“Go!” the burly man roared in a low voice. The stone seal spun rapidly before glowing brilliantly and shooting toward the distant multicolored radiance. The two flying swords transformed into streaks of red and white, resembling celestial rainbows, and slashed forward alongside the stone seal.
The stone seal treasure was indeed extraordinary. Even before striking the radiance, faint rumbles of wind and thunder could be heard. Then, with an earth-shaking boom, multicolored spiritual lights intertwined in an instant, causing the nearby ground to tremble slightly.
Seeing the stone seal’s immense power, the other two men wore faint smiles of relief, but their expressions quickly froze. Within the tangled spiritual lights, the seven-colored radiance suddenly flared brightly, momentarily suppressing the glow of the three treasures. A clear chime echoed from the radiance, and the three treasures were simultaneously repelled, sent flying backward.
Startled, the three hurriedly regained control of their treasures and exchanged uneasy glances. The power of the restriction far exceeded their expectations.
The burly man snorted and was about to speak when the surrounding radiance shimmered, turning a fiery red. Before they could react, countless fiery clouds began to gather and churn above the restriction, filling the area with scorching heat.
“What’s happening? Wasn’t it said that this restriction wasn’t aggressive?” the scar-faced man shouted in alarm. But the other two had no time to answer—the fiery clouds were already descending mercilessly.
Terrified, the three men frantically activated their treasures to shield themselves, hastily slapping several talismans onto their bodies. Layers of protective barriers flickered into existence around them.
The crimson mist swallowed them whole. Moments later, three agonized screams pierced the air before silence fell.
Soon after, the fiery clouds dissipated, and the radiance faded. The rubble-strewn ground was empty, save for three dimmed treasures lying there, their spiritual essence greatly diminished.
Among those who entered the Fallen Devil Valley, only a handful—about seven or eight groups—met with misfortune, but more than half of them perished. Danger lurked everywhere, and even a momentary lapse could prove fatal. One such casualty was a Nascent Soul cultivator from a mid-sized sect, who carelessly met his end at the hands of a spatial rift.
Han Li was unaware of others’ fates, but in this most perilous place in the South Sky, he proceeded with extreme caution. Yet, at this moment, he was pleasantly surprised.
Hovering over a barren stretch of land, he clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes wide open as he stared ahead. Blue light swirled in his pupils, sharp and piercing. To an outsider, Han Li’s glowing eyes might have seemed eerie, but he paid no mind to such thoughts.
Ahead, there appeared to be nothing—even his spiritual sense detected nothing unusual. But with his Brightsight Spirit Eyes fully activated, Han Li spotted a faint, blurry arc of light, several feet long, shimmering weakly about a dozen yards ahead.
Taking a deep breath, Han Li dimmed the blue glow in his eyes, his expression shifting between uncertainty and resolve. He was now certain—his spirit eyes could indeed detect spatial rifts invisible to spiritual sense.
This revelation justified the countless spiritual fluids he had expended to refine his Brightsight Spirit Water. With this ability, his survival in the valley was greatly assured. The only drawback was that detecting these rifts required his full concentration; the slightest lapse could lead to oversight.
The minor spiritual energy consumed by using the Brightsight Spirit Eyes was negligible. However, if he were to travel with Marquis Nanlong and the others, they might notice the anomaly in his eyes—a complication he wished to avoid.
Han Li pondered briefly before reaching into his storage pouch and retrieving a shimmering cyan cloak. This was no ordinary garment but a top-tier spiritual artifact he had acquired as spoils of war.
Its sole function was to conceal his face, preventing others from peering beneath. Unlike most artifacts, it required no continuous infusion of spiritual energy, though its effectiveness depended on the disparity in cultivation between the wearer and the observer.
Han Li estimated that, aside from the Confucian scholar Zhong and Wei Wuyi, no one else in the valley would be able to see through the cloak and detect his glowing eyes.
Donning the cloak, Han Li cast one last glance at the faintly visible spatial rift before transforming into a streak of cyan light, bypassing it effortlessly.
—
In a dense forest of towering ancient trees, a tall, plain-faced woman flew low among the trees. Though her features were unremarkable, her eyes were strikingly clear and lively, darting left and right as if searching for something.
After a while, she emerged from the forest and paused at its edge, her expression pensive.
