42. The Mysterious Valley

Bai Shu crouched beside Luo Shilan and patted her shoulder. Luo Shilan leaned into his embrace, her tears soaking his lapels.

"My manager's father-in-law is still waiting for me to save you. Even though we are just friends, we have been through life and death together—can't you show a little concern for me? Once I return to the world of the living, I will be sure to find your family."

"Don't worry, Ye Xian will surely find a way to heal your eyes." His tone was heavy with guilt and self-reproach; for Lu Yan, losing his sight was no different from losing his life.

"Why have you come now? The Cultivation Alliance Conference is only two months away. Shouldn't you be focused on your cultivation? What are you doing here?" Murong Feng rolled her eyes, her tone sharp.

"Senior, did you invite me here just to spar?" Chengtian asked, breaking the tension.

"Daoist, this second piece of paper appears to be a sword manual—it has a wuxia, almost legendary feel to it. Could it be? Is it one of those long-lost manuals like the 'Bixie Sword Manual' or the 'Nine Swords of Dugu'? I would love to hear your thoughts, Daoist."

Bai Shu, unafraid of the Blind Granny, pulled Yuan Youqing toward the entrance. As they stepped inside, a light flickered in the room; Bai Shu caught sight of the Blind Granny, her hands trembling as she used a fire-starter to light a candle.

Hearing this, Xie Mu abandoned his Cloud Force and unleashed his Wind Intent to its fullest extent, preparing to employ the Wind Palm technique derived from the Wind and Cloud Palm.

Deep within the subterranean palace, Chen Junling fought while clutching his Nether Blade. Seeing the Decapitation Blade triggered, he grew anxious, unable to assist. Despite having lost an arm, the skeleton ghost remained ferocious, wielding its remaining limb to strike at Chen Junling.

His hand remained steady. As long as his hand was steady, it meant his heart was even steadier. And as long as his heart remained steady, he could survive the moment of the duel—he could continue to live.

In truth, he was at a loss. His heart was in turmoil; for the sake of Ding Linglin’s safety, he could not afford to take the slightest risk.

Unexpectedly, it was the Mountain Master who first relented, withdrawing his aura. With a deep, inscrutable gaze, he patiently explained the situation to Elder Bai once more. Although Elder Bai’s cultivation and status were far inferior, he was truly indispensable in certain respects.

"Let’s lay the corpse on the ground to examine it." No sooner had Tang Long finished speaking than Li San began to call out. The body would be easier to inspect on the ground. Tang Long and Li San lowered the decaying corpse, and Li San began to survey the clothing, wondering if there might be a clue hidden within.

***

This condition could be described as a form of self-protection for a high-level bloodline. Unless one fully mastered the advancement of the bloodline or废除 (abolished) it to become a cripple, it was difficult to completely eliminate the influence. Thus, Zhang Zhixuan could only keep a constant eye on Wu Yong, lest his attention wander and allow Yuan Fanhai to cause endless trouble.

Now that the Six Paths were controlled by Shi Zhixuan, who called himself the Evil Emperor, she refused to act as an accomplice and chose to flee, partly to search for the whereabouts of Zhang Liang.

Reflecting on this, Lin Di was certain that Shi Yi was a rare talent with a remarkably forward-thinking mind.

After enduring disasters and famine that no one could bear, it had survived. Yet, this faint wisp of smoke caused it to crumble into dry bones in the blink of an eye.

This grand path of cultivation could not be solved by some miraculous technique or secret art; it required steady, step-by-step accumulation, realization, and the integration of infinite mysterious rules to move forward steadily.

Upon hearing this, the Great Shaman hesitated. The Sacred Artifact was a vital treasure of the Shaman tribe and the key to preventing the resurrection of the beast-demons; any loss would surely lead to immeasurable disaster.

"Do they not realize that if no one steps up to fight the monsters, their dreams will be nothing but vanity?" Aihara Ryu felt deeply disappointed in these people; they were all selfish individuals concerned only with themselves.

"I possess an ancient scripture, named 'The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains,' which I am also willing to trade for the cure to cold toxins or an item to extend one's life." Just as everyone thought the trading had concluded, the old man spoke slowly, causing the crowd to stop in their tracks.

"Fine. Since I cannot see through it, I must take a gamble. Perhaps I might dig up something of value." Jiang Yuxuan scanned the ground, but found nothing unusual.

However, the next moment, her gaze tightened, and a sharp, wary look appeared in her beautiful eyes, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The Imperial Kitchen was where meals were prepared for the Emperor; its standards were incredibly high, stocked with every variety of ingredient, and the food was of the absolute finest quality.

Ma Zhe nodded. In truth, this event in Guangzhou was intended to provide an explanation to Qin Fengming; as for the guests, let alone his parents, Ma Zhe himself hardly recognized a few of them.

Therefore, Chen Teng was not afraid of Alexander escaping; he was playing with him like a cat toying with a mouse.

***

Tang Heshan found this matter particularly thorny. After all, the Shi clan was an ancient lineage, far more powerful than the Tang clan. If handled poorly, it would spell great trouble for his people.

Suddenly, Chen Teng’s body shuddered. His pitch-black eyes erupted with two rays of brilliance, as if they could pierce through the void.

Watching this man, who carried a sea of blood-feuds just like himself, willing to cut off his own future for the sake of revenge, Wang Fan felt moved, even a sense of sympathy.

Only then did he understand that the Gate of the Six Paths required corresponding strength to unleash its true power.

The sound of rushing water was loud, echoing throughout the entire cavern. Su Lü followed Uncle You toward the riverbank, walking for about ten minutes.

"No, I just feel like you’ve changed a lot." As soon as Su Hang said this, he clearly felt Lin Sen’s face stiffen.

Yan Mo, kneeling on the ground, suddenly opened his right eye. In an instant, snowflakes swirled, and a cold current erupted around him, accompanied by a whistling sound as it whipped the snow into a frenzy.

As soon as the conflict arose, the Tang household was immediately filled with frantic, arrogant shouts and roars.

At this moment, Lu Zhong’s dream was somewhat strange. He felt as if he had fallen into the deep ocean. The surrounding scenery was beautiful, but looking downward, it was pitch black, devoid of the ocean's beauty or mystery.

The Seven Profound Sect could repeatedly enhance one's mental power, even perfectly mimicking it. It allowed mental energy to grow independently in this position. These were things from before Luo Ran; even if one didn't want to recall them, they were indeed happening right before his eyes.

Yan Mo lifted his right eye, and Xia Zhiyi was startled, for the pupil of Yan Mo’s right eye had shifted from black to a very pale, silvery gray.