Deep Within the Demon Sect Armory

Old Daoist Xuanwang gave the order: "All of you, stay sharp!"

"Though Cold Ridge Valley's frigid wind comes swiftly and goes swiftly, as long as we seize this gust, we can lock onto that traitor's location."

Hearing Old Daoist Xuanwang's words, the disciples all formed hand seals and readied themselves.

As the chill wind blew into Broken Sword Valley, the mist shrouding their view gradually thinned.

Though the mist had not completely dispersed, they could suddenly see what lay ahead.

"The traitor is there!"

Xuan Wang pointed his sword at Li Yan. Through the thinning mist, they saw two shadows flash past.

Though they were only shadows, the old Daoist was certain that one was the traitor Li Yan!

Without hesitation, Xuan Wang waved his hand, and dozens of bone swords flew from the sword case on his back.

Hiding within the mist, Li Yan heard the hum of flying swords behind him and immediately sensed danger.

Of all times, they had encountered a cold current that blew away part of the mist within Broken Sword Valley.

As the flying swords shot toward Li Yan, the corpse puppet at his side activated her instinct to protect her master.

Su Mo shoved Li Yan away and used her own body to withstand the flying swords!

Several flying swords struck her body, only to be violently bounced away!

Aside from tearing Su Mo's robe, the flying swords left only several white scratches on her skin.

The strength of a Blood Pill Realm body was not something Xuan Wang could break through.

Seeing Su Mo entirely unharmed, Li Yan did not dare linger in battle and continued fleeing deeper into Broken Sword Valley.

After all, Su Mo could block flying swords from one direction, but she could not stop attacks coming from all sides.

If Xuan Wang and the others surrounded him, Li Yan's current situation would become extremely dire.

As Li Yan sprinted onward, his mind raced through every possibility.

Just as Xuan Wang's group was about to catch up, Li Yan swept out his hand.

"Go!"

As he activated the Blood Shadow Technique, the shadow beneath his feet stretched outward.

"Since they love chasing me so much, I'll have them trigger the ancient formations here!"

At that moment, the advantages of the Blood Shadow Technique became fully apparent.

Li Yan fled for his life, while his shadow remained behind to cover his retreat.

The shadow triggered an ancient formation beneath the pile of corpses. Violent explosions rang out one after another, blocking Xuan Wang's group.

"This brat..."

"He knows this place's traps like the back of his hand?"

After being blasted several times, Xuan Wang no longer dared pursue him.

He feared that Li Yan's shadow would trigger even more bizarre traps.

Meanwhile, Li Yan took the chance to enter the depths of Broken Sword Valley and vanish into the thick mist.

Having been chased this far, Li Yan had not actually wanted to venture deeper inside.

His Mind's Eye had examined this place. The depths of Broken Sword Valley were more dangerous than its outskirts, and its traps were denser.

Sending his shadow here to gather heavenly treasures was one thing, but entering this place alone was hardly a wise choice.

But he truly had no other choice.

The mist had been blown by the cold wind into the depths of the valley, so he had no choice but to hide within it.

Only after reaching a safe place did he begin carefully surveying his surroundings.

"This cold wind of Cold Ridge Valley is truly cold. It probably isn't ordinary wind. Ordinary wind-element spells can't even stir this mist."

Li Yan had tried before, and ordinary wind-element spells had no effect on the mist.

It seemed that only Cold Ridge Valley's frigid wind could disperse this restrictive mist.

But now he was trapped in the depths of Broken Sword Valley, while that old bastard Xuan Wang searched for his trail nearby.

He heard the old bastard laughing as he cursed.

"Traitor! Keep hiding deeper inside!"

"Do you know that the depths of Broken Sword Valley contain Yin Miasma?"

"Let's see where you can hide now!"

Yin Miasma?

So the dark purple mist gathered in the depths of Broken Sword Valley was miasma.

Li Yan had not dared rashly enter before because he feared there might be danger within.

