"Have you heard? The Myriad Treasures Merchant Guild has already set out for Soul Severing Valley with quite a few experts."
"What are they trying to do? Are they really going to resurrect the Demon God?"
"I'm not sure, but the seal at Soul Severing Valley is about to break. If whatever is inside gets out, all the nearby cities will suffer."
Lin Taichu and Meng Qi said nothing, listening in silence. Early the next morning, they continued on their journey.
Around noon, they passed through a wilderness where countless cracks split the ground, spewing black demonic qi.
"The seal here has already broken." Meng Qi reined in her mount. "The demonic qi is dense. Soul Severing Valley is ahead."
Soul Severing Valley was an enormous gorge. Its entrance was shrouded by a pale purple curtain of light covered in cracks. Black demonic qi seeped from those cracks, gathering in the air into all manner of twisted shapes.
More than a dozen Cultivators stood around the entrance, hesitating over whether to enter.
When they saw Lin Taichu and Meng Qi flying over, one cultivator shouted, "Don't come any closer! There are high-level demonic cultivators inside. Several people have already died!"
Lin Taichu did not stop. He took out the token Qin Fang had given him and infused it with spiritual power.
The token emitted golden light that merged into the pale purple barrier, temporarily halting the spread of the cracks.
"We're going in to reinforce the seal," Lin Taichu told the other Cultivators. "If you don't want to die, leave now."
The Cultivators exchanged looks. Some turned and left, while others remained, saying they wanted to help. Lin Taichu did not refuse. More hands meant more strength.
Beyond the barrier lay a steep mountainside thick with black vines. The vines