The Myriad Grave Valleys welcomed them with a deathly silence and a fog so thick it felt sentient. Here, the earth was so saturated with Yin energy that ordinary cultivators would lose consciousness within an hour, their flesh beginning to rot while they still breathed.
But for Shen Yuan, this air was sweeter than any mountain nectar.
"Stay within three paces of me," Shen Yuan commanded without looking back. "If you step on a Singing Root, your soul will be ripped from your body before you can even scream."
Ye Fan and Ye Lin followed closely, trying to breathe shallowly. After the 'Hellish Cleansing' at the inn, they felt a strange affinity with this desolate place. The darkness no longer terrified them—it felt familiar, almost welcoming.
"Senior," Ye Lin whispered, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, now wrapped in black cloth. "I feel a presence ahead. It's heavy. And it smells of ancient blood."
Shen Yuan's lips curled into a faint, sharp smile. Her senses were sharpening faster than he had anticipated.
"Those are Rot-Feather Vultures," Shen Yuan said. "They guard the entrance to the Wailing King's tomb. Usually, they feast on the corpses of foolish adventurers. Today... they will have to settle for their own deaths."
Ahead, through the mist, massive gates emerged, carved directly into the cliffside. They were adorned with reliefs depicting the torments of sinners in the ten circles of hell. Before the gates sat three massive figures—creatures resembling giant, featherless birds with human faces and talons capable of crushing profound steel.
"The Lin or Zhou families would send an army to clear this pass," Shen Yuan said, pulling out the [Bone of the First Ancestor]. "We, however, will use a more elegant method."
He looked at Ye Lin. "Your Dark Frost is now part of your essence. See the vulture in the center? Do not strike at its heart. Strike the shadow beneath its feet."
Ye Lin nodded. She took a breath, and the air around her instantly crystallized into black snowflakes. She vanished in a burst of speed that was far too fast for a cultivator of her former rank.
Splash!
Her sword pierced the ground. Black ice instantly erupted from the monster's shadow, encasing it in spikes that grew through its flesh from the inside out. The creature didn't even have time to shriek—it became an ice statue frozen in eternal agony.
The other two vultures roared, spreading their wings, but Shen Yuan was already before them.
"[Third Gate: The Gate of Stasis]"
He simply raised his hand, and invisible threads of spiritual pressure erupted from his palm. The air around the monsters became as dense as lead. The vultures froze, their eyes bursting from the pressure, their bones snapping as they failed to support the weight of their own shadows.
A second later, the two bodies folded inward, collapsing into a heap of mangled flesh.
"Harvest the energy," Shen Yuan commanded.
Ye Fan, already growing accustomed to his master's brutality, quickly approached the remains to collect the monster cores.
"Senior," he asked, wiping his hands. "Why didn't we just walk inside?"
"Because we are not alone," Shen Yuan turned his head toward a thicket of black shrubs to the right. "You who have followed us since the city gates... come out. Or I shall turn your shadows into your coffins right now."
Four figures emerged from the gloom. They wore grey robes—the mark of the Corpse Poison Sect, a small but vile organization known for their expertise in necromancy and toxins.
"Impressive, brat," the leader said, a gaunt old man with yellow teeth. "To kill Rot-Feathers so easily... you must have a high-tier technique. Hand over your artifacts and the girl, and perhaps we will allow you to become our corpse-slaves instead of burning you to ash."
Shen Yuan laughed. It was a low, chilling sound that sent a shiver down the siblings' spines.
"The Corpse Poison Sect..." Shen Yuan whispered. "In my time, I used your ancestors as fertilizer for my garden. What a tragedy that their descendants have grown even more foolish."
He took a step forward, and the ground beneath his feet began to turn black. "Lin, Fan... watch closely. This is your first lesson in the art of Soul Devouring."