Thunderclap Valley was not far from the main peak of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but once they entered its outskirts, the terrain quickly narrowed. Dark brown cliffs pressed inward on both sides, leaving only a long, narrow stone path along the valley floor. Gullies scoured by years of thunderstorms wound down along the foot of the mountains, and charred marks dotted the rubble everywhere.
This was a place where Blue Lightning disciples occasionally cultivated with the aid of thunder, but the terrain was so cramped that few stayed for long.
When Yu Yuanzhen arrived outside the valley with his men, the Blue Lightning elder walking ahead suddenly stopped. He pushed aside several stones beside the path, revealing a shallow scrape underneath. Then he followed the cliff for another dozen paces and soon found several unnatural traces of trampling among the dry grass.
"People have been here in the last two days, and quite a few of them."
Lu Yuan looked up at the cliffs on either side. The closer they came to Thunderclap Valley, the clearer the gray lines in the Eye of Destiny became. The trajectory belonging to Yu Yuanzhen no longer converged toward Blue Lightning's main peak, but instead followed the valley passage straight ahead.
When he had chosen this place last night, he had only considered how Thunderclap Valley's narrow terrain would help split up the Soul Hunting Squad. Now, with the traces at the entrance laid bare before him, it was clear that Spirit Hall had set its sights on this place before they had.
Yu Yuanzhen walked to the valley entrance, his sole grinding aside a layer of loose dirt and exposing the edge of a metal object buried in the mud. The elder beside him crouched to inspect it, then looked upward