Chapter 346 Mysterious Cave! This aura... is it death energy?!

On the square.

Twenty members of the Guard Team lined up neatly.

Most of them were in their thirties or forties, with resolute faces, their bodies bearing the scars and fatigue left by days of continuous fighting.

But at this moment, a light burned in everyone's eyes.

It was the light of hope.

The relief of surviving a disaster.

And also... the solemnity towards the mission they were about to perform.

Xiao Jianshan stood at the front of the team.

The wound on his left shoulder had been simply bandaged, and the bleeding had stopped, but the blood faintly showing through the bandage proved that the injury was far from healed.

But he stood straight.

His gaze was like a torch.

"Brothers."

He spoke.

His voice was low, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"You all know what kind of catastrophe our Ash Town has just gone through."

Everyone fell silent.

They knew, of course.

Three days and two nights of fighting.

South Street had fallen.

Seventeen brothers would remain in those ruins forever.

"But—"

Xiao Jianshan's voice suddenly rose.

"We held it!"

He pointed towards Jiang Yun and the others.

"Thanks to these Prodigies from Sky Dome Academy!"

"Thanks to them, our Ash Town still exists!"

Everyone looked towards Jiang Yun and the others in unison.

Their gazes were filled with gratitude and respect.

They had heard just now.

Those Amethyst Vicious Beasts in the town center that had made them feel hopeless were easily slain by these young people.

The twenty Gold Fierce Beasts on South Street were completely wiped out in two moves by that youngest youth.

They knew what this meant.

It meant that these young people, who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, each possessed terrifying strength far beyond their imagination.

Xiao Jianshan continued.

"But!!!"

His voice rose again.

"It's not over yet!"

"Why did those Vicious Beasts riot?"

"Why did they suddenly attack our Ash Town?"

"What exactly is hidden in that cave?"

He asked three questions in a row.

Each question was like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's heart.

"We are going today to find out the truth!"

"To find the source!"

"To..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Ensure that such a thing will never happen again!"

"Ensure that our wives, children, and elders can live peacefully!"

"Yes!"

"The Mayor is right!"

"Find the truth!"

"Find the source!"

A warm response erupted from the crowd.

The twenty guard members raised their weapons and cheered.

The cheers echoed in the twilight.

Lasting for a long time.

Xiao Jianshan turned and looked at Jiang Yun.

"Young Master Jiang, we can set off."

Jiang Yun nodded.

He didn't say much.

He just gently patted Little Skylark's neck.

A purple-gold thunder light flashed slightly.

Little Skylark understood, carrying him as it slowly rose into the air.

Behind him.

Lei Qing, Liu Qingshuang, Xiao Chen, and Zhao Zhao each followed.

Mayor Xiao Jianshan and Captain Fierce Tiger Li led twenty guard members, following grandly on the ground behind.

And at the very end of the team.

A pure white Fox Immortal followed unhurriedly.

She walked very slowly.

Yet every step landed precisely on the very edge of the team.

Without attracting anyone's attention.

The group of over thirty people set off towards the south of the town.

Twenty miles.

Not too far, but not too close either.

With their pace, they arrived at the destination ten minutes later.

It was a canyon.

To be precise, it was a rift valley that abruptly appeared on the Gobi Desert.

No grass grew around it, and as far as the eye could see, there was only grayish-yellow sand and weathered rocks.

No trees.

No vegetation.

Not even the sound of an insect could be heard.

Deathly silence.

Jiang Yun rode Little Skylark, hovering above the canyon.

His gaze fell upon the center of the canyon.

There, the terrain was flat and the space was open.

And in a sunken area at the deepest part of the canyon.

A cave suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The cave was enormous.

The entrance was about ten meters high and seven or eight meters wide.

Like the open mouth of a giant beast, deep, dark, and leading to who knows where.

Jiang Yun frowned slightly.

The closer they got to this place, the more obvious that special aura became.

It wasn't the faint, indistinct feeling from when he sensed it twenty miles away.

