235: Chapter 235 The Demon's Nest Appears, Danger Lurks

Morning light had just crept onto the eaves of the Main Peak, and the wind on the Stargazing Platform had not yet dissipated.

Chen Wuwang stood in the center of the Council Hall, his Titanium Alloy Dagger hanging at his waist, three old marks on the hilt reflecting a cold light in the dim shimmer.

He did not sit, just paced back and forth, fingers tapping the table edge, the rhythm identical to the end of the war drums last night.

Thump, thump, thump—

Short, steady, like counting heartbeats.

Midnight exactly.

A silent whisper slammed directly into his mind: "A Demonic Nest has appeared in the back mountain."

His footsteps halted abruptly, his pupils contracted, and he immediately raised his hand to press his wrist-mounted terminal.

"Tiezhu, Xiao Dao, Bai Ling, gather at the Council Hall, immediately."

After the order was sent, he sat down slowly, the bug-type claw scar on his right cheek twitching slightly.

The System never made mistakes.

Mo Yuan had just escaped, and a Demonic Nest appeared right after? Too coincidental.

But he knew, there were no coincidences in this world, only traps he had not yet seen through.

When the door was pushed open, Chen Tiezhu was looking down at the mecha detection board in his palm, his brow knitted into a "well" shape.

He walked in with large strides, his overalls still stained with the metal dust of the Artifact Refining Workshop, the usual "I am the world's number one craftsman" attitude gone, replaced by a rare gravity.

"Family Head." He slapped the detection board onto the table, "Three sentry mechas, energy cores remaining at 31%, 28%, 35%. Below the warning line."

Chen Wuwang glanced at the data, not speaking.

"If we really fight this time..." Chen Tiezhu lowered his voice, "We won't last three rounds of concentrated fire."

"Then don't let them reach the third round." Chen Wuwang tapped his knuckles on the table, "Can you repair them?"

"I can repair them, but it takes time. The charging array is still being calibrated, if we force the infusion now, I'm afraid the furnace will explode."

"I asked you if you can repair them or not."

"I can! But not right now!" Chen Tiezhu glared, "I'm telling the truth, don't look at me with those eyes!"

Chen Wuwang twitched the corner of his mouth, not refuting.

He knew Tiezhu's temper; the more anxious he was, the more stubborn he became.

He simply adjusted his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye to data projection mode, and the energy curve charts of the three mechas appeared in the air, the red zones glaring.

"Noted." He said, "We'll leave in a moment, you bring two sets of spare cores, charge them on the way."

"On the way?" Chen Tiezhu was stunned, "Go where?"

"The back mountain." Chen Wuwang had just spat out the two words when the door rang again.

Chen Xiaodao stepped in, the sword box still hanging on his shoulder, his silver-gray outer robe flapping in the morning wind.

He had no expression on his face, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, as if he had just killed his way out of a fierce battle.

"Family Head." He cupped his hands, "After cleaning up the Puppet remains last night, I practiced a few new Sword Intent moves and cut down three snooping Sentry Bugs."

"Well done." Chen Wuwang nodded, "How does it feel?"

"Awesome." Chen Xiaodao grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "It's just that I cut too much, my hands are a bit shaky."

As he spoke, he casually drew his sword and slashed.

"Swoosh—!"

Sword Qi broke through the air, rushing straight into the sky.

In an instant, a shadow rose from the direction of the back mountain, and hundreds of pitch-black demonic birds flapped their wings in alarm, their sharp screeches tearing through the silence.

They didn't scatter and flee, but flocked together, rushing towards the depths of the dense forest on the west side, as if driven by something invisible.

Chen Wuwang stood up and looked at that forest.

The direction the flock of birds was flying was exactly the location prompted by the System.

"Interesting." He said in a low voice, "Even the beasts know to hide."

Chen Xiaodao sheathed his sword, also frowning: "Those are the old crows from the back mountain, they usually aren't afraid of people, but this morning they all ran west... In that forest, several patrol beasts have died recently, their blood sucked dry."

"Not sucked dry." Chen Wuwang corrected, "They were 'gnawed' clean. No wounds, the internal organs were empty, as if something had scooped them out from the inside."

The two looked at each other, neither speaking again.

At this moment, Bai Ling floated in from outside the door, her footsteps as light as if stepping on clouds.

She wore a plain white dress, with a tender green leaf hairpin in her hair, looking like the innocent little girl she always was.

