The silent wind blew softly through the Water Valley Region as Yuan stepped forward, his movements steady yet cautious.
Each step felt heavy as the moist earth clung to his boots, the constant absorption of water turning the ground into thick mud.
The Water Valley was home to many demonic beasts, especially those that thrived in the mud and marshlands.
Yet, as Yuan observed his surroundings, he noticed something strange.
The usual demonic beasts that should have been lurking in the mud were scarce.
Most of them were already dead,their lifeless bodies left untouched, as if no other beast dared to approach them.
Only a few creatures still remained alive, lurking cautiously beneath the murky water.
As Yuan walked deeper into the valley, the roaring sound of the river echoed in the distance. The crashing of water against stone filled the air, yet amidst the natural noise, another sound reached his ears.
Clashing
The distinct sound of battle.
His brows furrowed.
Are demonic beasts fighting? Yuan wondered, slowing his pace.
With renewed caution, he crept forward, his every movement silent, as he approached the source of the commotion.
Then
Boom!
The ground trembled from a powerful impact.
Yuan peered through the foliage, his sharp eyes locking onto the scene before him.
A massive, snake like beast was locked in a vicious fight against… a group of fish?
Yuan's eyes narrowed.
"Fish… on land?"
The scene made no sense for a brief moment. But then,he looked closer.
His eyes widened in recognition.
"Yes. There's no mistake. These are definitely the Sharp Four Toothed Demonic Fish!"
These fish were not ordinary. They were famous for their ability to survive out of water, moving on land using their strong, sharp fins.
They were ferocious hunters, capable of tearing apart creatures many times their size.
And yet
A black scaled snake, its massive body coiled tightly, its dark, armored scales covered in battle scars.
It had clearly survived countless battles, its wounds a sign to its strength.
For a moment, Yuan simply observed.
He remained hidden, watching silently, analyzing the fight.
The battle raged on for half an hour, but in the end
The Sharp Four Toothed Demonic Fish lay slaughtered, their lifeless bodies scattered across the mud.
And the victor?
The black scaled snake,a Meridian Awakened Stage demonic beast.
While the fish had only been at the Blood Purification Stage, the snake had proven its dominance.
Yuan's eyes gleamed with interest.
"A meridian awakened demonic beast… now that's interesting."
Why did these demonic fish fight against the black scaled snake?
Yuan furrowed his brows as the question surfaced in his mind. Demonic beasts rarely sought out battles with stronger opponents,it went against their natural instincts.
The situation felt strange.
Could it have been a territorial fight? Yuan pondered.
Perhaps the fish simply wanted to expand their territory, or maybe they had been driven by something else entirely.
But just as he was forming his theories
Something happened.
The black scaled snake coiled tightly around its fallen prey, its powerful muscles still twitching from the recent battle. Then, as it swallowed its last bite, its body froze mid motion. A deep, guttural hiss escaped its throat,one final, involuntary exhale.
And then… it collapsed.
Its massive frame slumped to the ground, its glossy black scales losing their luster almost instantly, as if drained of all life. The air grew heavier, the unnatural silence stretching endlessly.
Yuan's spine tingled. Something was wrong.
One moment, the beast had feasted with satisfaction, devouring its prey, and the next
It fell limp.
Lifeless.
Dead.
A deep chill ran down his spine.
He didn't know what to think.
His hands trembled slightly as his instincts screamed at him,danger.
His gaze darted around.
Yet…
Nothing moved.
No lurking trees. No aggressive plants. No hidden predator waiting to strike.
Everything remained eerily silent.
"Was the fish poisoned?"
It was the only explanation that made sense.
The fish must have been poisoned before the battle even started.
Yuan's body tensed as he carefully approached the lifeless creatures.
Crouching down, he first examined the black scaled snake, placing his fingers near its snout.
No breath.
No movement.
The beast was truly dead.
His gaze then shifted toward the uneaten demonic fish that lay strewn across the ground.
A pool of spilled blood surrounded their corpses.
Yuan narrowed his eyes, leaning in closer.
"If they were poisoned, there should be some signs in the blood…"
His keen eyes scanned the liquid carefully, searching for any abnormalities.
Then
His breath caught.
The blood was poisoned.
And not just any poison.
This was a strong poison.
A very potent, lethal kind.
Yuan's expression darkened at the realization.
The deeper he ventured into the Thirty Plant Forest, the worse his instincts screamed at him to leave.
Something was deeply wrong with this place.
And now, he had to make a new decision.
"Sigh…" Yuan let out a deep, frustrated breath, his expression growing darker by the second.
His instincts screamed at him to leave.
"I need to kill that damn snake and get the hell out of this cursed forest!" Yuan muttered, his tone laced with irritation.
He no longer cared about the Water Valley, about possible treasures, or anything else hidden within the Thirty Plant Forest. He just wanted to leave.
And so, Yuan began his search anew, dashing through the dense forest, scouring every region he could.
He found dead demonic snakes.He found living ones.
But not the one he was looking for.
He had already searched ten regions of the Thirty Plant Forest, and still, he had found no trace of the supposed "mysterious snake" that had killed the villagers and disciples.
Two days had already passed.
Yet, Yuan found nothing.
Not even a single clue.
When he arrived at the site where the outer disciples' bodies were discovered, his suspicions grew even stronger.
There were no traces of a snake attack.
Instead, the only thing he found was the presence of humans.
