"We're going this way. The footprints lead in this direction," Qin Wumian said calmly, his eyes scanning the forest floor.
Lan Rui and the others in the group followed his lead without question. They were currently tracking a lone wolf that had strayed from the main horde, a rare opportunity to thin the enemy's numbers. However, the further they followed the trail, the deeper they ventured into the Nightmare Forest, a place that even seasoned cultivators preferred to avoid.
"Old Gao, what do you think of the situation?" Lan Rui asked in a low voice, his tone laced with unease.
"I'm not sure…" Old Gao replied, furrowing his brows. "The tracks are fresh, no doubt, but it's unusual for us to go this deep. It's too dangerous. And yet… we keep following them." His voice held a trace of confusion and worry.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the mouth of a cave. The entrance was three meters tall and two meters wide, gaping like the maw of some slumbering beast. Darkness pooled within, thick and oppressive, sending a chill down the spine of anyone who dared to look too long.
"Lan Rui," Qin Wumian said, his voice steady and commanding, "take two men and scout the entrance."
Lan Rui's heart skipped a beat. For a brief moment, he felt a strange premonition, then his eyes met Qin Wumian's cold gaze. The choice had already been made.
Looks like my time has come, he muttered inwardly.
Without hesitation, he selected two men and prepared to advance. Holding a Light Shield Talisman in one hand, he led the small party toward the cave's entrance, mentally preparing to activate the talisman the moment danger showed itself.
A few meters into the cave, the group halted and quickly withdrew after assessing the area. Upon returning, Lan Rui gave his report.
"The cave appears safe so far, but it's deeper than it looks. It stretches several hundred meters inward. Also... there are fresh wolf tracks inside."
Qin Wumian paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating the next move, then nodded.
"Alright. We'll all enter and continue the pursuit."
The announcement stunned the group.
They exchanged glances, clearly hesitant. Entering an unknown cave in the Nightmare Forest was dangerous far more so than hunting a stray beast. If they encountered a group of demonic beasts in that tight space, escape would be impossible.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, this doesn't seem wise. We don't know what lies within. Exploring unknown terrain without adequate strength could be suicide," said the only official present in the group, voicing what everyone else was thinking.
The team consisted of nine cultivators. Qin Wumian was the only one at the Late Stage Qi Refining Realm, the others were all mid-stage at best. If they were ambushed by even a single First Rank, Late Stage demonic beast, they might not survive.
"Hmph. What are you afraid of?" Qin Wumian sneered, his eyes cold. "I'm here, aren't I? And this isn't a discussion, it's an order."
"Of course I know it's dangerous." he thought to himself, "But if I want to eliminate Lan Rui without raising suspicion, this is the perfect place."
"What are you standing around for? Move!" he barked, unleashing his cultivation aura as a silent threat.
With no choice, the others entered the cave. Predictably, Qin Wumian took up the rear, ready to flee should danger strike. As they moved in, hidden from view, a pair of gleaming eyes observed them from the shadows outside.
Inside the cave, the temperature dropped noticeably. The air was damp, and the ground slick with moisture. Yet, strangely, the spiritual energy grew richer the deeper they went. With the high humidity, clusters of spiritual herbs and low-grade spirit plants sprouted along the walls, glowing faintly in the dim light.
Naturally, all of them disappeared into Qin Wumian's storage bag without hesitation.
"This guy is shameless. Even the lowest-grade spirit grass is his to take," Lan Rui thought coldly.
After walking several hundred meters, they finally reached the end of the cave. The spiritual energy here was denser, comparable to a First Rank, Middle Grade node. Lan Rui suspected the existence of a spiritual vein beneath them. Unfortunately, the energy was too weak and the location too remote to be of any long-term value.
At the far end of the cave stood a one-meter-tall stone slab, flat and strangely out of place. It looked like a platform, but nothing else accompanied it.
"Odd. The wolf footprints were visible for only about a hundred meters inside… then they just vanished," someone said aloud.
The group searched the area thoroughly, confused. If the wolf had left the cave, there should have been more prints, but they found nothing. Eventually, they decided to leave and report back.
However, just as they neared the entrance, a violent wind blade howled through the air, slamming into the cave's mouth.
Dust and debris swirled as over a dozen Grey Wolves appeared outside, their eyes glowing with menace. Three of them stood out, immediately their auras indicating they had reached the Late Stage of the First Rank.
For a brief moment, the cultivators froze. No one dared move. Fear wrapped around them like chains, locking their limbs and chilling their hearts.
Then, a voice broke the spell.
"RUN!" Lan Rui shouted, his voice sharp and urgent as he bolted back into the cave.
Some followed him immediately, dashing deeper into the cave. Others, gripped by panic, ran into the forest instead, a deadly mistake. Screams echoed from behind cries for help, shouts of despair, the sounds of lives ending.
Lan Rui didn't look back. In under a minute, he reached the stone platform at the cave's end. Without hesitation, he slapped a Concealing Talisman onto his chest, and his figure vanished from sight.
Moments later, several wolves rushed into the chamber.
"Damn it! I forgot to activate a Cleaning Talisman…" he cursed inwardly.
Wolves relied heavily on their sense of smell. Even if he was hidden visually, his scent lingered. His heart pounded as the wolves came closer... then stopped — ten meters from the stone platform.
They didn't advance.
"Why? Did they lose my scent? Or… are they wolves with a flu?"
Before he could finish the thought, a larger wolf stepped into view. Its presence was commanding. It's one of the three leaders from earlier. Its eyes locked directly on where Lan Rui stood, even though he was invisible. A shiver ran down his spine.
The beast stared at him with terrifying gaze, as if it could see through the talisman. His body remained perfectly still, tense as a drawn bowstring. But the wolf did not move forward. After a few tense breaths, it turned and walked away. The others followed.
Lan Rui didn't dare move for several incense sticks' worth of time.
Only when he was certain the wolves were gone did he exhale, releasing the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"Haaah… I got lucky this time. I don't know how many others survived that ambush…" he whispered to himself. "To think a First Rank beast could display that kind of intelligence… it's absurd."
His gaze shifted toward the stone platform. This thing is the reason he's alive, but why? What is it exactly?
Even as he stood there, relieved to be alive, but curiosity began to creep into his heart.
.....