Chapter 9: Sneaking through the gloomy forest to spy on the Iron Crows, the source of the killing aura first appears, shocking the

Ice-cold fear instantly seized Chen Wen's heart.

It almost made him stop breathing.

That tiny head movement, against the deathly silence of darkness and the faint blue light,

It appeared extraordinarily clear and horrifying.

Been discovered?!

His whole body's muscles were tensed to the extreme, like a spring pressed to its limit.

Always ready to burst forth and flee or fight to the death!

The pointed wooden stick in his hand creaked as he gripped it, four times the strength surging within his body.

Yet it carried a hint of sluggishness from being eroded by killing aura.

Time seemed to freeze.

One second…… two seconds……

The expected loud shout or fierce attack did not arrive.

That iron-armored sentinel, after making that tiny head movement,

then once again solidified into a cold stone statue, as if everything just now was merely an illusion of light and shadow.

Another sentinel remained completely still, only the faint cold glow flowing over their weapons proving they were alive.

Chen Wen lay prone behind the cold stone, cold sweat sliding down his forehead and dripping into the soil.

He dared not move a muscle, fully operating the system-enhanced senses.

He carefully sensed any stirring in the wind ahead.

【Extreme concealment, spirit highly focused, falls under the 'guard/scout labor' category, Diligence Points (WP)+0.5……】

【Killing aura erosion (weak): ongoing consumption…… slight interference with perception……】

The system's alert tone made him more certain that just now was not an illusion.

That sentinel definitely sensed something, perhaps a weak resonance of the killing aura.

Perhaps it was his hurried breathing from earlier running that hadn't fully calmed, or perhaps it was a beast-like intuition.

But why didn't they react?

Did they deem it not worth bothering with?

Or… is their duty merely to guard that seemingly empty mountain pass behind them?

Chen Wen forced himself to calm down, his brain racing.

A frontal assault would surely be a dead end; the pressure from those two sentinels far exceeded any previous enemy, including Hu Biao and the Khitan Cavalry.

Sneak around?

Both sides are steep cliffs, almost impossible to climb; the entrance is the only passage.

Must wait! Wait for a variable!

Or, find another method.

He suppressed the urge to act immediately, like the most patient hunter, pressing close to the ground, using rocks and darkness for cover.

He began moving extremely slowly, inch by inch, toward the flank.

He tried to find a higher, better vantage point to see clearly the situation behind the mountain pass entrance.

This process was extremely agonizing.

Every tiny movement made him fear making a sound; the icy killing aura erosion felt like a bone-deep infection, continually draining his stamina and energy.

Four times the recovery speed barely supported him, but that chilling fatigue continued to accumulate.

【Slow stealth movement, falls under the 'labor' category, WP+0.2……】

【Killing aura erosion: ongoing consumption……】

After an unknown amount of time, he finally moved silently to a patch of slightly higher ground behind some bushes.

From here, he could just barely see over the two sentinels' heads, catching a glimpse of the interior of the mountain pass.

Inside the pass seemed even darker than outside, relying on that unknown source of faint blue light.

He saw that inside, things seemed haphazardly piled, like… wagon wreckage?

Also there were some items covered with heavy oilcloth, their shapes indiscernible.

And in the deepest part, against the cliff wall, there appeared to be a huge, pitch-black opening.

Like some kind of mine or a naturally formed huge cavern.

That unsettling faint blue light seemed to be faintly seeping out from deep within the cavern!

Is that the source of the killing aura?

Or is it the temporary nest of this Iron Crow Army?

Are Mother and little sister being held inside?

Chen Wen's heart rose.

Near the mouth of the cave, no moving figures could be seen, only utter stillness.

Just as he was intently observing the cave

A faint but rhythmic 'click' sound suddenly came from the lower entrance.

He immediately withdrew his gaze and looked downward.

All he saw was that at the mountain pass entrance, at some point, a third iron-armored soldier had appeared.

He was identically equipped to the two sentinels, emerging like a ghost from within the pass.

In his hand he held a black metal object resembling a compass and also a token, which he was looking down at.

That 'click' sound seemed to be coming from that object.

He approached the two sentinels, exchanged no words, and simply raised the metal plate in his hand.

