Chapter 310: Why Does Your Body Smell Like Her?

"Prince Hu, how much longer until we can pass through this secret passage?"

"... It is almost time. I ask that you remain calm, Daoist. Although this place is safer than the outside world, it is not entirely safe, and we cannot let our guard down."

"Fine, I just wanted to remind you that you are starting to get tense again. Do you want me to help you relax a little?"

"..."

Hu Wanwan took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to turn around and spit at him, and forced a smile: "No need, thank you for your concern, Daoist. Hu can adjust himself."

"Oh, alright then."

Ren Yidao curled his lip and nodded, muttering in a low voice: "Tsk, no fun to be found, truly disappointing."

His words were not loud; generally speaking, one would not hear them without deliberately listening.

However, this secret passage was quiet by nature, and none of the people present were ordinary... everyone heard Ren Yidao's muttering clearly.

Hu Wanwan shuddered.

Of course, it was not out of fear, but out of anger; his whole body trembled slightly, unable to be restrained.

No!

This won't do!

Hold it in!!!

For the sake of the bigger picture, Hu Wanwan clenched his buttocks, lengthened his stride, and charged to the very front.

What the people behind could not see was that his eyes had undergone a subtle change under the influence of his anger, his pupils nearly turning into the vertical slits of a Demon Beast.

He was truly almost at his limit.

Ren Yidao watched Hu Wanwan's back with a leisurely smile, moved his feet, and followed lightly behind him.

Like a shadow following a form.

The other three looked at each other, all having noticed something.

Was Ren Yidao seemingly provoking Hu Wanwan on purpose?

But what benefit would that bring him?

Everyone was deep within Death Valley; did he have some goal in provoking the only person who possessed a map?

"..."

All three had doubts in their hearts, but for various reasons, they remained silent and followed the two people in front.

Jiang Mingzhi: "..."

Jiang Mingzhi, who always stood on the side of his good friend, had a slightly stiff expression at this moment, looking deeply and enigmatically at the backs of the two people in front.

"If... heh."

He thought of the dozens of scenarios he had spent all of last night calculating, his palm hidden in his sleeve clenching tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

Although Chu Hairen was equally suspicious, he did not ask Ren Yidao, instead remaining silent about all of his actions and not intervening.

This was trust in a collaborator.

The Prince believed that the collaborator he valued was not an idiot who would only play around and ruin important matters at a critical moment.

Of course, if he really were one... then Chu Hairen would have to find a way to draw a line between them as soon as possible.

As for the simple-minded Gongsun Changshou, she did not think as much as the other two.

Watching Ren Yidao's actions just now, she curled her lip, merely muttering in her heart:

"You brat, you should still try to act like a human!"

"Don't push people too far!"

"Right, according to what he said, this Hu Wanwan wants to harm me? But why on earth would he want to harm me?"

Gongsun Changshou pondered seriously for a long time, but in the end, she could only shake her head helplessly.

"Sigh!"

"Being a girl, especially a beautiful girl like me, walking the pugilistic world is truly full of trouble!"

Thinking this with worry, she hugged the half-person-tall giant hammer to her chest, hoping this cold iron hammer would bring her a shred of security.

Seeing this scene, Chu Hairen and Jiang Mingzhi, who were standing to her left and right, silently slowed their pace a fraction, letting Gongsun Changshou walk ahead alone.

There was no other reason; looking at that hammer, they both felt a bit creeped out...

Fear. JPG

Death Valley, at the five-hundred-mile mark.

Click, click, click...

Accompanied by a faint sound, a section of the rock wall slowly moved aside, revealing the hollow space behind it.

At first, there was no movement, until after half an incense stick of time, a small beast resembling a mouse crawled out and looked around.

"... Safe, everyone can come out now."

Hu Wanwan was the first to walk out of the cave, put away the scouting mouse, and slowly let out a breath.

This place was a full five hundred miles deep from the entrance of Death Valley; if any mistake occurred, it would be very easy to be doomed beyond redemption.

"Fortunately, thanks to my clan uncle handling things so well, there isn't even a trace of Demon Beasts here."

According to the clan records, the five-hundred-mile mark was already a gathering place for Demon Beasts in Death Valley, where some crude markets existed; this was where the Hu Family had made their fortune.

And now that this place was quiet and devoid of any traces of Demon Beasts, Hu Wanwan naturally assumed that his clan uncle had chosen the perfect timing to avoid the activity of the Demon Beasts.

"With my clan uncle here, this journey has been far smoother than I imagined; he is truly worthy of his reputation."

Although he had never met that clan uncle of his, Hu Wanwan had grown up listening to his heroic deeds.

