The mountains stretched and twisted like a long snake, seeming alive in the quiet night.
After winding around a few times, the “snake’s head” and “snake’s tail” faced each other across a layer of “snake’s body,” as if attempting to connect and form a complete cycle.
Yet they ultimately fell short, and the “snake’s body” separating them split open, creating a vast chasm. Long ago, the Eternal Clan settled here, naming it the “Valley of Eternity.”
The Valley of Eternity exuded crimson mists, merging with the peach blossom poison, hundred-poison mist, and dead leaf haze formed over years of decay on the surrounding peaks. Birds avoided it, wild beasts steered clear, and only venomous creatures lurked in hiding.
The miasma weakened spiritual perception, forcing Meng Qi to descend from midair, his feet landing on the muddy, slippery ground at the valley entrance.
He still wore white, carried a single sword, and maintained a composed posture with a leisurely pace.
Looking far ahead, for reasons unknown, the miasma within the valley was surprisingly thin, rolling upward as if afraid to seep inside.
Though outwardly relaxed, Meng Qi remained alert, cautiously stepping into the valley. Inside, it seemed as if washed in blood. Besides strange rocks and deep pits, there were no signs of habitation—only bloodstains, all dark red.
“The Blood Sea Rakshasa completely razed the Valley of Eternity, leaving no clues…” Meng Qi seemed to realize.
Suddenly, he furrowed his brows—not due to the Valley of Eternity, but recalling the mystery of the Hall of Three Lives.
If Gu Xiaosang had not lied, the Hall of Three Lives remained intact when the Nine Heavens shattered. Unknown years later, someone arrived and deliberately destroyed the Halls of Past and Future. Perhaps the Solar Sovereign had hidden inside the “Past,” or maybe He was the culprit who destroyed the two halls, preventing others from seeking treasures in the Hall of Three Lives and disrupting His plans, thus eliminating temptation in advance.
Yet this raised a very incongruent question: the Blood Sea Rakshasa, merely a newly ascended Dharma Body, knew to erase all traces in the Valley of Eternity. Why then did remnants of aura and fragments remain at the collapsed sites of the Halls of Future and Past? If the Solar Sovereign intentionally preserved them for Himself, why not destroy the Hall of Present as well? In that case, Meng Qi and others like Gu Xiaosang would have long departed, avoiding the risks of plunging into darkness and disrupting His plans.
The destroyer of the halls had another identity, with unclear motives… Too many unknowns left Meng Qi unable to deduce the truth, while Gu Xiaosang obviously knew more yet remained tight-lipped, creating mystery deliberately.
“That witch must be plotting something…” Meng Qi’s thoughts wandered before he forcefully pulled them back. “Xi cannot pass through the Thunder God’s Seal until we open it. This implies the Solar Sovereign hid in the Hall of Past before its destruction, which itself happened earlier…”
Amidst these tangled thoughts, Meng Qi suddenly heard a crisp female voice:
“Another one seeking the method of rebirth and eternal existence…”
Her tone clearly carried mockery.
Lifting his gaze through the thin mist, Meng Qi saw a “young girl” sitting cross-legged on a blood-colored cliff to the left, her figure about fifteen or sixteen years old. She wore a vibrant, colorful long dress, her face retaining a hint of youthfulness, her eyes slightly innocent and lively, yet her aura stretched long like the blazing sun—not youthful vigor, clearly mismatching her appearance.
Meng Qi’s face remained stern: “Many people come here?”
The mysterious girl suddenly leaped down, petite and matching her appearance, giggling: “One comes every few days, but they’re all dying old men. Only a few like you, still with many years ahead, show up…”
She seemed long deprived of conversation, chattering nonstop.
“Did they find anything?” Seeing the girl’s willingness to speak, Meng Qi asked directly.
The girl pouted: “Is that how you ask? No manners at all! And you’re even from the Central Plains!”
Before Meng Qi could respond, she continued: “The chance to reincarnate before death, repeating endlessly, equaling immortality—who wouldn’t be interested? Painstaking cultivation, besides seeking power, lofty status, and freedom, isn’t it all about eternal life and escaping the fear of death?”
After this ramble, she smiled brightly, her youthful charm carrying the unique vibrancy of Southern Wilderness tribes: “Though the Eternal Clan was exterminated by the Blood Robe Sect, and the Valley of Eternity destroyed, some still suspect the secret of their reincarnation lies not within themselves, but in the valley’s uniqueness. Hence, most powerful cultivators rush here before death, digging pits to bury themselves, hoping to remember this life after reincarnation.”
“Young lady, in your prime, surely not here to entomb this body,” Meng Qi held his sword in his left hand, expressionless, modeling himself after Ximen Chuxue in mind, though unable to match his laconic style, mimicking Senior Brother Qi instead.
The girl stepped deeper into the valley, proudly declaring: “Of course! I have a hundred more years to live, why rush?”
She refused to mention her true purpose.
Meng Qi surveyed the surroundings, noticing fresh coverings and later damages on the blood-soaked ground. The wind piercing through the valley carried an eerie chill.
His mind stirred, coldly stating: “You’re here to dig ‘graves.'”
“How can you say it so harshly! Grave robbing, understood—grave robbing with honor, definitely not grave-digging!” Seeing Meng Qi showed no signs of decline, clearly not here to bury himself, she admitted yet contested the wording.
