Chapter 335: Lei Luo and Lei Ba

Walking with the group at the foot of the mountain, Shen Daoxing sensed something and calmly turned to glance at the peak behind them.

He then slowly made his way to the rear of the column, approaching Ma Wan and asking casually, as if to pass the time, "Senior, are there many bandits in the Jiuli Mountain Range?"

Ma Wan glanced around, paused, then nodded. "Of course. The Jiuli Mountain Range is fraught with danger. Even people from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land are unwilling to enter, so it's become a favorite haunt for Evil Cultivators. They love to prey on merchant caravans like ours, heading to Cangzhou."

At this point, Ma Wan's expression suddenly turned grim. "And among them, the brothers Lei Luo and Lei Ba are the most vicious and terrifying. Not only are they both masters at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Transformation Realm, but they've also stepped into the Realm of the Ultimate Way. One is an exceptional swordsman, and the other is a master of controlling demonic beasts."

"I'd wager that no caravan entering the Jiuli Mountain Range ever wants to run into them," Ma Wan added gravely after a short pause.

"Oh? The brothers Lei Luo and Lei Ba?"

Hearing this, Shen Daoxing once again gave the mountaintop behind them a meaningful look. But he made no move, instead slowly returning to the middle of the column.

After that, Chu Guifeng led the group onward. Fortunately, they still didn't encounter any demonic beasts along the way.

But while they didn't run into any demonic beasts, they did discover more bodies.

Chu Guifeng looked down at the two bodies on the ground, a man and a woman, his brows furrowing. "These are two Swordsmen from Da Yao's team. Both were masters at the Eighth Layer of the Spirit Transformation Realm."

"But clearly, the Swordsman who killed them was far more skilled. Both were killed in a single strike."

Beside them, Ma Wan knelt down to examine the wounds on the two bodies, his expression grim.

As he spoke, Ma Wan reached out and touched one of the bodies. "And the wounds are fresh. They must have been killed just moments ago!"

Just then, Chu Guifeng seemed to catch a scent. He twitched his nose, then started in shock. "This is the scent of Illusory Winged Moth pollen! It's the brothers, Lei Luo and Lei Ba."

"What?!"

Ma Wan's face instantly became grave, and he scanned his surroundings warily.

"Quick, quick! We need to get moving and leave this place! It's not safe here."

Chu Guifeng scrambled to his feet and gave the order.

"But, Leader Chu, it's already getting late. Traveling now is very dangerous," Qian Gui said, walking over with a worried expression.

"No!"

Chu Guifeng, however, shook his head repeatedly. "The brothers Lei Luo and Lei Ba are far more terrifying than a night in the Jiuli Mountain Range. Those two fiends have always been ruthless and cruel, slaughtering people without a second thought. If we run into them, not a single one of us will survive."

As he spoke, Chu Guifeng glanced down at the two bodies again. "Besides, these two died only a short while ago. They're probably nearby."

Instantly, no one hesitated. They all got to their feet. Though the sky was now completely dark, not a single person stopped moving.

Chu Guifeng led the team through the mountain paths, guided only by the faint moonlight. To conceal their tracks, they didn't even light any torches.

Fortunately for them, even on such a dangerous night in the Jiuli Mountain Range, they were not attacked by a single demonic beast.

Before long, Chu Guifeng led them to a mountain hollow.

The hollow was filled with trees and overgrown with shrubs, looking like an extremely secluded spot.

Seeing that it was very late and everyone was exhausted from the day's journey, Chu Guifeng raised a hand, signaling for the group to stop.

Then, Chu Guifeng turned to the group. "This isn't our usual route. It's extremely hidden. Even the brothers Lei Luo and Lei Ba would have a hard time finding us. We'll rest here for the night."

Hearing this, the group, who had been traveling for a full day and into the night, finally relaxed.

"Ma Wan, Luo An, Tai. The four of us will take turns on watch tonight." Chu Guifeng did not let his guard down, however, and issued his orders.

Ma Wan, Luo An, and Tai all nodded at the same time.

Tents were slowly pitched, one by one, but Chu Guifeng still forbade anyone from lighting a campfire.

"Here, kid!"

Ma Wan waved his hand, tossing a bag of dry rations in front of Shen Daoxing. He said indifferently, "Make it last. We still have a long way to go. And don't be picky. This is the wilderness, not some rich family's mansion."

"Thanks!"

Shen Daoxing gave a slight smile and offered his thanks.

Just as everyone was gnawing on their dry rations, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat rushed back from a distance. It moved like a gray arc, returning to Shen Daoxing's arms at a speed no one could see. Its belly was already bulging.

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat looked up from Shen Daoxing's arms and let out a few squeaks, as if showing off.

Shen Daoxing smiled slightly and reached out to pat its tiny head. "Good job."

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat gave a satisfied squeak and burrowed contentedly into Shen Daoxing's robes.

"Leader Chu, the nights in the Jiuli Mountain Range don't seem as terrifying as you said. We haven't run into any danger all evening," Luo An remarked with a faint smile, approaching Chu Guifeng.

Hearing this, Ma Wan nodded. "It is a bit strange. We've been traveling for so long tonight without seeing a single demonic beast. In the past, we would have been targeted by quite a few of them by now."

"Still, whatever the reason, it's a good thing for us," Qian Gui said with a relaxed smile.

Chu Guifeng nodded and fell into thought. It was true for the daytime as well; they hadn't encountered a single demonic beast all day.

'He recalled how they had run into four or five Spirit Transformation Realm demonic beasts in a row right after entering the Jiuli Mountain Range, not to mention that terrifying Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Wolf Pack.'

'So how had it gotten safer the deeper they went into the Jiuli Mountain Range?'

The question puzzled Chu Guifeng.

'He had previously assumed it was because Chi Yi's rampage had scared off all the nearby demonic beasts.'

'But for them to go an entire day without seeing a single one... that was just too unusual.'

But Chu Guifeng quickly snapped out of his thoughts.

"Even so, we can't let our guard down. This is the Jiuli Mountain Range. One careless mistake could cost you your life. Don't forget the wolf pack from the other day. We'll take turns on watch tonight, and there's no room for carelessness," Chu Guifeng said seriously, his eyes sweeping over the group.

Ma Wan, Luo An, and Tai all nodded at the same time.

Meanwhile, as the men were talking, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat in Shen Daoxing's arms comfortably patted its large belly and couldn't help but let out a small burp. Clearly, it had eaten its fill while it was out.

Time passed. After hastily eating their dry rations, everyone retired to their tents to sleep. They had to keep traveling tomorrow morning and needed to be well-rested.

Shen Daoxing was no exception.

Chu Guifeng and the three Darts Masters took up positions at the four corners of the camp. He sat on a large boulder, watching every blade of grass and every leaf around them, not relaxing his vigilance in the slightest.