The moonlight was cold, a faint mist swirled about, poisonous weeds ran wild, and grotesque trees stood in dense groves. The peaks of the forest resembled crouching beasts...

The Poisonous Mist Peak Forest on this moonlit night exuded a cold, sinister aura, and shrill cries echoed without end.

Jiang Jichen and his companions had been walking for most of the night. Although they hadn’t encountered any real danger, a sense of unease grew in their hearts, as if some vicious presence was constantly watching them from the dark corners of the forest.

Following the map, Jiang Jichen soon discovered a mountain pass. This was the path that led into the deepest part of the Poisonous Mist Peak Forest.

This mountain pass was the only way through this entire region. All other routes were cut off by intersecting peaks and shrouded in a dense, poisonous mist, making them utterly impassable. Anyone who wanted to cross this area had no choice but to pass through this single entrance.

The entrance opened into a vast and sprawling valley. Both sides were lined with heaps of bizarre rocks, overgrown with poisonous weeds, and forested with grotesque trees. The drifting mist was a sickly green, its toxicity incredibly potent. Without an Anti-Poison Secret Artifact or special Spirit Medicine, even a Minor Grandmaster at the Innate Eighth Layer would be poisoned to death.

When Jiang Jichen and his party arrived at the valley, dawn was breaking. He discovered they were far from alone. It seemed that every Spirit Cultivation Team in the area had gathered here—nearly ten teams, numbering in the hundreds!

Their gazes were fixed on the valley entrance. ’What are they waiting for?’

"What’s going on?"

Jiang Jichen asked Wei Xiaohao.

"This valley entrance is an ancient relic sealed by a Restriction. It only opens each morning for a period of two double-hours. If you can’t make it through the valley within that time, you’ll be trapped inside until it opens again the next day. However..."

At this, Wei Xiaohao’s voice faltered. A look of terror flashed across his face, as if he had just remembered something dreadful.

"The valley is long, but it shouldn’t take a full two double-hours to cross. Are you saying there’s something else in there, something that stops people from getting through?"

Hearing Wei Xiaohao’s hesitation, Jiang Jichen immediately understood what he was implying.

Wei Xiaohao’s voice turned grave. "Rumor has it, this valley is actually the nest of a swarm of Poisonous Beetles. As long as you don’t disturb them, they’ll remain dormant in their underground caves. But if you wake them... the consequences are unimaginable!"

Of course, Jiang Jichen knew what kind of creatures these Poisonous Beetles were.

They were massive, hard-shelled beetles the size of a human head. Their carapaces were like iron armor, providing astonishing defense, and they could fly and spit venom. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

If one was hit by their venom, or pierced by a Poisonous Beetle’s sharp proboscis, even an ordinary Grandmaster would meet a bitter end in this place.

Jiang Jichen’s gaze swept toward the mouth of the valley.

The area at the valley’s mouth was wide, with about ten teams scattered around. They sat cross-legged on the ground, expressions vigilant, each group wary of the others.

After all, any team that made it this far was bound to have had a decent haul. Every one of them possessed at least some Treasure Medicine.

In a place like this, fights over Treasure Medicine could break out at any moment, so no one dared to let their guard down.

However, Jiang Jichen could see that the two strongest teams were positioned closest to the valley. The team at the very front had only ten members, all wearing blood-red masks that gave them a ferocious appearance.

Jiang Jichen recognized them. ’The Blood Refining Alliance!’

Every one of them exuded a profound, unfathomable aura. The weakest among them was actually at the Grandmaster Realm, a realization that made the onlookers draw a sharp, cold breath.

Jiang Jichen’s attention, however, was drawn to the figure seated at the very front. He wore a red cloak that billowed and snapped in the wind. The man exuded the aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm—an Earth Level Dao Platform, no less. Jiang Jichen could even sense that he was deliberately concealing his Cultivation; his true strength was likely far greater.

’So strong!’

With his extraordinary soul, Jiang Jichen’s perception was exceptionally sharp and profound, allowing him to grasp the true extent of the man’s power.

Behind the Blood Refining Alliance, Jiang Jichen was surprised to see members of the Guo Family!

The Guo Family’s contingent was massive, numbering over forty. Moreover, among the teams behind them, there were likely a few vassal groups as well.

At the head of the Guo Family’s contingent were ten people wearing the family’s formal attire. Their auras were also immensely powerful, but they clearly couldn’t be compared to the Blood Refining Alliance.

Their leader was a handsome man of about thirty, who also radiated the aura of a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator with an Earth Level Dao Platform. He, too, was very powerful.

Clearly, the most powerful people in this region had all gathered at the very front of the valley.

Although the other team leaders included some Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they had only achieved it with ordinary or Profound-level Dao Platforms. They couldn’t compare to the Guo Family, much less the Blood Refining Alliance.

"How many valley entrances like this are there in the entire Poisonous Mist Peak Forest?"

Jiang Jichen asked.

"There are rumored to be six in total. This is one of them!"

Wei Xiaohao answered, holding nothing back.

"When I first entered, I saw thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of Loose Cultivators. In this region alone, there should have been over a thousand. Yet I only see three Loose Cultivator teams left, barely a hundred people total. It seems the rest have been slaughtered and cleared out by the Noble Family Descendants?"

Jiang Jichen spoke calmly, his tone betraying no emotion, but his words made Wei Xiaohao’s heart leap into his throat and a chill of fear run through him.

The team of one hundred Loose Cultivators that Jiang Jichen had entered with was now down to just him, Yee Youmeng, and Luoo Long. Of course, their group happened to be the weakest, and their route had been perfectly calculated for an ambush, which was why they were nearly wiped out.

Jiang Jichen could see that the remaining Loose Cultivator teams were all extremely powerful; some even included Foundation Establishment Cultivators. No wonder even the Noble Family Descendants didn’t dare make a move on them. If a real fight broke out, it would only result in devastating losses for both sides—an outcome no one wanted.

"We should head in, too. We spent too much time in that giant cave. It seems we’re the last to arrive."

Jiang Jichen said, then led his three companions into the wide area before the valley proper.

Yee Youmeng dragged her large machete behind her, the tip scraping against the stone ground. The sound echoed through the valley, grating and unnerving.

Hearing the noise, nearly everyone turned their heads in unison, looking toward the path of the newcomers.

They were taken aback to see it was just a group of four.

When they looked again and sized up their Cultivation levels, odd expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.

’Four Junior Cultivators between the Innate Sixth and Seventh Realm, walking in so calmly while one of them drags a blade, completely ignoring everyone’s stares? Isn’t that a bit too arrogant?’

’And they’re only just arriving now? They must have gotten this far on pure luck.’

Doubt filled everyone’s mind, but it was quickly replaced by anger.

"Brat, are you looking to die?" someone shouted. "Is this a place for trash like you? And you dare make such a racket? Don’t you know you’ll attract the Poisonous Beetles?"

Someone had already stood up, berating them coldly.

"No more empty threats. I’ll kill him—the brat with the blade!"

As a Loose Cultivator at the Initial Stage of the Innate Eighth Layer spoke, he was already lunging murderously toward Yee Youmeng.

His gaze was fixed on the Storage Bags at their waists, his eyes glinting with greed.

His earlier words had been nothing more than an excuse. His true aim, of course, was murder and robbery.