Chapter 290: Trap

"My scouts didn't leave any warning signs... Even if there were real dangers, if Old Man Yu and his few companions could get through, would we really be trapped here to die? Stop being so suspicious. Yu Kong entered some time ago; we can't afford to move slowly!"

After saying that, Luo Xingnan transformed into a streak of light and shot through the air. The people behind him followed closely.

Sheng Yuanzi shook his head helplessly. He also felt there was some truth to Luo Xingnan's words, but he still waved his hand, sending a burst of spiritual energy into the abyss. The spiritual energy broke through the dark aura, causing a brief disturbance, but other than that, no other anomalies occurred.

Seeing this, Sheng Yuanzi quickened his pace and caught up.

Everyone quickly flew over the abyss. Indeed, there was nothing unusual inside; it remained very calm.

Sheng Yuanzi withdrew his gaze, lowered his guard, and gave a self-deprecating smile. But before the smile could fade from his face, he suddenly heard a very faint hissing sound.

"What's that sound?" Sheng Yuanzi's smile froze, and his expression suddenly turned grim.

Not only Sheng Yuanzi, but others also heard it. Everyone looked around and quickly found the source of the sound: it was coming from inside the two low mountains ahead of them.

Not far from the opposite side of the abyss, two stone mountains stood, like two guardian deities of the desolate plain.

The stone mountains were bare and not particularly small, but compared to the distant mountains where spiritual herbs grew, they were utterly insignificant, appearing completely unremarkable.

Sheng Yuanzi and the others had been completely captivated by the abyss. After all, these two mountains were completely exposed, allowing any situation to be seen clearly. Since there was nothing unusual in the abyss, no one expected the problem to be on the mountains.

The sound appeared suddenly, like the roar of some monster.

The next moment, the ground suddenly began to shake. The hissing sounds intensified, echoing across the wilderness, and soon threatened to pierce the heavens.

Immediately after, from the top of each mountain, a mass of red mist suddenly erupted, rushing upwards into the sky with a whoosh.

A huge cave seemed to be hidden inside the mountaintop. These red mists appeared without any warning, seemingly endless, spreading out instantly, and in a flash, obscuring almost half of the sky.

The two masses of red mist converged between the mountains, blocking their path forward.

"There are snakes inside!" someone pointed at the mist and cried out.

"It's Hooked Serpents!"

At this moment, everyone finally caught a glimpse of the red mist.

This red mist was the breath exhaled by a type of serpent-shaped demonic beast!

This type of serpent had a very bizarre appearance. Its body was serpent-like, each one at least a dozen *zhang* long. But unlike true snakes, Hooked Serpents had bifurcated tails; the two branched tails were like iron hooks, emitting a luster similar to dark iron, gleaming with cold light!

Due to their peculiar appearance, everyone recognized the Hooked Serpents at a glance and simultaneously recalled the records about them.

These demonic beasts reached the peak of the Mortal Demon stage upon adulthood, and with prolonged cultivation, it wasn't difficult for them to break through to the Demonic Spirit stage.

Their greatest strength was poison.

The red mist they exhaled from their mouths not only served as a soft protective shield, helping them cushion attacks aimed at them, but also contained potent venom. Even immortal cultivators, if they accidentally inhaled a breath or their bodies were exposed to the red mist, would face dire consequences.

Their two tail hooks also carried venom potent enough to instantly kill a person. Moreover, they were incredibly hard, capable of withstanding attacks from magical artifacts!

At this moment, the red mist blotted out the sky, and countless serpent shadows writhed within. It was impossible to tell how many Hooked Serpents were hidden inside, but there were at least dozens. Even if only a small fraction of them had broken through to the Demonic Spirit stage, it would still be a huge problem!

Not to mention, there might even be Greater Demons at the mid or late Demonic Spirit stage among them!

Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi exchanged a glance, both filled with doubt. Before the Hooked Serpents appeared, there were no traces of battle on or around the mountains. How did Yu Kong manage to avoid the Hooked Serpents' perception and pass through unnoticed?

But now was not the time to ponder such things.

"Retreat to the cave!"

The two dared not hesitate further. They made an immediate decision and ordered a retreat!

The terrain here was open. Once surrounded by the serpent swarm and caught in the red mist, no one could guarantee they would get out alive.

Only by relying on the narrow cave entrance could they calmly set up formations, divide the serpent swarm, and slowly hunt down the Hooked Serpents. No matter how strong Hooked Serpents were, they were still just demonic beasts, and with so many Foundation Establishment cultivators, they weren't necessarily truly afraid of them.

Everyone received the order, formed a formation, and quickly retreated.

The roars of the Hooked Serpents rose and fell, and the red mist rapidly spread, getting closer and closer.

"Be careful not to get injured. Absolutely do not let these beasts smell blood." Sheng Yuanzi suddenly remembered something and loudly warned.

Legend has it that Hooked Serpents are extremely sensitive to the smell of blood, especially the blood of human cultivators. Once they smell it, they will fall into an extreme frenzy, becoming like a different species entirely.

Before his words had fully faded, two loud bangs suddenly came from beneath their feet.

Everyone was startled. They looked down and saw two masses of blood mist explode within the abyss.

Bits of flesh and bone fragments flew everywhere, mixed with fresh blood, splashing in all directions.

The group was caught off guard and instantly enveloped by two masses of blood mist, one on their left and one on their right.

"Crescent Moon Immortal!" Luo Xingnan's expression drastically changed, and he cried out in alarm.

Sheng Yuanzi's expression was also extremely shocked, as he clearly recognized Old Man Kuteng as well.

At this moment, they suddenly understood something. No wonder no warning signs were left. No wonder there were no traces of battle...

Their secret operatives had already been exposed. Yu Kong had known all along, yet he feigned ignorance, allowing the operatives to transmit the information and lure them in.

This was clearly a meticulously planned trap by Yu Kong!

Its purpose was perhaps to use them to attract the Hooked Serpents, or perhaps there was an even more sinister intention...

"Quick! Get rid of the blood mist!"

Sheng Yuanzi was the first to react. He cried out urgently and simultaneously unleashed a crimson flame, attempting to burn away the scent of blood. Naturally, the others dared not delay and quickly began to remove the blood scent.

But it was already too late.

The red mist pursued relentlessly, right behind them. The moment the bodies exploded, the Hooked Serpents had already smelled the blood.

Within the red mist, where Luo Xingnan and the others could not see, the Hooked Serpents' eyes suddenly turned scarlet, staring intently at the group above the abyss.

Their roars instantly intensified by tens or even hundreds of times.

Even more astonishingly, from the depths of the abyss, the dark aura suddenly churned violently, and two colossal serpent shadows, like arrows released from a bow, accompanied by earth-shattering roars, rushed out of the abyss at an astonishing speed!

At this moment, Qin Sang and the others, hidden in the shadows, dared not even breathe, fearing that the Hooked Serpents, about to fall into a frenzy, would detect their scent. Otherwise, they too would suffer the same fate as Luo Xingnan and his group.

Qin Sang quietly observed Yu Kong's hiding place. The Hooked Serpents were now completely drawn to Luo Xingnan and his group, yet Yu Kong showed no intention of taking advantage of the opportunity to sneak over from the other side and gather herbs.

Did he intend to stay here and watch the battle, waiting for its outcome before making a move?