37: Chapter 37 The First Appearance of the Blood Raven and the Struggle of a Trapped Beast

The night was thick as ink, rapidly swallowing the last contours of the valley. All that remained were the weak, dancing flames inside the cave and the faint, ghost-fire-like glow emanating from the Spiritual Spring pond in the darkness.

One mile away, on the western ridge, two figures stood silently like statues, overlooking the Shiyuan Valley shrouded in darkness below.

One of them was hunched over; it was the Qi Family's head, the Head of the Qi Family, who had fled in such a sorry state earlier.

His aura was still unstable, and his face was bruised, but the look he directed at the valley was filled with malice.

The other person was entirely enveloped in a wide black robe, wearing a black-lacquered ebony raven-beak mask on his face, revealing only two eyes as deep as ancient wells.

He seemed to merge almost entirely with the night, his aura obscure and profound, like a bottomless vortex. He was clearly a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

He was Deacon Ya Jiu, an outer perimeter deacon of the Blood Crow Tower's Eastern Region branch.

After receiving the message from the Puppet's warning, he had rushed here with the Head of the Qi Family as soon as possible.

"Useless." Deacon Ya Jiu's voice came from behind the mask, low and raspy, devoid of any emotion, like two rough stones grinding together. "A small Spiritual Vein node, yet you lost an Elder, got yourself injured, and even lost the stronghold."

The Head of the Qi Family's body trembled, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. He lowered his head even further. "This subordinate is incompetent! That Lin Chen... that Lin Chen is extremely cunning and hides a bizarre Move. The Third Elder, he..."

Deacon Ya Jiu had no interest in listening to his excuses and simply raised a hand to interrupt him.

His eyes, hidden behind the mask, silently overlooked the scene below.

At the valley entrance, several newly moved boulders had disrupted the original terrain, and combined with the surrounding stone forest, they formed a subtle shielding effect.

Under a Cultivator's spiritual vision, one could see a very faint layer of Spiritual Qi distorting the light there, making the valley entrance appear blurry.

A faint glimmer of runes flashed and vanished at the cave entrance; those were what Lin Chen had just carved.

"The Formation was laid out hastily and crudely, but the key nodes were all placed at the weak points of the earth vein's flow. It uses the principle of using a small force to deflect a large one; it has some structure and isn't just amateur work." Deacon Ya Jiu's gaze shifted to the boulders at the valley entrance. "That old fellow named Liu Yuan, to still have such insight even with his spiritual power exhausted to this extent—it's quite interesting."

His gaze then swept over the traces left by the previous fight between Lin Chen and the Qi Family's Third Elder—the cracked fist prints on the ground and the shattered sword marks on the rocks.

"And there's that Lin Chen," the Head of the Qi Family added quickly from the side, attempting to make up for his failure. "His Foundation is so solid that he doesn't seem like an ordinary Loose Cultivator. He's clearly only at the first level of Foundation Establishment, yet his punching force is extraordinarily fierce. I saw him break through in the middle of battle with my own eyes; he must have some secret!"

The corners of Deacon Ya Jiu's mouth beneath the mask seemed to curl into a silent arc.

Secrets? Who in this world doesn't have secrets?

Only valuable secrets were worth his effort.

"Go, take some men and test their mettle." Deacon Ya Jiu finally withdrew his gaze, his voice as cold as ice. "Remember, I want them alive, especially that old Formation Master and the one surnamed Lin. As for the others..."

He paused, his raspy voice revealing a sense of casual cruelty. "It doesn't matter if they are dead or alive."

Just past midnight, the night was at its deepest.

Five black shadows, aided by the mottled moonlight in the forest, approached Shiyuan Valley as silently as ghosts.

Leading them was the Head of the Qi Family, who was seething with rage. Behind him followed five elite Qi Family disciples in the Middle or Late Stage of Qi Refining, each with bloodthirsty glints in their eyes.

Having learned his lesson, the Head of the Qi Family did not choose to launch a frontal assault.

With a wave of his hand, two disciples immediately took out crossbows and fired two bolts tied with incendiary materials at the boulders acting as obstacles at the valley entrance, attempting to create chaos and attract attention.

Meanwhile, he and his other three trusted aides split into two groups and, like agile cats, quietly crept into the rugged stone forest on both sides, attempting to sneak in by circling around through the gaps.

However, just as their feet stepped into the seemingly ordinary area on the outskirts of the valley entrance—

The surrounding scenery suddenly warped slightly.

The boulders before them seemed to come alive in the night, beginning to "Move" extremely slowly. The previously clear paths instantly became blurred, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to become unreal.

Liu Yuan's simple disorientation Formation had taken effect.

This Formation had zero lethality, but by affecting the five senses, it could create fatal visual misdirection.

A Qi Family disciple sneaking in from the left felt his vision blur. Where there should have been solid ground, he stepped into thin air, landing directly into a patch of soft moss.

"Puff!" With a soft sound, a colorless and odorless powder sprayed out from under the moss, and he instantly inhaled it.

