30: Chapter 30 Mysterious Paw Print Area

After a short rest, that afternoon, Lin Xuan returned to the Cloud Mist Valley.

This time, his goal was clear—the mysterious claw mark area on the map.

On the sixth and seventh days, Lin Xuan advanced steadily through the valley.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse, after its Breakthrough, was truly effective. It could keenly capture Spiritual Qi fluctuations within a thirty-zhang radius and roughly judge their attributes.

Relying on this ability, Lin Xuan avoided three areas occupied by Yao Beasts, bypassed two groups of Disciples who were fighting, and even found several small patches of cloud mist grass and water-condensing stone points to replenish his consumption.

His Breath Concealment Technique became increasingly proficient as it was honed in the thick mist.

Once fully activated, his presence would almost completely assimilate with the surrounding environment; unless looked at directly with the naked eye, it was difficult to detect even from several zhang away.

The range of his Earth Listening Technique also expanded to nearly fifty zhang, allowing him to distinguish more details—such as the rustling sound of a Mist-Hiding Leopard's paw pads rubbing against rotten leaves thirty zhang away, or the hushed breathing of that group of Disciples whispering to each other forty zhang away.

On the evening of the seventh day, Lin Xuan finally approached the claw mark area.

The color of the mist here was noticeably different—it was no longer milky white, but tinged with a faint grey-purple, like gauze stained with aged blood.

In the air, besides the damp, humus-like smell, there was an additional fishy stench, as well as... a strange, sweet fragrance that was elusive and made one dizzy if smelled for too long.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse acted in a contradictory manner. It would be restless at times, clawing at the ground and baring its teeth at the grey-purple mist;

At other times, it would stretch its neck and twitch its nose rapidly in a certain direction, its black bean-like eyes filled with longing—the Spiritual Qi fluctuations in that direction made it yearn for them instinctively.

Lin Xuan became even more cautious.

He took a Miasma-Repelling Pill, the cool medicinal power dissolving and dispelling the slight dizziness caused by the sweet fragrance.

He pushed his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit, suppressing even his breathing to the point where it was almost inaudible, his footsteps as light as feathers.

Anomalies began to appear on the ground.

Some strange, deep purple plants with fine, sharp thorns along the edges of their leaves appeared sporadically.

They were not vibrant like the other plants in the valley, but rather exuded an eerie aura.

Lin Xuan recognized one of them—the "Bone-Eroding Thorns"; wounds caused by their thorns were extremely difficult to heal.

Most eye-catching were the claw marks on the ground.

Huge, deep claw marks embedded in the mud, each the size of a washbasin, with five distinct fingers and deep gouges at the tips.

Judging by the shape, it seemed to be some kind of feline or canine giant beast, but it was a full four or five times larger than the claw marks of a Mist-Hiding Leopard.

The claw marks were fresh, the mud at the edges not yet completely dry; they had been left within at most two days.

Lin Xuan squatted down and measured the depth of the claw marks with his fingers, feeling a chill in his heart. "This Yao Beast likely weighs over a thousand catties, and its strength is astonishing. Moreover..."

He noticed the soil at the edge of the claw marks had extremely faint scorched traces, as if seared by high heat or electricity.

The possibility of it being a lightning-attribute Yao Beast increased a few more points.

Following the direction of the claw marks, and with the guidance of the Herb-Seeking Mouse, he slowly moved toward the deepest part of the grey-purple mist.

An hour later, the view suddenly opened up—not because the mist had dispersed, but because he had arrived at the entrance of a mountain col.

This mountain col looked as if it had been split open by a giant axe, with steep rock walls on both sides covered in grey-purple moss.

The mist at the entrance was too thick to disperse, grey and purplish, and the light was dim.

Lin Xuan stopped, his pupils constricting slightly.

Scattered at the entrance were seven or eight beast skeletons. There were those of Iron-Toothed Wild Boars, Mist-Hiding Leopards, and even the skeleton of a large, unknown deer-like creature.

Most of the skeletons were incomplete, as if they had been violently torn and gnawed, with deep tooth marks and claw scratches remaining on the bones.

