Walking inside the fissure in the restriction, dazzling, strange light was everywhere, as though one were immersed within a rainbow.
These rainbows represented danger. Qin Sang followed behind Yunyouzi, dutifully treading along the fissure without daring to make any out-of-line moves.
The fissure was not completely safe.
The dangerous spots were marked on the map, allowing them to prepare countermeasures in advance.
Reaching the exit of the fissure without a hitch, Yunyouzi turned to look back. Qin Sang understood tacitly; he brought out a magic tool, concealed himself motionless in the shadows, and watched Yunyouzi head outside.
There could not be an ambush inside the fissure. Unless someone was confident in a sure kill with a single strike, even a minute leak of spiritual power touching the ancient restriction could trigger a lethal counterattack.
If there were ruffians lying in ambush, it would only be at the exit.
Qin Sang waited in place for a short while. Yunyouzi left and returned, confirming there was no ambush ahead before Qin Sang stepped out of the restriction.
The scenery in the second layer of Wuya Valley was largely similar to the first.
Only, the blood clouds in the sky hung much lower, giving an oppressive feeling. At the edge of vision were many places shining with strange light or diffusing mists and miasmas of various colors.
Those places were clearly perilous at a glance, far denser than in the first layer.
***
On a barren, stony ridge completely formed of stacked white stones, not a single blade of grass or tree grew.
Around it, similar stone ridges were numerous, resembling protruding burial mounds—a scene of utter desolation.
Yunyouzi stood on the stone ridge, his aura somewhat disordered. Yet he did not regulate his breath; instead, he stared intently into the distance with a faint look of worry.
Qin Sang was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, Yunyouzi's eyes lit up.
Far away, a streak of sword light cut through the sky like a shooting star, speeding toward him. In an instant, it landed near the stone ridge, revealing Qin Sang's slightly disheveled figure.
"Brother Qin, how are you? Are you injured?"
Qin Sang landed via sword flight, found his footing, gasped for breath a few times, and shook his head. "Those yin beasts are truly troublesome. Fortunately, Elder drew away most of them."
This was already deep within the interior of Wuya Valley's second layer.
They had advanced according to the map's markings. The first half went smoothly, but later on, the markings became ambiguous, filled with speculative remarks that they had to discern themselves, inevitably running into dangers.
Fortunately, their cultivations were not low and they remained exceedingly vigilant, turning peril into safety every time.
This time was the most perilous: they had inadvertently stumbled into a yin beast nest. Taken off guard, they were scattered by the beasts before they could regroup and had no choice but to agree on a rendezvous point and flee separately.
Once separated, Qin Sang could act with a freer hand. He released the living corpse and the Ten Directions Yanluo Array to slaughter a batch of yin beasts. Seeing that they merely dissipated back into yin qi upon death without leaving anything behind, he lingered no longer and hurried over to regroup.
"It's good that Brother Qin is unhurt."
Yunyouzi nodded, relieved, and glanced around. "This expanse of white-stone wilderness matches my memory. From here, traveling eastward for roughly three hundred li will bring us to the third layer of Wuya Valley—the edge of the inner valley. If those two demon beast packs haven't been disturbed, the path I took before should still be there."
Before setting off, Qin Sang turned his head to look toward the left.
The dark abyss where the flood dragon hid was due north of this wilderness.
Half a day later.
Qin Sang and Yunyouzi appeared before an expanse of towering, precipitous mountains. This mountain range stretched endlessly, majestic peaks rising from the ground to meet the blood clouds.
Across the mountains and between the peaks, layers upon layers of ancient restrictions loomed faintly, leaving not a single gap and making one's scalp tingle.
"Brother Qin, this is the barrier to the third layer of Wuya Valley!"
Yunyouzi pondered for a moment, then leapt toward the front of a valley. After staring intently for a long time, a look of delight surfaced on his face. "Excellent! In several decades, the restriction here hasn't changed at all, nor has it been discovered!"
Qin Sang walked up behind him. Seeing the scene before his eyes, his face could not help but pale slightly, and he gave a dry laugh. "Elder, you're not planning to cross right through here, are you?"
What met his eyes was a valley where 'blood rain' was falling.
This blood rain was not real rain; the raindrops were actually threads of red light, dense and packed throughout the entire valley. Though looking delicate and frail, they gave Qin Sang an extremely dangerous feeling.
These threads of rain were surely manifestations of the ancient restriction, each incomparably sharp, comparable to the sharpest swords.
Qin Sang had no doubt that if he barged into the valley, his physical body would instantly be pierced into a hornet's nest by the blood rain, with no hope of survival—even the seven-colored parasol would not be able to block it.
He had thought Yunyouzi found a flaw in the restriction; could it be he intended to force his way through?
Yunyouzi glanced at Qin Sang and said with a smile, "Brother Qin, don't be deceived by appearances. Though this restriction looks perilous, after enduring the wear of ages, its power has weakened and flaws have emerged, just like the strange light at the edge of the second layer. It's just that this restriction hasn't weakened as drastically, so the flaws can't be seen with the naked eye. Look..."
Saying so, Yunyouzi spread his palm, his spiritual power conjuring a sparrow that chirped and flew toward the valley.
Nearing the edge of the blood rain, the sparrow stopped. After waiting a few breaths, Yunyouzi urged, "Go!"
The sparrow flapped its wings and flew into the blood rain, instantly triggering an anomaly.
Some form of suction seemed to emerge from the sparrow's body, drawing all the surrounding threads of rain toward it. Just as the sparrow was about to be shredded by the blood rain, the threads passed harmlessly through its body, leaving it completely unscathed.
Qin Sang watched in astonishment as the sparrow flew safely through the blood rain all the way into the valley's interior.
The blood rain was like an illusion.
Yunyouzi dispersed his spiritual power, a smile appearing on his face. "The restriction hasn't changed; its pattern remains the same. The flaw doesn't exist constantly; it appears for only a single breath at regular intervals. Brother Qin, stay close behind me. As long as we seize the timing, there's no need to worry."
Seeing Yunyouzi's confidence and having witnessed the sparrow's passage with his own eyes, Qin Sang cast his worries aside. He summoned the ebony sword and stood beside Yunyouzi.
Yunyouzi stared fixedly at the blood rain, unmoving.
Time passed slowly. After a quarter of an hour, Yunyouzi suddenly uttered a low shout: "Here it comes!"
Then, Yunyouzi rose on his flying sword and plunged into the blood rain from the exact spot the sparrow had entered.
Not to be outdone, Qin Sang followed closely behind Yunyouzi.
The instant he entered the blood rain, Qin Sang saw threads of rain intertwining from all directions. His vigilance reached its peak, but he soon discovered that those threads of rain truly possessed no lethality. Sensing nothing amiss on his body, he relaxed and followed Yunyouzi closely.
Yunyouzi moved like lightning along a winding, convoluted path rather than a straight line. It was hard to imagine who possessed the audacity to discover such a route within the lethally dangerous blood rain.
After penetrating who knew how deep into the valley, Yunyouzi suddenly stopped ahead.
Qin Sang's heart stirred, and he lowered his sword light. He discovered that they had already charged out of the blood rain, and a cave appeared before them.
Chapter 377