Chapter 758: Chapter 756: The Curse of Shattering (15)_1 Chapter 758: Chapter 756: The Curse of Shattering (15)_1 “You mean we follow that trail down?”
Ni Huayuan’s words were easy to understand, but Kamakura Si had a hard time accepting them initially.
Although it was essentially a ruin, the family guards had protected it for years, treating it like a sacred site.
Now, not only had there been violence to the walls, but they were also preparing to track a culprit.
Taking into account how the people from the Academy had behaved earlier, one could easily imagine what the scene would turn into.
“Of course, we don’t have to pursue, we can go back and try to block the communication again, try it a few more times.”
Ni Huayuan’s expression remained unchanged.
…
A solution proven ineffective, what was the point in trying it several more times.
Besides, those were no ordinary attempts, each one almost signified a loss of a person from the Kamakura Family.
“Then let’s start as soon as possible.”
Kamakura Si quickly dispelled the negative emotions of his holy site’s fall and agreed.
“Very good.”
Ni Huayuan was clearly very satisfied with Kamakura Si’s understanding of the situation.
He signaled the others to search the stone chamber one last time, ensuring there were no other anomalies, and without wasting a minute, he took the lead and led the team through that door.
This…
However, the scene that unfolded before them left the group temporarily speechless.
The rough, narrow stone path stretched upwards, then abruptly opened into a corridor.
Considering its style and the decorations on both sides, this kind of corridor was evidently a standard feature of these ruins, something they had come across too many times before.
And everyone had already experienced the complexity of its intertwined pathways.
Chasing someone in such a place, especially someone extremely good at masking their presence, was by no means easy.
“Can you determine our approximate location here?”
Ni Huayuan looked at Kamakura Si.
“I haven’t been here before, so I can’t be completely sure.”
Kamakura Si shook his head subconsciously.
“At this depth, we can only guess approximately, maybe we’ll recognize something if we walk a bit farther.”
“The issue is, we likely can’t keep walking to recognize the place.”
Jian Jingzheng pointed ahead where, within the limits of the light’s reach, they could see a sloping fork in the path.
“To ensure we don’t miss any location, we will probably have to split up soon.”
“Then let’s split up.”
Ni Huayuan obviously didn’t want to give up easily and said decisively.
“In such a vast area, it’s unrealistic to try to find someone by moving together anyway.”
That was true, but the adversary’s methods had proven to be quite brutal from earlier encounters.
With fewer people, instead of hunting, they might instead become the hunted.
Members of the Kamakura Family with lesser strength undoubtedly faced a higher risk of such a fate.
Kamakura Si looked at Ni Huayuan’s expressionless face, not believing that he was unaware of this.
He was aware, he just didn’t care.
The next moment, Kamakura Si had a realization–being hunted in reverse was also a trace left by the adversary.
As long as traces were left, there were ways to gradually narrow the area and pinpoint the target.
Ni Huayuan obviously considered this a necessary sacrifice.
In thought, Kamakura Si realized that Ni Huayuan had noticed his gaze and looked back expressionlessly, prompting Kamakura Si to take a deep breath.
It seemed there was no better option.
To get through a crisis, necessary sacrifices were warranted.
…
Having confirmed that Kamakura Si understood the current situation and would cooperate without any issues, Ni Huayuan satisfyingly directed the team to start moving.
His strategy was quite simple, follow the corridor all the way up, and when encountering a crossroad, send out a small team to explore, ensuring that members of the Kamakura Family were in each squad to avoid getting lost deep inside and to regroup quickly.
Such an arrangement could be deemed reasonable, even the ever-suspicious Kamakura Family had nothing to object to after hearing it.
However, problems surfaced quickly–there were simply too many forks in the road.
The underground ruins were extremely intricate; in just a short while, the team had split several times without finding any trace of their target.
Standing at yet another crossroad, the group fell into a brief silence.
Although the Academy’s investigation team included all four institutes, there were actually only around ten people in total.
Under the leadership of a demigod, they were still on an elite path.
After the initial complications, about half the team had split off, and the Kamakura Family was equally understaffed after successive losses.
“Shall I go?”
In this situation, Fu Qian took the initiative to stand out.
Perhaps he wasn’t much interested in Ni Huayuan’s action plan, but this place was undoubtedly worth exploring.
“I can go by myself as a separate group.”
…
A demigod going alone was a sensible and reasonable suggestion.
No matter if it was for capturing someone or self-protection, it seemed more than sufficient.
After all, the target, no matter how vicious, was definitely not on the demigod level, otherwise, as Ni Huayuan said, why go to all this trouble?
But the problem was, this guy in front of them was of suspicious origin to begin with!
Allowing him to act alone was truly unreliable!
Not just Kamakura Si, but Ni Huayuan reacted the same way.
It didn’t matter if this guy messed around, but if he slackened off, his own plan would lose its purpose.
“I will go with Mr. Yun.”
Just then, the high-ranking student of the Academy, Ji Liushuang, volunteered, easing the instructors’ worries.
“There’s not much else I can do.”
Faced with a host of shocked gazes, he smiled faintly, quite candidly.
That was the case indeed, with someone from the Academy keeping an eye on him, this guy was likely to behave better. Yet–
“No way!”
Jian Jingzheng immediately voiced his objection.
No matter what, he could not allow Ji Liushuang to be alone with such a dangerous individual.
Too risky!
With the Academy present, he wasn’t worried that the guy would actually harm Ji Liushuang, but instilling nonsensical ideas was also unacceptable, especially since Ji Liushuang had previously gotten along well with him.
“I’ll go as well.”
Seeing Ji Liushuang’s surprised but firm expression, and Jian Jingzheng’s worries clearly unable to be voiced outright, it was Ms. Jane, the instructor with the common surname, who sighed and stepped forward.
She had seen it all; when Jian Jingzheng spoke up to stop it, Ni Huayuan didn’t say a word.
He might understand Jian Jingzheng’s concerns, but it was obvious to her that the successful execution of the plan was more important to him.
Having the Sword Path Demigod willing to contribute and Ji Liushuang, who had positive interactions with him, following, was certainly a maximization of manpower use, which Ni Huayuan was evidently willing to accept.
Thinking it through, it seemed more appropriate for her to go along.
As for why not let someone from the Kamakura Family tag along?
Everyone, including Kamakura Si, who would rather shrank their heads into their chest, had already made it very clear.
Nobody wanted to act alongside this person.
“In that case, the three of you go together. With Mr. Yun, you should also be able to avoid getting lost.”
As it turned out, Ni Huayuan quickly approved of her suggestion.
Meanwhile, it seemed one could hear the Kamakura Family sigh in relief in unison.