Shadows and Traces, The Oriole Behind

Chapter 32: Shadowy Traces, Mantis Stalks the Cicada

The night was as black as ink, shrouding Black Mountain Town in silence. Li Yifan crouched in the shadows on the inn's rooftop. The lightning-fast exchange from moments ago rippled through his mind like stones cast into a calm lake. The fleeing shadow, the venomous and overbearing finger winds, the chilling, deathly aura… all indicated that this trip to Mist Canyon was far more than a simple pursuit mission.

He remained motionless, like a stone sculpture, but his mind raced, dissecting every detail.

"The shadow that used the Phantom Demon Technique, though its movement was bizarre, its transitions were slightly stiff, and its illusions weren't solid enough. It's definitely not Li Heng himself, but rather one of his disciples or an accomplice. Its risky infiltration into the town means the item it sought must be crucial to Li Heng."

"The black shadow that attacked later, its finger force was condensed and venomous, its aura deathly silent. Its martial arts style was completely different from the Phantom Demon Technique's strange and elusive nature, leaning more towards pure Yin coldness and destruction. Its cultivation was unfathomable, at least late Muscle Refining, possibly even touching the threshold of the Blood Refining Realm. Why did it intervene? Was it for the package, or does it have a past grievance with Li Heng?"

"Most importantly, after its attack, why didn't it press its advantage and instead quickly concealed itself? Was it wary of other experts in the town, or did it not want to reveal itself too early, having other plans?"

A myriad of questions intertwined, forming a dense fog. Li Yifan knew that acting rashly before the situation was clear was a grave mistake. His original plan to head straight for the canyon's lair had to be adjusted. The immediate priority was to uncover the background and intentions of this third party.

His mind made up, Li Yifan shifted slightly. He slid off the rooftop as silently as a falling leaf, landing without a sound. He ignored the shadow fleeing towards the canyon and instead turned his attention to the side of the inn where the mysterious black shadow had disappeared. He suppressed his aura to the extreme, unleashing the Spirit Fox Steps. His figure became a faint phantom, blending into the darkness of the street corner.

Behind the inn lay a patch of abandoned courtyards. The broken walls and ruins resembled ferocious ghost figures in the night. Li Yifan moved cautiously through them, his senses like invisible tendrils, meticulously probing every inch of land, every shadow. The black shadow's concealment skills were extremely high, almost merging with its surroundings, making it difficult to track.

However, Li Yifan's Detection skill had reached the Proficient level, coupled with the spiritual sense cultivated by the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique, which far surpassed ordinary people. He was exceptionally sensitive to energy fluctuations. Beneath a half-collapsed wall corner, he finally detected a faint residual aura. The aura was bone-chillingly cold, carrying a sense of decaying stillness, identical to what he had felt earlier, as if emanating from the deepest abyss.

"This aura… it doesn't feel like it belongs to a living person." Li Yifan's heart tightened, his vigilance reaching its peak. He followed the almost dissipated trace, continuing his pursuit. After passing through the abandoned courtyards, a mass grave appeared before him. Desolate graves dotted the landscape, withered grass grew sparsely, and a few wisps of pale green will-o'-the-wisps flickered in the night wind, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

At this point, the aura's trace became even fainter, almost nonexistent. Li Yifan stopped, his sharp gaze sweeping across the silent land of the dead. His intuition told him that the black shadow had a deep connection to this place, possibly even hiding here. He didn't venture in rashly but chose a slightly higher vantage point behind a natural cover formed by a pile of large rocks. He completely concealed his figure and aura, like a lurking leopard, patiently waiting.

Time flowed by in silence. The moon was high in the sky, its cold light casting a pale white glow on the desolate graves. The cold wind swept through the withered grass between the tombs, emitting a mournful sound, making the place seem even more haunted. Li Yifan's mind was as still as water, his breathing almost halted. Only his eyes flickered with a calm light in the darkness, closely watching for any stir within the mass grave.

About an hour passed, nearing midnight. Just as all was silent, a sudden change occurred!

Deep within the mass grave, behind a seemingly ordinary, dilapidated tombstone, the shadow on the ground suddenly rippled like water, spreading outwards in silent circles. Immediately after, a pitch-black figure, as if slowly seeping from the depths of the earth, materialized from nothingness to reality, quietly appearing under the moonlight. It was the mysterious black shadow from before!

Under the dim moonlight, Li Yifan finally caught a glimpse of its appearance. It was a thin, hunched figure, cloaked in a loose, old black robe. Its entire face was hidden in the deep shadow of its hood, making it impossible to discern. However, the hands that emerged from the sleeves were withered like chicken claws, its skin a bloodless grayish-white, its fingernails long and sharp, emitting a faint glow. The chilling, deathly aura that permeated its body was even more palpable now, sending shivers down one's spine.

After appearing, the black-robed figure did not leave immediately. It stood still, its head tilted slightly, as if listening to something, or sensing the surrounding aura. A moment later, it let out a low, hoarse chuckle, its voice like the cry of a night owl echoing through the mass grave, particularly chilling:

"Hmph, old Li Heng, hiding in that turtle shell for so long, you finally couldn't help but make a move for the Yinsha Soul Pearl? Sending an incompetent disciple to steal the Soul-attracting Jade Box is really living backward!" He paused, his tone filled with mockery and greed. "What a pity, what a pity. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! Your long-coveted soul pearl is destined to be a stepping stone for this old man!"

