You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Chen Yang stopped walking in vain and calmed down to carefully perceive his surroundings.

This time, with the contrast of the previous tense experience of being chased by baboons, he focused even more intently on experiencing the unusual nature of this place.

Gradually, he began to sense an indescribable sense of unease.

The trees, rocks, and light and shadow before my eyes seem real, but there is always a slight sense of unreality, as if there is a very thin layer of water ripples between them. The stability of the space also seems to be worse than in the baboon territory before. When I probe out with my divine sense, there are occasionally extremely subtle stagnation and distortion.

“There is definitely a problem... There is a sense of illusion where space is distorted and scenes are superimposed.”

Chen Yang said in a deep voice.

"It's an array formation, and a very sophisticated, multi-layered, perfectly concealed composite formation!"

Li Rou affirmed.

"It distorts and folds the real path, and may even create visual and perceptual illusions, making us spin in circles. The setter is extremely cunning, complementing the advantages of different formations and concealing their weaknesses, forming a near-perfect 'maze' that cannot be detected by ordinary methods, let alone cracked."

"Can you find a flaw?"

Chen Yang asked.

Although he had some understanding of formations, he knew he was not up to the task when faced with techniques of this level.

“I’ll give it a try. Conventional investigation methods are ineffective against it because its ‘appearance’ is too perfect.”

but……"

Li Rou's voice carried a hint of strangeness.

"It defends against physical beings and conventional spiritual probing."

As for pure souls, especially beings like myself with a special sensitivity to spatial and energy structures, perhaps... we can find some different 'perspectives'.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yang felt the Li Rou True Spirit attached to his body tremble slightly, and a more condensed yet ethereal soul fluctuation emanated from it.

Then, to his astonishment, Li Rou's already translucent phantom became even dimmer and more illusory, as if it were about to merge into the surrounding air, and finally completely disappeared from Chen Yang's vision and conventional divine sense perception!

Only through that close spiritual connection could Chen Yang vaguely sense that she still existed in some nearby "level".

“Master, do not be alarmed. I am merely temporarily ‘sinking’ my true spirit into a layer that is closer to the spatial structure of this place to observe.”

Li Rou's voice rang out directly in the core of Chen Yang's sea of ​​consciousness, sounding somewhat ethereal and distant.

"Sure enough... no matter how densely the 'net' is woven here, from a pure soul perspective, there are still imperceptible 'gaps' and 'veins' where the energy nodes and rule lines connect."

A moment later, Li Rou's illusory figure slowly re-condensed and appeared beside Chen Yang, her face showing a hint of fatigue, but her eyes were bright.

"Found it!"

Although complex, it was not without flaws. The one who set up the formation was indeed brilliant, but he probably didn't expect that someone like me could 'spy' on its foundation in this way.

Li Rou's tone carried a hint of confidence.

“Master, I will guide you now. You will take action. By working together to destroy or disrupt the key nodes of these nested restrictions one by one, we will be able to tear open a gap!”

"Okay! You tell me, I'll do it!"

Chen Yang's spirits lifted, and his internal magical power began to slowly condense.

"First, three steps to your left front, about a foot off the ground in the void, there is a hidden energy convergence point. That is one of the visual interference cores of the 'Illusory Layered Peaks Formation.' Use 30% of your mana to condense sword energy and stab it. Be careful to concentrate the force without dissipating it. Just break its structure, and avoid triggering a chain reaction..."

Under Li Rou's clear and precise guidance, Chen Yang, like a highly skilled surgeon, held the Xuan Sword and used it to point, stab, scratch, or vibrate at seemingly empty spaces, a certain spot on the ground, or even a specific location on a tree.

Each strike was accompanied by a faint ripple of spiritual energy and a barely audible sound, as if something were breaking or malfunctioning.

This process is extremely mentally taxing. Li Rou needs to maintain that special state of soul perception at all times, accurately locating every vulnerable point.

Chen Yang, on the other hand, needed to control his magical power to the utmost degree, effectively destroying the nodes without overdoing it and triggering the formation's backlash or alarm mechanisms.

The two worked together seamlessly, but the progress was slow.

This complex set of restrictions is intricately linked, with numerous nodes distributed across different dimensions, making it as difficult to break as unlocking an incredibly complex three-dimensional lock.

Time slipped away quietly as he focused intently on solving the problem.

