Wizards begin with Occlumency.

Time flies.

The time has come for the first batch of martial artists at the Unity Realm, as stipulated by the imperial court, to enter the valley.

After the incident where a mysterious figure spied on the military camp and deliberately provoked them before escaping, the angel who replaced Governor Hu in controlling the highest power in the province was furious.

As a result, the number of troops stationed outside the Valley of the Dead increased from one battalion to three battalions.

The three battalions are arranged in a triangular formation, occupying the "Heaven," "Earth," and "Man" positions respectively, forming a rough three-element formation.

In this way, no matter which battalion is spied on, infiltrated, or even attacked, the other two battalions can provide rapid support.

Despite the presence of no fewer than a hundred martial artists at the Unity Realm, under the intimidating presence of the three battalions of officers and soldiers standing in neat formation, they dared not make a move.

As for martial artists at the Void Realm like Li Shuwen from various sects, martial arts schools, and forces, as well as the second and third batches of Returning to One Realm martial artists who entered the valley, they were all locked up in the provincial capital by a larger army.

Although the imperial court looked down on martial arts practitioners, it still valued them highly.

After all, the main force of the imperial army consisted of warriors.

As the largest "sect" in the world, the imperial court can be said to understand best how much destructive power a group of martial artists can unleash when organized.

Link, Senior Brother Shi, Hu Suqi, and two disciples from the Mingxin Sword Sect walked together, located in the middle of the group entering the valley.

Hu Songqi declined Hu Suqi's invitation and chose to travel alone. At this moment, he was wearing a black cloak and walking at the very back.

After the more than three thousand warriors risked their lives to scout the way, the first quarter of Dead Man's Valley had been almost completely cleared.

According to the map and route provided by the imperial court, this group of martial artists at the Unity Realm were able to pass through the first quarter very smoothly.

Dead Man's Valley covers a vast area with complex terrain and numerous routes.

After more than a hundred martial artists entered the valley, it was impossible for them to stay together indefinitely.

So, not long after entering the valley, the martial artists spontaneously split into small groups and went their separate ways.

"Over here."

Link sensed the great formation in the valley and chose what was arguably the most dangerous route, the one with the most deaths.

Although the others were somewhat puzzled, they still believed in Link and firmly followed him.

Including the two female disciples of the Mingxin Sword Sect, one older and one younger.

Before they set off, their elders repeatedly told them to follow Link's instructions.

There was no explanation, it was just a rigid requirement.

The two female disciples respected their teacher and naturally obeyed.

Link was very pleased to see this.

As long as there are no self-righteous idiots in the team, that's good.

In fact, in Link's perception, the great formation in Dead Man's Valley had undergone significant changes.

The first quarter of the area that the imperial court claimed to have leveled actually saw the re-emergence of many dangerous traps and mechanisms.

These traps and mechanisms are simply dormant and have not yet been awakened.

The warriors' return to the valley triggered the traps and mechanisms.

The route that Link chose is a special one that has been downgraded from extremely dangerous to easy and safe.

In formations, it is also called the "Gate of Life".

For some reason, even though Hu Songqi wasn't traveling with Link and couldn't track Link, she still chose this route.

Six people, five in front and one behind, made slow but safe progress on this rugged, narrow, and treacherous mountain path, which was comparable to a cliffside walkway.

Elsewhere, martial artists frequently fell into traps and mechanisms.

The good news is that martial artists at the Unity Realm always have some ability to resist and escape.

The bad news is that the casualties are still very high.

"What exactly is going on?"

Outside the valley, inside the military camp.

The angel watched the surveillance footage, a combination of magic and mechanical manipulation, and saw one Unity Realm warrior after another die in the first quarter of the area that his subordinates reported had been cleared. He was furious.

However, the angel did not roar, but asked calmly, and then said slowly, "I need an explanation, an explanation that can be explained to those above."

However, the calmer the tone, the greater the pressure.

The official in charge of drawing the map was terrified and trembling, but dared not show it.

He racked his brains and came up with a reason that the operating mechanism of the Valley of the Dead was unknown and might change, forcing himself to remain calm and not letting his teeth chatter before reporting it.

"Um."

Fortunately, angels really only need one plausible reason.

This made the officials breathe a sigh of relief.

My life has been saved.

However, the good fortune didn't last long. The angel said indifferently, "Drag him out and put him in jail. Investigate and punish such an incompetent and irresponsible person."

As soon as he finished speaking, two officers dressed as imperial guards entered the tent and dragged the official, who was so frightened that he was speechless and dumbfounded, out.

