Two hours later, the sun sank toward the west. Dusky yellow light slanted down, stretching the outline of Black Cliff Valley into a long, sinister shape.
The dark brown cliffs on either side rose steeply, as though hewn by blades and axes. Not a blade of grass grew on them. Fierce winds had scoured countless holes into the rock, and the cold air passing through them gave off low, mournful whistles, like the growls of savage beasts.
Looking inward from the valley entrance, the light abruptly dimmed. The darkness seemed bottomless, like an abyssal beast crouching in the wilderness, its enormous maw open as it waited for prey to walk into its trap.
A faint bloody odor hung in the air, mingled with a strange, pungent smell. The closer one drew to the entrance, the stronger it became.
Lin Sheng stood atop a protruding rock outside the valley, his aura withdrawn to its utmost, blending into the surrounding stone. He looked toward the deep valley floor, his gaze calm.
The last-minute change of venue to a desolate valley outside the city had struck him as suspicious all along. But skill bred courage. Whether it was real or false, he would have to take a look.
"Let's see what's inside."
Murmuring softly, he tapped the rock with his toes. His figure drifted away like a falling leaf, silently shooting into the valley entrance.
The meltform rules circulated, slightly warping the light around him. He sped along the shadows of the cliff without stirring so much as a whisper of wind, harder to detect than a true specter.
Several minutes later, he reached the edge of the valley's central region.
Lin Sheng did not rush in. Instead, he hid behind a strangely shaped rock half a person's height, slowly closed his eyes,