Yan Jiaojiao did not leave, but frowned as she watched the three men rushing towards them.
"Quickly open the spirit barrier!" The leader, running the fastest, shouted at Pu Zhi.
Pu Zhi slightly retracted his stance and a gap opened in the spirit barrier near the man, allowing him to rush in.
Seeing that their prey was about to escape, the bull-headed beast became even more frenzied. It leaped high into the air, directly towards the head of the last person who had fallen.
The fallen man only felt darkness descending upon him. As the bull-headed beast's thick hooves were about to crush him, he couldn't help but close his eyes and cry out, "Ah!"
Pu Zhi frowned, about to unleash a surge of spiritual energy, when he saw the man forcefully tear off the protective amulet on his wrist. His body immediately vanished from the spot.
Following the thunderous impact of the bull-headed beast landing, a notification echoed through the sky, resonating in everyone's ears: Student Number 131, eliminated!
"This is the end of me!" The leader wailed, and with all his might, he sprinted into Pu Zhi's spirit barrier.
The man behind him also followed suit and entered.
Pu Zhi immediately closed the spirit barrier. The bull-headed beast charged headfirst into it, only to be repelled, stumbling back several steps before crouching on the ground, clearly dazed.
"Why aren't you running!" The leader immediately pulled Pu Zhi, turned, and ran towards another fork in the path, with the man behind him close on his heels.
Pu Zhi also knew that he couldn't keep the spirit barrier open indefinitely to confront the bull-headed beast. He retracted his stance and said to Yan Jiaojiao, "Let's go too."
Yan Jiaojiao nodded and ran forward with him. As she looked back, she saw the bull-headed beast had already stood up again, pawing the ground with its front hooves, clearly preparing to charge once more.
Yan Jiaojiao's gaze, filled with oppressive might, fixed directly on the bull-headed beast. The beast felt an overwhelming force pressing down on it, instantly freezing it in place. Its feverish mind felt as if it had been plunged into ice. Upon realizing it was Yan Jiaojiao's aura, it retreated several steps in greater fear.
Seeing that the bull-headed beast no longer dared to pursue, Yan Jiaojiao turned her head and continued running forward as if nothing had happened.
After running for quite some time, they stopped when they realized there was no movement behind them, leaning breathlessly against tree trunks.
"What rotten luck, not killing that beast!" the leader grumbled between gasps.
"Young Master Luo, what do we do now?" the man beside him asked. "Third Brother is also eliminated, and now it's just us."
"Pathetic, tearing off the protective amulet so readily, becoming the first to be eliminated in the entire arena. This is truly disgraceful," the one called Young Master Luo cursed fiercely, forgetting that he himself had been the first to flee, leaving his brother behind.
Pu Zhi was disgusted and no longer engaged with them. He simply called out to Yan Jiaojiao, pointed to another path, and said, "Miss Yan, let's head that way."
Yan Jiaojiao naturally did not wish to associate with cowards. Just as she was about to leave with Pu Zhi, she heard Young Master Luo say, "Wait, I think you, big fellow, are quite powerful. How about we form an alliance and team up?"
As he spoke, Young Master Luo took out several silver notes from his sleeve. "Of course, I, Young Master Luo, won't treat you unfairly. As long as you help me advance, this money is just a deposit." He then glanced at Yan Jiaojiao. "Naturally, you can bring your girl along too."
Pu Zhi's face turned red, his thick eyebrows furrowed. He looked nervously at Yan Jiaojiao before angrily glaring at Young Master Luo and saying, "You're talking nonsense! Don't even think about me protecting you!"
This person is quite reliable, Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but sigh internally.
Young Master Luo was displeased by the refusal and took out more silver notes from his sleeve. "Do you think it's not enough? Here's more, and three times the amount after we succeed!"
"Bah!" Pu Zhi expressed his disdain through action, turning and leaving with Yan Jiaojiao.
"You ungrateful wretch! You won't even take so much silver, you fool!" Young Master Luo shouted furiously from behind Pu Zhi.
Pu Zhi turned back and threw a magic orb at Young Master Luo, which exploded just in front of him, startling him. However, he dared not take another step forward, only watching the two of them leave.
Once Young Master Luo and his companion were out of sight, Yan Jiaojiao extended her hand to Pu Zhi. "Alliance?"
Pu Zhi was stunned for a moment, then happily extended his hand and high-fived her. "Alliance!"
The two continued walking for a long time. As it neared noon, Pu Zhi suggested they stop to rest. After asking Yan Jiaojiao to wait under a tree, Pu Zhi went to the small river ahead to catch fish.
Now that she had a teammate, Yan Jiaojiao was even more determined to take things seriously. Thinking that aimlessly wandering through diverging paths was not a viable strategy, Yan Jiaojiao found a high slope, leaped onto the tip of a tree, and scanned towards the direction of the labyrinth's end.
However, the further she looked, the more obscured the distant aerial view became by a thick white mist. Yan Jiaojiao could only vaguely discern the nearest direction.
While Pu Zhi was away, Yan Jiaojiao released her oppressive aura. Soon, a honey buzzard flew over.
Honey buzzards were the smallest among hawk-beasts, but mature ones had a wingspan of about two feet. Their beaks were long and slender like a honey straw, hence their name. They were also extremely fast flyers.
Yan Jiaojiao stared at the honey buzzard and asked, "Where is the end of the labyrinth?"
Facing such immense pressure, the honey buzzard dared not disobey and immediately pointed a direction for Yan Jiaojiao.
Satisfied, she waved her hand, dismissing the honey buzzard. She then used her spiritual energy to mark the spot. Even with the sky filled with white mist, she could still find her way by this marker.
When she returned to their resting spot, Pu Zhi was also back. Seeing Yan Jiaojiao, he was immediately relieved. "I thought you had gone somewhere else. Don't wander off alone."
Yan Jiaojiao smiled and casually replied, "I just went to scout a bit." She then pointed in a direction and said to Pu Zhi, "Let's try going that way later."
Pu Zhi had no objections. The two of them simply roasted the two fish Pu Zhi had caught and ate them before continuing their journey.
With the marker placed earlier, the two of them worked together, passing through some traps and killing a few demonic beasts, and had surprisingly covered half the distance.
During this time, there were constant notifications from the entire forest announcing students being eliminated. Fortunately, none were declared officially dead.
Yan Jiaojiao estimated that another third of the remaining participants had been eliminated, leaving perhaps only about a hundred people in the jungle.
At this point, the sky gradually darkened.
The daytime in the jungle was manageable, but the night was filled with unknown terrors. Perhaps the true test was only just beginning.
Yan Jiaojiao gazed at the setting sun. The evening glow dyed the sky red, as if it were blood, an almost terrifying shade of red.
Pu Zhi also noticed the unusual redness in the sky and remarked, "The sunsets in this ancient jungle are also unique, much redder than what I usually see."
Yan Jiaojiao felt a sense of unease. Was this truly just a coincidence?
The last sliver of the sun finally descended beyond the mountain cliff, and the faint light in the sky dimmed.
Night had begun.