Valley

Yun Long's brows were knotted tightly together.

Ever since he could remember, he had never ventured far beyond Nanshan Town.

At most, he had followed the men from the village into the mountains to hunt, only daring to wander around the outskirts.

Now, he had become the undisputed pillar of this fleeing party.

Yet as for where they should go, his mind was a blank, without the slightest clear idea.

It felt as though a thousand-pound burden rested on his shoulders—the lives and futures of everyone behind him.

That heavy responsibility made even breathing feel somewhat difficult.

"Foolish boy, did you really think I chose this valley on a whim?"

Walking at the front with steady strides, old Yun Ji spoke in a deep voice without turning back.

His voice carried the calm and wisdom of one who had seen the world's vicissitudes.

"Once we pass through this deep valley ahead, we'll have completely left Pingyang County's territory behind."

Yun Ji paused, as though outlining a grand map of their escape route.

"Follow the rushing river at the end of the valley, then keep heading west for another half a month."

"By then, we should more or less have left Changqing Kingdom's borders."

Yun Ji's words were like a ray of dawn, dispersing the fog in Yun Long's heart.

Sure enough, having an elder at home was like having a treasure; that saying was absolutely true.

Yun Long drew a deep breath and suppressed the complicated emotions rising within him.

He turned to look at Li Pinghu, Shi Tie, and the others behind him.

Upon hearing this, a flash of realization appeared in Li Pinghu's eyes.

"Follow the river? I know that! Over there is the renowned Great Xia Dynasty!" he exclaimed in a low voice.

"Although this route isn't the fastest way out of Changqing Kingdom," Li Pinghu said, a trace of yearning appearing on his face, "the Great Xia Dynasty truly is a place people dream of."

For Li Pinghu, Shi Tie, and the other survivors in the group,

their greatest worry had been that the Ninth Prince would get ahead of Yun Long's group and capture Uncle Yun Hu and the others who had remained in town.

Yet now, it seemed that because the Ninth Prince was cultivating that bizarre Yuan Sect Blood Demon Qi,

he had clearly paid a price for it, and his reactions had slowed by more than a beat.

It was precisely this single delay that had caused the Ninth Prince to fall behind at every step.

For Yun Long and his group, this was the perfect time when the sky was high enough for birds to fly and the sea broad enough for fish to leap.

The relief of having escaped death quietly began to grow in everyone's hearts.

In Yun Long's mind surfaced the scattered yet comprehensive inheritance knowledge from the Character Inheritance Card.

With the experience of an old hunter combined with the power of a Qi Refining Stage cultivator,

tracking them down would be far from easy.

They were no longer lambs waiting to be slaughtered, but strong people capable of fighting back and even escaping.

After entering the valley, Yun Long secretly tested Yun Ji, Yun Hu, and Yun He for Spiritual Roots along the way. In the end, the entire Yun family was wiped out—all of them lacked Spiritual Roots.

Shi Tie and Li Pinghu also had no Spiritual Roots.

When Yun Long's finger touched Li Lingyue's fair wrist, an entirely different sensation surged into his heart.

It was a marvelous feeling, faintly warm and gentle, as though connected to heaven and earth.

Li Lingyue actually had a Spiritual Root!

And it was a mid-grade Spiritual Root with water, wood, and earth attributes!

Stormy waves rose in Yun Long's heart. He had never expected that someone so extraordinarily gifted was hidden among this fleeing group.

Two of them actually possessed mid-grade Spiritual Roots. Could it be that all the fortune Nanshan Town had accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years had gathered upon them?

One had to know that Nanshan Town had been inhabited for generations. Over the centuries, people had gone to undergo Immortal Fate testing, yet without exception, all had returned empty-handed.

Now, Li Lingyue possessed a mid-grade Spiritual Root. This was simply a tremendous surprise.

I may not have a Spiritual Root, but my Lingyue does. I refuse to believe that none of our children will have one, Yun Long thought.

Yun Ji knew very little about Spiritual Roots. He had no idea what exactly they were useful for or how one relied on them to refine qi.

According to the inheritance he had received, even those with Spiritual Roots still had to cultivate Xiantian realm techniques like them.

Yun Long sighed inwardly. It seemed he needed to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with everyone about Spiritual Roots and cultivation techniques.

