Chapter Forty-Nine: Entering the Fallen God Valley

Before Su Xueer left, Yu Shi selected a powerful guardian from the Ling Master Pavilion to ensure her safe arrival at the Fallen God Valley. This chosen protector was Ye Yu, known as the Overlord Spear, whose strength ranked in the top ten on the entire continent.

Su Xueer traveled swiftly towards the Fallen God Valley, puzzled by the absence of any attempts on her life. Unbeknownst to her, anyone who tried to kill her, from Ling King realm to Ling Saint realm, had been slain by Ye Yu. Clad in a black robe, he was like a god of death, and even Ling Saint experts couldn't last more than three moves against him.

Upon reaching the Fallen God Valley, Su Xueer saw that its entrance resembled the gates of hell—black and devoid of vegetation, surrounded by a bleak, dark landscape. As she dismounted and walked closer, she noticed numerous tents and patrolling Ling Masters near the valley entrance. Many forces had gathered, clearly waiting for someone. From the orderly arrangement of the tents, it was evident they were all waiting for the same person.

Most of the Ling Masters stationed there were at least of the Ling Emperor realm, with many in the Ling Saint realm. This presented a problem for Su Xueer.

"So many people, how can I get in?" she wondered aloud.

A familiar voice echoed in her mind, "Charge straight in."

"Who are you? Why have you brought me here?" she demanded, but there was no response. Staring ahead, she thought, "I can use the Blood Fury Attack to temporarily boost my strength. Given my current cultivation, I can only reach the peak of the Ling Emperor realm, which is no match for a Ling Saint. What should I do?"

As Su Xueer struggled with her thoughts, a deep, strong voice spoke from behind her, "Madam, just walk straight in. Leave the rest to me."

Su Xueer immediately turned around, brandishing her Qingyue Heaven-breaking Halberd, pointing it at the black-robed figure. "Who are you? Why are you helping me?"

"You don't need to know that. Just know that as long as I'm here, no one will harm you." The black-robed man disdainfully eyed the patrolling Ling Masters, considering them beneath him.

"Alright," she agreed.

Su Xueer walked forward boldly, though fear still lingered. What if the black-robed man betrayed her?

As she approached within a hundred meters of the patrolling Ling Masters, they noticed her.

"Who goes there? No one is allowed to pass here. Please turn back," one of them called out.

Su Xueer didn't stop. The guards shouted again, "If you insist on forcing your way through, don't blame us for being rude."

The Ling Masters from various factions prepared for battle.

"What's all the noise? Can't you see we're drinking?" Several leaders emerged from their tents, showing no regard for Su Xueer. They were elders from various factions, disgruntled by being in such a desolate place instead of enjoying city life.

After the situation was explained, an elder from the Dream Drunken Pavilion could no longer contain his anger. "Such audacity! Today, I will cut you down."

He swung his sword at Su Xueer, but a black spear blocked his path.

"Who dares defy the Dream Drunken Pavilion? Do you not know the consequences?" the elder roared. As he spoke, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. In an instant, the black-robed man was behind him.

The elder turned, his eyes filled with terror, his limbs trembling.

The black-robed man retracted his spear, stabbing it into the ground beside the elder. "Do you recognize this spear?" he asked, his voice cold and murderous.

The elder looked closer and stammered, "The Over... Overlord Spear, Ye Yu."

The crowd erupted in whispers. None of them were willing to face Ye Yu, whose reputation and power were formidable.

One person mustered the courage to speak to Ye Yu, "Senior, we are merely following orders to stop a person. Please, do not interfere."

"Are you threatening me? Even your sect leader is a useless coward. Where do you find the gall?" Ye Yu's words left the crowd trembling. With a casual wave, he sent the speaker flying several meters, spitting blood.

"Go ahead, no one will dare stop you," Ye Yu said to Su Xueer.

Su Xueer bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Senior." With that, she swiftly entered the Fallen God Valley.

