12: Han Li's whereabouts

Cold raindrops struck the jagged strange rocks outside the Stone Crevice, emitting a monotonous and oppressive sound.

Inside the Stone Crevice, the cold and damp air seemed to solidify, mixed with the fishy smell of earth, the musty smell of moss, and a faint, lingering scent of… blood, stubbornly remaining even after being washed by the rain.

Mo Juren leaned against the bone-chilling rock wall, each breath pulling at the tearing, dull pain deep within his chest, as if countless red-hot steel needles were piercing his body.

Deep within his Dantian, that nascent purple Thunder Spiritual Root light core flickered dimly like a candle in the wind, each weak pulsation bringing a needle-like sharp pain through all his meridians.

His left arm, the evolved Thunder Corpse Claw, now hung quietly by his side, deep silver-gray metal covering his forearm, with mysterious purple thunder patterns flowing over it, subtly flickering in the dim light, and wisps of silver-white electric arcs, entwined with gray-black Qi currents, silently leaped and flickered between his fingers like docile venomous snakes.

Cold, powerful, containing the aura of destruction and death, it was restrained, yet like a sleeping Vicious Beast, it could awaken at any moment.

This sense of power was like the only candlelight in the darkness, yet it could not dispel the heaviness in Mo Juren's heart.

His body's exhaustion had reached its Peak, each heartbeat like a death knell.

Even more like a persistent maggot, an inescapable chill, as if locked onto by a cold venomous snake, clung to him—Han Li!

Those eyes, as serene as a deep pool yet seemingly able to penetrate all mists, must be watching him silently from some dark corner!

"Ma... Master... it hurts..." In the corner, Supple Bone Rabbit curled up on a pile of dry grass, her large gray Rabbit ears drooping weakly, her ruby-like eyes tightly closed, her long eyelashes adorned with tiny water droplets (whether rain or tears was unclear), her small face pale to the point of transparency.

The fluctuations from the Soul link were weak and intermittent, filled with extreme fatigue and pain.

Last night's overloaded instant corpse-throwing, the recent reconnaissance and marking, coupled with the fright from the brief but bloody slaughter outside the Stone Crevice, had completely overwhelmed her nascent spirit and body.

She needed time, she needed to sleep, and she needed... her next life-sustaining "feeding."

Mo Juren's gaze swept over the scabbed tooth mark on the inside of his left wrist, his expression complex.

Essence blood... he was equally depleted at this moment.

On the other side, the Red Copper Ant King's massive body occupied most of the Stone Crevice, like a cooled lava fortress after burning.

Its huge head hung low, its battering ram-like mandibles slightly opening and closing, emitting a faint "clack-clack" sound like grinding sandpaper—that was it gnawing on the fragments of Black Wind Stronghold assassins' steel weapons scattered on the ground from the previous battle.

On its thick, dark red copper carapace, the edge of the gap grazed by the dark blue poisonous arrow had a faint charred, corroded mark, which, although not deep, still emitted a subtle, sweet, poisonous gas.

Six scythe-like giant ant guards silently crouched around the Ant King like the most loyal sentinels, rain collecting and dripping on their cold carapaces, their compound eyes' chaotic red glow like ghostly flames in the darkness.

Consumption! Enormous consumption!

The Ant King needed metal ore to repair its carapace and maintain its power.

Supple Bone Rabbit needed essence blood to sustain her life.

And he, Mo Juren himself, needed time and resources to repair this body on the verge of collapse and stabilize that nascent, yet rootless, Thunder Spiritual Root!

He could not remain here any longer!

Sitting idly and doing nothing would only lead to death!

He must take the initiative and seek out resources!

Mo Juren's gaze, like a cold blade, swept over the silent, pitch-black magic bottle in the corner of the Stone Crevice.

The bottle's body was as deep as an abyss, the silver-purple thunder patterns flowing over it dim and lifeless.

The scene of it absorbing resentment and evolving into bloody demonic liquid last night was vivid in his mind.

The Creation Sequence... was his only reliance and hope for a breakthrough at present!