It was... clear.

Rich.

Even... frantic.

That aura was like an invisible tide, constantly pouring out of the cave and spreading in all directions.

Everywhere it spread.

Jiang Yun could clearly perceive it.

His life force was draining at an imperceptible speed.

Very slowly.

Very slight.

But it definitely existed.

Like an invisible hand gently pulling the vitality out of his body.

He remembered Fierce Tiger Li's previous description.

"As soon as I get close, I feel my life force flowing out."

Now he was experiencing it firsthand.

And he keenly noticed.

What Fierce Tiger Li meant was the feeling after entering the cave.

But now, they hadn't even entered the cave.

Just standing above the canyon.

They could already feel it.

This meant.

The power inside the cave was stronger than it was a week ago.

Jiang Yun's frown deepened.

He looked towards the deep cave entrance.

What exactly... was that aura?

Why did it feel so familiar to him?

That feeling of life being stripped away... that eerie sensation of being on the brink of death... a flash of inspiration suddenly struck his mind.

He thought of something!

Death Qi!

It was Death Qi!

Where was the last time he encountered a similar aura?

Jiang Yun's memories flashed like lightning.

C City.

That cleanup operation against the Yuhai Cult.

Those dead bodies and Vicious Beasts controlled by evil arts.

The aura they emitted was... exactly the same as this.

Jiang Yun's pupils constricted slightly.

Could it be... the Yuhai Cult again?

What kind of magic array or altar had they built in this cave near Ash Town?

What kind of shady business were they up to now?

He took a deep breath.

Suppressing the speculation in his heart.

Speculating was useless now.

Only by going in and taking a look would he know the truth.

He turned his head and looked at the Mayor and the Guard Team below.

"Everyone, standby on the spot."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"My teammates and I will go in first to investigate."

"It's best not to approach without my signal."

Xiao Jianshan nodded heavily.

He turned and gave orders to the guard members behind him.

"Everyone, stay alert on the spot!"

"Do not act without orders!"

"Yes!"

The twenty guard members responded in unison.

Jiang Yun landed.

He met up with Lei Qing, Liu Qingshuang, Xiao Chen, and Zhao Zhao.

Xiao Jianshan and Fierce Tiger Li also followed.

The group of eight walked along the gentle slope of the canyon towards the cave.

Fox Immortal still walked at the very back.

She seemed to have hidden her aura intentionally.

No one noticed her.

As they drew closer to the cave entrance.

The feeling of life force being stripped away became stronger and stronger.

It wasn't an illusion.

It was a very real sensation.

With every step forward, it felt as if something was being pulled from their bodies.

It wasn't pain.

It wasn't cold.

It was an indescribable... sense of weakness.

As if they could die at any moment.

Fierce Tiger Li's voice suddenly rang out.

Carrying a hint of shock and suspicion.

"Something's not right..."

He stopped in his tracks, staring fixedly at the cave entrance.

"This feeling... is much stronger than it was a week ago!"

He looked at Xiao Jianshan, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Mayor, when I first came, I only had this feeling after entering the cave!"

"But now..."

"We haven't even entered the cave yet!"

Xiao Jianshan didn't speak.

But his face was equally solemn.

He was at the first level of the Amethyst Rank.

His perception was keener than Fierce Tiger Li's.

He clearly perceived that the intensity of that aura was more than double what Fierce Tiger Li had described.

What exactly happened in this cave?

Lei Qing also noticed something was wrong.

He frowned, staring at the cave entrance.

"Sacred Student, this thing is a bit wicked."

He lowered his voice.

"My Thunder Beast is acting a bit restless even inside the Beast Taming Space."

Liu Qingshuang didn't speak.

But her cold eyes were more solemn than ever before.

Xiao Chen was also silent.

His hand had already quietly pressed onto his Beast Taming Space.

Ready to summon the Heavenly Sword Beast at any time.

Zhao Zhao was also sensing.

His Divine Sense extended into the cave.

