Mad Doctor No. 9

Changbai Town is not large, with only one main street. Although it's almost Chinese New Year, the town is still very lively, with many people from other places coming to visit.

Wang Tian parked his snowmobile outside the town, changed into an ordinary down jacket, put on a hat and mask, and slowly walked into the town. He looked sickly now, and no one could associate him with the once-renowned successor of the medical sage.

Wang Tian circled the main street twice and finally locked onto three targets.

The first shop was a roadside store called "Mountain Goods Shop". Inside were two Japanese people dressed in local clothing, but their posture, accent, and appearance all gave off an unusual vibe.

The second place was the town's newly built "Folk Culture Center," whose curator was a Chinese man in his fifties, but Wang Tian could sense a faint aura of martial arts emanating from him.

The third place, the most suspicious, is "Snow Town Inn". Wang Tian sat in the teahouse across the street for half an hour and saw no less than five groups of people coming and going. There were martial artists, scholars, and an old Taoist priest in a Taoist robe.

Wang Tian sneered inwardly: "Are all the members of the Dark Palace here?"

Just as he was about to leave the teahouse, he saw someone walking towards him from the opposite side.

Chiyuki Yamamoto.

She was wearing a white down jacket, her hair loose over her shoulders, and she looked no different from any other college student. However, the two men beside her were quite different: one was a towering, muscular man, and the other was as thin as a bamboo pole, with bulging temples.

The three of them entered the Snow Town Inn.

Wang Tian silently paid the bill and walked towards the back alley of the inn. The window on the second floor was open. He looked around, saw that no one was around, took a deep breath, and jumped up.

In the past, this height would have been effortless for him. But now, his meridians were damaged, and the jump had aggravated his injuries, nearly causing him to fall. He barely managed to grab onto the windowsill, his arm trembling with pain.

A few seconds later, Wang Tian flipped over and crawled inside.

This was a storage room, piled high with bedding and other such items. He pressed his ear to the door; the hallway was quiet. He gently opened the door and quickly walked out. There were eight rooms on the second floor; Yamamoto Chiyuki was definitely staying in the best one.

Wang Tian held his breath and listened to each room one by one. When he reached the door of the third room, he heard a familiar voice.

"...Lord Oni-Mask means that they will make their move within three days." It was Yamamoto Chiyuki, but her voice had turned cold, and the hollow feeling from before was gone.

Another hoarse male voice said, "Miss, will Wang Tian cause trouble? He's staying in a sanatorium right now."

Yamamoto Chiyuki sneered, "It's better that he's here. This is something called 'Bone-Corroding Powder,' which is the latest product developed by Lord Oni-Mask. It's specifically designed for experts in internal energy. If he dares to come, I'll make him wish he were dead."

A cold glint flashed in Wang Tian's eyes. Bone-corroding powder? Just from the name, you could tell this thing was extremely sinister.

"Where is that piece of cold jade marrow?" the hoarse man asked.

"Once we get what's in Death Valley, the Jade Marrow will be within our grasp," Yamamoto Chiyuki said. "Remember, the Shaman's Drum is our primary objective. It's one of the three keys, and we can't afford to lose it."

A shamanic drum? The key to the boundary gate?

Wang Tian was greatly shocked. The Dark Palace was indeed going to open the boundary gate!

Just as he was about to listen more carefully, he heard footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor. Wang Tian quickly slipped into an empty room next door. Only after the footsteps disappeared did he quietly leave the inn.

Throughout the journey, Wang Tian remained in deep thought. The Dark Palace's purpose was to obtain the Shamanic Drum, the key to opening the Boundary Gate. Who knew what would be released once the Boundary Gate was opened?

"We must stop it." Wang Tian said firmly, "But now..."

He lowered his head and looked at his trembling hands. He was far too weak. In this state, let alone stopping the Dark Palace, he could barely protect himself.

"We must find the thousand-year-old snow ginseng!"

Back at the sanatorium, Wang Tian immediately began preparing for his entry into Death Valley. Besides his usual mountaineering gear, he also brought half of the Dragon Gate Society's headquarters token. For some reason, back in Changbai Mountain, he had felt a special connection with this token, which would occasionally generate heat.

Early on the third day, before dawn, Wang Tian packed his bags and set off. Guo Zi insisted on following him, but Wang Tian flatly refused.

"You stay here and protect Xiaoyu and Mom and Dad. Also, if I haven't returned within seven days, contact Elder Xu and have him send people to seal off Death Valley. We must not let the Shaman's Drum fall into the hands of the Dark Temple."

Guo Zi's eyes reddened: "Brother Tian!"

"Don't worry, I'm not that easy to die." Wang Tian patted his shoulder and stepped into the snowstorm.

Life and death do not know.

Death Valley is located on the north side of the main peak of Changbai Mountain. It is a deep valley where the sun never shines and miasma never dissipates. Wang Tian walked for a whole day following the map and did not arrive at the valley entrance until evening.

The terrain here is extremely treacherous, with sheer cliffs on both sides. The valley entrance is as narrow as a throat, allowing only one person to pass at a time. At the entrance to the valley, there are animal skeletons everywhere—deer, wolves, bears. All the skeletons are pitch black, as if they were poisoned.

Wang Tian took an antidote pill from the medicine bag given to him by Una and put it in his mouth. He then put on a gas mask and carefully walked into the valley. The valley was even colder than the outside world, bone-chillingly cold. There was no snow on the ground, but a layer of black moss that was soft underfoot and made a "squeaking" sound.

After walking about a hundred meters, a swamp appeared before us. White mist floated above the swamp, looking quite eerie in the twilight.

Just as Wang Tian was about to take a detour, a faint cry for help came from the center of the swamp.

"Help, help me!"

It's a woman's voice!

Wang Tian looked closely and saw a figure disappear into the swamp, only the upper body visible, slowly sinking. It looked like a mountain climber.

"Don't move!" Wang Tian shouted, took off his backpack, took out a rope, and threw it over.

The man gripped the rope, while Wang Tian pulled with all his might. But the swamp's suction was too strong; with his current strength, he couldn't pull him out at all. Seeing that the man was still sinking, Wang Tian gritted his teeth, tied the rope to a nearby boulder, and then slowly approached, stepping on the hard edge of the swamp.

As he got closer, he could see the other person's face clearly. She was a girl in her early twenties, with a dirty face but bright, piercing eyes.

"Here you go!" Wang Tian handed over the hiking poles.

The girl gripped the hiking pole, and Wang Tian pulled hard. Just as the girl was about to break free, an accident occurred!