Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Lingyu tactfully gave the instructions.

Apart from her and Old Gao, the rest of the guards were stationed outside the valley and waiting.

The three of them stepped into the Valley of the Burial Demons.

The valley was shrouded in demonic energy, like a thin, gray-black mist spreading among the rocks.

The withered trees were twisted and gnarled, the rocks jagged and rugged, and occasionally an unidentified skeleton lay half-buried in the soil, gleaming with a pale white luster. A faint smell of decay mixed with sulfur permeated the air.

Qingyouzi scanned her surroundings.

Although the demonic energy here is dense, it is far less terrifying than that of Demon Zhou Mountain. Even in a place as teeming with demonic energy as Demon Zhou Mountain, he was unable to find a Demon Spirit Stone, so the hope for this Demon Burial Valley is probably even slimmer.

So be it.

Now that we're here, we should at least investigate. Besides, there might be something else to discover in the cave of that late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"You said that Nascent Soul cultivator's name is Xuan Yizi," Qing Youzi asked as they walked, "What kind of supernatural abilities does he possess?"

Lingyu followed beside him, pondered for a moment, and replied:

"Replying to Senior, Xuan Yizi was a figure from a thousand years ago, and my knowledge of him is limited. I only know from the fragments that he was incredibly powerful, his spiritual sense far surpassed that of others of the same level, and he was also proficient in the art of formations. His natal magic weapon was a set of flying needles, which were unpredictable and difficult to defend against."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of respect:

"Legend has it that he once fought three ancient demons from beyond the heavens, whose strength was no less than that of the late Nascent Soul stage, and they all perished together, which is why this area has been tainted by demonic energy for thousands of years."

"He fought three demons alone, and they all perished together..." Qingyouzi murmured, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "He's quite a ruthless character."

"I wonder what treasures this senior has left in his cave."

Lingyu took out a yellowed leather scroll and compared it to the terrain of the valley. After a moment, she pointed to a steep cliff in the northeast direction:

"It should be over there."

The three of them traveled for another half a day.

The deeper one ventures into the Burial Valley of Demons, the denser the demonic energy becomes, and the more rugged and bizarre the terrain grows. Along the way, they encounter several low-level demonic beasts corrupted by demonic energy, all of which are easily dealt with by Qing Youzi.

Finally, they stopped in front of a smooth, mirror-like gray-white stone wall.

The stone wall is about ten zhang high and five zhang wide, with no moss or marks on its surface, standing out from the surrounding rugged rocks.

Qingyouzi reached out and touched it; it was cold and hard. The myriad threads quietly probed in, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea. The stone was dense and uniform, without any fluctuations in the array or hidden mechanisms.

"This should be the place." Lingyu stepped forward and examined it carefully.

Qingyouzi once again used the myriad threads to probe the surrounding rock walls, ground, and even the ceiling, but found nothing unusual. This stone wall seemed to be a truly natural, dead wall.

"senior."

Lingyu suddenly took out three dark gold incense sticks from her storage bag. The sticks were slender and long, with runes flowing within them.

She lit the incense with her magic, and three wisps of smoke rose straight up from the tip, not dissipating in the wind.

She placed the incense sticks in the soft soil in front of the stone wall, took three steps back, and bowed three times.

The first bow, the incense smoke swayed slightly.

On the second bow, ripples like water appeared on the surface of the stone wall.

The moment the third bow was completed.

"Click, click..."

A fine cracking sound came from inside the stone wall!

The entire stone wall began to disintegrate from its center, but it did not collapse. Instead, it transformed into countless palm-sized square stones, which floated in the air and slowly rotated. The stones were connected by spiritual light, outlining a complex array pattern.

A beam of light, just wide enough for three people to stand side by side, rose from the formation, as clear as moonlight.

"This entire stone wall... is actually a teleportation array?"

A look of surprise flashed in Qingyouzi's eyes.

Using stones as an array, perfectly formed by nature, such a method is indeed beyond the reach of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Walk."

He was the first to step into the pillar of light.

Lingyu and Gao Lao followed closely behind.

When the light faded, the three found themselves in a huge underground cavern.

The cave ceiling hangs high, with stalactites cascading down like a forest, dripping with ethereal blue water droplets. Directly in front, a simple yet magnificent stone palace stands quietly.

The hall is seven zhang high and is built entirely of dark blue-black stones. Its eaves are upturned and the lintel is engraved with two ancient seal characters: Xuan Yi.

The temple doors were tightly closed, with a stone beast statue on each side of the entrance, resembling a qilin, its eyes inlaid with dark blue gemstones, gleaming coldly in the dim cave.

"You... got in just like that?"

Old Gao murmured, somewhat incredulous.

Qingyouzi frowned slightly.

Everything went too smoothly.

If the cave dwelling of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator were so easily accessible, it would probably have been emptied long ago.

His divine sense spread out instantly!

In that very instant!

With a whoosh!

Thirty-six beams of light suddenly lit up the ground around them! The beams formed a ring around the three of them, each as thick as a human arm, bluish-gray in color, with runes flowing on its surface, emanating an aura of imprisonment and killing intent!

"wrong!"

Qingyouzi murmured.

The Demon Dragon Shield shot out from his sleeve, instantly transforming into thirty-six interlocking shields that protected the three of them at the core!

