At a glance, the once lush vegetation had vanished, replaced by a bizarre expanse of grayish desolation. Between the two mountain peaks lay countless smooth, oval white stones—some as large as human heads, others no bigger than fists.
Further ahead, thick gray mist obscured the view, making it impossible to discern anything within. However, the mist was confined to a central area about a hundred zhang wide, while on either side surged waves of blood-red light, relentlessly pressing inward like a tide. Yet, as soon as they reached the edges of the mist, they were repelled as if meeting an invisible barrier.
“Is this the passage you mentioned, Fellow Daoist?” Lu Weiying exhaled slowly and asked.
“Indeed, it should be here. Does Brother Lu sense something amiss?” Marquis Nanlong hesitated before responding.
“Those blood-red lights are undoubtedly the valley’s restrictions, but this mist doesn’t seem ordinary either. Did Frost Li the Transcendent mention it in his testament?” Lu Weiying gazed at the distant gray mist and asked calmly.
“No, he didn’t. Perhaps he deemed it insignificant,” Marquis Nanlong replied after a pause.
“I have a feeling this mist is unusual. We should proceed with caution,” the old man surnamed Lu shook his head, his expression grave.
“If there’s a problem, why not test it?” Han Li suddenly interjected.
“Fellow Daoist Han speaks wisely. I happen to have a few Thousand-Mile Orioles trained for locating spiritual herbs. They can be used to test the mist now,” Marquis Nanlong clapped his hands in agreement.
Lu Weiying offered no objection. Marquis Nanlong then took a small spirit beast pouch from his waist and tossed it into the air, emitting a low whistle. A small golden-feathered bird shot out like an arrow and began circling above.
With a flick of his hand, Marquis Nanlong sent a green talisman flying toward the bird, which instantly enveloped it in a small green barrier. At his mental command, the bird let out a sharp cry and streaked toward the gray mist like a golden beam.
Before the bird even reached the mist, Han Li’s eyes flashed blue as he activated his spiritual vision to scrutinize the scene. However, when his gaze inadvertently swept past a certain spot, his expression flickered slightly, revealing a trace of peculiarity. Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were too focused on the oriole to notice Han Li’s reaction.
The Thousand-Mile Oriole plunged into the gray mist and vanished from sight.
Unable to see through the mist, Han Li refrained from rashly probing with his divine sense and instead glanced at Marquis Nanlong’s expression. The latter’s eyes were slightly closed as he maintained a mental link with the bird. His calm demeanor suggested the bird had not encountered immediate danger.
Just as Han Li pondered this, Marquis Nanlong shuddered, his face paling as his eyes snapped open.
“What happened?” Lu Weiying, also observing Marquis Nanlong’s reaction, asked urgently.
“There seems to be a demonic creature in the mist—it swallowed the oriole in one gulp. It looked like…” Marquis Nanlong’s expression was strange, as if uncertain.
Han Li and the old man surnamed Lu exchanged surprised glances.
“Like a giant serpent. Yes, that’s it. This mist must be the demonic miasma it exhales,” Marquis Nanlong affirmed after a moment of contemplation.
“A giant serpent? That’s odd. If such a demon beast existed, why wouldn’t Frost Li the Transcendent mention it in his testament? Unless…”
“Unless the serpent arrived in this passage later,” Han Li finished Lu Weiying’s hesitant sentence.
“Exactly! That’s precisely what I meant.”
“Both of you make valid points. However, a serpent capable of surviving in the Fallen Devil Valley is no ordinary demon beast—it must be an ancient creature. We cannot enter the inner valley without eliminating it. This complicates matters,” Marquis Nanlong nodded in agreement, as if this were the only plausible explanation.
“No matter. Since this mist is merely demonic miasma and not a restriction, we need not fear it too much. With the three of us working together, an ancient creature shouldn’t be too difficult to handle. It can’t possibly be more troublesome than that Fire Toad!” Lu Weiying’s eyes glinted coldly as he spoke calmly.
“Whether it’s as formidable as the Fire Toad remains to be seen, but we have no choice but to slay it now. Let’s act together,” Marquis Nanlong said, opening his mouth to release a small golden sword that gleamed brilliantly.
The old man surnamed Lu rubbed his hands together, summoning a dazzling white banner.
