Unmatched Dominance/C225 The Rearing of Blood Food!
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Unmatched Dominance/C225 The Rearing of Blood Food!
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C225 The Rearing of Blood Food!

In Chilly Wind Valley, Yu Yuan stood surveying his surroundings as a matter of habit.

Glancing back, he understood why, from afar, the entire valley appeared submerged beneath a veil of miasma and smoke. The Ghost Poisoning Array's bright yellow barrier was merely the first defense, enveloping the valley's mouth. Behind it lay a second layer, a swath of miasma and smoke that was neither too thick nor too thin, clinging tightly to the barrier.

To the outside observer, the semi-transparent barrier was a backdrop to the swirling, multicolored mists, creating the illusion that Chilly Wind Valley was engulfed by them. Only by breaching the Ghost Poisoning Array and wading through the miasma could one truly enter.

Yet, within, the second layer of smoke obscured his view, preventing him from clearly seeing Chen Qingyan beyond the valley's confines. The array was known to erode the soul and consciousness, and coupled with the miasma, it rendered the valley's interior invisible to those outside.

Likewise, Loong Tianxiao, Jin Fann, and the others trapped inside were blind to the world beyond the mists. The valley was sealed off, a prisoner to the Ghost Poisoning Array and the dense layer of miasma above.

It lurked within that thick, rich cloud of smoke.

With a whoosh, a slender, blade-like bone, crystalline and as white as jade, pierced through the vibrant smog above. It struck with the suddenness of a chilling lightning bolt.

On the valley floor, the bone impaled the chest of a towering male corpse, which then levitated and vanished into the sky's colorful haze.

The eerie sound of bones being crunched and devoured echoed unabashedly.

Jin Fann of the Ghoul Glyph Sect, who had just been berating Yu Yuan, fell abruptly silent, his face ashen. He seemed to realize that escape was futile. What point was there in accusing Yu Yuan now?

With a swift "swoosh," the valley's grim symphony played on.

Loong Tianxiao, with the head of a man and the body of a dragon, flew to Yu Yuan's side, his mouth twisted with a bitter expression. "I should have heeded your advice and not let greed drive me to Chilly Wind Valley."

Regret consumed him.

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

But he had been obstinate, convinced that the valley concealed the Medicine Sect's treasures and oddities. In his quest to reconstruct his fleshly body and confident in his own strength, he had dismissed Yu Yuan's counsel and plunged headlong into the valley.

The outcome...

"It's your own doing."

Yu Yuan gave him a sidelong glance, noting that his once nearly hundred-meter-long dragon form had significantly diminished in size.

Now, Loong Tianxiao's dragon body measured a mere three to five meters, and his humanoid upper half had similarly contracted. "What's the matter? Took a heavy blow?"

"I did take a heavy blow. Plus, I didn't want my large size to make me an easy target." Loong Tianxiao wasn't embarrassed. "Shrinking down a bit might keep me off that creature's radar as the first choice."

He gestured toward the toxic clouds swirling above.

Yu Yuan took it all in without immediate comment, turning his attention to another part of the valley.

The valley was spacious, its floor littered with the skeletal remains of men and women, as well as spirit beasts from Jade Peak, including birds and beasts of the Fourth and Fifth Levels.

Among the dead were Hu Yue and other members of the Hu family.

All had succumbed to the deadly poison.

Nearly twenty survivors remained, their attire indicating they were practitioners from various empires, spanning the Profound Break, Penetrating, and Yin God Stages.

There were few as formidable as Loong Tianxiao.

These individuals were dispersed throughout the valley, all steering clear of its deeper reaches.

There, the earth was riddled with holes as if pierced by a giant blade, and the surrounding rock walls were honeycombed with openings.

Wisps of mist emanated from these caverns and subterranean openings, coalescing into the sky above. The Ghost Poisoning Array, along with the second layer of toxic miasma, continued to supply the unique energy necessary to sustain the array's function.

