txolops Chapter 205 The Ghost Spirit Gate's Flattery! The Fallen Demon Valley Opens! The Divine Master
Chapter 205 The Ghost Spirit Gate's Flattery! The Fallen Demon Valley Opens! The Divine Master
"Actually, I was planning to go there myself..."
After a moment of silence, Linghu Laozu finally spoke slowly, his tone carrying a sense of resolute determination and the desolation of old age.
He looked at Lin Chuan with a complex expression: "I don't intend to invite you, junior brother, to go with me. The Fallen Demon Valley has a notorious reputation, with spatial rifts, ancient restrictions... every step is fraught with danger. My lifespan is running out. Rather than waiting to die, I'd rather go to the Fallen Demon Valley and try my luck. If I succeed, I might be able to extend my life and continue my cultivation, finding a breakthrough opportunity; if I fail, it'll just mean an earlier death, nothing to regret."
At this point, his tone turned somber, as if he were giving his final instructions:
"Junior brother, if I go here... I may not return, and what will become of Yellow Maple Valley..."
"Alright, Senior Brother Linghu."
Lin Chuan interrupted Linghu Laozu's slightly saddened words directly, his expression calm but his gaze unusually firm, "I'll go instead."
"This won't do!"
Linghu Patriarch suddenly looked up, shaking his head repeatedly, "Junior Brother, you have a bright future, your cultivation is progressing rapidly, and you are expected to become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future. You are a pillar of our Yellow Maple Valley that is not seen for a thousand years! How can you go to such a dangerous place for adventure? I, your senior brother..."
"Senior brother, there's no need for further words."
Lin Chuan smiled calmly, his tone filled with undeniable confidence, "You should know my strength, Senior Brother. I am not afraid of even late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Although Fallen Demon Valley is dangerous, it cannot hold me back. On the contrary, you, Senior Brother, have little lifespan left and your vital energy is waning. When faced with sudden danger, your adaptability and endurance are not as good as mine. In such a place where opportunities and risks coexist, I am more confident and safer than you."
He paused, looking at Elder Linghu: "The future of Huangfeng Valley depends on your leadership and coordination, Senior Brother. Whether I find any opportunities in the valley or not, I will try my best to return safely. If you go and something happens to you, Senior Brother, the people in the valley will be unsettled, and unforeseen events may occur. You should understand which is more important."
Linghu Patriarch opened his mouth, looking at Lin Chuan's calm yet powerfully confident eyes, and thinking of his illustrious achievements in the border battlefield, such as slaying Master Zhong and fighting against Master Zhong, as well as his endless powerful methods and treasures... In the end, all his words of dissuasion turned into a long sigh in his throat.
"Alas... Enough is enough. Since Junior Brother has made up his mind, I will not try to persuade you any further. But... Take good care of yourself! Opportunities and treasures are all external things; life is the most important. If things become unbearable, be sure to withdraw as soon as possible!" Patriarch Linghu solemnly instructed, his eyes full of concern.
"Don't worry, senior brother, I know what I'm doing." Lin Chuan nodded.
Once a decision has been made, there will be no delay.
Lin Chuan discussed a few more details about sect affairs with Elder Linghu before returning to his cave to make some preparations. He brought along his powerful allies, including the Heavenly Demon Corpse and the Soul-Crying Beast, as well as various pills and talismans.
Early the next morning, an inconspicuous blue rainbow quietly left Yellow Maple Valley and sped off towards the eastern part of Tiannan.
……
The Eastern Yu Kingdom of Tiannan is a rather unique existence in the cultivation world of Tiannan.
It is not one of those small, remote countries that have been overlooked by the four major powers due to its small size and scarce resources.
On the contrary, this country has a vast territory, beautiful mountains and rivers, and abundant cultivation resources. Its comprehensive national strength ranks among the top ten among the many countries in Tiannan.
However, this country has not yet been clearly assigned to any of the four major powers: the righteous, the demonic, the heavenly, or the nine kingdoms.
The reason for this lies entirely in its unique geographical location. Apart from being far from the Nine Kingdoms Alliance located in the south, Dongyu Kingdom is almost adjacent to the core areas of the three major forces: the righteous, the demonic, and the heavenly. It has become a sensitive area for the three major forces to buffer against each other and compete for power. No one can easily swallow it up completely.
In the northern part of Dongyu Kingdom, there is a vast mountain range that stretches endlessly, which the locals awe-inspiringly call the "Wanling Mountains".
In the cultivation world of Tiannan, this mountain range has an even more terrifying name – "The Land of Fallen Demons"!
Deep within the mountains, in a hidden, unknown place, lies the infamous "Fallen Demon Valley," known as the most dangerous place in southern China.
