The place marked on the map wasn't that far. After about three or four days of travel, Song Wanníng finally arrived. She pulled out the map again to double-check the location. Once she confirmed it was correct, she leapt down from her flying artifact.
In front of her lay an abandoned medicine garden. The fences and formations around it were still intact, but the spiritual herbs were long gone. Only wild grass grew here, thick and overgrown.
Song Wanníng released her little companions, letting them scout for any sign of monsters while she examined the surroundings.
"Sister, there's no treasure here!"
Long Ling only needed a quick sense before she was certain—there wasn't a single trace of treasure. Not even a hint of spiritual energy. The most precious thing around might as well be those wild weeds.
"Oh?" Song Wanníng tilted her head slightly, a sharp glint flashing across her eyes.
The suspicion she'd been suppressing surfaced again, impossible to hold back now. About fifteen minutes later, a monster suddenly squealed in panic as Yi'er drove it out of a narrow crack in the ground.
The little ones swarmed toward it at once, scaring the creature into an even shriller cry.
Maybe its companions sensed the danger, because soon, more monsters began crawling out from the cracks, lunging toward the group. Their blood-red eyes glowed with savage hunger. Even though they were small, the killing intent pouring off them was intense.
In moments, the little ones were surrounded.
Song Wanníng didn't move to help. First, she wanted to give her companions some real battle experience, help them grow. Second, she needed to carefully observe how those monsters were emerging from the cracks.
She'd noticed that they could shrink their bodies, slipping into crevices almost undetectably. Without the little ones provoking them, she might never have noticed their presence at all. After watching for a while, she'd learned a bit more about them. Then she took out a transmission talisman and reported what she'd found to Luo Hantian.
"You're saying there's something wrong with Lanyuan?"
Luo Hantian's voice came through, heavy with surprise. Once could've been coincidence. But twice? Whether Lanyuan was aware of it or not, they definitely weren't innocent this time.
"Yeah. I suspect they deliberately spread those maps, feeding these monsters on purpose." A cold glint flashed in Song Wanníng's eyes. If that was true, then every single person from Lanyuan deserved to die.
"Sect Master, check how many of those maps Lanyuan's auctioned off over the years. Also, dig into any auction houses or organizations they've secretly been tied to. If my guess is right, this started a long time ago."
"What?"
The Sect Master froze, goosebumps rising all over his arms. But his mind quickly steadied. If there really were traitors among the human race, or a faction secretly breeding monsters, then what were they planning?
A chill ran down Luo Hantian's spine as he realized how serious this was. "Wanníng, stay sharp. I'll send Liu Xingzhi to assist you with the monsters.
I'll investigate Lanyuan right away and find out who's pulling the strings behind this!"
He cut the connection fast, tossed aside everything else, and left to begin his investigation. Right now, there was no solid evidence, and they couldn't alert the other forces. The only choice was to investigate in secret.
On her end, Song Wanníng also ended the transmission. Her expression darkened. She took out the map again, murderous intent blazing in her eyes. If someone was really playing tricks behind the scenes, they had to die.
She'd never allow anyone to destroy this world.
…
"Senior Brother, this is the place!"
A group of cultivators finally arrived at another spot marked on the map, excitement flashing in their eyes. Before them stretched an abandoned mining site, littered with boulders. Not far ahead was a dark mine entrance, gaping open like it was beckoning them to come closer.
Their senior brother led them off the flying swords, unable to hide the excitement in his expression. "Everyone, pick up the pace!"
With a wave of his hand, the group rushed into the mine. They stayed cautious, ready for anything. But it wasn't long before someone cried out in surprise.
"There are spirit stones here! And they're mid to high grade!"
"For real?!"
The group, already short on spirit stones, grew even more thrilled. They began searching all over, and sure enough, they dug up quite a few.
"Looks like the map's legit! This is a treasure trove!"
"Yeah, even if we only take these stones, this trip's already worth it!"
"Exactly! I told you the map was fine. That senior must've wanted to keep all this treasure to himself!"
"Good thing we came!"
The group laughed, admiring the glittering spirit stones scattered around. Just looking at them filled their hearts with joy. There were a lot of stones here, and who knew—maybe they'd find something even better if they kept searching.
Their senior brother was happy too, but he frowned slightly at their words. "Come on, that senior saved our lives. Don't start throwing wild guesses around.
Let's just grab what we can and leave fast."
He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that the senior might return unexpectedly, and then things would get awkward. But just as he finished speaking, a dark shadow darted out.
Before anyone could even see what it was, a disciple screamed as claws punched clean through his chest.
"Ah—!"
Blood sprayed everywhere. Within seconds, the man collapsed, body twitching before going completely still. The change happened too fast. The group froze in shock, staring at their fallen companion in horror. They didn't have time to think. More monsters poured out from nowhere, surrounding them from all directions.
"Shit, run!"
The senior brother shouted, dragging people toward the exit. But the monsters just kept coming, so many that they blocked the entire tunnel, cutting off any escape.
"We're done for! There's too many of them!"
"What do we do?!"
Panic set in. They'd fought these things before, they knew exactly how deadly they were.
And there were even more this time.
"Break through! Use every life-saving technique you've got! Just get out!"
Regret hit him like a hammer. If he'd known this would happen, he never would've come here. That senior had been right—these places were death traps. But now it was too late for regret.
Screams filled the mine, mixing with the monsters' shrill cries. The sound echoed through the tunnels, turning the entire mine into a nightmare.