Chapter Nineteen: Advancing into the Valley of Heavenly Evil

Once inside the Hanlin Academy, Lei Dong and Feng Shang found temporary safety. At that moment, Lei Dong asked, "Brother Feng Shang, where is my wife's body?"

Stunned by the question, Feng Shang suddenly realized the oversight and cried out, "Oh no! I left your wife's body in the Purple Bamboo Forest!"

Upon hearing this, Lei Dong’s expression changed drastically.

Teacher Xia Zhi stepped in to defend Feng Shang, saying, "The situation was too chaotic just now; we cannot blame Brother Feng Shang for this."

Lei Dong had no intention of blaming him. "I must go back and find my wife's body," he insisted.

"But if we go back now, what if we run into the 'Evil Stars' and their group?" Feng Shang asked, shivering at the thought.

Lei Dong replied, "I cannot worry about that now. We will deal with it when the time comes. Thank you both for your help along the way, but I must leave."

Seeing that her attempts to dissuade him were futile, Teacher Xia Zhi bade him farewell. "If that is the case, I will not hold you back. If you encounter any danger, you may come to the Hanlin Academy to find me."

Lei Dong took his leave of Teacher Xia Zhi and headed toward the Purple Bamboo Forest alone.

Watching Lei Dong depart, Feng Shang felt a pang of worry. "This whole matter started because of me. Forget it, I should go too. Perhaps I can be of some help!" With this thought, Feng Shang also bid farewell to Teacher Xia Zhi and followed in Lei Dong’s footsteps.

Meanwhile, as Feng Shang and Lei Dong made their way to the Purple Bamboo Forest, Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, and Fang Zhe had prepared for battle after hearing the roar of the Soul-Devouring Beast. At that very moment, a colossal monster appeared before them. Han Tianyue was the first to react, his heart jolting with shock as he looked at the beast. "Isn't that a Soul-Eater?"

However, upon closer inspection, he realized it was not a Soul-Eater after all.

"Burning Fire Palm!" Mao Xuanzi struck with lightning speed, launching a fiery palm toward the beast.

As the flames made contact with the beast's skin, they vanished instantly, absorbed into its body. Having consumed the power of the attack, the Soul-Devouring Beast grew agitated.

Seeing this, Fang Zhe immediately plucked his strings. "Chord of Resonance!" A wave of sound rippled outward, only to be quickly swallowed by the beast as well.

Having absorbed both Mao Xuanzi’s Burning Fire Palm and Fang Zhe’s resonance, the Soul-Devouring Beast let out a furious roar and lunged with its massive front claws. Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, and Fang Zhe had no choice but to leap aside to evade the strike.

"This monster is bizarre! Not only are our attacks ineffective, but it also absorbs our strength to increase its own combat power!" Fang Zhe shouted.

"Then let us cease our attacks for now and observe it closely to find its weakness. Once we find the key, we will certainly be able to defeat it in one strike!" Han Tianyue replied.

"Agreed!"

Whenever the beast attacked, the three retreated. As the beast pressed the assault, they continued to fall back. Once they had retreated twenty miles away, the beast simply stood in its place, roaring, with no intention of pursuing them further.

"It seems this creature cannot leave a twenty-mile radius," Han Tianyue concluded. Having realized this, they circled around the perimeter. The road remained shrouded in thick mist, but they encountered no further danger.

Because the two seals had several flaws, the trio—having walked for so long—began to sense a convergence of warm air currents with every step they took. In the center of these converging currents lay a bottleneck. By following this chain of bottlenecks, they quickly navigated their way out of the Illusion Array.

"Look!" Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, and Fang Zhe stood at the exit of the Illusion Array and gazed toward the valley. The valley lay in a place that never saw sunlight, and plumes of black smoke drifted out from within.

"This must be the Valley of Heavenly Evil." It truly lived up to its name; only the wicked would inhabit such a place.

Despite the terrifying scene before them, Fang Zhe said, "Let us go."

Han Tianyue and Mao Xuanzi exchanged a glance; they knew that Fang Zhe’s heart had already entered the valley. "Bai Yi and Grandmother Nine... they must have already entered the Valley of Heavenly Evil."

Just as Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, and Fang Zhe headed toward the valley, a sound of battle erupted from within the Illusion Array. "Big Sisters of the Four Guardians, go quickly! Let us stay behind to hold this beast!"

As the voices fell, the Four Guardians rushed out of the Illusion Array and arrived at the spot where the trio had stood moments before. They looked back at the array once, then turned toward the Valley of Heavenly Evil. "Seven Sisters of the Shaking Sky Flower, take care of yourselves!"

With those words, the Four Guardians flew off in the direction of the valley.