Trap

2024-07-31 Author: Gu Zhenren

Ning Zhanji thought for a moment, then sent two cultivators to scout ahead while he led the main force to retreat some distance away.

A short while later, the two cultivators returned and reported, "It's the corpse of a Demon Ape!"

The tense atmosphere of the entire team relaxed at once.

When the main force arrived beside the Demon Ape's corpse, Ning Yong exclaimed in surprise.

It was his first time seeing the appearance of a Flamefusion Demon Ape.

This demonic beast had a robust physique, standing about three meters tall, with its entire body covered in thick, bright red fur. The fur was a pure, fiery red, as beautiful as flames.

The Flamefusion Demon Ape bared its fangs, its eyes wide open, as if it had died with a grievance.

Its body was a peculiar combination of flesh, blood, and molten lava.

Even though it was now dead, its internal structure could be seen through the wounds on its body. Like magma, it still flowed slowly, emitting intense heat, though it was rapidly cooling.

Ning Zhanji frowned deeply.

This was an unexpected situation.

He would have preferred to encounter a living Flamefusion Demon Ape.

Now, things had become complicated.

"An intense battle took place here!"

"The Flamefusion Demon Ape fought fiercely here but was ultimately defeated."

"What kind of existence could single-handedly kill an adult Flamefusion Demon Ape?"

"Judging from the traces left behind, it doesn’t resemble any known demonic beast."

Ning Zhanji knew he had to investigate thoroughly.

Leaving a mysterious demonic beast unchecked could lead to significant losses for the main family force in future operations, especially with unclear intelligence.

Ning Zhanji’s mission in leading the team into the cave was precisely to scout the environment and gather information.

This was his responsibility.

With this in mind, Ning Zhanji stopped overthinking and decisively abandoned the original route, following the traces instead.

"However, the mysterious demonic beast engaged in a fierce battle with the adult Demon Ape, so its combat strength can be estimated. Our current forces should be able to handle it."

"Moreover, after such a battle, its strength must have declined. This is a great opportunity!"

Ning Zhanji’s eyes gleamed with determination as he led the team in pursuit.

Along the way, they陆续 discovered other affected demonic beasts. For instance, the scattered fire essence left behind by deceased Blaze Serpents, the corpse of a Treadflame Lizard, and the scattered stones of Molten Demons.

As the Ning family cultivators continued their pursuit, the items they collected gradually increased.

"Boss, what kind of creature is this? It’s so powerful, killing so many demonic beasts?"

"Haha, we’re getting a bargain this time. If there were a few more of these mysterious demonic beasts, we wouldn’t have to do any work—we’d strike it rich directly."

Ning Zhanji frowned deeply, silently calculating: "The fact that these were left behind without cleaning up the battlefield clearly indicates it’s not a cultivator. However, none of the corpses have been gnawed on, and resources like fire essence haven’t been consumed. This suggests that this mysterious demonic beast doesn’t belong to the volcanic cave system and isn’t part of the local food chain."

"Could it be some cultivator’s tamed beast?"

"Whatever the case, this time I must uncover its true identity!"

Ning Zhanji made up his mind and continued the chase.

Eventually, they reached a dead end.

"No way forward ahead?"

"That can’t be right!"

"The traces clearly lead here…"

The Ning family cultivators were puzzled.

Ning Zhanji scanned the surroundings, then muttered an incantation and performed a hand seal.

Finally, his gaze fixed on a section of the wall.

"Step back and form formations."

"Let’s break this wall and see what’s behind it," Ning Zhanji ordered.

The Ning family cultivators formed three small formations, pulling Ning Zhuo and Ning Yong into the farthest one and instructing them not to wander off.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The formations activated, and the cultivators combined their efforts to repeatedly strike the wall.

After the surface of the wall shattered, the glow of a formation was revealed.

There was actually a hidden defensive formation here!

The defensive formation was crudely set up and didn’t last long, soon being shattered by the attacks.

The wall was breached, revealing another passageway.

"There’s actually a hidden passage here?"

"Was it concealed by someone before, which is why we didn’t discover it earlier?"

Ning Zhanji frowned deeply.

Having pursued this far, his earlier assumptions were shaken.

Clearly, whoever set up the formation must be a cultivator. Even if not human, it would be an intelligent demonic cultivator.

After only a second of hesitation, Ning Zhanji decided to continue the pursuit.

The Ning family cultivators began exploring the mysterious passage.

They soon discovered traces similar to the "demonic beast tracks" they had seen earlier.

"Perhaps this is some cultivator’s spirit pet, quite intelligent, with permission to pass through the formation."

"This passage shows signs of human activity in many places, and it was excavated earlier than our efforts."

"Does that mean our Ning family arrived later?"

"What’s that?"

"We’re reaching the end of this passage."

"Be careful!"

The Ning family cultivators followed the trail, exiting the passage and arriving at an underground plaza with open sightlines and flat terrain.

Two formations were also set up in the underground plaza, both crude, like a child’s scribbles.

Ning Zhanji sent his subordinates to search for clues in all directions. Just then, the roars of demonic beasts echoed.

Hisses and growls rose one after another, closing in from all sides.

Ning Zhanji was shocked and immediately ordered a retreat.

However, scorching magma suddenly surged from the passage they came through, forcing them to retreat back.

"Dammit!"

"This is a trap!!"

"Who else could orchestrate something like this? Could it be the other two families or the City Lord’s faction?"

Ning Zhanji was both alarmed and furious. While directing everyone to form defensive formations, he also sent people to investigate the surroundings.

The results of the investigation were terrible.

This underground plaza seemed like a transit hub, connected to many passages. From these passages, large numbers of demonic beasts were pouring in.

The Ning family cultivators set up their defensive formation in a corner of the plaza, activating it at full power.

Fortunately, they were well-prepared for battle, having brought many formation disks, which allowed them to set up the defensive formation so quickly.

The defensive formation activated, forming a half-circle ice-colored light wall that, combined with the wall behind the cultivators, created a circular defense.

The Flamefur Rat swarm was the first to charge. Compared to those outside, the Flamefur Rats here were as tall as half a person!

The rat swarm madly crashed into the ice wall, with many rats dying on impact.

Cracks appeared on the ice wall.

Some Molten Demons floated in mid-air, bypassing the ice wall and charging forward.

The Ning family cultivators cooperated seamlessly, well-prepared.

A large number of magical instruments, mainly flying swords and needles, were activated, piercing through the Molten Demons and buying crucial time.

A second defensive formation was set up, forming a hemispherical shield that enveloped everyone.

Instantly, the noise outside the formation diminished significantly.

"Keep building formations!" Ning Zhanji said with a stern expression.

Just as the Ning family cultivators finished setting up the third major formation, which formed a pillar of light supporting the ceiling of the underground space, an overwhelming aura suddenly emerged.

The cultivators looked horrified.

"A Golden Core aura? Could it be that we were pursuing a Golden Core cultivator?"

"I remember this aura—it’s the Zheng family’s ancestor, Zheng Shuang gou!"

"Could it be that the Zheng family is targeting us?!"

(End of )