Chapter 235: This Won't Do

Dense swarms of bats already covered the entire ceiling of the cave, their sheer numbers startling. These bats were far larger than common varieties, each one the size of a small dog. Most terrifying were their eyes, which glowed with an eerie, blood-red light in the darkness, filled with a thirst for blood.

"They're coming down!" Before the words had even faded, the swarms of bats dove down, kicking up a foul-smelling gust of wind.

These bats were far more terrifying than imagined. Not only could they emit sound waves strong enough to shake and injure a person, but their claws were as sharp as blades, capable of tearing through human flesh and blood with ease. Most chilling was their coordination; they seemed specially trained, knowing how to divide tasks and work together.

Wang Zhenqiu made a split-second decision, erupting with the Qi inside his body. A golden screen of light rose up, barely blocking the first wave of attacks. However, the immense power of these bats caused Wang Zhenqiu to begin to tremble.

Zhang Chulan did not dare to be slow, instantly unleashing his Lightning Method. Electric light flickered in the narrow cave, illuminating every ferocious bat face. Yet, these bizarre creatures seemed to have an astonishing resistance to lightning; even when struck, they were only injured, not killed.

"This won't do!" Cold sweat had already seeped onto Wang Zhenqiu's forehead; maintaining the defense was consuming a massive amount of his Qi.

"Summon the Deity, obey the command with haste!" At this critical juncture, he decisively took out a Deity Mask and applied it. In an instant, majestic divine power poured into his body, causing his strength to surge several times over.

Golden light flared, and Wang Zhenqiu transformed into Nezha, tearing a gap through the bat swarm. The others also unleashed their own methods, and finally, after a fierce battle, they drove back this group of terrifying bats.

Meanwhile, deep within the dark secret passage, Gong Qing and his group faced an even more difficult choice.

Three tunnels branched out before them, each one bottomless and exuding a completely different aura. The tunnel on the left was cold and damp, the middle one was as warm as spring, and the one on the right carried a faint, lingering trace of Spirit Qi.

"Split up?" Xia He suggested, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Gong Qing pondered for a moment: "I'm afraid that's the only way. Time is tight; we can't possibly test them one by one." Although splitting up was indeed dangerous, for the sake of finding the target as quickly as possible, this risk had to be taken.

After a brief discussion, they divided into three groups. Gong Qing and Xia He chose the left tunnel as a pair, Shen Chong took the middle path alone, and Chai Yan chose the right tunnel that carried the Spirit Qi.

Before separating, Gong Qing specifically instructed: "If you encounter danger, abandon the mission immediately and return the way you came."

Chai Yan nodded and stepped into the right-hand tunnel. This path was relatively level, but the further he went, the more he felt something was wrong. The concentration of Spirit Qi in the air was rising sharply; this change was too abnormal, almost like some kind of carefully laid trap.

Finally, a bright light appeared ahead. When Chai Yan walked out of the secret passage, the scene before him left him standing frozen on the spot.

This was already the interior of the canyon; the surrounding vegetation was lush, and the Spirit Qi was so dense it was almost impossible to disperse. All kinds of rare medicinal herbs could be seen everywhere, emitting a faint glow in the moonlight. What surprised him even more was that Lin Xuan was strolling not far away with two women, looking as relaxed and comfortable as if he were walking in his own backyard.

"Master Lin Xuan!" Chai Yan stepped forward quickly, wearing a deliberate smile, "I didn't expect to run into you here."

However, Lin Xuan merely glanced at him indifferently, his gaze carrying a trace of apathy, and turned to leave. This slight made Chai Yan's heart sink, but he still suppressed his displeasure, attempting to cozy up: "I assume Master Lin Xuan came here for the collection as well? Why don't we travel together?"

Lin Xuan didn't even look at him, heading straight away with Xiao Qing and Xiao Bai. That dismissive attitude was as if he were looking at an insignificant passerby.

Seeing he had been rejected, Chai Yan had no choice but to stand where he was and carefully observe the surrounding environment. Judging by the terrain, this should already be the heart of the canyon. Thinking of this, he immediately took out his Communication Artifact to summon Qu Tong: "I've encountered Lin Xuan."

"Lin Xuan?" Qu Tong's voice carried obvious surprise, "How could he be there?"

"And he is very familiar with this place," Chai Yan added, "He looks like he knows the way perfectly; it doesn't look like he's here for the first time at all."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment: "Stop him. Since he appeared there, he must be aiming for the collection in the valley. We cannot let him get there first."

"Understood." Chai Yan cut the communication and quickly chased after Lin Xuan's figure. At the thought of the earlier dismissal, a hint of killing intent rose in his heart, and he prepared to find an opportunity to strike.

Yet, the very moment this thought arose, a sudden change occurred.

The ground suddenly split open, and countless pitch-black ants surged out like a tide. These Corpse-Eating Ants were even more terrifying than those encountered in the secret passage, each one exuding a heart-palpitating aura. Their eyes flickered with an eerie light, as if they could see through the deepest evil thoughts in a person's heart.

"This is..." Chai Yan's face changed drastically, recognizing these as the Corpse-Eating Ants he had encountered in the secret passage earlier. However, by the time he reacted, it was already too late.

The overwhelming swarm of ants instantly submerged him. The pain of the potent poison entering his body left him unable to even scream. He wanted to resist, but found that his Qi seemed to have been sealed by some force, completely unable to be unleashed.

In the blink of an eye, this figure who could be considered an expert in the Outsider world was gnawed away entirely by the Corpse-Eating Ants, not even leaving a single bone behind.

Lin Xuan stood where Chai Yan had fallen, carefully observing the traces on the ground. The swarm of Corpse-Eating Ants had already retreated, leaving behind not flesh and blood, but some semi-transparent crystalline substances.

He crouched down, his fingers gently brushing over these residues, his eyes becoming profound: "Interesting, so it was a clone." His tone carried a hint of amusement, "It seems those people are much more cautious than imagined."

"Benefactor," Xiao Qing leaned in curiously, "What is this?" She reached out to touch the crystals, but was gently stopped by Lin Xuan.

"A type of special Puppetry," Lin Xuan explained, "Capable of perfectly replicating a person's appearance and partial abilities. Creating such a clone requires extremely profound methods."

Xiao Bai was lost in thought: "So this guy is actually still alive?"

"Perhaps," Lin Xuan stood up and patted the dust off his robes, "But that no longer matters. Let's go."

Walking along the winding path of the canyon, the Spirit Qi in the air grew even more dense. Before long, voices of conversation came from ahead. Turning around a protruding rock wall, Lin Xuan saw Zhang Chulan and his group gathered together, studying something.

"Master Lin Xuan!" Zhang Chulan had sharp eyes and was the first to discover Lin Xuan's figure. He almost jumped up and walked quickly to greet him, "What a coincidence! I didn't expect to meet you here!"

Lin Xuan nodded slightly and was about to continue forward, but Zhang Chulan blocked his path: "Master Lin Xuan, why don't we travel together? A place like this is full of mechanisms and traps; it's better to have each other's backs with more people."