Strange Valley

(Forget Worries)

Xia Xue was so flustered by Chu Xiaotian that, for a long while, she could only let him hold her hand. [Forget Worries][] Chu Xiaotian knew when to stop while he was ahead. After taking advantage of Xia Xue for a while, he decisively let go of her hand. But his eyes remained fixed on her, waiting for her answer.

Xia Xue said nothing. She shot him an annoyed, reproachful look, then vanished from the spot and dashed toward the valley where she lived. Chu Xiaotian gave a cheeky grin, pushed his frustration at being unable to cultivate to the back of his mind for the moment, and hurried after her.

Chu Xiaotian's earlier antics had made things between them feel a little strange. Xia Xue didn't know whether she was embarrassed or angry; after entering the valley, she hid in her room and wouldn't come out. Chu Xiaotian called to her several times from outside, but she ignored him.

Chu Xiaotian wasn't worried, though. He knew this was normal. Girls got shy; once she recovered, she'd be fine. So he hummed a little tune, went to the pond in the valley, caught a few more fish, and started making lunch.

Xia Xue had meant to give Chu Xiaotian the cold shoulder for a while, to teach him not to act so recklessly again. But the tempting aroma of grilled fish drew her out of her room after all. Before Chu Xiaotian could even say anything to her, she took two fish from the wooden rack and returned to her room. Chu Xiaotian could only shake his head with a wry smile.

Chu Xiaotian didn't waste the afternoon. Still unwilling to give up, he continued following the method in the Mad Battle Blade Art, drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body in hopes of witnessing a miracle. But no miracle came. The moment the energy entered his body, the Corpse Poison swallowed it all, just as before.

Though he knew this would happen, Chu Xiaotian couldn't help sighing. But he soon regained his composure. He'd more or less come to terms with it. The Corpse Poison in his body had cut off his path to cultivation, but that didn't mean he'd be completely incapable of fighting. Every night, his zombie body would devour the vital energy and blood of living creatures to strengthen his physique. It wasn't a good thing, but it still made him stronger. Besides, his Talisman Art could unleash tremendous power in this world, so rich in spiritual energy. If he could really use runes to attack others, he wouldn't be weak at all.

By now, he could draw on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with his mental power. That meant condensing runes directly from the energy shouldn't be too difficult. He decided to give it a try at once, using the energy to form runes from a distance. It wasn't easy; at the very least, the Chu Xiaotian of before wouldn't have been able to do it. Now, even though he could manipulate spiritual energy, he tried for a long time without ever managing to form a complete rune.

Spiritual energy was, after all, intangible and elusive. It wouldn't take shape just because you wanted it to. The afternoon was nearly over, and Chu Xiaotian still hadn't accomplished anything. His only gain, perhaps, was that he'd grown a little more familiar with controlling spiritual energy.

"Come on, Heaven, you can't play me like this! You send me to a place like this, then cut off my path to cultivation—what's that supposed to mean?" After trying this way and that without getting anywhere, Chu Xiaotian stood up and looked at the sky, muttering a couple of curses under his breath. Then he went to catch a few more fish and grilled them. Xia Xue still wouldn't speak to him. She came out, took two grilled fish inside, and didn't come back out.

Chu Xiaotian shook his head, wolfed down the remaining fish, glanced up at the sky, and set off toward the valley's exit without another word. The Corpse Poison was almost beyond his control; he had to leave.

"That guy isn't staying here tonight again. Where's he going? No, I have to follow him and see." As soon as Chu Xiaotian left the valley, Xia Xue came out of her room. She watched the direction he'd gone, frowning slightly as she murmured to herself. The moment she finished speaking, she followed him out of the valley. Chu Xiaotian had no idea Xia Xue was behind him. He sprinted at full speed toward the depths of the forest.

Xia Xue was faster than Chu Xiaotian and had been able to follow him without hurrying. But once they entered the forest, Chu Xiaotian took off at a mad dash. With the trees in her way, Xia Xue gradually lost sight of him.

