Not long after Hou Ba’s Talisman Light flew out, a dirty Martial Artist burst out from Black Beard Mountain and quickly converged with Hou Ba and the others.
"Why did it take so long to arrive? It’s been over a month; I almost turned wild!" The Martial Artist expressed angrily.
Indeed, he was a mess, covered in grimy black grease, his hair like a bird’s nest exuding a foul, rancid smell. If it weren’t for his swift movements just moments ago, one might mistake him for a beggar at first glance.
"Uh... some things delayed us; rest assured, you’ll get the agreed fifty Mid-grade Spirit Crystals a day, you won’t miss any!"
"Where is the Demon Beast?" asked Hou Ba.
"It’s been active around Black Beard Mountain, occasionally appearing. Over the past month, it has appeared only twice, each time staying no more than a Hundred Breaths.
I’ve already mentioned the other details in the Talisman Communication, if you are going to hunt it, I suggest you..."
"Alright, we know what to do. Here’s your payment!" Hou Ba rudely interrupted the Martial Artist and casually tossed a storage ring at him!
Hearing this, Ye Zhen’s expression changed. Had this person really been waiting here for over a month? And they had only spent half a month on the road?
Ye Zhen was struck with a thought.
Checking with Divine Sense, he counted the items. The beggar-like Martial Artist nodded in satisfaction and instantly departed.
"This person has a long-term cooperation with the Divine Sect, making a living by selling information. This Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast was discovered by him!" Hou Ba introduced to Ye Zhen, then asked, "None of us need to rest, right? If not, let’s get to work!"
Of course, no one needed rest!
Hou Ba casually pulled up the long black weeds that grew on Black Beard Mountain, for which the mountain was named. Rubbing his hands together, he produced a thick black liquid that he smeared onto his body.
"Everyone, apply some. This weed is one of the foods of the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast. Its juice can mask our scent, making it harder for the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast to detect us!"
"I hate these kinds of missions. After returning, it’ll take days of baths to get rid of this smell!" complained Yu Xian, a middle-aged beautiful woman.
"Heh, don’t worry, I won’t mind it!" Ghost Shadow Ful Lang said lecherously, smearing the weed juice while laughing.
"Get lost!"
Yu Xian kicked at him, and it seemed that she hit him squarely, but in the next moment, Ful Lang’s lecherous laugh sounded behind her. His title of Ghost Shadow was not for nothing.
Ye Zhen followed suit, applying the juice that was, to his relief, bearable and not too foul-smelling.
"Alright, we’ll go and find the lair of the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast. Same old rules, Ghost, you lead the way!"
"Heh, sure!" Ful Lang, known as the Ghost, swept his gaze over Ye Zhen and immediately dived into a very large cave opening ahead.
"Let’s follow; with Ghost leading the way, we won’t bump into the Demon Beast," said Hou Ba.
"Why not wait outside? Every time the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast comes out, it stays for about a Hundred Breaths, which is enough time for us to make a move!" Ye Zhen was puzzled.
"We have our own methods for missions; no one should meddle. If you don’t want to, you can stay outside the cave!" Yu Xian spoke harshly, not sparing any niceties.
"Heh, time! Hall Master Ye, it’s mainly about timing. The next time the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast comes out might take another month; no one wants to waste so much time here!" However, the bulky Hou Ba gave Ye Zhen an out.
Ye Zhen could only reluctantly follow along, as there were prior agreements, and participating meant adhering to all the hunt team’s rules.
The interior of Black Beard Mountain featured crisscrossing corridors tens of meters wide and several meters high, all exceedingly smooth.
Ye Zhen knew, this was carved out by the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast.
Being a pure Earth Element Demon Beast, tunneling and splitting the earth was effortless for it, preferring darkness and dryness, fearing light, and often staying deep underground, its habitat as complex as a labyrinth.
Moreover, the combat power of the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast was extremely formidable. Although it was an Heavenly Level Middle Grade Demon Beast, as long as it was in contact with the ground, even Heavenly Level High Grade Demon Beasts couldn’t defeat it.
This information about the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast was recorded in the Demon Spirit Secret Record and classified as one of the Strange Beasts.
Soon, Ye Zhen experienced the maze-like tunnels made by the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast. Without using the Sword Heart Enlightenment, Ye Zhen even felt lost.
Astonishingly, Ghost Shadow Ful Lang kept leaving marks as he scouted ahead, giving the uncanny feeling of progressing toward the core of the earth.
Strangely, despite going dozens of miles deep, there was no hint of dampness; it was very dry. The Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast chose this place as its den for a reason.
As they delved deeper, visibility faded, and even though they were Vein Forging Realm powerhouses who could see in the dark, the lack of any light nearly a hundred miles deep underground made it hard to see clearly.
No light could be used for fear of startling the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast. Fortunately, their Spirit Perception made sure they didn’t walk into walls.
This situation lasted for over an hour, and how many meters deeper they went was unknown, when suddenly, a vague shadow approached from ahead. At the same moment, everyone tensed up, Ful Lang’s voice echoed.
"We’ve reached the end. Ten miles ahead is a very spacious and large chamber. I can’t see clearly, and I dare not extend my Divine Sense too far. There should be two Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beasts; we can make our move there."
As he spoke, Ghost Shadow spat, "This damn thing is really freaky. Just before, I made a slight noise, and the tunnel in front of me collapsed silently. I nearly got buried alive!
