Chapter 30

Liaochen's warning made the atmosphere of the third squad instantly grave. Zhao Lie didn't dare to be slow, quickly commanding the team members to collect the valuable wolf king materials, and simply handled the team members' injuries, then immediately led the team to retreat from the Black Wind Ridge area.

Along the way, everyone was silent, vigilantly paying attention to the movements around them. Although that cold Youming Death Aura only flashed, it shrouded everyone's heart like a shadow.

Lin Xuan followed in the team, but his spiritual sense was like an invisible tentacle, quietly extending toward the direction where the death aura came from. However, that area seemed to be shrouded in a layer of invisible fog, and his spiritual sense probed into it, like a stone sinking into the sea, only able to feel a deep darkness and deathly silence, unable to spy on the details inside.

"System, deep scan that area!" Lin Xuan ordered in his heart.

【Ding! Consuming 3% energy, deep scan initiated... Warning! Detected high-intensity energy interference and spatial distortion signs! Scan blocked, unable to obtain detailed information! Preliminary judgment: This area exists with powerful sealing barriers or natural desperate places, highly consistent with Youming cultivation art fluctuations!】

Sure enough, there was something strange! What were the Youming Sect people doing there? Setting a trap? Or did they discover something?

Lin Xuan's gaze flickered, curiosity and vigilance coexisting in his heart. He had a premonition that this area was likely related to the abnormal movement of the beast tide, or even the "ancient secrets" mentioned by the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

After returning to the temporary camp, Zhao Lie immediately reported the situation of encountering the Youming Death Aura to his superiors. The camp shook, the high-level clearly attached great importance to this, and orders soon came down, requiring all squads to pay special attention to the traces of Youming Sect activities during the clearing mission, and investigate their purpose as much as possible.

After resting for half a day, the third squad received a new mission—to go to the "Ghost Soul Stream" area adjacent to Black Wind Ridge for investigation. According to information, there were abnormal energy fluctuations near Ghost Soul Stream recently, and low-rank cultivators disappeared from time to time.

And the location of Ghost Soul Stream happened to be on the outskirts of the direction where the Youming Death Aura came from before!

"It seems that it's not a blessing, it's not a disaster, it's a disaster that can't be avoided." Lin Xuan understood in his heart that this mission was clearly aimed at the Youming Sect.

Setting off again, the team's atmosphere was more depressed than before. Ghost Soul Stream, the name alone didn't sound like a good place.

The closer to Ghost Soul Stream, the more gloomy the environment. The light became dim, the surrounding trees gradually twisted and withered, the air was filled with a faint smell of decay, and even the chirping of insects and birds almost disappeared.

"Everyone be careful, the aura here is wrong, there may be poisonous miasma or mazes." Zhao Lie reminded, signaling the team to slow down.

Lin Xuan keenly felt that although the death aura here was thin, it was everywhere, originating from the same source as the explosive Youming Death Aura before, just diluted and covered by some kind of power.

"System, continuously monitor the death aura concentration and composition in the environment."

【Ding! Environmental monitoring initiated... death aura concentration slowly increasing, composition analysis: contains weak soul fragments and erosive energy, staying for a long time may lead to loss of vitality and restlessness.】

Sure enough, it was the Youming Sect's handiwork! Were they transforming the environment?

Just then, the scout exploring the way ahead returned again, this time his face was even uglier, even carrying a trace of fear.

"Captain! Ahead... found a mountain cave! There are traces of residual arrays at the entrance, and inside... it emits a very strong death aura! And... I found this at the entrance!" The scout handed over a broken piece of clothing, stained with already blackened blood, and embroidered with a blurred badge—it was exactly the identification of a rogue cultivator who had disappeared before!

Everyone's heart sank.

Zhao Lie took the piece of clothing, looked at it carefully, and said in a deep voice: "It seems that the missing people are likely to have met with misfortune. That mountain cave is very likely a stronghold of the Youming Sect!"

He looked at everyone: "Mission changed! Investigate the mountain cave, find out the purpose of the Youming Sect here! If you encounter resistance, kill without mercy! Mu Xuan, your spiritual sense is stronger, go ahead with me to explore the way, others maintain the formation and follow cautiously!"

Being named, Lin Xuan felt helpless, but nodded solemnly on the surface: "Yes, Captain."

He knew that this job of exploring the way had the greatest risk, but it was also the best opportunity to obtain first-hand information.

The two restrained their auras and touched toward the mountain cave silently. The closer to the mountain cave, the stronger the cold and deathly feeling, and even the light seemed to be swallowed, with darkness all around.

