Entering the Cave

Zhang Xuezhou had visited the gathering place of ferocious beasts twice along a fixed route. He could find the corresponding location of any place he had been to, even if he flew with his eyes closed.

Flying and darting through the darkness, Zhang Xuezhou had already entered a dark area.

When he looked down, it was pitch black, but Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that below was the huge stone forest where the snake cave was located, and hundreds of meters away was the place where the ferocious beasts were entrenched.

Given the perilous nature of this night raid, Zhang Xuezhou clearly preferred to arrive early rather than late.

When he arrived at the area, Changkong Luo and the others were most likely only approaching it and had not yet engaged in fierce combat with the ferocious beast.

"It smells somewhat fishy!"

The night wind was cold and carried a faint, fishy smell.

Zhang Xuezhou frowned slightly.

The feeling of a slight stench mixed in with normal air was awful, and it easily reminded him of the Empress Dowager.

Interacting with the Empress Dowager was not a pleasant experience; she had a difficult time these past few years, and Zhang Xuezhou had suffered greatly as a result.

Even after seeing off the Empress Dowager, Zhang Xuezhou felt that his fate was terrible.

Having had such an unforgettable memory, he became cautious about similar smells and did not rashly fall into the trap waiting for Ren Yisheng to cooperate with him in the hunt.

"The scent can travel hundreds of meters into the air; it must be very strong down below. A ferocious beast... could it be something from the snake's lair?"

If it were merely a night raid on a ferocious beast, Ren Yisheng wouldn't have acted so restrained, repeatedly emphasizing the need for Zhang Xuezhou to provide backup.

However, the existence of the snake cave containing the Qin Meng secret stone, and the long-standing confrontation with the ferocious beast, made it difficult for Ren Yisheng to calm his mind.

This may be the norm for this area at night, or perhaps there's something special today that caused this foul odor to spread.

Zhang Xuezhou not only didn't fall, but he was also lifted higher by the whirlwind until he could no longer smell the stench in his nostrils before stopping.

"It's a pity I can't see below!"

Zhang Xuezhou had difficulty seeing the situation below, so he had to move away from the stone forest area. He also tried to detect the scent by checking the wind direction and searching for traces of ferocious beasts.

Compared to direct visual observation, his method is undoubtedly extremely rudimentary.

However, Zhang Xuezhou unexpectedly discovered the whereabouts of Changkong Luo and the others.

Compared to his early arrival, Changkong Luo and the others were much slower in their movements.

Perhaps because they were approaching the area inhabited by ferocious beasts, Changkong Luo and his companions were moving at a slower pace.

Zhang Xuezhou saw tiny lights flickering back and forth in the darkness below, forming a continuous chain that moved forward, occasionally shifting or deviating from its course.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't dare to approach rashly, lest Song Xianzong raise his hand in the darkness and fire a shot.

"We shouldn't be this cautious; it's too slow!"

Saving Zhong Rang of utmost urgency, and Zhang Xuezhou felt that Changkong Luo and the others were being overly cautious.

He didn't dare approach the crowd, so he found a spot that was far from the snake pit and the gathering place of the ferocious beasts, but also relatively close to the front, and landed there.

But the moment he stepped onto the ground, Zhang Xuezhou quickly lifted his foot.

The familiar feeling of being stepped on sent a jolt through Zhang Xuezhou's body, as he felt a constant feedback of impact from all around.

He took out a flashlight and turned it on to the lowest setting. The light, visible for several meters around, shone through, and Zhang Xuezhou saw several snakes lying limply on the ground where he had stepped and in his field of vision.

"Do these snakes come out at night?"

Even at the most randomly chosen safe landing spot, Zhang Xuezhou encountered several snakes, leading him to believe that the area must be teeming with snakes.

This may correspond to the dense swarms of snakes swimming outside the snake den, making the snake den accessible and large enough for a person to pass through.

Zhang Xuezhou was not only not annoyed by the snakes, but rather pleasantly surprised.

"These snakes roaming out probably brought out the dense stench from their den, which is why the stench here is so lingering and hard to dissipate!"

