The smell of blood was extremely faint, and the forest's chaotic environment had already masked much of it. Hao Ren believed that if his constitution had not already reached the demigod level, allowing him to ignore the various disruptions the chaotic environment inflicted on mortal senses, he definitely would not have been able to smell it.
Veronica and the others beside him had obviously not noticed the wisps of foul, bloody stench in the air.
The princess and the knights were simply happy. After traveling through the dangerous chaotic land for so long, suddenly seeing a still-glowing Light of Order was immensely encouraging. Knights were human too; they could become tired and dispirited. They had made it this far entirely through sheer faith, and now the faint glow shining from the depths of the forest gave these exhausted warriors new strength: they were already nearing a Tarus outpost.
To those traveling through a chaotic domain, seeing an outpost like this was like returning to their homeland. It was a symbol of the Order World.
But Hao Ren had no choice but to throw cold water on them. "Something's not right up ahead."
"What is it?" Veronica was excited, but she had not lost her composure or judgment. Upon hearing the words "Ancient Guardian," she immediately steadied her mind. "What did you see?"
She knew that the Ancient Guardian possessed special powers and could sense more than ordinary people in a chaotic domain, so she did not doubt him in the slightest.
"There's a smell of blood," Hao Ren said simply. "It's coming from the outpost."
Veronica's brows immediately furrowed. "...How is that possible? The hearth inside the outpost should still be burning. Chaos Minions couldn't possibly have attacked it, and if it were Corrupted Monsters, they would be no match