"Yinsha Soul Pearl? Soul-attracting Jade Box?" Li Yifan's heart trembled violently. So that's it! What Li Heng's subordinate risked stealing was not ordinary treasure, but the crucial artifact for collecting or controlling the 'Yinsha Soul Pearl'—the Soul-attracting Jade Box! And their ultimate goal was the 'Yinsha Soul Pearl,' which sounded incredibly sinister! This black-robed man clearly knew the inside story and was equally determined to obtain the soul pearl. The animosity between them ran deep.

The black-robed figure muttered to himself, seemingly in good spirits. His body flickered, and he floated up as if weightless, transforming into a nearly transparent wisp of faint black smoke. He did not head towards Mist Canyon but instead sped towards the even more desolate deep mountains and old forests on the other side of town, moving with incredible speed and silence.

Li Yifan, hidden behind the rocks, his thoughts racing. Tracking this black-robed man might reveal his origins and lair, but it carried great risk and might deviate from his main mission. The mass grave before him was clearly an important stronghold or passage, possibly holding more clues.

After weighing the options, Li Yifan decided to investigate the mass grave first. He waited patiently until the black-robed figure's aura completely disappeared from his senses. He observed for another incense stick's worth of time, confirming there were no other movements, before gliding out from behind the rocks like a ghost, silently infiltrating the mass grave.

He went straight to the desolate grave where the black-robed figure had appeared. The grave itself was unremarkable, the inscription on the tombstone long since weathered and illegible. Li Yifan circled behind the grave, carefully examining the ground. Sure enough, among the dirt and withered grass, he discovered an extremely well-hidden imprint formed by a faint energy. If not for his keen senses, it would have been impossible to detect. This imprint seemed to be the residual trace of a simple teleportation or summoning array.

"It seems this black-robed man is proficient in some kind of earth-escape or concealment evil technique, allowing him to enter and exit this place quickly using this imprint." Li Yifan understood. He did not attempt to destroy the imprint, fearing it would alert the snake. Afterward, he searched the surrounding area, centering his search on this desolate grave.

About ten zhang away from the grave, in a patch of thorny bushes, he made a new discovery. There was a cleverly concealed shallow pit. Inside the pit were several empty pottery jars, their walls stained with dark red residue, emitting a faint smell of blood and a strange herbal scent. Nearby were the ashes of burnt talismans.

"Alchemy? Or performing some kind of evil ritual?" Li Yifan frowned. The cultivation technique of this black-robed man was becoming increasingly bizarre and unfathomable. He carefully collected a small amount of residue from the jar walls and the talisman ashes, wrapped them in oil paper, and put them in his pack. Perhaps he could analyze some clues from them later.

After his investigation, Li Yifan did not linger and quickly left the mass grave. By this time, the east had begun to show a hint of dawn, with daybreak approaching. He returned to the mountain hollow where he had hidden before leaving town, took a brief moment to adjust his state, and already had a new plan in mind.

The direction the black-robed man left was opposite to the canyon, making him difficult to track for now. However, the general direction of Li Heng's lair was clear. Since the black-robed man mentioned "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," it meant he was likely also monitoring Li Heng's movements in secret, perhaps even knowing another route into the canyon lair.

"Perhaps I can start with the passage in the mass grave where the black-robed man appeared?" a bold idea surfaced. But that passage clearly required a special method to open. Rushing to try it could lead to unpredictable consequences.

After deep thought, Li Yifan decided to pursue both avenues. He first followed the route he had tracked the shadow on, cautiously advancing towards the entrance of Mist Canyon. He hid in a high vantage point several miles away from the entrance, carefully observing the terrain of the entrance and any possible visible or hidden sentries. At the same time, he diverted some of his attention, repeatedly recalling and deducing the black-robed man's likely method and energy fluctuations when opening the passage in the mass grave.

He remained hidden at the vantage point for most of the day, mapping out most of the outer perimeter of the canyon entrance, noting several potential alert points and patrol patterns. As dusk fell, the mountain wind began to pick up, and the mist in the direction of the canyon seemed to thicken.

Li Yifan no longer hesitated and decided to take a risk. He quietly returned to the vicinity of the mass grave but did not enter directly. Instead, he found a hidden cave on the outskirts and adjusted his state to its peak. At midnight, he infiltrated the mass grave again, arriving behind the desolate grave.

He recalled the subtle characteristics of the energy ripple when the black-robed man appeared and attempted to inject a trace of extremely pure Nine Yang True Qi into the hidden energy imprint with a specific frequency and method. This process was extremely dangerous; an incorrect frequency could trigger an energy backlash or an alarm.

Seconds ticked by, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Li Yifan's forehead. Just as he was about to give up, the energy imprint suddenly lit up slightly, and the ground rippled like water once more. A dark, narrow opening, just wide enough for one person to pass through, slowly emerged!

Success! Li Yifan's heart jolted. Without delay, he immediately suppressed his aura, his figure flashed, and he disappeared into the opening. After he entered, the opening quickly closed, and the ground returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The cave was pitch black. The cold, damp air hit him, carrying a strong smell of earth and a faint scent of decay. A narrow stone staircase led down into the unknown darkness.

Li Yifan took a deep breath and took out a luminous pearl. Its light dispelled the darkness around him. He understood that this unexpected passage might lead directly to the heart of the storm.