174: Chapter 174 The Demonic Cult Appears Again

"I am indeed from Heishan City." Lin Tian hung the cold moon bow back on his back and lifted his gaze from the footprints on the ground. "When I was in Heishan City, I did encounter people from the Demonic Cult. At that time, a portion of the Demonic Cult remnants had revived and caused quite a commotion in the city.

However, whether they are behind the mischief this time, I cannot say for sure until I see it with my own eyes."

The captains exchanged glances. Captain Jiang He gripped his sword hilt a bit tighter and said in a deep voice, "To be able to control a Fifth-Grade Black-Armored Lizard, and having shown their faces in Heishan City, it is ten to one that they are people from the Demonic Cult."

Elder Wu nodded and swept his gaze over the faces of the captains. "Be careful from now on, and continue to scout forward. Whether it is the Demonic Cult or not, we must get to the bottom of this before we can go back and report to the Fishery Master."

The group continued to push deeper into the Taixuan Mountain Range. The deeper they went, the more precipitous the terrain became; the dense forests with towering ancient trees were gradually replaced by craggy, strange rocks and steep cliffs.

On the way, they encountered several more waves of Vicious Beasts: Iron-Backed Gray Wolves, Red Flame Tigers, and several Fourth-Grade Yao Beasts whose names they couldn't identify, but they did not encounter any more Fifth-Grade Vicious Beasts of the Black-Armored Lizard's caliber.

Lin Tian did not rush to make a move again. He kept the cold moon bow on his back, only drawing an arrow and nocking it on the string to clear a path and seal a throat with one shot when a Vicious Beast occasionally ambushed from the side; otherwise, he followed the team quietly.

Having shot three arrows in front of the Black-Armored Lizard to claim the top merit, he had already grabbed enough of the spotlight; there was no need to compete with the captains for chances to show off.

Those captains also wanted to show their skills in front of the two Elders, so every one of them was fully motivated. Captain Jiang He's Red-Cloud Saber Technique was open and sweeping; one slash could light up half the forest with its blade light.

Captain Liu Yun's Three-Talent Sword Technique was tricky and ruthless, specializing in piercing the eye sockets and throats of Vicious Beasts. Captain Meng Ping's Golden-Cloud Palm Technique was rigid and overbearing; one solid palm could smash a Fourth-Grade Vicious Beast's head into its chest cavity.

Every time a battle ended, the captains would squat beside the corpses of the Vicious Beasts to skillfully harvest Materials—the scales of the Black-Armored Lizard, the fangs of the Iron-Backed Gray Wolf, the tiger bones and claws of the Red Flame Tiger—each item carefully excised and collected into their packs. These Materials could be exchanged for quite a bit of silver upon return, or used to forge weapons and armor.

After walking for a few more days, the terrain ahead suddenly opened up. The steep mountain walls on both sides converged toward the middle, forming a long, narrow valley.

The entrance to the valley was overgrown with waist-high wild grass, and several crooked old pine trees extended diagonally from the cliffs, covering the entrance tightly. By now, the sky had turned completely dark, but a faint dark red firelight emanated from within the valley, casting eerie light and shadows on the cliff walls.

Amidst these light and shadows, a low sound of beastly groaning came from deep within the valley—not roars, but whimpers, the suppressed, painful whimpers emitted by many Vicious Beasts simultaneously.

The group crouched behind the rubble at the valley entrance, pushing aside the grass to look inside. In the center of the valley was a cleared, packed-down space, where several thick wooden stakes were driven into the ground, with a Vicious Beast tethered to each stake.

Black-Armored Lizards, Iron-Backed Gray Wolves, and several unidentifiable Yao Beasts were all lying listlessly on the ground. Over a dozen figures wearing black robes and bronze masks moved among the Vicious Beasts; some held whips in their hands, while others held wooden basins, pouring some sort of dark red liquid into the mouths of the Vicious Beasts.

On a large rock in the center of the clearing stood a person also wearing a black robe, but with silver edges on the hem, chanting incantations in some strange syllables. Every time he chanted a passage, those Vicious Beasts would collectively emit a whimper.

