Yusu smiled, "Thank you for the reminder; we will be cautious."
The village chief of Sanhe, seeing Yusu insist on going to the Source Shaman Department, discussed with Minghe. In the end, he told Yusu that if the people from the Source Shaman Department really captured them, they could claim to be friends of Sanhe Village. While it might not guarantee their safety, at least their lives might be spared.
Yusu didn't explain and, after thanking them, left Sanhe Village with Luyan and the others.
"Wu Doctor, what do you think?" The village chief asked Minghe after seeing Yusu and others off.
Minghe said, "When we mentioned the strength of the Source Shaman Department, they didn't take it seriously. Either they are ignorant or have some reliance."
The village chief puzzled, "Are you talking about the warriors from Yucun?"
Minghe shook his head, "I don't know. I can't see through their details."
The village chief said, "Hopefully, they come back alive."
...
Those who escaped from the eastern gorge now lived in makeshift tents near the Sanhe Village exchange market. Terrified, they stayed huddled in the tents, going out during the day to hunt and gather food and gathering together at night.
When Yusu and his group arrived, these people were initially wary, but upon recognizing them, they relaxed. Observing Yusu's finely dressed group, some became uneasy.
"Who are you?"
"I am the shaman of Yucun, here to inquire about the gorge monsters."
As soon as the topic of gorge monsters came up, their expressions changed, becoming fearful. Reluctant to discuss, one person, seemingly the leader, stepped forward and asked, "What do you want to know?"
Yusu said, "Tell me everything you know about the gorge."
The person went on to share their experiences, mentioning their village's affiliation with the Source Shaman Department. Despite being distant, their village had suffered from the sudden emergence of monsters. Most residents were bitten, and they narrowly escaped by fleeing east.
Ordinary people would find it challenging to evade monster pursuit, especially in large numbers. Yusu speculated these people used some method to escape.
"We hid in a cave with many snakes and a foul smell. The monsters didn't enter, allowing us to escape after they left," explained the person, revealing that some were disciples of a shaman, equipped with snake-repelling powder that helped them survive the night.
Yusu inquired about the Source Shaman Department, learning it was a dominant force in the gorge, claiming descent from shaman gods. Minghe and Yusu couldn't discern their true intentions.
The person said, "The Source Shaman Department, with powerful shaman warriors, dominates the gorge. We small villages fear them, willingly becoming their subordinates for survival."
Source Shaman Department was hostile to outsiders, killing anyone trespassing on their territory, leaving corpses hanging at the forest entrance.
"How many people are in the Source Shaman Department?" Yusu asked.
"Over ten thousand."
Yusu pondered the significant number and asked about recent events. The person mentioned that something happened to the Source Shaman Department, and their shaman warriors lost against the monsters.
Yusu questioned why they concluded the shamans lost instead of the monsters bypassing the Source Shaman Department.
"They built a high wall in the gorge. Monsters can only exit through it," the person explained.
Yusu and Luyan exchanged glances. Yusu asked, "What happened to the Source Shaman Department members? Are they alive?"
"We don't know, but they must have suffered significant casualties," the person replied.
Yusu reflected, "It seems the Source Shaman Department is indeed in trouble. According to this person, they likely suffered heavy losses. I wonder if anyone survived."
...
The gorge lay far to the east, quite a distance from Sanhe Village. Even riding horses, it would take several days. Along the way, they stopped at villages to inquire about recent monster disturbances.
Initially, the encountered villages were safe, but nearing the gorge, signs of trouble emerged. The air carried a faint scent of blood, indicating something amiss ahead.
"Yumeng, bring the others and catch up. Luyan and I will go ahead to investigate," Yusu ordered.
"Yes!"
Yusu and Luyan mounted their swords, swiftly flying towards the source of the bloody smell.
Their rapid flight brought them to a small forest with distant cries for help.
"Help! Help!"
"There are monsters, monsters!"