According to the almost frozen time displayed on the detector, only a dozen minutes may have passed outside, but Chen Yang and Li Rou felt as if they had been working for several hours.

When the last crucial energy flow hub, located inside the heart of an ancient tree, was shattered by Chen Yang's skillful, indirect force—

"Om..."

A deep hum suddenly emanated from the surrounding space, as if taut strings were being plucked simultaneously.

Immediately afterwards, the scene before my eyes, like a reflection in water tossed with a stone, began to ripple, twist, and shatter violently!
The trees, rocks, and light and shadow that once seemed so real all peeled away and disappeared like a faded painting, revealing a completely different scene behind them!
After the distorted light and shadow stabilized, Chen Yang found himself in a completely different environment.

Behind them was still that deep, boundless ancient forest, but in front of them was a range of undulating, craggy mountains.

The trees here are noticeably sparser; although still lush and green, they no longer block out the sun, and the view is much more open.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the air seemed to have decreased slightly, but the ancient and primal aura remained strong.

"They're out..."

Chen Yang let out a long breath, feeling utterly exhausted. Breaking that complex restriction had taken even more time and energy than fighting a major battle.

"Well, we're finally out."

Li Rou's illusory figure was slightly dim, clearly indicating that the exertion she had just experienced had been considerable.

"The person who set up the formation is indeed remarkable. He skillfully integrated dozens of different maze formations, trap formations, and illusion formations together, making them complementary and mutually reinforcing, with almost no flaws."

If I weren't able to directly 'see' the essence of energy in my soul state, we would probably be trapped inside and die.

This was an oversight on their part; they didn't expect someone like me to be involved in breaking the formation.

Chen Yang nodded, deeply agreeing.

"Indeed brilliant."

He covered or transferred the weaknesses of each formation with other formations, just like weaving a flawless net.

However, even the most perfect net can't stop someone from looking through its mesh. "Li Rou, thank you so much this time."

"Master, you flatter me. It's my duty."

Li Rou said modestly, then reminded them, "However, although we've come out of this place, it's not necessarily absolutely safe. The Trial Grounds are fraught with danger at every turn. We should find a place to recuperate first; we've all expended a lot of energy just now."

"Right on my mind."

Chen Yang looked around and pointed to the mountainside in front of him.

"How about going there? It's on higher ground with a wide field of vision, allowing us to observe what's happening below, and it's relatively easy to defend and difficult to attack."

"can."

Li Rou agreed.

Without further delay, Chen Yang used his movement technique to dash towards the chosen location on the mountainside.

Soon, he found a small platform halfway up the mountain, backed by a huge rock wall and with several protruding rocks in front serving as a natural barrier.

This place is quite secluded and difficult to see directly from the foot of the mountain.

He carefully examined his surroundings and, after confirming that there were no signs of dangerous creatures or obvious traps, sat down cross-legged at the foot of the rock wall.

First, he placed a few simple warning talismans at the edge of the platform, then completely concealed his aura, as if he had turned into a lifeless rock.

After doing all this, he finally began to regulate his breathing, circulating the Pure Subtle Essence Descent Technique to absorb the rich spiritual energy of the place and restore his depleted mana and mental energy. Li Rou also calmed down, nourishing her own true spirit.

In this trial ground where time flows slowly, the night passed quickly.

When Chen Yang slowly awoke from his deep meditation and opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight.

The air in the mountain forest is exceptionally fresh in the early morning, carrying the fragrance of soil and vegetation.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds and foliage, casting dappled shadows on the rocks and vegetation.

Chen Yang stretched his slightly stiff body, stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and looked down.

Below the mountains, there are sparse woodlands and gentle slopes, with traces of a river valley visible in the distance. What appeared to be pitch black last night now reveals clear outlines in the daytime.

What surprised Chen Yang even more was that even in this relatively "outer" mountainous area, the activity and purity of the spiritual energy in the air were far superior to those in the outside world.

With a slight exertion of his internal energy, he could feel strands of pure spiritual energy spontaneously seeping into his body, nourishing his meridians.

Li Rou's illusory figure also coalesced beside him, sensing the surrounding environment as well, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"Master, the spiritual energy environment here... is extremely abundant, even surpassing many recorded spiritual mountains and blessed lands. Considering our previous experiences and the characteristics of this space, I increasingly feel that this place is not a simple, unclaimed 'immortal site,' but rather a meticulously designed and managed... training ground or nurturing ground. The kind of blessed land used to cultivate and select disciples."

