Huiyuan indeed possessed remarkable emotional restraint. Hearing Nan Zhi's ambiguous mockery, he suspected she might have seen through something, yet seeing her smiling face, she seemed to have merely made a casual remark.
The others felt something was strange, but they could not put their finger on it. After all, having only just met by chance, they chose to ignore it.
Bearing a red name and carrying a peculiar fragrance that could never be washed away... In heaven or on earth, the only person who would react so violently upon seeing her face was Monk Huiyuan.
Back then, she had fished in troubled waters, stealing the Witch Corpse from the Witch Coffin and thoroughly ruining Huiyuan's grand schemes.
Putting herself in his shoes, he was bound to hate her to the very marrow of his bones.
If anyone wished to devour Nan Zhi's flesh and leave her dead without a proper burial, it was undoubtedly Huiyuan.
Although it was unclear why Huiyuan had disguised himself as a Sea race demon cultivator, it was certainly nothing good.
Recalling the miserable days when she had been pursued by the White Bone Heavenly Maiden, Nan Zhi swept a glance at Huiyuan, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Huiyuan's mind was dark and utterly ruthless; he had once used tens of thousands of living beings on the Yin Yang Road as a sacrifice.
Transforming into a demon now could not possibly be a mere whim to play at being a turtle.
Rather than staying passive, it was better to step into the game herself and borrow the situation to kill.
Although legend had it that Huiyuan was originally an ascended immortal, Nan Zhi now possessed the Sect Master's jade seals of the Three Sects, along with the Hundred Ghosts Thousand Slaying Scroll and the Pine Snow Plum Crane Painting. Testing her hand at slaying an immortal was by no means out of the question.
As for Jin Guan and Shui Suohua, if they were Huiyuan's accomplices, they should naturally be eliminated together to prevent future trouble.
Nine Bends and Eighteen Gorges was surrounded by swarms of Sky Demons and fraught with peril.
Nan Zhi intended to test whether she could make this former True Immortal, Huiyuan, stay here forever.
As for exposing her tracks to the Qingjing Sect...
She lowered her gaze, averting her eyes from the others as she gradually reined in her overflowing killing intent.
Once everyone was dead, the vast Four Provinces Continent would be hers to roam freely. Why would she care about that anymore?
—After days of relentless slaughter, Nan Zhi's temperament had quietly shifted.
...
The terrain of Wusheng Valley was singularly bizarre. Nan Zhi and Canzhi took the lead. Outside the perilous canyon, countless Zhemu Sky Demons gathered.
Layers upon layers of dark gray Sky Demons and hungry ghosts densely packed the valley exterior. A light-colored sandbank separated the two sides, through which invisible gales swept back and forth.
Whenever a hungry ghost or demon beast drew near, it was instantly shredded by the fierce gales, its flesh and bones completely obliterated.
The gales emerged from an unknown source, an invisible force churning up the sky full of fine sand. Even a hundred-zhang demon beast that approached was reduced to fly ash in the span of a single breath.
“Roar!”
“Roar! Roar, roar!”
The Sky Demon horde seemed terrified of these gales as well, hesitating to advance. Huddled together in tight clusters, they merely hissed and howled into the valley.
“These gales are formidable.”
Moving nimbly, Nan Zhi lightly perched atop a pine branch jutting out from the cliff. Witnessing this spectacle, she could not help but marvel inwardly:
“Sky Demons possess astonishing regenerative abilities, yet even they dare not enter the valley recklessly. If human cultivators were to charge straight in, I fear even the most formidable defensive artifacts would be melted away under these gales.”
Fearing they might draw the attention of the Sky Demons, neither of them used flying boats or artifacts. Instead, they descended along the cliff face to minimize spiritual energy fluctuations as much as possible.
Canzhi hung upside down on the rock wall like a bat. Whatever material his boots were crafted from, they allowed him to tread upon the sheer, ten-thousand-zhang cliff as smoothly as flat ground.
The white-browed, black-haired youth stared into Wusheng Valley and spoke only after a long silence:
“The terrain here is treacherous, easy to defend and hard to assault. There is only one path in and out. The valley is filled with toxic miasma and flesh-grinding, bone-dissolving gales. If Fellow Daoist Ma wishes to back out now, there is still time.”
Though she knew his words were well-intentioned, Nan Zhi still felt a trace of stubborn pride. She raised an eyebrow:
“I return those words to you, Fellow Daoist Mei. Wusheng Valley's terrain is treacherous, and human hearts are unfathomable. Who can say whether what lurks beneath a companion's skin is human or ghost?”
Was she referring to the trio—Jin Guan, Gan Ding, and Shui Suohua?
A rare look of bewilderment crossed Canzhi's upside-down face.
He had originally suspected that Ma Jiu was in league with the three demons, yet she had suddenly issued a warning. Was she deliberately sowing confusion, or genuinely giving well-meant advice?
Having said her piece, Nan Zhi said nothing further.
She had no fond impression of the Qingjing Sect. Besides, as mere chance acquaintances, offering a hint to this extent was already more than generous.
Canzhi's eyes flickered with thought.
...
Blocked by gales ahead and harassed by Sky Demons from behind, Chuyun Caixia would have retreated long ago had Jin Guan and the other two not sworn with absolute certainty that Chuyun Chaolu's transmission had indeed originated from Wusheng Valley.
—Before departing, she had stated clearly that if they could rescue Chaolu, they would be handsomely rewarded, and everyone would receive a share of the treasures from Elder Longbeard's cave abode in the future.
