"Proceed to the valley!"
The demonic male at the Dao Manifestation Realm pointed towards a colossal thorned boar demonic beast. This creature, now revealing its true form, stood like a small mountain, adorned with sharp spikes resembling upright spears.
However, upon hearing the voice of the male demon, the thorned boar, though massive, knelt down momentarily, struggling to rise. Despite its imposing stature, it couldn't resist trembling violently in the face of the Dao Manifestation Realm demonic entity.
Faced with a demonic entity at the Dao Manifestation Realm, this thorned boar, only at the Divine Power Realm, lacked the courage to defy orders. In its existence, submission and obedience were the only responses, devoid of any inclination for resistance.
As the mist in the valley bottom continued to dissipate, the thorned boar charged directly towards the depths of the valley.
In the midst of it all, Luli's surroundings flickered. The intense flash from earlier could have easily blinded an onlooker. Now, before Luli, a lush green valley suddenly appeared, accompanied by the soothing sound of flowing springs. Several demonic beasts were seen playing by a nearby stream.
"Strange, the spring water seems condensed with spiritual energy!"
"An illusion!"
In the deep sea, the character "Luo" sparkled, and everything around, the greenery and playful demonic beasts, all turned into nothingness. Luli had been cautious ever since entering this place, aware that he could easily fall victim to illusions.
As the illusion shattered, what presented itself before Luli was a battlefield littered with countless white bones.
"Incredible illusion. It seems the entity that led me here harbors ill intentions!"
"With so many white bones, it's unclear how many battles took place here, involving both demonic and human entities. This place seems more like an ancient battlefield."
Having deciphered the illusion, Luli continued to tread on the accumulated white bones.
Suddenly, a massive thorned boar rushed from behind at an astonishing speed. It headed towards a pile of white bones, unexpectedly flipping into it, happily rolling within.
The boar emitted a content and joyful cry, clearly influenced by the illusion, mistaking the bone pile for a river or lake of spiritual energy.
"This foolish boar fell under the illusion!"
Observing the boar's joyful play in the valley, Luli concluded that it had succumbed to the illusion, perceiving the bone pile as a river or lake of spiritual energy.
Disregarding the massive boar, Luli continued forward. Suddenly, a terrified scream echoed from behind. Glancing back, Luli witnessed the boar's belly tearing open, as if an invisible force had ripped it apart. Its entrails spilled out onto the ground.
In the illusion's deadly grasp, the boar had met its demise, fatally affected.
Originally intending to press forward, Luli noticed something peculiar on the boar's corpse. Countless small white stalks rapidly grew from it. These were bone-white grasses, entirely composed of bones. In the blink of an eye, the grass covered the entire body. Once the bone grass dispersed, only a set of bones remained, devoid of any flesh, and even the demonic core of the boar was nowhere to be found.
"What is this?"
Continuing his journey, Luli found himself surrounded by a vast ocean of white bones. The calling sound persisted, prompting Luli to move deeper into the valley.
Outside the Fallen Demonic Valley, the demonic beasts witnessed the dissipation of mist, revealing a lush green valley. The valley was adorned with spirit herbs, various spiritual fruits hanging from branches, and a rich concentration of spiritual energy forming into flowing streams and lakes.
Demonic beasts around the Fallen Demonic Valley eagerly gazed at the melodious spiritual springs. The temptation to jump into the spiritual springs overwhelmed several demonic beasts, and in a rush, they charged towards the valley. Seeing this, even more demonic beasts couldn't resist the allure and joined the rush, fearing they might miss out on the spiritual springs, fruits, and herbs.
While the demonic beasts were in a frenzy, the two Dao Manifestation Realm demonic entities, along with another Dao Manifestation Realm demonic figure in the distance, remained motionless.
Having reached the Dao Manifestation Realm, they faintly sensed danger within the valley and opted to let other demonic beasts venture in first to test the waters.
The more powerful one's cultivation, the longer one's life, and sometimes, the more cautious one became. In a world flourishing with martial arts, recklessness often led to a short-lived existence, whether human or demonic.
Meanwhile, Luli traversed the valley alone. Suddenly, he spotted a human skeleton sitting in meditation before him. The bones were crystalline, untouched by decay, resembling the most exquisite white crystal sculptures.
In this valley, Luli had observed that most human skeletons were either damaged or exhibited signs of aging. However, this particular set of bones was exceptional, showing no signs of weathering and possessing a pristine translucence.
This skeleton was indeed peculiar, leaving Luli to wonder about the individual's cultivation level during their lifetime.
To Luli's surprise, within the skeletal hand bones, there lay a long blade.
"A blade, Fallen Demonic Valley. Could this be the mighty being who, in the past, cleaved through the mountains and created the Fallen Demonic Valley?"
"Young one, you've guessed correctly. I am none other than the Transcendent Venerable. Back then, in pursuit of a wicked demon dragon, I arrived here, only to fall into an ambush by the demonic race. I met my end here. Although I slew many demonic monsters besieging me, I also suffered severe injuries and met my demise."
"Transcendent Venerable!"
Luli felt a chill around him, his mind buzzing. The Transcendent Venerable—such an ancient and formidable martial artist. In Luli's memories, there were indeed recollections of the Transcendent Venerable, a supremely powerful warrior from ancient times.
The Transcendent Venerable also bore a more renowned title, the Blade Saint, hailed as the foremost practitioner of blade techniques in his era. Given Luli's own proficiency with the blade, he held deep admiration for the Blade Saint.
However, Luli's shock was momentary. He quickly discerned that the Transcendent Venerable was deceiving him. There were several inconsistencies in his story, most notably the claim of falling into a demonic ambush and being besieged by demonic monsters.
If that were true, the presence of human skeletons in the valley could not be explained.
It seemed the entity before him was not the Transcendent Venerable but another formidable existence.
Luli chose not to expose the deception, and upon hearing the mention of the Transcendent Venerable, he even displayed an ecstatic smile.
"You are the Transcendent Venerable! I've always admired the Blade Saint the most in my life. I too am a blade practitioner, and I hold the utmost respect for the foremost blade artist of your time!"
"Young one, are you also a blade practitioner?"
"Elder, indeed, I am a blade practitioner, and this is my blade!"
In Luli's hand, the Red Sleeve Blade had already appeared!
"You too are a blade practitioner. This is excellent. Although I suffered an ambush and met my end in this
valley, a lingering attachment remains. I dedicated my life to mastering the art of the blade. Unfortunately, I never had a successor. Since you are also a blade practitioner, I shall pass my blade techniques on to you!"
"This is quite a cunning ruse! If my speculation is correct, this should be the soul of the Wicked Demon Dragon!"
"This Wicked Demon Dragon, unable to discern that I am a human, lured me into this valley, then employed illusions to entice me. And now, it resorts to this deceit."
"Your greatest failure lies in this illusion. The Blade Saint devoted his life to mastering the blade arts but was never adept at illusions. Moreover, you might not be aware, but the Blade Saint never addresses others as 'young one.' Instead, he uses 'kid'!"