The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3070 A Hidden Threat

Five hundred meters is not a long distance to walk.

On flat ground, it would probably only take ten minutes or so to walk the whole way. Even if you run and jump, you could finish in just a few minutes.

But imagine a different world, in a special valley, with a huge lake spanned by a 500-meter-long iron suspension bridge. The lake is dark and deep, so dark that just looking at it makes you feel dizzy. And strange beasts roam the lake, ready to leap out at any moment and devour you with their enormous mouths.

In addition, when walking on the suspension bridge, the wooden planks under your feet are swaying back and forth, and the gaps between the planks are also very large. If you are not careful and lose your footing, you may fall into a hole.

How long would it take to cross a 500-meter-long suspension bridge like this?
The others didn't know, but Ouyang Nan and the other four, including Chen Mo, walked very slowly, very slowly, and with trepidation.

The other four people were unaware of how scared and worried they were, but Chen Mo was extremely worried.

After all, I could feel the lake beneath my feet all the time, and there was always a hidden threat beneath its dark, deep waters.

Although he didn't know who was sending this feeling, the sense of threat was definitely not a good thing for him. After all, if it was a strange beast that made him feel threatened, it would definitely be stronger than him, otherwise he wouldn't have felt this way.

But the unknown is the most terrifying. Ever since he stepped onto the suspension bridge, this vague sense of danger had been lingering. It was as if something was watching him from underwater, ready to pounce and bite him the moment he let his guard down.

This feeling, which cannot be shared with the few other people around me, is understandably frustrating.

He recalled meeting the Qingxuan Master at the bottom of the canyon, but hadn't inquired about the lake or the bridge. Even after absorbing the Qingxuan Master's soul, he searched through his memories but found nothing related to it.

These memories, perhaps because they were from too long ago and not particularly important, were simply discarded by Master Qingxuan. Otherwise, after absorbing them, he would have searched through all the fragments of memory without finding any recollections related to the lake or the bridge.

Ah, if only Master Qingxuan had some memory of this place, then I wouldn't have to be so aimless and cautious, constantly watching out for any danger that might emerge from the lake beneath my feet.

"Amo, what's wrong?" Ouyang Ruoxi, who was beside Chen Mo, noticed that Chen Mo's expression was a little different, so she asked in a low voice.

Chen Mo looked at the lake beneath his feet and the deep waters. The sense of danger lingered, but he couldn't explain it to Ouyang Ruoxi. So he could only say, "Walking on a bridge like this, swaying and rocking, makes me a little worried."

“There shouldn’t be any problems. Although it’s a bit shaky, there’s no sign of damage to the iron chains and planks. I don’t know how old these iron chains are, but they haven’t rusted at all since they came out of the water, so the bridge should be fine.” Ouyang Ruoxi was quite optimistic, walking slowly as she reassured Chen Mo.

Chen Mo smiled and nodded to Ouyang Ruoxi. Although he couldn't tell her what he was worried about, he still expressed his appreciation for her comfort: "Yes, I was being too cautious. Let's speed up and catch up with them."

“Okay!” Ouyang Ruoxi agreed with a smile, and then the two quickened their pace together.

Fortunately, the journey went smoothly. The five people crossed the more than 500-meter-long suspension bridge without any danger and then stepped onto the other side of the lake.

Chen Mo looked back at the somewhat dark lake water, and sighed inwardly. Perhaps he had been too cautious, hence his feeling. Fortunately, as long as they crossed the suspension bridge safely, everything would be fine.

The shore, like the opposite bank, is a sandy and rocky land. Looking up, it stretches for several kilometers before there are patches of green.

There is also a building on the opposite bank here, with the same layout as the one on the other side. Behind the building, there is the same wall, the same recess, and the same button.

Perhaps, you can summon a unicorn beast here. After defeating the unicorn beast, you can insert the unicorn into this recess to activate the mechanism and build the iron chain bridge.

Ouyang Nan looked at both sides of the lake shore, unsure of where they ended and what the situation was. The fog was somewhat obstructing visibility; standing on the bridge, she couldn't clearly see the scenery on either side.

Even standing at the bridgehead and looking ahead, you can only see some buildings emerging from the fog, but they are still somewhat blurry.

Fortunately, standing here is better than standing on the opposite bank; the view is generally clearer. The distant buildings appear more imposing, but the details are still unclear. Therefore, to observe them clearly, one needs to get closer.

There was nothing around the buildings on the lake shore except for some small pebbles, and just like on the opposite bank, there wasn't a single plant.

