, for few hours. He would have the strength of almost a Jindan cultivator, albeit only for some hours. Now, his chance of survival had increased and he couldn't contain his delight as he moved around.

"This will be a death battle as we already know, my friends. Are we ready?"

Uttered Barang with a grim face, receiving nods from others in confirmation.

"To fate, we go."

They all affirmed in response.

"To fate, we go."

***

Ju Feng's soul avatar stepped out of the Heave-world and into his body on the snowy plain of the Aculum Divinis, before collapsing. The feel of the frosty air and the falling snowflakes, were both soul and body soothing. He had left his body behind in this snow while his soul had journeyed into a spirit world. He pulled himself up and started to chew some spirit plants he could find in his spatial sac. How happy he was to be alive, at least for the moment. The words of the oracle echoed in his mind as he headed towards the direction of the grey tree.

"Ju Feng. Son of Zhang Huan and Zhang Xiu Ying. As far as death is concerned, you will certainly die.!"

Everywhere he turned, the only prophecies he heard about himself were never good ones. The prophecies of the fire diviner when he was younger. The ones of the bone diviner too. Not to mention that of the blood diviner. He was only ten. And he just reached the Zhuji stage. Yet, he already had a death prophecy on his head.

Ah, such a life.