Since when, the Wanling Mountains have been shrouded in a thick, multicolored, and extremely poisonous miasma year-round.
This miasma is not only extremely poisonous, killing instantly upon contact, but it also has the strange properties of disrupting direction and isolating spiritual consciousness. Ordinary cultivators who venture deep into it are easily lost and turned into skeletons.
However, every fifty years or so, the miasma in the mountains will periodically weaken and dissipate significantly, lasting for about a year.
Meanwhile, according to ancient records and the experience of predecessors, the most terrifying spatial rifts that are scattered throughout the Fallen Demon Valley will also enter a relatively "stable" and "rare" period.
In just one short year, countless cultivators, eager for opportunities and unafraid of danger, flocked to the Wanling Mountains, frantically collecting rare spiritual herbs and searching for rare spiritual beasts in the outer areas.
The existence of Fallen Demon Valley is said to date back to the ancient, primitive era.
For countless millennia, countless cultivators, confident in their supernatural powers, have ventured into the valley in an attempt to seek ancient opportunities.
But what was the result? The Valley of Fallen Demons remained shrouded in mystery and bloodshed.
The vast majority of those who entered the valley became the souls of those trapped by the valley's restrictions, spatial rifts, or ancient poisons.
Those who managed to find some remaining treasures on the outskirts and emerge alive were already extremely fortunate.
Those who truly delve into the core and gain something are extremely rare, and most of them keep this a closely guarded secret.
Therefore, in ordinary years, even when the miasma has weakened, very few cultivators dare to actually step into the Fallen Demon Valley.
Gathering herbs in the outer areas is already the limit of risk.
However, this time, the situation is completely different!
A rumor spread like wildfire throughout the cultivation world of Tiannan: the Ghost Spirit Sect, one of the six major sects of the demonic path, somehow obtained a fragment of an ancient array and actually developed a method to relatively "safely" send people into a specific area inside the Fallen Demon Valley!
This news immediately caused a huge uproar throughout Tiannan.
Countless high-level cultivators who were stuck at a bottleneck, whose lifespans were about to end, or who coveted ancient treasures instantly became restless.
The Ghost Spirit Sect initially intended to monopolize this opportunity and act in secret.
However, how could such important news be completely kept secret in Tiannan, where the four major forces are deeply entrenched and infiltrated into each other?
Soon, under the combined pressure and exchange of interests from the Righteous Path Alliance, the Heavenly Path Alliance, and even other sects within the Demonic Path, the Ghost Spirit Sect had no choice but to compromise and agree to open up entry quotas to the outside world, but at the same time, it put forward harsh conditions.
They couldn't possibly do something that would lose money. The Ghost Spirit Sect claimed that the valley entry formation consumed a huge amount of resources, and that the number of people teleported each time was limited, with random locations.
Therefore, they crafted a special "Demon Fall Token," each priced at a staggering 30,000 spirit stones!
Only with this token can the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators activate the special formation to randomly teleport the token holder into the valley when the miasma dissipates and the spatial rift at the valley entrance becomes relatively stable.
Once inside the valley, life and death are left to fate, and the Ghost Spirit Sect will not take any responsibility.
Thirty thousand spirit stones is a huge sum of money for a Core Formation cultivator, and also a considerable expense for a Nascent Soul cultivator.
However, compared to the ancient treasures, cultivation techniques, and even longevity elixirs that may exist in the Fallen Demon Valley, this price still attracts countless people.
It is said that the hundreds of Demon Fall Tokens were quickly divided up by the four major powers, various sects, and powerful figures among the independent cultivators.
Lin Chuan traveled eastward and soon arrived in the territory of Dongyu Kingdom.
When he arrived at the outer edge of the Wanling Mountains, it was still several days before the miasma had completely dissipated, but many cultivators had already gathered there.
Low-level cultivators gather in groups of three to five, searching for spiritual herbs and capturing low-level demonic beasts in relatively safe areas.
Many more figures, their auras obscure, remained hidden in various places, quietly waiting.
Lin Chuan sensed something and flew towards the hillside where the spiritual energy fluctuations were most concentrated and the aura of high-level cultivators was most concentrated.
This hillside offers a wide view, directly facing the ghastly crevice deep within the Wanling Mountains, shrouded in faint, lingering miasma—that is the direction of the entrance to the Fallen Demon Valley.
On the hillside, there were already more than ten people, some standing and some sitting.
The one with the strongest aura was an old man dressed in a black robe with a sinister face. His cultivation level had reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Judging from his clothing and aura, he was Wang Tiangu, one of the leaders of the Ghost Spirit Sect this time, who was also in the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
The others were mostly at the early Nascent Soul stage, from different sects and forces. They were either resting with their eyes closed or talking in hushed tones, creating a slightly heavy atmosphere.
