Chapter 214 The Valley of the Mountain Slayer

The team traveled along the mountain path toward the southwest. For the first stretch, the tracking disk remained erratic, but as the distance from the post station increased, the frantically vibrating needle slowly settled down.

"Look, there's a change!"

Ling Xiaoning, having sharp eyes, pointed at the tracking disk in Bai Junyi's hand and called out.

Everyone glanced over. The needle on the bronze disk was no longer spinning wildly; instead, it trembled slightly before finally pointing steadily toward the southwest.

"Finally, it's back to normal."

Lu Dachuan breathed a sigh of relief, but Feng Qing shook his head, his expression becoming even more grave.

"It seems the source of the interference was near the post station."

Bai Junyi stared at the tracking disk, then looked back toward the post station.

"Continue forward, stay alert."

The horse team set off again, this time at a faster pace. The tracking disk returning to normal meant they had a clear direction and guidance, so they no longer had to fumble blindly.

Chen Mu rode forward, but he was secretly pondering in his heart.

There was something wrong with the post station, or rather, there was something wrong with Lin Xiuer.

That young girl had no fluctuations of power on her, yet she could affect the Magical Artifact specially crafted by the Demon Suppression Division. Or was there some secret hidden within the post station itself?

He suddenly recalled when they first arrived at the post station: that mysterious wooden door, the girl's father going missing, the changes after three years...

These fragments of clues flashed through his mind, but for the moment, they couldn't be pieced together into a complete picture.

"Chen Mu, what are you thinking about?"

Shen Suning rode closer and asked softly.

Chen Mu withdrew his thoughts and shook his head.

"It's nothing, just feels a bit strange."

Shen Suning followed his gaze, looked back, and said in a low voice.

"The girl at the post station is indeed strange, but we can't worry about that right now. Youxu Valley... I don't know what awaits us there."

Chen Mu glanced at her. This daughter of the Chief Grand Secretary, who could have lived a life of luxury, insisted on coming to the Demon Suppression Division to lick blood from the blade—her motives were likely not simple.

But at least at this moment, they were comrades-in-arms fighting side by side.

"Whatever it is, we'll just have to push through it."

Shen Suning was slightly taken aback by his words, then revealed a wry smile.

"You really are... direct."

Guided by the tracking disk, the horse team ventured deep into the heart of Black Rock Mountain.

The mountain terrain became increasingly steep, the trees blocked out the sky, and the air was filled with a mixed, unpleasant odor.

Bai Junyi pulled on the reins and raised his hand to signal the team to stop.

Ahead lay a relatively open valley, but the entrance was narrow, shaped like a gourd.

Faintly, one could see jagged rocks and twisted dead trees within the valley, with a thick layer of fallen leaves covering the ground.

"The tracking disk indicates that the golden bell signal source is right here in this valley."

Bai Junyi lowered his voice and scanned the surroundings.

Everyone dismounted and tied their horses outside the valley entrance. Lu Dachuan carefully checked the reins and the surrounding environment, then sprinkled some beast-repelling powder before turning to catch up with the team.

The nine of them slowly advanced into the valley. Chen Mu walked on the right side of the team, his gaze scanning the surroundings sharply.

The air inside the valley was colder than outside. The mountain walls were covered in black moss, and gravel was scattered everywhere. One could faintly see scattered animal bones, mostly from mountain deer or wild rabbits. The fractures on the bones were jagged and uneven, as if caused by being torn and bitten with brute force.

Feng Qing crouched down, picked up a bone stained with blood, and frowned deeply.

"These bones are still fresh, at most two or three days old."

Bai Junyi gripped his long saber and instructed in a low voice.

"Stay vigilant."

The team continued deeper. The old path became narrower and narrower, with the narrowest point only allowing two people to pass side by side. After traveling about several hundred zhang, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

At that moment, everyone's footsteps came to a simultaneous halt.

The stone terrace was in a complete mess.

