Gift (Three-in-One)

After following them for more than three hours, Zhang Tie gradually came to a stop. He scanned the area ahead for a moment, then his figure flashed. Soundlessly, he landed on a gnarled branch of a towering ancient tree, where the dense foliage instantly concealed him perfectly and his aura vanished without a trace.

A thousand li away, two towering peaks rose from the ground like primordial beasts, piercing the dim heavens.

The peaks were exceedingly steep, their rock faces seemingly carved by blades and axes. Not a blade of grass grew upon them; only jagged boulders glimmered with a cold, eerie light beneath the thin moonlight.

Between the two peaks lay a narrow passage only three or four zhang wide, as though forcibly cleaved open by a giant axe. It twisted deep within, forming an extremely perilous bottleneck pass.

The passage was deep and dark, deprived of sunlight year-round and filled with a cold, damp air. Like the throat of some enormous beast, it carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

Beyond this perilous pass, the view suddenly opened up, revealing an enormous valley spanning dozens of li!

The valley happened to be enclosed by the two sky-piercing peaks, forming a natural barrier that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

At this moment, the low-ranking demons Zhang Tie had been tracking surged toward the valley entrance in an endless stream, like a tide answering an invisible summons.

The valley was not barren. Countless caves of varying sizes had been carved into the mountain walls, their dark entrances resembling a honeycomb or ant nest, too numerous to count.

Many cave entrances flickered with lights, bright or dim, while demonic qi rose from others along with the characteristic roars and clamor of demons. This was no temporary stronghold. Clearly, this