All preparations were complete, but only thirty people remained.
With our remaining thirty, we began to approach the Gathering Yin Formation platform at the entrance of Black Demon Valley.
We continued through the mountain forest, and the path became steeper.
High mountains and slopes surrounded us, with strange rocks scattered everywhere.
The path was treacherous; a moment of carelessness could send one tumbling off a cliff.
Ahead of us lay a vast crevasse in the mountain valley, and a fellow Daoist had almost stepped into it and fallen.
So I called back, reminding them:
"Lao Mo, watch your step. There's a large crevasse here that we need to jump over…"
At the same time, I looked down. A sheer drop of over a hundred meters led to a jumble of rocks below.
Even for us cultivators, falling from such a height would result in utter annihilation.
"I know, be careful yourself. Yunlong, Yunhu, you few, pay attention too."
Lao Mo dared not be careless, his usual flippant words gone as he warned those around him.
Everyone began to slow their pace, inching forward.
For the next half hour, we moved along the precipices and sheer cliffs.
Finally, after nearly eight hours of travel, we reached our destination.
Black Demon Valley.
We were now crouched at the edge of the cliff, looking down.
A few hundred meters away was the mouth of a valley.
On either side stood great snow-capped mountains, stabbing into the clouds like blades, their peaks covered in pristine white snow. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Beneath the valley entrance, a massive formation was clearly visible.
Around the formation stood many figures in black robes, conducting a Gathering Yin ritual.
The formation emitted an eerie red light.
Below the formation platform, over a hundred demonic cultivators were present, with corpse monsters crawling, ice demons guarding, and malevolent spirits patrolling the sky.
From time to time, corpse monsters, ice monsters, or even malevolent spirits would proceed to the stone platform.
As the red light flared, those who ascended weakly would descend full of vigor.
Accompanying this was a constant, low growl.
Staring at the formation, I immediately judged it to be the target of this operation: the Gathering Yin Platform.
"The Gathering Yin Platform. We've arrived," Senior Bai Daozi whispered.
Everyone else's eyes widened:
"Damn it, it's this formation platform that's providing energy to those monsters."
"Brother, Junior, rest assured, I will carry your will and destroy this evil formation platform."
"…"
Many faces grew somber, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
More than ten people had already sacrificed themselves to reach this point; we had to complete the mission, lest their deaths be in vain.
While observing, I continued to survey the surrounding terrain.
Our current position was on the mountainside.
There was still a drop of over a hundred meters to reach the bottom.
"It seems difficult to get down from here!"
"Indeed! It's too high. Climbing straight down would make us easy targets."
"Exactly, there are no handholds, making it hard to descend."
"…"
Discussions began to spread among them.
But I suddenly spoke up:
"Everyone, it's definitely not feasible to descend from here. But have you noticed, about five hundred meters behind us, there's a large crevasse in the cliff face.
We can descend slowly in batches through the crevasse.
This will not only allow us to avoid the sight of the demonic entities but also let us reach the valley floor undetected…"
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
"Right! There's a large crevasse behind us; I almost stepped into it and fell earlier."
"Correct, Daoist Qin's method is excellent."
"Senior Bai Daozi, without further ado, let's descend!"
"…"
Senior Bai Daozi nodded and waved his hand at everyone:
"Execute!"
All heads lowered, and bodies slowly moved backward.
We began to retreat from the cliff edge.
We moved stealthily and soon reached the large crevasse behind us.
The crevasse split the mountainside, varying in width from wide to narrow. At its widest, it was about two meters across.
At its narrowest, it was barely a hand's width.
Looking down, the rocks were sharp and covered in weeds.
At the same time, an independent cultivator stepped forward:
"Fellow Daoists, I was born in Bashan and often climb mountains. Let me lead the way!"
The speaker was a short, sturdy Daoist.
Some who recognized him clasped their fists:
"Brother Ma, be careful!"
"Brother Ma, you go first, I'll follow close behind."
"…"
This Daoist Ma wasted no more words and began to climb down the rock face. His movements were astonishingly fast, like a monkey.
After climbing down more than ten meters, he called up:
"Fellow Daoists, just follow the path I've cleared."
"…"
Everyone nodded and began to follow quickly.
I was among them, starting my rapid descent.
However, when it was my turn, I found that while Daoist Ma had climbed smoothly, I found it more difficult.
Even with my cultivation, climbing this slippery cliff face was challenging.
Each movement required extreme caution; a single mistake could affect others, or even cause me to fall.
Midway down, trouble struck.
Loose rocks above dislodged, and several stones began to fall.
"Careful!"
A Daoist above called out urgently. I looked up and saw a rock the size of a washbasin falling towards me.
If this hit my head, it would surely be fatal!
Everyone was terrified, but at this critical moment, I raised my hand and threw a punch.
Having consumed the Zhenwu Xuandan, my physical body was extremely strong.
Coupled with a punch imbued with Dao qi, the rock shattered with a "bang!"
Countless small pebbles scattered, averting the disaster.
But before I could catch my breath, two Daoists above lost their grip due to the slippery cliff face and began to fall.
This caused four or five Daoists, including Xia Qiu Xi, to lose their footing and fall from the crevices.
"Ah!"
"Careful!"
"Catch them!"
"…"
Screams of panic echoed.
Watching them plummet, if they weren't caught, they would surely die from the fall.
The number of falling people would only increase, potentially causing heavy casualties.
Especially my friend Xia Qiu Xi; she had saved me twice, and I couldn't bear to watch her fall.
I watched, my heart filled with anxiety.
The people below were also filled with dread, at a loss for what to do.
But I fiercely kicked off the cliff face, preparing to catch them all…