Stone Pagoda Forest

On July 8th, Chen Fengyun had been in Hangzhou for about ten days. His parents had already called him several times to inquire about his situation, and he decided to return to Rong City the next day. Therefore, today was the day he would confront the evil presence in the valley behind Jinshan Temple.

Chen Fengyun had not informed many people—only his Thirteenth Uncle accompanied him to the entrance of the valley. Over the past days, the two had become true friends despite the difference in their ages, so much so that even Chu Wangshu had been temporarily sent off on other errands by Thirteenth Uncle.

Every day, it was Chen Fengyun who cooked their meals. The vegetables and fruits he used all came from his miniature paradise; though the dishes were simple, their flavors surpassed anything a chef could hope to achieve.

Especially the watermelons grown in the miniature paradise—Thirteenth Uncle was absolutely taken with them, eating two or three a day. Not only did they relieve the summer heat, but they were also greatly beneficial for his health.

Meanwhile, Chen Fengyun noticed that apart from the quickly maturing vegetables and fruits like watermelons, the ordinary medicinal herbs and fruit trees he had planted earlier were all thriving, appearing as though they had grown for nearly half a year.

As for the dozen or so spiritual seeds that most concerned Chen Fengyun, they did not disappoint him either. Although they did not grow as quickly as ordinary plants, their stalks radiated spiritual energy—they had already become genuine spiritual herbs.

“Fengyun, you must be very careful. If you can’t deal with it now, you can always wait until later. I believe you’ll grow stronger in the future, and then handling it should be no problem.”

After escorting Chen Fengyun to the edge of the valley, Thirteenth Uncle dared not go any further—his body could not withstand the evil aura inside, which was now even stronger than it had been decades ago.

“Don’t worry, Thirteenth Uncle. I’ll be careful. Also, I want to set up a formation at the entrance of the valley to stop the evil aura from leaking out and harming the people around West Lake.”

Over the past few days, Chen Fengyun had crafted several formation flags. With his seventh-rank mortal-level array master skills, and as a Qi Vein Master, he could now use the earth’s energy to set up formidable arrays without the need for spiritual energy.

“That’s excellent. With a defensive formation, even if we can’t deal with the evil presence for now, I won’t have to be anxious all the time,” Thirteenth Uncle sighed. He had chosen to live in seclusion here all these years precisely to prevent the evil aura from the valley from spreading. If that day ever came, he would have no choice but to sacrifice his life in a desperate battle against the evil within.

When Chen Fengyun learned of Thirteenth Uncle’s intentions, his respect for the old man grew even deeper. This was one reason he was determined to confront the evil presence—if he could eliminate it, Thirteenth Uncle would no longer need to watch over this place.

Chen Fengyun took out over a dozen formation flags, placing them around the valley entrance. He then connected with the earth’s energy, instantly creating an invisible field at the mouth of the valley, barring outsiders from entering.

Thirteenth Uncle stood outside, able to clearly see the entrance to the valley, yet unable to enter himself—the formation at the entrance barred his way.

After nodding to Thirteenth Uncle, Chen Fengyun stepped into the valley. The moment he entered, he was met by a chilling wind. Wisps of mist drifted about, swirling through the valley.

Undeterred, Chen Fengyun pressed on, soon losing sight of the entrance behind him, now shrouded in dense fog.

Before long, he came upon a field of ruins—collapsed buildings, crumbling stone towers, broken steles, and scattered white bones.

The deeper he ventured into the valley, the colder it grew, and the fog thickened. It was as if something unclean lurked within the mist, setting every nerve on edge.

Were he an ordinary person, even the cold alone would have been unbearable. But Chen Fengyun’s constitution allowed him to endure it; he did not need to use spiritual energy or activate his Golden Bell Shield.

Moreover, he soon realized that his ability to sense and manipulate the earth’s energy was severely impaired within the valley—he could no longer draw upon it as easily as outside.

A low moaning suddenly rose around him, half wind, half the sound of weeping. The cold intensified, and the ruins grew more numerous.

Just as Chen Fengyun tensed, a shadow flitted across the path ahead. When he focused, it was gone, yet he could sense clusters of cold energy swirling in the mist.

In his spiritual perception, he could detect a spot ahead where the cold was particularly concentrated—likely the very source of the evil aura.

As he pressed on, the temperature plummeted further. More and more clusters of cold air gathered around him, drifting in haunting circles.

Suddenly, when he stepped into a forest of toppled stone towers, the cold air surged, pouncing upon him from every side.

In an instant, countless clusters of cold air struck him, drilling directly into his mind. His consciousness wavered, and he found himself inside a cave, surrounded by a dozen stunning women, all naked, casting flirtatious glances at him, tugging at his clothes, seducing him.

The scene was enough to send anyone’s blood racing. Any ordinary man would be utterly lost in such an illusion, with so many beauties at his beck and call.

But Chen Fengyun understood at once—this was a hallucination conjured by the evil aura. He gave a cold snort, instantly activated his Golden Bell Shield, and swept his spirit like a storm through his mind, shattering the illusion in a moment.

He then discovered the clusters of cold air were darting around inside his body, seemingly trying to escape. But he quietly circulated his spiritual energy and quickly burned them away.

“This is merely ordinary evil aura, nothing like the malevolent energy that once invaded Thirteenth Uncle. There’s no special power to it.”

At first, Chen Fengyun thought he might be able to refine these cold energies for attribute points, but when nothing was gained, he realized this was not the true source of the evil.

“No matter how deeply you hide, I will find you,” Chen Fengyun muttered, activating his Golden Bell Shield once more and heading toward the place where the cold was most intense. As expected, the further he went, the denser the chilling air became.