Chapter 130

Wang Shan silently noted the newly discovered location, suspected to be an Ancient Cave Residence of the Beast Taming Sect, and said to Li Hu and Zhang Mei: "Let this place be for now; our top priority is the Purple Monkey Flower on Ghost Sorrow Cliff. That old scoundrel Wan Honghai might make a comeback at any moment; if we don't achieve Foundation Establishment soon, we won't even sleep soundly."

Upon hearing they would go raid the lair of a Fourth-tier beast, Li Hu's face twitched involuntarily: "Brother Wang, really want to clash head-on with the Red Flame Flying Lizard King? That's a Fourth-tier!"

"Not a head-on clash, but a smart move." Wang Shan hefted the Life Essence Core in his hand, "With this treasure, we might find a breakthrough. Let's go, first scout the outskirts of Ghost Sorrow Cliff, familiarize ourselves with the terrain, then make plans."

Just as the three set off, having not gone far, Wang Shan's mind suddenly rang with the System's alert tone, urgent: 【Warning! Detected special spiritual energy fluctuation! Matches the spiritual power samples of Zhuren's blood relatives Wang Zhize and Wang Zhitao extremely closely!】

"What?!" Wang Shan felt as if struck by lightning, abruptly stopping his steps, his heart leaping to his throat.

"Brother Wang, what's wrong again?" Li Hu was startled by his reaction, thinking the Wan Family's pursuers had come again. Zhang Mei also nervously looked around.

Wang Shan had no time to answer, urgently asking in his mind: "System, where are you?!" His blood felt as if it were boiling at that moment— Zhize, Zhitao, his grandsons! Are they still alive!

【The fluctuation source lies to the northwest of the current position, about fifteen li, in an Underground Dark River Area. The signal is intermittent, suffering strong interference.】 The System's voice remained icy, but Wang Shan heard hope in it.

"Northwest, fifteen li, Underground Dark River..." Wang Shan muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with astonishing light— the joy of finding life in desperation, as well as the worry buried deep in his heart. Although the System had previously detected something similar, that signal was too weak and far away; this time it's much closer!

The System immediately added: 【Warning! Near that spiritual energy fluctuation, multiple unfamiliar powerful beast auras were simultaneously detected, at least including a late-stage Third-tier beast, not ruling out the presence of even higher tiers!】

The just-ignited hope was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water. Wang Shan's excitement quickly turned to solemnity. The grandsons had been found, but they seemed to be in peril!

"Brother Wang, you… your face looks so awful?" Li Hu asked cautiously.

Wang Shan took a deep breath, struggling to calm his tumultuous emotions, his voice trembling slightly: "System… it has detected a clue about Zhize and Zhitao."

"Really?!" Li Hu and Zhang Mei exclaimed in unison, their faces full of disbelief and joy. They had watched Wang Shan toil and wander for his grandsons, suffering from insomnia and loss of appetite due to their disappearance.

"Great! Brother Wang!" Zhang Mei's eye sockets reddened slightly.

Li Hu even more excitedly slapped his thigh: "I told you! Good people have their own heavenly favor! The young masters are definitely fine! Where are they? Let's hurry over!"

Wang Shan pointed to the northwest: "Not far, just over there in an Underground Dark River Area. But…" he shifted tone, "they are surrounded by powerful beasts, the situation unknown, and… probably very dangerous."

The smile on Li Hu's face froze for a moment, then he straightened his neck and said: "What's there to fear about danger! Brother Wang, let's go together! Even if it's blades and fire, Old Li will follow you through!"

"Yes, Brother Wang, we'll go with you!" Zhang Mei also declared without hesitation. She knew that these two children meant more to Wang Shan than his own life.

Seeing their determined expressions, Wang Shan felt a warm current surge in his heart, and he nodded: "Alright! However, this journey into unknown danger requires us to make full preparations. The Ghost Sorrow Cliff side… we'll put it aside for now."

The Purple Monkey Flower was certainly important, but compared to the safety of the grandsons, Wang Shan's mind was like a clear mirror. He immediately opened the System Mall and quickly made exchanges.

【Third-tier Spirit-Detecting Talisman (diagram and materials)】, exchange! This talisman can sense spiritual energy fluctuations more precisely, especially in complex environments, effectively eliminating interference.

【Third-tier Shock-Restraint Talisman (diagram and materials)】, exchange! This talisman can instantly release a powerful intimidation, exerting a deterrent effect on low-tier beasts and causing a brief impact on high-tier beasts, creating an opportunity to escape or attack.

Spirit Plant Points were consumed again, not a little, but Wang Shan didn't mind. He took out the materials and began drawing them on the spot. With prior experience and his mind fixed on the grandsons' safety, his spirit was highly focused; the talisman paper and cinnabar in his hand seemed to come alive, and the runes flowed forth like clouds and water.

Moments later, several talismans glowing with spiritual light were completed.

Just as he grasped the newly crafted 【Third-tier Spirit-Detecting Talisman】 in his hand, trying to more clearly sense the grandsons' aura, the black jade slip he had obtained from the Wan Family Cultivators' storage bag at his waist suddenly trembled slightly and emitted a barely perceptible warmth.

"Huh?" Wang Shan's heart stirred, and he immediately took out the jade slip.

