Insect Valley

Pang Jian once again became the team's guide, responsible for mapping out the subsequent journey.

Luo Hongyan's behavior thereafter not only exceeded Pang Jian's expectations but also left the Su and He families feeling incredulous.

Regarding the details and itinerary of their continued exploration, she handed full authority over to Pang Jian, firmly supporting him no matter where he chose to go.

She made it clear to Su Yuntian and He Rong that the territories those two families originally intended to explore were active hunting grounds for Dark Ghosts.

She also candidly informed them that Pang Jian had saved many lives and possessed the most intimate knowledge of this mountain range's terrain and its many perils.

Due to her strong recommendation, the Su and He families agreed to let Pang Jian serve as their guide.

Thus, under Pang Jian's leadership, the party continued to push toward the northernmost reaches of the Cenji Mountains.

Along the way, she clung to Pang Jian at every turn, chatting him up even when she had nothing to say.

Another late night descended.

A fuming He Rong sat with a dark expression, watching the two figures whispering to each other by a campfire far from the rest of the group.

From time to time, Luo Hongyan would let out a soft, girlish giggle, which filled He Rong with immense annoyance.

"They look like a pair of lovers."

Su Meng whispered, adding fuel to the fire.

He Rong rose abruptly in a fit of rage, only to be grabbed and pressed back down by Su Yuntian, who asked strangely, "What kind of temper are you throwing?"

"You must remember that Ziren is already dead, and they never married; that girl is not your He Family's daughter-in-law!"

He Rong growled, "Seeing her like this, I think of how Ziren was obsessed with her, and how he might not even have a corpse left, and it just infuriates me!"

"The dead cannot return to life; there is no need for you to be like this." Su Yuntian offered kind advice, urging He Rong not to be impulsive or stir up trouble at such a time.

Su Yuntian also found it strange that the Ning Family young lady, who had always been cold toward others, was acting unusually proactive toward Pang Jian. Whenever Pang Jian wasn't cultivating, she would immediately stick to his side.

He didn't know what she was saying to that boy, but she would occasionally let out silver-bell-like laughter, appearing to be in a very good mood.

The death of Ning Yuanshan and the slaughter of the Ning Family servants seemed not to have affected her at all.

Could it be that she didn't care at all?

Su Yuntian stroked his chin, watching from afar as Luo Hongyan, who had become so incredibly enthusiastic around Pang Jian, felt equally filled with doubt.

"Sister Ning disregarded worldly judgment and didn't choose Brother Ziren, but instead took a fancy to this mountain hunter—I personally admire that!" Su Meng whispered.

Her words made the expression on He Rong's face even uglier.

"Father, you are not allowed to interfere with who I marry in the future!"

Su Meng shouted, taking precautions.

Su Yuntian glared at her fiercely and said with a headache, "Given your aptitude, the Su Family has no right to interfere anyway."

"Once you go to the Blazing Sun Sect in the future, a master will claim you, and your lifelong affairs will be arranged under your master's watch; it won't be up to the family to decide."

"Then I must pick a good master!" Su Meng said vigilantly.

"Sizzle!"

Pang Jian poked at the firewood, watching the sparks fly as he sized up the woman across from him.

Lately, whenever he wasn't cultivating, she would take the initiative to stick close to him and chat about the state of the cultivation world.

Sometimes, she would briefly recount the wonders and strange tales of the sects in the Third Realm.

Through their idle chatter, Pang Jian learned that the Dong Family and the Su Family of the Seven Great Families had long held deep ties with the Blazing Sun Sect of the upper realm.

The girl named Su Meng was the one who had been scouted by the Blazing Sun Sect.

The Zhou Family had origins with Red Mountain in the upper realm, while the Ning Family and the He Family were on better terms with the Galaxy Alliance.

The Shangguan Family and the Ouyang Family were considered vassal forces of the Blood Moon in the lower realm; talented youths from these two families would do everything in their power to head to the Blood Moon to cultivate.

Above them in the Third Realm, among countless fragments resembling floating islands, were two continents named Gantian and Xuanyou.

The most powerful factions of cultivators all established their sects on those two continents: the Blazing Sun Sect, Red Mountain, the Blood Moon, the Yin Spirit Temple, and the Galaxy Alliance.

Among them, the Blazing Sun Sect and Red Mountain were on the Gantian continent, while the Blood Moon, the Galaxy Alliance, and the Yin Spirit Temple were located on the Xuanyou continent.

The Ning Family young lady had long since received the approval of the Galaxy Alliance and would cultivate in the Galaxy Alliance of the Third Realm in the future; for now, she was merely tempering her cultivation realm in the lower realm.

After experiencing the life-and-death ordeal at the Blackwater Pool, the previously cold and aloof girl seemed to have suddenly changed her temperament.

After offering a sincere apology in the tree hollow, she no longer put on a high-and-mighty air, and every action she took afterward left Pang Jian unable to find a single fault.

When he sought a quiet place to cultivate with the spirit stones in his bamboo basket, the girl would tactfully leave immediately.

When he was in the mood for conversation, the girl would take the initiative to seek him out and explain the common knowledge of the cultivation world in detail, giving him a brand-new understanding of this world.