Poison... he needed new, more potent poisons!

Deep within the Seven Mysteries Sect's back mountain, in places rarely visited by humans, he might find some perilous poisonous miasma areas or nests of highly venomous demonic insects mentioned in Mo Juren's memory fragments!

"Ant King!" Mo Juren's voice was hoarse, yet carried an undeniable command, reaching the Ant King's chaotic and violent consciousness core through the Soul link, "Be vigilant! Guard this place! Anyone who approaches... kill!"

"Roar!" The Ant King's huge head suddenly lifted, a red glow flashing in its lava-like compound eyes, transmitting back a violent and firm intention of obedience.

Its massive body adjusted slightly, blocking the entrance of the Stone Crevice more tightly, like an insurmountable Red Copper fortress.

Mo Juren struggled to stand up, his body swayed, and the intense pain made his vision blacken in waves.

He took a deep breath of the cold, damp air, forcefully suppressed the surging Qi and blood, and his gaze fell upon the curled-up Supple Bone Rabbit.

"Rabbit..." A strong, compelling thought was transmitted through the Soul link, "Follow me... reconnaissance..."

On the pile of dry grass, the Rabbit girl's body suddenly trembled, her ruby-like eyes laboriously opening a slit, filled with exhaustion and struggle.

Her large Rabbit ears twitched unconsciously, transmitting back a weak and painful thought: "Ma... Master... Rabbit... so tired..."

"Go!" Mo Juren's thought was like a cold steel whip, allowing no resistance.

He needed her eyes!

He needed her "Phantom"!

Supple Bone Rabbit's body violently flinched, her ruby eyes instantly filled with tears, and immense grievance and fear surged like a tide.

But she ultimately could not defy the compelling force of the Soul link.

She bit her pale lower lip, struggling with all her might to stand up, her small body swaying, as if she would fall at any moment.

Mo Juren no longer looked at her, turned and pushed aside the wet, cold vines blocking the entrance, and was the first to step into the bleak rain curtain.

Supple Bone Rabbit staggered to follow, her large Rabbit ears pressed tightly against the back of her head, trembling in the cold rain.

One person and one Rabbit, trudged through the pouring rain and mud.

Mo Juren, relying on Mo Juren's remaining memories and his unique sensitivity to poisons, headed deeper into the back mountain, towards the miasma-filled direction.

Supple Bone Rabbit forced herself to stay alert, her large Rabbit ears perked up slightly like radar, catching every rustle of wind and grass around her, her ruby-like eyes vigilantly scanning the dark jungle shrouded in rain.

The rain was bone-chillingly cold, washing away the mud on Mo Juren's face, and also washing away his body's fatigue.

The dull pain in his chest and abdomen was like a persistent maggot, and the cold sense of power from his left arm's Thunder Corpse Claw was his only support.

Each step he took was exceptionally heavy, the mud submerging his ankles.

Supple Bone Rabbit behind him was even more faltering, her small figure appearing particularly thin and helpless in the wind and rain, the feeling of weakness transmitted through the Soul link was like a thin thread, constantly tugging at Mo Juren's taut nerves.

He didn't know how long they had walked, long enough for Mo Juren's consciousness to become somewhat hazy.

Finally, in the rain and mist ahead, a very pungent, strange smell, mixed with rotten vegetation and an unusual sweetness, faintly wafted.

Mo Juren's spirit invigorated, and Mo Juren's memory fragments instantly became clear—Black Rot Poisonous Marsh!

A dangerous place where rotten poisons accumulate year-round, breeding various highly venomous insects!

"It's just ahead..." Mo Juren's throat emitted a hoarse whisper, and his steps quickened a few points.

After bypassing a patch of jagged strange rocks covered with wet vines, the scene before them suddenly changed.

A small depression appeared before their eyes, the murky mud water presenting a sickly dark green, its surface covered with a thick layer of rotten leaves, algae, and unknown animal carcasses, bubbling with viscous bubbles.

The bubbles burst, releasing an intensely nauseating sweet, rotten stench.

