Han Li spyes, a battle in the dark.

Shiquan Village entered a tense period of repair and vigilance. The villagers, filled with awe and gratitude toward Nightmare, fully executed his requests. The hot spring area was cleared out and became Nightmare's exclusive place for quiet cultivation, with no one daring to approach or disturb him. Copies of ancient animal skin scrolls and bone books were respectfully delivered to the stone house.

During the day, Nightmare stayed in the hot spring, using the geothermal minerals and power to refine his Chaos Dao Foundation, while his internal system rapidly analyzed those ancient records. At night, he returned to the stone house to continue refining the resources within his space and attempted to dissect that strand of chaotic mental fragment.

Most of these ancient records were incomplete and vague, but when pieced together, they still outlined a hazy picture of the era before the Land of Absolute Spirit descended. They mentioned fragments like 'Catastrophe of the Heavens Tilting,' 'Collapse of the Laws,' and 'Withered Spiritual Veins,' and also mentioned some ancient cultivation systems, such as 'Qi Refiner,' 'Totem Warrior,' and 'Observer.' These were completely different from the crude Body Refining methods currently circulating, focusing more on the development of internal potential and the perception of heaven, earth, and nature, which had subtle similarities with Nightmare's Chaos Dao Foundation.

Records regarding the Cangwu Mountain Range and Shiquan Village itself were even scarcer, only mentioning that the village's ancestors had moved here to 'guard something,' and the Back Mountain Forbidden Land was strictly sealed, guarded by the village chief and the line of the Medicine Old Man for generations.

'Guarding something...' Nightmare's heart stirred. Combining the ancient fragment from the Medicine Old Man with the obscure fluctuations from the back mountain, he was almost certain that the secret hidden in Shiquan Village was related to that 'something,' and this was likely the root cause that attracted the prying of the mastermind behind the scenes.

Just as Nightmare was deeply researching, that cold, viper-like consciousness from the west end of the village appeared again.

This time, it was no longer just long-distance prying, but even bolder and more aggressive! That consciousness was like an invisible tentacle, cautiously bypassing some simple warning herbs set up by the Medicine Old Man, attempting to penetrate the walls of the stone house and directly probe Nightmare inside!

Nightmare was instantly alerted! His Chaos Dao Foundation spontaneously activated, shrouding himself in an introverted and profound aura. At the same time, his internal system simulated the fluctuations of the primal cube that analyzed all things, locking onto that invading consciousness in reverse!

Hum!

Two invisible forces collided briefly and silently in the void of the stone house!

Nightmare groaned, his body swaying slightly, and a sharp pain shot through his mind. The opponent's consciousness was as condensed as a steel needle, carrying a savage and fierce aura with extremely strong penetrating power. If not for his mysterious Chaos Dao Foundation and his timely interference with the fluctuations of the primal cube, he might have really had some of his secrets probed.

In the stone house at the west end of the village, Han Li, who was sitting cross-legged in the shadows, also suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of shock flashing through them. His consciousness had collided with a bottomless whirlpool of Chaos; not only did it fail to probe even a fraction, but it was also recoiled by an even weirder aura that seemed capable of analyzing the Origin of his power, making his Divine Soul feel a trace of discomfort.

'There really is something strange...' Han Li licked his somewhat dry lips. Far from fear, a trace of excitement and greed flashed in his eyes. 'This kind of power... it definitely shouldn't exist in the Land of Absolute Spirit! Is it an ancient treasure? Or... a Legacy from beyond the heavens?'

He slowly stood up, his thin figure like a drawn blade in the darkness. 'It seems I can't wait anymore.'

Inside the stone house, Nightmare's expression turned cold. Han Li's active provocation meant that the surface peace had been broken. This person's strength was unfathomable, at least comparable to a Golden Core Cultivator, and his methods were strange; he was a huge threat.

'I must improve my strength as soon as possible, at least to the level where I can deal with this person.' Nightmare made up his mind. He glanced at the remaining Rock Bear resources and the Wolf King's corpse in his space; these were not enough.

His gaze turned to the several Heaven And Earth Treasures mentioned in the ancient records that might still remain in this world, containing special elemental power, and... the Back Mountain Forbidden Land!

Risks and opportunities coexist.

