Chapter 174: Shengsheng and the Grey Immortal Clan

After Chen Shicheng's two days of scattered killings, the Shengsheng no longer infiltrate the Fire Crow Tribe's territory through the tunnels.

If he wants to keep killing, he must go on the offensive, using the tunnel to reach the Shengsheng's territory.

Although he may encounter ambushes, for the Compress Earth to an Inch skill everything is worth it, and being besieged would also save him the trouble of hunting Shengsheng elsewhere.

Chen Shicheng packed away all the incense‑making tools, then hid the Yánluó Statue somewhere.

The tribes of the Ten‑Thousand‑Mountains are somewhat xenophobic; just as the Fire Crow Tribe rushed up to Fusang and the Fire Crows, upon seeing statues of other deities they would likely smash them, so he had no choice but to do this.

After hiding the statue, he took a deep breath, placed the La Tiao on his shoulder, and leapt straight down from the Tree Hole.

At that moment, Hui Siye was leaning against the wall, leisurely crossing his legs.

The tunnel had no source of light, and sunlight could not reach in, so it was quite dim, but Hui Siye, being of the Mouse Clan, was well‑adapted and felt no discomfort.

Seeing Chen Shicheng jump down himself, they quickly flew to his shoulder and asked, "Why did you come down?"

"It's been a long time since any Shengsheng have come, so I'm planning to hit their old lair," Chen Shicheng said casually while surveying the tunnel.

The tunnel was quite spacious, with no sense of claustrophobia; its height was about two meters, allowing him to stand upright and move forward.

However, there was little illumination; even with his eyesight he could only see within two meters, and he dared not readily use Divine Perception, since those Shengsheng are ancient aberrations that could sense it, so he turned his gaze toward Hui Siye.

"Got it, I'm the one scouting the path?" Hui Siye asked the heavens wordlessly.

"Sorry to trouble you, Siye."

With a playful grin, Chen Shicheng watched as Hui Siye flew ahead into the tunnel, clearing the way, while Chen Shicheng followed behind, his True Essence flowing, ready to strike at any moment.

"Hmm!"

As they walked, the Hui Siye ahead suddenly shouted, putting Chen Shicheng on guard, "What's up, Siye? Is there movement ahead?"

"No, kid, come here for a moment," Hui Siye's voice echoed in his mind.

Chen Shicheng, puzzled, walked forward over a hundred meters to where Hui Siye stood; at that moment Hui Siye stared blankly at the ceiling of the passage, eyes full of confusion.

"What are you looking at?"

"Look at that vent."

Hui Siye pointed to an inconspicuous hole in the tunnel's ceiling.

What's wrong with the vent? Chen Shicheng followed Hui Siye's pointing direction and saw a palm‑sized opening suddenly appearing at the tunnel's top, with fresh air streaming inward through it.

"Is there a problem?" Chen Shicheng asked, puzzled by Hui Siye's overreaction, "It's just an ordinary vent; the tunnels you dug underground weren't more professional than this."

Hui Siye shook his head, frowned, and said, "You should know that our Grey Immortal Clan has lived in the Northeast for generations; the seasons there are distinct, and winter is especially cold."

"Hmm, I know that, but what does it have to do with the vent?"

"In the Northeast, to get through winter they build heated beds and flues, and because of the unique weather, the construction methods differ from elsewhere; our Grey Immortal Clan's tunneling skills have borrowed some of those techniques."

"You mean?" Chen Shicheng instantly grasped Hui Siye's point, his gaze at the vent sharpening, "So this vent and tunnel weren't dug by the Shengsheng Tribe but by your Grey Immortal Clan? That would mean the Grey Immortal Clan is currently within Shengsheng territory?"

"Very possible!"

Hui Siye stared at Chen Shicheng; the man and the mouse fell into silence, pondering the saying 'treading iron shoes without finding a place, yet gaining it without effort'—the Grey Immortal Clan they had been yearning to locate was actually less than a hundred kilometers away!

"But in the past few days we haven't seen any of your Mouse Clan members, and why is your Grey Immortal Clan helping the Shengsheng dig tunnels?" Chen Shicheng suddenly spotted a blind spot and asked quickly.

"I don't know, but I sense something's off," Hui Siye said with some worry.

"Don't rush; it's perfect—I'm heading to the Shengsheng's territory, and then we'll see what's happening."

Chen Shicheng said that, and without further delay he quickened his pace, sprinting through the tunnel toward the other side.

The tunnel was solely for infiltrating the Fire Crow Tribe, with no branches, so at full speed he soon saw a glimmer of light; Chen Shicheng's spirit jolted, and his footspeed increased a few strides.

Soon, the man and the mouse hurriedly burst out into a cavern carved beneath a massive boulder.

"Hmm?"

"."

Not far from the cave entrance, two Shengsheng were scratching fleas under the sun; they froze, staring at the suddenly emerging Chen Shicheng, meeting his gaze.

"Squeak"

One of them quickly reacted, leapt at Chen Shicheng, and opened its mouth to warn the other Shengsheng.

But even at its speed it couldn't outrun the blade; its cry barely made it to its throat before Chen Shicheng decapitated it, the warning was instantly silenced, and the other Shengsheng was struck in the face by La Tiao; after a barrage of cat‑style punches its face was mangled, cursing the northwest.

After patting the little head of the La Tiao, Chen Shicheng placed the two Shengsheng corpses into the Storage Bag and left.

After walking an indeterminate distance, he pricked his ears and listened; finding no movement where the Shengsheng had been slain, he finally exhaled, then began assessing the mountain.

"Hmm, very big and very green—a mountain."

Unlike mountains inhabited or traversed by humans, these Shengsheng mostly move among the trees; even when they rest on the ground they jump down from the trees, so the forest has essentially no trails.

For a modern person like Chen Shicheng, whose wilderness survival skills are near zero, this place is practically a maze; aside from using the sun to gauge direction, he lacks any ability to wander here without getting lost.

Moreover, although the Shengsheng are a large clan, they collectively occupy this mountain.

But they don't live together; three here, ten there, each seeking its own dwelling, only gathering when the Shengsheng leader issues a command.

Chen Shicheng merely walked casually toward the mountain for a stretch and ran into two waves of chasing, playing Shengsheng.

Fortunately, Hui Siye had been scouting ahead; otherwise the whole mountain would now be swarming with Shengsheng hunting him.

He cautiously concealed himself beneath dead branches and leaves, took a pen and paper from the Storage Bag, surveyed the surroundings, and began drawing a map of the route he had taken after emerging from the tunnel.

(End of Chapter)