75: Chapter 75 Strange Movements Outside the City

It broke free from its restraints, transforming into a streak of pale cyan light. Without looking back, it sped towards Wangshan Town, its speed even faster than usual by several degrees.

The Demon-Attracting Incense hidden beneath its fur began to be slowly activated by the power of the runes from this moment on. A faint, strange fragrance scattered with the wind, drifting silently towards the surrounding mountains.

The three from Gui Jiu trailed far behind, completely concealing all their presence, like hunters lurking in the shadows, patiently following.

"Although the perimeter of Wangshan Town is protected by a defensive Formation, this Formation was designed to withstand frontal beast tides. To save on Spirit Stone consumption, it is only fully activated when large-scale Yao Beast movements are detected."

Master Chilian chuckled sinisterly, his tone full of calculation, "This Wind-Sniffing Marten has a weak Aura, and it is covered with a concealment talisman, possessing no ferocious Aura at all. It is enough to just let it get within five miles of the city wall; at this distance, even the Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the city will find it extremely difficult to detect anything unusual."

At the first quarter of the Hai hour, the night deepened.

Wangshan Market stood at the entrance of the vast mountains. This town, managed by the Li family for hundreds of years, was like a tranquil pearl, lying quietly in the night.

On the city wall, the patrolling Li family Cultivators moved back and forth, their expressions having relaxed quite a bit.

Over the past ten days, things had been calm. With a sturdy Formation protecting them and several Foundation Establishment Cultivators stationed there, the hearts of those who had experienced the first round of fierce battles finally settled, no longer as tense and paranoid as they had been at the beginning.

Inside a quiet room in a secluded pavilion in Wangshan Town, sandalwood incense curled, and Spiritual Qi flowed slowly.

Li Changqing sat upright on a meditation cushion, eyes closed, palms facing upward. He was focused on absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. His Aura was harmonious and restrained, blending into the surrounding night, entering the most peaceful state of meditation.

But just five miles away, the moment a Wind-Sniffing Marten hiding its tracks approached the Myriad-Mechanism Demon-Devouring Formation, the Spirit Beast bag with ancient patterns at his waist suddenly and without warning trembled violently, bulging and jumping!

"Squeak! Squeak-squeak—!"

The sharp, urgent squeaking suddenly tore through the silence, breaking the peace of the deep night.

Spiritual light flashed at the opening of the bag, and a small, golden figure, agile as lightning, instantly leaped onto Li Changqing's knee.

The usually gentle, clingy, and clever Spirit-Seeking Mouse, Xiaojin, had completely lost its adorable and naive demeanor at this moment.

Its golden fur stood on end like needles, and its small body arched slightly, adopting a defensive posture of extreme vigilance.

Its two delicate front paws kept scratching and tearing at Li Changqing's cyan robe, its moist nose twitching and fluttering at an extremely rapid frequency. Its pitch-black, bright little head stared fixedly towards the mountain gate outside the city, its squeals sharp and piercing, filled with extreme vigilance and a warning of great danger.

The next instant, a childish and anxious voice resounded directly in Li Changqing's Sea of Consciousness, carrying undisguisable trepidation and unease: "Master! There is a strange odor outside the city! It is a fragrance so sweetly demonic and soul-snatching that it is causing the Qi and blood in my body to churn ceaselessly, and my Yao power is almost out of control!"

Li Changqing's eyes snapped open!

Two piercing rays of light flashed from the depths of his eyes, like cold stars breaking the dawn, instantly dispelling the peace of his meditation.

He knew well that after its innate Bloodline evolved, the Spirit-Seeking Mouse's sense of smell was unmatched among its kind, possessing an innate, extraordinary perception of all special and strange Auras in the world. Ordinary vegetation, Spiritual Qi, or Yao Beast Auras would never make it so restless and agitated.

This intense unease was definitely no ordinary phenomenon!

"Demonic sweet fragrance, stirring Qi and blood, Spirit Beast agitation..."

The vast number of ancient records he had read since childhood instantly flooded through Li Changqing's mind. Alarm bells rang loudly in his heart, and a bone-chilling coldness instantly spread throughout his entire body along his spine!