Four or five people were fleeing within the forest, likely villagers from the vicinity.
Chasing them was a three-eyed tiger with bloodstained mouth, indicating recent consumption of human flesh.
"Ah!" The villager in the lead stumbled and became the last, quickly caught by the three-eyed tiger.
"Roar!" The tiger leaped, ready to attack.
"No—" The villager shouted in despair, but Yusu intervened with a swift sword strike, cleaving the three-eyed tiger in half. Its body fell from mid-air, crashing to the ground.
The villager, spared from imminent death, looked at the massive carcass in awe, hastily getting up and fleeing.
As Yusu and Luyan landed, nearby villagers had already disappeared.
Yusu scanned the forest with his senses, finding no other beasts nearby. Approaching the tiger's corpse, he examined it.
After the inspection, Yusu said to Luyan, "We're unsure if there are more monsters nearby. Let's split up and search."
Luyan nodded, and they separated, each using their swords and senses to explore the surroundings.
When they regrouped, Yumeng and the others, led by Yusu's brother, had caught up.
"How is it, Yusu?" Yumeng asked, out of breath.
"We encountered a three-eyed tiger chasing villagers. We dealt with it, but we need to stay vigilant. There might be more," Yusu warned.
Looking towards the east, Luyan said, "Let's continue eastward. We may encounter more trouble."
Yusu agreed, and they proceeded on foot, relying on their senses and flying swords to navigate the area.
As they moved eastward, encounters with hostile monsters increased. Starting with the three-eyed tiger, they faced various low-level monsters, posing a threat to ordinary people.
Observing a village entirely ravaged by monsters, Yusu's brother clenched his weapon, expressing his anger, "These damn monsters! Ordinary people have no means to resist; they can only be slaughtered!"
The villages comprised common folk, struggling for their daily sustenance. Now, even that struggle had been taken away, as the monsters devoured every resident.
Yusu gazed eastward, his expression stern.
As they traveled, the number of villages attacked increased, and they encountered more and more slain monsters.
If they hadn't come to inspect, these monsters would have devoured their way into the depths of the eastern plains, potentially causing countless deaths.
The situation in the gorge remained unknown.
Yusu spoke solemnly, "Continue eastward. Kill as many monsters as possible. We must stop them; otherwise, they will devour everyone in the eastern plains."
Yumeng and the others gritted their teeth, "Yes!"
Kill all those damned monsters!
The group continued eastward, killing monsters on sight and rescuing people when necessary. Sometimes, they faced groups of monsters, and Yusu mercilessly slaughtered them.
It was fortunate that Yusu and Luyan had established foundational cultivation levels, making it easy for them to deal with low-level monsters. This enabled them to clear all encountered monsters along the way.
With the warriors using the entrapment array, many monsters were also captured.
When they reached the outskirts of the gorge, the warriors were somewhat exhausted.
Yusu ordered a rest.
He first used a powerful healing spell on everyone, then treated the warriors' injuries and gave them vitality-restoring pills. After multiple rounds of healing, the warriors quickly recovered.
However, despite their physical recovery, the warriors still felt mentally fatigued.
Yusu didn't rush to continue the journey, allowing everyone to rest and regain their spirits.
"On this journey, we've killed several hundred monsters. How many more are there in the gorge? If they all come out, will anyone on the plains survive?" Yusu wondered aloud.
With a grim expression, Yumeng said, "When we approached the gorge, nearly every village we encountered was emptied, corpses scattered everywhere—a gruesome sight. Even those of us accustomed to bloodshed found it chilling."
It wasn't just Yumeng and the others; even Yusu felt a sense of horror.
In the face of these ferocious monsters, humanity appeared overwhelmingly vulnerable.
Moreover, the situation in the gorge remained uncertain. It was very likely that it had become a realm dominated by monsters. In other words, the people surviving in this land had always been living alongside monsters.
It was a terrifying reality.