The Road Home

The hustle and bustle of Star Luo City gradually faded behind them. The prosperity, once nourished by gold and blood, was replaced by the withered, yellow shrubs that whipped past the carriage on the official road. As they traveled eastward, the surrounding mountain ranges grew increasingly desolate, with jagged, grotesque rocks crouching in the wilderness like silent, gargantuan beasts.

Gu Tian, accompanied by four stunning maidens, had embarked on this peculiar journey after stocking up on enough New Year supplies to fill half a room. Although Na'er's spatial teleportation could instantly traverse thousands of mountains and rivers, Gu Tian had waved her off. He had uncharacteristically hired a spacious carriage pulled by four sturdy horses, moving slowly along the bumpy road like the most ordinary of travelers.

"Brother Gu Tian, where are we going? The sky here looks so gloomy, and even the wind carries the scent of dust." Na'er extended her fair fingers to gently lift the heavy carriage curtain. Outside, the vegetation had shifted from lush green to withered brown, and even the chirping of birds had gradually vanished.

Gu Tian was leaning against the soft velvet cushions, idly toying with a jade pendant carved with mysterious dragon patterns. His gaze appeared distant, as if piercing through the layers of mountains before him to look deep into his memories: "Back to my hometown, a place on the edge of the Star Luo Empire, almost forgotten by the world—Ancient Dragon Village."

Zhu Zhuqing, who had been sitting silently in the corner, felt her cold eyes narrow sharply at the mention of "Ancient Dragon Village." Seeming to recall something truly terrifying, she looked at Gu Tian in disbelief: "Ancient Dragon Village? The place you speak of... could it be the 'Forbidden Land' within the borders of the Xingyao Principality?"

"Oh? I didn't realize you were so well-informed." A playful smile tugged at the corners of Gu Tian's mouth as he teased her in a lighthearted tone, "Even a backwater like this, where not even merchant caravans dare to tread, is something you've heard of?"

Zhu Zhuqing's expression did not relax at the teasing; instead, it grew increasingly grave. She subconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt and whispered, "I once saw fragmented records about that region in the Zhu Family's royal library. The Xingyao Principality is remote, resource-poor, and severely underdeveloped. But what makes the spirit master world tremble is the hidden valley deep in those mountains, said to be cursed. Rumor has it that a century ago, several expeditions led by Spirit Emperors and even Spirit Saints attempted to enter in search of treasure, but without exception, none returned. Even those who managed to escape to the periphery found their spirit power exhausted and their appearances ruined within a very short time. It is universally recognized by the outside world as a graveyard for spirit masters. Gu Tian, do you actually live in such a place?"

Hearing these descriptions, Xiao Wu's rabbit ears, which had been swaying lightly, suddenly stood straight up. Her delicate face was filled with unease, and she subconsciously huddled closer into Gu Tian's embrace, as if it were the only harbor in this desolate wilderness.

Gu Tian scanned the slightly nervous expressions of the girls, a mischievous thought suddenly rising in his heart. He deliberately lowered his voice, making it sound exceptionally eerie and sinister within the dim carriage:

"That's right, those rumors... most of them are true. It is said that the valley is shrouded year-round in lingering vengeful spirits, with nether-ghosts lurking in wait to devour the souls of spirit masters. Once an outsider is ensnared by those mists, their internal spirit power leaks out through their pores like sand. That sensation is exactly like having your life force stripped away bit by bit, until you finally wither away in despair into a lifeless, dried-up corpse."

"Ah!" Na'er let out a soft cry, her purple eyes filled with terror, and even her breathing became cautious.

Gu Yue, however, snorted dismissively, casting a sharp glance at Gu Tian with her ink-green eyes: "Young Master, stop trying to scare them with these absurd ghost stories. There is no such thing as a ghost that exaggerated in this world. Even if there is something strange, it is likely some powerful natural forbidden formation or a spirit power magnetic field at work."

"Who knows? I'm not lying to you." Gu Tian pointed toward the front of the carriage window with a serious expression. At this moment, a faint, dreamlike, yet ominous purple mist was already vaguely visible between the distant mountain passes. "Once we cross that steep peak ahead, you will be able to experience for yourselves what true terror is."

