"It seems that the Sect's training of these people is somehow related to this Human Demon..." Yuan Ming muttered to himself and followed along.
A group of people searched all night and ultimately found nothing.
"Hey, Beast Slave, did you really see a Human Demon?" As dawn broke, everyone stopped searching, and Kun Tu, somewhat displeased, asked Yuan Ming.
"What Human Demon?" Yuan Ming feigned confusion.
"The monster you described last night!" Kun Tu said angrily.
"If I hadn't seen that monster, how could I have described it?" Yuan Ming retorted.
That comment stopped Kun Tu, leaving him without an excuse to be angry.
"According to the information from the Sect, the Human Demon shouldn't be active in this area," Ba Da said.
"Perhaps the situation has changed, and the feedback from the Execution Hall's investigation might not be accurate," Chen Wan suggested.
Yuan Ming hesitated for a moment before speaking, "If by Human Demon you mean the creature I saw last night, then, as early as last year, someone had already encountered it."
"What did you say? Last year... where?" Chen Wan asked anxiously, the others also looked over with varying expressions.
Yuan Ming then recounted the attack on Hagon to them.
"How is that possible?" Yang Chan said incredulously.
Kun Tu turned to look at Wu Bao, who subtly nodded, serving as a confirmation of what Yuan Ming had said.
"If that's the case, then the Human Demon has been active longer and in a wider area than the Sect told us, which is certainly not good news," Chen Wan said, her expression growing more serious.
"So... should we report this to the Sect?" Ba Da asked tentatively.
"Report? Why should we report? Isn't it better if only we know this information?" Kun Tu countered.
"If we don't report it, other members might be caught off guard and attacked," Chen Wan said.
"Sister Chen Wan, don't forget, this trial is crucial for us to become Inner Sect Disciples smoothly. If we go back to report and delay our progress, allowing others to get ahead..." Kun Tu mused.
He did not directly contradict Chen Wan, but his words made her expression change.
Seeing that Chen Wan stopped speaking, Kun Tu's lips twitched, revealing a scornful smile.
Afterward, the group's pace slowed down as they continued to search for the Human Demon while also moving forward.
However, taking two days longer than expected, they ultimately didn't encounter the Human Demon again.
A thunderclap exploded, and a streak of snow-white lightning lit up the high skies, briefly tearing a gap in the gloomy, pitch-black sky.
The drizzle began to fall, immediately shrouding the once tranquil forest with the sound of dense rain, and the air began to fill with the smell of dust and green grass.
Kun Tu looked up at the leaden clouds almost touching the treetops and rode the Green Wolf over to Chen Wan.
"Junior Sister, given the look of these clouds, the rain wouldn't be light, and it's already getting late. Why don't we find a place to rest for now and continue on once the rain stops?" he suggested.
"Yuan Ming, is there a suitable place nearby to take shelter and rest?" Chen Wan turned to Yuan Ming and asked.
Throughout the journey, she had come to recognize Yuan Ming's skill in leading the way.
Under Yuan Ming's guidance, though they hadn't found the Human Demon these past few days, they had also not encountered much attack from fierce beasts, making good use of their time.
Although Kun Tu and Yang Chan still looked down on this Fur Beast Slave, they also instinctively cast inquiring looks at him.
"I haven't been to this area before, we'll just have to walk and see," Yuan Ming said.
Chen Wan, hearing this, wasn't too disappointed and nodded her head, continuing on.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the thunder grew more frequent, and the rain grew heavier.
The light in the forest dimmed, the surroundings foggy and pitch darkness settled in, and the temperature dropped further.
Just then, Yuan Ming saw a large dark shadow in the mountains ahead. He wiped the rain from his face and was trying to look closely when a flash of lightning illuminated the area.
"There seems to be a house over there." Yuan Ming pointed to the shadow and shouted.
Saying this, he led everyone hurriedly towards it.
Upon approaching, he could see clearly that it was a dilapidated building.
A lower half of the building's walls was made of rock, while the upper half was built with adobe. The plaster was peeling severely, covered with pits and various-sized holes.
"This style of house, could it be a temple worshipped by the Wild Men?" Wu Bao, who had been mostly silent in the group, suddenly spoke up.
The temple had no grand entrance, only an empty portal that led into pitch darkness, obscuring everything from view.
Yuan Ming reached into his robe to fetch a fire stick to light his way when suddenly, a "whoosh" sounded beside his ear, and a fist-sized fireball flew into the temple.
"Fireball Technique?" Yuan Ming instinctively turned around and saw that Chen Wan was the caster.
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Immediately after, another "whoosh" echoed, and three or four more fireballs flew into the temple, illuminating the interior brightly.
