History of Tianhua Valley

Tianhua Valley looked dark, silent, and eerie in the middle of the night. The air there felt colder than anywhere else, as if all the spiritual energy that had once flowed in the place had been taken away by an invisible force. There was no sound from within the valley, even the wind seemed to refuse to touch the cursed land.

Tianhua Valley was no ordinary place. Among cultivators, this place was known as the "Valley of Death," and had long been used as a place to dump corpses—both the corpses of enemies, sect traitors, and victims of inter-sect wars. The mystical atmosphere and the smell of death were so thick, as if every inch of the land held an old curse.

Behind the valley, a dark history was once recorded in blood and fire.

It was said that hundreds of years ago, this area was not a valley. There stood two majestic mountains: Mount Huan and Mount Jiyu, standing majestically on the land of the Luo nation. The two mountains were symbols of harmony and spiritual power in the old world. However, that harmony was shattered when a wandering cultivator appeared, whose strength had reached the 3rd level of Void Ascension—a realm that was capable of shaking the universe and reversing the void.

The cultivator challenged the entire Qinlin Sect, due to an old grudge that had never been resolved. He single-handedly challenged a large sect, and slaughtered the elders, gatekeepers, and even the guards of the sect master's residence without mercy. A great battle broke out on the peaks of two mountains, Mount Huan and Mount Jiyu.

Finally, Luan Jize, the sect master of the Qinlin Sect at that time—a 10th-level Void Ascension expert, the peak realm that was referred to as the transition to the upper realm, personally intervened.

Their battle lasted seven days and seven nights without stopping. The sky darkened, and the earth split open. On the seventh night, Luan Jize summoned an ancient formation known as the Sword God Formation.

Hundreds of heavenly swords descended from the sky like a shower of stars. Among all the swords, a giant main sword—hundreds of meters long—appeared, emitting a light that pierced through the clouds. It then split the two mountains, reducing them to dirt and rubble.

The ruins of the two mountains formed two small hills, and in the middle of them was a giant valley that was extremely deep, dark, and silent. That is what is now called Tianhua Valley, taken from the name of that great event as a symbol of tragedy and destruction. In addition to the name of the valley, Tianhua is also the name of the sect that stands above the Tianhua Valley.

Without saying a word, Lu Xian dragged Li Yuanmo's body to the edge of the steep cliff that directly faced the bottom of the valley. With one calm but firm movement, he threw the cold body down. The sound of the body hitting the rocks faintly sounded in the distance, then silence returned to envelop it.

However, behind the shadows of the night and the thick fog, a pair of eyes lurked. One of the members of the Tianhua Sect—a sect headquartered on the other side of the valley and a sworn enemy of the Qinlin Sect—accidentally saw the incident. The figure was shocked for a moment, then immediately darted back to his headquarters. No one knew that the body that Lu Xian had just thrown away was one of them, a member of the Tianhua Sect.

Meanwhile, Lu Xian and Qin Chang'er had left the valley and continued their journey through the night forest that looked different from usual. There were no sounds of nocturnal animals. There were no fireflies or the usual natural Qi vibrations from wild beasts. The forest felt… dead.

"Strange… This forest is usually filled with the energy of spiritual beasts. But now… there's not a single spiritual beast in sight." Qin Chang'er murmured as she surveyed her surroundings.

Lu Xian also felt the strangeness, and before he could say anything, a heavy thud from the ground made their bodies tremble. The ground around them began to shake slightly, accompanied by a long, rough rubbing sound—as if something very large was crawling closer.

From behind the trees, a giant snake with pitch-black scales and glowing red eyes emerged. Its body length was immeasurable, and its breath smelled of blood.

"A snake this big… can't be an ordinary creature. This must be a high-level spiritual beast!" Lu Xian exclaimed.

"No… This isn't a spiritual beast. This is a demonic beast!" Qin Chang'er confirmed as she retreated.

The giant snake immediately charged. The two of them jumped in opposite directions, almost becoming food. Lu Xian immediately launched his sword at the snake's back.

But… CLANG!—his sword only left a small spark. The snake's skin was too hard, as if protected by a protective formation.

"Its skin is as hard as black iron!" Lu Xian shouted.

"We won't win with this kind of strength. We have to run away!" Qin Chang'er replied.

Quickly, they ran through the forest. Behind them, the giant snake continued to slither, crushing tall trees in one coil of its body. Its breath exhaled a demonic aura, making the surrounding air hot and suffocating.

In the middle of the escape, Qin Chang'er saw something—a large tree that had fallen and created a cavity beneath it.

"Over there, Lu Xian! We hide under that tree trunk!" she said quickly.

They immediately slid down the trunk of the large tree and hid silently, holding their breath. The giant snake arrived and stopped in front of the fallen tree. However, it only stayed still, hissed, and then slowly moved away. Time passed. Five… ten… thirty minutes. Only after more than an hour did they confirm that the monster had left.

As Lu Xian tried to peek, suddenly a hand patted his shoulder.

"Wow! What?!" he exclaimed in surprise as he immediately turned his head.

Qin Chang'er was shocked. Behind them stood a young woman dressed like an adventurer, her long hair tied to the side, with a gentle smile and a serene gaze.

"Don't worry. I'm not evil. I just happened to see you guys." The woman said calmly.

"Who are you?" Lu Xian asked.

"I'm just an adventurer exploring the forest. My name is Yin Maoyu." She replied.

"My name is Lu Xian. And this is my senior, Qin Chang'er." Lu Xian replied politely.

"Oh… what are you guys doing in this scary forest?" Yin Maoyu asked casually.

"We're looking for ingredients to make a tier 6 pill." Lu Xian replied without any suspicion.

Yin Maoyu seemed to think for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Oh… I see. Then you guys are very lucky to have met me. I know a place where you can find rare ingredients for a tier 6 pill."

"Really?!" Lu Xian and Qin Chang'er's eyes lit up.

"Yes. Come with me."

Without hesitation, the two of them followed the woman, not knowing that Yin Maoyu was the incarnation of the giant snake that had chased them earlier. Her demonic aura was neatly hidden behind her graceful human face.

In her heart, Yin Maoyu grinned softly.

"A Qi Creation kid and a Soul Refinement woman… Hmph. You will be my dessert tonight."