Barbarian Race Land

"Wow, this guy's got some strength!"

After being repelled by the Soul Erosion Lizard King's tail whip, Zi Yan was not discouraged at all; instead, she became even more excited.

After a short while, seeing that Zi Yan had finished playing, Lin Ming didn't linger any longer. With a swift movement, Lin Ming appeared above the Soul Erosion Lizard King's back as if by Instantaneous Movement.

Then, a dazzling Emerald Flames suddenly erupted from his right fist. The flame was not simply emerald in color; its core contained the azure of the Sea Heart Flame and the invisible burning properties of the Fallen Heart Flame, while the outer edge was filled with the heavy aura of the Mysterious Yellow Flame.

"Explosive Blast Fist!" (This Dou Technique was developed by Lin Ming based on the Thunderclap Fist and combined with Heavenly Flames.)

Instantly, a massive emerald-green fire fist, like a meteorite falling from the sky, carrying terrifyingly high temperatures capable of Burn Mountains Boil Seas, and domineering force capable of tearing everything apart, slammed heavily into the vital spot on the Soul Erosion Lizard King's vest.

"Bang!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out.

The Soul Erosion Lizard King's dark red scales, which were strong enough to withstand attacks from Peak Dou Emperor fighters, were as fragile as paper in the face of the terrifying power of the Fused Exotic Fire. In an instant, a charred hole was blasted out, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and even its spine was broken.

The piercing screams abruptly ceased. The Soul Erosion Lizard King's massive body convulsed violently a few times before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Lin Ming landed gracefully, and with a flick of his wrist, he drew in a fist-sized Magic Core wreathed in black soul energy, along with the hard horn.

"This unicorn is an excellent material for crafting soul defense devices. Its Demonic Core Energy, but also a considerable amount of Soul Power, which can be used to nourish the soul or as the Array Eyes."

Having easily defeated the Soul Erosion Lizard King, the three remained vigilant. As they continued their journey, they discovered that another canyon had appeared ahead, accompanied by an even more powerful Soul Erosion Wind.

The power of the Soul Erosion Wind grew stronger, and the whispers and illusions contained within it became increasingly realistic. Sometimes it was the call of relatives and friends, sometimes the temptation of Treasure Hoard, and sometimes terrifying visions of inner demons, all attempting to shake their minds.

Even Lin Ming and Xiao Yi Xian had to constantly circulate their Soul Power and guard their True Heart to remain unaffected. Zi Yan, on the other hand, relied more on her bloodline instincts, scoffing at those illusions and crushing them directly with her Dragon Might.

After a nearly full day of arduous trekking, during which they encountered several waves of Fierce Beasts and eerie Remnant Soul, all three were slightly exhausted, but not seriously injured. Finally, the fog ahead gradually thinned, and an even more ancient, desolate aura, mixed with a dense Blood Fiend Qi, rushed towards them.

"This time we're really going out," Xiao Yi Xian said softly, a hint of weariness in her voice. Continuously dealing with the Soul Erosion Wind had taken a heavy toll on her soul.

The three quickened their pace and rushed out of the extremely oppressive Soul Severing Canyon. The view before them suddenly opened up, but the scene only made their expressions more solemn.

Beyond the canyon lies not the picturesque scenery one might imagine, but a vast, deep basin that appears to have been soaked in blood.

The sky was a somber, dark red, as if forever shrouded in twilight. The energy between heaven and earth appeared unusually violent and chaotic, with various types of energy entangled and colliding, occasionally erupting into small energy storms.

The earth was crisscrossed with ravines and covered with huge and ferocious battle marks. Some of the cracks were bottomless and exuded a chilling, devouring power. Further away, a valley shrouded in a thick, dark red mist was faintly visible. The pressure emanating from there made Xiao Yi Xian, who was already Two-Star Dou Ancestor, feel a chill run down her spine and a warning came from the depths of her soul.

"This... is the Saint Demise Valley?" Zi Yan blinked her big eyes, sensing the powerful, violent, and resentful aura lingering in the air. Her playful expression vanished, replaced by a serious one. The danger here far surpassed that of the Soul Severing Canyon.

Lin Ming took out the map and carefully compared it with his own. He nodded solemnly, "That's right. According to the map, once you cross the Soul Severing Canyon, you enter the outer area of Saint Demise Valley. This area witnessed an earth-shattering battle in Ancient Era, where true Dou Sheng Expert perished. Their power of Law, resentment, Essence Blood spilled here, causing the energy here to become completely chaotic and the space unstable. This gave birth to many terrifying ferocious creatures that rely on Sectarian Qi and Death Qi to survive, including powerful ones such as Dou Emperor and even Dou Zong."

He pointed to the unsettling, dark red cloud-shrouded valley in the distance. "That should be the core area of Saint Demise Valley, and also the entrance to the possible Barbarian Race Land marked on the map. If the Barbarian Race really choose to settle their territory in such Deadly Land place, easy to defend and difficult to attack, ordinary people really have no way to deal with them!"

After sensing for a moment, Xiao Yi Xian frowned slightly. "The energy here is mixed with extremely strong Sectarian Qi and Death Qi. Staying here for a long time will not only hinder the flow of our Dou Qi, but will also subtly influence our temperament, making us violent and bloodthirsty. We must find the exact entrance to the Barbarian Race Land as soon as possible; we should not linger here."