If someone is imprisoned and investigated by the imperial guards, even if they don't die in prison, they'll be severely punished.

"Who is this person?"

Suddenly, the angel waved his hand, magnifying a small scene.

The people inside the tent quickly looked over and discovered that while other teams were encountering more or less obstacles, the five-person team in this scene, along with a woman trailing far behind, were moving very smoothly.

No wonder the angels noticed it so much.

Someone immediately looked through the list, matched the appearances and builds, and identified the six people.

"Hu Shengqing's daughter? Li Shuwen's disciple?"

After listening to the report, the angel seemed thoughtful and muttered to himself, "That's interesting."

In the valley.

In the group known as "something's interesting," Link realized he was being watched.

It makes sense when you think about it.

The imperial court has put in so much effort, "organized" so many martial artists to explore the Valley of the Dead, and even went so far as to capture the extremely capable Governor Hu. Of course, it is impossible for them to just throw the martial artists into the Valley of the Dead and ignore them.

Surveillance is inevitable, and it's considered a minor matter.

Link believed that among this group of martial artists at the Unity Realm, there must be some skilled individuals belonging to the imperial court.

In addition, the Valley of the Dead, which was originally optional to explore, has become a more important place for Link after the imperial court intervened heavily.

He wasn't after the so-called longevity peach or the highest secret manual of evil witchcraft; he just wanted to see the true intentions of the imperial court and the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors.

With this in mind, Link ignored the feeling of being watched from behind, and also paid no attention to Hu Songqi trailing far behind him. Instead, he focused on exploring the way forward.

Even a lion will exert all its strength when hunting a rabbit.

Link wouldn't be careless just because he has strong mental abilities and possesses secret techniques.

He can teleport and isn't afraid of danger, but what about the others?

It's best to avoid situations where teammates die.

"It's so quiet!"

Xu Huiyun, the younger of the two female disciples of the Mingxin Sword Sect, suddenly sighed.

Rounding a low hill felt like stepping into another world.

The incessant noise was suddenly shut out.

It felt like stepping into a paradise.

Coincidentally, what appeared in front of the group of five was a peach orchard with fallen petals.

Stop.

Link noticed something was wrong and quickly spoke up to warn him.

In his mental perception, what lay ahead was a cliff, not a peach orchard.

But in his view, like everyone else, he saw a peach orchard, not a cliff.

The problem is simple: either the perception is wrong, or the vision is wrong.

However, Link felt that perhaps there was no error in perception or vision, but rather a phenomenon of spatial superposition or temporal distortion.

The other four people stopped immediately upon hearing Link's voice.

Hu Suqi had actually been using her spiritual power to perceive her surroundings.

However, the quality and quantity of her mental energy are not as good as Link's; its range is not as wide, nor is it as sharp.

After receiving the prompt, Hu Suqi realized something was wrong and immediately asked, "What's going on?"

"Not yet."

Instead of revealing his guess, Link made a new decision: "Let's change our route and head this way."

Turning towards the 9 o'clock direction, Link chose a new route, showing no intention of exploring the hidden secrets of the peach grove/cliff.

Curiosity killed the cat.

In the perilous Valley of the Dead, to survive peacefully, one must restrain one's curiosity.

Even if a great secret is hidden in the peach grove/cliff, Link has no interest in it at all.

Senior Brother Shi, Hu Suqi, and the two from the Mingxin Sword Sect immediately understood Link's plan and followed suit.

The route Lin Kexin chose was even more difficult.

Every now and then, humanoid monsters, half rotting flesh and half skeleton, would jump out and block the way.

At its worst, it completely blocked the entire road ahead.

It seemed to be forcing the five-person team to return to the fork in the road and head towards the peach grove/cliff.

If Link wasn't mistaken, these humanoid monsters should be the transformed forms of the warriors who died in the valley in the previous batches.

Not every plant species in the valley can fully absorb the life force from human flesh and blood.

The corpses that were not fully exploited became puppet-like humanoid monsters, used to deal with those who came after them.

Without Link's intervention or the need for Senior Brother Shi and the two disciples of the Mingxin Sword Sect to engage in close combat, Hu Suqi raised her hand and unleashed a fire spell that directly burned through those zombie-like humanoid monsters.

This performance clearly took the two disciples of the Mingxin Sword Sect by surprise.

The way he looked at Senior Brother Shi became somewhat strange.

Having spent so much time together, how could Min Ruohua and Xu Huiyun not know that Senior Brother Shi and Hu Suqi were a couple?

