As they were about to step out of the cave, everyone caught sight of the scenery up close: it turned out the cave was situated on a steep, towering cliff, and between the foot of the cliff and the open plains lay a deep chasm.
"Conceal yourselves! Hold your breath!"
Yu Kong gave a solemn warning, then activated his concealment art and floated silently down the mountain.
Qin Sang surveyed the surroundings and looked down, gazing at the chasm.
The chasm was not particularly wide, but it was bottomless and several degrees gloomier than the Kuiyin Sect's Yin Baleful Abyss. Shrouded in yin energy, it was nonetheless far calmer than the Yin Baleful Abyss.
As he neared the chasm, Yu Kong paused and gently shoved the two corpses forward.
The two corpses drifted toward opposite sides, slowly descending into the chasm, clinging close to its edge as they dropped inch by inch.
During the descent, the patterns Yu Kong had drawn on the corpses flickered faintly, after which the bodies vanished completely from everyone's sight, their auras entirely veiled as well.
Qin Sang quietly sent out a wisp of spiritual sense to sweep over the spot where the corpses had disappeared, yet failed to detect the slightest anomaly.
Yu Kong seemed afraid of disturbing whatever lay within the chasm; his movements were extraordinarily cautious. Only after properly concealing the two corpses did he let out a soft breath of relief.
"Follow me..."
Yu Kong transmitted his voice, not leaping across the chasm to gather spirit herbs, but instead leading everyone into hiding at a secluded spot along the chasm's edge.
Although the others had their hearts set on the spirit herbs, seeing Yu Kong's cautious actions made them realize there was definitely more to the chasm than met the eye. They could only rein in their impatience and lurk in the dark alongside him.
Still uneasy, Yu Kong went on to lay down patterns around the group similar to those drawn on the corpses.
Qin Sang still could not discern what trap Yu Kong had prepared for Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi, but he knew he could delay no longer. Otherwise, Yunyouzi and Ge Yuan might not have time to find a chance to slip away from their squads. Thus, he quietly crushed the Concentric Pendant.
The group lay in ambush for a long time without seeing anyone emerge from the cave, yet not a shred of anxiety showed on Yu Kong's face.
They waited for some time longer.
Finally, a figure flashed at the cave exit, followed by several more stepping out one after another.
The two in the lead were none other than Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi.
They had actually arrived together.
Behind them, the two groups remained clearly distinct.
Qin Sang spotted Yunyouzi and Ge Yuan and was greatly surprised. When crushing the Concentric Pendant, he had made a point of warning that an unknown danger might lurk in the chasm and that Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi were walking into a death trap. He had not expected the two of them to follow along instead of seizing a chance to break away.
However, communication was impossible right now, and Qin Sang could not tell whether they had lacked the opportunity to escape or had other plans in mind.
Faced with the arrival of both formidable rivals, Yu Kong showed no panic. He merely snorted, "Arriving together saves me the trouble."
Qin Sang glanced down at the chasm.
A danger far beyond their prior imagination likely lurked within the depths, which was why Yu Kong possessed such confidence in eliminating both Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi in one fell swoop.
Unfortunately, with the Concentric Pendant now shattered, Qin Sang could no longer transmit any message to warn Yunyouzi and Ge Yuan. He could only pray they would look out for themselves.
If Yunyouzi and Ge Yuan failed to survive this ordeal, subsequent plans would have to be redrawn; he needed to prepare for both contingencies.
He had no grievances with Yu Kong, so a happy outcome for all would be ideal.
Even if Yu Kong harbored ill intentions, he would not deliberately target him alone. Besides, the treasures Qin Sang possessed were far more potent than those of ordinary rogue cultivators, bridging some of the gap between them. As long as he remained vigilant enough and struck unexpectedly, finding an opportunity to get away would not be difficult.
Should an opportunity arise, the chances of turning the tables and killing him were not small either.
Only Yan Wu posed a major nuisance; whenever the man glanced his way, Qin Sang felt like thorns were pricking his back.
Motionless, Qin Sang gazed at the distant figures above, his eyes flickering with contemplation.
The two groups stood at the cave entrance, gazing out toward the distant mountains.
"Where did Old Ghost Yu go?"
Sheng Yuanzi narrowed his eyes and surveyed the area, finding the plains completely empty. The distant mountains were veiled in cloud and mist, making it impossible to discern what lay inside.
Luo Xingnan stared intently at the distant mountains, his gaze deeply infatuated as he muttered, "Shao Chunhui truly discovered an extraordinary place! This must be the cave master's herb garden. These spirit herbs are at least a thousand years old—they truly dazzle the eyes! That old dog has likely already entered the mountains. We should make our move so he doesn't ruin the treasures."
Sheng Yuanzi cast a sidelong glance at Luo Xingnan. "Shao Chunhui returned empty-handed last time, which shows the restrictions inside those clouds and mists are no simple matter. Letting Old Ghost Yu scout ahead for us is just as well—what's your rush? Now that we've confirmed Old Ghost Yu was behind everything, isn't it time you called back the person you planted at my side?"
"Back then, I couldn't be sure whether it was you, old bull-nose, or that old dog Yu, so naturally I had to prepare for both possibilities."
Facing direct accusation, Luo Xingnan showed no embarrassment. Tearing his infatuated gaze away, he waved to a gaunt old man behind Sheng Yuanzi. "Fellow Daoist Gong, come back."
The elder surnamed Gong stepped forward and cupped his hands to Sheng Yuanzi. "Each serves his own master. I ask the Daoist Master's forgiveness."
"So it really was you! Do you truly think I wouldn't dare kill you?!"
Sheng Yuanzi snorted coldly, his gaze pressing down with naked murderous intent.
Under Sheng Yuanzi's oppressive aura, Elder Gong's body trembled, his face turning slightly pale.
Luo Xingnan took a step forward to shield Elder Gong from Sheng Yuanzi's aura and said indifferently, "The feeling is mutual! Old bull-nose, now that we've decided to join hands against that old dog Yu, fussing over such trivialities is pointless. Once we kill Old Dog Yu and obtain the spirit herbs, each of us will go our separate ways. I'll just wait until after my Core Formation to come back and burn an incense stick for your ashes. Until then, I have no interest in trading petty schemes with you. Besides... don't tell me you don't have someone planted by my side."
"You want Core Formation? In your next life, maybe!"
Sheng Yuanzi sneered in disdain. Pointing at a long-robed man behind Luo Xingnan, he said, "Brother Chen, set your mind at ease. I promise that Old Ghost Luo won't dare lay a finger on you in the future."
The long-robed man merely replied, "I only hope Senior does not forget your prior promise."
Sheng Yuanzi chuckled, swept his eyes over the cultivators behind him, and pointed at the distant mountains. "Look at the radiance on the mountain. There are more than enough spirit herbs there for each of us to have one. The prerequisite, however, is unraveling the restrictions and taking care of Old Ghost Yu, which requires everyone to give their all. But should anyone try to fool me, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
Luo Xingnan delivered a similar speech.
After warning the others and conferring briefly, Luo Xingnan and Sheng Yuanzi led the group down the cliff.
"Hold on..."
Just as they were about to fly across the chasm, Sheng Yuanzi paused and gestured for everyone to stop.
Luo Xingnan frowned. "Did your person leave a secret mark?"
Sheng Yuanzi stared at the chasm and shook his head. "No, not that..."
Luo Xingnan scoffed. "Old bull-nose, you're growing more cowardly with age! It's just a little ditch—can that really frighten you so? If there were real danger, there would surely be marks of battle here."
Chapter 288