C225 Restraint of the Blood Feed!

Gloomhollow!

Yu Yuan, standing within the valley, instinctively took in his surroundings first.

Glancing back, he understood why, from the outside, Gloomhollow appeared to be submerged in a sea of miasma and smoke.

The reason was the Shadowflame Blight Array's bright yellow light barrier, which formed only the first layer of defense over the valley.

Beyond this barrier lay another layer of miasma and smoke, neither too thick nor too thin.

This miasma clung to the bright yellow barrier, creating a second layer.

To an outsider, the semi-transparent barrier backed by swirling, colorful miasma and smoke created the illusion that Gloomhollow was entirely engulfed.

Once Yu Yuan had breached the Shadowflame Blight Array and traversed the miasma, he had truly entered the heart of the valley.

However, the second layer of smoke obscured his view, preventing him from seeing Chen Qingyan clearly from the outside.

He was aware that the Shadowflame Blight Array could erode one's remnant soul and spiritual sense. Coupled with the miasma, it rendered the interior of the valley invisible to those outside.

Likewise, Loong Tianxiao and Zanas, shrouded by the miasma, were unable to see beyond the valley's confines.

Thus, the valley was sealed off by the Shadowflame Blight Array and the enveloping layer of miasma and smoke.

Above, a thicker, more potent layer of miasma and smoke blanketed the sky.

It lurked within.

"Whoosh!"

A slender, blade-like bone, as translucent as white jade and gleaming brilliantly, pierced through the dense, colorful smoke above.

It struck like a chilling streak of lightning.

On the valley floor, a tall male corpse was impaled in the chest by the arc of the glowing bone.

The corpse abruptly rose into the air and vanished into the ribbons of colored mist.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

The grisly sound of bones being devoured and crunched echoed without restraint.

In the valley, Zanas of the Binders of Shadows, who had been pointing and chastising Yu Yuan, fell abruptly silent, his complexion deathly pale, no longer uttering a word.

It seemed Zanas had realized their escape was futile.

If that was the case, what purpose did it serve to confront Yu Yuan with accusations?

"Swish!"

Loong Tianxiao, with his human head and dragon body, swiftly arrived at Yu Yuan's side, his expression tinged with bitterness. "I should have heeded your advice and not let greed drive me to Gloomhollow."

His remorse was palpable.

He had encountered Yu Yuan on his journey, who had explicitly warned him against venturing into Gloomhollow.

Yet, he had ignored the advice, enticed by the thought of treasures and rare items hidden by the Sacred Hands. Seeking to rebuild his fleshly body and confident in his own strength, he had recklessly plunged into the valley.

The result...

"You brought this on yourself."

Yu Yuan cast a glance at him and noticed that his once nearly hundred-meter-long dragon body had significantly diminished in size.

The Loong Tianxiao before him now had a dragon body merely three to five meters in length, and his upper human form had similarly contracted. "What happened? Took a heavy hit?"

"I did take a heavy hit. Plus, I didn't want to become an easy target due to my large size," Loong Tianxiao admitted without a hint of shame. "Shrinking down a bit might make that creature overlook me as its first choice."

He gestured towards the toxic clouds above.

Yu Yuan, with an understanding of the situation, didn't rush to respond and instead turned his attention to another area of the valley.

The valley was still quite spacious. On its floor lay dozens of male and female corpses, as well as the bodies of spirit animals from the Serpent Spine Mountains, including birds and beasts of the fourth and fifth levels.

Among the dead were Hu Xuan, Hu Yue, and other members and counselors of the Hu family—all victims of the deadly poison.

About twenty people remained alive. From their attire, most were cultivators from various empires, spanning the realms of Veil Breaking, Subtlety, and Lunar Spirit.

Few were as formidable as Loong Tianxiao.

These survivors were scattered throughout the valley, deliberately avoiding its deeper reaches.

Deep in the valley, the earth appeared to have been cleaved by a sharp blade, with numerous openings chiseled into the surrounding rock faces.

