Mist Canyon, First Exploration of Demonic Traces

The darkness before dawn was thickest, the cold wind like a knife, scraping across the desolate official road. Li Yifan in a grey and black tight-fitting outfit, his cloak flapping in the wind, did not affect his swift pace. He had not chosen to ride a horse; the sound of hooves would be too conspicuous in the silent night, not conducive to concealing his tracks. Relying solely on his footwork, circulating Spirit Fox Steps, his figure moved like a phantom through the woods and mountain paths, his speed no slower than an ordinary fine horse, but with added stealth.

The destination of this journey—Mist Canyon, located northwest of Qingzhou Prefecture, bordering another province, was a dangerous place rarely visited by humans. According to records, the depths of the canyon were shrouded in perpetual thick fog, making it difficult for light to penetrate. The terrain was complex, filled with karst caves, underground rivers, and jagged rocks. Ordinary people entering would easily get lost or even meet with misfortune. For " Shadow Demon " Li Heng, who was skilled in Phantom Demon Technique, this place was undoubtedly an excellent hiding spot.

Li Yifan traveled at high speed, constantly deducing possible scenarios in his mind. He did not directly enter the core area of the canyon but stopped in a hidden mountain hollow still more than ten miles from the canyon entrance. By this time, the sky had begun to lighten, but the direction of the canyon was still shrouded in a hazy mist, making it impossible to see inside.

"Rushing in would be no different from walking into a trap." Li Yifan found a large rock with a wide field of vision that was also easy to hide behind, sat down cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing to recover the true qi consumed during his journey, while carefully observing the distant canyon entrance and the surrounding environment.

He needed to first understand the general situation of the area and any possible traces of Li Heng's activities. According to the records, Li Heng was cunning by nature and would surely have set up lookouts or warning mechanisms around his lair. Bursting in directly would likely alert him and could even lead him into a meticulously laid trap.

After a short period of breathing exercises, when his condition returned to its peak, Li Yifan did not act hastily. Instead, he took out the simple map from his satchel and checked it again carefully. The map marked several potential hiding spots: "Ghost Stream", "Silent Lake", and "Thousand Caves". These were all places with extremely harsh environments, easy to hide in, and difficult to search.

"Thousand Caves... interconnected caves, with passages everywhere, most suitable for hiding and transferring. If I were Li Heng, this would be my top choice." Li Yifan's gaze locked onto the "Thousand Caves" area marked on the map, but he did not head there immediately. He needed more concrete information.

For the next two days, Li Yifan acted like the most patient hunter, cautiously investigating the area around the canyon entrance. He did not venture deep into the fog but relied on his Detection skill and his far-superior-than-ordinary perception to search for any suspicious traces.

His efforts were rewarded. On a rocky slope about five miles from the canyon entrance, he discovered some unusual signs. The placement of several stones seemed random, but upon closer inspection, they subtly formed a simple warning zone that would be easily triggered if any creature intruded. Furthermore, in a crevice of a wind-sheltered rock, he found a faint residual energy, cold and elusive, bearing some resemblance to the aura of Phantom Demon Technique described in the records, but extremely weak. If not for his keen senses, he would have barely noticed it.

"He was indeed active here, and very cautious." Li Yifan understood, further confirming that Li Heng was hiding in Mist Canyon. However, he still did not rush in. He was waiting for a more opportune moment, or for Li Heng to reveal a flaw himself.

On the evening of the third day, as dusk deepened, the mist in the direction of the canyon seemed to thicken compared to the daytime. Li Yifan lay hidden in a clump of bushes on a high ground, observing the canyon entrance from afar. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. A faint shadow, extremely blurry and almost blending into the surrounding environment, flashed out from the canyon entrance at an incredibly fast speed and silently disappeared into the dense forest outside.

"Such swift movement! Such masterful concealment!" Li Yifan praised inwardly. If he had not been fully focused, and if his spiritual sense cultivated by Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique had not been far superior to ordinary people, he would have almost missed this fleeting trace. The figure's aura was cold and elusive, undoubtedly characteristic of Phantom Demon Technique!

"Is it Li Heng? Or his subordinate?" Li Yifan could not be entirely sure, but this was an opportunity. He immediately used Spirit Fox Steps, suppressing his own aura to the extreme, and silently followed like a civet cat. He dared not follow too closely for fear of being detected, merely trailing from a distance, tracking by the faint traces left by the figure moving through the forest and that subtle, elusive cold aura.

The shadow's destination seemed clear, heading directly northeast. After about half an hour of tracking, crossing two mountain peaks, a small mountain town appeared ahead, with faint lights, which was "Black Mountain Town" marked on the map.

