You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

"Have you forgotten what I do?"

Chen Yang's voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the silent valley.

"I am a righteous god of the underworld, the patrolling commander of the underworld."

These demons, though seemingly physically powerful, are mostly driven by remnants of souls and malevolent spirits corrupted and refined by demonic energy, and are essentially still evil and wicked creatures.

I have my own ways of dealing with them.

As he spoke, he held the procession banner, infusing it with his magical power, and simultaneously chanted an obscure incantation in a low voice. A brilliant black light shone from the banner!

The next moment, countless blurry, distorted phantoms exuding a dense, cold aura surged out of the banner!
They are either hideous or incomplete, emitting chilling howls and cries, which are the various vengeful ghosts and vengeful spirits captured in the procession banners!

As soon as these ghosts appeared, the temperature in the valley seemed to drop several degrees, and even the air became thick and cold.

Liu Piaopiao and Su Meng couldn't help but shiver. Qiu Niu and Xing San also changed their expressions slightly, nervously watching the ghostly figures swirling and flying in the air.

"Chen...Chen Yang, this...this won't happen, will it?"

Qiu Niu asked somewhat haltingly, "What if so many vengeful spirits get out of control and turn against us?"
Holding the procession banner, Chen Yang was like a king who controlled all ghosts. His gaze swept over the fierce ghosts, and an invisible pressure emanated from them. The howls of all the ghosts immediately subsided and they became much more compliant.

"It's alright, they are under the control of the banner and dare not act recklessly."

With another thought, he manipulated the vengeful spirits to scatter, some drifting towards the valley entrance and the surrounding mountain walls, where they hid as a warning.

Many more roamed and hovered within the valley, their dense ghostly aura gradually spreading and enveloping the entire valley in a gloomy and eerie atmosphere.

"I use the malevolent energy of these vengeful ghosts to conceal the masculine vitality and living aura within us."

Demons are sensitive to anger, but easily confuse and ignore ghostly energy, which is also considered yin and evil. Combined with Li Rou's previous actions, this two-pronged approach should be enough to ensure we remain undetected.

Chen Yang explained.

Looking at the ghostly figures and eerie winds around them, the group was still a little uneasy, but seeing that Chen Yang was in complete control and that the ghosts showed no signs of attacking them, they were somewhat relieved.

At least, this appears to be an effective camouflage tactic.

Just then, from a distance outside the valley, a short, shrill scream, belonging to a human, faintly drifted over, followed by the excited roars and tearing sounds of a demon, which were exceptionally clear in the silent night.

"They are the people who escaped..."

Qiuniu stood up, looked in the direction from which the sound came, and his face was grim.

"Monsters are hunting them down."

Chen Yang nodded, his expression unchanged.

"As expected."

The white monster breached the safe zone, and a monster horde surged in. Few people were able to escape, and even fewer were able to escape this far.

They will naturally scatter in pursuit.

"What if... those monsters chase after us and come this way?"

Su Meng asked nervously.

"Don't worry."

Chen Yang reassured him again.

"With my 'Patrolling Ghost Domain' here, even if they pass by, they'll have a very hard time noticing anything unusual. Look—"

He had barely finished speaking when, sure enough, a series of hurried, chaotic footsteps and heavy breathing echoed from the hillside outside the valley entrance, accompanied by several panicked shouts. Several disheveled figures could be vaguely seen frantically running in that direction, and not far behind them, several crimson lights shone in the darkness—clearly the pursuing demons.

The group fled to the vicinity of the valley entrance and seemed to have noticed the hidden entrance as well.

One of them pointed in this direction with delight, seemingly wanting to rush in for refuge.

However, just as they approached the entrance, a cold wind suddenly rose, and several blurry, distorted ghostly figures, exuding intense malice and icy aura, quietly appeared, emitting silent howls and blocking their path.

That eerie and terrifying scene was even more chilling than the monster behind him!

"A ghost...there's a ghost!"

The men were terrified and dared not rush in. Without hesitation, they turned to the side and continued to flee for their lives.

The pursuing demons seemed to hesitate for a moment when they reached the vicinity of the valley entrance. Their scarlet eyes swept over the eerie entrance, and their nostrils twitched. However, apart from the dense, unsettling yin energy, they did not sense the strong vitality of the fresh blood food.

Compared to the previous clear targets, this "ghost town" is obviously much less attractive.