When Lin Chuan arrived, he saw a beautiful female cultivator in the late stage of Core Formation, dressed in a pale yellow dress, taking out a bulging leather bag from her storage bag with a pained expression and handing it to a Core Formation disciple of the Ghost Spirit Sect next to Wang Tiangu.
After counting, the disciple nodded and handed a palm-sized black token, neither gold nor wood, engraved with complex runes, to the female cultivator.
The female cultivator gripped the token tightly, as if it were a lifeline, or a hot potato, and stepped aside with a complicated expression.
This must be the so-called "Demon Fall Order".
With this order, when the time comes, you can enter the valley using the Ghost Spirit Gate formation.
Lin Chuan did not deliberately conceal his escape light. When he pressed down on the escape light and landed on the hillside, the aura of being deep and unfathomable immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Huh? This is..." Several Nascent Soul stage cultivators opened their eyes and looked at Lin Chuan. They were puzzled at first, but then recognized his appearance. Their faces showed surprise, fear, and even a hint of respect.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Lin from Yellow Maple Valley! My apologies for my rudeness!" An elder from the Righteous Path Alliance, in the early Nascent Soul stage, was the first to bow, speaking politely.
"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Lin to be interested in Fallen Demon Valley. Having Fellow Daoist Lin accompany us this time makes us feel a bit more at ease." Another Nascent Soul cultivator from the Heavenly Dao Alliance echoed with a smile.
"Fellow Daoist Lin's reputation is renowned far and wide. It is an honor to meet you today!" another person said.
Lin Chuan's exploits of defeating Master Zhong and fighting against Master Zhong in the border battle have already spread throughout the high-level cultivator circle in Tiannan.
The assessment that his "combat strength is comparable to that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator" has been widely accepted.
Even those at the same Nascent Soul level dared not be the slightest bit negligent in the face of such a powerful expert.
Wang Tiangu of the Ghost Spirit Sect also stood up, a smile forcing a smile on his sinister face, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Fellow Daoist Lin, it is an honor to have you here. I, Wang, have failed to greet you properly. Are you also here to enter the valley? If you need a Demon-Slaying Token, why bother buying one? I, Wang, will gladly provide one for you!"
His words weren't entirely polite. Lin Chuan's strength was undeniable; it was always better to forge a good relationship than to offend him.
The cost of a Demon Fall Token is far less than 30,000 spirit stones, so this favor is a worthwhile gift.
Lin Chuan remained calm, nodding in response to each person's greeting. Finally, he looked at Wang Tiangu and said indifferently:
"Fellow Daoist Wang, you are too kind. Rules cannot be disregarded. Since I, Lin, intend to enter the valley, I shall naturally follow the rules. Here are 30,000 spirit stones; please verify them."
As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and a storage bag that had been prepared beforehand flew towards Wang Tiangu. Inside, three hundred mid-grade spirit stones were neatly stacked.
Wang Tiangu took the storage bag, scanned it with his divine sense, and felt slightly displeased with Lin Chuan's "lack of appreciation," but his smile remained unchanged:
"Fellow Daoist Lin is indeed straightforward. In that case, I, Wang, will not refuse."
He gestured to the disciple beside him to fetch a Demon-Slaying Token and handed it to him personally.
Lin Chuan took the token. It felt slightly heavy and cool to the touch. He scanned it with his divine sense and could sense a peculiar spatial fluctuation imprint within it, which should match the teleportation array.
He nodded, put away the token, said no more, walked to a secluded spot at the edge of the hillside, stood with his hands behind his back, looked towards the valley, and waited quietly.
Wang Tiangu watched Lin Chuan's retreating figure, a shadow flashing across his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
Several days later, the dense miasma that had lingered over the Wanling Mountains for years seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, rapidly thinning and dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Fifty years later, the sunlight once again shone unhindered upon this mysterious and dangerous mountain range.
"The miasma has dissipated!"
Someone shouted, and the cultivators who had been hiding in various places on the outskirts of the mountain range appeared one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
Streaks of light of various colors shot into the sky, most of them heading towards the depths of the mountains and the legendary entrance to the Fallen Demon Valley.
Some cultivators with relatively low cultivation levels, or those who felt they lacked the strength to venture into the Fallen Demon Valley, took advantage of this rare opportunity to carefully search the outer perimeter of the mountain range for rare spiritual herbs that had been preserved due to the miasma, or to seek out unique spiritual beasts.
Lin Chuan mingled among the many streaks of light, flying unhurriedly towards the Fallen Demon Valley.
