In a high-level martial arts game, a wife is given to you at the start.

The wind on the wasteland carried the stench of blood, rustling the scattered fragments of bone armor.

Lin Qiye walked at the head of the group, his steps unwavering, as if the massacre had never happened. His gaze calmly swept into the distance, where the edge of the wasteland stretched out the outline of a range of undulating mountains, gleaming with a bluish-gray luster in the afternoon sun.

The soft footsteps and the occasional cries of a baby came from behind, scattered by the wind across the open field. Luo Sheng carried Lin Xi in the middle of the group, head down, her steps steady. Shuang'er and Qingyin followed closely behind, while Man Ji brought up the rear, carrying her short-handled battle axe, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Neither of them spoke.

It's not that I don't want to talk, but that I don't know what to say.

They had just witnessed what happened—hundreds of armored giant lizards were slaughtered by Lin Qiye alone in ten breaths, leaving not even ashes behind. That kind of power was beyond their comprehension, beyond the limits of what they considered a "strong" being.

It's like a mortal witnessing a god descend to earth; the shock is beyond words.

The group marched in silence for over an hour. The vegetation on the wasteland gradually thinned, and the ground beneath their feet transitioned from grayish-yellow sand to hard, bluish-gray rock. Ahead, a narrow valley appeared, flanked by towering cliffs covered in dark green vines. The valley entrance was so narrow that only three or four people could pass side by side.

Lin Qiye stopped at the valley entrance and looked back at the group behind him.

Luo Sheng held Lin Xi in her arms, a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead, but her breathing remained steady. Shuang'er and Qingyin were also a little pale, but neither had fallen behind. Man Ji brought up the rear, carrying her battle axe; although her breathing was somewhat labored, her spirits were still good. The nine maids, though ordinary people, had not collapsed after experiencing the terrifying massacre, though their faces were pale and their steps were unsteady.

"Find a place to rest after entering the valley." Lin Qiye's voice wasn't loud, but it could be clearly heard in the open wilderness. "We'll spend the night in the valley tonight."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. The Barbarian Princess plopped down on a rock at the valley entrance, leaning her battle axe on the ground, panting heavily: "Finally, I can rest... My old bones are about to fall apart."

Qingyin walked to her side, poured a bowl of water from the leather pouch at her waist, and handed it to her: "Drink some water, don't get dehydrated."

"Thanks." Barbarian Princess took the bowl of water, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. Then she wiped her mouth, her gaze falling on Lin Qiye's retreating figure. She lowered her voice and asked Qingyin, "Tell me... just how strong is he?"

Qingyin followed her gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then gently shook her head: "I don't know. But I think even he himself might not know."

Barbarian Princess paused for a moment, then grinned: "That's true."

Lin Qiye did not participate in setting up camp. He walked alone to a large rock upstream of the stream, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

With his eyes closed, his senses spread like mercury, traversing valleys, cliffs, and extending into the distant wasteland. His senses detected the lingering aura of strange beasts on the wasteland—although he had slaughtered all the giant lizards, their fluorescent blue, polluted aura still permeated the air, like some kind of invisible toxin, slowly seeping into the land.

His brow furrowed slightly.

There were more strange beasts than he had expected. Moreover, their auras were far more violent and frenzied than any of the beasts he had encountered in the Canggu Mountains, as if their minds had been completely twisted by something, losing all reason and leaving only pure killing instinct.

If that polluted odor continues to spread, all living things in this wasteland could be infected and turned into the same killing machines.

He opened his eyes and looked down at his palm.

The dark gold emblem felt slightly warm in his palm, as if it were reacting to the polluted aura.

He was silent for a moment, then clenched his fist to suppress the heat.

Now is not the time to think about these things. He needs to get his family across this wasteland and find a safe place to settle down. As for the polluted air and the infected beasts—that's a matter for later.

The night grew deeper.

The valley fell silent, save for the sound of the stream and the whistling of the night wind cutting through the cliffs. A dozen or so babies lay asleep on animal-skin blankets, wrapped in soft cotton, their breathing even. The women also found places to lie down; some were already fast asleep, while others were still whispering amongst themselves.

Lin Qiye sat by the campfire, keeping watch.

His gaze fell into the depths of the valley, where darkness stretched to the horizon, devoid of any light. He could sense an extremely faint aura emanating from the valley's depths—not from a strange beast, not from a wild animal, but from an aura more akin to that of humans.

But that aura was too weak, so weak that it was almost impossible to judge the distance and direction.

He looked away and added a few more pieces of dry firewood to the campfire, which made the flames burn brightly again, dispelling some of the surrounding darkness.

He leaned against the rock wall behind him, closed his eyes, but didn't truly fall asleep. His senses were like an invisible net, covering the entire camp, the entrance to the valley, and the cliffs on both sides, ensuring that every rustle of wind was under his surveillance.

Silent all night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the team packed up their camp and continued their journey along the valley.

The valley was much longer than they had imagined. They walked all morning and still couldn't see the end of it. The cliffs on both sides grew higher and steeper, and the stream in the valley gradually widened, forming waist-deep pools in some places, requiring them to take detours to pass through.

Lin Qiye walked at the front of the group, his steps still steady, but his eyes kept scanning the surrounding cliffs and every corner of the valley, as if searching for something.

"What are you looking for?" Shuang'er walked to his side and asked in a low voice.

Lin Qiye did not answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "I feel... there are people in this valley."

Shuang'er frowned slightly: "Someone's there? Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure." Lin Qiye's gaze fell on the shadow of a cliff ahead. "But that aura has been there since last night, intermittent, as if it's following us."

Shuang'er followed his gaze, but there was nothing in the shadows of the cliff, only a silent darkness. Her hand silently gripped the hilt of the dagger at her waist, and she lowered her voice, "Should I go investigate?"

"No need." Lin Qiye shook his head. "If it wanted to harm us, it would have done so already. Since it's just tracking us, let's see what it's up to first."

Shuang'er remained silent for a moment, then slowly loosened her grip on the knife and nodded.