A hint of a strange expression appeared on Qi Yan's face upon hearing Zhang Ergou's words.
Nodding, he followed Zhang Ergou's instructions and did not wake the other members of the Scarlet Fire Demon Slaying team.
Zhang Ergou continued to keep an eye on the black figures.
When the shadowy figures were about five hundred meters away, they slowed their pace.
The group exchanged a few whispers and then began to split up.
Judging by their running direction, Zhang Ergou naturally understood that these people intended to surround them.
Zhang Ergou sneered inwardly at their intentions.
With a casual sweep of his divine sense, he penetrated the souls of several of them.
Halfway through their dash, the shadowy figures tumbled to the ground, never to wake again.
However, the matter was not over.
Before long, another wave of people came rushing from behind.
"Boss, there are people here!"
Suddenly, one of the rushing figures tripped.
Everyone was startled, thinking they had been discovered by the Scarlet Fire Demon Slaying team.
As they drew closer and found a dead man, terror filled their faces.
The person lying on the ground showed no outward signs of injury.
But he had long since stopped breathing, his entire body cold.
Even these hardened men, who lived life on the edge, were somewhat frightened.
People are often filled with fear of the unknown.
Soon, someone recognized the deceased as a familiar member of a demon slaying squad.
They had seen him just yesterday.
Now he lay in this beast-infested forest, and facing the dark, dense woods, their clothes were quickly soaked with cold sweat.
Ultimately, greed triumphed over fear.
Recalling Zhang Ergou's generosity, these people quickly cast their fear aside.
Regrouping, the second group of arrivals, mustering their courage, crept silently towards Zhang Ergou's camp.
Bang!
"Brother, what's wrong?"
However, the only reply to this person's shout was endless silence.
"Brother, wake up." The person who had called out rushed forward to check.
The commotion here immediately drew the attention of others.
Those who had split up quickly ran over to investigate.
The person reached out to touch their leader's body.
But the leader showed no reaction, no sign of life.
"Oh no, Boss has stopped breathing." One person crouched down, only to discover that their leader's breathing had long ceased.
"What?"
Everyone was shocked. Their leader had lost his life silently.
This terrified the squad members.
"Who is it? Who could it be?" Someone could no longer endure the fear.
He shouted loudly.
But there was no response, and the empty beast-infested forest seemed even more eerie and terrifying.
Thump.
Another person fell, and the remaining few were instantly scared witless.
They no longer cared about finding Zhang Ergou and the others, screaming in terror as they fled for their lives.
But even more terrifying things were yet to come.
As these people ran, they stumbled and fell for no apparent reason.
Losing their lives completely.
Without any warning.
"Brother Ergou, did you mishear something?"
After such a long time, and with no one appearing, Qi Yan couldn't help but speak.
Zhang Ergou did not reply.
With a flash, he dashed out.
His ghost-like speed caused Qi Yan to involuntarily flinch.
When Zhang Ergou returned, he was carrying several people in his hands.
These were the very individuals who had fallen victim to Zhang Ergou's divine sense attack earlier.
After several trips out, there were already more than a dozen corpses scattered on the ground.
Qi Yan's face turned ashen.
Even after constantly fighting beasts in the beast-infested forest, seeing so many corpses at once was unsettling.
Especially in the beast-infested forest at night.
"Brother Ergou, these... these people... are..."
Qi Yan stammered slightly.
"Could it be that Brother Qi doesn't recognize these people?" Zhang Ergou looked at Qi Yan with a hint of surprise.
"What do you mean?" A flicker of panic flashed in Qi Yan's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
However, his reaction could not escape Zhang Ergou's observation.
"I mean, these people should be regulars in this beast-infested forest. Have you not seen them before, Brother Qi?"
Zhang Ergou did not expose him immediately.
Hearing Zhang Ergou's words, Qi Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed he had been overthinking.
"I didn't get a good look earlier. Now that you mention it, Brother Ergou, I do recognize them."
Qi Yan forced himself to suppress his fear and carefully examined the dozen or so corpses.
"These are members of two demon-slaying squads. How did they die so silently?"
"Brother Ergou, what happened?"
Before Zhang Ergou could answer, Liu Yue, alerted by the commotion, got up and walked over.
"Brother Liu Yue, come and take a look at these people."
Zhang Ergou was noticeably more polite towards Liu Yue.
He had a feeling that Qi Yan was acting strangely, but without any evidence, he couldn't voice his suspicions.
However, he became more cautious and guarded towards Qi Yan.
"This is? People from the Fire Surge and Green Serpent demon-slaying squads. How are they all dead?"
Liu Yue was greatly alarmed. Looking at the more than a dozen familiar faces, his emotions were complex.
"Brother Liu Yue, follow me."
With that, Zhang Ergou placed an arm around Liu Yue's body and quickly moved away from their position.
Liu Yue felt his body lighten, and he found himself standing with Zhang Ergou atop a giant ancient tree.
"Look."
Standing at a higher vantage point, Zhang Ergou pointed towards the hundreds of figures rushing towards their campsite and spoke.
"This is?" Liu Yue looked confused.
"I suspect our whereabouts have been leaked." Zhang Ergou's tone was firm.
Immediately, Liu Yue's expression changed drastically: "You mean... there's an inside informant in our squad?"
Zhang Ergou nodded.
"Does Brother Ergou have a suspect?"
"Not yet." Zhang Ergou shook his head. He did not share his suspicion of Qi Yan with Liu Yue.
The fewer people who knew about such matters, the better.
Although he felt Liu Yue had no reason to betray them, if Liu Yue knew who he suspected, his demeanor would surely change from his usual self.
If Qi Yan noticed that, it would be detrimental to their subsequent actions.
"What does Brother Ergou plan to do?"
Looking at the hundreds of figures charging towards them, Liu Yue felt a headache coming on.
He was considered the strongest cultivator in the Scarlet Fire Demon Slaying team.
But he was only at the mid-Core Formation stage.
Among these hundreds of figures, there were not a few whose movement techniques were comparable to his.
Even if he could handle one or two, what about the rest?
Unlike Liu Yue's urgency, Zhang Ergou was terrifyingly calm.
"Since these people are courting death, let them all stay here."
Zhang Ergou's tone was calm, as if he were stating a commonplace event.
Hearing Zhang Ergou's calm tone, Liu Yue's expression was astonished.
He knew Zhang Ergou was concealing his cultivation, but to think that with only the late-Core Formation stage cultivation, he could keep dozens, even hundreds, of early-Core Formation cultivators in check, was, in his opinion, sheer folly.