Shattered armor, broken weapons, and blood-stained cloth scraps were scattered everywhere. The ground was soaked with large patches of dark red blood, now dried and blackened, emitting a thick, fishy stench.

The most shocking sight was the skeletons.

Dozens of human skeletons were scattered haphazardly everywhere. Most were incomplete; some were missing their lower bodies, and some had shattered skulls with dried brain matter.

The flesh on these skeletons had mostly been gnawed clean, leaving only white bones stained with blood that shone with an eerie luster in the sunlight. Clear tooth marks remained on the bones, some fine and sharp, others coarse and blunt.

Feng Qing picked up a torn piece of black cloth and then looked at the mountain of skeletons before him.

"It's our people."

He held up the cloth, on which the unique Suanni pattern of the Demon Suppression Division was faintly visible.

"This is... Li Laosan from the Sky Team."

Lu Dachuan's voice trembled as he pointed to a skeleton lying prone on the ground. Its right arm was severed at the shoulder, but the left hand was still clutching a short halberd, with the character 'Li' crookedly carved into the handle.

Feng Qing also walked over to a skeleton and fished out a blood-stained copper coin from under the shattered leather armor. The copper coin was tied with a red string that had long since snapped.

"Wang Wu from the Earth Team. He said the copper coin could save his life."

Ling Xiaoning's face turned deathly pale, and he covered his mouth, afraid to look further. Ji Xiang also bit her lip, her eyes already red.

Bai Junyi slowly walked toward the center of the clearing, looking around, but his gaze suddenly froze, fixed intently on a long saber stuck diagonally into the soil.

The end of the hilt was inlaid with a piece of black jade the size of a pigeon egg. The blade was covered in blood and grime, with many chips, yet it still exuded a sharp, chilling aura.

Bai Junyi's fingers trembled slightly as he reached out to grip the hilt and slowly pulled it out.

The moment the blade left the ground, it emitted a mournful, unwilling cry.

"This is..." Lu Dachuan's eyes widened immediately.

"The zhan yue blade, Chief Banner Officer Zhang's personal saber."

Bai Junyi's voice was terrifyingly dry.

The zhan yue blade was obtained by Zhang Ye when he killed a thousand-year-old Corpse King alone at the age of thirty. Since then, the blade had always followed Zhang Ye to slay demons and break evil, never leaving his side, and had drunk countless blood.

Zhang Ye once said, "As long as the blade is here, the person is here; if the blade breaks, the person is dead."

Everyone's expression was extremely grim.

Zhang Ye's strength ranked within the top five of the entire Demon Hunting Division. With his cultivation at the Late Stage of the Heart-Awakening Realm, plus this zhan yue blade, he even had the power to fight a Demon King.

Yet now, the blade was here, but the person was reduced to scattered, withered bones.

Bai Junyi gripped the zhan yue blade, veins bulging on his hands. He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot as he scanned the surrounding mountain forest, his chest heaving violently.

"Search! Find those beasts for me! Make them pay in blood! Avenge Chief Banner Officer Zhang and the brothers of the Tian Di Xuan Three Teams!"

Everyone remained silent, gripping their respective weapons.

Their comrades had died tragically, their remains unrecovered, and a raging fire of anger burned in their hearts.

However, apart from the sound of the wind through the forest, there was no other movement. No monsters, no ambush, only a scene of tragic death.

"What about the golden bell signal?" Shen Suning suddenly asked.

Bai Junyi took out the tracking disk. The needle on the bronze disk was no longer pointing in a specific direction but was spinning rapidly in place, which meant the signal source was at an extremely close distance—so close that it was impossible to distinguish the exact direction.

"It's right here, but... where are the people?"

Bai Junyi forced himself to calm down and took a deep breath.

"The Bell Guards must be nearby, perhaps trapped somewhere. Search in pairs, split up, don't go too far, and signal immediately if you find anything."

He gritted his teeth and gave the order.

"If they are alive, I want to see them; if they are dead... we must still bring the golden bell back."