Into the Evernight Valley

The silence was suffocating.

Jiang Chen stepped forward, his boots crunching softly against the damp, moss-covered earth. The air here was thick, heavy, as though something unseen pressed down upon everything within the valley.

The deeper he walked, the more the light faded.

At first, the towering trees above had merely blocked the sun. Now, it was as if the very concept of light was being swallowed whole.

Jiang Chen stopped, tilting his head slightly.

The forest behind him was still visible—bathed in the eerie glow of spirit plants and faint golden fireflies. But ahead?

A wall of pure black stretched before him. Not darkness like the night sky, or the shadows of a cave—this was something different.

A void.

A place where the sun's authority did not reach.

Jiang Chen smirked. "This must be it."

He stepped forward, passing the threshold into Evernight Valley.

Immediately, the shift was undeniable.

The air turned cold, the temperature dropping as though he had crossed into another world. Even his breath came out in faint mist despite it being nowhere near winter.

The silence wasn't natural. It wasn't the quiet of an empty space—it was forced, as if something in the valley suppressed sound itself.

Jiang Chen's golden-amber eyes flickered as he activated his heightened senses. Nothing.

No insects. No birds. No rustling of the wind.

Only his own heartbeat, steady but alert.

He reached down and grabbed a small rock, rolling it between his fingers before flicking it forward.

Pfft.

The stone disappeared into the darkness, swallowed without a single sound.

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes. So, that's how it is.

This place wasn't just dangerous because of the beasts within—it was an entity of its own, a domain governed by unknown rules.

If he had charged in recklessly, he might not have even realized what was happening before it was too late.

Good thing I don't do reckless.

Jiang Chen took careful steps forward, letting his body adjust to the change in atmosphere.

The ground beneath him felt uneven, no longer covered in moss or roots, but cold and rigid, like old stone.

Then, he saw them.

Scattered throughout the valley floor were fragments of weapons—broken swords, shattered spears, rusted daggers. Some were barely visible beneath layers of dust and decay, while others lay out in the open, eerily preserved.

He knelt, brushing his fingers against a snapped blade. The metal had been corroded, not by time, but by something else.

Not rust. Something… ate away at it.

Further ahead, the outline of something larger caught his eye. As he moved closer, his breath slowed.

A skeleton.

Its bones were warped, cracked from the inside as if something had burst from within. Its armor, once likely belonging to a cultivator, was shattered beyond recognition.

Jiang Chen's eyes darkened. This person hadn't died in battle.

They had been consumed.

Standing upright, Jiang Chen tapped a finger against his temple.

This valley suppresses sound.

It swallows light.

And it corrodes metal.

He frowned.

The creatures that lived here were obviously adapted to these conditions. That meant he was at a disadvantage.

Fighting in pitch-black silence was already risky, but if his weapons were at risk of corroding, that meant direct combat might be a liability.

Then again…

Jiang Chen smirked.

Who said he needed to fight fair?

Instead of pushing deeper, he took a seat on a jagged stone outcrop. His fingers curled around the Demonic Beast & Territory Guide, flipping back to the section on Evernight Valley.

The pages were filled with warning after warning, each entry more ominous than the last.

"Evernight Valley is a cursed land, where even the strongest Foundation Establishment cultivators vanish without a trace. The beasts here are unnatural, having evolved under complete darkness and silence. Many do not rely on sound or sight to hunt. Avoid at all costs."

Jiang Chen's lips curled. Not very helpful.

He continued reading.

"Known Entities:

Nightshade Specters – Phantom-like creatures that exist between reality and illusion. Impervious to physical attacks, they hunt by sensing the vitality of living beings. (Danger Level: Late Foundation Establishment)"

Umbral Striders – Four-legged spirit beasts with elongated limbs. Completely silent hunters that paralyze prey before dragging them into the abyss. (Danger Level: Mid Foundation Establishment)"

Veilborn Sentinels – Thought to be remnants of ancient guardians, they wander the valley, attacking anything with Qi. However, they do not seem to leave their designated patrol zones. (Danger Level: Unclear)"

Jiang Chen's smirk faded.

No wonder this place is ranked as Foundation Establishment level.

None of these creatures relied on traditional means of combat. They ignored normal attacks, suppressed Qi, or hunted through senses he hadn't encountered before.

And worst of all?

No known survivors had ever recorded direct encounters with the strongest beings within the valley.

That meant there were things in here far beyond Foundation Establishment.

Jiang Chen closed the book and exhaled.

Fear? No.

Excitement? Maybe.

But more than anything, this was an opportunity.

He hadn't come to the Beastborne Forest just to avoid the Crimson Blade Sect. He had come here to temper himself.

This valley? It was a forging ground.

His mind sharpened as he reviewed his options.

If the creatures here hunted by sensing vitality, then he needed to suppress his presence.If his weapons were at risk of corrosion, then he needed to rely more on Qi techniques.If he couldn't rely on sound to track enemies, then he needed to heighten his awareness in other ways.

A slow grin spread across his face.

He stood up, stretching his arms before taking another step forward.

The moment he moved deeper into the valley, the shadows thickened.

Jiang Chen felt a subtle tug on his consciousness, like an unseen force was pressing against his mind. His breathing slowed as his senses sharpened.

Something was different now.

The valley had acknowledged him.

The silence became heavier.

The darkness felt thicker.

And deep in the distance—somewhere unseen, something shifted.

Jiang Chen's golden-amber eyes gleamed in the abyss.

The hunt had begun.

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