They paused only briefly before growling and continuing to chase the fleeing individuals, soon disappearing into the night.

All of this was clearly seen by Chen Yang and his four companions in the valley.

"They really...they really didn't notice us!"

Su Meng clutched her chest, let out a long sigh of relief, and looked at Chen Yang with a gleam in her beautiful eyes.

Qiuniu was completely convinced and gave a thumbs up.

"Chen Yang, that was a brilliant move!"
"Using ghosts to deceive people, you can even fool monsters!"

Xing San scratched his head sheepishly.

"Now I can rest easy."

Although Liu Piaopiao didn't speak, her gaze towards Chen Yang was filled with trust and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

Chen Yang put away the procession banner and addressed the crowd.

"Now I can rest easy."

However, just to be on the safe side, we'll take turns on duty. I'll be on the first shift; you guys focus on restoring things as quickly as possible.

The proposal was unanimously agreed upon.

After a series of close calls and escapes, everyone was indeed exhausted.

They quickly sat down in the relatively secluded and dry corner designated by Chen Yang, each taking their own pills and circulating their internal energy to regulate their breathing. Qiu Niu, Xing San, and Su Meng soon entered a semi-meditative recovery state, while Liu Piaopiao also closed her eyes to rest.

Chen Yang walked alone to a large rock near the entrance of the valley and sat down. While communicating with the patrol banner with his divine sense to maintain the vigilance of the surrounding evil spirits and the concealment of ghostly energy, he contacted Li Rou again in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Li Rou, how is the refining of that drop of 'soul blood' in the Sumeru Space going?"

This was what Chen Yang cared about most.

This drop of soul blood is related to whether he can truly control that mysterious blessed land, and it is also their biggest trump card and possible escape route.

Li Rou responded quickly, her voice carrying a hint of excitement at the impending completion.

"Master, the refining process is nearing its end. The most core restrictive runes are about to be completely penetrated and disintegrated by my soul power."

If all goes well, by dawn tomorrow at the latest, we should be able to fully control this drop of soul blood, and thus gain initial control over the core hub of that blessed land!

Chen Yang was overjoyed.

"If I can fully refine and control it, will I be able to lead everyone into that blessed land to hide at any time? Or even... like last time when we accidentally went in and came out, could we leave the trial grounds directly from there?"

"That's exactly right!"

Li Rou affirmed.

"Once you refine the soul blood, you will be the nominal master of that blessed land."

While your current cultivation level doesn't allow you to unleash its full power or completely control all areas within, you should be able to grant basic access permissions, as well as allow for spatial teleportation and concealment within a certain range. At that time, you can easily trap your companions inside to temporarily avoid risks.

As for leaving…

Li Rou paused for a moment.

"Based on my analysis and the information remaining in that soul blood, that blessed land does indeed have a relatively stable spatial passage connecting to the outside world. It's very likely the node you accidentally entered and left from last time. After complete refinement, you should be able to leave the trial grounds from there at any time, without being restricted by the three-month period here!" This was undoubtedly fantastic news! It meant they not only had an absolutely safe refuge, but also a way to escape this dangerous place at any time!
"Great!"

Chen Yang rarely showed his emotions.

"In this way, we can attack or defend as needed, greatly increasing our initiative!"

"But Master."

Li Rou reminded her.

"Aren't you still looking for Uncle Li and Jiang He? If you leave before then, they..."

Chen Yang remained silent for a moment, then regained his composure.

"The search for them must continue."

But everything should be done in moderation.

If the situation truly deteriorates to the point where they cannot protect themselves, or if it is confirmed that they have met with misfortune, we cannot waste time here pointlessly.

With this escape route, we can search more calmly without constantly putting ourselves in dire straits.

Of course, I will do my best to find them, within my capabilities and while it is safe to do so.

Li Rou understood Chen Yang's meaning; this was a balancing act between reason and sentiment.

"I see.

"Then I will continue refining with all my might, striving to succeed tomorrow!"

"Good work."

Chen Yang thanked him sincerely, then composed himself and focused his attention back on the vigilance inside and outside the valley.

Time passed slowly in silence, punctuated only by the occasional, sporadic screams from afar. In the latter half of the night, Chen Yang switched shifts with Qiu Niu, and then seized the time to meditate and recover his depleted mana and spirit.

With the warning of the ghostly procession banners and the cover of ghostly energy, no monsters or fugitives approached the valley that night.

