Chapter 1307 - 677: Capture Them (Part 2)

"If they don’t come in..."

Gu Sheng’s lips curled into a cold smile.

"Relax, greed will triumph over reason. Especially Ke Yucheng, he won’t wait for long."

Sure enough, intense arguing soon erupted from outside the cave.

"I’ve had enough!"

Ke Yucheng’s voice was sharp and harsh.

"If you want to be a coward, go ahead, but I’m going in myself!"

"Wait!"

Tang Zhiyuan shouted.

"Are you crazy? What if there’s an ambush inside..."

"An ambush?"

Ke Yucheng mocked.

"With just those two wimps? Tang, when did you become so cowardly? Don’t forget why we’ve been following them for so long!"

Tang Zhiyuan was silent for a moment before ultimately compromising.

"...Alright, we’ll go in together. But remember, if things go wrong, retreat immediately."

"Now that’s more like it!" Ke Yucheng said excitedly.

"I bet Pan Zhuang and the others must have found something inside, maybe they’ve even already..."

His voice drew closer to the cave entrance with his footsteps.

Inside the cave, a cold light shone in Gu Sheng’s eyes.

He retreated to a corner and whispered.

"Get ready, the prey is on the hook."

The strong scent of blood filled the cave.

Gu Sheng had deliberately set this up—he treated the corpses of Demon Beasts and the bloodstains left by Pan Zhuang and others from the previous battle in a special way, making the scent more pungent and lasting.

"This smell..."

Ke Yucheng’s voice came from the cave entrance, barely concealing his excitement.

"It’s blood! So much blood!"

Tang Zhiyuan’s voice was more cautious.

"Be careful, this blood scent is too fresh..."

Their footsteps gradually ventured deeper.

Gu Sheng’s Divine Sense was like an invisible spider web, feeding back their every move.

He calculated the distance, waiting for the optimal moment to strike.

"Look!"

Ke Yucheng suddenly shouted, his voice trembling with excitement.

"That’s... that’s Pan Zhuang’s Jade Pendant!"

Gu Sheng’s smile deepened. It was bait he had intentionally left in a conspicuous spot.

"Don’t touch it!"

Tang Zhiyuan shouted sternly, but it was too late. Ke Yucheng had already rushed forward and picked up the blood-stained Jade Pendant.

"Hahaha!"

Ke Yucheng burst into laughter.

"They’re dead! Pan Zhuang and the others are definitely dead! Tang, our chance has come!"

But Tang Zhiyuan was more cautious.

"Something’s not right... If Pan Zhuang and the others really ran into trouble, how could Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao be unharmed?"

"Who cares!"

Ke Yucheng said impatiently.

"Maybe those two were just lucky and escaped. Now that the treasure is right in front of us, why are you hesitating?"

Tang Zhiyuan looked around, his Divine Sense scanning every inch of the rock walls, but he found nothing.

This only made him even more uneasy—it was too quiet, eerily quiet.

"Let’s go further in and take a look." He finally said.

"But we must stay alert."

Ke Yucheng snorted disdainfully, but didn’t object.

The two continued deeper into the cave, with the scent of blood growing stronger with each step.

At the corner, Gu Sheng’s fingers lightly tapped against the rock wall, the rhythm resembling a countdown to death.

He turned to Ling Xiao and gestured for him to stay in place.

"Gu Sheng..."

Ling Xiao communicated through senses.

Gu Sheng returned a reassuring look, then his figure vanished into the darkness.

Ke Yucheng and Tang Zhiyuan arrived at a more spacious part of the cave.

On the ground lay several broken Magic Artifacts and clothes, along with large patches of dried blood.

"Look!"

Ke Yucheng pointed at a mangled Demon Beast corpse.

"Pan Zhuang and the others must have perished with this beast!"

Tang Zhiyuan didn’t answer, but his pace involuntarily quickened, his breathing growing heavy.

The damp and cold air of the cave filled his lungs, but couldn’t extinguish the fire of desire burning in his heart.

"The treasure in the Demon Beast Nest, and that thing on Gu Sheng, now belong to us!"

Ke Yucheng jogged to catch up with his senior brother, his face equally painted with greed.

"Senior brother is wise! Those two Loose Cultivators are nothing more than fish on a chopping board, ready for us to slaughter!"

