Chapter 386 - 373: Skeleton Valley 2

Chapter 386: Chapter 373: Skeleton Valley 2

Skeleton Valley.

A hidden valley, enclosed by stone cliffs on three sides, opened to the northwest in an irregular dustpan shape. The cliffs, roughly fifty zhang high, were riddled with weathered cracks and overgrown with weeds and vines. From the outside, it was indistinguishable from any ordinary valley.

Dark Evil Insight’s perception pierced the air at the valley’s entrance.

A Magic Shielding Array. A Shield Array had been deployed just inside the valley’s mouth, covering the entire basin and completely sealing any fluctuations of Demonic Qi within its perimeter. From outside, ordinary detection methods would sense nothing.

But Dark Evil Insight was no ordinary detection method.

The blue permanent trait’s ultra-high sensitivity to Demonic Qi fluctuations greatly diminished the Shield Array’s concealing effect. The Shield Array could block the outward spread of Demonic Qi, but it couldn’t completely erase the fact that Demonic Qi was present. What Dark Evil Insight detected wasn’t leaking Demonic Qi, but the faint harmonic waves of Demonic Qi generated by the Shield Array’s own operation.

By analyzing the intensity distribution and spatial positioning of these harmonics, Li Yuan pieced together a rough picture of the situation inside the valley in his mind.

Five clouds of Demonic Qi.

Not the three to four individuals mentioned in the intelligence, but five.

The concentration and density of one cloud of Demonic Qi were clearly higher than the other four. It was located deep within the valley, near a stone house, and was at the level of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. The other four clouds were scattered throughout the valley, their strengths ranging from the Early-stage to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

’One more person than expected.’

Li Yuan lay prone on a high slope to the east of the valley, comparing the results of his perception against the intelligence provided by Chen Yi.

The outpost’s layout as detailed in the intelligence was a near-perfect match with reality—the stone house’s location, the patrol routes, and the Shield Array’s coverage all checked out. The only discrepancy was the number of people.

’The extra person doesn’t change the overall situation. Five Foundation Establishment cultivators: one Late-stage, and four from Early- to Mid-stage. With my current combat power, I could take them all down in a short time, even in a direct assault.’

After entering the valley, Li Yuan took out the mask itself and placed it on his face.

The moment the mask settled onto his face, a gentle stream of Spiritual Power seeped out from within, spreading across his skin and throughout his entire body. His bones didn’t change, but the contours of his muscles, the color of his skin, and even his height and build were all adjusted within a few short breaths.

All the features of the gaunt face from the beast-skin scroll were precisely replicated on him.

The mask’s inherent disguise ability was convincing enough on its own. More importantly, the disparity in Divine Soul strength provided an additional boost. Li Yuan’s Divine Soul was far stronger than that of his peers at the Foundation Establishment Stage, allowing him to push the mask’s camouflage to the very limits of the Magical Artifact.

Furthermore, his Demon Essence Skill had reached Great Perfection, so his body already contained authentic Demonic Qi. This Demonic Qi wasn’t faked by the mask but was cultivated through genuine practice, meaning any detection method would only sense the aura characteristic of a true Demon Cultivator.

Li Yuan deactivated his triple concealment and strode toward the main path at the valley’s entrance.

He wasn’t sneaking; he was walking in openly.

At the valley’s entrance, an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator was leaning against a cliff wall, dozing off. He snapped his eyes open at the sound of footsteps, half-raising the Magical Artifact in his hand, then lowered it after seeing who was approaching.

"Zhou Tong?"

Li Yuan said nothing, merely giving a slight nod as he walked past without breaking stride.

’The beast-skin scroll had made it very clear: Zhou Tong was a man of few words, with a gloomy personality and a mediocre relationship with the others at the outpost. Acting aloof is, in fact, the most natural behavior for him.’

As expected, the Demon Cultivator didn’t ask any more questions and leaned back against the cliff wall.

Deeper in the valley, he passed two Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators who were organizing materials in an open area. The two looked up at him, and one of them grinned, which counted as a greeting.

Li Yuan didn’t slow his pace in the slightest, his expression silent as he walked straight toward the depths of the valley.

No one grew suspicious.