Wisps of mist emerged from the caves and subterranean openings, coalescing into the clouds above. There, the Shadowflame Blight Array continued to emit a special energy, sustaining the operation of the rune circle.

The Nightstorm, regarded by Yu Yuan as the most significant enigma, did not stir within the valley.

"This valley, once it became a gathering point for cultivators from various regions, was suddenly encased in the Serpent's Coils, trapping everyone inside," Loong Tianxiao murmured as he surveyed the surroundings. "Upon realizing that leaving the valley wouldn't be easy, a bizarre entity emerged amidst the miasma clouds. It was then that an eerie wind swept through, inflicting bone-chilling damage to the soul."

"Not even the corporeal body could provide shelter; the wind seemed to penetrate directly to the human upper elixir field and Mindscape."

"In the midst of screams and howls, many bled from every orifice, their three souls shredded, powerless to resist."

"Subsequently, segments of bone, white as jade, appeared in the sky's miasma clouds, slicing through life as if with a blade's edge."

"That entity first slaughtered a group, and now the scattered bones are all that remain of those initial victims."

"Its appetite is finite; it seems incapable of digesting an excess of bones at once. Hence, we remain alive, witnesses to its actions."

"..."

Loong Tianxiao's voice steadied as he finished speaking.

Yu Yuan listened intently, nodding in understanding.

Upon his arrival, he had scanned the area and deduced the reality of the situation.

It required a slow consumption and gradual digestion.

The bones littering the ground would take time to be fully absorbed.

Whether human or spirit animal, once dead, the essence of vitality, spiritual energy, and remnant soul would imperceptibly dissipate.

The Shadowflame Blight Array shrouding the valley could decelerate this efflux, yet it could not wholly defy the cosmic order.

Thus, it allowed some to remain alive, in no rush to slaughter them.

It aimed to incrementally maximize its gains, extracting every ounce of value from the valley's inhabitants.

After the initial victims were consumed, it would be Zanas' turn, then Loong Tianxiao.

Thanks to the Shadowflame Blight Array, the layered miasma, and the Nightstorm, it harbored no fear of any survivors escaping Gloomhollow.

Trapped here, they would become sustenance for the creature.

It targeted the weaker individuals first, as they were easier to digest.

The strongest were saved for last, allowing the creature to savor them and draw out the nutrients over a longer period, in pursuit of a new evolutionary leap.

"Three hundred years is an eternity, so vast that I fear it may be beyond my control."

Yu Yuan's mind was in turmoil as he surveyed the situation in Gloomhollow, desperately trying to devise a plan.

That creature was his backup plan, created before his reincarnation.

He trusted no one!

He feared that, in his vulnerable state post-reincarnation, those he trusted might betray and kill him before he could embark on his path as a cultivator.

He placed his trust in creatures like that one instead.

He had created it with the hope that, as it grew, it would stay by his side as a protector.

Initially, he had believed that after taking it from the Serpent Spine Mountains, it would be comparable to a human at the Veil Breaking Stage.

This would have been immensely helpful, allowing him to maintain control indefinitely.

What he hadn't anticipated was a three-hundred-year delay in his reincarnation.

After three centuries, the creature had grown far more powerful than he had ever imagined.

"Can I still control it, or should I consider a different approach to our relationship?"

Yu Yuan mulled over his options, gazing at the miasma cloud with a sense of foreboding.

"Yu Yuan!"

Next to Zanas, an old crone with ghastly symbols etched on her face let out a shrill screech.

Her name was Chou. She had learned Yu Yuan's identity and name from Zanas.

She had once tried to use the Dawn Arrow to severely wound Yu Yuan while holding Qin Yun captive.

Yu Yuan had outsmarted her.

Now, realizing that the young man before her was the very Yu Yuan who had emerged from the Moonfall Sanctuary, she knew her end was near but resolved to kill him first.

"Do you remember me?"

Her eyes bore into Yu Yuan, filled with venom and spite.

"..."