The Valley of Desolation, a valley as desolate as its name suggests.
Its desolation didn’t mean it was empty, but that it was a place few humans ever set foot.
To this day, no one could say just how vast the Valley of Desolation was. No one had ever managed to traverse it, and most couldn’t even enter its depths.
Legend had it that when adventurers first discovered the Valley of Desolation long ago, it was a pristine, untouched land. Its rare, natural treasures were said to be countless. The discoverers spread the news, and it immediately sent countless adventurers into a frenzy, all flocking to the Valley of Desolation to seek their fortunes.
But for every thousand who entered, only a handful ever came out. The rest vanished without a trace. This happened to several expeditions in a row, baffling everyone. No one knew the reason.
Later, a supremely powerful expert entered the valley. He eventually emerged with Severe Injuries and revealed the truth to the public. Only then did everyone understand what was happening.
As it turned out, the Valley of Desolation teemed with Demon Beasts, several times more than any other Demon Beast Land. Furthermore, even in the outer regions, High Level Demon Beasts could appear!
Demon Beast habitats were typically divided into zones by Level; the deeper one ventured, the higher the Level of the Demon Beasts. But the Valley of Desolation was different. Even in an area meant for Level 2 Demon Beasts, one could encounter a Level 5 or even a Level 6 Demon Beast!
Imagine a Martial Artist who only intended to try their luck in the outer perimeter, hoping to kill a few Level 1 or Level 2 Demon Beasts, only to suddenly run into a Level 5 Demon Beast. What would be the outcome?
It was no wonder that most who entered never came out!
Rumors even claimed that Beast Venerable Level Demon Beasts had been sighted within the valley—and more than one. In fact, it was a Beast Venerable that had inflicted the Severe Injuries on that supremely powerful expert!
This news caused an uproar, and the adventurers who had been eager to investigate for themselves were filled with dread, promptly abandoning their plans.
From that point on, fewer and fewer people dared to venture into the Valley of Desolation.
Later, it was said that some who refused to believe the tales organized a large party of incredibly strong Martial Artists to enter, intending to prove to the world that the Valley of Desolation was not as treacherous as the legends claimed. In the end, however, no one ever learned of their results.
Because after that party entered, they were never heard from again. Not a single person emerged, their fates—whether they lived or died—remaining a mystery.
Thus, the Valley of Desolation became known as a land of great peril, and the number of visitors dwindled even further.
Of course, high-level Martial Artists had a better understanding of the valley’s dangers and avoided it like the plague. However, low-level martial artists had only heard the rumors. They knew the Valley of Desolation was dangerous, but they had no real concept of just how dangerous it was, nor anything to compare it to.
Therefore, a low-level martial artist’s understanding was simply that the Valley of Desolation was just as dangerous as any other Demon Beast Land.
But they didn’t know the truth: the Valley of Desolation was ten, even a hundred times more treacherous than any other place!
This was precisely why Tang Haotian had recommended the Valley of Desolation to Tang Yi. After all, he was just a low-level martial artist. He hadn’t reached a level where he could appreciate the true danger. Had he known, he would have never told Tang Yi about the place, not even if his life depended on it, let alone recommend it as a training ground!
Tang Yi arrived at the mouth of a massive gorge. It was said that beyond this entrance lay the Valley of Desolation, a place that held all manner of unseen perils.
Fierce winds howled from the gorge’s entrance, whipping the trees and plants about violently. The gusts were so strong they made it difficult to even walk forward, as if warning all who approached to stay away, to leave at once.
"So this is the Valley of Desolation? Interesting! Tang Yi has arrived!"
Gazing at the steep cliffs of the gorge and feeling the biting gales, Tang Yi felt a surge of excitement.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Tang Yi stepped into the gorge.
After walking through the gorge for five or six minutes, Tang Yi finally emerged onto a vast land that carried a primordial aura. The grass was a vibrant green, the rivers flowed with emerald water, and the air was unbelievably fresh!
Yet, hidden within that fresh air, there seemed to be the scent of danger.
SWOOSH!
The moment Tang Yi set foot on this land, several Black Shadows with sinister, blood-red eyes shot toward him. The menacing figures coordinated their assault, attacking Tang Yi from multiple directions to surround him.
"Heh! Interesting!"
Tang Yi sneered. With a slight turn and a few twists of his body, he dodged all of their attacks. Then, he lifted a hand and tapped lightly in the empty air a few times.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
Following the soft sounds, the charging Black Shadows shrieked as they were sent flying backward, hitting the ground dead.
A closer look at the corpses of the Black Shadows revealed them to be wolves. They resembled Gale Wolves, but their fur was pitch-black, their eye sockets were enormous, and their fangs were longer and sharper.
[Ding! Congratulations to Player Tang Yi for killing a Level 2 Demon Beast, the Black Blood Wolf. You have gained 216 Experience Value and 0 Battle God Value.]
[Ding! Congratulations to Player Tang Yi for killing a Level 2 Demon Beast, the Black Blood Wolf. You have gained 351 Experience Value and 0 Battle God Value.]
[Ding! Congratulations to Player Tang Yi for killing a Level 2 Demon Beast, the Black Blood Wolf. You have gained 267 Experience Value and 0 Battle God Value.]
[Ding! Congratulations to Player Tang Yi for killing a Level 2 Demon Beast, the Black Blood Wolf. You have gained 321 Experience Value and 0 Battle God Value.]
A series of notifications announcing his Experience Value gain echoed in Tang Yi’s mind, and he grew excited.
’This is the feeling. This is what I’ve been wanting!’
’I couldn’t just casually grind monsters and level up back at the West Mansion. It was suffocating. This refreshing feeling of gaining Experience Value... it almost makes me want to moan out loud.’
"Interesting, so very interesting! When I first went to the Wind Moon Forest, I had Gale Wolves to welcome me. Now I come to the Valley of Desolation, and I have you Black Blood Wolves lining up to greet me. I’m truly honored! Ah, hahahahaha!" Tang Yi laughed with wild abandon.
’This feeling of being completely unrestrained—killing when I want to kill, laughing when I want to laugh—is just so satisfying, so liberating.’
’Human society has so many rules, so many constraints. You always have to consider the consequences, to think everything through before you act. But here in this Demon Beast Land, without all those considerations, without those bindings... it’s incredibly freeing. This is true release.’
Unwittingly, Tang Yi’s mental state elevated once more. It was as if he had understood something profound, grasped a new insight.
No longer hesitating, Tang Yi pushed deeper into the Valley of Desolation. For any Demon Beast he encountered along the way, regardless of what it was, he had only one word: "Kill!"
’Today, I’m going to let completely loose!’
In the outer region of the Valley of Desolation, a small team was advancing cautiously. The path they traveled was wide and open, offering an excellent field of view where any danger could be spotted immediately. Even so, the group remained on high alert, warily scanning their surroundings as they proceeded with extreme care.
"Captain, are you sure that... Jiuli Flower can really be found in the Valley of Desolation? We haven’t been tricked, have we?"
A tall, square-faced young man in the group asked worriedly as he advanced, directing his question to a sharp-looking woman with short black hair.

Comments

Loading...