The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3082 The Abnormal Drop in Lake Water

Chen Mo quickly slipped away through the cave, but felt as if he had forgotten something, though he couldn't quite place it. He could only shake his head and continue hurrying away. If he couldn't remember, then it meant it wasn't important.

Since it's not important, it doesn't matter whether I remember it or not. I can deal with it later if I happen to remember it.

He was lost in thought, but his steps didn't falter. He quickened his pace and swiftly passed through the cave, the entrance just ahead. Although it was dark and he couldn't distinguish the cave entrance from the valley, he could see it clearly.

Earlier, when he stopped the wolf pack, he used an excuse to leave Ouyang Ruoxi and the others. Now that the matter is resolved, he needs to hurry back. He imagines that Ruoxi and the others are probably anxious by now, and may have already left their resting place and are looking for him in the direction he left.

He darted to the cave entrance, but then stopped. He took out eighteen array bases from the Qiankun Pearl, and with a flicker of his true essence, the array bases instantly broke free from his control and disappeared into the vicinity of the cave entrance.

Then the restriction was activated, and the eighteen array bases began to operate, activating the array. This was a dual composite array of illusion and isolation arrays, concealing the entire cave entrance to prevent Qian Ying from discovering the opening in the cave wall when she arrived later.

After all, Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing are far more powerful than the stubborn donkey, and the wolf pack currently only has two or three members, with few capable of fighting. If they encounter two old men, they'll be easy prey, crushed on the spot.

Therefore, by setting up an array at the cave entrance to conceal it, Qian Ying and his group were prevented from discovering it, thus indirectly protecting the stubborn donkey tribe.

As for the operation of the formation, it can probably operate for about a month. After all, Chen Mo did not add spirit stones, nor did he input too much true essence, nor did he add a spirit-gathering array to provide the spiritual power required for the formation to operate, so it will be almost exhausted in a month, and the formation will then shut down.

Of course, while the formation is in operation, if the stubborn donkey and the other wolves want to sneak out of the cave and into the valley, there won't be any problem. As long as they have the true essence that Chen Mo previously inputted into their bodies, they won't be blocked by the formation and can pass through it directly.

The true energy he had previously injected into the wolf pack was actually like a key, allowing the wolves to enter and exit with ease.

However, without this true essence within the body, it's impossible to leave the cave while the formation is in operation. The only way to leave is after the formation has deteriorated.

Chen Mo set up these measures to protect the wolf pack and ensure they could stay safely in the cave.

He had previously dealt with the wolf pack without holding back, but now that the stubborn donkey had submitted, he should protect what needed to be protected.

After setting up the formation, the bushes and other plants around the cave were restored, and any traces were cleared away. If someone were to walk by, they wouldn't notice the cave or any other traces that might attract attention.

Of course, there are many more traces around, but because the area involved in the previous battle and the elimination of the wolf pack was quite large, we could only cover up the traces near the cave entrance. As for the other traces, there was no way we could reconstruct them.

If someone discovers this place and brings the two old men here, he can offer some explanation. After all, all that's left are some traces and bloodstains, damaged ground, and some plants, nothing else—no wolf carcasses or anything like that. He can simply explain that the wolves in the pack were wounded and ran away.

This explanation should be enough to fool people.

Just as Chen Mo was observing his surroundings, he faintly heard a sound coming from nearby.

It was Ruoxi calling his name. Sure enough, they must have been worried about him and had come looking for him.

Chen Mo didn't bother to check any further. He quickly sped up and ran towards the direction from which the sound came from.

They sped up and walked for a few minutes before seeing a faint light source in the distance. Following the light, they quickly saw Ouyang Nan leading Ouyang Ruoxi, one in front of the other, each carrying a lighting device, walking closely towards them, occasionally calling out Chen Mo's name.

"Who?"

"it's me!"

Finally, Chen Mo, Ouyang Nan, and Ruoxi reunited.

"Amo, where have you been? Why have you been gone for so long?"

Upon seeing Chen Mo, Ouyang Ruoxi immediately rushed forward to check if he was injured or anything.

"Oh, I was just going to relieve myself when I encountered a pack of wolves, so I tried to kill them. But when the wolves saw me, they turned and ran away, so I chased after them. But because it was dark, I lost them." Chen Mo made up an excuse.

Hearing that they lost the chase, the two women didn't seem to care, as long as the person was safe.

"Alright, now that Amo is safe, let's go back. Only Nana and Qian Zhenghao are at the bridgehead. If something happens, it will be troublesome." Ouyang Nan said helplessly when she saw Ouyang Ruoxi and Chen Mo being so affectionate.