The entrance to the mountain cave was not large, hidden behind a few huge, jagged strange rocks. If not investigated carefully, it was extremely difficult to find. There were indeed traces of array fluctuations at the entrance, although they had been destroyed, they could still feel their original concealment and protection functions.

Zhao Lie made a gesture, signaling Lin Xuan to be vigilant, and he stepped into the mountain cave cautiously first.

Lin Xuan followed closely, and the moment he stepped into the mountain cave, he immediately felt a rich, almost substantial death aura hitting his face! At the same time, the system's warning sounded in his mind:

【Warning! Entered high-concentration Youming Death Aura field! Physical vitality suffered slight erosion! Suggest opening protective spiritual light!】

【Detected strong energy reaction and spatial fluctuation ahead!】

The interior of the mountain cave was much more spacious and deep than he imagined, the passage tilted all the way down, and the rock walls were embedded with some stones emitting miserable green ghostly light, reflecting the whole passage like a ghost domain. From time to time, he could step on some scattered withered bones, some human, some exotic beast.

The two held their breath and concentrated, moving slowly along the passage. After walking for about a stick of incense, faint talking sounds and spiritual power fluctuations came from ahead!

Zhao Lie stopped immediately, signaling Lin Xuan to hide.

The two hid in the shadows of the corner and looked forward quietly.

I saw at the end of the passage, it was a huge underground stone cave! In the center of the stone cave, a huge and complex blood-colored array was drawn, the lines of the array flowing with dark red light, exuding a rich smell of blood and death aura. Dozens of disciples wearing Youming Sect costumes were busy, throwing some captured low-rank exotic beasts and even... human corpses into the array!

Above the array, a black heart-shaped object the size of a fist was suspended, constantly pulsating, exuding a heart-palpitating evil fluctuation! Those blood flesh essences thrown into the array were being greedily absorbed by this "heart"!

And next to the array, stood three powerful black-robed people! Two of them were the You Deacon and another Golden Core Elder who appeared when besieging Black Wind Village before! And the leader was even more deep and obscure in aura, the death aura around his body almost condensed into substance, actually a late-stage Golden Core expert!

"Youming Blood Refining Great Array! They are refining 'Youming Blood Core'!" Zhao Lie gasped, his voice carrying suppressed shock and anger, "This group of lunatics! They want to use this blood core to pollute the earth veins and create a large-scale death desperate place?!"

Lin Xuan was also heart-palpitating. Youming Blood Refining Great Array, he had seen records in the miscellaneous knowledge of the system, it was an extremely vicious evil array, through sacrificing a large number of living flesh and soul, condensing Youming Blood Core, used to cultivate evil arts or pollute a region, making it a ghost domain suitable for Youming Sect cultivation!

No wonder the exotic beasts in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range were restless, probably stimulated by the death aura and blood smell emitted by this array!

"Elder You Wang Elder, the blood core is about to take shape, should we start guiding the earth vein aura?" You Deacon respectfully asked the late-stage Golden Core expert who was the leader.

The black-robed person called Elder You Wang Elder made a hoarse voice like a night owl: "Hmm... speed up! Although this place is remote, the commotion is too big, and it will be discovered by the imperial dynasty sooner or later. We must complete the initial pollution before they react, and welcome the power of the 'Holy Object' to descend!"

Welcome the power of the Holy Object? Lin Xuan's heart stirred, could it be that they still wanted to reproduce that black statue here?

Just then, that Elder You Wang Elder seemed to sense something, suddenly turned his head, his scarlet gaze like two substantial blood lights, shooting at the corner where Lin Xuan and Zhao Lie were hiding!

"Two little mice, hiding quite deep! Since you are here, stay and become the nourishment for the blood core!"

Before the words fell, he flicked his sleeves, and a condensed, carrying a miserable ghost howling black bone spear instantly tore through the air, shooting toward the place where the two were hiding! The speed was astonishing!

"Exposed! Retreat!" Zhao Lie's face changed drastically, pushing Lin Xuan away, while his spear stabbed out fiercely, trying to block it!

"Bang!"

The black bone spear collided with the spear, making a deafening loud noise! Zhao Lie groaned, flew backward with the spear, and hit the rock wall heavily, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth!

Late-stage Golden Core, the strength gap was too big!

And that bone spear, after hitting Zhao Lie back, didn't lose its momentum, split into several smaller bone thorns, and shot toward Lin Xuan like bone-attached maggots!

The crisis arrived instantly!

(Chapter 30 End)