On the western side of the Falling Devil Valley, atop a small hill covered in brown rocks, two figures—one seated and one standing—waited at the summit. The seated figure was a kindly-looking elderly man in white robes, while the standing figure wore luxurious garments and a tall crown, with a long beard reaching his chest. These were none other than Lu Weiying, an elder of the Tianji Sect, and Marquis Nanlong.
Marquis Nanlong stood with his hands clasped behind his back, about five or six zhang away from Lu Weiying. Though he appeared composed as he gazed into the distance, a trace of anxiety flickered in his eyes.
“Brother Nanlong, there’s no need to be overly anxious. That person likely landed in a remote location, so it’s natural for him to take more time. Didn’t we see him enter the formation and get teleported in ourselves?” Lu Weiying, who was meditating on a large boulder with his eyes closed, seemed to sense Marquis Nanlong’s impatience and suddenly spoke up.
“That may be true! But as you know, the Falling Devil Valley is fraught with dangers, and sheer power alone isn’t enough to navigate them. And for this trip, we absolutely cannot do without him—otherwise, our journey here might be in vain.” Marquis Nanlong sighed, turning his head with a hint of helplessness.
“The Northern Polar Divine Light is one thing—we need the Two-Polar Ring to pass through it—but is that Fire Toad really so formidable? Otherwise, we could have just obtained the ring and not bothered bringing him along.” Lu Weiying opened his eyes and couldn’t help but complain.
“I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, but in the legacy letter of the late Sage Cangkun, this beast was described as terrifyingly powerful. It’s best to find a cultivator whose techniques counter it. Otherwise, even if we could handle it, we wouldn’t come out unscathed, and we might suffer severe losses. In such a perilous place, I don’t want to give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of us.” Marquis Nanlong frowned as he explained.
“Brother Nanlong makes a fair point. It seems that after the incident in the Mulan Grassland, you’ve become even more cautious. However, I’ve read about the Fire Toad in some ancient texts. This ancient beast wasn’t particularly renowned in antiquity, and according to those records, it shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with. But since Sage Cangkun described it as such, perhaps the one in the valley is a mutated variant.” Lu Weiying pondered briefly before offering his judgment.
“Mutation? That’s possible. But I think it’s more likely that the beast has been living in the valley without natural predators, allowing it to cultivate for an exceptionally long time.” Marquis Nanlong didn’t fully agree with the elder’s view.
“At this point, there’s no use debating further. That Fire Toad must be eliminated. And the passage leading to it is filled with Northern Polar Divine Light—no one unprepared can pass through it. We don’t have to worry about someone else discovering the remains of that ancient cultivator before us.” Lu Weiying closed his eyes again and spoke leisurely.
Seeing the elder’s unhurried demeanor, Marquis Nanlong smiled faintly. Just as he was about to say something more, his expression suddenly shifted, and he turned to look at the sky. A flash of cyan light appeared in the distance, followed by a slow-moving cyan rainbow approaching from afar.
“It’s him—he’s finally arrived.” Recognizing the familiar aura of Han Li’s flight light, Marquis Nanlong’s face lit up with relief. Hearing this, Lu Weiying quickly opened his eyes and stood up. Though the Tianji Sect elder had appeared calm, it seemed he, too, had been growing impatient.
The cyan rainbow moved cautiously, its speed not particularly fast. After a while, the flight light arrived above them. The cyan glow dissipated, revealing a figure wearing a bamboo hat, floating lightly above the two and looking down at them.
“Is that you, Fellow Daoist Han?” Marquis Nanlong scanned with his divine sense but found it unable to penetrate the cyan hat. His expression turned surprised as he hesitantly asked.
“What, aside from me, did you invite someone else?” Han Li chuckled, touching the brim of his hat while glancing at the Lu surnamed elder.
Lu Weiying also noticed the peculiarity of Han Li’s hat but remained unfazed.
“Fellow Daoist Han jests. Brother Lu and I have been waiting for you for quite some time.” Hearing Han Li’s voice, Marquis Nanlong sighed in relief. Though he found the hat odd, since Han Li didn’t seem inclined to explain, he didn’t press further. None of the three were the type to dally, so they immediately began discussing the plan to eliminate the Fire Toad.