Xia Xue had some strength now, but she was still a girl. The forest growing steadily darker, along with the roars of beasts rising and falling all around her, filled her with unease. She hesitated beneath a large tree for a moment, then stopped chasing Chu Xiaotian. She stamped her foot in frustration and turned to run back out of the forest. Only the beasts' roars remained, echoing through the woods, with a faint trace of fear in them.

Chu Xiaotian lost consciousness again. All he could see was black and red; the red was his target. The forest became a scene of blood and chaos. Whether it was a giant wolf over three meters long or a bear taller than two men, both were utterly frail before Chu Xiaotian's zombie body. He easily devoured all the vital energy and blood in them.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, its cold light spilling down like water. Below, in the woods, a humanoid monster covered in thick black fur was devouring the lives of the forest's beasts without pause. Countless giant beasts fled in terror, charging toward the depths of the forest.

Transformed into a zombie and devoid of consciousness, Chu Xiaotian knew only how to devour wildly. He'd completely forgotten that powerful demons might lurk in the depths of the forest. The beasts were blocked from escaping by him and had no choice but to flee deeper into the woods. The zombie that Chu Xiaotian had become pursued them without hesitation.

He chased the fleeing beasts, devouring any that fell behind and driving them into a dead end, until they had no choice but to run toward a valley up ahead. The valley stood out starkly from the surrounding forest. In the moonlight, it was clearly barren, with no vegetation at all. Red rocks surrounded it, as if a fire were burning beneath the whole valley.

In fact, the truth wasn't far from the image. The valley was scorching hot, as if a fire really were roasting it from below. Waves of heat shimmered visibly in the moonlight. As soon as the beasts rushed in, their fur began to curl. Those that reached the depths started giving off black smoke. They wanted to turn back, to go no farther, but behind them, the zombie Chu Xiaotian had become was their death sentence. If they retreated, he would drain their blood and vital energy, killing them on the spot.

The beasts dared not go forward, but the zombie Chu Xiaotian had become didn't care about any of that. With a roar, he sprang toward the nearest giant bear. Though the bear feared this humanoid monster, it instinctively raised a paw and brought it down on the zombie to save its own life.

The bear stood more than three meters tall, and its paw was thicker than a person's body. A single blow could easily crush someone into a heap of flesh. But Chu Xiaotian wasn't human anymore; he was a zombie, with a body so tough it beggared belief. He didn't even flinch as the bear's paw came down. Raising both arms, he seized the paw. Ten black, razor-sharp claws sank into the bear's flesh, and before it could even cry out in pain, he flung it away. It crashed into a boulder as tall as a person inside the valley.

The bear let out several anguished roars. Most of its bones had snapped in the impact, and it no longer had the strength to get back up. The zombie Chu Xiaotian had become gave it no time to rise, either. He pounced on it and sank his teeth into its neck. After several wet, gurgling sounds, the bear was dead.

After killing the bear, the zombie shifted his gaze to another giant tiger and sprang toward it. This beast, usually the king of its domain, had no thought of resisting now. With a mournful roar, it raced desperately toward the depths of the valley. It might still survive the higher temperatures farther in. Against this humanoid monster, death was certain. Of the two choices, the king of the forest could tell which was better.

The giant tiger was exceptionally fast, outpacing the other beasts. The zombie behind it changed targets and went after the creatures farther back instead. In just a few breaths, several more giant beasts had died at his hands.

By then, they had reached the middle of the valley. Few beasts were still running ahead, while many carcasses lay behind them. The valley stretched over a mile, and the farther in they went, the hotter it became. The fur of the beasts in front had turned yellow and scorched, and waves of foul stench rolled from them. If they went any farther, their fur might catch fire.

But they had no choice but to keep going to escape the killer behind them. Just then, a roar suddenly rang out from deep within the valley. The wave of sound surged toward them, tangled with the heat, and brought every giant beast running at full tilt to a halt.