Chapter 67: Forest Phantom: Killing Aura Invades the Body

The deathly stillness and gruesome state of Zhang Jia Ao weighed on everyone's hearts like a heavy boulder.

After hastily burying the remains of the slain villagers they had found, Chen Wen's team dared not linger.

Taking advantage of the still-light night, they quickly withdrew from this death‑filled ruin.

They spent the night in a relatively concealed cave not far from the village.

Inside the cave, the campfire crackled, lighting the silent, exhausted faces of the team members.

The daytime discovery was too shocking; it was certainly beyond what ordinary bandits or warlords could do.

The yin‑cold killing aura lingering in the air persisted even after leaving the village's central area.

It clung like a bone‑deep maggot, subtly affecting everyone's mood.

"Chief, those black feathers… and that chilly feeling—could they be from the north mine cave…"

A veteran who had experienced the mine‑cave rescue lowered his voice and asked, his face still marked by lingering fear.

Chen Wen poked the fire, nodded, and spoke in a low voice:

"Nine times out of ten. Iron Crow Army."

"But the killing aura here feels more… chaotic, and also more ferocious."

He recalled the disciplined, iron‑silent soldiers from the mine cave.

Compared with this meaningless slaughter scene before them, there seemed to be a subtle difference.

The former was like a cold‑hearted craftsman, while the latter was more like

"... an out‑of‑control beast?"

"Or perhaps it is another form of 'cleansing'?"

"Did they slaughter the village to seize those bluish‑glowing stones?"

Another young team member asked, puzzled.

"But that's only a tiny amount—is it worth it?"

"That's exactly what we need to find out."

Chen Wen's gaze swept over the group.

"Everyone, stay alert; tonight we'll take turns on watch and double our vigilance."

"I feel… this mountain isn't very clean."

In the second half of the night, it was the turn of a team member named Wang Tie Zhu to keep watch.

He sat at the cave mouth, using the faint starlight and the embers of the inner fire to observe the pitch‑black forest outside.

The mountain night wind wailed, making the trees moan like ghosts weeping.

Whether it was imagination or not, Wang Tie Zhu constantly felt that something in the darkness was watching him.

The yin‑cold sensation felt during the day seemed even clearer at night.

He tightened his grip on the crossbow, forcing himself to focus.

Yet that inexplicable irritability and palpitations grew stronger.

Images of Zhang Jia Ao's gruesome scene involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and even some distorted phantoms began to appear.

His breathing grew shallow, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the hand gripping the crossbow trigger began to tremble slightly.

"Tie Zhu, what's wrong?"

The teammate coming on duty noticed his condition was off and asked in a low voice.

Wang Tie Zhu jerked back to awareness, panting heavily:

Wang Tie Zhu stammered, "No… nothing, I just feel a bit cold, my heart's hair standing on end."

The disturbance roused the lightly sleeping Chen Wen.

He went to the cave entrance, saw Wang Tie Zhu's pallid face and terrified, unfocused gaze, and immediately understood what was happening.

He placed his hand on Wang Tie Zhu's shoulder, a gentle force flowing over, while focusing his intent.

Ability Granting—individual focus, double effect, emphasizing mental resilience and will stability!

Wang Tie Zhu felt a warm current surge from his shoulder, instantly dispelling the yin‑cold and fear that had clung to his heart.

His jumbled thoughts, as if swept by a clear breeze, became much clearer at once.

He let out a long breath, looking gratefully at Chen Wen:

"Chief, I… I'm much better now."

"I don't even know what happened just now—I couldn't stop my mind from racing, and I was scared."

"It's the residual killing aura affecting your minds."

Chen Wen said in a deep voice:

"This thing corrodes ordinary people greatly, especially when they are mentally fatigued at night."

He realized that, against the Iron Crow Army, physical confrontation was only one aspect.

This intangible, incorporeal mental oppression might be the more widespread threat.

The next morning, the team continued advancing deeper into the mountains.

Based on the scattered clues found in Zhang Jia Ao and their judgment, the Iron Crow Army likely headed southeast.

Chen Wen decided to pursue them.

The daytime mountains remained rugged, but with yesterday's experience, Chen Wen began consciously using Ability Granting to help the team resist the killing aura's intangible influence.

During the march, he occasionally granted the whole team a broad Ability Granting (double effect, focusing on mental resilience).

Like an invisible mental shield, it helped everyone keep a clear mind and resist the omnipresent yin‑cold oppression.

The effect was significant.

Team members generally reported that the inexplicable palpitations and irritability had been reduced by about half.

Although he could still sense the abnormality in the surroundings, at least he wouldn't come close to losing control like Wang Tie Zhu did the previous night.

"Leader, your method really works!"

A team member said excitedly.

"Before, I always felt something calling in my head; now it's much quieter!"

Chen Wen, however, dared not be careless.

He could feel that, as they went southeast, the lingering killing intent in the mountains and forests, though still thin,

but its frequency was higher, and its distribution seemed……rather regular?

It didn't look like traces left by a large group moving randomly; instead, it resembled a specific route or patrol path.

At noon, the team rested by a stream to replenish their water.

Qian Gui's subordinate, a member skilled in tracking, made a new discovery:

"Leader, look at these bushes here—there are fresh, clean cuts from a sharp blade, and also horse hoof prints!"

"The horseshoes are distinctive, the impressions deep—definitely from fine warhorses; there are about five to seven of them, and they passed no more than a day ago!"

Chen Wen examined carefully; the traces pointed to a valley rarely visited by people.

He compared the map in his mind with the sense of residual killing intent.

He found that this valley was precisely one of the routes where the killing intent was relatively "strong."

"They seem to be……on patrol?"

A thought arose in Chen Wen's mind.

The Iron Crow Army's activities were not aimless destruction, but organized and planned.

Massacring villages, gathering crystal ore, then patrolling along fixed routes?

This more closely resembled upholding some kind of "order."

Or perhaps clearing "unstable factors" within a certain area.

"Clearing……deviants……"

He suddenly recalled the fragmentary information mentioned in Li Chong's secret letter.

Could it be that a village like Zhang Jia Ao, located within their demarcated zone, exists because it might conceal Nether Energy Crystal Ore?

Or perhaps merely because of its "existence" itself, it is regarded as a "deviant" that needs to be cleared?

This thought made Chen Wen shudder.

If that is the case, the Iron Crow Army and the forces behind it are aiming for something far more than simple resource plunder!

But rather a colder, more thorough systematic eradication.

"Follow these traces!"

Chen Wen gave the order, his eyes sharp.

"Maintain utmost vigilance; we may soon encounter the 'main culprit'."

The team set out again, moving stealthily along the valley.

Everyone understood they were approaching the source of danger.

The valley was deep and gloomy, light dim, the cliffs on either side steep, like a giant mouth about to swallow them.

The soundless flowing killing intent, like spider silk before a hunt, foretold an inevitable confrontation ahead.