The air within the valley was thick with an ancient, heavy mist that seemed to cling to the skin like damp silk. As Lin Chen and the group pushed forward, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.
They were constantly harassed by waves of creatures that seemed to materialize out of the grey haze. Some were at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, while others had reached the precarious threshold of the Fake Pill stage.
However, they were no match for the combined power of the group. Lin Chen moved with silent, mechanical efficiency, his blade flashing like a streak of cold moonlight as he cut down the beasts, while the Golden Core realm disciples unleashed their powerful techniques, sending ripples of fire and wind through the air to clear the path.
Despite the slaughter of the beasts, Lin Chen could feel a different kind of threat lurking much closer than the monsters. The killing intent emanating from Wei Kun was like a physical weight pressing against his spine. As they drew deeper into the heart of the valley, that malice grew sharper, no longer hidden behind the thin mask of sect brotherhood.
"It seems I will have to deal with him soon to avoid future troubles," Lin Chen thought to himself. He stood over the carcass of a Foundation-peak creature he had just slain, his expression a mask of indifference. He knew Wei Kun was watching his every move, waiting for a single moment of weakness.
Wei Kun's eyes were indeed fixed on him, burning with a cold, calculating light. He purposefully stayed toward the rear of the vanguard, hoping that the swarming beasts would eventually overwhelm the youth.
"Just a little more," Wei Kun muttered under his breath, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white. "If I act and tear you apart in this chaos, Even if Yan Jue asked, I can shift the blame to this creatures."
As the group ventured deeper into the valley, the environment underwent a terrifying shift. The creatures they encountered now were no longer at the Foundation stage; they were true Golden Core realm entities.
However, these were not ordinary creatures. Due to the special spiritual nature of this valley, these creatures possessed a terrifying physical vitality and a bone-crushing density. The strength they could exert was significantly higher than a normal Golden Core cultivator of the same rank, their roars shaking the very foundations of the valley walls.
"Stay together! Maintain the formation!" one of the senior disciples shouted, his voice cracking under the strain of parrying a massive, clawed limb.
The fight became a brutal struggle of attrition. The Golden Core creatures roared, their strikes rending through spiritual shields like they were made of paper. As the battle intensified, the cost of the advance became clear: many disciples began to fall. The ground, already dark with the blood of beasts, was now stained with the lifeblood of those who had been too slow to defend themselves.
Yet, in the chaos of clashing steel and the blinding flashes of spiritual techniques, no one noticed that the corpses of the fallen disciples were vanishing from the battlefield at an alarming rate.
Lin Chen moved through the shadows of the combat like a ghost, his eyes scanning the periphery. He noticed three disciples had just been struck down by a creature's tail near a cluster of jagged rocks. Seeing that everyone's focus was on the dead creature, he moved with unimaginable speed.
"Lin Chen! Where are you going?" a nearby disciple Shouted.
"Burying the dead," Lin Chen replied tonelessly, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. He did not wait for a response. He gathered the three fallen bodies, throwing them over his shoulders, and moved with incredible agility to a remote, jagged rock formation shielded by a dense, swirling pocket of mist.