’The entire infiltration process has gone more smoothly than expected. Not a single one of the five Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators has seen through my disguise.’

In front of the stone house in the valley’s depths, three Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators were gathered around a tall, middle-aged man, talking.

The middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a large, green stone at the entrance of the house. He had a square face and his eyes were half-closed, his Demonic Qi restrained. He was at the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment.

As Li Yuan drew closer, the fawning voices of the three Demon Cultivators reached his ears clearly.

"Senior Brother Qian, after your seclusion this time, your aura feels even deeper than before. It looks like a breakthrough isn’t far off."

"Reaching Great Perfection should just be a matter of a year or two, right?"

The middle-aged man shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

"I’m still far from it. Alright, get back to your duties. Don’t forget to rotate the eastern patrol shift."

The three dispersed.

The middle-aged man glanced at Li Yuan and gave a slight nod, then contacted him using a secret voice transmission.

"You’ve come at a good time. They’ve been pressing us lately, and there are some things I can’t discuss with the others."

It was a secret voice transmission that only Li Yuan could hear.

Li Yuan sat down on a rock near the stone house, his expression unchanged, and replied with a single word via voice transmission.

"Speak."

’This was Zhou Tong’s style: concise and to the point, never wasting words.’

The Demon Cultivator surnamed Qian seemed used to it and paid it no mind, continuing on his own.

"We people from the White Nether Sect are basically all used up. We’re always the ones charging at the front, scouting the path, and probing the Primordial Yang Sect’s patrol lines. They wouldn’t feel a thing if we died."

The Qian-surnamed Demon Cultivator’s tone was laced with impatience.

"Think of all the intelligence we’ve handed over to the Evil Slaying Sect! The Sect deployments in Liangzhou, the distribution of mining areas, personnel movements in the markets—have we ever fallen short? And what’s the result? The rewards are pitiful. A few Mid-grade Spirit Stones, as if they’re tossing scraps to a beggar."

Li Yuan didn’t respond, remaining silent.

The Demon Cultivator surnamed Qian didn’t seem to care about his lack of response and continued speaking.

"And now there’s something else. The higher-ups want us to gather Core Formation materials for someone. Not one of our own, but someone from the Evil Slaying Sect. They say he’s about to undergo Core Formation and we’re supposed to scavenge for the things he’s missing."

’Core Formation.’

Li Yuan replied via voice transmission, "Where?"

"I don’t know the specific location; I’m not high enough level to have access to that information," the Qian-surnamed Demon Cultivator said, shaking his head. "But from what I’ve heard, it’s in the Ghost Mist Forest."

"Why choose the Ghost Mist Forest?"

The Qian-surnamed Demon Cultivator fell silent for a breath, then lowered the intensity of his voice transmission.

"It’s supposedly related to the Profound Nether Sect. Rumor has it they might have hidden something deep in the Ghost Mist Forest back in the day, something that aids in Core Formation. As for what it is, my clearance isn’t high enough to find out."

He took a jade slip from his sleeve and said via voice transmission, "These are the coordinates for a few suspicious locations I was able to get my hands on. They’re all deep within the Ghost Mist Forest. Someone once sensed abnormal Spiritual Power fluctuations near these spots, but no one dared to venture deeper."

He handed over the jade slip.

Li Yuan took it and quickly swept it with his Divine Sense. There were three coordinates, distributed across the northern part of the Ghost Mist Forest’s heartland, each twenty to forty li apart from the others.

He put the jade slip into his storage pouch.

The Qian-surnamed Demon Cultivator stood up and stretched his shoulders.

"Alright, that’s all I have to say. You should head back and report. This place hasn’t been peaceful lately; the Primordial Yang Sect’s exploration teams have already gone deep into the forest."

Li Yuan nodded, got up, and started walking toward the valley entrance.

After taking seven or eight steps, he stopped.

Through Dark Evil Insight, the positions of the five Demon Cultivators in the valley were clearly laid out to him. The one dozing at the entrance was still in the same spot, the two organizing materials had already headed for the eastern patrol route, and the Qian-surnamed Demon Cultivator had sat back down on the green stone.

The fifth Demon Cultivator was in a small shed in the northwest corner of the valley, looking through something.

’I’ve gathered enough intelligence.’