Ning Zhanji thought for a moment, dispatched two cultivators to scout ahead, and led the main force to retreat a short distance.
A moment later, the two cultivators returned and reported: "It's the corpse of a demon ape!"
The tension in the whole team loosened slightly.
When the main force arrived beside the demon ape's body, Ning Yong exclaimed.
It was his first time seeing a magma demon ape.
This demon beast had a robust physique, standing about three meters tall, with thick crimson fur covering its entire body. The fur was uniformly red as fire, quite beautiful.
The magma demon ape's fangs were bared, its eyes wide open, and it had died with its eyes open.
Its body was a unique fusion of flesh and lava.
Even though it was now dead, from its wounds, one could see its internal structure. It resembled magma, still slowly flowing and emitting intense heat, though it was rapidly cooling.
Ning Zhanji frowned deeply.
This was an unexpected situation.
He would have preferred a living magma demon ape.
Now, things had become complicated.
"There was a fierce battle here!"
"The magma demon ape fought hard but ultimately lost."
"What kind of existence could single-handedly kill an adult magma demon ape?"
"From the traces, it doesn't seem to be any known type of demon beast."
Ning Zhanji knew he needed to investigate thoroughly.
Because if they left a mysterious beast unchecked, the Ning Family's major movements in the future could suffer greatly without clear intel!
Ning Zhanji led the team into this cave precisely to scout the environment and gather information.
With these thoughts, Ning Zhanji ceased pondering and decisively abandoned the original route, following the tracks.
"But since the mysterious beast and the adult demon ape had a tough battle, we can estimate its combat power. Our current strength should be adequate."
"Also, it must have weakened after fighting the demon ape. This is a very good opportunity!"
Ning Zhanji's eyes sparkled as he led the team on the relentless pursuit.
Along the way, they found other demon beasts that had met grisly ends. For instance, the fire essence scattered on the ground after the death of a runaway fire snake, or the corpse of a flame stepping lizard, scattered stones from a lava fiend, and so on.
The Ning Family cultivators accumulated various items as they continued.
"Boss, what kind of thing is this powerful, killing so many demon beasts?"
"Ha ha, we're getting lucky this time. If more of these mysterious beasts appear, we wouldn't need to do anything and still hit the jackpot."
Ning Zhanji frowned and secretly calculated: "The one leaving these behind without cleaning the battlefield is clearly not a cultivator. But the bodies are not gnawed on, and resources like fire essence haven't been eaten. This suggests that the mysterious beast doesn't belong to the volcanic magma cave, nor is it part of the local food chain."
"Perhaps, it's a pet beast of some cultivator?"
"In any case, I must reveal its true identity this time!"
Ning Zhanji made up his mind and continued the pursuit.
Eventually, they arrived at a dead end.
"The tracks clearly lead here..."
The Ning Family cultivators were puzzled.
Ning Zhanji glanced around, then murmured and cast a spell.
Finally, his gaze fixed on a section of the wall.
"Fall back, form a formation."
"Smash this wall." Ning Zhanji ordered.
The Ning Family cultivators formed three small formations, pulling Ning Zhuo and Ning Yong into the farthest one, instructing them not to run around.
The formation activated, and the cultivators continuously bombarded the wall.
After the wall's surface shattered, it revealed the glow of a formation.
A defensive formation was hidden here!
The defensive formation was simple and crude, not strong enough to withstand for long and was quickly smashed apart.
The wall was pierced, revealing another passage.
"There's actually another passage hidden here?"
"Was it hidden from us before?"
Ning Zhanji frowned deeply.
Reaching this point, he wavered in his previous assumptions.
Clearly, whoever laid the formation must be a cultivator. Even if not human, it would still be a wise demon cultivator.
After hesitating for only a second, Ning Zhanji decided to continue the pursuit.
The Ning Family cultivators began exploring the mysterious passage.
They quickly discovered similar "demon beast traces" as before.
"Perhaps, this is a spiritual pet of some cultivator, highly intelligent, with access to formations."
"Many parts of this passage have man-made marks, developed earlier than us."
"So, our Ning Family is actually the later party?"
"We're nearing the end of this passage."
Following the tracks, the Ning Family cultivators exited the passage and entered a wide-open, flat underground plaza.
Two formations were also set up in the underground plaza, both crude, like a child's doodles.
Ning Zhanji dispatched his subordinates to search for clues; just then, the howls of demon beasts rang out.
Roars and growls rose continuously from all directions, surrounding them.
Ning Zhanji was startled and immediately ordered a retreat.
But scorching lava suddenly surged from the passageway they came through, forcing them to retreat.
"Could it be the work of the other two families, or perhaps the City Lord?"
Ning Zhanji was shocked and furious; he directed the others to form a formation while sending scouts to investigate.
The results were dire.
This underground plaza seemed like a transit hub, linking numerous passages. And from these passages, a large number of demon beasts were pouring in.
The Ning Family cultivators set up a defensive formation in one corner of the plaza and activated it with all their might.
Luckily, they were well-prepared and had brought many array plates, allowing them to quickly build the defensive formation.
The defensive formation activated, forming an ice-colored light wall, forming a semicircle, complementing the rear wall to create a full circle.
The first wave came from a horde of fire fleece rats. Compared to those outside, these fire fleece rats were as tall as half a person!
The fire fleece rats crazily charged, and many of them smashed into the ice wall, dying on impact.
Cracks appeared on the ice wall.
Some lava fiends floated in mid-air, bypassing the ice wall, and attacked.
The Ning Family cultivators cooperated seamlessly, fully prepared.
A myriad of magic artifacts activated, mainly flying swords and needles, piercing the lava fiends, buying crucial time.
The second defensive formation was built, creating a hemispherical shield covering everyone inside.
Immediately, the noises beyond the formation decreased significantly.
"Continue building the formations!" Ning Zhanji's face was filled with grim determination.
The Ning Family cultivators had just completed the third large formation, erecting a light pillar that supported the underground space's ceiling, when an immense aura suddenly emerged.
The cultivators looked horrified.
"A Golden Core aura. Are we chasing a Golden Core Cultivator?"
"I recognize this aura. It's Zheng Shuanggou, the ancestor of the Zheng Family!"
"Could the Zheng Family be targeting us?!"