The Blade-Wielding Legend

The cold wind, mixed with fine snowflakes, lashed at everyone's faces.

Under the insistence of Li Yan and others, Ma The Seventh finally relented.

His face was ashen, his eyes complex, but he still led everyone to the Holy Land.

After all, no sect can afford the stigma of being a traitor.

The group left the military camp, braving the piercing cold, following this restless Out-of-Horse Disciple into the deeper, more uninhabited hinterlands of Changbai Mountain.

The journey was perilous, with snow as deep as their waists. The jagged rocks were covered in ice and snow, and a single misstep could send one tumbling into an abyss.

The fierce wind howled through the valleys, like countless grieving souls.

They traveled for an entire day, reaching a hidden valley surrounded by massive glaciers only when dusk was falling.

In the center of the valley floor, a massive black fissure tore through the frozen ground savagely.

It was like a wound on the mountain, its depth immeasurable.

The scene at the edges of the fissure was shocking.

Layer upon layer of incense and candle wax piled like a mountain, the congealed wax mixed with ashes and frozen soil, forming an eerie, ancient sediment.

Countless red ribbons, varying in age and fade, were densely wrapped around the protruding rocks and several ancient, weathered stone sculptures at the fissure's edge.

These stone sculptures were roughly hewn and primitive, vaguely discernible as human or animal shapes, exuding a Barbaric shamanic aura.

The air was filled with a mix of aged incense, icy snow, and an earthy chill from deep underground.

Ma The Seventh stood about ten steps away from the fissure and dared not go closer.

Pointing to the bottomless darkness, his voice carried awe and a barely detectable tremor: "We're here... 'Tongyou Gorge'."

He took a deep breath, as if drawing courage, "From the ancient Su Shen ancestors to the subsequent Mohe and Jurchen Shaman, all regarded this as a Holy Land for communing with the Ancestral Spirit and the Mountain God. Legends say it is the passage connecting the realms of Yin and Yang..."

"Later, the ancestors of our Five Immortals Hall discovered this place, using tremendous Mana to stabilize the passage, making it one of the foundations of our main altar, known as the entrance to the 'Juxian Hall'... For hundreds of years, only disciples guided by the Immortals can safely enter and exit. Trespassers..." He paused, his voice lowering further.

"Never return alive!"

Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan exchanged a grave look.

There was no need for more words; the strange accumulation of incense remnants before them, this bottomless fissure exuding a sinister aura, combined with the visions Li Yan had "seen" on the summit, made the answer evident.

This was no ordinary mountain crevice, but a stable fissure long linking the Daluo Law Realm and the Human World!

"It seems this is the place," Li Yan said solemnly, his hand already on his knife handle.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Such heavy yin energy... Although concealed by incense, it cannot be obscured."

Sha Lifei spat a glob of saliva, which instantly froze into ice pellets in the cold wind: "Damn it, no matter what hall or sect, today I'm going down to meet those traitorous bastards!"

Just as the group prepared to approach the edge of the fissure to carefully investigate the entrance, an unexpected change occurred.

A massive number of foxes quietly appeared from the surrounding hills, snowdrifts, and behind rocks.

Not dozens, but hundreds or thousands!

Their fur varied in color: white as the fresh snow on the ground, red like solidified flames, and gray blending with the rocks.

These foxes did not hiss or growl like ordinary wild beasts. They simply sat silently, their narrow eyes shimmering with a ghostly light in the wind and snow.

Their gaze held no animal savagery, only a chillingly human-like cold scrutiny that made one's spine tingle.

They densely occupied every visible high point, forming a silent and oppressive encirclement. The wind and snow swept over their fluffy fur, yet bizarrely, it made not a sound.

Only the whimpering of the wind over the rocks accentuated how terrifyingly still this world was.

Then, several figures gradually emerged from among the foxes.

They wore ancient shamanic robes sewn from animal skins and coarse cloth, adorned with symbols of the sun, moon, stars, birds, and beasts painted with mineral pigments, their colors faded but exuding a sense of desolate power.

Leading them were three elders with white whiskers and hair, faces etched with wrinkles like knife carvings, their cloudy eyes filled with the weight of years and a nearly stubborn authority.

One of the elders, particularly tall and with prominent cheekbones, had the most fierce and ruthless gaze, like a hawk locking onto its prey.

"Desecrators of the Holy Land, die!" the tall elder spoke first, his voice hoarse.

His withered finger pointed at Li Yan and the others, his fingertip seemingly condensing with cold intent.

Li Yan stepped forward, clasping his fist in salute: "Honored elders, we did not mean to desecrate the Holy Land. We are here to track demons that have brought chaos to the border and colluded with Japan. We suspect that your sacred 'Juxian Hall' may have been tainted by Evil Spirits. We come to verify this, to clear the source, and to protect the peace of the region!"

"Insolent!"

The tall elder interrupted sharply, his eyes flashing with even greater ferocity, "The Juxian Hall is the sacred site of our Immortal clan, where the Divine resides. How dare you mortals slander and defile it! Leave at once, or else, do not blame the Mountain Spirits for being merciless!"

The foxes behind him seemed to sense his anger. Though still silent, their gaze grew colder, subtly revealing an intent to attack.

"Sir, the situation is urgent, and not mere words!"

Wang Daoxuan also stepped forward, speaking loudly, "The evil energy soars to the sky, yin soldiers traverse, and even the Changbai Mountain Spirit is terrified and in hiding. We have seen and felt this ourselves! Inside your sacred land..."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!