Zhao Shuning, Su Nian and the others lived in peace outside.
However, the group inside the labyrinth cave were suffering greatly.
At the forefront of this suffering was Huang Sheng.
Huang Sheng was the most powerful among them all and one of the four chief stewards of the Misty Rain Tower. Logically, he should have protected his students.
But he didn't. Every time a monster attacked him, he always pushed the third - level students in front of him as shields.
Surprisingly, every time the Huo Dou and the Zhu Yan attacked, their power would weaken significantly when they encountered other students. But when facing Huang Sheng and Zhang Tianyuan, their power was several times stronger than usual.
"Damn it! Do these beasts have their eyes on the top of their heads? Do they know it was me who threw the stones earlier?"
Before he could finish his complaint, the Huo Dou charged over again.
By now, everyone in Huang Sheng's group was injured. Their wounds were no less severe than Kong Shishuang's earlier.
Zhang Tianyuan's hand holding the Qingyun Sword was still trembling.
Huang Sheng also felt his feet getting unsteady. If he relaxed even a bit, he would surely collapse to the ground.
"Do these two beasts only plan to attack the two of us?"
The other students were also injured, but not to the point of losing their lives. However, the Huo Dou and the Zhu Yan seemed determined to kill Huang Sheng and Zhang Tianyuan.
"The Huo Dou is acting strangely."
Zhang Tianyuan said this in a low voice. Then he whispered something in Huang Sheng's ear. The two looked at each other, nodded, and quickly gathered the group.
Outside the labyrinth cave, Zhao Shuning tapped her fingers, counting the time minute by minute.
"Se Se, what is the gang leader doing?"
"Waiting for someone."
"Waiting for whom?"
"The people from Tianyuan Que."
Shuang Er stepped back a few steps. Zhao Shuning's eyes were fixed on the exit of the labyrinth cave. It wouldn't be long. In just a moment, they should be out.
"Se Se, why doesn't the gang leader just solve them inside the cave? Why go through so much trouble?"
Se Se shook her head, smiling but not answering, and walked to one side.
Why didn't Zhao Shuning just let the Huo Dou deal with Huang Sheng's group? There were mainly several considerations.
Firstly, she wouldn't feel avenged if she didn't see them suffer. The pain she endured when falling into the undercurrent river was too much. However, the fact that she had the ancient monster Huo Dou was a top - secret. If others knew about it, they would surely be extremely jealous, which might bring disaster to her. So, Zhao Shuning brought her group out first.
Secondly, Zhao Shuning had her own thoughts. At the second height, she had seen Zhang Tianyuan after swallowing the inner elixir. She was confident that she could deal with Zhang Tianyuan among those of the same level. But if Huang Sheng, who did all kinds of evil, joined in, she might get a little injured. So, she wanted the monsters to wear down their edge first.
Finally, why was Zhao Shuning so sure that they could find a flaw and escape? It was because she deliberately left a flaw.
Zhang Tianyuan wasn't stupid. During the fight, he would surely notice that the Huo Dou wouldn't actively attack the innocent fellow disciples. As long as they used their fellow students as shields, escaping from the labyrinth cave was just a matter of time.
But when they came out, they would surely be disgraced, and that was exactly what she wanted.
"Time's up."
Zhao Shuning said to the people behind her, "Put on your clothes and hide here. I'll be back soon."
Su Nian's group was injured, so it wasn't suitable for them to go and settle the score with Huang Sheng's group.
The black clothes Zhao Shuning gave them were just for them to hide easily in the black night.
Suddenly, several figures flashed near the labyrinth cave. Then, more and more people came out. By now, twilight had descended on the enchanted forest outside.
Zhang Tianyuan and Huang Sheng gasped for breath as they escaped from the labyrinth cave. Behind them were the fellow disciples who had entered the cave with them. But now, dissatisfaction was clearly written on their faces. They hadn't forgotten that Huang Sheng and Zhang Tianyuan had tried to use them as meat shields to attract the monsters.
"We're finally out."
"Will they come out?"
Huang Sheng shook his head. Monsters in the labyrinth cave generally didn't come out at night. So, the enchanted forest was relatively safe for now.
More than twenty people collapsed on the ground. There were several bloodstains on Zhang Tianyuan's face, and Huang Sheng was no better. There was a long claw mark on his chest that almost dug out his internal organs.
Everyone was exhausted. They sat on the ground, gasping for fresh air.
"Teacher Huang, you're a steward in the tower. We've always respected you. But just now, you almost got us all killed."
"Steward Huang, although we're not the most outstanding in the Misty Rain Tower, we're the successors cherished by our families. We all saw what happened just now. You must give us an explanation."
"Yes, you must give us an explanation!"
After resting for a while, several people started to talk about this.
They were greedy for money, but if they had known there were monsters in the labyrinth cave, how could they have gone in?
But judging from Steward Huang and Zhang Tianyuan's expressions, they clearly knew there were monsters in the cave. They just didn't expect them to be the ancient monsters Zhu Yan and Huo Dou. If they were ordinary monsters and Huang Sheng and Zhang Tianyuan still let them take the risk, their motives were obvious.
"I'm afraid Teacher Su was Steward Huang's first move, and we'll be the second."
Huang Sheng's face darkened to the extreme.
"Have you said enough!"
"Steward Huang, we almost lost our lives here just now. Do you still want to use your power as a steward to suppress us? Let me tell you, we're not afraid anymore."
People who had experienced life and death had nothing to fear.
"If you can't even endure this kind of training, you'll never be able to reach the fourth level."
Never be able to reach the fourth level? Huang Sheng's words were really a joke.
"Steward Huang, we call you steward out of respect. But a person like you is unworthy of being a teacher. It wasn't you who saved us in the labyrinth cave just now. It was the monsters who didn't kill us. We're not kids. We can see this clearly."
More and more people were criticizing Huang Sheng, and a look of panic began to appear on his face.
At this moment, Zhang Tianyuan's expression was also extremely sinister.
"If you say another word, I'll kill you all!"
The threatening, low - pitched voice sounded. Zhang Tianyuan's face was as gloomy as ever.
"Zhang Tianyuan, what did you say?"
"I said that if you keep blabbering, I'll kill you all."
Everyone was stunned, and their feet involuntarily took a few steps back.
They thought Zhang Tianyuan would stand on their side because they were from Tianyuan Que. But now, it was obvious that Zhang Tianyuan was on the side of self - interest.