Below them, the Heavenly Black Monkey skidded to a halt at the entrance, waving his arms and shouting in his harsh, grating voice.
"My lords, this is the place!"
"Just look at it! It's incredible!"
"If this isn't a land of fortune, I'll twist my head off and let you kick it around!"
Ye Qing and the Snow Empress did not descend right away.
They hovered in midair, looking down for several seconds.
Those few seconds were enough.
Ye Qing's brow slowly furrowed.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The place was beautiful, but an eerie feeling lurked in every corner, enough to make his scalp prickle.
It was too quiet!
The silence was absolute.
There were no roars from large Soul Beasts.
He could not even hear insects crawling or birds flapping their wings.
Across the entire valley,
apart from the flowers swaying in the wind,
there was not a single sign of life.
It was as still as a painting of a dead place, its beauty almost plastic.
The three of them landed at the valley entrance.
The soil ahead was soft and strewn with bright petals.
Ye Qing had taken only two steps forward to test the ground
when the Snow Empress suddenly held out a pale hand to stop him. She stopped as well.
Ye Qing turned to look at her.
They stood close enough for him to catch the crisp scent of snow and ice that was uniquely hers.
"Did you find something?"
The Snow Empress was not looking at the brilliant flowers. Her gaze was fixed on the soft soil beneath their feet.
Her voice was calm, but it carried a bone-deep chill.
"This isn't a paradise. It's a Soul Beast's hunting ground."
Ye Qing raised an eyebrow.
His sharp gaze swept over the