"What's going on?!"

Old Gao hurriedly summoned his flying sword, its blade crimson red, which hovered above his head.

Lingyu also drew a long whip from her waist. The whip was covered with fine scales and had a faint flow of lightning.

Two Hundred Flame Falcons flew out from the Beast Taming Ring, protecting her side, their feathers bristling and neighing in alertness.

suddenly!

The rock wall on the left exploded, and nearly a hundred silver sword lights poured down like a torrential rain! The sword lights were as thin as cow's hair, yet they were incomparably sharp, and the sound of them cutting through the air was piercing and ear-piercing!

"Clang clang clang clang—!!"

The rain of swords crashed into the dragon shield, sparks flying everywhere! The shield's surface shimmered with black light, deflecting all the sword beams, but the impact still caused the outermost layers of the shield to tremble slightly.

"Move forward slowly!" Qing Youzi said in a deep voice. "This formation seems to be mainly for trapping and killing; we shouldn't stay here long!"

Using the Demon Dragon Shield as a barrier, the three of them advanced step by step towards the stone palace.

He had only taken ten steps.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly softened, sinking like into a mud pit! At the same time, the stalactites above their heads broke off, turning into dozens of sharp stone cones that crashed down with immense force!

"rise!"

Qingyouzi raised one hand upwards, and the thirty-six shields instantly reformed, half of them rooting downwards to hold back the mud, and the other half folding upwards to form an umbrella!

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!"

The stone spikes slammed into the shield cover with a deafening roar! Countless dark vines emerged from the mud, wrapping around the three men's ankles!

Lingyu swept her long whip swiftly, lightning flashed, and the vines snapped in two.

Old Gao's flying sword circled and shattered the nearby stone spikes.

Qingyouzi then activated the Ancient Azure Demon Fire, which spread down along the shield, sizzling and burning the mud, turning the vines into ashes.

Keep moving forward, don't stop.

They walked another twenty steps.

Suddenly, countless transparent threads appeared in the air ahead, as thin as hair yet as sharp as blades, crisscrossing into a giant web of death. The threads cut silently, even creating tiny cracks in the air itself.

Qingyouzi's eyes narrowed.

"Step back."

Thousands of threads burst forth from his sleeves, radiating a brilliant blue light, and collided head-on with the transparent silk net!

"Hiss hiss hiss—!!"

The silk threads twisted together, producing a dense, metallic clang! The ancient azure demon fire spread along the azure silk, scorching the transparent threads until they turned red-hot, softened, and finally snapped!

But from behind the net, three blurry black figures leaped out from the rock wall, moving with ghostly speed, and pounced straight at the three of them!

"A demonic puppet?!" Old Gao exclaimed in surprise.

The dark figure was faceless and formless, with only a pair of scarlet eyes. It held a knife, a sword, and a whip in its hands, and its moves were ruthless. It was actually a late-stage Golden Core cultivator!

Qingyouzi snorted coldly.

Without him making any move, three cyan fire lines condensed from the void, coiling around the black shadow's throat like venomous snakes, and suddenly tightened!

"Pfft pfft pfft!"

The dark figure struggled twice before dissipating into black smoke.

At this moment, they were only ten zhang away from the gate of the stone hall.

Qingyouzi suddenly stopped.

He looked down at the ground, where a very faint silver array pattern was slowly lighting up.

"besides?"

Before he could finish speaking...

The entire cave shook violently!

Thirty-six beams of light surged simultaneously, converging in the air to coalesce into a gigantic humanoid phantom. The phantom was about five zhang tall, with indistinct features, except for its right hand, which held a long spear of light, the tip of which pointed at the three people.

The pressure was actually at the mid-Nascent Soul stage!

The phantom figure remained silent, then raised its spear and thrust!

With a single shot, the demonic energy in the cave surged back, accompanied by the deafening roar of wind and thunder!

Qingyouzi's eyes suddenly turned cold.

The myriad threads hidden in the sleeve were no longer held back; they soared into the sky and intertwined in the air to form a giant azure hand with five fingers as strong as mountains, fiercely grabbing at the light spear!

At the same time, the Wind-Riding Pearl above his head shone brightly with azure light, and his figure rushed forward like a ghost. Just as the spear shadow was about to hit him, he passed through the gap under the shadow's ribs and rushed straight towards the stone hall gate!

"Keep up!"

Lingyu and Gao Lao followed without hesitation.

"boom--!!!"

The giant hand collided with the light gun, creating a shockwave that caused cracks to spread across the cave walls!

Qingyouzi had already arrived at the palace gate.

Without even glancing at the restrictions on the door, he raised his hand and struck out with a palm!

The ancient azure demon fire condensed in his palm, transforming into a blue lotus mark, which he imprinted on the center of the door.

"open."

"Squeak—"

The Xuan Yi Palace gate, sealed for a thousand years, slowly opened inward.

The three of them slipped inside.

Outside the hall, the illusory light slowly dissipated, and the thirty-six pillars of light gradually dimmed.

The cave has returned to silence.

Only the eerie blue light in the eyes of the two stone beasts flickered slightly.

It seemed as if it was watching.

It also seems as if they are...receiving a warm welcome.