185: Chapter 185 The Mysterious Camp Ruins

Scorched earth stretched out, and the embers had not yet died out.

Gu Shen stepped on his thunder shadow boots, his figure drifting like a wisp of wind, sliding silently along the rugged rock walls in the hinterland of Mang Mountain. The further he ventured inward, the heavier the residual explosive Spiritual Pressure became in the surrounding air, and the pungent smell of sulfur and scorched wood assaulted his nose.

The terrain ahead suddenly dipped, revealing a hidden gourd-shaped valley.

On both sides of the valley entrance, the towering black rocks had been forcibly leveled by some violent, immense force; the cut surfaces were smooth as mirrors, faintly exuding the distinct, murderous aura of metal-element Spells.

Gu Shen stopped ten zhang outside the valley entrance, one hand resting on the hilt of the thunder pattern gold-slaying blade at his waist. His cold jade Thunder Bone hummed softly beneath his skin, and the feedback from the Nirvana Star Core made his five senses extremely sharp.

The valley was deathly silent, with no fluctuations of breath from any living creature.

He stepped into the valley, and what he saw made his pupils contract slightly.

This place had evidently once hosted a large-scale Cultivator army formation. On the flat mud ground at the bottom of the valley, dozens of circular depressions were scattered in an orderly fashion; the soil at the edges of these depressions was tamped down, all traces left behind by the placement of large military Spell tents.

On the surrounding rock walls, hundreds upon hundreds of profound formation patterns remained carved. These carvings were an inch deep, their lines sharp and stern, faintly forming a high-grade composite formation that integrated offense and defense.

Gu Shen walked slowly into the center of the camp.

"Disciplined in movement and calm in retreat. When they broke camp, they even calmly erased the core hubs of all defensive Formation Plates, leaving not a shred of supplies behind."

Gu Shen's gaze swept over those intentionally destroyed formation nodes, and he calculated inwardly, "Such strict military discipline and methods are something that an ordinary Loose Cultivator Alliance could absolutely not achieve. The Beast Taming Sect is plotting something grand."

He crouched down and pinched a bit of the black soil from the ground with his fingertips.

The soil felt withered in his hand; the wood-element vitality that should have been contained within had been completely drained, leaving behind only a trace of withered Death Qi. His Divine Sense spread out like fine mercury, scanning this abandoned camp inch by inch.

However, how seasoned were the actions of the top Sects in the Great Yu Cultivation World. All Qi and magical power residues within the camp that could possibly expose their tracks had been completely dispersed by a highly sophisticated wind-element Spell. As Gu Shen's Divine Sense investigation swept over, it was as if he were facing a stubborn stone that had been exposed to the scorching sun for three years; he could find no clues of any value.

This group came and went like the wind, their methods clean and efficient.

Gu Shen brushed the dust from his fingertips and stood up.

Since the Spells of Great Yu could not uncover any clues, he would change his method.

"Crab, initiate microscopic material analysis. Block out Spiritual Qi interference and check only for residual chemical elements and specific molecular structures in the soil and air here." Gu Shen moved his consciousness, issuing the command to the black iron clasp at his collar.

"Understood, Master. Environmental sampling module is online, conducting global macro mass spectrometry scanning."

A faint light flashed on the surface of the iron clasp, and a layer of ultraviolet spectrum invisible to the human eye lit up deep within the optical probe.

After a few breaths, Crab's dry electronic voice was clearly transmitted into Gu Shen's ears via bone conduction.

"Master, although the surface of the target area has been cleaned with high-intensity heat and airflow, the microwave detector has captured trace amounts of complex organic compound residue deep within a rock crevice in the northeast corner."

"Speak plainly, report the composition." Gu Shen walked steadily, heading straight for the rock wall in the northeast corner.

"The compound exhibits highly concentrated alkaloid characteristics and is mixed with a large amount of synthetically produced volatile pheromones." Crab's database operated at high speed, providing a detailed physical report, "After this substance burns, it releases odor molecules of a specific frequency band. It has a strong directional stimulating effect on the olfactory nerves of carbon-based organisms."

Gu Shen stood still in front of the rock wall.

It was an extremely inconspicuous natural crack, bottomless. If not for the microscopic scanning of Wasteland technology, it would be extremely difficult for Divine Sense to detect such a cramped dead corner.

"Volatile odor with directional stimulation..."

Gu Shen's mind flashed through the various records in the "Great Marsh Flora and Fauna Records," instantly converting these obscure scientific terms into the understanding of the Cultivation World.

"Yao-Attracting Incense. And it is a high-grade Yao-Attracting Incense specifically targeted at a certain type of Yao Beast with a specific Bloodline."

The large Sect had ventured deep into the hinterland of Mang Mountain, sparing no massive manpower and resources to set up a great formation, and had even lit such precious Yao-Attracting Incense. Their course of action was clear as day; they were clearly setting a trap to hunt some rare primordial exotic beast!

"Keep scanning. What else?" A cold gleam of insight into the whole situation appeared in Gu Shen's deep eyes.

"Please wait, Master. In the lower layer of soil in the center of the camp, spectral analysis shows that heavy metal ions are seriously exceeding the limit."

Crab's probe turned toward the tamped mud ground at the bottom of the valley, "The soil is soaked with a rare blocker component. This agent can forcibly inhibit the activity of mitochondria within biological organisms, causing energy transmission at the cellular level to fall into paralysis. In layman's terms, this is a potent mixed toxin of muscle relaxant and nerve paralyzer."

"Spirit-Locking Powder."

Gu Shen parted his lips slightly, speaking the name.

Yao-Attracting Incense as bait to lure the enemy deep; Spirit-Locking Powder spread on the ground to seal off vitality. Combined with the high-grade battle formation on the surrounding rock walls that integrated offense and defense.

This was simply an inescapable, lethal cage.

"The Beast Taming Sect takes the taming of the world's great Yao as the foundation of its Sect. To make them set up such a battle formation—like a lion fighting a rabbit—the prey they are secretly eyeing must be of a terrifying grade."

Gu Shen slowly retreated to the edge of the camp, piecing together the various clues in his mind layer by layer.

The large-scale retreat of Yao Beasts from the periphery of Mang Mountain to the deep mountains was not to avoid the might of the Human Race, but because they were forced to migrate after sensing the terrifying murderous intent deliberately emitted by the Beast Taming Sect. The Sect's elites forcibly cleared the periphery just to clear the main battlefield for this true prey.

"Great Yao across the sky, Sect casting a net. These depths of Mang Mountain are truly an excellent stage for a blazing fire."

Gu Shen stood in the mountain wind, his body as straight as a pine.

He knew well that Opportunities in the Cultivation World were often accompanied by mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The Beast Taming Sect had poured out its entire nest this time; what they were plotting would surely cause heaven and earth to tremble. As a Loose Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage, if he were to confront the army formation of such a super Sect head-on, it would be no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

However, a practitioner of the Dao of Survival is good at leveraging strength.

When two tigers fight, one must be injured. When the Sect's elites and that unknown great Yao have exhausted their foundations and both are heavily injured, that will be the perfect time for him to enter the fray.

Gu Shen settled his mind, suppressing that trace of surging blood and Qi.

He turned, following the faint Qi traction left behind after this huge team broke camp, his figure once again turning into a wisp of a dark shadow.

The cold jade Thunder Bone lay dormant beneath his skin, and his deep cyan True Essence flowed steadily through his Meridians like mercury spilling onto the ground.

A storm was coming. In the depths of the rolling black mountains ahead, the dull vibrations of intertwined thunder could already be faintly heard.

The hunt had already begun.