Chapter 111 - 102: The Fog Grows Denser
"So this is the power of the Peak of Qi Sect Realm. We’re completely outmatched!"
The group sprinted frantically into the tunnel for a while. Only then did Nie Yun have a moment to recall the danger they had just faced, and a cold sweat broke out on his brow.
’If I didn’t know the habits of the Demon Race like the back of my hand, if I wasn’t a Healer, if Luo Qingcheng and the others hadn’t opened the tunnel at that exact moment... the three of us probably wouldn’t have made it out alive today!’
’A single Demon at the Peak of Qi Sect is that formidable, and there are two more of them behind us, plus one at the Peak of Armor Realm. The crisis is far from over!’
"Huh? Why is the fog in here even thicker than before?"
Just as this thought crossed Nie Yun’s mind, he heard a surprised voice from nearby. Turning to look, he realized that the gray, hazy atmosphere here was even denser than before. Previously, without using his Tracking Qi, he could see for three meters. Now, he couldn’t even see a single meter ahead!
"I can only see a distance of three meters around me!" his father’s voice rang out.
’Father is at the Early-Stage Qi Sect Realm and he can only see three meters. Doesn’t that mean everyone else is basically blind?’ Nie Yun wore a strange expression. He never imagined that the tunnel they’d struggled to find would be like this.
’I’ll try my Tracking Qi again.’
He released his Tracking Qi once more. After sensing with it for a moment, Nie Yun couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although the fog here was thicker, it didn’t have much of an effect on his Tracking Qi. He could still see things over a thousand meters away.
’This area is quite a bit smaller than the last one. Hmm? These look like traps, don’t they?’
Looking around for a moment, Nie Yun suddenly noticed some stones on the ground ahead that were clearly different from their surroundings, and an idea sparked in his mind.
In his past life, everyone knew his Disguise Technique was second to none, but few knew that his mastery of traps and mechanisms was also unfathomably deep!
Traps were divided into two main categories: mechanical and Array-based!
Mechanical-type traps used mechanical power, had limited killing potential, and tended to deteriorate over time, greatly reducing their potency. Array-based types, however, were powered by Energy Stones or Demon Cores and would remain just as powerful even after hundreds or thousands of years.
Based on his observations, the ones before him were a combination of mechanical and Array-based traps. An unsuspecting person only needed to step on these special stones to trigger the mechanisms, leading to immense danger.
’This Luoo Qu was truly ruthless!’
After just a few glances, Nie Yun discovered that once triggered, even a Peak Powerhouse of Armor Realm might not be able to withstand these traps. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.
’I wonder what kind of treasures this Luoo Qu hid in his tomb. He claimed it was for his descendants, but he set up so many traps. Truly terrifying!’
’With my Tracking Qi, my field of vision is wide open, allowing me to see everything clearly. Combined with my knowledge of traps, I can avoid them, but others can’t. I’m afraid that even a Peak Powerhouse of Qi Sect would suffer greatly if they got caught in this endless maze of traps!’
’Hmm? Peak of Qi Sect?’
A sinister laugh escaped him. ’Isn’t this the perfect welcome gift for the so-called King Ning and King Tong?’
At this thought, Nie Yun was so excited he almost jumped for joy.
’I can see a thousand meters ahead, but King Ning and King Tong can’t. In here, they’re as blind as bats! I can lead them right into the traps and give them a proper welcome!’
"Alright, everyone hold hands and follow me!"
With this plan in mind, Nie Yun chuckled inwardly. He gave his quiet instructions, and once again felt a warmth in his palm as a small, warm hand slipped into his.
Nie Yun knew Luo Qingcheng had done it intentionally. A warmth spread through his chest, and without saying anything more, he squeezed her soft hand and strode forward.
After leading the group forward for a while, carefully bypassing the stones that would trigger the traps, Nie Yun came to a halt.
"You all wait here. I’ll go lure King Ning and the others over!"
Having sprinted frantically after entering the tunnel, the group had left King Ning and his men far behind. Nie Yun used his Tracking Qi to look back and saw them cautiously advancing about seven or eight hundred meters away. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Be careful..." Luo Qingcheng said softly, squeezing his hand.
"I will, don’t worry." Nie Yun smiled faintly, gently extricated his hand from hers, and vanished into the fog ahead with a swift movement.
"Damn it! Why is this accursed place still like this? I can’t see a thing!"
King Ning bellowed in fury, feeling his Spiritual Power was limited to a radius of just three meters.
It was precisely because of the poor visibility that those humans had managed to outwit them. They had lost five subordinates right under the noses of two mighty Peak Powerhouses of Qi Sect! The utter disgrace was driving him insane.
"Those despicable humans! I’ll kill every last one of them!" King Tong roared, having now understood how they were baited with the gold bricks.
"Let’s move slowly this time," King Ning said, summing up the lesson they had learned. "No one is to pick up any gold bars if we see them again. And under no circumstances are we to split up. Let’s see what other tricks they have up their sleeves!"
The reason they fell for it before was because of greed, which caused them to separate. Once they were separated, their combat strength was weakened. Otherwise, how could a few humans with such low Cultivation possibly have gotten the upper hand!
Therefore, as long as they weren’t greedy and didn’t separate, it wouldn’t matter how many tricks those humans had!
"Right. No matter what, we won’t split up. The moment we find those lowly humans, we’ll attack together and kill them all!" King Tong agreed.
"Good, let’s go! Who knows how far those treacherous humans have gotten. We have to get ahead of them and find the treasure..." King Ning roared viciously. But before his words had even faded, he heard the faint sound of footsteps in the distance.
"Not another word!" Making a hushing gesture, King Ning and King Tong exchanged a glance, each seeing the excitement in the other’s eyes.
’Right now, it’s just us and that group of humans in the Luoo Qu Tomb. Footsteps mean they’re close!’
"Heh heh, I never thought those Demons would be so dumb. A few gold bricks was all it took to leave them completely dazed. They should be here any second. Let’s throw down some more gold. I’ll have some fun messing with them!"
A deliberately hushed voice drifted out from the fog ahead.
"We threw gold bricks last time. If we do it again, I’m afraid they won’t fall for it!" a doubtful voice replied.
"Don’t worry. Those two Demons at the Peak of Qi Sect are morons. They’ll definitely fall for it!" the first voice laughed.
"I hope so. I’m just worried that since they were tricked once, they won’t split up this time. If that happens, we’ll be in real danger facing two Peak Powerhouses of Qi Sect Realm!" the second voice said worriedly.
"Not splitting up? That is a problem. Okay, here’s the plan: first, we’ll lay the gold bars in a single line. Then, we’ll have the line slowly diverge, but not too far apart—about seven meters. The small gap should lower their guard. We’ll hide in the middle where they can’t see us. If they split up to follow the two paths, we’ll gradually widen the distance and ambush one of them. If they don’t split up, we’ll just sneak away. In any case, we’ll be hidden in the middle, more than three meters from them, so they won’t be able to see us!"
The first voice laid out the plan.
"Alright, let’s do it. Time to move!" The second person seemed to approve of this plan. He laughed, and immediately after, they heard the RUSTLE RUSTLE of gold bars falling to the ground up ahead.
"Hmph! Trying to scheme against us? In your dreams!" King Ning sneered. "King Tong, in a moment, we’ll walk right down the middle and capture those two alive!"
"But of course. After we capture them alive, I’ll refine them into Puppets. They’ll learn the price of offending me!" King Tong also sneered, and the three of them crept forward quietly.
