Chapter 76, Ambush the Hunter 

Translator: Tamon

 

Behind Augury Sect’s mountain was a secret cave.

 

The shriveled old woman opened her eyes. An air of death lingered on her brow, a sign of her ending.

 

“I’m out of time.” He Luohua sighed.

 

She was a Golden Core Ancestor and couldn’t leave her cave on a whim, for each outing spent her lifespan. She knew that better than anyone.

 

The fight left her battered on top of using up the little vitality she had left. In six months, she would leave this world. All she could do now was handle her affairs.

 

Recalling Augury Sect’s current state, her heart was vexed.

 

From disciples to elders, all had twisted ambitions unfit to take the lead.

 

Her only hope was to capture the demon and hand it over to the Snake Catchers Sect to ensure the continued protection of the Augury Sect.

 

“I have the demon snake’s scales. Maybe I can use it to find it through the Thousand Leagues Spirit Search.” He Luohua’s eyes shone.

 

In her current condition, she couldn’t even do that, needing to leave it to another. He Luohua stood to do just that.

 

A shadow formed before her, bearing a creepy grin. “So this is where you’re hiding, you old crone.”

 

He Luohua widened and jumped back as a gaunt palm extended from the darkness after her.

 

…

 

In the southern forests of the Chu Kingdom, two snakes and a wounded human rushed through the trees.

 

Xu Hei checked his surroundings but had to leave with a hung head, having found no clue about his tracker.

 

If Hei Huang was here, his dog nose might’ve found them out.

 

[The damn mutt had to run off somewhere for a whole month!] He sighed.

 

“Senior, you need not hold me so. I’m wanted by the Snake Catchers Sect, and they’ll kill me on sight. I won’t flee.”

 

The bundle of ropes on the stoneman’s shoulder spoke from within the burlap sack on his head.

 

“You can still talk?”

 

Xu Hei was amazed. The guy was beaten to an inch of his life, black and blue, and had broken bones for good measure, yet he still had the leisure to talk.

 

“Senior’s recovery pill is mighty. I used a mere fraction of its potency and already recovered somewhat.” Xiao Qiu forced a smile.

 

Xu Hei’s face twitched, and he glanced at Xu Bai.

 

“I told you my pills are great. Everyone knows it.” Xu Bai was mighty proud of herself.

 

Xu Hei had no comment.

 

Xiao Qiu was too honest to lie, but Xu Hei didn’t free him, wanting to observe him for longer.

 

“The tracker might just follow after us. I need to do something.”

 

Instead of going straight for his target, Xu Hei took the two all over the mountain, touring the dangerous areas. He lingered there enough to leave his trace, before leaving again.

 

The others were perplexed, but Xu Hei didn’t explain, just winding all over the place, making sure to visit the places with strong demon energy.

 

He wasn’t as reckless as before, driven to keep his head down and flee. He made sure to leave some mixed signals to throw off his tracker.

 

Every dangerous area was checked.

 

Even after all this time living in the mountains, Xu Hei would never declare he knew all its dangers, but he knew the situation.

 

He wasn’t overdoing it with the trickery either, to avoid raising suspicion in his tracker. He’d go out of his way to cover it up, giving the tracker the wrong idea that they were on the right track.

 

After all the twists, turns, and ploys, Xu Hei wasn’t assured he could throw off everyone who may or may not be after him, just the more reckless type.

 

He didn’t know who was after him or how many. Everything was done as an insurance.

 

…

 

When nightfall came over Xu Hei’s previous lair, twenty people appeared in the air.

 

They all wore a snake catcher’s trademark robe, led by five youths in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

 

The very first was even at the late level.

 

The five were Xuan Yangzi’s direct disciples.

 

Hua Yuntian, the youngest, was there along with his partner from his chase of Xiao Qiu, Wang Pin, the third disciple.

 

“Humph, so this is the place Zhao Wenzhuo mentioned. Guess he was right.”

 

The leader, Head Disciple Wu Mochou, waved. (Tamon: mochou lit. means ‘no worry’)

 

The two caves’ ceilings were yanked off.

 

Xu Hei covered his tracks, but signs he cultivated here were still present, along with a trace of Spiritual Energy.

 

“Is this really where the demon hid?”

 

Hua Yuntian was baffled. He’d passed it just a couple of days back.

 

“Most likely. Zhao Wenzhuo must’ve been good at divining to have such results.” Wu Mochou spoke.

