Chapter 292: Pathfinder

As Qin Sang flew over the abyss, he took a deep look at the battlefield. When he crushed the Concentric Pendant, he had unreservedly informed Yun Youzi and Ge Yuan of everything he knew, specifically warning them that Yu Kong intended to lure and kill Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi by setting a trap. Considering the time from their ambush until Luo Xingnan and the others appeared, it was not a short interval. Yun Youzi and Ge Yuan had ample opportunity to escape. However, they did not; instead, they chose to follow. This made Qin Sang wonder, while also speculating if they possessed some life-saving technique that gave them the confidence to escape calmly when faced with danger. Now, it seemed the situation was likely dire.

A considerable number of Hook Serpents had been killed by the cultivators. Some serpent corpses fell into the abyss, while others crashed to the ground. Their massive bodies lay strewn everywhere, and the blood-stained ground converged into rivers, forming crimson waterfalls that cascaded down the abyss's edge. However, the three mid-stage Demon Spirit Hook Serpent Kings were not among them. During the fierce battle, their enormous bodies could sometimes be seen being sent flying. Their bodies were likewise covered in wounds, but their auras showed no signs of weakening. They immediately turned and charged back into the fray with ferocious roars, seeming to know no pain once consumed by madness. At this point, the battle within the red mist began to show signs of weakening, yet the three strongest Hook Serpent Kings were only injured, not killed. Moreover, from beginning to end, not a single person escaped alive. Yu Kong had originally intended to ambush Luo Xingnan and the others when they retreated, but he ultimately discovered that the Hook Serpents' strength far exceeded expectations, rendering their intervention unnecessary.

Finally, the battle subsided, and the red mist dispersed. The surviving Hook Serpents hovered in the air, their mouths stained with blood and torn flesh. The madness in their huge eyes had not entirely faded, and sharp roars echoed one after another. The three most powerful Hook Serpent Kings were also heavily wounded, indicating the fierce counterattack by the cultivators before their deaths. One even had both tails severed, bleeding profusely and whimpering in pain. They seemed to be communicating. Afterwards, one Hook Serpent King dragged its gravely injured companion back to the abyss to slumber, while others either landed to devour the corpses of their kind or flew back to their nests. The Hook Serpents' nests were located in the back mountain. Despite the serpents' colossal size, not a trace of demonic energy leaked out, indicating that the nests were likely as deep as the abyss itself.

Two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, along with their group of helpers, had perished under the encirclement of these demonic beasts, with not a single survivor. Aside from Yu Kong and his four companions who observed, no one else knew of their silent demise. With just a small stratagem, two formidable enemies were effortlessly eliminated without any exertion. This outcome was something even Yu Kong had not anticipated. Having stealthily approached and now standing behind the stone mountain, they had watched the entire battle from start to finish, witnessing such a tragic end, and were all deeply shaken. For a moment, there was complete silence; no one spoke.

"Senior Yu..." Wu Chen swallowed hard, using a respectful address for Yu Kong. The scene he had just witnessed had profoundly shocked him. Yu Kong, with his cunning and ruthless methods, had instantly annihilated so many Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving Wu Chen utterly intimidated and daring not show him the slightest disrespect.

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

"I did know that fierce demons were lurking, and they would be difficult to deal with, but I didn't expect these creatures to be so powerful. I originally only intended to take the lives of those two old fellows, but unexpectedly, these two villains implicated so many innocent people. After we leave, I will certainly arrange a grand Dharma ceremony for all these fellow Daoists to comfort their departed souls..." Yu Kong sighed with feigned compassion, but a hint of self-satisfied smile, not entirely concealed, played on his face. "However, the great enemies have been eliminated, and now all the spiritual herbs are ours. Moreover, they coincidentally helped us gravely injure the guardian beasts, making it easy to escape after collecting the herbs. We should be happy, don't you agree?"

Yu Kong's gaze swept over them, and everyone, including Qin Sang, nodded in agreement.

"It's getting late, and the restrictions haven't been broken yet. We must leave this place before the guardian array's weak period ends. I certainly don't want to be trapped here for thirty years..." At Yu Kong's urging, everyone cast their evasion techniques and sped towards the distant mountain. Qin Sang took one last look at the ravaged battlefield, pondered for a moment, then turned and left.

They proceeded cautiously. The appearance of the Hook Serpents was a warning that this place was not as peaceful as it seemed. There were more than just these two small mountains in the wilderness; other mountains might also conceal guardian beasts. Fortunately, the area in front of the mountain had remained very calm so far.

As they drew closer, everyone's breathing involuntarily became heavier. Multicolored rays of light pierced through the thick mist, shooting into the sky, almost blinding them. Qin Sang secretly counted: there were twenty-one! This meant there were twenty-one spiritual herbs on the mountain, each at least a thousand years old! Luo Xingnan had just boasted that he would focus on preparing for Core Formation after returning. If he acquired all twenty-one of these spiritual herbs, he might indeed achieve his wish. Qin Sang gently raised his head, his gaze falling on the area near the mountain peak. The profound yellow aura was particularly striking.

Twenty-one spiritual herbs should, in theory, be enough for them to divide, with four per person and some left over—assuming Yu Kong wasn't greedy and wouldn't turn hostile. However, the auras of these spiritual herbs also varied. Most were faint and dim, with only a few being bright and dazzling. Among them, the profound yellow aura was easily among the top three, its preciousness undoubtedly ranking very high. Yu Kong might not be willing to part with it.

"It seems those Hook Serpents were the guardian beasts left by the cave's master," Yu Kong nodded slightly, his voice barely concealing his excitement as he looked at the numerous spiritual herbs. "Once the restrictions are broken, these spiritual herbs will be ours. For this final stage, we still need everyone to work together!"

Hearing this, the others retracted their greedy gazes and looked towards the thick mist. The restrictions were hidden within the dense mist. Even before entering the fog, they could sense a faint aura of danger. These restrictions would not be easy to break. They circled the mountain, testing it several times, and found that the entire mountain was sealed by dense mist and restrictions, with no clear path to ascend. They had to abandon any hope of an easy way.

"Time simply doesn't allow us to slowly study how to break these restrictions. Fortunately, I have some experience with restrictions, however..." Yu Kong paused, his gaze sweeping over Qin Sang and the other two. "The restrictions here are vast and powerful. Someone needs to personally enter the restrictions to trigger their full power; only then can we discern their complete layout. I must focus on finding a method to break them, so I can only ask you fellow Daoists to take turns entering the restrictions to test them. What do you all think? Or do any of you have other suggestions?"