C228 The Superior

The moment he set foot in Chilly Wind Valley, it became vividly clear through the miasmic clouds.

Yu Yuan was aware that as he watched it, it scrutinized him in return.

He even suspected that, given its ascension to an extraordinarily formidable echelon of life, it might subtly perceive his thoughts.

He was its creator.

Three hundred years had not faded the mark he had etched onto it in a past life.

Thus, its emotions towards him were inherently complex.

In many ways, he was its Founder, akin to a parent.

Its existence was truly unique.

Those lingering marks served as reminders of their intricate bond.

Yet, as it matured and its life force evolved, it began to understand that his creation of it was driven by ulterior motives.

It was far from simple.

For ages, it languished in captivity within the marsh, yearning for the day he would return, reborn and transformed, to lead it out into the sunlight once more.

Regrettably, that longed-for day never arrived.

Eventually, it grew in strength and, relying on its own power, emerged from the marshland.

To it, the man who had given it life seemed to have forgotten or, perhaps, forsaken it.

Moreover, after three centuries, it had grown so potent through its innate abilities that it dwarfed its creator's strength.

As Yu Yuan contemplated their relationship, it too was deliberating, weighing its options.

How should they interact?

With a furrowed brow, Yu Yuan made his way deeper into Chilly Wind Valley, all the while feeling the presence of Tianhun sensing its watchful gaze through the miasma.

No matter his current state, as a reincarnated being, he remained its creator.

It understood this better than anyone.

Would it ever allow someone like Chiu Wan to harm him?

This knowledge emboldened Yu Yuan, leaving him utterly fearless in the face of Chiu Wan.

Yu Yuan recognized that within Chilly Wind Valley, as long as it existed, no one would be permitted to take his life.

If his end were to come, it would be by its hand, not another's.

In this respect, it was far more dependable than Loong Tianxiao.

In his past life, he trusted no one, pouring his energy into creation for this very reason.

He'd sooner put his faith in an aberration than in another human being.

"Whoosh!"

Deep within Chilly Wind Valley, fissures in the earth and mountain caverns exhaled thick plumes of multicolored smoke.

He glanced at them and headed toward the largest opening.

The cavern was spacious enough to fit three to five people. Peering down, Yu Yuan felt the chilling bite of the smoke that seemed to freeze one's very bones.

He was aware that this cavern led to the subterranean depths.

Beneath Chilly Wind Valley lay the dungeons that once held the Poisoners of the Medicine Sect's storied past.

"I wonder if any of those Poisoners are still alive."

He murmured to himself, harboring no desire to delve into the depths below.

Bypassing the other caverns, he approached a cave in the rock face.

The wall was pocked with numerous caves, resembling a beehive.

Most exhaled poisonous smoke, contributing to the Ghost Poisoning Array and the second layer's miasma.

But there was one cave, just big enough for a single person, from which no smoke escaped.

This cave stood out as an anomaly among the rest.

Yu Yuan's attention fixed on it, and he inhaled deeply.

"Puff!"

Behind him, a segment of white bone, sharp as a blade, shot through the miasma.

Two more bodies were impaled by the bone, crescent-moon bright, and dragged into the miasma to be consumed.

In the valley, Loong Tianxiao, Kuan Xianyun, and the others wore somber expressions.

The black-clad woman adorned with tiny bells looked up at the sky, then at the group, and suddenly spoke, "Everyone, perhaps it's time to devise a plan."

Kuan Xianyun quickly concurred, "The corpses are only getting fresher. The next assault won't be long in coming."

Loong Tianxiao added, "We've tried attacking it before. But those who made the first move were also the first to die."

Their conversation carried clearly to Yu Yuan as he made his way deeper into the valley.

"Those who strike first, die first—we've seen it," the woman in black emerged from a corner. "But being kept as its food, only to be slaughtered when it hungers, is no solution either. I've pondered long and hard, and it seems breaking through that miasma cloud, posing a threat to it above, might be exceedingly difficult."

"Should we give it another shot, see if we can break the array shrouding Chilly Wind Valley and make our escape?"