Half a day later, the carriage slowed to a halt at the foot of a mountain filled with strange rocks.

Gu Tian paid the driver double the fare and instructed him to turn back immediately without lingering. Afterward, he led the four maidens on the final leg of their journey on foot.

"Why not let Na'er just teleport us up? This mountain path is so hard to walk, and there are skin-tearing thorns everywhere." Xiao Wu muttered softly while struggling to climb over the slippery rocks. Although a spirit master's physique far exceeded that of an ordinary person, the psychological oppression made every step feel incredibly heavy.

Gu Tian walked at the very front of the group, his footsteps surprisingly steady and light, as if he were walking on a flat road rather than a treacherous mountain path.

"When I was still a cripple, I climbed this path alone, step by step, under the scorching sun." Gu Tian looked back at the mountain ridge obscured by thick clouds, a rare sense of emotion flashing in his eyes. "It's only been half a year; if I just flew back now, I feel like I'd be missing the sense of ritual that comes with looking back at the past. As the saying goes, one should return home in glory, but one must still keep their feet on the ground and see if the scenery along the way remains the same."

As the altitude increased, the air around them began to undergo a strange transformation. The once-humid mountain breeze became dry and bone-chilling, and that faint, metallic-scented purple mist began to spread silently through the dense forest.

As an agility-type spirit master, Zhu Zhuqing had the keenest senses. She quickly noticed the abnormality in her body. She attempted to circulate her internal nether spirit power to resist the cold, only to discover with horror that her spirit power, which usually flowed like water through her meridians, had become abnormally viscous and sluggish.

It felt as if her spirit rings had been shackled; every cycle of circulation consumed twice the mental and physical energy.

"My spirit power... the flow is spiraling out of control? No, something outside is forcibly draining my energy!" Zhu Zhuqing gasped for air, her fair face, already pale from weakness, now covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and her gait began to falter.

Xiao Wu and Na'er also showed signs of discomfort. Because their true forms were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, their perception of heaven and earth energy was purer. This restriction suppressed their cultivation but also triggered a deep-seated rejection within their bloodlines, causing their chests to feel tight. Only Gu Yue remained composed; she controlled multiple elemental origins, and while the "restriction" here was overbearing, it seemed to naturally yield to this ancestor of the dragon race.

"Brother Gu Tian... I... I'm really so tired."

Zhu Zhuqing's voice became exceptionally weak, even carrying a faint hint of a sob. She had long been marginalized in the Zhu Residence, leaving her physically depleted, and the long journey had only added to the strain. Now, under the erosion of the thick purple mist, her spirit power seemed to be gushing out like a broken dam.

"Hold on, once we cross this ridge, you'll be able to see the village." Gu Tian pointed toward a cliff ahead.

In the distance, a small mountain village surrounded by purple mist could be vaguely seen. A few wisps of pale gray smoke rose from the scattered thatched roofs, revealing an almost absurdly ordinary, mundane atmosphere amidst the dull and oppressive purple tones. It seemed as if this place were the end of the world.

"Is that... really... where you were born?"

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against a withered ancient tree, the scene before her beginning to overlap and blur. The once sacred and oppressive purple mist now appeared to her as a pitch-black abyss devouring her consciousness.

"Thud!"

A muffled sound.

The last nerve that Zhu Zhuqing had been holding onto finally snapped. Her delicate body went limp like a leaf in the wind, and she collapsed directly into Gu Tian's arms.

"Zhuqing! What's wrong with you!" Xiao Wu cried out in alarm.

Gu Tian moved with agility, catching Zhu Zhuqing steadily. Feeling the girl's bone-chillingly cold and violently trembling body in his arms, a deep blue light flashed in the depths of his pupils.

Watching the fine cold sweat continuously seep from Zhu Zhuqing's pale forehead and soak into her black sideburns, her usually cold silhouette appeared exceptionally fragile, stirring the deepest protective instincts within Gu Tian.

"Lin Xi, what is going on? Although Zhuqing is physically weak, she is still a formal spirit master; how could she suddenly collapse to this extent? Is this mist poisonous?" Gu Tian asked urgently in his heart.