The key point is that it seems, maybe, probably, perhaps, that Senior Brother Shi can't beat his girlfriend.

So how can one ensure their position within the family?

Meeting the gazes of Min Ruohua and Xu Huiyun, Senior Brother Shi gave an awkward smile.

After they got together, Shi Shixiong's status in the family has declined again and again, from having the upper hand to being evenly matched, and now he has to secretly take the tonics prescribed by his master.

They've already given up.

Seeing the raging flames, the five-person team found an upwind position and each used their own methods to avoid the acrid smell.

Behind him, Hu Songqi sensed the fluctuations of Hu Suqi's spell and couldn't help but use his "Ghost Eye" technique to look ahead.

Hu Songqi's expression changed slightly as he watched the fire mage burning and killing the zombies.

It's been a long time since we've seen Hu Suqi make a move; her strength is getting stronger and stronger.

Outside the valley, in the military camp.

Seeing Hu Suqi's fire magic and Hu Songqi's "ghost eyes" through the surveillance footage, the angel couldn't help but sneer repeatedly.

"What a loyal and courageous man, Hu Shengqing!"

"The biological daughter practices ancient witchcraft, and the illegitimate daughter practices evil witchcraft, and both have reached such a profound level, hehehe..."

"Do you really think that the officials in the court and His Majesty can't see through your little schemes?"

The generals and officials waiting for orders in the tent wished they were deaf at that moment.

Is this something they can hear?

With His Majesty and several high-ranking officials standing behind the angel, he was not afraid of Governor Hu at all.

But they didn't!

If even the slightest word of what happened today gets out, they will surely face bizarre and unspeakable deaths.

However, it goes without saying that Governor Hu would surely know what the angel had said.

Not to mention that Governor Hu has been based in the province for so many years and has supported so many people, so he naturally has loyal subordinates.

It is highly likely that the angel himself and the forces he represents will proactively inform Governor Hu about today's events.

Otherwise, without taking drastic measures and testing the waters little by little, how long and how many months will it take to completely eliminate Governor Hu's influence in this province?

In the valley.

The fire burned for a full half hour before it finally burned away all the zombies blocking the way.

However, it's not possible to go yet.

With ashes and tar scattered all over the ground, how could anyone step on it?

Since Hu Suqi had already made a move and exposed her identity as an ancient sorcerer, she might as well go all the way and make another move.

Without chanting any incantations or using any spell-casting materials, he simply pointed a finger, and the ground, filled with ashes and tar, began to roll automatically.

They quickly turned the topsoil into the soil and covered the ground with a new layer of soil.

They haven't stopped yet.

Hu Suqi pointed again, and a narrow ice crystal path, wide enough for one person to walk on, quickly appeared.

Walking along the ice crystal path, you don't have to worry about encountering anything dirty.

"Take it easy."

Looking at Hu Suqi, whose face had turned much paler, Shi Shi felt a pang of pity.

Hu Suqi simply smiled and did not respond.

Seeing this, Senior Brother Shi felt extremely helpless.

Without wasting any time, the five-person team immediately stepped onto the icy path and continued on their way.

Meanwhile, after standing in front of the peach grove/cliff for nearly an hour, Hu Songqi finally made up his mind.

"Father, you forced me to do this."

Hu Songqi gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with bone-deep hatred.

She only did some investigation after receiving the mission to retrieve the highest secret text of evil sorcery from the Valley of the Dead.

Thus, they learned about the historical records of the Valley of the Dead, as well as some related anecdotes.

Little did she know that the Valley of the Dead was so important in her father's scheme.

She could never have known that the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors would care so much about the Valley of the Dead, would mobilize such a large force, and would even resort to any means necessary and disregard everything!

She revealed the existence of Dead Man's Valley only to take revenge on Link after suffering an inescapable "humiliation."

As the turmoil caused by the Valley of the Dead grew larger and larger, things quickly went beyond Hu Songqi's expectations and did not go in the direction she had planned. Only then did she start to panic.

Therefore, when Link came to him and said that working for him would grant him liberation, he was convinced that he could achieve liberation.

Hu Songqi, who had long harbored the desire to break free from his father's control, agreed so readily.

Even a faint hope is still hope.

Now, it's time to take a gamble again.

After much hesitation, Hu Songqi decided to take the plunge.

Anyway, if the gamble fails, the worst that can happen is death; if it succeeds, there's a chance to turn the tables.

Why not give it a shot? (End of Chapter)