Seemingly noticing Chuyun Caixia's hesitation, Shui Suohua took the initiative to break the ice, smiling:
“In my opinion, Fellow Daoist Caixia needn't worry. If the transmission was sent from inside the valley, with the gales barring the way, the Sky Demons won't be able to get in no matter how much they scratch their heads.”
“The Sky Demons can't get in, but neither can we,” Jin Guan scratched his head.
“Half of Wusheng Valley is shrouded beneath that black mist, and the Bone-Dissolving Gales inside are terrifyingly fierce, eroding flesh and melting bones and blood. Not to mention Sky Demons or living humans, even a Daluo Immortal couldn't last an hour in there. If we can't enter, are we supposed to sprout wings and fly right over the Sky Demon swarms?”
“Though Wusheng Valley is perilous, it is not entirely impassable,” Gan Ding—or rather, Huiyuan—spoke up slowly.
“Elder Longbeard was an ascended True Immortal of the Sea race, whose true form was a Golden-Clawed Long-Bearded Patterned-Back Shrimp. His cave abode was built along the water. Since the overland route is blocked, we can simply travel by water.”
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into contemplation.
Indeed, compared to the land-bound Sky Demons and gales, the water seemed far less dangerous.
Even if some demon spirits or ferocious beasts lurked beneath the waves, their group still had the strength to put up a fight.
Nan Zhi remained silent, offering no comment.
Earlier, when she and Canzhi scouted ahead, the waterway had appeared calm on the surface, yet she sensed an even greater danger lurking beneath the unfathomable black waters.
Furthermore, the three demon cultivators all belonged to the Sea race, making the water their home turf.
If Jin Guan and Shui Suohua suddenly turned on them down there...
Evidently, Chuyun Caixia had also considered this. After pondering for a moment, she decided to brave the gales instead:
“The situation underwater remains unknown. Since our primary goal is rescue, timing is of the essence; it is better to proceed overland. The gales are bizarre, but not entirely unmanageable. As long as we refrain from using spiritual power, we should be able to enter safely.”
Gan Ding's eyes flickered, but he chose not to intervene.
With her mind entirely occupied with finding a way to kill Huiyuan, Nan Zhi naturally kept quiet as well.
...
At the entrance of Wusheng Valley, perched atop a perilous cliff where grotesque pines grew askew and spirit herbs clung to the rock, the cliff face was completely smooth, offering virtually no foothold.
Even stranger were the spherical stone balls scattered across the surrounding cliff walls—smooth, polished, and seemingly hollow.
These stone spheres were entirely out of place with the surrounding landscape, yet they showed no sign of human craftsmanship. Their surfaces were polished to such perfection that they resembled works of art.
Buzz—whoosh!
Buzz! Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh—
Nan Zhi precariously balanced on a fist-sized projection on the cliff.
Before her, crimson clouds and white mist roiled together with wisps of black qi, rippling upward in circles along with the rising vapor.
Beneath her feet lay tens of thousands of hideous Sky Demons in grotesque, deformed shapes—a vast expanse of black stretching endlessly like a writhing river of ink.
In her ears, the gales howled relentlessly, charging with terrifying momentum.
A demon beast flying overhead was instantly reduced to ashes, its fur and skin obliterated in the blink of an eye.
Everyone held their breath, resorting to mortal methods by using vines to lower themselves down.
Chuyun Caixia and Shui Suohua led the descent, followed by Nan Zhi and Gan Ding (Huiyuan), with Jin Guan, Canzhi, and Meifu bringing up the rear.
Clack... rustle...
A loose rock fell, tumbling toward the bottom of the valley where dark sea waves churned violently.
A single misstep would mean being smashed to pieces, resulting in total destruction.
Suddenly, Nan Zhi heard a hollow clatter above. Looking up, she saw Jin Guan, seemingly skeptical, reach into his storage bag for a spirit stone and toss it downward—
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The moment the low-grade spirit stones fell into the wind, they shattered with loud, muffled pops, resembling boiling water poured over scalding hot stones, or the heavy thud of cannon fire.
Truly terrifying winds.
Everyone could not help but look on in shock.
Down below, however, Nan Zhi's expression abruptly shifted.
Something inside the wind was approaching.
“Move!”
Nan Zhi bellowed. Grabbing the rock wall beside her, she leaped three zhang downward—
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, the gales surged forth like a roar from the valley depths, blasting a monstrous hurricane packed with flying sand and stone, slamming violently against the cliff face!
Wind could be gentle, but it also possessed a violent, ferocious nature.
The surging tempest, swirling with dense diamond sand, instantly sprayed toward Jin Guan, Canzhi, and Meifu!
Skrrrrt—
Screeech—
None of the three were inept. Jin Guan braced his hands and launched himself like a cannonball, landing directly on a cliff ledge over ten meters away.
Canzhi and Meifu clasped hands, using each other's momentum to narrowly evade the blast!
The devastating flying sand ground and spun ceaselessly. In just the span of a single breath, the rugged cliff face was ground down, smoothed into a polished, round stone sphere.
So that was where those stone spheres came from!
A chill ran down everyone's spines.
They could now see clearly.
Inside the storm of sand and stone, it was not merely wind, but flocks of bizarre birds with horned heads, hard carapaces, and wings growing from their heads!
These “birds” had no eyes. Swarming together, their beating wings stirred up gale-force winds of immense power.
With every flap of their wings, fierce gales arose, sending clouds of flying sand spraying outward like colossal natural grinding machines, grinding away the lives of countless cultivators.
“Not good!”
For the first time, Chuyun Caixia cried out a warning, her voice filled with sheer horror:
“It's the Duanhu!”
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