"Could it be Demon-Attracting Incense!"

He instantly associated it with this item.

This incense was a sinister and treacherous item developed by an Alchemist of the Demonic Path during the Middle Ancient Period. It was based on the essence blood of countless Yao Beasts, mixed with more than a dozen kinds of demonic poisonous herbs that confuse the mind and disturb the nature, and refined with demonic fire.

In ordinary times, its Aura was as thin as smoke, making it extremely easy to hide among the mountain forests, breezes, and vegetation. Even if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator focused their attention to investigate, it would be difficult to catch even a trace of it.

However, it held a fatal temptation and violent stimulating effect on all Yao Beasts, capable of extremely amplifying the ferocity and bloodthirsty instincts of Yao Beasts.

This technique had always been used by Demonic Path Cultivators to lure and gather thousands of beasts, inciting beast tides, and borrowing the power of thousands of Yao Beasts to attack cities, break defenses, slaughter towns, and disrupt the overall situation. It was a sinister and lowly tactic despised by everyone in the Cultivation World.

Not daring to be the slightest bit negligent, Li Changqing immediately stood up. As his sleeves fluttered, he had already concealed all the Aura from his body.

He quickly stepped out of the quiet room, leaped onto the towering and heavy bluestone city wall, and with a flash of Spiritual Qi at his fingertips, a recently sealed communication jade talisman was instantly crushed!

Before the crisp sound of the shattering jade had faded, two extremely condensed dark shadows, like ghosts of the night, stepped on the air currents of the Void Realm and instantly swept to the top of the city wall, landing without a sound, their Auras steady and imposing.

"Changqing, an urgent summons in the middle of the night, is there some situation?"

Li Xuance's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, his voice low and grave. His gaze immediately locked onto the Spirit-Seeking Mouse on Li Changqing's shoulder, which was still restless and squealing incessantly, and a layer of gravity instantly covered his brows.

Li Changqing was concise, every word resonant, pointing directly to the crux: "There is an abnormality a few miles outside the city. Xiaojin has captured a mysterious sweet fragrance, and its Qi and blood are churning incessantly. Judging by the characteristics of the Aura and the phenomenon, I suspect that a Demonic Path Cultivator has ignited Demon-Attracting Incense."

"Demon-Attracting Incense?!"

Clan Leader Li Huaming, who was to the side, suddenly furrowed his brows, a flash of fury and gravity appearing in his eyes: "What kind of petty villain dares to use such a sinister and despicable method to covet our Wangshan Town!"

"There is no need to investigate who is responsible. It is better to believe it exists than to believe it does not! The crisis is imminent!"

Li Xuance made a prompt decision, his Aura suddenly becoming solemn, and he quickly issued orders with clear logic: "Changqing, come with me to conceal our Auras and take the Spirit-Seeking Mouse outside the city to investigate the source!"

"Huaming, immediately activate the level two city defense warning Formation! Double the number of Cultivators stationed at the Formation hub, the four passes, and key positions on the city wall! All registered combat Cultivators and Martial Artists in the town are to don their armor and hold their weapons immediately, and everyone is to enter a state of combat readiness!"

"Yes!"

The two replied in unison, without a hint of hesitation.

Li Changqing raised his hand to gently support the restless Xiaojin on his shoulder. Xiaojin's four small mouse paws gripped his lapel tightly, not moving an inch, with only its head constantly fixed towards the eastern mountain forest, its nose twitching non-stop, tracking that ominous strange odor at all times.

The two men and one beast completely restrained all Spiritual Qi fluctuations, body shapes, and Auras, hiding thoroughly in the deep night, turning into two faint, traceless shadows, silently sweeping out of the city gate, and rushing rapidly towards the source of that strange sweet fragrance.

The further they traveled into the depths of the mountain forest, the clearer and stronger that sinisterly sweet fragrance in the air became.

Xiaojin's agitation also became increasingly intense, its body trembling non-stop. If it weren't for Li Changqing constantly firmly binding and soothing it with his pure Divine Sense, it would have long been unable to suppress its instincts and would have rushed straight towards the source of the Aura.