After observing from atop the building for a long time, Ouyang Nan called them aside and said, "Gentlemen, our mission is to survey the entire area. Do you have any good suggestions on how we should investigate?"

Because Qian Zhenghao was there, the way they spoke was more formal.

"Captain, how about we first scout both sides of the lakeshore, make sure there's no danger, and then we can move forward to explore towards those ruined buildings? What do you think? Of course, to save time, I think we should split into two teams, using this building as a center, and explore along the lakeshore in both directions, finally meeting up here," Ouyang Nana suggested. Chen Mo and the others nodded in agreement.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Ouyang Nan said, "Alright, since Nana's words make sense and everyone agrees, let's explore both sides of the lake first. Also, since this is a new area, if there is any danger, release a signal flare immediately."

The signal flare wasn't launched like a grenade; it was a signal device launched by a pull-type mechanism. Once launched into the air, it could remain suspended for a period of time and emitted a dazzling red light, clearly visible even during the day.

Everyone nodded in agreement, so Ouyang Nan, Ouyang Nana, and Qian Zhenghao formed one group, while Chen Mo and Ouyang Ruoxi formed another, each exploring along the lake shore in both directions.

Initially, everyone assumed that the environment on both sides was the same as the opposite bank—a lifeless Gobi desert. However, to their surprise, whether due to fog or some other reason, although the land was still Gobi desert, some plants were growing here.

Although not very dense, there were quite a few scattered ones. However, most of them were thorny plants, and we also saw some small animals, including lizards, snakes, scorpions, rodents, and so on.

There might be some small carnivorous animals here, but as I walked along, I didn't find any carnivorous animals. Perhaps they hid in advance because they sensed someone coming.

Of course, if there were no restrictions in the valley, Chen Mo could use his divine sense to investigate everything within a 1,500-meter radius. Unfortunately, there was only a 3.5-meter area available, so he could only rely on his eyes to see the surrounding environment.

However, even within a range of three and a half meters, it can still be effective.

"Watch out, there's a snake!" Chen Mo grabbed Ruoxi, who was about to step forward. Less than a meter ahead, there was a clump of thorny plants. Although they were gray and inconspicuous, and not very big, a small venomous snake was hiding in the thorns.

Chen Mo didn't recognize the species of the snake, but he could tell from its triangular head that it was a highly venomous species.

"Ah!" Ouyang Ruoxi jumped back in fright, hiding behind Chen Mo. It seems that most women are afraid of snakes.

"Don't be afraid. As long as you avoid these thorny areas and don't get close, there won't be any problems," Chen Mo said, pointing at the snake as he saw it had become alert and raised its head.

"Okay! Let's get out of here quickly." Ouyang Ruoxi pulled Chen Mo and led him around the thorns.

Once the two had left, the venomous snake slowly lowered its head and disappeared back into the thorns.

Because of this discovery, Chen Mo began to observe the thorns in the Gobi Desert and discovered that various animals lived under each clump of thorns or other plants. These plants were like oases in the desert, providing these animals with a hidden environment.

Therefore, when Chen Mo led Ouyang Ruoxi along the lake shore, they avoided every plant area.

Some plants grow so lushly that they cover a large area, and many different kinds of animals live beneath them, including groups of small animals.

After observing and walking for about an hour, we finally arrived at the side of the valley, where cliffs stood tall, piercing the clouds. The scene was similar to what we had seen on the opposite bank, except for the somewhat dense vegetation at the foot of the cliffs.

Although they are still low-growing plants, there are many of them, forming large green areas that cover the cliffs and lakeside, stretching far into the distance.

“Amo, there’s nothing here. It’s pretty much the same as what we saw on the other side,” Ouyang Ruoxi said to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo nodded, but didn't voice the vague sense of threat he felt. Ever since he stepped onto the iron chain bridge, that subtle threat had followed him, and even now, as he walked along the lakeshore, that feeling seemed to be with him the whole way.

He turned his head and stared at the dark lake water, but couldn't make out anything.

Perhaps there is a powerful and strange beast at the bottom of this lake, with a keen sense of perception, which is why it can detect my movements from the bottom of the lake and keep observing me.

Perhaps this strange beast wasn't actually aggressive towards me, but was merely spying on me from the shadows. It was only because my soul was strong and my senses were sharp that I had this feeling.

"Well, since we haven't found anything, let's go back!" Chen Mo nodded and said.

But at that moment, a dazzling red light suddenly appeared in the sky.

That was the light from a signal flare!