From deep within the cave came the sound of dripping water, unusually clear in the silent surroundings.

The two advanced along the slippery stone walls, the torchlight casting twisted shadows on the rock, akin to their swelling desires at that moment.

"Wait!"

Tang Zhiyuan suddenly halted, the torch illuminating several bodies sprawled haphazardly on the ground.

These were Core Disciples who had tried to escape but ultimately died, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.

Ke Yucheng kicked one of the corpses and sneered.

"Serves them right! These guys used to be so arrogant, and now they’re nothing but dead dogs!"

Yet Tang Zhiyuan frowned.

"Where are Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao? They should also be here."

"Senior brother, you’re overthinking it."

Ke Yucheng dismissively waved his hand.

"Maybe they escaped through another exit."

"Another exit?"

Tang Zhiyuan’s pupils suddenly contracted, his complexion changed drastically.

"Not good! They plan to escape!"

Tang Zhiyuan clapped his forehead in frustration.

"Damn it! I should’ve acted against them directly earlier!"

Before his words fully landed, he dashed deeper into the cave.

Ke Yucheng hurriedly followed, feeling somewhat dismissive.

In his view, those two insignificant Loose Cultivators, even if they fled, where could they possibly go?

As they passed a massive Demon Beast’s corpse, Tang Zhiyuan’s steps abruptly halted, his expression shifted from greed to shock.

"This... This can’t be..."

Tang Zhiyuan’s voice shook, the torchlight reflecting the beast’s corpse’s vicious wounds.

Ke Yucheng drew closer to look, only to gasp in shock.

The beast was as large as a hill, and even in death, its remaining pressure made his legs weak.

"Half-step Heavenly Palace Realm... No, it could be a Heavenly Palace Realm beast!"

Tang Zhiyuan muttered to himself.

"How could the Core Disciples possibly kill it?"

Ke Yucheng swallowed hard.

"Maybe... they used some sort of trump card?"

Tang Zhiyuan nodded weakly, but the unease in his heart grew stronger.

The two continued forward, but both froze at the corner.

Three bodies were sprawled in front of them, one decapitated, the cut smooth as a mirror, lingering Sword Qi making the surrounding air feel sharp.

"This... This wasn’t the Demon Beast’s doing..."

Ke Yucheng’s voice became shrill.

"It was done by humans!"

Tang Zhiyuan’s face instantly turned pale and he whirled around.

"Run! Something’s wrong here!"

The two ran back in a panic, hearts almost leaping out of their chests.

Passing the Demon Beast’s corpse, Tang Zhiyuan inexplicably stopped, and began inspecting closely.

"Senior brother, why are you still looking? Run!"

Ke Yucheng stamped his feet in urgency.

Tang Zhiyuan seemed not to hear, his fingers trembling as they grazed a sword scar on the beast’s neck.

"The same Sword Qi... the beast was also killed with a single strike!"

This statement poured over Ke Yucheng like a bucket of ice water, sending a chilling sensation from his feet up to his Heavenly Spirit.

"Is... is there someone else?"

Ke Yucheng stammered.

"Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao... do they have allies? Were we... were we lured here?"

Tang Zhiyuan’s eyes held fear, but were soon replaced with cruelty.

"No matter who it is, anyone daring to plot against us will pay! Let’s catch those two Loose Cultivators first!"

As the two prepared to flee the cave, a soft laugh suddenly emanated from the shadows ahead.

"Why are you two in such a rush? Have you discovered something interesting?"

Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao’s figures slowly emerged from the darkness, their faces adorned with meaningful smiles.

Ke Yucheng reacted as if he had seen ghosts, pointing at them and shrieking.

"It’s you! You’re indeed deceitful!"

Tang Zhiyuan quickly regained his composure, a calculated gleam in his eyes.

"Capture them! Even if they have allies, we still have cards to play!"

Ke Yucheng immediately echoed.

"Right! Capture them!"

He covertly clutched the Azure Dragon Token in his sleeve, ready to summon help.

Tang Zhiyuan wasted no words further, an aura of mid-Earth Palace Realm erupted forcefully, small stones in the cave trembled and fell.

He leapt towards Gu Sheng like a fierce tiger, his five fingers forming claws, aiming straight for the throat!