Nightmare Light

Chapter 297 Hutougou Village
After the minor incident in Shuofeng City, the group set off again.

Hutougou Village, Xiaoshi Town, Shuofeng City.

This address, which left Lin Wang somewhat amused and exasperated, should theoretically be located around Shuofeng City. However, amidst the mist and mountains, finding a decaying and weathered ancient town or village was incredibly difficult.

How do I find that exit...?

"Boss, we can't find the entrances and exits to the cultists' base."

"I had hoped to find some clues about the Divine Blood Cult's base in Shuofeng City, but I didn't expect this place to be so weathered." Lin Wang frowned.

He wasn't entirely without options—the Bloodline Cultists couldn't completely cut off from reality; they always had to come out to replenish their supplies.

However, this method is too inefficient.

The mountains were shrouded in mist, making visibility extremely poor and making it difficult to detect footprints, tire tracks, and other traces.

But time waits for no one.

As Lin Wang was pondering, Cang suddenly spoke.

"Lin Wang, have you forgotten... that you have an accomplice?"

"Huh?" Lin Wang was taken aback.

Cang pointed around with his tentacles, which swept across the mountains: "Around here are mountains, and Lord of the Mountains are your tenants."

A flash of inspiration struck Lin Wang.

The next second, he heard Cang say, "All the secrets hidden in the mountains cannot escape the sight of the Mountain Lord."

A few minutes later, Qianlan emerged from a sea of ​​starlight, her tone cheerful as she looked around: "Ah... mountains, such a welcoming atmosphere."

"Old friend, it's been many years." A voice rang out beside her.

Gunshan-kun turned his head and saw a huge brain floating next to him, with a tentacle curled up and waving as if to say hello.

The mountain king was startled and jumped back a step: "What is this ugly thing!"

Da Naozi was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "You're the ugly one! I have the most beautiful appearance!"

"Your appearance is so ferocious and terrifying... Eh? That voice, that aura..." Lord Gunshan was taken aback at first, then looked puzzled, "So familiar... Could it be that you are...?"

"The Lord of Knowledge, the only intelligent being on the tree fern," Cang snorted, then added, "and the only one with normal aesthetic sense."

"It really is you, old friend." Lord Gunshan looked surprised. "You look like this... what happened to you?"

"It's a long story..."

Cang coiled up a tentacle, preparing to begin telling His story, but Lin Wang quickly interrupted, "Let's take care of the important matter first."

Gunzan-kun nodded: "You want to find the ruins of a town and village, right? I understand."

She gave a confident smile: "Don't worry, nothing can escape my eyes in these mountains."

Although Qianlan is usually not very serious and loves to play pranks on others, she now has something important to do, and her expression becomes serious.

Qianlan closed her eyes, and starlight flashed across her body. Then, a gust of wind swept through the mountains, rustling the grass and trees.

A few seconds later, Qianlan let out a soft "Eh," reopened her eyes, and frowned again.

"Old friend, what's wrong?" Cang asked.

Qianlan didn't speak, but instead took out an incense burner, poured out some incense ash, grabbed a handful of soil and stones from the ground, mixed them with the incense ash, and scattered them into the sky.

She closed her eyes again.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, a fleeting glint of light in them, and looked northwest, saying softly, "Just as I thought." "What did you discover?" Lin Wang asked her.

“I found the place the landlord mentioned—Hutougou Village, Xiaoshi Town,” Qianlan said, then changed the subject, “but it’s not a ruin, but a village with inhabitants.”

"what?!"

……

The village of Hutougou mentioned by Qianlan is less than ten kilometers away from the ruins of Shuofeng City—a distance that would only take about ten minutes by car.

But running in the mountains is much more strenuous.

Fortunately, apart from Tian Taozi, everyone present was a master or higher, so they didn't feel the distance.

Even Tian Taozi pursed her lips and gritted her teeth, following closely behind the others. In her words, "I don't want to be looked down upon by you!"

An hour later, they arrived at a mountaintop outside Hutougou Village—Lin Wang and his companions finally understood why there was a village inhabited among these mountains.

"So, this place is less a village and more a disguised village by the Blood Cult to conceal the entrances and exits of their facilities..." Lin Wang said.

"Every villager in the village is actually a cult member?" Tian Taozi asked in shock.

“I believe this is the truth,” Qianlan said.

What appeared before them was a small village.

The village is not large, only able to accommodate a few dozen households. The exterior walls of the village buildings are very similar to those of Shuofeng City, made of old stones and loess, with wooden beams, mud and grass, and tiles covering the roofs.

If you only look at it like this, you can't see anything unusual about the village. But since the Lord of the Mountains and the Lord of Knowledge are present, the little tricks of the people who arranged this village are clearly exposed to the people.

Cang used his tentacles to curl a wooden stick and drew a pattern on the ground: "This is a map of the village."

As everyone saw, the layout of the village's buildings on the ground, if the meaningless and trivial buildings were wiped away and only the main buildings and roads were left, could be arranged into a hidden magic circle shape.

"What... what kind of formation is this?" Tian Taozi asked.

“This is a calming and relaxing formation—a very ancient formation,” Cang said. “The cultists set up the formation here to make everyone near the village lower their guard and stop them from having wild thoughts.”

"The mountains are their best shield—most people would never imagine that there is a large cult camp in these mountains."

“If someone really does stumble upon this village, the villagers’ normal lives will serve as a last line of defense—not only that, this village can also help the cultists gather supplies,” Lin Wang said. “A very clever arrangement.”

But after he finished speaking, he frowned again: "But I always feel that something is not quite right... there's something strange about this village."

At this moment, Dog spoke up: "Boss... there are two more... uh, god-like bosses."

His expression was a little strange; he thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to address Qianlan and Cang.

How should I address two deities at once?
What sane person would even consider this question? What ordinary person would face two gods at the same time?

All I can say is that the boss is indeed the boss; those who follow him are all at the level of "gods"!

"Just call us by our names, no need for formalities." Qianlan waved her hand casually. "My old friend and I will only have one identity from now on—tenants."

"Uh, okay. Sister Qianlan, Brother Cang," Dog Brother said, "Have you noticed a problem?"

The three waited for him to continue.

Dog Brother pointed to the small village at the foot of the mountain.

"Seven or eight minutes have passed since we started standing here... Why haven't we seen anyone come in or go from this village?"

(End of this chapter)