“This isn’t the place either. There’s no mark left by that Ghost Spirit Sect elder. It must be somewhere else. But why have me find the mark first and then wait for him? Does he have another objective in the valley?” she murmured, gazing at the yellowed sky with a trace of confusion in her bright eyes.
Suddenly, her delicate brows twitched. She swiftly retreated into the forest, suppressing her aura and casting several concealment spells before hiding beneath a massive tree, motionless.
Three streaks of light—each a different color—approached from the distance at a leisurely pace. Within them, three elderly men flew side by side.
In moments, the lights reached the forest’s canopy. The silver-haired elder among them seemed to sense something, his gaze sweeping downward toward the woman’s hiding spot. He let out a soft sound of surprise.
“What is it, Brother Cheng? Did you find something?” asked a purple-robed elder with a deeply wrinkled face.
“Nothing significant. Just a Core Formation female cultivator hiding below, seemingly unwilling to be seen,” the silver-haired elder replied indifferently.
“Oh? Is she being cautious because there’s treasure in the forest?” the purple-robed elder mused, intrigued.
“Brother Lin, don’t dream. There’s no sign of any restrictions here. She’s just a Core Formation cultivator—a woman, no less. In a place like this, avoiding three old men like us is only natural. Let’s not waste time. We should focus on treasure hunting. If we can find something in the outer valley, all the better. Otherwise, we’ll have to venture into the inner valley,” said the third elder, his face shrouded in a greenish aura.
“Brother Ou is right. Let’s ignore her. In this damned place, even if I could fly faster, I wouldn’t dare. Searching such a vast area will take time—we shouldn’t waste it,” the purple-robed elder agreed without offense, smiling faintly.
The silver-haired elder nodded calmly, and the three continued on their way without looking back.
Once their lights had vanished, the woman cautiously emerged from the forest, watching their departing figures with a thoughtful expression.
“That silver-haired elder… he must be his senior brother from the Falling Cloud Sect. To think he’s here too. At least it was just a false alarm.”
This woman was none other than Violet Spirit, disguised and infiltrating the Fallen Devil Valley.
Han Li had arranged for her to search the outer valley for clues about the Spirit Candle Fruit and wait for him before jointly seeking it. Though she had agreed readily, doubts lingered in her mind. Still, she knew this matter likely had nothing to do with her and had refrained from pressing Han Li for answers.
Now, having failed to find her target in this forest, she hesitated briefly before summoning her flying light and heading in the direction from which the three elders had come.
—
Elsewhere in the valley, six black-robed Ghost Spirit Sect disciples scoured another dense forest. Among them were Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan. Floating above the trees was the pale-faced elder, motionless and expressionless. The sect master, Wang Tian’gu, and the other disciples were nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, a startled cry rang out from the forest, followed by an excited voice transmitting to the elder: “Found it! It’s here!”
The elder’s expression shifted slightly as he transformed into a streak of black light, descending swiftly. The others rushed over as well.
“Where?” the elder demanded coldly, landing beside the disciple.
“Elder Zhong, here,” the disciple replied respectfully, pointing at a peculiar tree.
The elder’s gaze followed the gesture, his brow twitching. The tree’s roots split into forks, and two thick branches extended from its trunk, giving it the appearance of a giant.
“Well done. If this is indeed the one, you’ll be heavily rewarded upon leaving the valley,” the elder said sternly. The disciple bowed gratefully.
The elder circled the tree twice before stopping at one side. After a moment’s scrutiny, he raised his hand and clawed at the air. A wisp of black yin energy seeped from the trunk, coalescing into a sphere that flew into his palm.
“It’s here. Gather the others,” Elder Zhong finally allowed a faint smile as he issued the order.
—
As time passed, the valley’s explorers gradually dispersed. While a few searched with purpose, most wandered aimlessly, hoping for a lucky find.
To their disappointment, the outer valley yielded little. Aside from a handful who stumbled upon remnants left by past explorers, most found nothing—contrary to rumors of treasures littering the valley. Impatient or overconfident cultivators began inching toward the inner valley.
For Han Li, the first day in the Fallen Devil Valley was uneventful. He wasted no time searching for treasures, sticking to safe paths and avoiding areas that might harbor restrictions.
Though his progress was slow, he eventually neared the rendezvous point with Marquis Nanlong, confirming his location within the valley.
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