It was the "Paralysis Powder" laid by Su Qingyao!

The disciple's movements instantly stiffened, and the circulation of his blood and Qi was delayed by a fraction!

"It's a trap!" Another disciple beside him was just about to shout a warning when he also felt a numbness in his hands and feet.

Just at this moment! A-Tu, who had been lurking behind a boulder near the cave entrance, holding his breath until he was almost suffocating, saw the two feinting attackers fire their incendiary arrows. Following Lin Chen's strict prior orders, he violently pulled a tough vine-rope he had been clutching in his hand, which was disguised as a real vine!

"Boom—!" Above the valley entrance, several boulders that Liu Yuan had previously scouted and which were already loose, lost their final point of balance under the pull of the vine-rope and came crashing down with immense force!

The boulders didn't hit anyone, but they slammed heavily onto the front of the valley entrance, completely blocking the only path and kicking up a sky full of dust and smoke.

This earth-shattering noise was no different from a thunderclap in the deathly silent valley!

Alarm! Inside the cave, Lin Chen and Liu Yuan, who had been meditating, opened their eyes violently at almost the same moment!

"They're here!" Lin Chen barked, and without the slightest hesitation, his figure flashed out of the cave like a hunting leopard.

As soon as he appeared, a sharp, cold glint pierced through the air from the shadows of the stone forest to the side, heading straight for his throat!

It was the Head of the Qi Family! When enemies meet, their eyes turn red with hatred.

The Head of the Qi Family didn't say a word. The water-splitting daggers in his hands traced a deadly trajectory in the moonlight. His Moves were extremely ruthless, with no probing at all; they were all killing blows!

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed. Instead of retreating, he advanced. He clenched his right fist, and a pale golden Spiritual Qi radiance instantly covered his knuckles, slamming fiercely into the deadly cold light!

"Clang—!" The fist and daggers met, exploding in a blinding spark. Violent energy swept out in all directions, blowing shattered stones everywhere.

Lin Chen felt a vicious, piercing force travel up his knuckles, shaking his blood and Qi.

And the wound on his right fist, which had just been bandaged by Su Qingyao, instantly split open under this hard collision!

A heart-piercing pain surged, and fresh blood immediately soaked through the new bandage.

The intense pain caused his condensed Spiritual Qi to scatter for a split second, and his movements slowed by a fraction.

When experts fight, a split second can mean life or death!

The Head of the Qi Family seized this fleeting opportunity, his killing intent surging. The other water-splitting dagger, which had been hidden in his sleeve, struck out like lightning, aiming straight for the vital point of Lin Chen's waist and abdomen!

Just at this critical moment, a sound of something piercing the air came from inside the cave!

A dozen silver needles shimmering with a dark blue luster shot out like a rainstorm, covering the sky as they headed toward the Head of the Qi Family's face, wrists, and all other exposed vital points!

It was Su Qingyao! She didn't make a sound, nor did she appear; she simply provided the most lethal support at the most critical moment!

The Head of the Qi Family's pupils contracted violently. He could feel the insidious, paralyzing aura on the tips of the needles.

If he insisted on injuring Lin Chen, he would inevitably be hit by the silver needles himself, which would be a loss that outweighed the gain.

In the blink of an eye, he had to abandon this excellent assassination opportunity. He twisted his wrist, and his water-splitting daggers danced in a cold light as he moved to defend and parry.

"Cling, clang, clatter!" With a dense series of crisp sounds, most of the silver needles were deflected, but two still pierced his forearm.

A feeling of paralysis instantly surged, causing his arm movements to slow for a moment.

Lin Chen seized this opportunity and retreated rapidly, reuniting with Liu Yuan, who had just managed to reach the cave entrance.

"Rise!" Liu Yuan's face was pale, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He formed seals with both hands, forcibly mobilizing the last trace of spiritual power in his body. Using himself as a catalyst, he pried open a sliver of the Foundation of the ruined ancient Formation in the valley!

Hum—! A visible, earthy-yellow halo of light rose from the ground, rapidly condensing in front of the cave entrance into a thin, yet heavy-feeling earthy-yellow barrier of Spiritual Qi, temporarily blocking the Head of the Qi Family's path.

On the other side, the two groups of Qi Family disciples who had attempted to circle around were in an even more sorry state.

They were left disoriented by the chaotic terrain and various inconspicuous little traps.

The two disciples who had been hit by the paralysis powder were now weak all over. A-Tu seized the opportunity and used a captured hunting bow from a high vantage point to fire two short arrows coated with an enhanced paralysis potion!

"Ah!" Two short, sharp screams rang out. The two men shuddered and fell helplessly from the rock wall they were hiding behind, crashing into the pile of rubble, their survival unknown.

Seeing this, the remaining three Qi Family disciples were already terrified out of their wits. How could they dare to continue fighting? They helped the Head of the Qi Family up and fled from Shiyuan Valley in a panic.