The remaining Ling Masters, intimidated by Ye Yu, could only watch as Su Xueer disappeared into the valley.

After Su Xueer entered, Ye Yu disappeared, but he didn't leave. Instead, he remained hidden, keeping watch over her. As Su Xueer ventured deeper into the valley, she sensed a unique force around her that seemed to have a suppressing effect.

"It appears this is the power that restricts realms," she thought. "I heard there was no such prohibition in the past, but why..."

Suddenly, she felt a chill on her back and quickly dodged a spear thrust.

"Oh, missed. Which faction are you from? I don't recall seeing you before," a voice taunted.

Su Xueer glanced contemptuously at the attacker. "Do you think someone like you is worthy?"

The man sneered, "A girl, huh? I don't want to fight you. You must be aware that the Fallen God Valley now has a restriction. We probably both want to kill the same person. How about an alliance?"

This person was clever, lowering his head first to probe Su Xueer's background before making a move.

"Who exactly are you trying to kill? Is it the same person I'm after?" Su Xueer asked in return.

"Yun Chuxue, though she now goes by Su Xueer," he replied, unafraid to reveal his target. He had several powerful companions, though their realms were suppressed. Nevertheless, they were at least peak Ling Emperor experts. Moreover, his backing was formidable, so he feared no one.

"Indeed, our targets align," Su Xueer pretended to understand.

"Very well, I am Jiang Yu. May I know your name?"

"Ning Xue," Su Xueer responded without hesitation to avoid any slip-ups. Her primary goal was to restore her memory, and she needed to find the array to do so. Until then, her true identity had to remain hidden.

"Follow me, Miss Ning," Jiang Yu said.

Su Xueer followed him, traveling for a day and a night until they arrived at a huge, dark gate. Surrounding the gate were several tents. Jiang Yu led Su Xueer into one of the larger, well-lit tents.

"Come in, Miss Ning."

Su Xueer surveyed the surroundings, noticing the pervasive darkness.

"I noticed you were looking around. Did you find anything?" Jiang Yu asked.

"Nothing, just darkness," she replied.

Jiang Yu smiled faintly. "Miss Ning, you may not know, but this is actually a secret realm. It used to be the habitat of a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast. Due to the restriction, it was hunted down, but the treasure it guarded was never found."

"Your sect hunted it, I suppose," Su Xueer remarked.

"Hehe, yes, our senior brother did."

As Su Xueer was about to sip her tea, a person entered the tent.

"Senior Brother, just now..." The newcomer paused upon seeing Su Xueer.

"No matter, Miss Ning is one of us."

"Yes, Senior Brother. Just now, Ling Xiao Xuan's forces claimed they had set a trap for Su Xueer and wanted me to inform you to prepare."

"Understood, you may go."

"Yes."

Su Xueer noticed Jiang Yu's serious expression. It seemed the situation with Ling Xiao Xuan was quite troublesome and perhaps hid deeper secrets.

Jiang Yu sighed. "If it weren't for pressing matters, I'd want to see if Ling Xiao Xuan had indeed captured Su Xueer."

"You mentioned this secret realm?"

"Yes."

Su Xueer pondered. There must be something valuable hidden in this realm. Otherwise, why would a faction prioritize exploring it over revenge?

Jiang Yu suddenly had an idea. "Miss Ning, how about this: you help me explore this secret realm, and I'll help you kill Su Xueer. What do you think?"

"Why? I can handle her alone."

"Su Xueer is the champion of the Continental Tournament. Your realm isn't enough to deal with her. Only with our help can you successfully kill her."

Su Xueer pretended to consider. "How do you want me to help?"

Seeing her agreement, Jiang Yu explained, "Among the people I brought, we need two guardians to prevent interference while we activate the restriction to open the secret realm."

"Two guardians?"

"Originally, there was one person with me, but he was killed by a spirit beast. So, I urgently need someone to guard while we open the realm."