The shadow paused briefly outside the town, seemingly observing for a moment, then its form flickered and merged into the town's shadows like a phantom, disappearing from sight.

Li Yifan stopped in a small grove of trees outside the town, his brow furrowed. What was Li Heng doing in this small town? Purchasing supplies? Or did he have other plans? He dared not be careless and carefully infiltrated the town.

Black Mountain Town was not bustling. It was already night, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. Li Yifan hid in the shadows, carefully sensing the movement of that cold aura. Finally, the aura stopped in the backyard of a seemingly dilapidated inn on the edge of town.

Li Yifan did not approach but chose a rooftop that overlooked the inn's backyard, held his breath, and observed quietly. He strained his eyes, and through the night, he could vaguely see some miscellaneous items piled in the backyard, with no apparent anomalies. After the cold aura entered the inn, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no further discernible movement.

After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, just as Li Yifan was considering whether to change his vantage point to investigate, an unexpected change occurred!

In the shadow of the pile of miscellaneous items in the inn's backyard, the space seemed to distort slightly, and a blurry figure silently appeared as if emerging from water. It was the shadow he had been tracking earlier! And at this moment, the shadow held a small bundle in its hand.

"Not purchasing... it's stealing!" Li Yifan understood instantly. This Li Heng (or his subordinate) had actually used Phantom Demon Technique to sneak into the town and steal! Judging by the shape of the bundle, it did not seem to be ordinary property.

After obtaining the goods, the shadow did not hesitate. Its form merged into the shadows again, and it sped out of town, heading back in the direction of Mist Canyon.

Li Yifan's eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to continue the pursuit, a sense of danger suddenly arose! Almost at the same time, he felt another extremely subtle, yet more sinister and powerful aura emanating from the darkness in another direction of the inn, locking onto the fleeing shadow!

"Someone else? Is it Li Heng himself? Or... a double-cross?" Li Yifan immediately suppressed the urge to pursue, concealed his aura to the extreme, and lay like a rock on the rooftop, his mind racing.

The fleeing shadow seemed to have also sensed the danger, its speed suddenly increasing. Phantom Demon Technique was pushed to its limit, its form becoming even more blurred, as if about to dissipate into smoke. However, the sinister aura that locked onto it followed relentlessly. A finger strike, as black as ink and silent, shot out from the darkness like a venomous snake, aiming directly at the shadow's back!

The speed was astonishing, the angle treacherous, and the timing ruthless, far exceeding the ordinary!

At the critical moment, the shadow twisted its body in a bizarre manner, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but its left shoulder was grazed by the finger strike. A muffled groan was heard, and the illusions around the shadow flickered, indicating it was not lightly injured. However, its escape did not diminish; instead, it used the impact to disappear into the darkness outside the town at an even faster speed.

The shadowy figure that unleashed the finger strike did not pursue. It merely let out a low, hoarse, disdainful snort, and then its aura receded like a tide, disappearing into the shadows on the other side of the inn, as if it had never appeared.

The entire process occurred in the blink of an eye. If Li Yifan had not possessed extraordinary senses, he would have barely been able to capture the details.

The small town remained silent, as if nothing had happened.

On the rooftop, Li Yifan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"Such powerful finger strength! Vicious and domineering, definitely not from a righteous path. The fleeing shadow was indeed using Phantom Demon Technique, but its mastery seemed insufficient. It was not Li Heng himself, likely one of his disciples or an accomplice. And the black shadow that appeared later, its strength was probably even greater than that of the shadow. Its technique... exuded pure evil and deathly stillness, completely different from the eerie elusiveness of Phantom Demon Technique."

The situation was more complicated than he had anticipated. This Mist Canyon not only harbored " Shadow Demon " Li Heng, but also seemed to have attracted other unwelcome guests. Were they friend or foe? Was it a coincidence, or was there another agenda?

Li Yifan did not act rashly. He carefully recalled every detail of the brief confrontation, especially the characteristics of the later black shadow's finger strike and the feeling of its aura, trying to find clues in his memory. At the same time, he realized that Li Heng's lair might be more difficult to deal with than he had imagined, and he had to be even more cautious.

He decided to wait and observe for now. At the very least, he needed to figure out whether the later black shadow was targeting Li Heng or had another purpose. Rushing into a dangerous place where two (or even more) experts were confronting each other would not be a wise move.

As the night deepened, Li Yifan blended into the shadows of the rooftop, waiting patiently like a lifeless stone statue. The danger of Mist Canyon had only just begun to reveal itself. And the real hunt might have already started without anyone realizing it.