Chapter 232: There Is Indeed Another Path!

"There is indeed another path," she finally spoke, her voice low and hoarse, "a secret passage left behind by ancient Practitioners. However..." her tone suddenly turned grave, "that path is even more dangerous than a frontal assault."

"What path?" Xia Liuqing was immediately interested; the lingering power of the Divine Mask had not yet fully dissipated, giving his gaze a hint of transcendent sharpness.

Jinfeng Popo spoke slowly: "It is a forgotten ancient path, filled with mechanisms and traps left by ancient Practitioners. Moreover, it has been ignored for years, and I do not know if it has already collapsed. More importantly..." she paused meaningfully, "those mechanisms were specifically set for Practitioners; once triggered, the consequences would be unimaginable."

These words plunged everyone present into deep thought. Chai Yan and Xia He looked at each other, both seeing determination in the other's eyes. They understood that since a frontal breakthrough was impossible, they had no choice but to take a gamble.

Gong Qing stood up and brushed the dust off his robes, his expression turning firm: "Lead the way, Popo. Rather than sitting here waiting for death, we might as well take a gamble." He looked at the others, "Everyone, what do you think?"

Xia Liuqing was the first to stand up: "I have no objections. We've come this far anyway; we can't return empty-handed."

Just then, Ilya's expedition team also noticed the unusual movements of Gong Qing and the others. Liu Mingyuan immediately leaned over to Ilya: "They seem to have discovered a new route. Should we..."

"Don't even think about it!" Ilya interrupted him sharply, a flash of disgust in his eyes, "Didn't you see how terrifying those two monkeys were? Even if you offered me double the pay, I wouldn't take that risk again."

Kate walked over, her tone carrying a hint of mockery: "It seems those Outsiders are nothing special either. If even they can't take down their opponents, wouldn't we just be walking to our deaths if we went?"

Hongda rubbed his arm, which was still aching faintly: "You're right. Those two monkeys have completely exceeded the scope of normal creatures. If this continues, we might really lose our lives here."

Liu Mingyuan grew anxious: "I can pay more! As long as you are willing to continue..."

"Shut up!" Ilya turned abruptly, his eyes cold, "Money is useless if you're dead, do you understand? We are mercenaries, not a suicide squad. Pack your things immediately, we're leaving!" After saying this, he took the lead in organizing the equipment.

Liu Mingyuan stood where he was, watching the busy figures of the expedition team, his face filled with unwillingness and despair. He knew that without this elite team, his plan was completely ruined. In the end, he could only follow them, but before leaving, he couldn't help but look back at the deep valley entrance, a trace of imperceptible gloom flashing in his eyes.

Meanwhile, deep within the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, Lin Xuan was strolling along an ancient mountain path with Xiao Qing and Xiao Bai. The Spirit Qi here was so dense it was almost tangible, and the air was filled with a sweet medicinal fragrance.

"Benefactor! Look!" Xiao Qing suddenly jumped up excitedly, pointing to a patch of grass by the roadside, "This is a Tianshan Snow Lotus! And the quality is so good!" Her keen sense of smell, which surpassed that of ordinary people, allowed her to easily discover these precious medicinal herbs.

"There's a thousand-year-old Ginseng over here too!" Xiao Qing cheered like a child who had found treasure, "And Fleeceflower Root, top-grade Lingzhi..." She nimbly gathered these precious herbs into her Cunwudai, "We're rich, we're rich! Any one of these could sell for a sky-high price if taken out!"

Lin Xuan couldn't help but smile as he watched Xiao Qing's childlike behavior. Ever since Xiao Qing received the favor of Qi Luck, her personality had become increasingly innocent.

Just then, two massive figures flashed from the woods; they were the two Golden Silk Monkeys guarding the valley entrance. Upon seeing Lin Xuan, they immediately assumed a respectful posture, their instinctive submission forming a sharp contrast to the ferocity they showed when facing others.

Lin Xuan gently stroked their foreheads, his internal energy flowing in to probe their memories. The images clearly displayed the figures of Gong Qing and the others, as well as that fierce battle. He saw Jinfeng Popo attempting to awaken their memories, only to be ruthlessly rejected.

"Well done," Lin Xuan praised, "continue guarding the valley entrance, and do not let anyone intrude easily." After receiving the instructions, the two Golden Silk Monkeys turned and disappeared into the dense forest.

At this moment, Zhang Chulan and his group finally arrived at the entrance of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley. The autumn sunlight filtered through the gaps in the rock walls, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

"These patterns..." Wang Zhenqiu stopped to observe the mysterious designs on the cliff, his fingers gently brushing over the deep and shallow carvings, "They seem to be some kind of Array for guiding Qi. I've seen similar records of this layout in ancient texts."

Zhang Chulan was also drawn in by these patterns: "It's certainly not simple. No wonder Wugensheng chose this place; this location itself is a massive Spirit-Gathering Array."

Heiguan'er squatted down and suddenly discovered dark red traces on the ground: "Look, this is blood, and it's very fresh." Following the bloodstains, they discovered several mangled corpses not far away; the scene was too gruesome to look at.

"These people must be from the expedition team from a few days ago," Zhang Chulan observed the wounds carefully, "Judging by the shape of the wounds, they were torn apart by some kind of massive beast."

After preparing themselves, the group cautiously entered the valley. However, they hadn't gone far when over a dozen smaller Golden Silk Monkeys darted out from all directions, each radiating a powerful aura that made one's heart palpitate. Most shocking of all was that their eyes held a kind of intelligence that exceeded that of ordinary beasts.

"So many?" Zhang Chulan's pupils constricted, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

Wang Zhenqiu immediately unleashed his Art of Techniques, the Qi on the surface of his body transforming into streams of light that shot toward the Golden Silk Monkeys. However, these attacks, which were enough to severely wound opponents in the past, were like mud cows entering the sea when they hit the Golden Silk Monkeys, having absolutely no effect.

"Not good!" Heiguan'er's expression changed drastically, "Their defense is too strong! This completely exceeds the scope of ordinary creatures!"

A fierce battle erupted instantly. However, the Temporary Workers soon discovered that they were no match for these Golden Silk Monkeys at all. Whether it was the Lightning Art that Zhang Chulan prided himself on, or Wang Zhenqiu's own tricks, both appeared so powerless in front of these bizarre creatures.

"Retreat!" Zhang Chulan made a prompt decision, "Let's pull back first and think of a plan! The strength of these monkeys far exceeds our expectations!"

The group fought while retreating, eventually retreating in a sorry state back to the valley entrance. The group of Golden Silk Monkeys did not pursue, but instead watched them with a condescending gaze—a gaze that held both a warning and a hint of faint contempt.

"We're in trouble now," Zhang Chulan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a hint of bitterness rising in his heart, "I didn't expect these monkeys to be so powerful."

Wang Zhenqiu nodded: "And there are so many of them; a frontal breakthrough is almost impossible. They not only have astonishing strength, but they also understand tactical coordination; they are practically like a well-trained army."

"So what should we do now?" Heiguan'er asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.