Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 273: Arriving at the Valley of Buried Soldiers

Following Crimson Phoenix, Fang Hao finally truly witnessed the dangers of the Black Dragon Mountain Range.

The woman was clearly extremely familiar with the area around the Valley of Buried Soldiers, or rather, she had made ample preparations.

The route she chose seemed circuitous, yet it cleverly avoided several dangerous areas marked on the map or mentioned by her, where powerful Demon Beasts or strange entities lurked.

Even so, the trouble along the way never ceased.

There were "Corrosive Poison Demon Flowers" lurking in marshes and mud pits that could spray poisonous mist and entangle with vines; "Soul-Devouring Mist Demons" hiding in the fog, launching silent attacks on the Divine Soul; and swarms of "Iron-Toothed Flying Ants" that feared no death and had teeth capable of biting through spiritual light shields...

Every time they encountered danger, Crimson Phoenix would take it for granted that Fang Hao should "scout the path" or "attract attention." She would either watch coldly from the sidelines or, when Fang Hao "could no longer hold on," she would unhurriedly take action, using that crimson phoenix feather flying sword to cleanly and efficiently resolve the trouble, then urge Fang Hao to continue moving forward.

The strength she displayed when taking action was indeed formidable; with her Perfected Golden Core cultivation, pure and fierce Fire-type Sword Intent, and that Flying Sword of obviously high grade, ordinary Third-Ranked Demonic Beasts were almost no match for her in a single exchange.

Fang Hao played the role of an ordinary Early Golden Core Stage Loose Cultivator who "had decent strength but was stretched thin when facing real danger and needed her to save his life."

He "embarrassingly" dodged attacks, "barely" fended off the Demon Beasts, and even "accidentally" got grazed by the poisonous mist of a Corrosive Poison Demon Flower, his face turning "pale blue" for quite a while. Only after Crimson Phoenix tossed him a detox pill did he "tearfully express gratitude" and continue leading the way.

He acted very realistically; whether it was the "weak" fluctuations of his spiritual power or his "panicked" reactions when facing danger, everything was just right.

Crimson Phoenix did not seem to be suspicious, or rather, she did not care at all about Fang Hao’s true strength; as long as he could still "scout the path," it was enough.

"Once we pass through that ’Ghost Howling Forest’ ahead, we will reach the outskirts of the Valley of Buried Soldiers."

Crimson Phoenix stood on a high slope, pointing to a dense forest ahead that was shrouded in faint gray-black fog, from which came constant, shrill sounds of wind, like ghosts wailing and wolves howling. Her voice was cold, but a flash of solemnity and... faint excitement flickered in her eyes.

Fang Hao looked at the forest, his Divine Sense probing inside, and immediately felt a cold, chaotic, and metallic Evil Qi mental impact, which caused the Chaos vortex in his Sea of Consciousness to spin slightly before neutralizing it.

This forest was indeed sinister.

"The wind in the Ghost Howling Forest is not a natural wind, but a mixture of the weapon-based Evil Qi leaking from the Valley of Buried Soldiers and the lingering resentment from the ancient battlefield; it can erode the mind and disrupt spiritual power. There are also some Demon Beasts in the forest that have been mutated by the erosion of Evil Qi, so be careful."

Crimson Phoenix rarely "reminded" him, but her tone remained flat, as if she were speaking of something mundane.

The two entered the Ghost Howling Forest, one after the other.

As soon as they stepped inside, the shrill sound of the wind was like countless resentful spirits roaring in their ears, drilling directly into the Sea of Consciousness, attempting to stir up the fear and negative emotions deep within a person’s heart.

The fog in the forest also carried a cold Evil Qi that clung to the skin, causing one’s spiritual power circulation to become sluggish.

Fang Hao immediately activated the Ethereal Art and the Chaos vortex in his Sea of Consciousness, guarding his mind as if it were an impregnable fortress, while the jade-like golden light on his body surface shone slightly, resisting the erosion of the Evil Qi.

He still pretended to be somewhat "strained," his footsteps "heavy."

A layer of faint crimson light naturally rose around Crimson Phoenix, isolating the Evil Qi and resentment; she clearly possessed special protective techniques or treasures.

She walked in front with steady steps, appearing quite accustomed to the environment of the Ghost Howling Forest.

The forest was indeed not peaceful.

Not long after, several black shadows pounced from the fog; they were "Baleful Wolves" with gray-black fur, crimson eyes, and claws that glimmered with a metallic luster. Their aura was around the Early Stage of the Third-Ranked Demonic Beast, and they pounced at the two without fear of death.

Fang Hao "scrambled" to bring out an ordinary long sword Magical Artifact (a trophy seized previously) and engaged in a struggle with two Baleful Wolves; his sword light was "scattered," and he was in constant danger.