At the edge of the depression, a few twisted, strangely purplish-black poisonous grasses grew tenaciously, emitting a cold aura.

This was the edge of the Black Rot Poisonous Marsh.

Mo Juren endured the dizzying stench, his gaze sharply searching the edge of the poisonous marsh and the roots of those twisted poisonous grasses.

In Mo Juren's memory, a highly venomous demonic insect called "Corrupted Heart Scorpion" occasionally bred here, whose tail hook poison was enough to instantly kill a Peak Body Refining master!

It was an excellent Materials for refining poisons!

He cautiously approached, his Thunder Corpse Claw slightly raised, the leaping electric arcs ready to strike.

Supple Bone Rabbit, on the other hand, nervously hid a few steps behind him, behind a tree, her large Rabbit ears standing straight up, her ruby eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings, responsible for keeping watch.

Just as Mo Juren's gaze was fixed on the roots of a clump of purplish-black poisonous grass, seemingly having discovered a slight abnormal movement—

Supple Bone Rabbit behind him, her large Rabbit ears suddenly trembled violently!

Her ruby-like eyes instantly widened, pupils contracting to pinprick size!

A huge sense of fear originating from the depths of her Soul, as if locked onto by a cold venomous snake, instantly engulfed her like ice water!

"Ma... Master!!!" A Soul transmission filled with extreme terror and trembling, like a sharp needle piercing Mo Juren's mind, came, "Be... behind! Someone! Such... such a terrifying feeling!"

Mo Juren's heart was gripped by an invisible hand, instantly sinking into a bottomless abyss!

He suddenly turned, the electric arcs on his Thunder Corpse Claw instantly becoming violent!

However, behind him, there was only a misty dense forest washed by the heavy rain, with low-hanging vines and jagged strange rocks; besides the rushing sound of rain, there was nothing!

An illusion?

No! Mo Juren had no doubt about Supple Bone Rabbit's innate danger perception!

To make Supple Bone Rabbit, who had just experienced a fierce battle, so terrified... it could only be him!

Han Li!

He was indeed here! And he was nearby!

Mo Juren's muscles instantly tensed, the electric arcs on his Thunder Corpse Claw emitted a dangerous "crackling" sound, and cold killing intent mixed with a huge sense of crisis instantly filled his entire body!

He was like the most vigilant leopard, his gaze like a cold probe, scanning every shadow, every bush, every strange rock shrouded in the rain behind him!

Time slowly passed in the dead silence of the standoff.

Cold raindrops streamed down his forehead, blurring his vision.

Besides the sound of rain, no other sound was heard.

No figure was seen.

As if Supple Bone Rabbit's warning just now was merely a hallucination.

But that cold sensation, like a thorn in his back, as if locked onto by a venomous snake, became increasingly clear!

Han Li was there! Like the most perfect hunter, hidden in the darkness, quietly observing his prey!

Cold sweat seeped from Mo Juren's forehead, mixing with the rainwater and sliding down.

He dared not relax in the slightest, the electric arcs on his Thunder Corpse Claw leaped even more rapidly.

Supple Bone Rabbit was even more frightened, shrinking into a ball, her large Rabbit ears tightly covering her small face, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

Standoff. A suffocating standoff.

Just as Mo Juren's spirit was strained to the extreme, almost unable to resist taking the initiative to probe—

"Rustle..."

An extremely faint sound, like dry leaves being blown by the wind, came very abruptly from Mo Juren's front-left, from behind a dense, curtain-like patch of vines near the edge of the poisonous marsh!

The sound was very light, very natural, as if it were just the wind blowing the vines.

But in this highly tense, deliberately searching environment, this subtle sound was like a stone thrown into a calm lake!

Mo Juren's pupils suddenly contracted!

The electric arcs on his Thunder Corpse Claw instantly condensed!

He barely hesitated, his body, like a taut bowstring, suddenly released, and he transformed into a blurred afterimage, with a shriek that tore through the rain curtain and violently leaping electric arcs, pouncing towards that patch of vines!