Hu Yongyong, a man of both courage and strategy, who single-handedly supported all the affairs of the Hu Family in Death Valley.

"But why didn't my clan uncle leave more information for me?"

Just now in the secret passage, Hu Wanwan, who was walking at the very front, had carefully checked every inch of the corners, but to his disappointment, he did not find the secret code and hints that should have been there.

"Is my clan uncle trying to test me?"

Although Hu Yongyong is quite prestigious among the younger generation of the Hu Family, some also say his personality is eccentric.

He is more like a demon than a human, moody and unpredictable.

He often likes to have the clansmen who come to hand over goods complete some tasks; only when he is satisfied can things proceed.

"I hope my clan uncle doesn't ruin the big plan because of his playfulness..."

Although he has confidence in Hu Yongyong, Hu Wanwan still feels some unease in his heart, unable to determine exactly what has happened.

But fortunately, another matter made him feel much more at ease.

Hu Wanwan sensed the location of the Token in the original plan!

Two fakes and one real; although the location is slightly offset, it should roughly match the location marked on the map.

He took a deep breath and turned to look at the four people filing out.

"Everyone."

"The most critical moment has arrived. Now we will split into three paths to retrieve the Tokens together."

Although Death Valley only has one entrance, it is naturally impossible for the entire place to have only one path without other branches.

This huge cave begins to spread out from the three-hundred-mile mark, like an intricate web spread underground, extremely complex, so much so that even the Hu Family has not fully figured it out after decades of exploration.

As for the countless branches, the Hu Family has still recorded the main trunk and some secondary branches.

The three Tokens in the original plan this time are placed on three secondary branches far away from the main trunk.

Hu Wanwan took out the other two maps and handed them to Ren Yidao and Jiang Mingzhi, instructing them in a deep voice:

"Remember, if anyone takes the Token ahead of time, it will put the other teams in danger."

"Absolutely, absolutely do not act rashly."

"I thank you all here in advance."

As he spoke, he even bowed deeply to the four of them, his expression sincere, a picture of earnest demeanor.

And as he bent down, the expressions of the four people in front of him were all different.

Some were silent, some complex, some smiling faintly, some suspicious... but there was no sense of being moved.

Apart from himself, this posture of Hu Wanwan did not move or deceive anyone.

Perhaps, those who harbor evil intentions will only encounter those who are disloyal.

Exchanging sincerity for sincerity; what is exchanged for false sentiment is only fake intent.

"Then, I shall act alone?"

Ren Yidao took the map from Hu Wanwan's hand, glanced at it casually, then put it away, and said with a smile while tucking his hands into his sleeves:

"I'll just wait for your signal anyway; just notify me when it's time to act."

After saying that, he didn't wait for the others and just drifted away toward the middle path in a swaggering manner.

Seeing Jiang Mingzhi silent, Gongsun Changshou snatched the map and threw it into his arms, then took the lead and walked toward the left side while carrying his hammer.

Jiang Mingzhi held the map in silence for a moment, then patted Hu Wanwan on the shoulder with a serious face and said in a deep voice:

"Brother, you must pay attention to safety. If anything happens, you must tell me, okay?"

Brother.

Upon hearing this form of address, Hu Wanwan had a moment of trance, thinking of so, so much.

From the initial mutual dislike to later becoming close friends, to entrusting their lives to each other, many stories had happened between them.

Even though cultivators are long-lived, twenty-plus years is still not a short friendship.

Compared to what he wants, can such feelings really be discarded?

"I..."

Hu Wanwan subconsciously wanted to speak, but suddenly woke up at the last moment, turning instead to laugh loudly:

"Of course I will be careful, hahaha, I don't want to die yet!"

He waved his large hand, slapped Jiang Mingzhi's shoulder heavily, and laughed loudly:

"Don't you worry! If an accident happens, I will definitely call for your help. Don't pretend you didn't hear it then! Hahahaha!"

Looking at Hu Wanwan's hearty smile, Jiang Mingzhi also laughed, raised his hand to brush off the large hand on his shoulder in disgust, and turned to follow Gongsun Changshou's footsteps.

"Heh."

After turning around, Jiang Mingzhi's smile did not fade; on the contrary, it became even brighter.

It was just that the smile looked a bit cold.

Cold, like a blade.

He had made up his mind.

After leaving the sight of the others, Ren Yidao stood still, closed his eyes, and felt the surroundings.

"Does anyone want this Demon Qi?"

After confirming that there were no living creatures around, he opened his eyes, smiled shyly, and muttered to himself:

"Opportunity knocks but once, time waits for no one."

"Since no one wants this Demon Qi, then I won't be polite."

Ren Yidao, who had been holding back the whole way, completely let himself go.

