Chapter 492: Someone Got There First

The mountain range undulated. Jumping down from the spirit beast's back, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and immediately felt the surrounding spiritual energy rolling, indeed much denser than elsewhere.

"Almost twice as much!"

He judged inwardly.

No wonder Luo Zhu, Jin Conghai, and the others had said there were many spirit beasts here. With such rich spiritual energy, cultivation would yield twice the results with half the effort, and it could indeed attract many big fellows to claim the mountains as their own.

Whether spirit beasts or savage beasts, they were like humans, also fond of places abundant in spiritual energy.

His Eye of Insight flickering, Zhang Xuan glanced around.

Sure enough, he spotted many traces left by savage beasts and spirit beasts.

"Hmm? Why so many footprints?"

Suddenly, his eyes stopped.

On the ground not far away, there were not only hoofprints and claw marks of savage beasts but also human footprints, densely packed, at least a dozen or more. Moreover, judging by the moisture of the soil, they had been made not long ago.

"Someone has passed by. Could they also know about the Witch Soul Tomb?"

Seeing these footprints too, Jin Conghai frowned.

Within a radius of two kilometers, they were already about to step into the territory of the Yao Chen Beast. Logically, in such a dangerous place, one should stay as far away as possible. How could anyone willingly come here to die?

Unless driven by greater interests... That is, it was highly possible that others also knew about the Witch Soul Tomb.

This ancient profession, though eerie, represented the heritage of a civilization. If the tomb's location was exposed, it would definitely attract countless strong practitioners.

Just like the auction of the Soul-Less Golden Man had attracted countless forces.

"Impossible! The location of the Witch Soul Tomb is extremely secret. Even I, after finding relevant information, searched for a long time before locating it. No one else could know. Moreover, when I left, I sealed the tomb and left no traces..."

Luo Zhu shook his head.

The Witch Soul heritage had been severed since ancient times. The reason he knew about it was that he had obtained information from an ancient tomb.

The ancestors of that tomb's owner had participated in the construction of the Witch Soul Tomb and left a few words. Based on that, he had spent no small amount of effort before finding the location.

He didn't believe anyone else could be so lucky.

"Then these footprints..." Jin Conghai was puzzled.

"I don't know either..." Although he was sure the exact location of the Witch Soul Tomb wouldn't be exposed, seeing these fresh footprints still worried Luo Zhu.

"Are these footprints heading in the right direction?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Yes..." After discerning the direction, Luo Zhu said.

"Then don't dwell on it. Let's go over and see!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Since someone had beaten them to it, they should go and take a look. If they could share information, that would be best; if not, they could think of other ways.

Besides, they were just footprints; it didn't necessarily mean they had found the Witch Soul Tomb.

"Yes!"

The group nodded and walked forward.

"The footprints are increasing..."

As they advanced, the density of footprints became noticeably greater, indicating that many people had gathered here.

"These footprints are very shallow, and the distance between each step is roughly the same... This shows a strong control over nature. Even if not deliberate, they can measure accurately. Therefore, the people who left these footprints are probably at least at the Mortal Transformation Second or Third Layer!"

Looking down at the footprints, Jin Conghai said.

As a poison master, he had been chased for thousands of miles and had specifically studied such things, so his judgment of these clues was very accurate.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He hadn't studied tracking-related knowledge, but with the Eye of Insight, he could still roughly discern the cultivation level of the footprint owners.

"Young master, if we encounter danger, immediately summon your beast pet and take everyone away!"

Judging that there were many people, all with considerable cultivation, Jin Conghai's expression turned grave. As he walked, he transmitted his voice.

"What about you?" Zhao Feiwu looked over.

"Although my strength isn't top-notch in the Ten Nations Alliance, I still have the ability to protect myself. If I have to look after you while distracted, none of us will escape if danger comes!"

Jin Conghai said.

As a poison master, no matter how many people the enemy had, killing him wouldn't be easy.

What poison masters feared least was being surrounded.

"Alright!" Seeing his decision, Zhao Feiwu nodded.

Although the Master Teacher Academy taught civilization and cases of murder for wealth or sneak attacks were rare, that didn't mean they didn't exist.

In this wilderness, if they were ambushed, they might die without knowing how.

Even as the princess of the Ten Nations Alliance, if she wanted to investigate, it would be difficult. Better to be cautious.

"You all be careful too!"

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Zhang Xuan also instructed Zhao Ya and the others, then walked to the front of the group.

In danger, with the Eye of Insight and the Library of Heaven's Path, his survival ability was stronger. These students had just broken through and hadn't even reached the Mortal Transformation realm, so they might not be able to cope.

"Yes!"

Seeing the teacher blocking the front, his back like a great mountain, Zhao Ya and the others clenched their fists.

No matter when or where, as long as the teacher was there, their hearts would be calm and no longer restless.

Advancing cautiously, after walking about a thousand meters and crossing a ridge, they immediately saw a valley appear before them.

The valley was deep, its end not in sight. Various shrubs and vegetation, due to abundant spiritual energy, grew very lush. The previous footprints, upon reaching here, lost their trace and could no longer be seen.

"Teacher Zhang, the Witch Soul Tomb is inside this valley..."

Luo Zhu came to the front.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to tell them to be careful, he heard a "swish!" and several figures burst out from the grass, blocking their way.

"Who goes there?"

The other party lowered their voices, their tone unfriendly.

Zhang Xuan looked.

There were six young men, each around thirty years old. Their auras were faint, and none were weaker than Mortal Transformation Second Layer. The strongest, a gray-robed youth, had even reached Mortal Transformation Third Layer, the Yin-Yang Realm.

Such strength was not inferior to the master teacher Song Chao they had encountered earlier.

"And who are you?"

Jin Conghai stepped forward, revealing his strength: "Sneaking around here—what are you up to?"

"Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer?"

Feeling his power, the young men's expressions changed slightly. They exchanged glances, and the gray-robed youth with the highest cultivation said, "Senior, our elders are inside attending to matters and must not be disturbed. Please take a detour!"

"Detour?"

Frowning, Jin Conghai's face darkened: "We also have matters to attend to ahead. Please step aside!"

"Senior, do you intend to resort to force?"

Seeing his tough stance, the group's expressions turned ugly.

Swish!

With clear ringing sounds, they simultaneously drew their swords.

Although only at Mortal Transformation Second or Third Layer, they showed no intention of backing down.

"Force? Can you stop me?"

Jin Conghai stepped forward, his aura surging like a dragon or tiger, giving an irresistible feeling.