The more he investigated, the more Yuan became convinced
There was no demonic snake.
It was all fabricated.
Someone wanted it to look like a snake attack.
A heavy, suffocating feeling weighed on his chest.
His gut feeling,the one warning him that something was deeply wrong,only grew stronger.
Yuan clenched his fists.
"Damn it! Where the fuck is this damn beast?! Why can't it just appear in front of me and drop dead?!" He shouted in frustration.
His patience was running thin.
Then
A thought crossed his mind.
"Should I just leave?"
At this point, it was the safest option.
If he left now, he could claim that he never went into the deeper parts of the forest out of fear.
Sure, the sect might mock him for being a coward.
But did that really matter?
Yuan exhaled sharply, weighing his options.
After a moment of silence, he made his decision.
"I'll search for a few more hours."
If he didn't find any clues by then, he would abandon the mission and return to the sect.
Let them call him a coward.
At least he would still be alive.
Yuan made his way toward one of the deadliest regions of the inner area
This place was infamous for one reason,Nothing lived here.
There were no beasts.No spiritual plants.Not even grass.
Only trees.
But these weren't ordinary trees.
The trees of the Lifeless Region were truly terrifying.
They killed everything that came near them.
Even the soil itself seemed barren,drained of all vitality.
As Yuan approached, he immediately noticed the eerie sight before him.
The entire region was filled with tall, leafless trees, standing like silent reapers, their twisted, bark-covered limbs reaching toward the sky like clawed hands.
"These trees even kill grass…" Yuan thought, his brows furrowing.
This place was nothing but death.
But Yuan wasn't foolish.
He knew exactly how to traverse this dangerous terrain.
With a swift motion, he leaped onto one of the lifeless trees, landing effortlessly on a sturdy branch.
This was the key to survival.
The trees could not attack from above.
As long as he remained on the branches, he was safe.
With careful steps, he moved across the treetops, silently scanning the region below.
For a while, there was nothing.
Just endless dead trees.
But then
Something unusual caught his eye.
A cave.
"A cave?" Yuan muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes.
That didn't make any sense.
Why would there be a cave in the Lifeless Region?
There shouldn't be anything here.
No beasts lived here.No humans could survive here.
"Then why is there a cave?"
Yuan's instincts screamed at him,this was suspicious.
So, instead of acting recklessly, he stayed hidden and began to observe the cave entrance from a distance.
It could be a trap.
It could be something far worse.
For nearly six hours, Yuan remained still, silently waiting.
Nothing.
No beasts.No movement.No sign of life.
Pointless.
It was a waste of time to wait any longer.
Yuan narrowed his gaze, his expression growing serious.
His azure black eyes gleamed in the dim light, and suddenly
red aura manifested around his body, slowly swirling in the air before fusing into his skin.
This was no ordinary technique.
It was a small trick he had learned from Basilisk's memories.
Cultivators or Demonic Beasts who possessed regenerative auras often merged them directly into their bodies before battle.
It was a basic technique for them.
And Yuan had copied it perfectly.
Now fully prepared, he took a deep breath
And stepped toward the cave.
With his preparations complete, Yuan firmly gripped the sword from his bag of holding.
Though it was just an ordinary iron sword, it was still useful enough for his techniques. It could at least wound a demonic beast.
And if it wasn't enough?
Then he would unleash his Azure Basilisk Flames.
And if even that failed?
Then…
He'd run for his dear life.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Yuan took a deep breath.
When he opened them again, his sharp, azure black gaze was filled with unwavering determination.
"No hesitation."
With that thought, he descended from the trees, his footsteps silent against the dead earth.
He moved toward the mysterious cave entrance, but before stepping in
Yuan reached down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and threw it into the cave's darkness.
He waited.
…No reaction.
A breath of relief escaped him.
"At least it's not some giant demonic beast's mouth."
After all, no self respecting demonic beast would just sit there while someone threw dirt into its mouth.
That was beneath their pride.
With that confirmed, Yuan stepped forward without hesitation.
But he wasn't careless.
At that very moment, he had already prepared the Howling Gale Steps technique, keeping himself ready to escape at a moment's notice.
As he ventured deeper into the cave, he noticed something strange.
No demonic beasts.No bones.No traps.
Nothing.
The path ended abruptly at a solid stone wall.
"Is there really nothing here?" Yuan frowned, scanning his surroundings.
Something felt off.
This had to be more than just a dead end.
Yuan searched the walls, feeling for any kind of mechanism,perhaps a hidden switch or a secret entrance.
But he found nothing.
Yet, he refused to give up.
"If I can't find the key to open the door…"
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Then I'll just break the door down."
Without hesitation, Yuan stored his sword back into his bag of holding.
He took a deep stance, concentrating his red aura into his fists.
The aura surged through his veins, gathering at his knuckles.
For a full minute, he built up his power,his muscles tensing as the red glow intensified.
Then
BAM!
He slammed his fist into the stone wall.
A thunderous shockwave erupted through the cave.
But…
The wall barely cracked.
Yuan's eyes narrowed.
"Stubborn thing, aren't you?"
Not wasting time, he attacked again.
And again.
And again.
With each punch, more cracks spread across the stone.
After thirty relentless strikes
CRACK!
The wall collapsed, revealing a hidden passageway beyond the rubble.
Yuan wiped the sweat from his brow, a triumphant smirk forming on his lips.
"Looks like I was right."