Devilfall Valley lay three hundred li northeast of Black Wind Valley. It earned its name from the blood-red miasma that churned there year-round, resembling the gaping maw of a giant demon. Jagged rocks crowded the valley entrance, and bottomless fissures riddled the cliffs-a natural barrier perfectly suited to the Blood Shadow Guards' ambush.
Han Li led the allied forces of the Heavenly South Star Palace through the night, reaching the valley at dawn the next day. Within, all was silent. Only a few wisps of blood-red miasma slithered from the cracks like venomous snakes, while a faint scent of blood hung in the air.
"Palace Master," Wu Jiuzhi said, pointing at a massive stone covered in runes at the valley entrance, "that is the Blood Shadow Guards' Demon-Attracting Stone. It gathers miasma to form a bewildering formation. We must be careful."
Han Li nodded. The Water-Magnetic Sword spun gently in his palm, its star patterns glowing faintly as Grand Void Spiritual Power flowed through it. He glanced back at the Magnetic Essence Griffin. The sect's guardian beast was grooming its claws with its golden feathers, seemingly eager for the coming battle.
"Pass down my orders," Han Li said gravely. "Enter the valley along three routes as planned: the Demon-Slaying Battalion will open the way through the center, the Assault Battalion will circle around the left flank, and the Surprise Attack Battalion will infiltrate through the hidden passage on the right. Remember, the Blood Shadow Guards excel at concealment. Stay alert."
"Yes, sir!" the cultivators answered in unison. The three forces shot toward Devilfall Valley like arrows loosed from a bow.
The Demon-Slaying Battalion had barely stepped into the valley entrance when disaster struck.
The clear sky abruptly darkened. Blood-red miasma surged in from every direction, forming a thick wall of