"Ha~"

He was like a sponge that had been exposed to the scorching sun for several years and then thrown into water; after the initial adjustment, he finally began to absorb it wantonly.

Suckle, suckle, suckle!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

Ren Yidao knew the commotion he was causing was not small; the current tranquility could not be maintained for long, and he would certainly be noticed by other existences.

But since the Demon Qi was already in his mouth, there was no reason for him to spit it back out.

So he simply... decided to go all the way.

He let go completely and swallowed Demon Qi with all his might!

The Demon Qi in this secondary branch was all sucked in by him, rushing into his body in one go.

Not only that, but even the Demon Qi in other paths was attracted, beginning to flow toward this side.

In the depths of this rarely visited Death Valley, it actually... started to get windy.

Inhale—

Exhale—

The Demon Qi was like wind, surging along with every breath Ren Yidao took.

And at the center of the storm, Ren Yidao, having released his shackles, looked nothing like his usual self in front of others.

Terrifying Demon Qi draped over his body like a thick suit of armor; his hair turned snow-white, and his pupils glowed with red light.

A demon.

No matter who saw him at this moment, even if he were in human form, they would only take him for a terrifying, shape-shifted Great Demon.

At this moment, the Demon Qi in one place was no longer enough to satisfy him, and Ren Yidao, having completely let himself go, simply charged ahead.

He simply transformed back into his original form, running wildly while wantonly absorbing Demon Qi.

The way the white fox ran happily looked exactly like a lively, uninhibited husky.

……

"Hmm? Which fellow has broken through to Spirit Transformation?"

Just as Ren Yidao had thought, while he was absorbing it wantonly, Yaoyue in the depths of Death Valley keenly sensed the flow of Demon Qi and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Which disobedient one is it? To still be remaining there... tsk."

"Forget it, no matter which idiot it is, I'll deal with it later. If it ruins my fun, I'll peel its skin off to make clothes!"

Yaoyue didn't think much of it, only assuming it was some fellow who didn't follow orders who happened to break through; she didn't think it was an outsider absorbing the Demon Qi.

She felt the light spot in the Jade Pendant getting closer, and the smile on her face became even more brilliant.

"It's here~"

Yaoyue picked up a tall package beside her and threw it hard in the direction of the light spot.

Whoosh—

In the distance, Hu Wanwan was still talking in a low voice with Chu Hairen when he suddenly felt something approaching at high speed from the front!

!!!

"Not good, we've been discovered!?"

Thud.

After being attacked by Hu Wanwan, the flying object flew backward with a boom and smashed heavily onto the ground; the animal skin wrapped around it scattered, revealing the object inside.

It was a person.

A man with a hollow chest who looked half-beast and half-human.

The head sewn onto his neck also flew off during this impact, spilling out nearly congealed black blood.

Decapitated, no Heart Star.

!!!

Hu Wanwan looked at the face on the severed head, and his already serious expression became completely blank.

Clan Uncle?

How could it be Clan Uncle!?

"Hehe~"

A pure white phantom appeared out of thin air behind the two, smiling and saying:

"Hi~"

"What are you looking for?"

"Do you want me to help you look for it~"

……

Gongsun Changshou looked at the behemoth sleeping in the distance with a serious face, slowly shook his head at Jiang Mingzhi, and his lips moved silently:

"Retreat!"

"Heavenly Demon!"

This god-damned Hu Wanwan, it would have been fine if he just wanted to harm me, but he actually had to use a Heaven Realm Great Demon!

You really think highly of me!

Jiang Mingzhi also had a serious expression; he nodded and slowly retreated.

But just at this moment, the Demon Beast's eyelids moved, and it slowly opened them.

It looked around blankly, completely bewildered, with only one thought in its mind:

"Eh?"

"……Where is my... Demon Qi?"

……

The other two teams encountered danger, but Ren Yidao's side was eerily quiet.

After wandering around and having his fill, Ren Yidao transformed back into his human form and arrived at the location indicated on the map.

At first glance, he did not see the Token, but instead saw a strange figure.

Standing before Ren Yidao was a tall woman draped in a pitch-black hood.

Or rather, a demoness.

The fluffy silver tail protruding from beneath the black robe, along with the bulging ears atop her head, proved her identity as part of the Demon Race.

Not far from where she stood lay a Jade Pendant; obtaining it would inevitably trigger a fight to the death.

However, before the battle could begin, both of them simultaneously let out a sound of confusion from their noses:

"Hmm?" ×2

As if looking into a Mirror, the two tilted their heads in unison and asked at the same time:

"Who are you?" ×2

They said:

"Why do you have her scent on you?" ×2

???

You have her perfume on you~