Yuan Ming entered the temple and saw it was empty, almost devoid of any furnishings, with thick dust covering the floors and walls, making the place look desolate and rundown.
Turning around, he saw a three-foot-high altar with a mud sculpture of a divine statue on it.
This divine statue was unlike any ordinary one, with a tiger's back and a wolf's waist, two heads, and four arms. It exuded not an ounce of solemnity but instead looked sinister and sneaky.
Upon closer inspection, Yuan Ming noticed that one of the heads on its shoulders was that of a fox, and the other, a wild wolf.
The damage to the statue was severe, with its wooden framework and straw stuffing exposed in many places, suggesting it had been abandoned for a long time.
"Good, good... the roof is intact. Let's rest here for the night," Ba Da, surveying the surroundings, was evidently pleased with the place.
"Wu Bao, you go out and bring back some meat. Yuan Ming, you'll gather firewood," Kun Tu commanded.
Wu Bao hurriedly ran out, and Yuan Ming obediently went to collect firewood.
Before long, two bonfires were set up in the temple. One was surrounded by Kun Tu and a few registered disciples, and the other was sat opposite by Yuan Ming and Wu Bao.
Wu Bao was diligently tending to the wild boar roasting over the fire, while Yuan Ming closed his eyes to rest, not uttering a word.
Just then, Kun Tu suddenly looked towards Yuan Ming and instructed, "Yuan Ming, you're on guard duty for the first half of the night. Go stand watch outside."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming opened his eyes and stepped outside.
The rain outside continued to drizzle down, and intermittent bursts of thunder lit up the night sky.
Yuan Ming stood by the temple portal, leaning against the wall. The short and shallow eaves overhead hardly shielded all the rain, and soon his clothes were soaked through.
The cold mountain wind cut right through him; even Yuan Ming felt a bone-chilling cold, dispelling any semblance of sleepiness, leaving him only to stare into the pitch-dark woodland night.
The chatter from Chen Wan and others drifted out from the temple, and Yuan Ming, listening intently, quickly caught the gist of it.
It turned out that not only Chen Wan and a few others were here in Ten Thousand Mountains as registered disciples, at least over a hundred from the Sect had participated in this trial.
Their goal for the trial was to hunt the Human Demon.
According to Kun Tu, their performance in this trial might even determine whether the elders would notice them, and whether they might become direct disciples, that is, Inner Sect Disciples.
Though not entirely aware of the specifics, Yuan Ming guessed that this must be a great honor; otherwise, these people wouldn't risk so much venturing into Ten Thousand Mountains.
In the pitch-black rainy night, without the moon visible, it was hard to discern the time.
Suddenly, Yuan Ming smelled a rich scent of meat emanating from inside the temple and immediately wrinkled his nose, looking inside.
He saw Kun Tu and others still seated together chatting, while above the bonfire in front of Wu Bao, the roasted wild boar had turned golden-red, glistening with a shiny gleam, sizzling with fat, and was irresistibly appetizing.
"Didn't expect this guy to be quite the cook," Yuan Ming couldn't help but express his admiration.
Just then, he noticed Wu Bao's forehead was sweating, his face seemed tense, and his eyes occasionally darted towards Kun Tu and the others.
While he was surprised at why Wu Bao was acting so sneaky, Wu Bao suddenly turned his head to look his way.
Yuan Ming immediately turned around, back facing the temple door, looking every part the diligent guard.
After pausing for two breaths, Yuan Ming suddenly turned back just in time to see Wu Bao, trembling, pulling out a small porcelain bottle from his robe, removing its stopper, and sprinkling the liquid inside over the roasting wild boar.
"What is he trying to do?" Yuan Ming wondered to himself.
He furrowed his brow and sniffed the air again, not detecting anything unusual. Combined with Wu Bao's guilty demeanor, he knew it couldn't be a spice, increasing his suspicion.
"Could it be poison?" Yuan Ming's brow furrowed deeply.
Just then, Wu Bao's gaze shifted back towards him.
Yuan Ming, already alert, had turned his back again, his mind churning with various thoughts.
"Wu Bao, this chap, wouldn't dare to poison these registered disciples unless he doesn't want to live, right?" Yuan Ming's mind raced.
But obviously, a leader who could rally and ascend to such a position wouldn't seek death for no reason.
Yuan Ming's brow remained furrowed as he was about to turn and report the matter when a sudden alarm blared in his mind:
"Right, there's no way Wu Bao doesn't want to live. He must have been emboldened to do this by someone else's orders, so the person behind this..."
Yuan Ming's eyes darted around, finally resting on Kun Tu.