Han Li’s lips curled into a wry smile. These two were remarkably decisive—without a moment’s hesitation, they were ready to fight.
“I have no objections to eliminating this creature, Fellow Daoists. But before we proceed, shouldn’t we invite another fellow Daoist to step out? You’ve been hiding nearby long enough—don’t you think it’s time to reveal yourself?” Han Li suddenly turned toward an empty spot, his expression darkening as he flicked his fingers, sending several green sword beams shooting forth. The beams exploded mid-air several dozen zhang away, revealing a figure cloaked in yellow light, holding a massive shield.
Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were stunned.
“A misunderstanding! Esteemed Seniors, please don’t be angry! This junior only just arrived and will leave immediately!” The figure in yellow light was a gaunt man in his forties, bowing frantically with fear in his eyes.
“Huang Tianming! It’s you!” The old man surnamed Lu exclaimed in surprise.
“Brother Lu, you know this man?” Marquis Nanlong’s face darkened with killing intent.
“He’s a cultivator from a minor sect under the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Regardless of his cultivation, I’ve heard he once obtained an ancient invisibility talisman, granting him unparalleled stealth. It seems the rumors were true—he hid here without even us noticing,” Lu Weiying said coldly, his gaze fixed on the gaunt man.
“Esteemed Seniors, I truly just arrived! I only followed out of curiosity after seeing you perform magic here!” The man’s face turned deathly pale at their hostile tone.
“Sneaking after us can’t be for any good purpose. Brother Lu, he’s from your alliance—what do you propose?” Marquis Nanlong snorted and turned to the old man.
Lu Weiying’s expression remained impassive, but his eyes narrowed. “My suggestion… is naturally to eliminate him.” The moment he spoke, his figure blurred and vanished in a flash of white light.
The gaunt man, terrified out of his wits, ignored his fear of three Nascent Soul cultivators and activated his spiritual light, transforming into a rainbow streak shooting skyward.
At the same time, the old man reappeared where the man had stood. Glancing coldly at the fleeing figure, he shook his banner and sent it flying.
The banner transformed into a white hurricane, swiftly engulfing the yellow light within a dozen zhang. The man’s massive shield flickered wildly before shattering into pieces. A bloodcurdling scream later, his body was torn apart by countless wind blades, raining blood below.
The old man nodded indifferently and recalled the hurricane, which reverted to the white banner and returned to his hand.
“Well done, Brother Lu. Now we need not fear this passage being exposed,” Marquis Nanlong chuckled lightly.
“It’s nothing. A mere Core Formation cultivator daring to stalk us deserved his fate,” Lu Weiying said dismissively. He then reached out, summoning two items from the bloodied ground—the man’s storage pouch and a pale yellow jade talisman. Without ceremony, he inspected them briefly before storing them away.
“We owe this to Fellow Daoist Han. Otherwise, we might have suffered an unexpected setback. Brother Han, your ability to see through ancient stealth techniques is truly remarkable—no wonder your reputation precedes you,” Marquis Nanlong turned to Han Li with a smile.
“It was merely luck. Either of you could have detected him if not momentarily distracted,” Han Li replied modestly.
Marquis Nanlong shook his head but said nothing more.
By then, Lu Weiying had returned. “Let’s act quickly. The longer we delay, the more complications may arise,” the old man said gravely, his words carrying reason.
Han Li nodded, flipping his hand to produce a stack of shimmering formation flags. “The battle with the serpent will surely cause a disturbance. I’ll set up an isolation array to contain the effects within the restrictions, preventing other cultivators from noticing.”
“Brother Han is as meticulous as ever. That would be ideal,” the old man praised with a faint smile.
Han Li transformed into a green streak, swiftly planting the flags between the two peaks. Moments later, a large-scale formation was complete.
Its primary function was to suppress sound and spiritual fluctuations—hence the speed of its deployment. When Han Li returned, Lu Weiying raised his banner and declared, “Now that Fellow Daoist Han has finished, I’ll use this Hurricane Banner to disperse the demonic mist and force the serpent into the open.”
As he chanted an incantation, Marquis Nanlong pointed at his golden sword, sending it soaring into the sky. It spun rapidly before expanding into a massive golden blade over five zhang long, hovering above him.
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