Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

"Keep moving forward, but be extra careful," Lin Chen ordered. "Try to avoid areas with complex terrain that are easy to ambush."

The procession moved forward again, the atmosphere growing even more somber.

Everyone was completely focused, paying attention to any slight movement around them.

After traveling for about two more hours, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a relatively open basin.

In the center of the basin stands a dilapidated stone building ruin.

It was the ruins of an ancient altar.

The massive bluestone steps have long since broken and crumbled, the stone pillars carved with strange bird and beast totems are leaning to one side and the central main altar is now only half intact.

Time and sand have worn away most of the details, but one can still feel a desolate, solemn, and even... a trace of lingering eeriness.

"The ancient altar remains... are mentioned in the records and are believed to be places where ancient people worshipped heaven and earth or a certain deity."

Shen Qingqiu flipped through the notes in his hand, "But I have never found any valuable artifacts or records."

The pointer on the spirit-summoning talisman in Chu Ling'er's hand began to spin erratically at this point.

"The magnetic field interference is too strong. There are many residual fragments of consciousness here. It's chaotic, sad, and... angry." She covered her forehead, looking somewhat strained.

Mu Qingyao squatted down and gently touched a dark red lichen on the ground: "They are 'speaking'... Long ago, a lot of blood was shed here... a lot of... blood of deception..."

Lin Chen activated his Yang Spirit Eye and looked towards the altar ruins.

In his field of vision, the entire ruins were shrouded in a faint, dark red "aura".

That was the resentment and malevolent aura left behind by years of blood sacrifices, which, despite the passage of time, had not completely dissipated.

At the deepest part of the altar, beneath the half of the main altar, there seemed to be a more solid and obscure darkness.

"Everyone, stay away from the main altar," Lin Chen said in a deep voice. "The evil energy here is very strong; staying here for too long will affect your mind."

"Let's quickly check the perimeter. If there are no clues, we'll leave immediately."

The group dispersed and cautiously explored the perimeter of the ruins.

Suddenly, a disciple of the Ice Guard searching near a toppled stone pillar in the northeast corner of the altar exclaimed in a low voice, "My lord! We've found something here!"

Everyone immediately gathered around.

There was something stuck in the gap between the base of the stone pillar and the ground.

It was a... rather modern women's outdoor sports watch.

The watch has stopped ticking, the dial is cracked, but the strap looks relatively intact and is a striking orange-red color.

Ye Qingcheng carefully took out the watch and checked it: "It's an international professional outdoor brand, waterproof and shockproof."

"The back of the dial is engraved with the initials 'LY'."

"LY..." Lin Chen's heart stirred, and he quickly took out the last marriage certificate belonging to the Yao Guang star from his bosom.

The name on the marriage certificate is Luo Yunyi.

The abbreviation matches LY perfectly!

"It's her watch!" Chu Ling'er exclaimed excitedly, "The Yao Guang Star position, Luo Yunyi! She's been here!"

Shen Qingqiu examined the watch's condition: "The watch stopped due to an external impact, and the cracks are very new. It shouldn't have been here for more than ten days."

"Ten days...she's still in the valley!" Hope ignited in Mu Qingyao's eyes.

Lin Chen carefully examined his surroundings.

The stone pillar showed signs of slight movement, and the distribution of nearby rubble was also somewhat unnatural, suggesting that a fight or chase had taken place.

"Look here." Ling Feng pointed to the side of a rock not far away, where there were several deep scratches, like those left by sharp claws, and the surface of the rock was also stained with some dried and blackened blood.

"She was attacked here," Ye Qingcheng concluded. "Judging from the marks, the attacker was quite large and very fast."

"She may have been injured; her watch may have fallen off during the evasion or struggle."

Lin Chen's heart clenched.

Luo Yunyi, a woman, was injured in this desolate place and was possibly being hunted by unknown creatures; her situation was unimaginable.

"Follow the trail!" he decided immediately.

The bloodstains and traces of dragging and running pointed intermittently into the depths of the altar ruins, towards the direction of the half of the main altar.

The closer you get to the main altar, the stronger the surrounding malevolent aura and the cold, eerie feeling become.

Even breathing became difficult.

Chu Ling'er's face was pale, and she gripped Lin Chen's sleeve tightly: "The resentment here... is so strong... it's howling..."

Mu Qingyao also felt waves of heart palpitations; the surrounding rocks and lichens seemed to be conveying emotions of pain and despair.

Finally, the traces disappeared behind the main altar at a hidden, downward-sloping crack entrance.

The crevice was only wide enough for one person to pass through; it was pitch black inside, bottomless, and exuded an even more chilling and ominous aura.

At the edge of the crack, several pieces of torn, orange-red windbreaker fabric lay scattered—the same color as the watch.

"She went down..." Ye Qingcheng looked at the crack, her brows furrowed. "Or... she might have been dragged down."

Lin Chen looked at the crack that resembled the gaping maw of a monster and said without hesitation, "I'll go down. Ling Feng, you take some men to keep watch up there and set up defensive arrays."

"Qingxue, Qingcheng, you..."

"I'll go down with you." Ye Qingcheng interrupted him, her tone leaving no room for argument. "The situation down there is unclear, and having more people will provide better protection."

"My Frosty Shadow Sword Qi might be useful in confined spaces."

"I'll go too." Shen Qingqiu stepped forward. "There might be toxic gas or unknown pathogens down there, so it needs to be handled professionally."

"And if she is injured, she will need immediate medical attention."

Although Chu Ling'er was afraid, she mustered her courage: "My spiritual power... might be able to avoid some remaining traps of evil intent..."

Mu Qingyao also whispered, "I... I can sense subtle changes in the earth's veins and plants, and warn of danger..."

Looking into their determined eyes, Lin Chen knew that trying to dissuade them was useless.

These women were no longer weaklings who needed his constant protection, but rather companions who could fight alongside him.

"Alright. Qingxue, Chu Ling'er, follow me in the first group. Qingcheng, Qingqiu, in the second group, five meters apart. Maintain the rope connection and communicate using the shortest possible tapping signal."

He secured the specially made climbing rope to a sturdy stone pillar outside the crevice, tested its strength, then turned on his headlamp and was the first to crawl into the bottomless, dark crevice.

The crevice was initially narrow and cramped, with slippery and cold rock walls.

After climbing down about ten meters, the space suddenly opened up, revealing a huge, naturally formed cave system that extends downwards.

The beam of the headlamp pierced the darkness, illuminating the jagged stalactites and hanging icicles.

The air was icy cold, carrying a strong earthy smell and... a faint rusty smell.

The deeper you go, the more pronounced the rusty (bloody) smell becomes.

Lin Chen's heart sank further.