Newcomer? Prey!!

Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed. He actually sensed a faint ripple of power from the bead resting amid the white bone ash! Just as he reached out to pick it up, a chill ran down his spine. Without a second thought, he whipped his sword around in a sudden backhand slash! Rumble! A powerful sword intent swept outward in an instant, erupting into a dazzling ribbon of sword light! The wind stirred, yet the thick fog remained unchanged, as though the fluctuations of sword light and primal energy could not disturb it in the slightest. Yet the chill behind him vanished abruptly, followed immediately by a sharp sword intent striking from his flank. Through his mind's eye, Li Guanqi caught a fleeting glimpse of a dark figure leaning backward, hugging the ground to evade the sword light. The figure immediately kicked off the ground, shifting laterally by over a zhang, and sprang up to thrust a sword straight toward Li Guanqi's head! Clang! A sword hum rang out. Li Guanqi leaned sideways to dodge the blade, but his opponent smoothly shifted techniques, slashing horizontally across. Rotating his wrist, Li Guanqi reversed his grip on his sword and blocked horizontally at his side. Clang! The sheer force actually shoved Li Guanqi sideways several zhang. With swift eyes and nimble hands, he raised his hand and swept the white bead into his grasp. He also finally got a clear look at the dark figure's appearance. It was a short, decrepit old man with withered, grizzled hair falling loose around him, his body wrapped only in scraps of tattered cloth. Yet his gaunt frame harbored immensely formidable strength. The blade of the sword in the man's hand even had several large notches, jagged like the teeth of a saw. His sword had long since lost its spiritual nature, retaining nothing more than the bare hardness of the metal. What surprised Li Guanqi the most was that the old man was covered in white patches, as though infected with some dreadful, virulent poison. To Li Guanqi's senses, the old man's cultivation realm was half-step Mahayana Realm. Yet Li Guanqi could barely sense any divine sense or primal energy within his body! From his first appearance until now, everything the old man had displayed was raw physical power and pure swordsmanship technique. The old man's disheveled hair covered most of his face, exposing only a pair of turbid eyes. Those eyes were bloodthirsty and greedy, fixed dead on the white bead in Li Guanqi's hand and the bulky sack strapped to his back. From that pack, he sensed a long-lost, pure spiritual energy. His gaunt frame slowly went taut, cold and clear killing intent brimming in his gaze. Li Guanqi frowned. "Who are you, and why did you attack me?" The old man parted his lips, his thin lips trembling slightly as his throat bobbed. Yet aside from dry coughs and rasps, no voice came from his mouth. Suddenly! The old man's eyes congested with blood, a vicious glint flashing within them as greedy craving utterly crushed his reason. In an instant, the ground beneath his feet shattered. Driven by monstrous physical might, the old man charged at Li Guanqi like a savage beast. He moved so fast that an afterimage lingered where he had stood, only fading moments later. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, and in that very instant, unleashed the momentum of the restrained edge! With a focused gaze, Li Guanqi slashed three times in rapid succession, almost simultaneously! Lightning flared beneath his feet, and his entire body seemed to pass straight through the old man. Blood spurted. Li Guanqi held the old man's severed head in his hand while the headless corpse behind him collapsed limply to the ground. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, spread his fingers, and uttered in a chilling voice, "Blood Art: Soul Searching!" The old man's soul drifted out, restrained within his palm. Moments later, Li Guanqi crushed the soul with a sudden clench, his expression turning terribly grim... In the old man's memories, he had entered God Burial Valley in search of a glimmer of opportunity to break through his bottleneck—and had been here for a full eight hundred years! Over those eight hundred years, he had exhausted every means, yet failed to ever leave God Burial Valley! Li Guanqi looked down at the white bead in his hand and muttered under his breath, "Bone Spirit Bead?" Disgust filled Li Guanqi's brow and eyes. Turning around, he flipped the old man's corpse over. He reached out to touch the white patches on the skin, discovering that those areas already showed signs of ossification. It seemed that although this Bone Spirit Bead contained potent primal energy that cultivators could absorb, it carried severe side effects. Moreover, this Bone Spirit Bead was not a beast core, but rather seemed to be a unique product of God Burial Valley. While scouring the old man's memories, he discovered that there were quite a few cultivators inside God Burial Valley! Just among those the old man knew of, there were dozens, and all of them were trapped here! Even some Mahayana realm cultivators had failed to find a way out. This made Li Guanqi's heart sink. Without sparing another glance at the corpse beside him, he kicked it into the adjacent abyss. There was nothing of value on the old man's person, not even a single spirit stone. For over these centuries, the old man had long since consumed every spirit stone he possessed. In this peril-filled God Burial Valley, having things on hand didn't guarantee you'd live to use them! One could die at any moment. At this thought, he suddenly looked behind him. Carrying such a huge load might be drawing too much attention. Even if his pack didn't let the fluctuations of the spirit stones leak out, these people's strength could not be underestimated. As long as they drew close enough, they would still detect it. And... God Burial Valley was far too eerie. From the old man's memories, Li Guanqi learned some secrets regarding God Burial Valley. Nearly every day, terrifying storms tore through this place; once caught inside, even someone in the Mahayana realm could hardly escape death. Moreover... there were other things inside God Burial Valley. Yet in Li Guanqi's own eyes, a so-called forbidden zone... The most terrifying thing was not God Burial Valley itself, nor the chaotic storms or the bizarre horrors that might appear. It was people. Inside God Burial Valley, humans were the most terrifying of all. Cultivators like this old man, trapped here for hundreds or thousands of years—they were the true terror. With that in mind, Li Guanqi erased all traces of the battle, swiftly adjusted his pack, and turned to vanish into the dense mist. Moments later, several peering presences appeared where the two had clashed. Yet these figures seemed to be on guard against one another, departing after barely a glance. A gaunt middle-aged man, his skin-and-bones cheeks filled with ferocity, stood among them. His cheeks also showed signs of ossification. The man had an extraordinarily long tongue, which he flicked out to lick his lips. With bloodthirsty eyes, he murmured, "Another newcomer has arrived... heheh." "This prey will definitely be mine!!" The others harbored similar thoughts. To them, God Burial Valley was no land of fortunate opportunity, but a cage. Trapped here with no way out, these prisoners could only wait through centuries and millennia, waiting for newcomers to enter. And every newcomer was viewed by them as prey. Keeping low, Li Guanqi sped through the mist. From the old man's memories, he had learned of several well-hidden hiding spots. A crafty hare has three burrows, yet now Li Guanqi was the one to reap the benefit. Li Guanqi headed straight for the old man's most concealed cave. Once inside, he finally let out a breath of relief. It possessed a natural barrier and a concealment formation; unless someone had deliberately tracked him, almost no one could ever discover it. Li Guanqi set down his pack. He was just about to take out spirit stones to cultivate, but on second thought, set the idea aside. Instead, he turned his hand and brought out the Bone Spirit Bead, his eyes flickering as he examined it.