On the ridge, Deacon Ya Jiu had taken in the entire short and intense skirmish inside the valley.

His gaze lingered on Lin Chen the longest.

He clearly saw that even with his right fist injured and the old wound aggravated, Lin Chen was still able to calmly organize a counterattack. His circulation of spiritual power was smooth and unimpeded, showing none of the stagnation common in the Cultivation Techniques of Loose Cultivators.

And that Liu Yuan, even in a state of nearly exhausted spiritual power, was actually able to skillfully borrow the lingering power of the ancient Formation. His understanding and application of the Dao of Formations far exceeded that of an ordinary Formation Master.

As for the woman who had never shown herself, her timing was precise and ruthless; she was an excellent support.

Even the servant, who was only at the second level of Qi Refining, appeared exceptionally sharp and executed orders decisively without any hesitation.

"Interesting. They aren't just a mob." Deacon Ya Jiu muttered to himself, his raspy voice carrying a hint of amusement for the first time. "They vaguely have the embryonic form of a coordinated Family battle team. A frontal assault would be too costly."

He already had a plan in mind.

Soon, the Head of the Qi Family returned to the ridge with his three remaining subordinates, looking miserable. He knelt on one knee, his face ugly as he apologized to Deacon Ya Jiu: "Lord Ya Jiu, this subordinate is incompetent. I have lost soldiers and suffered losses..."

"The purpose of the test has already been achieved." Deacon Ya Jiu waved his hand, seemingly indifferent to the life or death of those two disciples.

He coldly issued new orders: "Pass the order down: seal all exits of the valley and maintain surveillance day and night. Every two hours, harass them with incendiary arrows and thrown stones; do not let them have a moment of peace. By the way, they have a Spiritual Spring in the valley, so their water source cannot be cut off."

Deacon Ya Jiu's mask turned toward the Head of the Qi Family, coldness emanating from his deep eye sockets. "Then go to the upstream, find a few poisonous sacs from rotting Yao Beast corpses, and throw them into the stream. I don't need to poison them to death immediately; I just need the water of that Spiritual Spring to become no longer so clean."

"This subordinate understands!" the Head of the Qi Family...

Soon, more torches lit up outside Shiyuan Valley, and shadows flickered, surrounding the entire valley tightly.

The silent night was broken.

"Swish! Swish!" Several burning incendiary arrows trailed long tails of flame as they were shot in from outside the valley. Most were blocked by boulders and rock walls, landing on the grass and igniting a small patch of fire, which was quickly extinguished by the damp mist.

The harassment had begun.

Inside the cave, Su Qingyao had just finished cleaning and re-bandaging Lin Chen's split wound, her brows tightly knitted.

"This won't do." She scooped up a handful of stream water and tested it with a silver needle, her delicate brows knitting even tighter. "The water has been tainted with corpse poison. Although the Spiritual Qi of the Spiritual Spring can neutralize most of it, long-term consumption will cause toxins to accumulate in the body and damage the Meridians."

Food could still last for a few days, but a clean water source had become the most urgent problem.

They could only rely on the small amount of unpolluted Spiritual Spring water accumulated in the stone pits inside the cave.

The atmosphere inside the cave instantly became incomparably heavy.

Liu Yuan had forcibly activated the Formation and was now at the end of his rope. His face was as white as paper, and he sat cross-legged in the corner, lacking even the strength to speak.

Lin Chen's right fist was injured on top of an injury, and he would be unable to fight with full strength in the short term.

A-Tu and Old Man Shi took turns standing guard at the cave entrance, but the constant harassment made it impossible for them to rest. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they were exhausted.

"We cannot just sit here and wait for death." Lin Chen looked at the flickering torchlight in the night outside the cave, his voice raspy but firm.

Being besieged here, their Medicinal Pills, food, and energy were being consumed every moment.

The other side only needed to pay a minimal price to drag them to death.

They had to find a way to break the blockade, or... seek help from the outside.

Seek help? The image of Liu Ruxu flashed through Lin Chen's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

Luoxia Valley was a hundred miles away, and Liu Ruxu was pregnant; distant water could not quench a near thirst.

His gaze slowly swept over the exhausted group, finally landing on the weak Liu Yuan, and then turned to the Spiritual Spring pond that was still bubbling and emitting pure Spiritual Qi.

A crazy idea quietly sprouted in the bottom of his heart.

The enemy wanted to trap them to death, but they were not exactly in a hopeless situation.

Beneath their feet, they were standing on a Medium Grade First-Tier Spiritual Vein!

And there was also Liu Yuan, who knew the Formation like the back of his hand!

Lin Chen sat down against the cold stone wall, his right fingertips subconsciously rubbing the rough stone ring on his thumb.

His gaze passed through the dancing firelight, looking at the pool eye inside the cave that was constantly gushing out milky-white Spiritual Spring water, and then looked at Liu Yuan in the corner, who was closing his eyes tightly and trying his best to recover. His eyes gradually became deep and profound.