Zhang Xuezhou's heart skipped a beat, as he felt he had found an opportunity to pass through the snake cave and access the Qin Meng Secret Stone.

However, he didn't rush into the snake pit. Once he understood the patterns of the snakes, it would be easier to bring all the necessary tools to explore such areas in the future.

"Snakes are everywhere. No wonder the hunting party is moving so slowly. Even with Zhou Rihui leading the way, they'll probably be constantly entangled!"

Seeing that more snakes were slithering closer, Zhang Xuezhou stopped trying to intimidate them and instead chose to change his position and wait for the right moment.

"Roar!"

Trampling through the wind and waves, Zhang Xuezhou was in the area where the snake den and the ferocious beasts had originally entrenched themselves.

Only when he heard angry roars in the distance did he realize that the group of tiger-shaped beasts might have moved away.

"Ordinary venomous snakes can't even bite through the bodies of ferocious beasts; they can only burrow into areas like the nostrils and mouth to cause damage. If they encounter a ferocious beast like an eight-legged spider, they wouldn't dare to approach it at all. How could these venomous snakes have the ability to drive away ferocious beasts? Could there be a large number of ferocious beasts in the snake den?"

The tiger's roar brought Zhang Xuezhou a rapid thought process and quick judgment.

He glanced several times at the area of the ferocious beasts and the snake pit, then suddenly leaped downwards.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't check the possible battle between the tiger-shaped beasts and the snake pack, but he didn't think the snake den might have held back its strength when fighting these tiger-shaped beasts.

After a quick assessment, Zhang Xuezhou concluded that the snake pit should be empty at this time, and even if it had any defenses, they wouldn't be very strong.

A fierce storm raged down, and Zhang Xuezhou turned his flashlight to its highest setting, revealing the familiar snake den once again.

In this area, the ground was littered with snake corpses, many of which had been crushed into a bloody mess, turning into patches of minced meat and the stench of blood, resembling a hellish battlefield for snakes.

Some dead snakes still retain nerve reflexes, and from time to time, pieces of their mangled bodies can be seen rolling in the blood and mud.

Zhang Xuezhou, entangled in the wind and waves, did not land directly. He shone his flashlight across the area where the ferocious beast had been, and saw that the area was densely covered with snake corpses. Zhong Rang had been lying on the ground, had completely disappeared.

"I wonder if Committee Member Zhong was involved, or if he took advantage of the chaos to escape!"

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the snake pit, then leaped closer, searching several times but still finding no trace of Zhong Rang.

After calling out twice and confirming there was no response, Zhang Xuezhou stopped searching and scurried into the snake pit.

A pungent, strong stench wafted over, and he put on his breathing mask.

Compared to the previously blocked and difficult-to-pass snake den, the snake den was now much emptier.

Some small snakes still coiled in the snake pit, and there were also piles of snake carcasses deep inside, but the area was wide enough for a person to pass through.

After adjusting his body several times, Zhang Xuezhou had already swept into the snake pit.

Normal flying techniques can only fly up and down, or fly in a straight line to a fixed point. It is difficult to fly up and down suddenly, and it is also difficult to adjust the direction quickly while flying. It is even more difficult to fly close to the ground. Zhang Xuezhou only felt that the Divine Ability power of the cloud-flying technique brought many benefits. Although it did not make him more powerful in direct combat, Zhang Xuezhou's adaptability was indeed first-class.

Even in a complex area like the snake pit, he could move swiftly with his toes barely touching the ground, thus avoiding the accumulated filth.

The flashlight's brightest setting illuminated the snake pit, extending into the distance along this winding passage.

"It's here!"

The entrance to the snake cave is only about the height of a person, but once inside, it becomes much more spacious, resembling some kind of natural cave that has been occupied and modified by snakes.

Zhang Xuezhou whirled and weaved several times, only to find that his space suddenly expanded, becoming as spacious as a basketball court.

The area was piled high with snake feces, emitting a putrid stench, and venomous fluids flowed everywhere.

When Zhang Xuezhou looked up, he saw the bright beam of the flashlight shine through, and several faint white lights appeared on the cave ceiling.

This is the luster of jade, and also the familiar aura of Zhang Xuezhou.