In the air, the mixture of that sweet fragrance and fishy stench reached its peak, making one nauseous.

Lin Xuan crouched low, hiding behind a rock half the height of a person, and activated his Earth Listening Technique.

The world in his ears filtered out the wind and the chirping of insects, focusing on the depths of the mountain col.

At first, there was only dead silence. But after a dozen breaths, he captured it—a low, rhythmic sound, like a giant bellows.

"Hoo... lu... hoo... lu..."

It was the sound of snoring. Long and heavy, every sound carried a power that made the air tremble slightly.

In the gaps between the snoring, there was another sound:

An extremely faint "crackle," like dry firewood bursting in a fire, or perhaps... electric sparks jumping.

Lin Xuan's heart jumped violently.

A lightning-attribute Yao Beast! It was almost certain!

He did not let excitement cloud his judgment; instead, he became even calmer.

The entrance to the mountain col was too open and not suitable for covert observation. His gaze swept across the surroundings, and he soon discovered a narrow rock crevice more than twenty zhang above the side of the entrance.

The crevice was located on a steep wall, three zhang off the ground, less than two feet wide and about four or five feet deep—just enough for a person to curl up in.

It was a hidden position, yet the view could cover the entire entrance of the mountain col.

This was the place.

Lin Xuan did not go up immediately. He first set up a simple early warning mechanism on the ground directly below the crevice—using a few extremely thin, nearly transparent, and tough threads (fibers from a type of valley vine) to weave a tripwire net between several rocks, with three copper bells smaller than a fingernail hanging from the threads.

If something triggered it while passing by, the sound of the bells would travel up along the rock wall.

Once set up, he used the Wind Control Technique, his body as light as an ape, climbing up the rock wall with a few leaps and slipping silently into the crevice.

The inside of the crevice was dry, with wind blowing through, so it was not stuffy.

He adjusted his posture to an angle where he could see the entrance below and part of the interior of the mountain col through the gap, and then... began a long period of lurking.

He had to figure out the activity patterns of this lightning-attribute Yao Beast.

This was the preparation before a hunt, and also the wisdom of survival.

As night deepened, the grey-purple mist churned at the mouth of the mountain col, like the mouth of a giant beast, waiting for prey.

Lin Xuan curled up in the crevice, his eyes gleaming in the dimness like the most patient hunter.

The first night in the crevice was exceptionally long.

Lin Xuan maintained a semi-curled posture, only occasionally moving his stiff limbs slightly.

He dared not make a fire, nor eat food with a strong odor, and could only nibble on dried meat in small bites, swallowing it down with clear water from his waterskin.

The effect of the Miasma-Repelling Pill could only last for four hours, so he had to calculate the time to replenish it.

The grey-purple mist at the mountain col entrance below seemed to come alive in the night, slowly writhing and rolling.

The low snoring was like background noise, never stopping, though the volume lessened slightly as the night grew deeper.

What made Lin Xuan most vigilant was that sweet fragrance—after nightfall, the aroma seemed to thicken, carrying a certain seductive quality that invited one to sink into it.

If not for the Miasma-Repelling Pill and the mind-condensing effect brought by the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art, he might have also felt dazed.

"This fragrance... is unusual." Lin Xuan noted this detail in his heart.

He placed the Herb-Seeking Mouse on the inner side of the crevice. The little guy had abundant energy after its Breakthrough, but in this environment, it instinctively kept quiet, with only its ears twitching from time to time to capture the faint sounds coming from below.

Around the Hour of the Rat (midnight), the snoring suddenly stopped for about a hundred breaths.

Lin Xuan's spirits lifted, and he focused entirely.

Rustling sounds came from the depths of the mountain col, like a giant beast turning over, its fur rubbing against rocks.

Immediately after, that "crackle" of electric current increased significantly, dense like rain hitting banana leaves.

At the same time, the sweet fragrance suddenly became intense, as if something in the depths of the valley was emitting its aura.

This state lasted for about a quarter of an hour, then the snoring resumed, and everything returned to normal.

Lin Xuan silently noted: "Midnight, snoring stops, movement is large, fragrance is strong."

There were no other abnormalities during the first night.