The girl would also secure enough food and fresh water for him from the Su and He families, and she had persuaded both families to follow his lead.

Her recent behavior made Pang Jian feel at ease in every way, leaving him no opportunity to pick a fight even if he wanted to.

Sometimes, Pang Jian even wondered if the Ning Family young lady, who had nearly drowned in the Blackwater Pool, had suffered some kind of damage to her brain.

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing him lost in a trance, Luo Hongyan stopped her description of the wonders of the Third Realm and asked with a smile.

"There are three major forbidden zones in the Cenji Mountains that I never dared to enter before. The Blackwater Pool is one, another is a place called the Insect Valley, and the third is a small island in Wulan Lake."

Pang Jian reined in his wandering thoughts, cast his gaze into the distance, and said, "We are almost at the Insect Valley. I intend to go and investigate."

Luo Hongyan's brows twitched, a look of surprise escaping her crystalline lips as she asked curiously, "Who did you hear about these three forbidden zones from?"

In the memories of the true Ning Yao within her body, and among the many "Spirit Sha," there was no such thing as these three forbidden zones.

"I heard it from some old hunters."

Pang Jian naturally would not tell the truth, as these three forbidden zones were simply places his father had warned him never to enter.

"Oh, I see. Then the Insect Valley..."

Luo Hongyan, though suspicious, was tactful enough not to press further. She asked with a beaming smile, "I'll listen to you regardless. Wherever you say we should go, that is where I will follow."

Pang Jian paused, looking at her with a strange expression.

"Everyone, get ready. Once we've eaten, we're heading to the Insect Valley."

Luo Hongyan stood up and moved toward the Su and He families, though she didn't get too close. She said coldly, "Pang Jian says the Insect Valley is a bit dangerous, so you all should be careful."

After giving her instructions, she swayed her hips with graceful, alluring steps as she returned to Pang Jian, completely ignoring the anger in He Rong's eyes.

In her heart, He Rong and Su Yuntian were nothing more than two higher-level "Spirit Sha."

She kept them alive only because she needed them to help her maintain the identity of Ning Yao.

"Let's continue."

Pang Jian slowly rose, carrying the Dragon-Patterned Spear in the dark night, the bamboo basket strapped to his back as he moved forward.

In the silent night, the group huddled close together, not daring to spread out too far.

After notifying the Su and He families, Luo Hongyan immediately leaned in toward Pang Jian again, almost pressing against him.

Pang Jian, already accustomed to this, could smell the pleasant fragrance on her, and occasionally, distracting thoughts would stir within him.

An hour later.

Under the pitch-black night sky, Pang Jian arrived at the Insect Valley, a place he had passed by many times before but had never ventured into.

Because it was so dark, he couldn't see anything when he arrived, nor did he see that another Phoenix Bone was also impaled into the earth of the Insect Valley.

Once he reached the valley, the Su and He families followed, lighting the candles in their lanterns, which was when he finally noticed the anomaly.

A Phoenix Bone was driven into a massive Giant Beehive, piercing through it with its sharp end buried deep into the ground, surrounded by countless skeletal remains.

Pang Jian had never seen such a massive beehive; he could only imagine how many insects had once lived inside.

Recalling the miserable state of the giant python at the bottom of the Blackwater Pool, Pang Jian guessed that this giant beehive was the source of terror for the Insect Valley forbidden zone.

Just like the giant python, the beehive had been targeted by a falling Phoenix Bone, which had pierced it clean through upon impact.

Countless insects must have died in the Insect Valley, their essence and blood drained by the Phoenix Bone to form yet another drop of Phoenix Marrow.

"Ouyang Family clothing!"

Su Yuntian held his torch closer to get a better look and shouted, "Ning Yao, they are a team from the Ouyang Family!"

"You once said you encountered Ouyang Duanhai, that he had become something neither human nor ghost, and was eventually killed by a Dark Ghost at the Blackwater Pool. This must be where Ouyang Duanhai met his end!"

"A Humanoid Monster, Ouyang Duanhai, killed by a Dark Ghost?" Pang Jian was stunned.

He gave Luo Hongyan a meaningful look, immediately realizing that this woman had not told the Su and He families the truth. That monster, Ouyang Duanhai, had clearly been devoured from the inside by a blood-colored phoenix bird, and that bird had eventually vanished into the bronze medallion within his own body.

"There is no value here anymore."

Since she knew the Phoenix Marrow had already been produced and taken by Ouyang Duanhai, Luo Hongyan felt a sense of boredom. "Pang Jian, regardless of what wonders this place once held, there will be none left in the future."

Pang Jian saw it too.

With the fall of the Phoenix Bone, the beehive pinned to the ground, and the formation of the Phoenix Marrow, this place truly had no value left.

"We'll rest here for the night. At dawn, we head to Wulan Lake to see if there is another Phoenix Bone impaled on that island in the lake."

He had a strong intuition.

Since the two places his father had listed as forbidden zones—the Blackwater Pool and the Insect Valley—had been chosen by the Phoenix Bones, it was highly likely that a fourth Phoenix Bone existed on that small island in Wulan Lake.