Chapter 292: The Pathfinders

As he soared across the abyss, Qin Sang cast a lingering gaze back at the battlefield.

When he crushed the One Heart Pendant, he had disclosed everything he knew without reservation to Wandering Man and Ge Yuan. He had particularly warned them about Yu Kong's plot to lure Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi into a deadly trap.

From the time they had begun lying in ambush to when Luo Xingnan and the others finally arrived, a considerable amount of time had passed. Wandering Man and Ge Yuan had ample opportunity to retreat, yet they chose to follow instead.

This left Qin Sang puzzled. He speculated whether they possessed some secret life-saving measures, giving them the confidence to escape unscathed if danger arose.

Now, however, the situation appeared grim.

Many Hook Snakes had been slain by cultivators. Some of their enormous bodies had fallen into the abyss, while others lay sprawled on the ground, staining the earth red with blood. The crimson liquid pooled into streams that cascaded over the abyss’s edge in ghastly waterfalls.

However, the three Hook Snake Kings, each at the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm, were not among the fallen.

Amid the ferocious battle, the massive forms of these snakes occasionally burst out of the melee, only to hurl themselves back into the fray with enraged roars.

Their bodies were riddled with wounds, yet their vitality showed no signs of diminishing. Frenzied beyond all reason, they seemed impervious to pain.

The intensity of the fight within the red mist had begun to abate. Despite the sustained assault, the three most powerful Hook Snake Kings had suffered injuries but had not been slain.

Moreover, not a single person had managed to escape alive.

Yu Kong’s initial plan had been to strike and kill Luo Xingnan and his group during their retreat. To his surprise, these Hook Snakes had displayed unexpected strength, eliminating the need for his intervention.

Finally, the battle subsided, and the red mist dissipated.

The surviving Hook Snakes hovered in the air, their maws smeared with blood and flesh. The crazed glint in their massive eyes had not yet faded entirely, and their sharp roars echoed one after another.

The three most formidable Hook Snake Kings, though heavily injured, had evidently faced fierce resistance before the cultivators' demise. One of them had even lost both its tails, its wounds pouring rivers of blood as it emitted mournful cries.

The snakes seemed to be communicating.

After a moment, one Hook Snake King dragged its severely wounded companion back into the abyss to recuperate. The rest either descended to feast on the corpses of their own kind or returned to their nests.

The Hook Snakes’ lair was located in the rear mountains. Despite their enormous bodies, they managed to conceal themselves within, leaving no trace of demonic qi. This suggested that the lair’s depth might rival that of the abyss itself.

Two middle-stage Foundation Building experts, along with their group, had perished under the onslaught of these demonic beasts, leaving not a single survivor.

Apart from Yu Kong and his four companions, who had witnessed the entire ordeal, no one else was aware of this massacre. It had been carried out in utter silence.

With a simple ruse, they had effortlessly eliminated two formidable adversaries without lifting a finger.

Even Yu Kong had not anticipated such an outcome.

Now concealed behind a stone outcrop, they had watched the battle unfold to its bloody conclusion. Witnessing such devastation firsthand left them all deeply shaken.

For a long moment, there was only silence. No one spoke.

"Senior Yu..."

Wu Chen swallowed hard, addressing Yu Kong with newfound reverence. The scene he had just witnessed had left him utterly astounded.

Yu Kong, with his schemes and ruthlessness, had wiped out so many Foundation Building cultivators in an instant. Wu Chen dared not harbor the slightest disrespect toward him anymore.

"You already knew about these Hook Snakes..."

"I did know that evil beasts were lurking here and would be difficult to handle," Yu Kong admitted, "But I hadn’t expected these creatures to be so powerful. I had only intended to kill those two old villains, but who could have foreseen that they would implicate so many innocent lives? Once we’re out, I’ll ensure that an elaborate ritual is performed to honor the spirits of our fallen comrades..."

Yu Kong let out a sorrowful sigh, but the faint smirk of satisfaction on his face betrayed his true feelings.

"That said, our enemies are now vanquished. The spiritual herbs are ours for the taking, and the guarding beasts are gravely injured. Once we’ve gathered the herbs, we can leave with ease. Isn’t that something to celebrate?"

Yu Kong’s gaze swept over the group. Even Qin Sang nodded in agreement along with the others.

"Time is short, and there are still barriers to break," Yu Kong reminded them, "We must leave before the protective array’s low point ends. I certainly don’t plan on being trapped here for thirty years."

At his urging, the group activated their evasion techniques and made their way toward the distant mountains.

Qin Sang took one last look at the devastated battlefield. After a brief moment of contemplation, he turned and departed.

Their movements were cautious. The appearance of the Hook Snakes served as a warning—this place was far from the tranquil facade it presented. Beyond the two low hills on the plain, other mountains might also harbor guardian demonic beasts.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Fortunately, the journey to the base of the mountain had been uneventful.

As they drew closer, the group’s breathing grew heavier despite themselves.

Multicolored radiance pierced through the thick fog, shooting into the sky with a dazzling brilliance that almost blinded them. Qin Sang silently counted the beams—there were twenty-one in total!

This meant there were no fewer than twenty-one spiritual herbs, each at least a thousand years old, on the mountain!

Luo Xingnan’s earlier bold declaration of focusing on core formation upon his return suddenly seemed plausible. If these twenty-one spiritual herbs could be gathered, he might indeed achieve his goal.

Qin Sang lifted his gaze slightly, his eyes settling on a spot near the mountain's summit. There, a strand of dark yellow qi stood out prominently.

Twenty-one spiritual herbs—enough to be distributed among them, with four per person and some left over, assuming Yu Kong did not become overly greedy or turn on them.

However, the auras of the herbs varied in intensity. Most were faint and dim, while a select few shone with dazzling brilliance.

Among these, the dark yellow qi ranked among the top three in prominence, undoubtedly marking it as one of the most precious.

Yu Kong might not be willing to part with it so easily.

"It seems those Hook Snakes were left as guardian beasts by the original master of this cave dwelling," Yu Kong remarked, nodding slightly. His voice could not conceal his excitement as his gaze lingered on the luminous herbs. "Once we break the barrier, these spiritual herbs will be ours. For this final hurdle, we’ll need everyone to work together!"

Hearing this, the others withdrew their greedy stares and turned their attention to the dense fog.

The barrier was hidden within the mist. Even before entering it, one could sense the faint presence of danger emanating from within.

This barrier would not be easily breached.

They circled the mountain and conducted several tests, only to find that the entire mountain was shrouded in fog and sealed by the barrier. There was no path leading up, forcing them to abandon any thoughts of taking shortcuts.

"There’s no time for us to slowly study how to dismantle this barrier," Yu Kong said, his tone slightly tense, "Fortunately, I have some expertise in the art of barriers. However..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Qin Sang and the other three. "The scale of this barrier is immense, and its power extraordinary. Someone must enter the barrier directly to trigger its mechanisms and fully reveal its structure. I will need to focus entirely on deciphering it, so I must ask you to take turns probing the barrier. What do you all think? Or perhaps you have other suggestions?"