Now Xuan Wang and the others stood outside the mist, controlling flying swords to strike into it, intending to force Li Yan out.

"Yin Miasma... What if I can become immune to this miasma, just as I'm immune to the restrictive mist?"

A bold thought emerged in Li Yan's heart.

Now that his opponents had blocked him at the edge of the mist, Li Yan tried extending one finger into the miasma.

[Detected that the host has come into contact with an extremely dense concentration of Yin Miasma!]

[Side effect normalized. The host has begun absorbing Yin Miasma and converting it into Yang Si Power.]

Huh!?

It worked!

Without hesitation, Li Yan plunged headfirst into the poisonous miasma.

In an instant, his entire body was submerged in the Yin Miasma.

The miasma seemed intent on dragging Li Yan into an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep, seeking to corrode both his flesh and soul.

But once the Side Effect Normalization System activated, this Yin Miasma instead became a nourishing tonic!

Not only was Li Yan absorbing the miasma, but Su Mo, the corpse puppet beside him, was also gulping it down in great mouthfuls.

The corpse puppet even said with a foolish grin, "Sweet."

For Li Yan, normalized side effects were a tremendous tonic.

For Su Mo, suspended between life and death, Yin Miasma was likewise a great nourishing treasure.

The miasma that others avoided like the plague made one man and one corpse feel as comfortable as if they had returned home.

When old bastard Xuan Wang caught up and watched Li Yan vanish into the dark purple miasma, he could not help letting out a cold snort.

"Idiot!"

"That brat has been driven into a corner and leaped into the miasma."

Xuan Wang gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear Li Yan into a thousand pieces.

Xuan Sha beside him lightly patted his shoulder. "Junior Brother, ahead lies the forbidden ground of Broken Sword Valley."

"Once they escape inside, they are basically as good as dead."

Old bastard Xuan Wang sighed. "What a pity. The cooked duck flew away."

Xuan Sha urged, "Junior Brother, the mist will soon gather again. While we can still see the path, let's turn back."

"There are other treasures in Broken Sword Valley waiting for us to pick up. There's no need to risk going deeper."

Cold Ridge Valley's frigid wind gradually weakened, and the surrounding mist slowly grew denser.

Not daring to venture deep into the miasma, old bastard Xuan Wang could only lead his disciples back the way they had come.

Little did they know...

Li Yan and the corpse puppet Su Mo moved through the miasma freely, as though bathed in a spring breeze.

Walking through this land of poisonous miasma, Li Yan felt as comfortable as if he had returned home.

Using his Mind's Eye, he also saw that Xuan Wang and the others did not dare pursue him due to the dense poisonous mist.

"This place is perfect for my cultivation!"

"Outsiders can't enter, and it has such dense Yin Miasma. It's practically a blessed land of feng shui."

Li Yan looked around at his surroundings and found them far less terrible than he had imagined.

On the contrary, there were countless yin-corrupted medicinal herbs here. Herbs that were difficult to find outside grew here as though they cost nothing.

"If I settled down here, outsiders truly wouldn't disturb me. Excellent, excellent!"

A rare smile appeared on Li Yan's face. Su Mo, following at his side, had eyes only for him.

Seeing her master happy, the corpse puppet Su Mo smiled simply as well.

"Like it, here."

Her speech was unclear as she struggled to force out those four words.

After confirming through his Mind's Eye that Xuan Wang and the others did not dare step into Broken Sword Valley's forbidden ground, Li Yan began searching for a suitable place to cultivate, preparing to refine and absorb more Yin Miasma.

This place appeared to be the forbidden ground deep within Broken Sword Valley.

There were many crumbling walls and ruins here, as well as some stone structures that had remained intact.

"Hm?"

Li Yan's gaze was swiftly drawn to one of the buildings.

"Sect Armory?"

"This... Could it be the armory of the Demon Sect Holy Land?"