The two sentinels, like stone statues, finally reacted, shifting extremely synchronously and slightly sideways.

Made way for the road into the mountain hollow.

The sentinel holding the metal plate put it away and stepped forward with heavy, orderly steps.

Again, like a ghost, he silently sank into the darkness of the mountain hollow and headed toward the huge cavern.

Was it a shift change? Or was he delivering orders?

Chen Wen's heart leapt! Opportunity!

At the moment the sentinel entered the mountain hollow and the two sentinels' attention seemed to slacken slightly!

He hesitated not, and his strength and speed exploded to the extreme at four times!

His whole body became a shadow merging with the night wind, silently sliding down from the bushes above.

So fast that he left barely a blurred afterimage!

He did not try to charge straight through the entrance, but ran straight to the side where the cliff was steepest, nearly vertical.

That was a visual blind spot!

And also the place the sentinels considered least likely to be breached!

【Extreme burst and climbing, falls under 'high-intensity labor' category, WP+1.2!】

【Qi and blood surged violently, the erosive effect of the killing aura weakened briefly!】

The system alert was drowned out by the howling wind.

Chen Wen's fingers were like iron hooks, digging deep into the rock crevices, his toes precisely finding each tiny leverage point.

With four times his physical ability, he completed this near-impossible barehanded climb!

In just a few breaths, he barely managed to get past that sheer wall!

He rolled his body and silently landed inside the mountain hollow.

He quickly hid behind a pile of scattered debris with wheel axles.

The whole process was as fast as lightning, almost making no sound.

Only after he successfully infiltrated did his heart start pounding wildly, almost jumping out of his chest.

He pressed tightly against the cold debris, gasping silently in big breaths, listening carefully.

The two sentinels at the entrance seemed unaware, still standing guard like iron cast.

Success!

Chen Wen slightly relaxed his breath, but was immediately enveloped by the mountain hollow's denser, almost substantive cold killing aura!

Such concentration of killing aura!

It made him feel as if naked, plunged into an ice cave; the icy sensation instantly penetrated his clothes, straight to his bones!

The silver hairpin in his bosom became as cold as a branding iron!

【Warning! The killing aura concentration in the environment surged sharply! Erosive effect greatly increased! Stamina and energy consumption accelerated!】

【Advice: Immediately withdraw or seek countermeasures!】

The system's warnings became urgent.

Chen Wen gritted his teeth, fully operated the system, setting fourfold recovery speed to maximum, barely resisting the all-pervasive icy erosion.

He knew he could not linger long; he must quickly find clues or confirm whether his family were present.

Using the stacked supplies and terrain shadows as cover, he cautiously moved toward the huge cavern deep in the mountain hollow.

The closer he got to the cavern, the clearer the azure light became, and the air began to carry a more complex smell.

——A strong bloody odor, an indescribable strange scent like metal and herbs mixed.

And there was also……

……like the foul breath of a large crowd gathered.

The cavern entrance looked even larger than from afar, like a giant beast opening its black maw.

Scattered at the entrance were some objects.

Chen Wen's gaze locked onto the ground at the edge of the cavern mouth.

There, half-buried in the soil.

Another small piece of pale blue fabric!

Exactly the same as the piece in his bosom!

And beside the fabric

Lay a tiny…… a girl's cloth shoe, covered in mud!

Looking at its size and style……

Chen Wen's pupils contracted sharply!

It matched exactly the foot size of his little sister Chen Wan!

They were really here!

At least they had once stayed here!

The huge excitement and deeper fear instantly overwhelmed him!

He almost wanted to rush recklessly into the cavern emanating an ominous aura!

But just then!

A dull sound of metal scraping the ground.

Accompanied by an even denser, bone-piercing killing aura, it came from deep within the cavern, drawing nearer!

Someone was coming out!

And not just one!

Chen Wen's face changed dramatically, and he instantly snapped awake from his excited state.

He suddenly bent over and snatched up the small cloth shoe and the fabric scraps.

He didn't dare to even glance at that deep cave again, exerting all his strength.

He sprinted desperately toward the steep cliff he had come from.

He had to leave immediately! Immediately!

Behind him, the metallic scraping sound and heavy footsteps had already reached the cave mouth.