"Everyone, split up and check to see if there are any survivors!"
Lin Jingxing stood up, his tone grave, "If there are any surviving cultivators, we can ask them about the specific movements of the demon race."
The monks immediately dispersed and carefully searched the valley.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou also checked several hidden crevices in the rocks, but only found a few already cold corpses, with no trace of any survivors.
"It seems none of them survived."
Stone sighed, his tone tinged with regret, "These demons are too ruthless, leaving not a single one alive."
Xiao Chen didn't speak, but looked into the depths of the valley, where the trees were more severely fallen and the claw marks on the ground were more dense, clearly indicating that the core area of the battle was there.
"Let's go and take a look ahead!" Lin Jingxing noticed the unusual situation deep in the valley and took the lead in walking forward. "There might be more clues ahead."
The group continued forward, and the deeper they went into the valley, the more obvious the signs of battle became.
An ancient tree that required two people to encircle was cut in half, with obvious claw marks at the break.
A huge rock was blasted into fragments, with pieces of the cultivator's robes mixed in with the rubble; occasionally, a few drops of fresh blood could be seen, indicating that the battle had not lasted long.
Strangely, these traces were only left by small-scale battles, without the chaos of large-scale slaughter. It was more like the demons "cleaning up" the scattered cultivators.
Something's not right...
A sense of unease rose in Xiao Chen's heart. Just as he was about to remind Lin Jingxing, suddenly...
A black mist surged from behind the cliffs on both sides of the valley at an astonishing speed!
The mist, carrying a pungent, fishy odor, spread across the ground like a living thing, quickly reaching everyone's ankles and climbing up their calves.
In less than three breaths, the entire group was completely enveloped by thick black fog, and visibility instantly dropped to less than two zhang!
"Oh no! It's an ambush!"
Lin Jingxing's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stopped. Golden dragon flames erupted around him in an attempt to dispel the mist, but he found that the mist was like glue and could not be dispersed at all.
He growled in frustration, "Damn it! It's all my fault! I was so focused on finding survivors that I didn't pay attention to the terrain of the valley. There are cliffs on both sides and a narrow path in the middle. It's the perfect spot to ambush them!"
"Divine sense! Use divine sense to investigate!"
Luo Qingyang immediately shouted, while releasing his divine sense in an attempt to penetrate the fog and find traces of the demons.
But the next second, Luo Qingyang's expression changed: "No! Divine sense can't penetrate this fog! There are restrictions inside that block divine sense!"
Other cultivators also tried to release their divine senses, but without exception, their divine senses were blocked by a cold force less than ten feet away, making it impossible for them to perceive any movement within the mist.
"We can only rely on our eyes! Everyone, gather together, don't act alone!"
Lin Jingxing immediately adjusted his strategy and shouted loudly.
"The cultivators at the Dao Proving Realm are on the outer perimeter, and the cultivators at the Dao Inquiry Realm are in the middle. Once they see the dark figure approaching, they must immediately counterattack!"
The cultivators hurriedly gathered together, their weapons glowing with various colors, their spiritual energy flowing around them, as they warily stared at the blurry figures in the mist.
Some cultivators lit torches, but the light could only illuminate a foot in front of them in the black mist, making them easier targets for the demons, so they had to quickly extinguish them.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou leaned against the back of the group. Shi Tou gripped his spiked club tightly and whispered to Xiao Chen, "Senior brother, this fog is too eerie. The demons are definitely waiting inside to ambush us. Should we make the first move?"
Xiao Chen shook his head, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding mist, his voice low: "Wait a bit longer. We don't know how many demons there are or what their strength is. Making a rash move could easily expose our strength and disrupt Lin Jingxing's plans. Let's observe the situation first and wait for the demons to make the first move."
Stone nodded and stopped talking, focusing his attention on his ears. Since he couldn't see clearly, he could only rely on his hearing to judge what was happening.
A deathly silence fell over the mist, broken only by the tense breathing of the cultivators and the faint clanging of weapons. Everyone was on edge, their eyes fixed on the dark figures that could appear at any moment in the mist.
Suddenly, a faint rustling sound came from the left, as if someone was moving quickly through the fog!
"Left! Something's there!" A cultivator at the early stage of the Dao attainment realm shouted alertly, thrusting his longsword toward the direction from which the sound came!
But the longsword missed its mark, and the "rustling" sound quickly disappeared into the mist, as if it had never existed.
"It's bait! The demons are testing us!" Lin Jingxing warned sharply. "Everyone, stay calm and don't be fooled by the illusion!"
The fog remained thick, and danger lurked everywhere. Everyone knew that this ambush had only just begun.
The demons, hidden in the mist, are like hungry beasts, waiting for the perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
The black mist was as thick as ink. The cultivators huddled together back to back, their weapons gleaming faintly, illuminating an area a foot in front of them.
Everyone breathed very softly, their ears were perked up, and even their heartbeats seemed amplified several times over.
The fear of the unknown clung to their hearts like vines; no one knew from which direction that deadly hand would reach out next.
"rustle……"
The faint sound rang out again, this time closer to the crowd. A late-stage Dao Seeking cultivator was about to turn his head to investigate.
Suddenly, a pitch-black arm emerged from the mist beside him, its five fingers like hooks, gripping his shoulder tightly!
"ah!"
The cultivator let out a short scream as his body was forcibly dragged into the depths of the fog by a tremendous force. The long sword in his hand clattered to the ground, and he disappeared into the thick black fog in the blink of an eye.
Immediately afterwards, a chilling "crunch, crunch" sound rang out—the sound of bones being chewed.
The sticky sounds of flesh tearing were particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the black mist, sending chills down everyone's spines and causing their hands, gripping their weapons, to tremble slightly.
"Don't panic, everyone!"
Lin Jingxing suppressed the gravity in his heart, and the golden dragon flames around him burned even more fiercely, barely dispelling the mist within three feet of him.
"Demons excel at stealth and ambush. Keep an eye on the mist around you. Once you spot a shadow, attack together immediately! Don't act alone!"
His voice was like a calming pill, allowing the panicked cultivators to regain their composure. They gripped their weapons tighter and stared intently at the swirling black mist around them.
Just then, the mist beside Xiao Chen suddenly surged slightly, revealing a black arm that was even thicker than before.
It reached out silently, its fingertips gleaming coldly, and grabbed Xiao Chen's nape, clearly intending to use the same trick again to drag him into the fog!
"Be careful, Senior Brother!"
Stone reacted quickly, catching a glimpse of the black hand out of the corner of his eye. Without thinking, he swiftly reached out with his left hand and grabbed the black arm!
His hand was like an iron clamp, gripping the demon's wrist tightly, and no matter how the demon struggled, it did not budge.
"Um?!"
The demon in the mist was clearly not expected to be captured. It let out a low growl and tried to pull its arm back with all its might.
But the stone's strength far exceeded his expectations. Not only was he not moved, but he was also pulled towards the crowd by the stone!
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