"Are these people from the Demonic Cult?" Captain Liu Yun lowered his voice to the minimum, his tone unable to hide his shock. Lin Tian stared at the attire of those The Black-Robed Men for a long while—black robes, bronze masks, strange beast-taming incantations—exactly the same as the Demonic Cult remnants he had seen in Heishan City.

"It is very similar to the Demonic Cult I encountered before; all are wearing black robes, wearing masks, and acting with extreme secrecy. However, just based on this, it cannot be concluded that it is the Demonic Cult; perhaps there are others imitating the Demonic Cult's attire to act."

Elder Wu squatted behind the rubble, his gaze penetrating the gaps in the grass, locking firmly onto the leader with the silver-edged robe hem. Without turning his head, he said, "Whether it is the Demonic Cult or not, we will know once we capture one and ask."

He gave a look to Elder Sun, and the two Fifth-Grade Transformation Realm experts shot out from behind the rubble simultaneously. Two figures rushed into the valley from left and right, their speed so fast it created a sound of tearing wind.

Elder Wu struck out with a palm, the palm wind directly shattering three wooden stakes at the waist, and with a casual follow-up, he slapped the silver-edged The Black-Robed Man standing on the rock to the ground. Elder Sun pointed his hands in rapid succession, and several more The Black-Robed Men collapsed softly without even a groan.

"Bad! Someone is coming! Run!" The remaining The Black-Robed Men realized what was happening, dropped the whips and wooden basins in their hands, and turned to run. But the valley entrance had already been blocked by the captains.

Captain Jiang He drew his saber, Captain Liu Yun drew his sword, and Captain Meng Ping crossed his palms; the three of them rushed into the valley side by side.

Seeing that they couldn't escape, the group of The Black-Robed Men felt cruelty rise in their eyes, drew their weapons, and counterattacked one after another. A great battle broke out instantly.

Lin Tian drew his autumn water sword and also rushed in.

The Thunderclap Sword Technique was unleashed, the sword body wreathed in scorching white lightning. With one horizontal sweep, the thunderous sound reverberated between the two walls of the valley, making the eardrums of several The Black-Robed Men ache and slowing their movements by half a beat.

He did not unleash his full power—the true might of the Thunderclap Sword Technique was suppressed beneath the Five Thunders, and he only used Three Thunders to deal with the enemy, splitting most of his attention to keep an eye on the movements around the valley.

If these people were here to tame Vicious Beasts, it was impossible to send only a dozen small fry and one silver-edged minor leader; the true experts of the Demonic Cult had not yet appeared. If he showed all his trump cards now, there would be no cards left to play when the experts appeared.

The other captains, however, fought to their hearts' content.

Captain Jiang He's saber light rampaged through the crowd of The Black-Robed Men; one slash per person, there was simply no match for him in a single encounter.

Captain Liu Yun's sword technique became faster the more he used it, each flicker of the sword tip bringing up a spray of blood. Captain Meng Ping's palm power was brought to the extreme in the narrow valley; one palm strike could send two The Black-Robed Men flying simultaneously.

With the captains joining forces, the battle ended quickly.

Over a dozen The Black-Robed Men were all suppressed; some lay on the ground unable to move, others were slumped on the rocks after having their acupoints sealed. The minor leader with the silver-edged robe hem had Elder Wu stepping on his back, his bronze mask having fallen to the side, revealing a sallow, middle-aged face.

The results of the interrogation made everyone gasp. These people were not only from the Demonic Cult, but they were indeed the ones secretly driving the Vicious Beasts to attack the Yunhai Fishery—the purpose was to seize the Treasure Fish in the fishery.

What was even more shocking was another piece of information pried from the mouth of the minor leader: deep in this forest, there were Demonic Cult Elders sitting in command, and not just one.

Elder Wu's expression darkened, and he made a prompt decision: "Retreat, retreat immediately." The group quickly cleaned up the battlefield, looting everything from the bodies of those Demonic Cult Martial Artists—banknotes, Medicinal Pills, a few scrolls, and even the tokens of the Demonic Cult; everything was collected into their packs without exception.

Then the group quickly withdrew along the path they had come, not daring to delay for a single moment.