Ning Zhanji pondered for a moment, then sent two cultivators ahead to scout while leading the main force back some distance.
A moment later, the two cultivators returned to report, "It's the corpse of a demon ape!"
The tense atmosphere throughout the entire team instantly eased.
When the main force arrived beside the demon ape's corpse, Ning Yong cried out in surprise.
It was his first time seeing what a Fire Melt Demon Ape looked like.
This demonic beast had a powerful build, standing roughly three meters tall, its entire body covered in thick crimson fur. The fur was one pure color, red as fire and exceptionally beautiful.
The Fire Melt Demon Ape's fangs jutted outward, its eyes bulged wide, and it had died with its eyes still open.
Its body was a peculiar existence where flesh and lava intertwined.
Even though it was dead now, its internal structure could be seen through its wounds. Like magma, it still flowed slowly, radiating intense heat as it rapidly cooled.
Ning Zhanji frowned deeply.
This was an unforeseen situation.
He would rather have faced a living Fire Melt Demon Ape.
Now, the situation had grown complicated.
"A fierce battle took place here!"
"The Fire Melt Demon Ape fought here, but was ultimately defeated."
"What kind of existence could kill an adult Fire Melt Demon Ape one-on-one?"
"Judging from the traces, it wasn't any demonic beast currently known to us."
Ning Zhanji knew that he had to investigate this thoroughly.
If they ignored a mysterious demonic beast, then when the Lineage's main force made a major move in the future, they could very likely suffer a crushing loss with their intelligence so unclear!
Ning Zhanji had led this team into the underground caverns precisely to survey the environment and gather intelligence.
This was his duty.
With that thought, Ning Zhanji stopped deliberating, decisively abandoned the original route, and followed the traces.
"But the mysterious demonic beast fought fiercely against an adult demon ape, so we can estimate its combat strength. Our current force should be able to handle it."
"Moreover, after that fierce battle with the demon ape, its strength must have dropped considerably. This is an excellent opportunity!"
A sharp gleam flashed in Ning Zhanji's eyes as he led the team onward in relentless pursuit.
Along the way, they gradually discovered other demonic beasts that had met disaster. There were the fire essences scattered across the ground after Fire Walking Snakes had died, the corpses of Flame Treading Lizards, and the scattered stones left behind by lava fiends.
As the Ning Lineage cultivators pursued, the things in their hands steadily increased.
"Boss, what exactly is that thing? How could it be so formidable, killing so many demonic beasts?"
"Haha, we really struck it rich this time. If a few more of these mysterious demonic beasts showed up, we wouldn't need to do any work at all—we'd become wealthy just like that."
Ning Zhanji frowned deeply, calculating in secret. It left these behind without cleaning up the battlefield, so it clearly isn't a cultivator. Yet none of these corpses have been gnawed on, and resources like fire essence haven't been consumed either. That seems to indicate that this mysterious demonic beast doesn't belong to these volcanic lava caverns. It isn't part of the food chain here.
Perhaps it is some cultivator's pet beast?
"No matter what, this time I must expose its true face!"
Having made up his mind, Ning Zhanji continued the pursuit.
In the end, they actually reached a dead end.
"There's no path ahead?"
"That shouldn't be possible!"
"The traces clearly lead here..."
The Ning Lineage cultivators were baffled.
Ning Zhanji looked around, then muttered under his breath and performed some sort of spell technique.
At last, his gaze settled upon a section of wall.
"Fall back. Form the array."
"Blast this wall apart and see what's behind it," Ning Zhanji ordered.
The Ning Lineage cultivators formed three small arrays, pulling Ning Zhuo and Ning Yong into the rearmost one and telling them not to run around.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The array activated, and the cultivators joined forces to bombard the wall without pause.
After the wall's surface shattered, the radiance of an array was revealed.
There was actually a defensive array hidden here!
The defensive array had been set up crudely and simply. It did not hold for long before being quickly smashed apart.
The wall was pierced through, revealing another passage beyond.
"There was actually another passage hidden here?"
"Did we fail to discover it earlier because someone concealed it?"
Ning Zhanji's frown deepened.
Having chased this far, his previous speculation began to waver.
Clearly, whoever could set up an array had to be a cultivator. Even if it was not a human, it had to be an intelligent Demon Cultivator.
After hesitating for only a second, Ning Zhanji decided to continue the pursuit.
The Ning Lineage cultivators began exploring the mysterious passage.
They soon discovered "demonic beast traces" similar to the ones from before.
"Perhaps it is some cultivator's spirit pet. It is rather intelligent and has permission to pass through the arrays."
"There are signs of human intervention in many places along this passage. It was opened up earlier than ours."
"In other words, our Ning Lineage was actually the later party?"
"What is that?"
"We're about to reach the end of this path."
"Be careful!"
The Ning Lineage cultivators tracked the trail all the way through the passage and arrived at an underground plaza with an open field of vision and flat terrain.
Two arrays had also been laid out in the underground plaza. Both were crude, like a child's scribbles.
Ning Zhanji sent his subordinates to search everywhere for clues when the howls of demonic beasts suddenly rang out.
Hisses and roars rose and fell in succession, surrounding them from every direction.
Ning Zhanji was greatly alarmed and immediately ordered a retreat.
But scorching lava suddenly surged out through the passage they had come from, leaving them no choice but to retreat back inside.
"Damn it!"
"This is a trap!!"
"Who could possess such methods? Could it be the other two Lineages, or perhaps the City Lord's faction?"
Ning Zhanji was shocked and enraged. On one hand, he directed everyone to form an array; on the other, he sent people to investigate in every direction.
The results of their investigation were extremely grim.
This underground plaza was like a transfer station, linked to numerous passages. Large numbers of demonic beasts were pouring out of those passages.
The Ning Lineage cultivators set up a defensive array in one corner of the plaza and activated it with all their strength.
Fortunately, they had come well prepared for battle and brought many array disks, allowing them to rapidly construct a defensive array at such speed.
The defensive array activated, forming an icy wall of light that enclosed half a circle. Together with the wall behind the cultivators, it formed a complete circle.
The Fire Velvet Rat swarm was the first to charge them. Compared to those outside, the Fire Velvet Rats appearing now were each already half a person tall!
The Fire Velvet Rat swarm rammed forward madly, with many rats smashing themselves to death directly against the Ice Wall.
Cracks spread across the Ice Wall.
Several lava fiends floated through the air, crossing over the Ice Wall as they attacked.
The Ning Lineage cultivators cooperated seamlessly, having long been prepared.
A large number of magical artifacts activated, chiefly flying swords and flying needles, piercing through the lava fiends and buying them crucial time.
The second defensive array was completed, forming a half-sphere that enveloped everyone.
At once, the clamor outside the arrays weakened considerably.
"Keep building arrays!" Ning Zhanji's face was filled with grave determination.
Just as the Ning Lineage cultivators completed the third great array, forming a pillar of light that propped up the ceiling of the underground space, a vast aura suddenly erupted.
The cultivators' faces filled with horror.
"A Golden Core aura—could the one we've been pursuing be a Golden Core Cultivator?"
"I remember this aura. It belongs to the Zheng Lineage's ancestor, Zheng Shuang Gou!"
"Could it be that the Zheng Lineage is making a move against us?!"