Crimson Phoenix did not even look at Fang Hao’s side; with a wave of her jade hand, the phoenix feather flying sword transformed into several crimson sword lights, accurately piercing the skulls of the other Baleful Wolves and killing them instantly.

Then, she casually sent out a sword light to help Fang Hao resolve those two "pesky" Baleful Wolves.

"Trash, hurry up." Crimson Phoenix urged impatiently.

Fang Hao looked at her "gratefully," put away his long sword, and continued forward.

In his heart, however, he sneered; this woman really was using him as cannon fodder to the extreme.

The deeper they went into the forest, the thicker the Evil Qi became, the shriller the sound of the wind, and the more powerful and strange the appearing Demon Beasts were.

There were "Baleful Spirits" formed from Evil Qi with no fixed shape, "Iron-Boned Demon Apes" covered in bone spurs and radiating a metallic luster, and "Ghost-Faced Owls" capable of spitting corrosive black flames...

Fang Hao’s "acting" became increasingly skilled; in front of Crimson Phoenix, he always maintained a state of "exhausting all his strength, barely holding on, and unable to function without her."

And Crimson Phoenix seemed to have gradually become accustomed to his "uselessness," acting more frequently, but the impatience and contempt in her eyes also became more obvious.

Occasionally, the gaze she directed at Fang Hao would flicker with a hint of scrutiny, but it was quickly drawn away by the danger ahead.

Passing through the Ghost Howling Forest, the view before them suddenly opened up, yet it also made one’s heart sink.

It was an unimaginably huge valley that could not be described with words.

The valley entrance looked as if it had been forcibly split open by a giant axe that could cleave the heavens; on both sides were black cliffs as steep as if cut by a knife, reaching a thousand zhang in height. The cliffs were covered with marks left by various weapons hacking and piercing, and after countless years, they still radiated a faint aura of sharpness.

Inside the valley, there was a thick, gray-black Evil Qi that felt almost substantial, churning and surging, nearly drowning the entire valley. One could only faintly see some twisted, hideous rock outlines, as well as... weapons of all kinds scattered everywhere, long since rusted beyond recognition, or even reduced to mere fragments!

Sabers, swords, spears, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks... densely packed, covering the valley floor, extending all the way into the depths of the Evil Qi.

On many weapons, there still remained dark red bloodstains that seemed as if they would never dry, emitting a tragic aura of slaughter and endless resentment.

The entire valley was deathly silent, with only the low wailing sound produced by the churning Evil Qi, like countless departed souls weeping and roaring.

This was the Valley of Buried Soldiers!

Just standing at the valley entrance, that soaring Evil Qi, the aura of weapons, and the aura of deathly silence caused one’s mind to sway, blood to churn, and spiritual power to circulate poorly.

Those with slightly weaker cultivation would likely be unable to stay for long before their minds were eroded by the Evil Qi, leading to Qi Deviation.

Crimson Phoenix stood at the valley entrance, looking at the churning Evil Qi, and for the first time, an undisguised heat and solemnity appeared in her beautiful phoenix eyes.

She took a deep breath and took out a treasure pearl from her bosom, the size of a dragon’s eye, entirely crimson, and emitting a warm and pure aura, holding it in her hand.

The light of the treasure pearl forced back the Evil Qi within three feet around her, forming a relatively "safe" area.

"Follow me, and do not leave the three-foot range around me."

"This ’departing fire pearl’ can temporarily resist the erosion of Evil Qi, but it cannot hold for too long."

"We must enter a relatively safe place within the valley before the pearl’s effectiveness is exhausted."

Crimson Phoenix turned her head and said coldly to Fang Hao, her tone carrying a command as well as a hint of warning, "If you leave this range and are eroded by the Evil Qi, or if you disturb the things in the valley, do not blame this young lady for not saving you."

Fang Hao looked at that "departing fire pearl," feeling the pure and powerful Fire-type energy contained within it, and his heart stirred slightly.

This woman was indeed well-prepared.

He nodded "fearfully and respectfully," followed closely behind her, and stepped into the range covered by the light of the departing fire pearl.

Once inside the Valley of Buried Soldiers, the impact of that Evil Qi, resentment, and the aura of weapons and slaughter suddenly increased by more than tenfold!

Even with the weakening light of the departing fire pearl, Fang Hao still felt as if he were standing naked before thousands of swords and spears; his skin felt a stinging pain, and ripples arose in his Sea of Consciousness, the Chaos vortex accelerating its rotation only to keep those negative thoughts at bay.

He was still "barely" holding on, his face "pale."

Crimson Phoenix also seemed to be quite wary of the environment here; her speed of advance slowed significantly, the light of the departing fire pearl in her hand radiating steadily, dispelling the Evil Qi in front.

Her gaze swept sharply over the ground and the cliffs on both sides, as if she were looking for some marking or a specific path.