Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

"It might not be the Demonic Sect; it could be rogue cultivators or treasure hunters from the Western Regions. But in any case, it's a variable," Lin Chen said in a deep voice.

"Our mission is twofold: to find people and to be wary of them."

Over the next few days, everyone worked diligently to prepare.

Shen Qingqiu concocted a large quantity of highly effective pills to resist miasma, stabilize the mind, and treat lightning strikes and spatial rift injuries.

Ye Qingcheng was in charge of checking and adjusting everyone's equipment, especially the anti-interference communication talismans and defensive magic artifacts.

Chu Ling'er then tried to make several "spiritual guidance talismans" in the hope of enhancing her connection with the Yao Guang star position.

Mu Qingyao wasn't idle either; she found several special types of moss and lichen in the woods surrounding the town.

According to her, these plants are exceptionally sensitive to magnetic fields and spatial fluctuations, and wearing them in advance can provide a faint warning before drastic environmental changes.

During this time, under Ling Feng's protection, Lin Chen attempted to initially mobilize the Yin and Yang energies that had been initially harmonized within his body, and familiarize himself with the new way of power operation.

He discovered that the Nine Yang True Qi, which incorporated the essence of the four Nine Yin Bodies, was less violent and more resilient with an inexhaustible vitality, and its control over Yin and evil Qi was more subtle and refined.

On the eve of their departure, Luoyue Town held a simple send-off ceremony for everyone.

The town mayor, holding his homemade rice wine, said with tears in his eyes, "Mr. Lin, my benefactors, may the mountain god protect you and bring you home safely!"

"Qingyao, take good care of yourself!"

Mu Qingyao bid farewell to her familiar fellow villagers one by one, and carried a small Miao embroidery backpack on her back, which contained her Gu flute and some peculiar seeds collected in the mountains.

The campfire illuminated the determined faces of the group.

At dawn the next day, two modified off-road vehicles drove away from Luoyue Town and sped towards the Kunlun Mountains in the northwest.

Outside the car window, the scenery gradually changed from lush forests to desolate alpine meadows, and finally to majestic mountains covered in snow.

The air was thin and cold, but the sunlight was exceptionally bright.

After two days of trekking, the convoy arrived at the last supply point near the western entrance to Death Valley—a small village with only a few herders.

Further ahead lies a rocky beach and glacial ruins that are impassable by vehicles.

Everyone got off the bus, changed into professional cold-weather mountaineering gear, and shouldered their heavy packs.

Lin Chen stood on a boulder, gazing ahead.

It was a huge and grotesque fissure in the earth, like a scar left by a god splitting the earth open.

On both sides are bare black rock walls, barren of any vegetation.

The valley is shrouded in mist, and even on a clear day, the scenery deep inside cannot be seen.

A faint, low rumble of thunder could be heard coming from the clouds, sending chills down one's spine.

"Death Valley..." Ye Qingcheng put on her goggles and checked the dagger on her leg wraps. "It lives up to its name."

Shen Qingqiu distributed the first batch of pills to everyone: "Hold them under your tongue and let them dissolve slowly. They can resist the miasma in the valley and some interference with your spiritual senses."

"Replenish every six hours."

Chu Ling'er held a faintly glowing spirit guide talisman in her hand, which trembled slightly like a pointer, pointing towards the depths of the rift valley: "Yao Guang... is inside."

"That evil aura... is even clearer now."

Mu Qingyao closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths of the cold air, and frowned slightly.

"The wind here...sounds off. Also, I can barely hear any insects, just some very ancient moss, and it looks...frightening."

Lin Chen gave the team one last check: "There is no cell phone signal here. Our communication tokens should maintain minimal contact and not speak unless absolutely necessary."

"Ling Feng, you take your two junior brothers ahead to scout the way, and watch out for any unusual ground or rock face."

"Qingyao and Ling'er stay by my side."

"Qingcheng and Qingqiu brought up the rear."

"Maintain a triangular formation, with a distance of no more than ten meters between each other."

"Set off."

The group of eight slowly walked into the maw of hell that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

The environment inside the valley is much harsher than what is visible from the outside.

The wind howled through the narrow passage, whipping up sand and gravel that stung people's faces.

The ground was covered with sharp-edged gravel and thick moraine, making walking difficult.

The strangest thing is that as soon as they entered the rift valley, all the electronic devices worn by everyone malfunctioned, and even the mechanical watches stopped turning.

The cultivator's divine sense was also greatly suppressed, becoming blurry and unclear when it was more than five meters away from the body.

Mu Qingyao is right, there are almost no signs of life here.

Occasionally, you can see a few clumps of dark purple moss, all huddled in the crevices of the rocks, looking lifeless.

After walking for about two hours, Ling Feng, who was scouting ahead, suddenly raised his fist, signaling to stop.

"My lord, something has happened."

The group cautiously moved forward and saw clear traces of a campfire and several tent peg holes on a relatively flat ice surface ahead.

There were also several empty compressed food packaging bags next to it, with production dates from half a month ago.

"It was left recently." Ye Qingcheng squatted down, picked up a bit of ashes, and said, "At least three or four people camped here overnight."

Shen Qingqiu examined the packaging: "It's not a domestic brand, it looks like... military rations from Central Asia."

"People from the Western Regions?" Lin Chen looked around warily. The jagged rocks and obstructed visibility made it an excellent ambush location.

The spirit talisman in Chu Ling'er's hand suddenly began to vibrate violently, pointing to a hillside with strangely shaped rocks to the left: "Over there... there's a strong smell of blood, and... remnants of broken souls."

Lin Chen and Ling Feng exchanged a glance and made a hand gesture.

Ling Feng, accompanied by an Ice Guard, stealthily made his way up the hillside.

A moment later, Ling Feng returned, his expression grim: "We found two bodies behind the hillside. Judging from their clothing and belongings, they seem to be international mercenaries or explorers."

"The manner of death... was very strange."

The group followed.

Two male corpses were curled up in a sheltered spot behind the hillside.

They were dressed in professional polar windproof suits and were well-equipped.

But at this moment, his face was ashen, his eyes wide open, filled with fear.

There were no obvious external injuries on his body, but there seemed to be dark veins wriggling under his skin.

Shen Qingqiu put on gloves and carefully examined the body: "The time of death was approximately three days ago. The cause of death... seems to be that life force was instantly drained, and at the same time, the soul suffered some kind of violent impact and shattered."

"This technique..."

She pried open a person's mouth and carefully used tweezers to remove a tiny, almost invisible black ash from deep within the throat.

"This is... Soul Ashes?" Chu Ling'er's voice trembled. "Only extremely vicious soul-devouring spells or evil creatures would leave behind something like this after devouring souls."

Lin Chen's face darkened.

This is not a method commonly used by the Netherworld Sect.

The Netherworld Sect excels at eroding and refining souls with Yin energy, but they won't "eat" the soul so completely.

"It seems that besides the harsh natural environment, there is something else in this Death Valley." Ye Qingcheng gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.