The next day, Nightmare found the Medicine Old Man and got straight to the point: 'Old man, I need a few types of medicinal herbs. Perhaps they can only be found in the deep mountains or... some special areas.' He listed several names he had seen in ancient books that matched the characteristics of certain special plants in this world, including the 'Earth Heart Fire Lotus' and 'Nether Grass,' which had extremely harsh growth environments and were usually guarded by powerful Vicious Beasts.

The Medicine Old Man looked at the list, his face changing slightly: 'Little Friend Nightmare, these... most of them can only be traced in those forbidden areas deep in the Cangwu Mountain Range, and they are full of danger! Especially the Earth Heart Fire Lotus; it is said to only grow near lava caves, which are the nests of 'Flame Lizards'! The Nether Grass grows in extremely yin places and is often accompanied by strange entities!'

'I know.' Nightmare's tone was calm. 'It is precisely because they are rare that they will be of great use for my recovery. You only need to tell me the general direction.'

The Medicine Old Man looked at Nightmare's firm eyes and knew that persuasion was useless. He sighed, took out a slightly rough map of the Cangwu Mountain Range he had drawn himself, marked several dangerous areas on it, and explained in detail the possible dangers and characteristics of those areas.

'Little friend must be extremely careful! If things cannot be done, you must prioritize your own safety!' The Medicine Old Man solemnly urged.

'I understand.' Nightmare put away the map, his internal system having already recorded the information.

He did not set off immediately but returned to the hot spring area first. He needed to adjust his state to the best, and also, he wanted to scout a relatively 'safe' dangerous place first — the periphery of the Back Mountain Forbidden Land!

According to ancient records and the Medicine Old Man's obscure warnings, although the Back Mountain Forbidden Land was dangerous, its periphery occasionally produced special medicinal herbs catalyzed by the leakage of energy from the Forbidden Ground. Moreover, he wanted to personally feel the source of that ancient fluctuation.

That night, the moon was hidden and the stars were sparse.

Nightmare left the stone house silently, like a wisp of blue smoke, bypassing the patrolling team in the village, and sneaked toward the vast forest behind the village.

His Chaos Dao Foundation fully retracted his aura, his figure merging into the darkness, his internal system's perception pushed to the maximum, avoiding several areas where dangerous beasts might exist, and heading straight for a valley near the periphery of the Back Mountain Forbidden Land marked on the Medicine Old Man's map.

The closer he got to the back mountain, the more the 'inertia' in the air seemed to lighten, replaced by a heavy, ancient pressure. In his space, that ancient fragment obtained from the Medicine Old Man once again transmitted a faint warmth.

Suddenly, his internal system warned him!

A shadow as fast as lightning, carrying a fishy wind, pounced out from the dense forest on the side, aiming straight for his throat!

Nightmare was calm, his figure drifting backward like willow catkins, while his internal system invoked the Chaos Dao Foundation, and he pointed a finger out! A gray light flashed at his fingertip, containing the Dao Rhyme of Annihilation, accurately hitting the forehead of the shadow.

Puff!

The shadow fell softly, as if all its strength had been drained. It turned out to be a 'Shadow Cat,' not large in size but completely black with exposed fangs. This was a Vicious Beast known for its speed and stealth, obviously attracted by the special environment on the periphery of the Forbidden Ground.

Nightmare's internal system scanned the Shadow Cat's corpse and found no signs of being driven; it seemed to be a native creature.

He continued forward and soon arrived at the entrance to the valley. The valley was filled with faint mist, and the Spiritual Qi (or some kind of more active energy) seemed to be slightly richer than the outside world. Some strange plants grew in the valley, emitting a faint glow.

And just in the depths of the valley, his internal system clearly perceived the source of that ancient, vast, and desolate fluctuation that carried a sense of protection and sealing! It was as if something was sleeping in the depths of the mountain range.

At the same time, he also discovered one of his goals for this trip — a few 'Ghost Soul Moss' plants growing in rock crevices, their leaves swaying like ghost fires. This was an auxiliary material for refining medicine to nourish the Divine Soul, quite rare in this world.

However, just as he was preparing to pick the Ghost Soul Moss, his internal system suddenly shook!

An existence far more powerful than the Shadow Cat, filled with tyrannical and destructive aura, was waking up from the depths of the valley and had locked onto him!

A pair of huge eyes like lava lit up in the depths of the mist, staring fixedly at Nightmare with endless anger and greed!