Almost simultaneously, the System prompted: 【Detected a weak resonance between the target spiritual energy fluctuation and this unknown jade slip. The cause of the resonance is unknown, possibly involving bloodline, a special cultivation method, or a specific token.】

Wang Shan's pupils contracted sharply. This jade slip, engraved with ancient Beast Taming Sect runes, actually resonated with the spiritual power of Zhize and Zhitao?

He suddenly recalled that this jade slip belonged to the Wan Family Cultivators, and the grandsons' disappearance was inseparable from the Wan Family! Could it be… that the grandsons' fate truly relates to this jade slip, to that mysterious Yushou Sect Inheritance? Even to the so-called relics discovered by Wan Tianjue at the bottom of the Zang Long Abyss?

For a moment, Wang Shan's mind was in turmoil. The joy of finding a clue to his relatives had not yet fully faded, but this sudden discovery cast a deeper shadow over it. What secret lay hidden within?

"Wan Family…" Wang Shan gritted his teeth, a flash of harsh light in his eyes. No matter the reason, he must quickly find the grandsons and rescue them from danger.

He hesitated no longer, distributing the talismans to Li Hu and Zhang Mei, and said in a low voice: "No delay, we set out immediately! Remember, our primary focus is investigation and rescue; try to avoid direct clashes with powerful beasts. If it's impossible, preserving life comes first!"

"Understood!" Li Hu and Zhang Mei replied in unison.

The three followed the System's guidance, swiftly moving stealthily toward the northwest. Wang Shan was anxious in his heart, yet he dared not be careless in his steps. The Man Yun Mountain Range was fraught with danger, and the Wan Family's pursuers could appear at any moment; he had to stay vigilant at all times.

"Zhize, Zhitao… you must absolutely be safe…" Wang Shan murmured in his heart. He speculated that the grandsons might have, during their flight, mistakenly entered that Underground Dark River, or perhaps encountered some mishap and become trapped there. They might even, like himself, have obtained some sort of fortuitous encounter?

All these speculations churned in his mind, leaving him unsettled.

After about half an hour, the three arrived at a low-lying rocky forest. The air was filled with a damp, earthy smell, and the sound of underground water flow could be faintly heard.

"It should be right around here." Wang Shan consulted the System Map, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

System prompt: 【Thirty zhang ahead, beneath a surface fissure, lies the Underground Dark River Entrance.】

The three pushed aside shrubs taller than a person, and indeed, in an inconspicuous crack of a massive rock, they discovered a deep cave. The cave mouth was small, only allowing one person to bend over and pass through; gusts of yin-cold, damp wind blew out from within, mixed with a faint water vapor and a barely detectable beastly stench.

"This is the place!" Wang Shan's eyes narrowed. He pressed a 【Third-tier Spirit-Detecting Talisman】 to his palm and silently activated it.

The talisman glowed faintly, an intangible wave probing into the cave. Moments later, Wang Shan's brow furrowed slightly. The cave's aura was mixed; besides the grandsons' familiar spiritual energy fluctuation, there were several beast auras, one of them exceptionally overbearing, far surpassing the Azure-Eyed Golden-Pupiled Beast he had encountered before.

"The situation is even more complicated than expected." Wang Shan told Li Hu and Zhang Mei, "Inside there is at least a beast comparable to a peak Third-tier, possibly even stronger. Zhize and Zhitao's auras are deep inside, but they fluctuate in strength, very unstable."

Li Hu swallowed his saliva: "Then… aren't the young masters in great danger?"

"That's why we need to go in." Wang Shan's tone was firm, "Li Hu, you take the lead, keep watch. Zhang Mei, stay in the middle, ready to support at any time. I'll take the rear, responsible for handling sudden situations."

"Good!"

Li Hu took a deep breath, drew a short-handled Kaishan Axe from his storage bag, crouched low, and was the first to slip into the cave. Zhang Mei followed closely behind, while Wang Shan, at the entrance, carefully surveyed the surroundings once more, confirming there were no traces of Wan Family pursuers, before flashing inside.

The cave interior was somewhat more spacious than imagined, but the light was extremely dim, the ground wet and slippery. A gentle water sound came from ahead, growing clearer.

The three proceeded cautiously for several tens of zhang, when ahead suddenly opened up, revealing an underground dark river about three to four zhang wide. The water was not deep, clear enough to see the bottom, but the current was quite swift, making a splashing sound.

"Zhize and Zhitao's auras are coming from downstream of the river." Wang Shan activated the spirit-detecting talisman, carefully sensing.

Just then, his gaze swept over and suddenly stopped on the rock wall beside the dark river. See, the originally rough rock wall actually bore some obvious traces of human excavation! Although somewhat blurred by water erosion, one could still make out some square shallow pits, like a kind of staircase, or… the remains of a trestle?

"Huh? Brother Wang, look over there!" Li Hu also noticed the anomaly, pointing at the rock wall and shouting.

Wang Shan approached for a closer look; those excavation marks were very ancient, their edges covered in moss. He touched them with his hand—the stone was hard, and the tools used for excavation must have been extraordinary.

"People once lived here." Wang Shan mused, "And judging by these marks, they seem to lead to a deeper underground space."

This unexpected discovery added a touch of mystery to an already confusing situation. The grandsons—could they have followed these marks into a deeper place? What lies hidden there? Is it an opportunity, or a greater peril?