The enigmatic Yin Feng, deemed by Yu Yuan as the greatest unknown, did not stir within the valley. Whether it was obstructed or under the control of that entity remained a mystery.

"As this valley became a convergence point for cultivators from all directions, a toxic array sprang forth without warning, shrouding everyone within," Loong Tianxiao murmured as his gaze swept the surroundings. "By the time everyone realized they couldn't easily break free from the valley, strange anomalies began to emerge from the miasma clouds. It was then that a bizarre wind began to howl, inflicting bone-scraping terror upon the soul."

"Not even flesh and blood could provide sanctuary from its force. The wind seemed to penetrate directly into the human's upper dantian and the soul's sea of consciousness."

"In the midst of ghostly wails and lupine howls, many bled from every orifice, their spirits torn asunder, utterly powerless to resist."

"Then, from the miasma clouds above, segments of bone, white as jade, fell like blades slicing through life itself."

"That entity first slaughtered a swath of victims. Now, the scattered bones are the remnants of those initial fallen."

"Its appetite is finite; it seems incapable of digesting an excess of remains in one go. Hence, we who remain are still alive, still bearing witness to its actions."

Loong Tianxiao's voice steadied, the initial fervor dissipating as he spoke.

Yu Yuan listened intently, nodding slightly in understanding. Upon his arrival, a quick survey allowed him to deduce the grim reality.

The creature required a slow feast, a gradual digestion.

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

Be it human or spirit beast, upon death, the essence of Qi, blood, spiritual energy, and soul would begin to fade into silence.

The "Ghosts Poisoning Array" that enveloped the valley could decelerate this efflux, yet it could not defy the immutable laws of nature.

Thus, it allowed some to live, postponing their slaughter.

Methodically, it sought to extract every last ounce of value from every living being within the valley.

Once the first batch had been consumed, Jin Fann would follow, and then, inevitably, it would be Loong Tianxiao's turn.

Due to the Ghosts Poisoning Array and the miasma cloud's second layer, not to mention the chilling winds of the valley, it feared no survivors who might escape Chilly Wind Valley.

Those who couldn't escape were trapped, destined to become its prey.

The weaker the individual, the quicker the digestion, so it targeted the frail first.

It saved the strongest for last, savoring them to draw out nourishment over a longer period, seeking advancement in its life cycle.

"Three hundred years is an eternity, so long that I fear I may lose control," Yu Yuan thought, his mind in turmoil as he surveyed the valley, desperately strategizing.

That creature was his contingency plan, crafted before his reincarnation.

He trusted no one.

He feared betrayal at his most vulnerable, post-reincarnation, possibly dying before his journey of cultivation could even begin.

He put his faith in that creature instead.

He had engineered it to be his protector from its infancy, to stand by his side.

Originally, he believed the creature, once removed from Jade Peak, would possess power equivalent to the Human Tribe's Profound Break Stage.

That would have been immensely beneficial, easily controlled and utilized by him.

But he hadn't foreseen the delay in his reincarnation by three hundred years.

Now, after three centuries, the creature had grown far more formidable than he had ever anticipated.

"Can I still command it? If not, should I consider a different approach to coexist?" Yu Yuan mulled over his options, gazing at the miasma cloud with a sense of foreboding.

"Yu Yuan!"

Next to Jin Fann, an old crone, her face etched with ghoul glyphs, let out a shrill, piercing howl.

Her name was Chou, and she had learned of Yu Yuan's identity from Jin Fann.

She had once attempted to use the Azure Yang Arrow to severely wound Yu Yuan while holding Qin Yun captive.

But Yu Yuan had outsmarted her.

Now, recognizing the young man before her as the same Yu Yuan who had emerged from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, she knew her end was near. Yet, her resolve was unshaken; she was determined to take Yu Yuan down with her.

"Do you still recognize this old soul?"

Her gaze was filled with spite and venom as she fixed her eyes on Yu Yuan.

"..."

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