Chapter 76 Deeper into the Mingdou Mountains.
Led by Captain Ma Xiaotao, the group entered the mountains to search for traces of the Hand of Death.
With Ma Xiaotao and other inner court disciples leading the way, their progress was rapid, and by dusk, they had already penetrated deep into the Mingdou Mountains.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Wang Yan reminded Ma Xiaotao, "Let everyone rest and eat something first."
Ma Xiaotao nodded. "Everyone rest where you are. No fires are allowed, lest we alert the enemy. We'll probably have to search through the night."
The students sat together to rest, but Wang Yan quietly left alone.
Wang Yan was also a Soul King, and he wouldn't stray too far, so the others weren't worried about his safety.
"Junior Brother Wu Xuan, did you detect anything with your aura?" After resting for a while, Ma Xiaotao approached and asked.
"Nothing within a radius of nearly four thousand meters. I guess we'll have to go deeper," Wu Xuan replied truthfully, shaking his head. Ma Xiaotao nodded in agreement.
As for why they didn't ask Huo Yuhao, his mental link only had a range of about 300 meters; a reconnaissance range of nearly 10,000 meters would be completely useless.
The sky was growing increasingly dark, and in this forest, it was almost pitch black. Just then, Wang Yan returned.
"Everyone, come quickly! I've found some clues!"
The inner courtyard members were startled; they had found clues so quickly. It seemed they had underestimated their teacher, Wang Yan.
Everyone quickly got up and headed towards the location where Wang Yan had found the clues.
Wang Yan pointed to a withered tree and said, "This is a Wenlan tree, unique to the Mingdou Mountains. The Wenlan tree is a relatively rare species; its heartwood can be used in medicine, and its trunk is as hard as iron, making it ideal for making various kinds of furniture. Its growth requires extremely high air quality."
Ma Xiaotao frowned and asked, "Teacher Wang, what are you trying to say?"
Wang Yan pointed to the Wenlan tree and said, "The heartwood of this Wenlan tree has been taken. For soul masters cultivating Yin-cold martial souls, the heartwood not only has auxiliary effects but also enhances the internal organs' tolerance to Yin-cold soul power. It's an invaluable treasure. The leader of the Hand of Death is an evil soul master; he certainly wouldn't let such a valuable thing go to waste. Therefore, I'm certain the Hand of Death lurks in this area."
Wang Yan's analysis made perfect sense.
Everyone looked at Wang Yan with admiration, surprised that he not only had extensive theoretical knowledge but also such rich experience in the wild.
Ma Xiaotao subconsciously asked, "Teacher Wang, what should we do now? Wait and see?"
Wang Yan shook his head and said, "No, we need to take the initiative. Although it's getting late, the tracks they left in the woods will help us find them quickly."
"Okay." Everyone agreed to Wang Yan's suggestion. They didn't have much time and had to act quickly.
Soon, Wang Yan began searching based on the traces left by the people of Death's Hand, such as broken branches, shallow footprints on the ground, tattered cloths left on tree branches, and traces of blood on thorns.
Following these clues, they gradually walked out of the woods in front of them, moving at a slow pace for more than half an hour.
"Stop." Wu Xuan suddenly raised his hand, his eyes slightly closed before opening them again. "I think I've found their stronghold, about 3,700 meters to the east-west."
Wang Yan's expression brightened, and he immediately stepped forward, saying, "About 3,000 meters. The enemy isn't far away. Everyone, adjust your state and prepare for battle."
"Junior Brother Wu, you're amazing," Ma Xiaotao praised softly. The other inner court students also looked at Wu Xuan with obvious more approval.
Wu Xuan smiled helplessly, "It's just a martial soul talent. Sensing from such a distance is very mentally taxing."
"You're really getting a good deal and still complaining. Your sister Xiaotao wants one but doesn't have one," Ma Xiaotao rolled her eyes speechlessly.
Soon, led by Wu Xuan, the group discovered a cave on a hillside. There were many footprints at the cave entrance, indicating that people frequently entered and exited.
Wang Yan raised his hand and gestured, "If I'm not mistaken, that cave is their lair. When we make our move later, we need to confirm their identities first. Once we've confirmed they're the Hand of Death, you know what to do. The reserve team will stay with me and provide reinforcements. Xiao Tao, the main attack is up to you."
"No problem, leave it to us." A wild flame seemed to be burning in Ma Xiao Tao's pink eyes. Having found their target, all that was left was to take action.
"Teacher Wang, Sister Xiaotao, wait a moment." Wu Xuan stepped forward.
"Wu Xuan! Do you have any more questions?" Wang Yan asked, frowning.
Everyone looked at Wu Xuan.
"Teacher Wang, the high-ranking members of the bandit group we're dealing with this time are a group of organized evil spirit masters. I have something to remind you all: evil spirit masters are best at self-destruction and poisoning. If you can't crush or burn their corpses in time, then you must stay away." Wu Xuan said seriously.
"Junior Brother Wu Xuan! You're overthinking it. Even if four or five evil spirit masters self-destruct, they can't do anything to us." Yao Haoxuan said dismissively.
"So, seniors, are you planning to gamble your bright futures and lives against a bunch of rats in the gutter?" Wu Xuan said with a hint of sarcasm.
The faces of the formal team members changed simultaneously.
"Alright! Let's do as Wu Xuan says. You all have bright futures ahead of you, so it's never wrong to be cautious. Everyone, change your gear!" Wang Yan stepped forward and said.
"Yes!"
Everyone sprang into action, each donning their own Inspector's Ring. Soul power flowed into the ring, causing a faint, eerie green light to flash across its emerald surface, and the contents were retrieved.
Separately for men and women, everyone changed clothes according to gender.
The Inspector's Set included an inner armor, a dark green bodysuit, a dark green mask, and a dark green cloak. Three Shrek Inspector-specific signal flares hung at their waists.
Wang Yan whispered, "Prepare to attack. Xiao Tao, you command the battle. I'll lead the reserves."
"Okay," Ma Xiao Tao immediately agreed.
Crouching slightly, Ma Xiao Tao was the first to dart out. Dai Yueheng and Chen Feng flanked her, and the other four inner court disciples also moved swiftly, maintaining a tight formation as they stealthily slipped out.
A few seconds after they left, Wang Yan waved his hand, leading the reserves to follow.
Inside the cave, five or six bandits lay sprawled, their bodies ablaze. It was undeniable that the identity of the Hand of Death had been confirmed. Ma Xiaotao and the others began their attack.
Just then, a muffled explosion rang out from inside the cave, followed by a cacophony of curses and thuds, along with intense fluctuations of soul power.
Wang Yan quickly led the group towards the direction of the sound.
The cave entrance wasn't large, but the interior was quite spacious. Besides the corpses at the entrance, they continued forward for nearly fifty meters before encountering more pulverized flesh.
A strong stench of blood assaulted their nostrils. Except for Wu Xuan, who was somewhat better off, the other six were all pale-faced.
"Ah—" Jiang Nannan screamed suddenly, her body trembling violently. The others followed her gaze upwards.
What they saw made their faces change color.
On the cave walls on both sides hung more than a dozen human skins, and even the corpse of an infant was pierced and hanging from a stalagmite.
"Bastard!" Wu Xuan, who rarely cursed, was now burning with rage. These bandits didn't even spare a tiny baby; they were utterly inhuman.
Without hesitation, Wu Xuan darted away like an arrow.
"Wu Xuan! Wu Xuan!" Wang Yan shouted, but to no avail.
"Cheer up! These are evil people. Killing one saves countless lives. Hurry and catch up with Wu Xuan!" Wang Yan roared, startling Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan, who were already on edge.
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