“Could it be…” Li Tan’s expression changed slightly. He quickly extended his spiritual awareness in all directions. Inside every tent, there were no living people left. The majority of the Heaven Wolf Sect disciples had their throats slit while they slept, or their chests pierced through like Sima Luo.
To silently kill all these disciples without making the slightest noise, such a beast was simply inconceivable. Beasts lacked intelligence and only knew how to kill; how could they be so quiet, just like human assassins, killing everyone without a sound?
Given that even Sima Luo, a peak Innate Realm cultivator, was among the victims, it was easy to conclude that the attacker wasn’t an ordinary beast, but a demonic beast. Yet even so, something still felt off.
Even if it walked on the ground, it should have made some noise, even just a little. Sima Luo would definitely have noticed it, yet he hadn’t sensed anything at all.
Could it be that the beast’s power far exceeded Sima Luo’s, akin to a peak third-stage or even fourth-stage demonic beast, comparable to a human master-level cultivator?
But that didn’t make sense either. If a monster of such a level existed nearby, no ordinary beasts would dare to remain.
Li Tan felt a chill run down his spine. If this demonic beast had targeted him earlier, would he have ended up like Sima Luo?
To be honest, Li Tan wasn’t very confident that he could dodge in the instant the demon beast attacked.
He cautiously surveyed his surroundings as he slowly made his way through the camp, his spiritual perception leaving no corner unexamined. Strangely, he couldn’t detect any traces of the demonic beast.
Could it have already left?
But why would it kill everyone else and spare him? Li Tan understood the habits of demonic beasts all too well—there were no exceptions.
The demonic beast must still be lurking somewhere in the camp, waiting for him to lower his guard before striking to take his life.
At such a moment, when the enemy remained concealed while he was exposed, reckless movement would only divert his attention and create more vulnerabilities. Li Tan opted for a relatively open space—one that could guard against assaults from above, such as from the treetops—and stood motionless, channeling his full spiritual awareness to detect the demonic beast.
The demonic beast that had slain fifty people must be in the same condition as him.
Sima Luo’s final words echoed in his mind once again.
“Be careful…” His words were fragmented; the only one clearly understood was this one.
For Sima Luo to utter such words, he must have already known how the demonic beast had attacked. But what exactly was he trying to warn him about?
The scene of discovering Sima Luo flashed before his eyes again. Li Tan seemed to relive it firsthand, carefully observing every detail.
Suddenly, he stiffened, a flicker of confusion flashing in his eyes.
There was something particularly unusual about Sima Luo’s situation—the tent! When Li Tan heard the noise and went over, the entrance of the tent was tightly shut, showing no signs of having been opened. There were no tears on any of the four sides either. How had the demonic beast gotten inside?
Besides “be careful,” Sima Luo’s last words also included the word “opposite.”
The word wasn’t fully spoken. There should have been another character following it, most likely the word “opposite” (对面).
This presented two possibilities. First, he was referring to his own opposite side. Second, he was referring to Li Tan’s opposite side.
If it were the former, then the demonic beast that had slaughtered everyone might have already stealthily positioned itself behind Li Tan, and his life would have been forfeited. He wouldn’t still be standing here. Therefore, it must have been referring to the opposite side of Li Tan.
Li Tan’s opposite side was Sima Luo himself.
Why would he mention himself?
Li Tan calmed his mind and thought. Moments later, he noticed another inconsistency.
At that time, Sima Luo was severely injured and had no strength left to speak. Why would he still struggle to lift his body?
Could there be something strange about the place where he was lying?
Li Tan activated the Maya Steps, quickly returning to Sima Luo’s tent. In a flash, he flipped over the corpse and saw a small to medium-sized hole in the mat, revealing a dark underground tunnel beneath the dirt.
Suddenly enlightened! No wonder they couldn’t find the beast that had done this.
It had hidden underground! Li Tan’s expression turned cold. His spiritual awareness plunged into the earth, instantly locking onto the demonic beast nearby. He then gathered true energy into his right fist and slammed it into the ground.
Boom! A deafening explosion erupted, sending stones flying and dust billowing into the air. Li Tan’s figure darted forward several steps in a blur. As the dust settled, his outstretched right hand held a rat-like demonic beast, writhing desperately in his grasp.
Although this creature was a demonic beast, it wasn’t skilled in direct combat. Once pulled out from underground, it had no resistance left.
Li Tan directly crushed it to death, then threw the lifeless body to the ground. He stabbed it repeatedly with his rusty sword until the corpse was unrecognizable before finally stopping.
Sheathing the rusty sword, Li Tan raised his head and gazed at the moon, letting out a soft sigh.
Fifty people in total… in just an hour or so, they had all perished in the Domain of Fallen Immortals.
Domain of Fallen Immortals—fallen immortals, fallen immortals. A legendary place where even celestial immortals had perished, an eternal forbidden zone. Yet so many people, relying on trivial cultivation and information, dared to scoff at it. This was the result.
Reining in his chaotic thoughts, Li Tan’s gaze returned to the silent camp. He retrieved a shovel from Sima Luo’s storage ring—likely used for tending medicinal gardens—and proceeded to dig pits in front of each tent, burying everyone’s bodies one by one. Finally, he used the rusty sword to carve a large stone into a column, inscribing on it “Tomb of the Fifty-One Heroes of the Heaven Wolf Sect,” and erected it at the center of the burial ground.
When the gravestone was set upright, the eastern sky had already begun to turn white.
Li Tan gave it one last glance, suppressing his sorrow, and began to leave along the path he had come.
Now, what should he do?
After much consideration, Li Tan decided to return to the Heaven Wolf Sect—not for any other reason, but simply to inform those who should know about what had happened.
But this time returning, things might get a bit complicated. Zheng Kaishan would definitely seize this opportunity to do something.
Wait, Zheng Kaishan?
Li Tan suddenly froze, frowning slightly as he murmured softly, “The map we used for this expedition was probably obtained from Zheng Kaishan.” He recalled the previously marked camping area on the map, where it indicated the presence of a third-stage beast, but in reality, there was only a second-stage one. He then recalled other areas marked on the map as having third-stage beasts, and based on the sun’s position, quickly determined his current location on the map. Then he rushed toward those areas marked as having third-stage beasts.
There were five such places, all very suitable for camping. Each was marked on the map as having third-stage beasts, yet in reality, they were only second-stage ones.
“What a cunning Zheng Kaishan!”
Li Tan slammed his fist against the trunk of a nearby tree, his eyes blazing with fury! Every person has their own inviolable taboos—perhaps a loved one, a brother, or a precious treasure.
Li Tan had two: one was his family, the other was harming fellow disciples from within.
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