Master of Strange Dao

"Big brother, the smell has faded again."

"Don't worry, the smell wasn't drifting from mid-air but carried by the wind from the mountain hollow. They must not be directly ahead."

Yu Ziqing continuously discerned the wind direction, surveyed the mountain hollow's terrain, and led Lou Huai toward the side.

After several two-hour periods, Lou Huai's face suddenly twisted, his throat began to gurgle, and Yu Ziqing knew he had guessed correctly.

As they arrived at a leeward mountain hollow, Yu Ziqing's expression darkened.

"Haven't you noticed something?"

Yu Ziqing glanced around.

"We've been hurrying without rest for several days in these mountains, yet still haven't left them; similarly, we haven't encountered a single demon."

"Big brother, now that you mention it, I hadn't noticed..."

The Abyss was teeming with demons, countless and diverse as stars, not just the few types Yu Ziqing sought.

Logically, such a mountain range should have many demons that favor hiding in environments like this.

Yet they hadn't seen a single one or even sensed any demonic aura.

Something was definitely odd.

Gazing out, all they saw was an expanse of mountains, with no edge in sight.

Yu Ziqing silently heightened his vigilance.

As they entered a dense forest, not a chirp or tweet could be heard, indicating something more dangerous lurked here, causing birds and insects to flee.

Alternatively, the place might've been so devoid of life that even insects couldn't survive.

The same principle seemed to apply here.

Furthermore, demons were rarely left starving, and those requiring sustenance would hunt other demons.

Thus, there was likely something even more dangerous that kept demons away.

Yet the Yin Family's people had been brought here.

Yu Ziqing recalled the list he had compiled; none of the Sealed Items marked by Feng Buju with an estimated suppression range matched.

Among the Sealed Items without a known range, only a few names existed.

Upon closer calculation, there were seven or eight, each formidable in its own right.

Yu Ziqing felt that on his own, it would be challenging, so he decided to investigate first and then call for backup once he had clarity.

Lou Huai, downwind, already had a pale face from the stench, looking like he wanted to vomit but couldn't.

No matter what, he planned to find out the source of this poison and keep some at home.

When encountering Human Devils in the future, it could prove far more useful than any poison.

Ideally, he would research it, remove the toxins, and leave it as a foul odor detectable by Human Devils, creating a Human Devil-specific poison.

While at it, he could try capturing some demons to see if they could smell it.

If it proved universally effective against all Devils, it would be a powerful weapon.

"You stay here and keep watch. Don't follow me." Yu Ziqing instructed, then silently proceeded ahead.

Lou Huai hesitated, but his continually gurgling abdomen and throat stopped him from speaking up.

He could only keep watch nearby.

Moments later, Yu Ziqing relied solely on his physical power to move, landing silently, leaving not a trace or footprint behind.

His extensive practice and numerous battles with the village chief, enduring more blows than Er Han, hadn't been in vain.

Passing a fork in the mountain hollow, he glanced sideways and saw that a mountain ahead had been hollowed out, with a vast flat area within the belly of the mountain, densely packed with people sitting there.

He even spotted several motionless bodies without any chest movement, likely already deceased.

A quick glance showed hundreds of people, both old and young, each appearing in a poor state, as if it took all their strength just to sit up.

He noticed that some people's clothing bore notable Yin Family marks at the cuffs and collars.

They should be the ones then.

Yu Ziqing didn't make any rash moves, squinting quietly to observe.

Besides the Yin Family members, a few Black Robed Men guarded them, and Yu Ziqing avoided direct gazes, using only his peripheral vision not to be detected.

Following the crowd's direction, a deeper area seemed to lead underground, with a faint, eerie aura emanating from there.

Yu Ziqing surmised it was the site where a Sealed Item was suppressed.

Patiently waiting for nightfall, Yu Ziqing, like a gecko, lurked in the shadows, inching towards the giant cavern bit by bit.

He waited calmly until one of the Black Robed Men took out a Crystal Stone. The dim glow slightly illuminated the cave at that moment.

Yu Ziqing then stuck quietly to the cave wall, hanging upside down from the cave's ceiling, silently advancing inward.

In that shift from darkness to light, everyone needed time to adapt; as long as they didn't see him, Yu Ziqing wasn't worried about being sensed.

There were too many people here; without using Qi Blood Power, a purely physical body cultivator with silent Qi-Blood, remaining hidden should have been easy.

Most Body Cultivators, however, were unsuited for such tasks.

After another two-hour period, Yu Ziqing's form silently passed through the cave and reached the depths, where a dark pit led underground.