Watching the strange insect he still didn't know the name of reluctantly enter his parallel space, Pei Yan adjusted his emotions and turned to walk into the valley without any worries.
After listening to the insect's words, claiming not to feel psychological pressure would be a lie. Faced with the situation, he had no choice but to confront it head-on. He directly engaged in mechanization and ordered Suzi in his brain to take over his body immediately upon any external emotional influence, prioritizing escaping danger.
He wasn't sure if the insect had exaggerated its words, or if his training in the Ghost Realm had truly worked. Upon entering the valley with heightened alertness, despite the valley's eerie atmosphere, Pei Yan did not feel the madness-inducing mental influence the insect mentioned.
Nonetheless, he dared not relax his vigilance, cautiously inching toward the depths of the valley. Along the way, the valley's scenery seemed to confirm the insect's statements. Although ancient, traces of burning and cracked walls remained on the valley walls, and various monster corpses scattered throughout. Some were as small as buffalo, while larger ones spanned dozens of meters across the valley. Even more astonishing was a nearly hundred-meter-tall beast fossil embedded straight into the valley wall, leaving Pei Yan astounded. This journey felt like entering an ancient Beast Fighting Arena, where the scarred battlefield narrated the brutal battles of the past.
All of this centered around the Divine Artifact named Duan Yu before him. Looking down at the nearly discarded blueprint, then at the weapon casually inserted into the soil and rock, Pei Yan could hardly believe he found it so effortlessly.
Even though the blueprint depicted Duan Yu, its size was much smaller than he imagined. Based on the blueprint, he thought it would be a longsword, but in reality, it was only the length of his forearmโa shortsword, crafted without finesse and devoid of decoration, simply ancient and graceful. Time had imbued the blade with a sense of antiquity and melancholy.
Having locked onto his target, Pei Yan didn't rush to pick it up. Instead, he searched for the weapon's owner. Despite searching, he couldn't find human-like remains nearby, only a broken pendant chain not far from the sword, nothing more. Pei Yan wasn't certain whether the legendary figure escaped alive or simply vanished without a trace in the currents of time.
Pei Yan first picked up the pendant, weighing it in his hand. Aside from the broken chain, the gem at its center was intact, though the dust-covered surface had long lost its luster. After wiping it with his sleeve without significant change, and probing it with source energy revealing no abnormalities, he stored it in his spatial ring, intending to ask the Demon God out about the owner's identity, hoping to find clues.
Having secured the item, Pei Yan returned to his final destination of the journey, crouching down as taught by the Demon God, slowly covering Duan Yu's hilt with his blueprint. Taking a deep breath, fully focused, he gripped the hilt and gently exerted force to dislodge it from the soil and rock.
The entire process of retrieving the Divine Artifact was exceptionally calm, its ease bewildering Pei Yan. Hesitant to believe the simplicity with which it concluded, he hurriedly confirmed the sword as his quarry, hastily storing it in his spatial ring, activating the Demon God's rune on his chest to summon him and seal the land.
"Looks like you've gained quite a lot from your journey, did you succeed?" After a moment, in the Holy Hall garden, the Demon God, having personally brought Pei Yan out from the Sealed Land, questioned the young man before him, who seemed transformed.
Pei Yan now was noticeably different from two months ago; his grown body, influenced by the demon blood, had gained another inch, reaching over 190cm. His muscles were taut and perfectly refined like a meticulously honed killing machine, concealed beneath tattered clothing were scars from battles with beasts.
"Yes! I succeeded!" Pei Yan nodded in response to the Demon God's inquiry, surveying the garden only to find, besides the Demon God, numerous high-ranking members of the Demon Race, Old Samikina among them. Based on introductions from the day he first entered the Holy Hall, it seemed the new and old noble clan leaders were assembled here. Their travel-worn appearances suggested they'd hurried over after receiving the Demon God's summon.
"Was the process smooth? Is that person dead?"
Although the Demon God didn't utter the person's name, those in the know, including Pei Yan, understood to whom he referred. Only some new nobles exchanged confused glances, unaware of today's purpose. Facing the Demon God's question, Pei Yan shook his head, responding, "I'm not sure!"
After speaking, he recounted the situation upon entering the valley, then reached for his spatial ring to retrieve his spoils. Initially, the Demon God maintained composure listening to Pei Yan's account, showing little change upon collecting Duan Yu. However, upon hearing of the broken pendant, his demeanor shifted drastically, his spirit momentarily dazed. Shortly after, recalling something significant, he urgently exclaimed, "Don't take it out yet!"
But he was ultimately one step too late. In the momentary daze, Pei Yan's quick hands had already extracted Duan Yu. With the Demon God beside him and surrounded by others, Pei Yan subconsciously relaxed his vigilance. When he took out the Divine Artifact, he was shocked to find Duan Yu and the pendant now entangled together.
At that instant, hearing the Demon God's warning, Pei Yan was briefly lost. The pendant chain circumventing Duan Yu swiftly extended along the sword hilt, crawling up Pei Yan's arm, catching him off guard. Despite precautions, he didn't anticipate to succumb to the inconspicuous necklace.
The moment the chain entangled him, Pei Yan sensed something wrong, vigorously shaking his arm to shatter it. Yet, unexpectedly, the chain was remarkably resilient. As Pei Yan prepared to exert force once more, a surge of hatred and murderous intent rushed up his arm, infiltrating his body, leaving no time for reaction as it dominated his mind!
"Hehehe, old thing! You still couldn't help but send someone to find me! Who is this person? Another of your favored sons?"