"Um."

Lin Ming nodded, his gaze sharp as a hawk's as he scanned the eerie surroundings. He said, "That Barbarian Dou Ancestor was severely injured by my Eight Desolations Dou Technique, and even his unique Barbarian Race supernatural Beast Soul, was shattered. If he truly returns to the Barbarian Race Land, it will undoubtedly be heavily guarded. Moreover, they have the advantage of terrain, so we must be extremely careful. If the opportunity arises, we should deliver a fatal blow, giving him no chance to breathe."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan immediately nodded. Then, the three of them concealed their auras, minimizing their presence, and chose a relatively hidden route along the edge of the huge crack, stealthily heading towards the core area.

The outer area of Saint Demise Valley was indeed extremely dangerous. They not only encountered Sectarian Demon formed from pure Sectarian Qi, which had little effect from physical attacks, but also triggered some remnants of ancient killing formations, aroused the Yin Fire erupting from the ground, and almost encountered a tiny Spatial Rift that appeared out of nowhere.

Fortunately, Zi Yan had an extremely sensitive sense of space, which allowed the group to continue their journey safely, despite some close calls.

When they were about a few miles away from the dark red cloud area, Lin Ming suddenly stopped and gestured for the two to hide behind a huge weathered rock. He closed his eyes, Spirit Realm Soul power spread out silently forward like mercury, carefully sensing the surroundings.

A moment later, Lin Ming opened his eyes, a cold glint in them. "There are energy fluctuations ahead, a man-made warning array. The method is ancient, consistent with the Barbarian Race style. Moreover... behind the array, there's the aura of Barbarian Race, quite a few, about twenty, mostly at the Dou Wang level, with one One-Star Dou Emperor in charge. It seems we've already reached their outer outpost."

Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan gazed intently, and with their extraordinary senses, they vaguely detected the hidden array fluctuations and several concealed auras within the seemingly calm area of strangely shaped Shi Lin ahead.

"Just charge straight in? These guys aren't worth a second!" Zi Yan clenched her fist and said in a low voice.

Lin Ming shook his head, his gaze calm. "We mustn't alert them. Our target is the Barbarian Clan Leader. If we can quietly remove the outposts, infiltrate, and catch him off guard, the best outcome will be. If we're discovered now, the Barbarian Clan Leader will be prepared, activating the tribe's internal formation, calling for reinforcements, or even simply hiding. We'll be at a disadvantage. After all, this is his territory."

He pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on Xiao Yi Xian: "Xiao Yi Xian, your poison... could it render these sentries incapable of fighting silently without causing too much of a reaction in the formation? Ideally, it should make them temporarily unconscious rather than dead, to avoid triggering the Soul Lamp or similar detection."

Xiao Yi Xian smiled faintly, her stunning beauty appearing eerily alluring against the dark red sky. "We can give it a try. The Sectarian Qi and Death Qi here is so dense that it can perfectly mask the subtle fluctuations of my poison. A Soul Bewitching Poison that plunges people into illusions and shuts down their six senses is perfect for this."

Having said that, she lightly plucked her slender fingers as if playing a pipa, and several wisps of almost completely transparent, colorless, and odorless poison gas, like living serpents, silently merged into the surrounding baleful Sectarian Qi. Following a strange trajectory, they bypassed the sensitive nodes of the warning array and drifted towards the hidden Barbarian Race guards. Her control over poison power had reached a level of unparalleled mastery.

Lin Ming and Zi Yan held their breath, waiting for the result.

In just a few breaths, they heard several extremely faint, muffled groans, like whispers in a dream. Then, the hidden auras quickly became steady and weak, as if they had fallen into a deep sleep, and there was no sound anymore. The warning array, only because it had lost its host, dimmed its light almost imperceptibly, but did not trigger the alarm.

"It's solved," Xiao Yi Xian said casually, as if she had only done a trivial matter.

Lin Ming inwardly praised her; Xiao Yi Xian's methods of using poison were becoming increasingly unpredictable. He waved his hand. "Go! Quickly!"

The three of them moved swiftly and silently through the area of strange rocks, like three wisps of green smoke. Sure enough, in several hidden crevices and caves, they saw the Barbarian Race guards lying haphazardly. Their faces were normal, even with a strange, peaceful smile, as if they were having a sweet dream, but their breaths were weak and they had fallen into a coma.

Beyond this outer outpost, the Sectarian Qi ahead was almost tangible, with dark red mist swirling around, severely obstructing visibility. Beneath a steep, dark red mountain wall that appeared as if cleaved by a giant sword, a huge opening suddenly appeared.

The cave entrance is hundreds of feet high and tens of feet wide, with many huge stone statues standing on both sides.

The size of the stone statues gradually increased, and by the time the last two were near the cave entrance, they were already over ten feet in size.

The stone statue is not Human Form, but rather resembles a ferocious giant beast, baring its fangs and claws, lifelike in appearance. The statue is covered with ancient Barbarian Race runes, exuding a strong sense of bloodshed and savagery.

Deep within the cave entrance, flickering flames could be seen, along with a vast and complex surge of life force, interspersed with a familiar, though weak, yet still violent aura that Lin Ming recognized.

Seeing this, Lin Ming immediately said with a fierce look, "Finally found it! Let's see where you run this time!"