It’s going to be really dangerous to make a move here!"
"If that’s the case, it really is very dangerous! This is deep in the mountain belly, and if we get buried alive, there’s no chance of even being found!" Hou Ba looked very solemn.
"Can one be lured out?" asked Yu Xian.
"If this thing likes women, maybe you could..."
A whistling sound of a fast-moving shadow suddenly filled the air.
"Stop messing around!" Hou Ba barked.
"Luring it out is almost impossible. As soon as there’s a slight anomaly, its reaction is to attack, not chase! In these tunnels, these creatures are the kings!" Ghost Shadow declared.
"So what do we do? Retreat and wait?"
"Not a chance!"
"Not a chance!"
"Not a chance!"
Ye Zhen’s mere suggestion met with unified opposition from the three of them, which left Ye Zhen even more speechless. In his view, waiting for the enemy to come to them was the best plan.
At that moment, Ye Zhen even contemplated leaving the three behind and hunting on his own.
However, getting these three to give up was unlikely. The rewards for completing this Divine Sect mission were substantial, especially the five days of cultivation time within the Supreme Spirit Vein.
"Hall Master Ye, Hall Master Zhu once mentioned that your Heavenly Thunder of Fright can paralyze. Is it possible for you to discharge two Heavenly Thunders of Fright simultaneously?" Hou Ba looked toward Ye Zhen.
"Two, I can!" Ye Zhen nodded.
"Can it paralyze them?" Yu Xian frowned and asked.
"It shouldn’t be a problem, as long as they are not alert!"
"I need a certain answer, not a ’should be possible’! Can you or can you not!" Yu Xian was very dissatisfied!
"Yu Xian, Hall Master Ye is right, it depends on the situation. Who can be completely sure?" Hou Ba said, "Let’s go deeper and see, everyone be cautious and conceal your qi, slow down, and it’s best not to even use Divine Sense!"
After navigating the windy and twisting corridor for over an hour, Ye Zhen and his group of four reached their destination.
"Look, just two miles ahead is their lair. How far do you need to be to deploy the Heavenly Thunder of Fright?" Hou Ba asked.
"How big is their lair?" Ye Zhen asked.
"At least five miles wide!" Ghost Shadow answered.
"In that case, I need to be at the cave entrance, or even deeper inside, to possibly make it work!" Ye Zhen said.
"Is there a risk of being discovered beforehand?" Hou Ba asked.
"Don’t worry, as long as we tightly close off our qi and do not reveal any Spiritual Power or Divine Soul Waves, there should be no problem. Just now, I already made a round inside their lair," Ghost Shadow declared.
"Hall Master Ye, what do you think..." Hou Ba seemed to be seeking Ye Zhen’s opinion.
"Then let me do it! But you guys need to follow closely behind, and be quick! The paralysis from my Heavenly Thunder of Fright probably won’t last long, at most three breaths, at least one!"
"One breath’s time is enough for me to slay two!" Yu Xian muttered under her breath coldly!
"Then let’s proceed!" Hou Ba waved his hand and looked toward Ye Zhen!
Taking a deep breath, Ye Zhen concealed all traces of qi within him to the extreme, even slowing down the circulation of the blood in his veins, moving slowly toward the lair of the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast like a ghost.
Hou Ba, Ful Lang, and Yu Xian also moved like ghostly shadows behind Ye Zhen, slowly advancing.
Slowly, they got closer!
The stench in the air grew more intense, and they could even hear the faint breathing of the Demon Beasts.
At that moment, Ye Zhen’s palms began to sweat, it was the first time he was exploring the cave like a blind man, all his sensory abilities retracted, and he felt a sense of unease.
When the space suddenly opened up in front of him, Ye Zhen knew they had reached the lair. He glanced back at Hou Ba, who made a reassuring gesture.
Ye Zhen moved even slower, and dimly, he seemed to see a gigantic creature, presumably one of the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beasts, slowly rotating its eyeballs. Ye Zhen prepared to locate another beast and then simultaneously launch two Heavenly Thunders of Fright.
"Ah, be careful!"
Suddenly, there was a ghastly scream from behind Ye Zhen, and Ghost Shadow’s body, carrying a great force, crazily slammed into Ye Zhen’s back like a sandbag.
Almost instinctively, at the moment Ghost Shadow collided with him, the Purple Jade Battle Armor surfaced on Ye Zhen’s body.
Bang!
The body of Ghost Shadow heavily smashed into Ye Zhen’s back, sending the unsuspecting Ye Zhen plunging forward, accompanied by a mouthful of blood crazily spewing from Ghost Shadow’s mouth.
The moment the blood sprayed, Ghost Shadow’s body instantly rebounded.
"There are more behind, damn it! Be careful!" Hou Ba’s roar and Yu Xian’s shout resounded simultaneously.
At the same moment, Ye Zhen, slammed into by the injured Ghost Shadow and entered the lair of the Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beast, released all his previously concealed powers in an instant. The brilliance of the Heavenly Thunder of Fright rapidly gathered in the palms on both his hands.
But just as Ye Zhen was about to unleash the Heavenly Thunder of Fright, he was stunned and hesitated to launch it!
Damn, are these two Shadowless Mountain Penetrating Beasts?
There were at least a dozen pairs of giant ochre eyes shining around Ye Zhen under the illumination of his Spirit Light!

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