To reach the Fire Toad, they first had to enter the Inner Valley. The so-called “Inner Valley” was actually a larger area at the heart of the Falling Devil Valley, enclosed by even more formidable ancient restrictions.
This time, however, there wasn’t just one passage into the Inner Valley. A quick survey around the Outer Valley revealed over a dozen passages of varying sizes. But each was riddled with restrictions. Attempting to brute-force one’s way through would be nothing short of self-torment—these ancient restrictions were merciless and would retaliate fiercely if provoked. Back then, Sage Cangkun, confident in his mastery of formations, had spent days studying them before giving up entirely. It wasn’t that they were impossible to dismantle, but doing so alone would take far too long.
Later, through sheer ingenuity and luck, Sage Cangkun discovered a hidden path lined with Northern Polar Divine Light. This passage was exceptionally well-concealed, unlikely to be found by accident. But the Northern Polar Divine Light within was lethal to any unsuspecting intruder. Now, with the Two-Polar Ring, entering the Inner Valley should be a trivial matter.
After a brief discussion, the three wasted no time resting and immediately took to the skies, heading toward the Inner Valley.
But as soon as they ascended, Marquis Nanlong patted his storage pouch and retrieved several small, multicolored bells, each a few inches in size, which he fastened to his waist. Han Li blinked in surprise, giving Marquis Nanlong a curious look.
“These are Resonance Bells. They chime automatically if the spatial fluctuations in our vicinity show any anomalies. While they can’t detect all spatial rifts, they’ll warn us of most.” Noticing Han Li’s interest, Marquis Nanlong offered a brief explanation.
Han Li nodded thoughtfully, and the three transformed into streaks of light, leaving the hill behind.
As they flew toward the valley’s center, the bells proved remarkably effective. Whenever a spatial rift appeared, the bells chimed clearly, allowing the trio to steer clear in time. However, these were mostly visible or dimly lit rifts—truly invisible ones went undetected.
Han Li confirmed this when his spiritual sight spotted a hidden rift nearby. The three flew perilously close to it, yet the bells remained silent. Though this revealed their limitation, as Marquis Nanlong had said, the bells still made navigation much easier, allowing the two to increase their speed slightly.
Fortunately, no invisible rifts blocked their path, so Han Li saw no need to intervene. The journey proceeded without incident.
After most of the day, they arrived at the outskirts of the Inner Valley, facing an unfamiliar mountain range. A dozen or so small peaks stretched into a miniature mountain chain spanning dozens of li. Beyond it, a crimson glow blotted out the yellow sky, casting an eerie aura.
“That’s the Inner Valley. Those blood-red lights are deadly restrictions—do not provoke them, or you’ll be lucky to escape with your life.” Though it was his first time seeing them, Marquis Nanlong warned as if he knew the place well.
Han Li narrowed his eyes, studying the crimson glow impassively. Its sinister appearance alone was enough to deter him, even without the warning.
Still, he found it curious how the ancient demonic cultivators had layered such formidable restrictions within the valley. What purpose could this place have served, guarded so fiercely? A prison, perhaps?
The thought struck him as absurd, and he dismissed it with a silent chuckle. What kind of monster would require such a vast valley as a cage? More likely, this was once a crucial stronghold for the ancient demonic cultivators.
Meanwhile, Marquis Nanlong led the group into the mountains, heading straight for a gap between two peaks.
Upon arrival, he raised a hand, signaling for them to halt. They descended slowly, scanning the area—lush grass, rocks, towering trees, and vines. Everything appeared normal, with no obvious anomalies.
“This is the spot. It shouldn’t look like this, but Sage Cangkun cast an illusion to conceal the entrance before leaving. Let me dispel it first.” Though excitement flickered across his face, Marquis Nanlong spoke calmly.
With a flick of his sleeve, a white jade pendant shot out, hovering above his head. He began chanting incantations, weaving hand seals as multicolored spells shot into the pendant. The jade absorbed them all, glowing brilliantly before emitting a clear chime.
With a shout, a vast expanse of white light erupted from the pendant, sweeping over the landscape ahead. A bizarre scene unfolded—wherever the light passed, rocks and trees twisted and tore like a painted scroll, dissolving into nothingness. The light then retracted swiftly, vanishing back into the pendant.
Before the trio, an entirely new vista unfolded.
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