252: Chapter 252 Strange Things, Investigation

Deep within the Luoxia Mountain Range, the setting sun was like blood.

The dim, yellowish afterglow filtered through the dense, towering ancient trees, transforming into mottled light and shadow that scattered across the silent, dead village.

The village lay quietly dormant in the mountain hollow, resembling a dead giant beast.

The surrounding air seemed to have solidified; not even a trace of a breeze swept past.

There was no cooking smoke, no barking of dogs, and even the chirping of insects and birds that should have been present in the mountain forest had vanished here.

Captain Xia An stood at the entrance of the village with his hands behind his back, his white hair appearing exceptionally striking in the dim light.

In his eyes, a faint blue ghostly light flickered—it was the Innate pupil technique he had activated earlier.

His gaze, like an invisible blade, swept over every corner of the village inch by inch.

"The houses are intact, the doors and windows unbroken."

Captain Xia An spoke slowly.

"There isn't a single trace of a struggle, nor any remaining bloodstains."

He furrowed his brows slightly, a flash of deep thought crossing his eyes.

"Hundreds of people have just vanished into thin air like this, without even leaving behind a sound of struggle."

Such methods could never be employed by ordinary demonic creatures.

If a great demon had slaughtered the village, there would surely be scenes of rivers of blood and severed limbs, and the Demonic Qi would have soared into the sky, lingering for a long time.

Yet, the village before him was so clean it made one's heart run cold.

It was so clean that it was as if someone had used a giant rag to forcibly wipe away all signs of life.

Captain Xia An turned his head to look at Junior Sister beside him.

"Qingwu, have you smelled any unusual aura?"

Junior Sister carried that exaggerated, pitch-black greatsword on her back, her petite figure casting a long shadow under the setting sun.

Her small nostrils twitched slightly; she closed her eyes and carefully sensed for a moment, then shook her head.

"Senior Brother, it's very strange."

Junior Sister opened her eyes, a look of confusion appearing on her youthful face.

"Just a moment ago in the forest, I could still smell a faint trace of blood and rot."

"But after stepping into this village, that scent has vanished without a trace."

She looked around, her gaze lingering for a moment on those half-hidden doors.

"It is too clean here, so clean that there isn't even a trace of the scent of living people."

"It's as if... it has been completely wiped away by something."

Upon hearing this, Captain Xia An's eyes grew even deeper, resembling two bottomless ancient wells.

Whenever things are abnormal, there must be a demon at work.

This village appeared calm, but in reality, it harbored murderous intent, like a Vicious Beast with its maw wide open, quietly waiting for prey to walk right into the trap.

Chen Ran stood to the side, his expression calm, quietly listening to their conversation.

He secretly spread out his Heavenly Net, his invisible Mental Energy spreading like a spiderweb, covering a range of several dozen zhang.

However, within his perception, there was still only dead silence.

There were no living things, no Demonic Qi, and even the flow of the wind seemed sluggish.

This village was like a dead zone that had been stripped away from the world.

Even the insects and ants underground had vanished completely.

Chen Ran thought for a moment and said:

"Captain Xia An, this place is strange. Since that demonic creature could silently wipe out an entire village of people, its strength is likely extraordinary."

"Should we retreat to the forest first and then consider our next move?"

Captain Xia An glanced at Chen Ran and shook his head slightly.

"We cannot retreat."

"Since that demonic creature lured us here, it must have been prepared long ago."

"If we retreat now, we are more likely to fall into its trap."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dozens of Demon-Slaying Squad elites behind him.

"Do not be careless."

Captain Xia An ordered in a deep voice, his tone stern and filled with unquestionable authority.

"Everyone, form teams of three and spread out to search."

"Remember, do not go too far. If you encounter anything unusual, immediately send a signal to warn us."

"Understood!"

The dozens of Demon-Slaying Squad elites responded in unison.

Everyone quickly dispersed, turning into a dozen or so small teams, blending into every corner of the village like mercury spilling onto the ground.

Chen Ran was grouped with two Demon-Slaying Squad members.

These two members were: one was burly with a full beard, named Zhao Tie; the other was thin with sharp eyes, named Li Qing.

Both were veterans of the Demon-Slaying Squad, and their cultivation was at the Late Stage of the Grade 5 Tongmai Realm, only a step away from the Peak.

The three of them walked slowly along the wide dirt road in the village towards the depths.

The houses on both sides stood quietly, their doors half-hidden, revealing dark inner rooms.

Zhao Tie gripped the long saber in his hand, his gaze vigilantly scanning the surroundings, and lowered his voice:

"This place is extremely evil. I, Old Zhao, have worked in the Demon-Slaying Squad for so many years; what kind of storms haven't I seen?"

"But a village as clean as this, this is my first time seeing one."

Li Qing also furrowed his brows tightly and echoed:

"That's right. When ordinary demonic creatures cause trouble, they always leave behind some clues."

"But here, we can't even detect a trace of Demonic Qi."

"It couldn't be that... those villagers just vanished into thin air on their own, could it?"

Chen Ran's face was calm, his pace steady.

"Two brothers, do not lose your composure. No matter how strange this demonic creature is, it is ultimately a demon."

"As long as it is still in this village, it will definitely reveal flaws."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tie and Li Qing felt their tension subside a little.

The three continued forward, pushed open a half-hidden wooden door, and entered a farmhouse courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, without a single sound.

Chen Ran's gaze swept over, seeing that the furnishings inside the house were tidy, and the tables and chairs were not in disarray.

Even on the stove, there were vegetables that hadn't been cooked yet, and the water in the water vat was still clear.

The coir raincoat hanging in the corner of the wall was still stained with some undried mud.

Beside the stone mill in the courtyard, a few plump soybeans were scattered.

Everything seemed so natural, filled with the aura of life.

It was as if just a moment ago, the owner of this place was preparing dinner, and the next moment, they had evaporated from the world.

Zhao Tie walked to the stove and reached out to touch the iron pot.

"The pot is still warm."

He turned his head to look at Chen Ran and Li Qing, a flash of shock in his eyes.

"This means that the time since those villagers disappeared is definitely no more than half an hour."

Li Qing gasped.

"Half an hour?"

"Hundreds of people, disappearing silently within half an hour?"

"How is this possible?"

Chen Ran did not speak, just quietly looking at the warm iron pot.

After searching without results.

The three exited the courtyard and continued to investigate deeper into the village.

Along the way, they checked over a dozen more houses.

The situation was exactly the same.

There were no traces of fighting, and all traces of daily life were preserved intact.

It was just that the people were missing.

As they continued to go deeper, the surrounding air seemed to become increasingly cold.

The sky had also completely darkened.

The last trace of the setting sun's afterglow was swallowed by the distant mountain Peaks, and the entire village plunged into darkness.

The three passed through a few narrow alleys,

and ahead, a somewhat open, flat area appeared.

At the end of the flat area stood a dilapidated building.

It was an old temple.

The red walls of the temple had long since mottled and peeled, revealing the gray-black bricks and stones inside.

Most of the blue tiles on the roof were broken, and a few withered grasses were growing stubbornly in the gaps.

Two dilapidated wooden doors were half-hidden,

Chen Ran stopped, his gaze falling on the temple, a flash of ghostly light crossing his eyes.

In this seemingly newly built village, the appearance of such an old temple itself felt somewhat out of place.

The temple's architectural style was completely different from the surrounding houses.

With flying eaves and upturned corners, carved beams and painted pillars, although dilapidated, the former glory could still be faintly seen.

"Why is there such a dilapidated temple in this village?"