 

“We’re one step behind. The demon left.” A girl sighed.

 

“Should we ask Zhao Wenzhuo to divine again?” Wang Ping proposed.

 

Wu Mochou landed and inspected the trace of Spiritual Energy. His eyes narrowed.

 

“The demon shouldn’t be half a day ahead of us. Each of us leads a team and splits up to search. You are to signal the others the moment you find anything.”

 

“Yes!”

 

The other four split up to scout the area.

 

…

 

Chasing down a demon with half a day’s lead was nothing with their ample experience.

 

Yet this was no ordinary demon.

 

Hua Yuntian’s team went east. In their search, using Snake Catchers Sect’s secret art, they got a response in the form of a snake’s scent.

 

“I’m going to stumble upon it?” Hua Yuntian started.

 

He still feared the demon, but it wasn’t enough to curb his desire to take some sweet credit.

 

The team pursued for fifteen kilometers before a swamp.

 

“The scent is gone. Is it hiding in the mud?”

 

Hua Yuntian glanced over the swamp.

 

Alligators broke the swamp’s surface, opening their jagged maws to feast on their lives.

 

“Terror Gator King!” Hua Yuntian’s team panicked.

 

The alligator was expert at hiding, blending with the mud so well that not even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would spot it at a glance.

 

The mistake had Hua Yuntian’s leg stuck between the jaws of one, but the defensive magic treasure saved him.

 

The others weren’t so fortunate, dragged beneath the swamp and torn limb from limb.

 

…

 

A girl led her team of five southeast to a thicket filled with odd flowers.

 

One of them swatted an annoying bee.

 

“Don’t!” The leader shouted. Too little, too late.

 

A swarm of killer bees came out of nowhere and assaulted them like mad.

 

…

 

The weirdest of things happened to all the teams.

 

The sharpest and nimblest of them avoided the danger, while the poor devils suffered for their stupidity, dying in the most gruesome ways possible.

 

“Curses, we’ve been played!”

 

Head Senior Brother Wu Mochou realized he was toyed with.

 

Up ahead was Scorching Eagle’s turf, a mighty Foundation Establishment demon. It might not be so tough, but everyone knew it was a pack animal. Killing one sent the whole flock into a frenzy.

 

The demon’s scent cut off, a clear sign he was egged on coming here.

 

The worst of it all was that the scent was clearly covered up, and he bought it hook, line, and sinker!

 

“Fall back!”

 

Wu Mochou took out four sending jades and threw them into the air with his message.

 

He discovered the danger in time, but what about the others?

 

Xuan Yangzi’s five direct disciples were proud geniuses, but talent didn’t equal wisdom. Some of them were but a few years over a decade. How could they spot a trap?

 

A shame his warning came a little late.

 

A boom rattled the skies and earth as demonic energy exploded out of nowhere.

 

The second disciple, Liu Fei, burned his blood to run like mad over to him. “Senior Brother, save me!”

 

Behind him was a huge wild mammoth, outraged as it stomped after the snake catchers.

 

“Just die, foul humans!”

 

The wild mammoth would never forget these humans in snake catcher robes and would make sure to slaughter them on sight.

 

He blew his trumpet, letting out terrifying sound waves that had two men bleed out from every orifice on their faces, dying on the spot.

 

“Peak Foundation Establishment?” Wu Mochou darkened.

 

…

 

Xu Hei had gone out of his way to lay no less than ten fake leads in every direction.

 

The fake leads were nothing to a true cultivator, yet positively deadly on some.

 

[That’ll do for now. The more we stall, the better.] Xu Hei thought.

 

Xiao Qiu was dumbstruck since a while ago, gawking at Xu Hei’s twisted handiwork, too speechless to even know where to begin.

 

[How devious and insidious can you get?]

 

On his way to the new cave, Xu Hei wasn’t convinced after all that there even were trackers. All of it was insurance.

 

[The snake catchers must have generational misfortune to meet such a blight.]

 

Xu Hei had one last trick up his scales.

 

A Foundation Establishment cultivator could survive the fake leads’ danger with enough defensive items or methods. In the true spirit of cruelty, however, would’ve been to lead them to that abandoned mine and trigger the Ravenous Spirit Ants.

 

There’d be no escape from that.

 

Yet Xu Hei didn’t want to reveal it to anyone. Something told him it held juicy secrets.