Chen Yang frowned.

“A trial ground? But if it really is a trial set up by a blessed land, why would it be opened to the outside world as a ‘celestial site’ at a time when spiritual energy is recovering? Do they want to select talents from us ‘outside cultivators’? That doesn’t make sense.”

Li Rou shook her head.

"This is just my guess. Perhaps there are other purposes, such as observation, testing, or even... more complex schemes."

But now that we're here, our top priority is to find a way out of this trial space, or at least find other companions to gather more information. Going it alone is too risky.

"you're right."

Chen Yang nodded in agreement.

"Let's set off then. Let's follow the mountain down and see if we can find any trace of people or other clues."

He checked his belongings and condition again, and after confirming that everything was in order, he jumped off the platform and walked down the steep but climbable slope.

The path down the mountain was not easy to walk, with jagged rocks and tangled vines.

Chen Yang carefully avoided areas that looked potentially dangerous, while keeping his divine sense within a certain range, alert to any movements around him.

The mountains and forests are not peaceful; one can often hear the roars of beasts and the cries of birds in the distance, and most of these sounds contain a strong sense of power.

On one occasion, Chen Yang's divine sense even detected a powerful aura comparable to that of a pseudo-core cultivator flashing by in a deep valley not far away, prompting him to immediately change course and detour far away.

"The spirit beasts here... their overall strength and intelligence are frighteningly high."

Chen Yang was secretly alarmed and transmitted his voice to Li Rou.

"Well, living in such a highly spiritual and time-abnormal environment for a long time, coupled with some kind of 'cultivation' or 'selection,' it's not surprising that powerful individuals would emerge."

Li Rou responded, while constantly reminding Chen Yang to avoid areas she sensed as hiding danger.

"Master, try to conceal your aura and avoid attracting the attention of powerful spirit beasts."

They are extremely territorial, and if perceived as intruders, they will cause serious trouble, just like the baboons last night.

As instructed, Chen Yang concealed his aura even more thoroughly, and tried to use the terrain for cover as much as possible while moving, like a cautious hunter.

One person and one spirit, reminding each other and cooperating perfectly, slowly made their way through this unfamiliar and dangerous mountain forest.

After walking for about half a day, they arrived at the edge of a huge canyon.

The canyon seemed to have been cleaved by an invisible giant sword, with steep, towering cliffs on both sides. The bottom of the valley was deep and unfathomable, with only the howling mountain wind passing through it, making a mournful sound like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

The canyon stretches forward, seemingly endless, its destination unknown.

Chen Yang stood at the edge of the canyon and peered down. He saw that the valley was shrouded in mist and dimly lit, with strangely shaped rocks and sparse, grotesque plants vaguely visible.

"Should we go through this canyon, or take a detour?"

Chen Yang hesitated.

The canyon gave him a very uncomfortable feeling.

Li Rou's illusory figure hovered on Chen Yang's shoulder. Her expression was unusually solemn, and her gaze was fixed on the deep valley floor, as if she were listening to something.

"Owner……"

Li Rou's voice carried an unusual seriousness and a hint of... surprise? "In the wind of this canyon... I sensed a very strong and chaotic... aura of vengeful spirits!"
The sheer number and the depth of their resentment are simply unimaginable!
This valley floor... is probably a pile of corpses, or a place where an extremely horrific massacre once took place!

Moreover, these wronged souls seem to be imprisoned in the valley by some force, unable to escape. Over the years, their resentment has combined with the yin winds and earth veins of the place, forming an extremely dangerous 'Yin Sha Forbidden Land'!

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang raised an eyebrow, showing no fear whatsoever; instead, a slightly cold smile curved his lips.

"Wronged spirits? A place of yin and evil? Li Rou, have you forgotten... that besides being the leader of the Qingwei Sect, I am also the 'Yin Marshal' appointed by the Underworld? I wield the power to collect souls and intimidate the spirits. Ordinary wronged spirits and vengeful ghosts would probably run away as fast as they can when they see me, how dare they act recklessly?"

He certainly had the confidence. As a Yin General, he possessed a natural power to suppress and control ghosts and spirits—an advantage stemming from his rank and the rules governing his being. (End of Chapter)