An Upper Ninja suddenly raised his hand, and everyone immediately stopped in their tracks.
"The waste from the Muramasa Family is gone, Xu Hao's presence has disappeared here," he said coldly. "Everyone search around, but be careful—the Huaya People are full of tricks, and with your insufficient strength, do not get separated."
Ten Chunin immediately nodded and began to search rapidly for traces of Xu Hao.
Another Upper Ninja said in a low voice, "Shichirou, us storming in so aggressively, Xu Hao might have noticed long ago and might even be planning an ambush from behind."
Kameda Shichirou replied, "Hachiro, both you and I are strong at the Upper Ninja level, dealing with a mere Chunin like Xu Hao should be easily done. The Clan Leader didn't send both of us just to deal with the insignificant Xu Hao. Find thе trаnslаtiоn оn МV&LЕМРYR.
This place is said to be one of the former dwellings of Gui Guzi, a famous figure from the Huaya Warring States period, and one of the leading Strategists of the era. His students, like Sun Bin and Pang Juan, were all generals of their time, and it is said that the Trap Master also learned from him. So, the former dwelling of such a person is bound to have all kinds of traps..."
"But it's been over two thousand years, even the most sophisticated traps would hardly be functioning anymore, right? Shichirou, you are imagining Gui Guzi as too magical," said Kameda Hachiro with a hint of disdain.
"That's not necessarily the case, many a Tomb Raider died an unnatural death precisely because the traps in their tombs were so peculiar and could withstand the test of time for a millennium; who knows, they may have survived two thousand years or even longer. Caution is the priority, otherwise, if you lose your life, you won't even know how it happened."
Kameda Shichirou kept giving cautionary advice to Kameda Hachiro, who also became careful and cautious.
As the two slowly advanced, a scream suddenly echoed from not far ahead.
They rushed over swiftly, only to discover a body on the ground, with a Feathered Arrow piercing right through his heart!
This was a Chunin Level expert, who under normal circumstances should have been able to dodge a crossbow shot.
But here, he didn't have even the slightest chance to react before being shot dead!
The Chunin, who were searching the area, heard the scream and flocked over. Seeing their comrade dead on the spot, they all felt the chill of their own mortality.
Kameda Shichirou frowned deeply and after a thorough examination, he said, "Considering the impact of the Feathered Arrow and his own speed, the dangerous zone should start around five meters in front of his body. Such a Feathered Arrow originally wouldn't have the power to kill him, and if it was a real killing trap, it would definitely not have shot only one. So this was merely a warning to those who come here."
"But he's still dead," Kameda Hachiro said in frustration.
"That's because he was careless, probably striding forward without a care. Also, he was unlucky, if this Feathered Arrow was facing a Huaya person, it would only hit the abdomen and not be fatal. But he was too short, or rather, we Islanders are shorter, so it hit directly in the heart area."
Kameda Shichirou's analysis made everyone nod in agreement—the situation at the scene must be just as he said.
Kameda Shichirou's eyes were spinning as he suddenly commanded, "Everyone, listen up. Move forward while keeping low, and watch out for traps around you! This place is fraught with dangers. If any of you show the slightest carelessness, your lives are at risk, and don't say I didn't warn you! Since we can't find that boy Xu Hao, there's no need to keep searching. Perhaps he got scared and ran off. But remember, we of the Island Country Kameda Family do not fear any danger!"
"We do not fear danger! We are willing to sacrifice for our clan!"
All the people chanted in unison, boosting each other's spirits.
Kameda Shichirou did this out of necessity—the area was long devoid of living beings and was heavy with Evil Qi. If morale was low, things could get worse, so he rallied them with a slogan to raise their spirits.
They all followed his command, crouching down, peering ahead, and slowly moving forward, all the while tossing pebbles and other items ahead to test the path, and they managed to evade several Feathered Arrow traps.
Meanwhile, Xu Hao, with Anna in tow, was moving slowly along the top of the cave, without making a single sound; Anna was watching nervously below, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Xu Hao, observing their movements, nodded to himself in approval. Kameda Shichirou's method was good, it was a reliable way to traverse the next stretch of the path.
According to the information provided by Wang Zhong, this place was likely one of the spots where Gui Guzi had secluded himself for cultivation back in his day. To be precise, this might have been where he spent his youth to middle age in seclusion. As for why the Immortal Bone was hidden here, with the passage of time, many details have become impossible to verify.
The traps inside this cave had been constructed by Gui Guzi during his period of seclusion, from the outside in, one by one, not only to avoid being disturbed but also to test some of his ideas.
As he aged, his ideas naturally matured, so the further in, the stronger the traps became. The ones at the front were just the appetizer.