He couldn't perceive anything.

Except for that eerie aura.

There was no aura of any Vicious Beasts.

No aura of any living creatures.

But... his heart skipped a beat.

This kind of place.

This kind of eerie place that could even threaten an Amethyst Rank Beast Tamer.

Often meant... a great Opportunity.

A great treasure.

The corners of his mouth curled into a slight arc.

That arc was full of greed and calculation.

He glanced at Jiang Yun.

A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Jiang Yun... aren't you arrogant?

Aren't you capable?

When we enter the cave later, if there really is a treasure... this young master will see if you can continue to be so arrogant.

Jiang Yun didn't notice Zhao Zhao's gaze.

Or rather, he didn't care at all.

All his attention was on that deep cave entrance.

And on that aura that was becoming more and more familiar to him.

Soon.

The eight of them arrived at the cave entrance.

The entrance was very high, a full ten meters.

Like the open mouth of a giant beast, deep, dark, and its depth unknown.

It was pitch black inside the cave.

Not the ordinary darkness of night.

But a kind of... darkness that could swallow everything.

Everyone looked into the cave.

Wanting to see what exactly was hidden in that darkness.

But they couldn't see anything.

That darkness seemed to swallow all light.

Lei Qing pulled a light-emitting Magical Artifact from his robe and threw it into the cave.

The artifact emitted a soft white light, tracing an arc as it fell into the cave.

The white light vanished into the darkness.

Then... it disappeared.

As if swallowed by the darkness in one bite.

Not even a trace of light leaked out.

Lei Qing was stunned.

"This..."

He swallowed hard.

"This thing... swallows light?"

Xiao Chen frowned.

He closed his eyes.

His Divine Sense poured into the cave like a tide.

Then.

He opened his eyes.

His eyes were full of solemnity.

"It's no use."

He said in a deep voice.

"My Divine Sense cannot penetrate it."

"There seems to be some power inside the cave blocking Divine Sense."

Liu Qingshuang also tried.

After a moment, she gently shook her head.

"Mine can't either."

She could only perceive a vague outline.

Unable to see any specific things clearly.

Jiang Yun didn't speak.

His Brick Stone Rank Divine Sense also extended into the cave.

Then.

He slightly raised an eyebrow.

It was indeed as Xiao Chen had said.

There was some power inside the cave blocking the penetration of Divine Sense.

But his Divine Sense strength far exceeded the others.

He still vaguely perceived... some glowing things.

Deep inside the cave.

Scattered like stars.

He didn't know what they were.

Jiang Yun stared at the deep cave entrance.

Thoughts raced through his mind.

What were those glowing things?

What exactly was inside the cave?

The truth was inside.

They had to go in and see.

He turned his head.

He looked at the pure white figure who had been standing silently at the very back of the team.

Fox Immortal.

She didn't speak.

She just stood there quietly.

Gazing calmly at the cave entrance.

In those fox eyes, there was a flash of Five-Colored Divine Light that only Jiang Yun could see.

She was sensing.

And also on guard.

Jiang Yun felt greatly reassured.

With Fox Immortal there.

Even if there really were Diamond Rank or even Falling Star Rank Vicious Beasts inside the cave.

They would still have the strength to fight.

There was nothing to worry about.

He took a deep breath.

He withdrew his gaze.

He looked towards the deep cave entrance.

His voice was calm.

Yet it carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

"Let's go."

"Let's go in and take a look."

As soon as he finished speaking.

He took the first step.

Stepping into that darkness that swallowed everything.

Behind him.

Lei Qing, Liu Qingshuang, and Xiao Chen followed without hesitation.

Xiao Jianshan and Fierce Tiger Li looked at each other and also followed.

The corners of Zhao Zhao's mouth curled into a cold arc.

He was the last one to step into the cave entrance.

And behind everyone.

That pure white figure silently vanished into the darkness like a ghost.

Without attracting anyone's attention.

The darkness swallowed everyone.