Kuan Xianyun replied, "It's tough."

"If we can't shatter the array, then... what about trying underground?" The woman in black's gaze flickered as she peered into the valley's depths. "That youth named Yu Yuan has ventured deep into the valley. We're all aware of the rumors that Chilly Wind Valley holds many Poison Masters captive."

"Ever since we arrived, we've been ensnared, led around by that thing."

"Do you recall our original purpose for coming to Chilly Wind Valley? Should we follow Yu Yuan's lead and delve into the valley's depths to witness the Poison Masters' prison? I have a hunch that those Poison Masters might be somewhere beneath us!"

"If there's a tunnel underground, perhaps we could bypass the array's barrier and tunnel our way out!"

Upon hearing this, a spark of hope flickered in everyone's eyes.

Loong Tianxiao doused their enthusiasm, "That eerie wind capable of shattering souls blows from the heart of the valley."

"I'm aware," the woman in black acknowledged with a nod. "The wind slowly wounds the soul. It's not an instant obliteration. Perhaps we can locate the underground cells before our souls are utterly destroyed and seize the chance to break free."

Without waiting for a reply, she inhaled deeply and declared, "Yu Yuan, the lad from Darkmoon City, has already shown us a lifeline. He's taken action. Are we to remain here in the valley, resigned to our fate?"

With that, she was the first to act, even before the others stirred.

She trailed Yu Yuan, following his path toward the valley's heart.

As she moved deeper, she pondered Yu Yuan's intentions.

She surmised that Yu Yuan, like her, intended to use the subterranean routes to escape Chilly Wind Valley.

"Such a clever, bold young man, finding a path to survival in the most perilous place," she mused with admiration.

Yu Yuan, stationed at the base of the numerous caverns, turned and cast a look over his shoulder.

He had overheard the exchange between the woman in black, Loong Tianxiao, and Kuan Xianyun. Now, confronting the woman in black's presumptuous approach, Yu Yuan's expression chilled as he raised his voice, "Don't come here courting death!"

Upon hearing these words, the woman clad in black's expression turned icy.

She halted at a great distance, her gaze fixed quietly on Yu Yuan.

A piercing pain shot through the center of Yu Yuan's forehead, as he felt a sharp spiritual thought attempting to burrow into his mind.

"Chi!"

A slender line of blood suddenly appeared between his eyebrows.

"Kid, who do you think you are to speak to me that way?" The woman in black's plain face twisted into a snarl. "Don't fool yourself into thinking you've earned the right to speak here just because you got lucky and killed Chiu Wan! I recognized your intelligence and considered giving you a leg up, but you're clearly too foolish to appreciate it!"

"Show me some respect," Loong Tianxiao demanded.

The woman in black turned away, casting a cold glance at Loong Tianxiao. "You're a half-breed dragon, a nobody whose dragon form has been destroyed. You're not worthy of respect."

While she spoke, her eyes swept over the survivors.

Her gaze was haughty, the look of someone from a higher station observing those beneath them.

Behind her, a palace seemed to float amidst the clouds, barely visible through her black attire.

"Profound Sky Sect!"

"It's a practitioner from the Profound Sky Sect!"

"The Profound Sky Sect, one of the three great upper sects of the Heavenly Source Continent!"

Those who caught sight of the floating palace gasped in astonishment.

Kuan Xianyun, Loong Tianxiao, and all the remaining survivors in the valley gazed at the majestic palace on her back, shrouded by billowing white clouds.

The Ghoul Glyph Sect, weaker than both the Demon Palace and the Devil Palace on the Quietus Continent, also lagged slightly behind the Red Devil Sect and the Blood God Cult.

Their foundation and power were naturally far inferior to that of the Profound Sky Sect.

Regardless of Loong Tianxiao's status as a dragon or his association with Hidden Dragon Lake, he couldn't hold a candle to the might of the Profound Sky Sect.

Her affiliation with the Profound Sky Sect, one of the three exalted upper sects, explained her domineering and confrontational demeanor.

For in the eyes of the three upper sects of the Heavenly Source Continent, they were the sovereigns of this realm.

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