But as she got closer, it was discovered that her fingertips were trembling slightly, and her face was three points paler than usual.

"What's wrong?" Chen Wuwang asked.

Bai Ling didn't answer, just closed her eyes, hands folded over her chest, a faint emerald light slowly seeping from her fingertips.

She whispered a sentence in the Elf Race language, the syllables as crisp as dew drops falling on stone.

The next second, she opened her eyes abruptly, her breath hitching.

"In that forest..." Her voice was faint, "It's full of corrupted life force, like dead-but-not-stiff roots wriggling. I... I have never felt such dense Demonic Qi."

Chen Wuwang's eyes darkened.

Technology, Sword Intent, magic—three methods, all pointing to the same place.

"Not a coincidence." He said, "Someone wants to hide something."

"Hide what?" Chen Xiaodao gripped his sword hilt.

"Don't know." Chen Wuwang stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the deep forest in the back mountain, "But anyone who dares to dig a nest under my nose must be prepared to be uprooted."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the three:

"Tiezhu, take the toolbox and spare cores; Xiao Dao, check the status of the Flying Sword, be ready to open the array at any time; Bai Ling, you come with us, keep perceiving on the way, and report any anomalies immediately."

"Go now?" Chen Tiezhu frowned, "The mecha isn't charged, and the defense System hasn't fully recovered, what if there's an ambush..."

"That's why we have to be quick." Chen Wuwang interrupted, "Once they set up the trap, we'll be passive. Going now, at least we can seize the initiative."

"But Mo Yuan just retreated..." Bai Ling reminded softly.

"Precisely because Mo Yuan just retreated, they think we are lax."

Chen Wuwang sneered: "The enemy fears not a strong opponent, but a madman. They think that if I win, I will celebrate, relax, and make mistakes. But they forgot—"

He raised his right hand, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed with blue light.

"I have never believed in the word 'safety'."

Chen Xiaodao laughed: "That's perfect, I haven't stretched my muscles for a long time."

"Stop showing off." Chen Tiezhu glared at him, "Don't rush in later, listen to the command."

"You tell me what to do?" Xiao Dao rolled his eyes, "Who had their mecha stuck in a ground crack last time, and I had to pry it out with my sword?"

"That was a tactical entrapment! Understand?"

"Fine, fine, fine, you are brilliant."

As the two bickered, Bai Ling had already walked to the door, looking towards the back mountain, her eyes complex.

"That forest... used to be a sanctuary for the Elf Race." She whispered, "Five hundred years ago during the Seal war, the entire forest was swallowed by a curse, and no one dared to enter since."

"But now... that aura, it doesn't look like pure Demonic Qi, it looks more like... something is imitating life."

"Imitating?" Chen Wuwang narrowed his eyes.

"Yes." Bai Ling nodded, "Just like a fake flower, no matter how real it looks, it has no fragrance."

Chen Wuwang was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Hahahaha—!"

The laughter was abrupt, exploding in the empty Council Hall, shaking the dust off the beams.

Chen Tiezhu and Xiao Dao stopped bickering and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Dao asked.

"I'm laughing." Chen Wuwang wiped his face, his eyes showing clarity amidst the madness, "Someone wants to play ghost, but they picked an opponent who knows the trade. Since you want to perform, I'll accompany you to the end."

He walked to the door, his steps firm.

"Let's go."

The group gathered quickly.

Chen Tiezhu carried the heavy toolbox, with two Spiritual Qi cores hanging at his waist, panting every step.

Xiao Dao walked in the front, his sword box swaying slightly, every step measuring the distance.

Bai Ling lagged at the back, her fingertips always condensing a bit of green light, looking up at the forest direction from time to time.

Chen Wuwang walked in the middle, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye constantly scanning the Spiritual Qi fluctuations around.

Three hundred steps from the entrance of the back mountain.

Suddenly, Bai Ling stopped.

"Wait." Her voice was tight, "The Demonic Qi... moved."

Everyone stopped immediately.

Chen Wuwang raised his hand to signal silence.

The wind was still.

The sound of birds was gone.

Even the insect chirps from the distant Medicinal Field were gone.

The whole world seemed to have been pressed on a pause button.

Bai Ling closed her eyes and probed with her perception again.

One second.

Two seconds.

Her eyelashes trembled violently, and she swayed, almost falling.

Chen Xiaodao caught her: "What's wrong?"

"It..." Bai Ling panted, her face deathly pale, "It knows we are watching it."