The deeper one goes, the more chaotic the spiritual energy in the air becomes, with a faint, unsettling spatial fluctuation and a faint, bloody aura mixed in.
Along the way, traces of battles can be seen, as well as ancient, weathered skeletons, silently telling the story of the danger of this place.
Finally, a breathtaking natural wonder appeared ahead.
It was a huge canyon gap that stretched between two towering black cliffs, as if cleaved by a giant axe. It was more than a hundred feet wide and stretched for dozens of miles, like a ferocious maw opened by the earth.
This is the only entrance to the Fallen Demon Valley—a naturally formed passage.
However, this passage was far from smooth. As far as the eye could see, the void within the passage was filled with countless "scars" of various shapes and sizes!
Some are like white lightning, dazzling and constantly twisting and flashing; others are pale in color, appearing and disappearing like ripples on water; still others are completely invisible to the naked eye, and can only be sensed by carefully probing with divine sense, their subtle yet deadly spatial distortions and fluctuations!
These are the spatial rifts that caused countless ancient cultivators to perish and made the Fallen Demon Valley infamous!
These are the "scars" left behind from the earth-shattering battle in ancient times, where cultivators tore through space during their battles. Hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and they have not yet been fully healed. They are filled with violent and unstable spatial power, and any object that touches them will be instantly cut, swallowed, or banished to unknown void turbulence.
"The power of ancient cultivators has reached such a level..."
Lin Chuan hovered in mid-air several miles outside the valley entrance, looking at the passage filled with deadly traps, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The cultivators who fought here back then must have possessed cultivation levels far exceeding the Nascent Soul stage, reaching an unimaginable realm, to cause such persistent and indestructible spatial damage.
At this moment, no fewer than a hundred cultivators have gathered in the air and on the ground outside the valley entrance.
The lowest level of cultivation was late Core Formation stage, and Nascent Soul cultivators accounted for nearly 30%. Each of them had a deep and concentrated aura, and their eyes were fixed on the valley with both greed and deep fear.
On a relatively flat open space near the valley entrance, members of the Ghost Spirit Sect were busy at work.
Sect leader Wang Tiansheng and his brother Wang Tiangu are personally overseeing the setup of a complex and sizable magic array, commanding dozens of Ghost Spirit Sect disciples.
The array base was constructed of special black crystals and engraved with profound silver runes. Wisps of spatial fluctuations emanated from the center of the array, clearly indicating that this was the so-called "safe" valley entry teleportation array.
Besides the Ghost Spirit Sect, other forces have also attracted attention.
Dongmen Tu, the Supreme Elder of the Demonic Spirit Control Sect, led five cultivators whose auras were linked and whose movements were perfectly coordinated, and occupied a small hillside. All five cultivators were at the early Nascent Soul stage!
The team of six Nascent Soul cultivators stood out conspicuously at the entrance of the valley, drawing frequent glances from the surrounding cultivators, who were secretly astonished by the sheer scale of the Yu Ling Sect's operation.
However, what was even more unexpected and shocking was the arrival of another group of people.
A streak of earthy yellow light descended from the sky, revealing a middle-aged scholar with a refined face and a folding fan in his hand. He was none other than Master Zhong, one of the three great masters of Mulan!
Although Mulan and Tiannan have reached an agreement to temporarily cease hostilities, and some Mulan tribes are about to migrate to the two countries of Tiannan, the blood feud between the two sides has not been eliminated immediately.
The arrival of Master Zhong immediately caused a low commotion at the valley entrance and drew countless hostile, wary, and even hateful glances.
But in the end, no one dared to actually step forward and provoke them.
The deterrent power of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is beyond doubt.
Master Zhong ignored this, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the crowd at the valley entrance. Finally, he inadvertently caught sight of Lin Chuan, who was standing alone on another small slope, calmly gazing at the passage inside the valley.
Master Zhong's gaze suddenly sharpened, and a complex emotion flashed deep in his pupils—fear, resentment, and a hint of...dread that even he himself was unaware of.
"Lin Chuan... he's here too."
Master Zhong murmured to himself, his hand gripping the folding fan tightening unconsciously.
In the border battle, Master Zhong fell, Master Yue died, Yuanming Lantern was stolen, and many plans were ruined because of Lin Chuan... This boy has become an indelible thorn in his heart, and a major threat to the Mulan clan.
But at this moment, in front of the Fallen Demon Valley, under the watchful eyes of everyone, and at a time when the relationship between the two races is delicate, even though he was filled with boundless hatred, he could not and dared not easily take action.
Lin Chuan naturally sensed Master Zhong's undisguised gaze. He merely glanced back at him briefly before looking away.