As the first rays of sunlight struggled to pierce through the gray clouds that shrouded the trial grounds and fell upon this ravaged land, the people in the valley awoke one after another.

Although the environment was eerie, this was undoubtedly the most restful and safest night they had slept since entering the trial grounds.

"It's dawn...we've really made it safely!"

Su Meng stood up, stretched her stiff body, and looked relieved to have survived the ordeal.

Qiuniu also sighed.

"If it weren't for Chen Yang last night, even if we had escaped, we would probably have ended up like those people outside, chased by monsters with nowhere to go, and eventually dying in some unknown corner."

Xing San nodded vigorously.

"Chen Yang, thank you so much!"

Liu Piaopiao looked at Chen Yang, her eyes filled with even deeper affection, but she remained reserved and didn't say anything more.

Chen Yang waved his hand.

"We're all in the same boat, no need for thanks. Just be safe."

With a thought, he summoned the procession banner back. The vengeful ghosts and spirits scattered throughout the valley returned like weary birds to their nests, turning into wisps of black smoke that entered the banner. The eerie and cold atmosphere in the valley dissipated, and the temperature gradually rose.

"Let's go, let's leave here and see what's going on outside."

As Chen Yang spoke, he took the lead and walked out of the valley.

The group followed closely behind. As they emerged from the valley, the sunlight was somewhat dim, but it did dispel some of the gloom of the night.

However, the scene before them made the group, who had just begun to feel a little relieved, feel heavy-hearted again.

Along the way, traces of battle and... corpses could be seen everywhere.

Some of the corpses were mutilated and gnawed beyond recognition.

Some remained in a state of panicked escape or desperate resistance, their blood already congealed and blackened, staining the land.

A faint smell of blood and burning filled the air.

They hadn't gone far when they came across several relatively "fresh" corpses beside a rocky beach—they were some of the men who had followed the young man surnamed Zhao into the first valley the night before!
Their deaths were extremely gruesome; they were clearly caught up by the monster and torn apart by its frenzied attacks.

"It's that group of people..."

Qiuniu frowned.

"As expected, they didn't escape."

However… it seems a few are missing; their leader, the senior brother, is nowhere to be seen.

Xing San squatted down to examine the marks, then stood up and said.

"Judging from the bloodstains and the direction of the dragging, they must have been caught up shortly after escaping the first valley."

That guy surnamed Zhao... probably sensed something was wrong and ran away first, or used some means to make his men take the fall.

Upon hearing this, Qiuniu spat.

"Pooh!

What a scumbag! He'd betray even his own comrades just to save his own life! He should have been killed last night!

Chen Yang remained calm.

As the saying goes, evil deeds can last for a thousand years.

Such people are often better at preserving their lives than ordinary people, and are also more willing to sacrifice others.

It's understandable that he didn't die here.

However, in this trial ground, his actions will inevitably lead to his isolation and betrayal, and he will face his just deserts sooner or later.

He stopped paying attention to the corpses, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic terrain and the faint outline of the mountains in the distance, and said to Liu Piaopiao.

"Piaopiao, use your compass to determine our exact location and how far we are from the eastern core area we were originally going to."

Upon hearing this, Liu Piaopiao immediately took out the ancient compass from her storage bag and held it flat in her palm.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, muttering incantations as she lightly touched the edge of the compass at several specific points.

The magnetic needle at the center of the compass trembled slightly at first, then stabilized and pointed in one direction. The complex and intricate markings on the compass surface also began to glow with a faint, luminous light that only she could sense.

A moment later, Liu Piaopiao opened her eyes, carefully discerning the information transmitted by the compass, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Brother Chen, last night we were trying to escape from monsters and... certain tails."

As she spoke, she glanced at the corpses of the young man surnamed Zhao's men on the ground.

"The escape route has deviated somewhat from the main direction. We are now located towards the north."

She extended her slender finger and pointed to a rolling hilly area to the northeast.

"We need to turn back in this direction to get back on the 'main road' leading to the core area in the east."

Based on the distance shown on the compass, if all goes smoothly, it will take about half a day to walk there.

Chen Yang nodded, his expression showing no surprise.

"To have escaped alive from last night's chaos is already a stroke of luck. A slight deviation from the route is nothing. Today's primary task isn't rushing to find people, nor is it searching for new immortal traces." (End of Chapter)