"Okay!" The two clasped hands and agreed at the same time. Ouyang Nan didn't want to be seen being shown affection, so she turned around and walked ahead, followed by the two holding hands.

"After I leave, don't worry and come looking for me again. What if you encounter any danger on the way? You know my strength. I can handle any situation. Even if I can't, I can leave in time," Chen Mo said, looking into Ouyang Ruoxi's eyes.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you,” Ouyang Ruoxi said with a smile.

After the three returned to the bridgehead, Ouyang Nana and Qian Zhenghao were unharmed.

However, to Chen Mo's surprise, when he glanced across the lake, he discovered that the water level had dropped several meters. Previously, the water was almost level with the shore, but now it had suddenly fallen by more than three meters, which was truly alarming.

Especially along the lake shore, there is no buffer at all; it's just like a cliff. When the lake level drops by three meters, the cliff-like height of three meters is revealed.

Chen Mo walked to the shore and looked at the dwindling lake surface, realizing that something must have gone wrong with the water to cause this result. However, he couldn't figure out the exact reason at the moment.

In the pitch-black night, gazing at the dark, deep lake water, he felt a chill run down his spine after looking at it for a while. If he weren't so powerful, he would never have stood here by the lake.

Especially at a lakeside with such a steep cliff, it's an extremely dangerous place. An ordinary person probably wouldn't dare stand there staring at the lake, especially in the dead of night.

No one can guarantee that if some strange beast were to suddenly emerge from the dark and deep lake, it would be absolutely dangerous.

"Amo, what are you looking at?" Ouyang Ruoxi asked as she saw Chen Mo standing on the shore looking at the lake after he returned. But when she shone her flashlight on the lake, she exclaimed, "How come the lake level has dropped so much?"

When the lights shine on it, you can see the cliff-like three-meter height, as well as the bridgehead buildings, and the bridge structure that is revealed as the lake water recedes.

Chen Mo reached out and pulled Ouyang Ruoxi to stand beside him. In case of any danger, he could pull her back at any time.

“When I was about to go find you, I didn’t realize the lake level had dropped so much. How could it have dropped so much now? What happened?” Ouyang Ruoxi murmured.

Hearing Ouyang Ruoxi's exclamation, Ouyang Nan and the others came over and shone their lights on her, all of them quite surprised.

"Yes, why has the lake level dropped so much?"

"Is it possible that there's a leak somewhere in the lake that would cause the water level to drop so much?"

……

Several people voiced their doubts, but no one knew why the lake level had dropped so much.

The lake is very large, but such a huge amount of water was lost in such a short time. There must be something wrong.

Chen Mo silently sensed the lake. The subtle danger remained unchanged, but he could only sense that the danger was beneath the water; he couldn't perceive its exact distance. If his divine sense hadn't been weakened and he could have probed over a thousand meters away, he might have been able to find the cause.

However, now that divine sense can only travel three and a half meters, there is no way to find out where the problem lies.

Finally, Chen Mo spoke up, "We can't get too close to the lake shore. If there's any danger, we might not be able to react in time. Let's move a little further away later, so that even if some strange beast comes out of the lake, we'll have enough time to deal with it."

They had chosen to camp near the bridge structure because of the wolf pack. But now, not only has the bridge been restored, but the lake level has also dropped significantly. And since they've already dealt with the wolf pack, it's better to retreat a distance, leaving enough room to react and deal with any potential crises.

Ouyang Nan and the others nodded in agreement. After all, it was about their own safety, so it was better to stay away. As for the wolf pack, with Chen Mo around, there shouldn't be any problem.

Chen Mo didn't tell them that he had already dealt with the wolf pack, so Ouyang Nan and the others naturally chose the lesser of two crises. Therefore, for the wolf pack, the unknown danger was the most terrifying.

The group packed their belongings and removed all physical defenses and other items around the campsite. Then, carrying their luggage and other items, they walked to a location about 100 meters from the bridgehead and began to set up camp again.

However, because there are already quite a few bushes here, the number of animals has gradually increased. Especially poisonous creatures, which are practically swarming under the bushes. Therefore, we have to use some methods to drive them away, clear the bushes and other debris, and collect flammable materials such as wood to burn around the campsite. This will drive away all the poisonous insects and other pests.

"Alright, you guys rest now, I'll take over the shift," Chen Mo said after watching everyone finish packing up.

He only needs to meditate and doesn't need to sleep or rest, so he is the best choice to be on duty, especially since the other three members of the team besides Qian Zhenghao are all his own people.