"Get out here!" A low roar, suppressing endless killing intent, squeezed from his throat!

The Thunder Corpse Claw, carrying a cold aura of destruction, fiercely clawed at the suspicious vines!

Sizzle—!

Silver-white electric arcs entwined with gray-black Qi currents instantly burst forth!

The tough vines were like fragile paper, breaking into pieces, charred, and turning to ashes under the violent thunder light and corpse Qi!

The scene behind the vines was revealed—only a moss-covered, slippery rock, and a few poisonous grasses in the rock crevices that quickly withered in the afterglow of the thunder light.

No one was there!

Mo Juren's heart suddenly sank!

A trap?!

Feigning a frontal attack to divert attention?!

He suddenly turned his head, his sharp, knife-like gaze instantly sweeping towards the direction Supple Bone Rabbit had warned from earlier, and the position where he had just searched for poisonous grass!

However, still no one!

Only the cold rain curtain and the dead silent jungle!

Where is he?!

Where is Han Li?!

Just as Mo Juren's mind was greatly shaken and filled with doubts, the corner of his eye, extremely keenly, caught a very tiny abnormality!

At the roots of the purplish-black poisonous grass he had just carefully searched, on the damp, rotten leaf-covered mud, it seemed... something had been very slightly touched and moved!

Mo Juren's heart pounded!

He suppressed the surging Qi and blood and the stinging pain in his left arm, held his breath, and carefully pushed aside the clump of poisonous grass.

Under the damp rotten leaves at the roots of the poisonous grass, a small, slightly concave patch of mud had been very carefully turned over, revealing the darker soil beneath.

And at the edge of that turned-over mud, very inconspicuously, remained a few very tiny, almost merged with the muddy water... dark green viscous traces!

The traces were extremely faint; if his mind hadn't been highly concentrated at this moment, and if he hadn't had the keen perception brought by the Thunder Corpse Claw, he would never have noticed them!

They were in a strange semi-solidified state, emitting an extremely faint, yet familiar, life fluctuation that made Mo Juren's Soul deep down tremble—

It was the aura of the dark green demonic liquid produced by the magic bottle when Supple Bone Rabbit was born!

Although there was only a negligible amount, like a few accidental drops of dew, in Mo Juren's eyes, they were as glaring as a lighthouse in the dark night!

Han Li! He had been here!

He had disturbed this patch of mud!

He had discovered the residual traces of demonic liquid!

A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!

Mo Juren instantly understood the source of that "rustling" sound just now—it was the subtle sound made by Han Li as he very carefully restored the area to its original state after quietly investigating and taking samples!

He deliberately used that sound to attract his attention, feigning a frontal attack to divert attention, only to buy himself that brief moment to escape!

What a terrifying Han Li!

What meticulous thought!

What quick movements!

Mo Juren suddenly looked up, his cold gaze like a tangible sharp blade, piercing through layers of rain, fiercely stabbing towards the direction of Shen Shou Valley behind him!

He could feel that those eyes, as serene as a deep pool, must also be somewhere at this moment, similarly piercing through the rain, coldly staring back at him!

The secret of the demonic liquid... was exposed!

Although it was only residual traces, with Han Li's caution and suspicion, this was enough for him to connect too many things!

Connecting to Zhang Tie's "disappearance," connecting to the "monster" in the backyard, connecting to the "Black Wind Stronghold bloodbath" in Wang Mazi's courtyard last night, connecting to all the inexplicable anomalies on Mo Juren's body!

Crisis! An unprecedented, huge crisis!

Mo Juren slowly withdrew his gaze, looking at the few imperceptible dark green demonic liquid residues on the ground, then at the trembling Supple Bone Rabbit behind him, still immersed in immense fear, and finally, his gaze fell on his own Thunder Corpse Claw, entwined with destructive electric arcs.

Cold raindrops struck his face, bringing a bone-chilling coldness.

"Go..." Mo Juren's voice was hoarse and dry, carrying an undeniable heaviness, "Back to the Stone Crevice... the plan... has changed!"