Chapter 1828: Chapter 1828: Life and Death Valley
At a distance of ten thousand miles south of the First Line Pass, crossing the barbaric region lies the famous Four Extreme Lands.
Kunlun Void is not the Earth’s outside world, which is a sphere, but an ancient pattern of heavenly round and earthly square.
The sky is a dome, its height unknown, because when Li Feng and others initially entered through the Kunlun Secret Realm entrance, they actually descended from the sky. As for why no one attempted to leave from the sky, it is said to be due to the existence of celestial barriers.
Ancestor Dragon City resides at the center of heaven and earth, and the four directions, east, west, south, and north, are not infinitely vast. In each direction lies the Four Extreme Lands, which are the ends of this world.
To reach the Four Extreme Lands, one must pass through numerous forbidden and dangerous places, including the territories of the Four Holy Beasts, the ten forbidden areas of the Demon Alliance, and various overlord domains.
These places also serve as the barriers to the Four Extreme Lands.
The forbidden area of the Vermilion Bird in the direct south is known as the Molten Rock Hell, and because of the map passed down in the Sikong family, combined with no interference or ambush from the Ten Demon Hall, Li Feng and his group smoothly bypassed many overlord territories, traversing ten thousand miles of wilderness in just ten days.
"Li Feng."
Sikong Yu rode up to Li Feng, who turned to look as Sikong Yu gazed into the distance where smoke seemed to be rising.
"Do you see over there?"
Sikong Yu asked.
Li Feng nodded: "Columns of smoke are rising in that direction. If I’m not mistaken, we are about to arrive."
Sikong Yu nodded: "Yes, correct. The mountain range ahead is marked as the Half Border Mountain on the map. Passing through this mountain range will lead us to our destination. According to the map, there are five mountain passageways through Half Border Mountain."
"The western passageway can bypass the north side of the Molten Lava Land, leading to the west side, while the two eastern passages lead to the east. These two passages directly lead north of the Molten Lava Land."
"According to our previous plan, if we want to stealthily enter the Qilin Cave, we need to go through the intersection of two overlord territories. Both routes are feasible, yet they have some differences."
"Oh."
Li Feng responded, then shouted to the Personal Guard Camp: "Rest here for a moment."
The group stopped temporarily to rest, and Li Feng dismounted and walked under a tree as Sikong Yu spread out the map.
"I asked in detail about these two routes; according to my family’s description, this is the Life and Death Valley. The entrance is narrow, while it widens further in. The valley stretches about a hundred miles, with the narrowest part spanning several hundred meters, and the widest part being seven to eight miles."
"The entire valley is quite straight, though the end isn’t entirely visible from one glance, it doesn’t have many twists and turns, and the terrain is flat, making it suitable for passage."
Before Sikong Yu finished speaking, Ran Yue, standing beside him, chimed in: "I don’t think this passage is that simple. If it were truly easy to traverse, you wouldn’t be saying so much."
Li Feng also looked at Sikong Yu, waiting for an answer.
Sikong Yu didn’t argue with Ran Yue, just nodded gently: "Yes, although it seems suitable for passage, wide and flat enough to directly reach the Molten Lava Land, it’s called the Life and Death Valley for a reason."
"It’s because this path in the Life and Death Valley is danger-free near us, but past a certain point, it becomes a life-forbidden zone. The latter half of the valley has its walls completely dug through by Fire Ants, with countless ants in existence."
"The name Half Border Mountain is actually related to this Life and Death Valley, as this line marks the boundary between life and death, thus the mountain is also called Half Border Mountain. This half signifies life, crossing this line signifies death."
"According to my family’s account, my Sikong family’s ancestors mostly took this route when heading south because it was wide, and as for the Fire Ants, we could rely on our ancestor’s protective flames to pass through safely. Indeed, it acts as a trial; without sufficient strength, one would be consumed by the ants when swarmed."
"Only if one’s power reaches a certain level, the Fire Ants will be incinerated upon nearing, ensuring a safe passage."
"But that’s past history. Since the catastrophe over two hundred years ago, fewer from the Sikong family can take this route."
Listening to this, Li Feng remained silent, while Ouyang Qiuhai asked: "Let’s drop this route. Although I haven’t seen the massive scale of a Fire Ant swarm, I’ve seen other insect swarms. These insects might be weak individually and easy to kill, but when gathered in masses, it’s daunting."
"With so many of us, few could withstand an attack from tens of millions of ants."
"Isn’t there another path, Sister Yu?"
"The second path is a winding trail, developed later on. Although usable, guiding our hundreds through is risky. There aren’t many ant swarms along this trail, but some will be encountered."
"The crux is that this route’s width barely exceeds a zhang, with the narrowest part just a body’s width, and most of it is a cliff ravine, suited for small squads, and capable of stealthily avoiding Fire Ant disturbance before sneaking into the Molten Rock Hell."
Sikong Yu pointed out the second route’s issues: its treacherous, narrow nature. This path was specifically created by the Sikong family to bypass Life and Death Valley, mainly for the passage of small teams of three to five people.
Li Feng’s group of more than three hundred, once spread out, would stretch one to two miles. Although this path avoids most ant swarms, it doesn’t mean it’s without dangers.
"However, this path still has risks. While lacking ant swarms, other spiritual beasts are present. Moreover, due to its connection with the Molten Lava Land, fierce Wind Gang often ravages the ravine, making it challenging to withstand by those below Golden Core level."
Upon hearing Sikong Yu speak of these two routes, Li Feng realized the trail wasn’t viable. He wouldn’t abandon the Personal Guard Camp, as meeting the Vermilion Bird was an opportunity for him and his subordinates. Otherwise, solely relied on self-cultivation, it would take years for Li Feng’s aides to aid him effectively.
Li Feng had heard of the time when the Sikong family was at its peak, possessing a Vermilion Bird Guard where each member harbored the Vermilion Bird Bloodline, capable of bloodline talent eruptions, once reaching great heights. However, the Vermilion Bird Guard fell in a battle two hundred years ago.
The Sikong family intended to rebuild, but the bloodline itself became a major challenge. Even ensuring the direct lineage awakened was difficult, making it hard to maintain the Sikong family’s current status, let alone reestablish the Vermilion Bird Guard.
Despite the odds, Li Feng wanted to try, as the Vermilion Bird had invited him multiple times to visit. Asking for a small favor should not be too much for the Vermilion Bird.
Losing over a hundred people had pained Li Feng, yet the remaining companions had to accompany him to seize the opportunity.
"Let’s take the main route through Life and Death Valley."
Li Feng quickly weighed the pros and cons before deciding.
"Hey, didn’t you hear what Sister Yu said, about the ant nests in Life and Death Valley, and the countless Fire Ant attacks?"
