< Chapter 12: The Trap >
Ning Zhanji pondered for a moment, then dispatched two cultivators to investigate, while he led the main force to retreat some distance. Moments later, the two cultivators returned to report: "It's the corpse of a demon ape!" This news somewhat eased the tense atmosphere among the troops.
When the main force reached the side of the demon ape's corpse, Ning Yong exclaimed in shock. It was his first time seeing the appearance of a Fire Melting Demon Ape. The beast was robust, about three meters tall, and covered in thick, big red fur. The fur was uniformly fiery red and strikingly beautiful.
The Fire Melting Demon Ape's fangs protruded outward, and its eyes were wide open in death, refusing to close. Its body was a peculiar existence, a fusion of flesh and molten lava. Even though it was dead, the internal structure visible through its wounds resembled flowing magma, still slowly moving and emitting intense heat, although it was quickly cooling.
Ning Zhanji furrowed his brows. This was an unexpected situation. He would have preferred to encounter a living Fire Melting Demon Ape. Now, things had become complicated.
"There was a fierce confrontation here!" someone noted.
"The Fire Melting Demon Ape fought here but ultimately fell."
"What kind of being could slay a mature Fire Melting Demon Ape in a one-on-one battle?"
"From the traces, it doesn't seem to be any known type of demon beast."
Ning Zhanji knew that he must investigate thoroughly to understand what had happened.
Because leaving a mysterious demon beast unattended could pose a significant risk to the clan's large forces during major operations, especially with unclear intelligence—this could lead to severe losses. Ning Zhanji's mission to lead a team into the underground cave was precisely to scout the environment and gather intelligence. This was his duty.
Realizing this, Ning Zhanji stopped pondering, decisively abandoned the original route, and followed the tracks. "However, considering the fierce battle between the mysterious demon beast and the adult demon ape, we can estimate its strength. Our current force should be capable of handling it."
"Moreover, after its intense battle with the demon ape, its strength must have declined. This is a great opportunity!" Ning Zhanji's eyes sparkled with determination as he led his team in pursuit.
Along the way, they passed other casualties of the mysterious beast. For instance, after the death of a Fire Serpent, the Fire Essence scattered on the ground, and the body of a Flame-stepping Lizard, and stones scattered from a Red Rock Demon. The Ning family's cultivators accumulated more and more items as they pursued.
"Boss, what kind of creature could be so powerful to have killed so many demon beasts?"
"Ha ha, we are in luck this time. If a few more of these mysterious demon beasts appear, we won't have to do anything else; we'll just get rich."
Ning Zhanji furrowed his brows, silently estimating: "The fact that the opponent leaves these behind without cleaning up the battlefield clearly indicates it's not a cultivator. Yet these bodies haven't been devoured, and resources like Fire Essence haven't been consumed. This seems to suggest that this mysterious demon beast does not belong to the volcanic molten caves and is not a part of the local food chain."
"Perhaps this is some cultivator's Spirit Pet?"
"Regardless, I must uncover its true identity this time!"
Ning Zhanji made up his mind and pursued relentlessly.
Eventually, they arrived at a dead end.
"Is there no way forward?"
"The traces clearly point here…"
The Ning family cultivators were puzzled.
Ning Zhanji looked around and then muttered a spell under his breath.
Finally, his gaze fixed on a section of the wall.
"Step back, form the array."
"Let's blast this wall open and see," Ning Zhanji ordered.
The Ning family cultivators formed three small arrays, pulling Ning Zhuo and Ning Yong into the furthest one, instructing them not to run around.
The array activated, and the cultivators collectively bombarded the wall.
After the wall's surface shattered, the brilliance of an array was revealed.
There was a defense array hidden here!
The defense array was crudely laid out and did not hold up for long before being blasted apart.
The wall was penetrated, revealing another passage.
"Is there really another passage hidden here?"
"Had it not been discovered before because it was concealed?"
Ning Zhanji frowned deeply.
Arriving here, his previous conjectures were shaken.
Clearly, whoever could set up such arrays must be a cultivator. Even if not a human, then a wise demon cultivator.
After hesitating for just a second, Ning Zhanji decided to continue the pursuit.
The Ning family cultivators began to explore the mysterious passage.
They quickly discovered traces of "demon beasts" similar to those they had encountered before.
"Perhaps this is a Spirit Pet of some cultivator, quite intelligent, possessing the authority to pass through arrays."
"There are man-made traces all over this passage; it was developed earlier than our arrival."
"Does that mean our Ning family is actually the later party here?"
"We are reaching the end of this path."
The Ning family cultivators tracked their way through the passage and arrived at an open, flat underground plaza.
The underground plaza had two arrays laid out, both rudimentary, resembling the scribbles of a toddler.
Ning Zhanji dispatched his subordinates to search for clues. Just then, the howling of demon beasts was heard.
Screaming and roaring echoed, surrounding them from all directions.
Ning Zhanji was shocked and immediately ordered a retreat.
But suddenly, scorching lava surged through the passage they had come from, forcing them to retreat further back.
"Could such a scheme be the work of the other two families, or perhaps the city lord's side?"
Ning Zhanji was both shocked and furious, directing his people to form arrays while sending others to investigate.
The investigation turned out very poorly.
The underground plaza seemed to be a hub, linking many passages. From these passages, a large number of demon beasts were pouring out.
The Ning family cultivators set up a defensive array in a corner of the plaza, activating it with all their might.
Fortunately, they were well-prepared for battle and had brought many array discs, which allowed them to quickly establish the defensive array.
The defensive array sprung to life, forming a semi-circle of icy blue light walls, combined with the wall at the cultivators' backs, creating a circle.
The first to charge were groups of Fire Fluff Mice. Compared to those outside, the mice here were as large as half a human!
The Fire Fluff Mice swarmed fiercely, many dying upon slamming into the ice wall.
Cracks began to appear in the ice wall.
Some Red Rock Demons floated mid-air, flying over the ice wall to attack.
The Ning family cultivators coordinated seamlessly, and prepared for this.
A multitude of magical instruments activated, primarily flying swords and needles, piercing through the Red Rock Demons, buying critical time.
A second defensive array was completed, forming a hemisphere that enveloped the cultivators.
Suddenly, the noise from outside the array diminished significantly.
"Continue building the array!" Ning Zhanji's face was stern.
Just as the cultivators completed the third major array, forming a column of light that supported the underground space's ceiling, a tremendous aura suddenly burst forth.
The cultivators looked on in shock.
"The aura of a Golden Core, are we pursuing a Golden Core cultivator?"
"I recognize this aura; it's Zheng Shuanggou, the old ancestor of the Zheng family!"
"Could the Zheng family be making a move against us?!"