She giggled: “Those old men clinging to life must have treasures on them, right? Besides, if reincarnation is possible, they’d already have transformed upon death. Disturbing them after they’ve completely perished won’t diminish our good fortune. Why let treasures remain buried underground, unseen for years?”
Her speech carried traces of Jin Dynasty habits, as if she’d visited Jin or had close associates there. Reflecting, Meng Qi casually asked: “Wouldn’t they set up barriers, curses, and traps?”
No one wished disturbance after death.
The mysterious girl stuck out her tongue: “Of course they do! Several times almost cost me my life! And most have self-destruct mechanisms. We… I’ve stayed here for years, succeeding only five times.”
She opened her left hand, flipping it repeatedly to indicate five times—her small palm matching her apparent age.
Meng Qi walked forward with her, sensing the flow of the Valley of Eternity’s energies, observing the cliff walls on both sides, surface pits, and a place deep within seemingly concealing a powerful presence.
“No one guards their tombs?” Watching the girl’s bouncy back, Meng Qi’s expression remained stern.
The mysterious girl clicked her tongue: “How many Outer Manifestation experts in the Southern Wilderness aren’t hated by gods and men? Their wives, husbands, children, and disciples—who wouldn’t want to escape them sooner? Few stay to guard for even seven days. If not for suspicion of deception, they might even rob the graves themselves.”
As she spoke, they turned past the cliff wall. Ahead, Meng Qi saw a semi-old grave with a copper-skinned man seated beside it. Wearing blue trousers and a short jacket, his muscular frame exuded seriousness, his gaze unwavering, ignoring Meng Qi and the mysterious girl.
“Isn’t that one?” Meng Qi cast his gaze.
The girl chuckled: “Exceptions exist. That’s the ‘Gu’ Grand Elder’s grave of the Feitian Clan. He did much for his clan, so Outer Manifestation experts take turns guarding it.”
The Feitian Clan ranked among the top ten tribes in the Southern Wilderness, led by priests and elders, their strength rivaling any sect in the Great Jin below the top tier. “Gu” supposedly lived nearly three hundred years, repeatedly rescuing the Feitian Clan from crises, contributing to their rapid growth over the past two centuries.
“Gu sacrificed himself for his tribe, yet couldn’t transcend at death, wasting the Feitian Clan’s resources. Truly laughable and tragic,” Meng Qi commented in a “rustic” tone.
As his words fell, the copper-skinned man lifted his head, eyes like lightning staring at Meng Qi, his aura savage, like a beast in the mountains.
In halting Southern Wilderness tongue, he said: “Say that when you’re dying.”
How many great heroes, mighty warriors, and chivalrous figures truly transcended? The older and weaker they became, the more they feared death!
Not weak at all… Meng Qi hadn’t expected to encounter a master-level expert casually. Meeting his gaze unflinchingly, he countered: “If I act thus at death, it’s equally laughable and tragic.”
“Huang, if you really fight, won’t you damage the grave?” The mysterious girl stepped forward.
Feitian Clan members used single-character names.
Huang withdrew his gaze, inhaled deeply, and sat again like a bell, steady as a mountain.
Meng Qi seemed unaffected by the previous immense pressure, examining the energy flow again, using Jade Void Divine Calculation to deduce the key point.
After five steps, he stopped at a flat blood-soaked patch. With a wave of his left hand, the soil neatly flew up, forming a deep pit.
“What are you doing?” The mysterious girl asked, puzzled.
Meng Qi “calmly” glanced at her: “Planning to die once.”
“Eh…” The girl’s face showed shock and confusion.
Die just once?
As the thought surfaced, she saw Meng Qi’s face turn pale and sinister, his vitality fading, deathly aura rising, resembling a ghost or zombie.
“You… you… you…” She couldn’t even speak properly!
Meng Qi fell straight into the pit, the soil reversing, burying him.
The Eternal Clan reincarnated only at death’s door—without reaching that point, how could secrets be uncovered?
Everything returned to normal, Meng Qi’s Yuan Shen hiding in his brow, vitality concealed, feeling his mind grow hazy as the surroundings turned chaotic, faint images appearing but remaining unclear.
This place indeed held something strange!
The petite girl stood dazed, never expecting the white-clothed swordsman to die so suddenly, an absurd sight.
Just then, a figure dashed in, clad in dark clothes, of average build, with ordinary features, around forty years old, his face full of lechery and deceit.
“Xiaoru, someone was buried here?” He rubbed his hands eagerly.
The mysterious girl, Xiaoru, nodded blankly: “Yes.”
“Tsk tsk.” The middle-aged lecherous man circled the spot, “Master told you long ago this is the pivot of the area’s energy, the junction of yin and yang, echoing the distant snake’s head and tail, concealing its own mystery. Whoever sees through it must be extraordinary, and their treasures must be valuable!”
He rubbed his hands again: “How long has he been dead?”
“A while.” Xiaoru stared blankly at her master.
The middle-aged lecherous man nodded, muttering: “A while is good…”
He placed several ancient wooden stakes, scattered silver needles, connected red threads, and after a long while, carefully began digging the “grave.”
“Strange, why no barriers or curses…” He wondered, his right hand slowly reaching in.
Suddenly, cold sweat dripped from his forehead, his hand frozen in place as a pale, sinister hand tightly gripped it!
This resurrection happened too fast! He felt his soul flying out, having never experienced such in years of grave robbing!
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