Chapter 126: Foundation Establishment Spiritual Sense Hard to Detect!

"Wang, brother, the System Prompt's fluctuation seems to be near that rubble shore ahead!" Li Hu lowered his voice, pointing to a slightly sunken, jagged‑rock area over a hundred zhang away. Grandson Wang Zhize's Spiritual Power signal, though faint, has been pointing them this way.

Wang Shan hummed, his eyes scanning sharply around. Since the last encounter with Wan Honghai, he has been more cautious; the Third-tier Environment Scanning Talisman is used almost with a timer, daring no carelessness.

"Be careful, around here…" Before his words finished, his face darkened suddenly, and he grabbed Li Hu and Zhang Mei, "Bad! Quickly, push the Concealing Breath Art to the limit! Follow me!"

Almost the moment his words fell, a massive, suffocating pressure surged like a tsunami from the southeast, at an incomprehensibly fast speed!

"That old monster again!" Li Hu cried oddly, his face turning pale, fumbling as he activated the Concealing Breath Art.

Zhang Mei's delicate body shivered, feeling as if all her blood were about to solidify.

Wang Shan's thoughts raced; the system's scanned data flashed like lightning—Foundation Establishment late stage, Wan Honghai! Less than five li away, rapidly closing in!

"This way!" Wang Shan shouted low, relying on the Third-tier Environment Scanning Talisman's recent vague reading, he charged toward a recessed spot on the mountain wall to the left‑front. There seemed to be a faint natural Array fluctuation, their only hope!

The three sprang like rabbits, slipping into the hollow within a few breaths. The hollow was small, fitting only three or four people; its walls were covered in moss, and several huge stones cleverly blocked most of the entrance. Wang Shan flicked out several pre‑prepared Talismans, a flash of dim light laying a simple concealment and Concealing Breath Art array at the mouth of the pit.

"Hold your breath, suppress all aura!" Wang Shan commanded gravely, while he pushed the Third-tier Concealing Breath Art to an unprecedented level, his whole being seeming to merge with the surrounding rocks.

Li Hu and Zhang Mei pressed tightly against the stone wall, daring not to exhale. The pressure of the late‑stage Foundation Establishment strongman drew nearer, pressing on their hearts as if solid, making even a finger twitch feel difficult. Li Hu's forehead veins bulged, his teeth chattered, feeling his bones groan. Zhang Mei's face turned even paler, eyes shut, her body involuntarily trembling slightly.

Wang Shan furrowed his brows; he could clearly feel a massive Spiritual Sense sweeping the area like mercury spilling on the ground. This Spiritual Sense was powerful yet delicate, exuding an undeniable dominance. His Concealing Breath Art, though exquisite, under such close, high‑intensity scanning also felt unprecedented pressure, as if a thin veil might be pierced at any moment.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

A few fierce barks rang from afar to near, clearly reaching the ears of the three inside the hollow.

Wang Shan's heart tightened. It's a beast! And from the sound, its grade is not low.

Soon, a chaotic clatter of footsteps and rustling robes halted not far outside the hollow.

"Elder, the tracking dog seems to have found something here," a slightly hoarse voice said.

"Hm?" an aged, imposing voice replied with a hint of doubt.

Wang Shan's heart rose to his throat. Tracking dog! And a Third-rank Peak one! Such a beast's sensitivity to scent far exceeds a common cultivator's Spiritual Sense detection, especially toward a specific tracked target, terrifyingly keen.

"Wh… woof!"

The tracking dog paced back and forth outside the hollow, nose sniffing hard, a restless low growl from its throat, one paw even began digging toward the hollow's direction!

Li Hu and Zhang Mei's faces turned ashen in an instant. It's over!

Wang Shan's palms also sweated. He had already condensed his own aura to the extreme, deliberately slowing his heartbeat, yet he hadn't expected the beast's nose to be so keen!

"What's going on?" Wan Honghai's voice carried a hint of impatience. His Spiritual Sense repeatedly scanned the area, finding only a few ordinary stones and some low‑grade flora, no anomalies. Though the natural hollow was concealed, it didn't seem suitable for hiding a person.

"Elder, this beast… seems to have smelled something, but isn't quite sure," the previously cautious cultivator replied.

The tracking dog spun a few more circles on the spot, barking wildly toward the hollow, but seemed disturbed by something, appearing confused, and finally shook its head, ceasing its insistence.

Wan Honghai snorted coldly, "Useless! Can't even find a Body Refining junior! Keep searching! They're definitely nearby!"

Footsteps and barks gradually faded away.

Until that terrifying pressure completely vanished, the three inside the hollow collapsed as if exhausted, all exhaling together. Li Hu collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, "My goodness… you scared me to death! Wang, that damn dog's nose is way too sharp!"

Zhang Mei also still trembling, leaned against the stone wall, her chest heaving violently.

Wang Shan's expression grew solemn: "That old Wan Honghai is indeed a hundred times harder to deal with than Wan Tianjue. Not only is his cultivation deep, his Spiritual Sense astonishing, even this tracking beast is that troublesome." He had just clearly felt that, despite the Concealing Breath Art and simple array's concealment, the tracking dog still sensed something amiss. If the natural hollow didn't possess some aura‑blocking property, they likely would have been discovered.

"Wang, your Concealing method… truly divine!" Li Hu, catching his breath, said admiringly, "Such a strong Spiritual Sense, and that dog's nose, still couldn't snatch us out!"

Wang Shan shook his head: "Not enough." He then thought to the system, "System, is there a higher‑grade or stronger‑effect concealment rune compendium? Specifically targeting Spiritual Sense and beast scent."

*Ding! * Detected Zhuren demand, recommending the Fourth Tier Stacked Array Concealment Rune Combination, which can greatly boost Concealing Breath Art effect and simulate merging with surrounding environmental aura; exchange requires 500 Spirit Plant Points.

"Exchange!" Wang Shan said without hesitation. Spirit Plant Points are small; life is big.

This close brush made him realize clearly that relying solely on current means, surviving a prolonged cat‑and‑mouse with late‑stage Foundation Establishment strongmen is almost impossible.

He looked at Li Hu and Zhang Mei's pale faces, and recalled his grandson whose signal had cut off, a strong yearning welling up from his heart.

"Body Refining Ninth Stage… still too weak!" Wang Shan clenched his fist, "To truly stand in this Man Yun Mountain Range, to rescue my grandson, to no longer be so ragged, we must accelerate Foundation Establishment!"

Every near‑death brush adds another ounce to his thirst for power.

"Wang, what do we do now? Still head southeast?" Zhang Mei whispered, her voice still trembling slightly.

Wang Shan looked southeast, the direction where his grandson's signal vanished and Wan Honghai's primary search area. He pondered briefly, "We can't force our way in any more. That old dog Wan Honghai will surely set a net there."

He began to devise a new plan in his mind. "The Man Yun Mountain Range is so vast; there must be some special spots. For instance, those places where spiritual energy is thin, where beasts refuse to tread—dead zones—or perhaps… poisonous miasma‑filled treacherous areas. Perhaps we can use those places to evade tracking."

"Poisonous miasma zone?" Li Hu shivered, "Wang, that place isn't a joke."

"Better than being caught by Wan Honghai." Wang Shan stood, "First leave here, find an absolutely safe spot; I need to study the newly acquired concealment rune. Then we must change our approach, and properly play hide‑and‑seek with these Wan family people…"