After half an hour of scouting and probing, he had grasped the situation on the outskirts and settled on a safe route. Only then did he follow the solid rocky ground, advancing steadily into the depths of Black Abyss Valley.
The farther he ventured into the valley, the thicker and heavier the black mist became, and the dimmer and fainter the light grew.
Within a single hour, his visibility had been compressed to its limit, leaving him able to see less than a hundred feet ahead. Beyond that lay only boundless darkness and dense black mist, concealing everything and blurring the line between illusion and reality. The entire valley was oppressively still, without beast roars, wind, or fluctuations of spiritual power. The silence was terrifying.
Only his steady, measured footsteps and long, even breaths echoed slowly through the vast, deep darkness, making the valley seem all the more sinister and uncanny, with deadly danger lurking on every side.
Lin Feng remained intensely alert, his hand gripping the God Emperor Sword at his waist. Its blade was slightly cool, its sword intent contained, ready to leave its sheath at any moment to slay an enemy or break through a trap. His eyes swept his surroundings intently, his physical senses stretched to their utmost as he caught every faint shift in the air and every change around him, advancing steadily through the silent peril.
After another hour or so, as he reached the valley's central depths, a low, heavy sound of sluggish, labored breathing suddenly drifted faintly from the black mist ahead.
The breathing was deep and prolonged, rising and falling evenly, carrying the weighty pressure unique to an ancient behemoth. Clearly, an enormous exotic beast lay dormant there, sleeping soundly. Its breathing passed through layer upon layer of black mist, seeming