Yun Long taught the nourishing chapter of the Bodhidharma Muscle-Tendon Classic to little Shi Chen.

"Wow, Brother Yun Long, is this the kind of martial art only immortals can learn?" Shi Chen asked excitedly, dancing with joy. His childish innocence overflowed from his tender little face.

"Of course. Practice hard, and one day you'll become someone formidable like me!" Yun Long said with a smile, rubbing his little head.

Hearing this, Shi Chen grew even more excited, as though he had already become an all-powerful peerless hero.

He became even closer to Yun Long and always wanted to cling to him.

In truth, he had not even begun body tempering yet.

He would have to wait until he was twelve before beginning cultivation of the body-tempering chapter.

Li Lingyue, like Yun He, cultivated the Wudang Xiantian Gong, Qingcheng Swordplay, and Ladder Cloud Leap.

Unlike Yun Ji, she could not obtain an inheritance from Yun Jiang, so cultivation was extremely difficult for her.

She remained unable to enter the beginner stage of the body-tempering chapter of the Xiantian Gong.

Five days later, the group reached a deep valley.

Ancient trees towered all around, blotting out the sky and sun. Sunlight could only pass through the sparse leaves, casting mottled shadows across the ground.

Suddenly, a chilling hissing sound rang out.

Everyone followed the sound and saw an enormous python coiled around a giant tree, flicking its tongue and staring coldly at them.

The python's body was thick and powerful, its scales gleaming with a cold, eerie sheen under the sunlight, making one shudder.

Shi Chen and the others immediately turned pale with fright, their legs trembling uncontrollably. Yun Ji and the others drew their blades, preparing for battle.

Seeing this, Yun Long frowned. He did not want to invite unnecessary trouble.

They did not know the fierce python's rank, but Yun Ji knew very well. It looked powerful by relying on its massive size, but it was still only at the Mortal Stage.

"It's best if we don't fight. The traces of battle are hard to conceal," Yun Long said in a deep voice.

He took a deep breath and released the aura of the Qi Refining Stage without holding anything back.

An invisible pressure instantly enveloped the python.

Sensing that powerful aura, terror immediately appeared in the python's formerly vicious eyes.

It let out a hiss, and its enormous body swiftly slid down from the tree, burrowed into the grass, and vanished.

Two days later, at noon.

They had finally left that oppressive valley and seen daylight again!

Yun He, in high spirits, could not help stretching lazily.

With a soft crack, she had actually broken through to the late stage of body tempering!

"Holy shit, I broke through just like that? It was as easy as drinking water!" Yun He scratched her head, her face full of disbelief.

Shi Tie looked at Yun He, then at Yun Long beside her, and could not help sighing. "Every one of the Yun siblings is extraordinarily gifted. It really makes people envious!"

Li Pinghu burst into laughter and patted Yun Ji's shoulder. "Old Yun, your ancestors' graves must be smoking green—no, wait, it must be your late wife watching over you all!"

Yun Ji's old face reddened. He spat and snapped, "Go to hell, you old rascal!"

Everyone chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.

Following the river westward, they traveled for another ten-odd days.

That day, Li Lingyue sat cross-legged by the riverbank, silently circulating the Wudang Xiantian Gong.

Her eyes were tightly shut, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead. She had clearly encountered a bottleneck.

Yun Long walked to her side and asked with concern, "How is it? Still not working?"

Li Lingyue opened her eyes and shook her head helplessly. "It always feels like I'm just a little short. It's like something is blocking me."

After pondering for a moment, Yun Long extended his palm and gently pressed it against Li Lingyue's back.

A stream of pure Vajra Primordial Qi slowly entered her body.

"Relax. Don't resist. Feel this power carefully," Yun Long said softly.

With the help of the Vajra Primordial Qi, Li Lingyue's tense body gradually relaxed.

Following Yun Long's instructions, she silently circulated the Wudang Xiantian Gong.

Suddenly, she felt the blockage within her vanish, and a warm current surged through her entire body!

"I did it!" Li Lingyue opened her eyes in delight, a brilliant smile blooming across her face.

"I've finally entered the beginner stage!" she said excitedly.

Yun Long smiled and nodded. "Not bad. Keep working hard, and strive to break through to the Xiantian realm as soon as possible!"

Li Lingyue nodded heavily, her eyes filled with fighting spirit.