Chapter 68 – Recognized at the Gathering, All Enter the Demon Valley
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
The seven quickly followed behind.
The man who was struck hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t dare to speak up.
He knew full well he deserved that slap from Yu Xian. Complaining would do nothing—his master wouldn’t punish Yu Xian for that.
Worse yet, if he tattled, Yu Xian would remember it. At best, he’d be beaten again. At worst, he might not survive the next encounter…
Yu Xian paused briefly where he stood, then also stepped forward to follow.
He had no choice but to enter the Heavenly Demon Valley. If he refused, death would come immediately.
He understood the situation very clearly.
So his only real chance… lay within the Demon Valley.
As for making it out alive?
Heh. Either crippled or dead—that was all anyone could expect.
Death stood before him, yet Yu Xian remained eerily calm.
He had faced death far too many times before.
At ten years old, he’d ventured alone into the deep mountains with only a cleaver and hunting tools. Every trip had been a dance with death.
Following Gu Hanfeng along the path ahead, Yu Xian was surprised to learn that the so-called Heavenly Demon Valley wasn’t some location outside of the Medicine King Valley.
On the contrary—it was right at the heart of the sect!
It lay in the central basin of the Medicine King Valley itself.
There, densely packed hills, layers of ridges, and lush growths of medicinal herbs filled the land.
Three massive spirit springs gushed ceaselessly, nourishing the valley with spiritual energy.
As they continued, Yu Xian spotted other Golden Core cultivators, each leading eight late-stage Qi Condensation disciples.
Once they passed through the dense forest, the land ahead opened up.
Eight Golden Core cultivators and their disciples gathered in unison.
The Medicine King Valley had a total of eight Golden Core elders!
Among them were Gu Hanfeng and the elder surnamed Lü.
Also present was a woman Yu Xian had glimpsed once on Ascension Island—Hong Shao, a peak Golden Core powerhouse.
Ahead stood a massive mountain.
Due to the basin’s structure, it looked like it barely rose above the ground, level with the earth.
But in reality, the mountain towered nearly a thousand meters high!
The three spirit springs that nourished the valley emerged from this mountain.
This was the Spirit Mountain, the very foundation of the Medicine King Valley.
If it were destroyed—if those springs were lost—the entire sect would collapse.
Soon, the eight elders convened.
Hong Shao quickly spotted Yu Xian among the crowd, a flicker of surprise flashing in her eyes.
She remembered him well.
Why?
Because during the Ascension Conference seven months prior, he alone survived.
All disciples from the other six sects had perished.
A lone survivor—how could anyone forget that?
But wasn’t he a disciple of Zhuoyun Sect?
What was he doing here today?
After all, the Medicine King Valley’s annual Heavenly Demon Valley expedition was a highly secretive internal affair.
Why would this Zhuoyun disciple be here?
Hong Shao, a high-ranking elder and the second-in-command of the sect, frowned and asked,
“Han Feng, what’s going on? Why is he here?”
Gu Hanfeng froze slightly, a flicker of caution in his eyes—but he smiled.
“Oh? Senior Sister knows him?”
“Met him once,” Hong Shao replied coolly. “A boy blessed with freakish luck. Wasn’t he from the Zhuoyun Sect? Why is he here now?”
Gu Hanfeng chuckled lightly.
“Well, here’s what happened: about a month ago during our Foundation Establishment Alchemy Conference, we invited many rogue alchemists from across the Eastern Continent. Unfortunately, he and his master caused a bit of trouble… So I ordered him to make amends. Brother Lü is aware.”
“Oh?”
Hong Shao narrowed her eyes and looked at Yu Xian.
“You injured someone and disrupted the event. Is this true?”
Yu Xian stood silently, pondering how best to answer.
Gu Hanfeng smirked with a cryptic expression.
Lü Dan, the mid-Golden Core elder, looked cold and indifferent.
If Yu Xian cried out for justice, Hong Shao might let him go…
But would Gu Hanfeng and Lü Dan truly let him walk away?
They could easily chase him down and crush him like an ant.
So the odds… were basically zero.
Thus, Yu Xian slightly nodded and replied,
“Senior, yes. My master and I made mistakes, and I accept the consequences.
I only wish to ask: if I truly survive the Heavenly Demon Valley…
May I return peacefully to the Zhuoyun Sect?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Gu Hanfeng’s expression turned cold.
A flicker of murderous light appeared in his eyes, though his smile grew wider.
Lü Dan scoffed,
“You, a mere ant, dare to worry about that?
In our Medicine King Valley, rules are clear:
If you return from the Demon Valley with a fifth- or sixth-grade spirit herb, your crimes are forgiven.
You may return.”
Hong Shao thought briefly, then nodded.
“You caused harm and disrupted our event—atonement is fair.
But if you bring back a fifth-grade herb, we’ll let it go.
However, you may never speak of this to anyone.
If you do—you die.”
Yu Xian bowed.
“I swear to remain silent, Senior.”
“That’s enough. No need to linger on this matter.”
A man in a green robe stepped forward, his voice calm.
“I believe we’ve all explained the dangers to our disciples.
They came willingly.
If they succeed, we will help them establish their Foundation.
No more words are needed. Hong Shao—open the seal.”
“Very well,” Hong Shao replied.
She waved her hand.
A crimson light shot into the mountain.
The entire mountain began to tremble!
Yu Xian’s eyes narrowed as he looked up.
If even these Golden Core elders approached with such care, this Heavenly Demon Valley had to be unimaginably dangerous.
He’d clearly underestimated it.
With a loud crack, the mountain split open, revealing its interior.
Inside was a massive dark-colored teleportation array, five meters wide.
Beside it sat a spirit spring, its energy sustaining the array at all times.
To power such a massive formation, just how far did it teleport?
No one could fathom it.
“Go now!” the green-robed man ordered.
“Cultivation is about risking everything!
Anyone who brings back a single spirit herb—I will ensure their Foundation Establishment!”
The disciples’ eyes lit up.
Many were older cultivators nearing the end of their Qi Condensation years.
Unable to advance, they were gambling everything.
Only Gu Hanfeng’s group were young prodigies.
Normally, they would never be risked like this.
But since Gu Hanfeng had found and raised them himself, no one could object.
The others began entering the array.
Yu Xian, of course, followed without hesitation.
He stepped into the terrifying black formation with everyone else.
Light flashed—sixty-four people vanished.
The Golden Core elders remained behind, silent but watchful.
As long as even one spirit herb returned—it would be a massive gain.
Fifth- and sixth-grade herbs were extremely rare, often guarded by Nascent Soul cultivators or buried in deadly zones.
But here, in the Demon Valley, they could be obtained by sacrificing mere Qi Condensation disciples.
That’s why the Medicine King Valley had flourished.
They had once paid dearly to understand this valley—losing multiple Golden Core cultivators and even one Nascent Soul’s physical body.
The truth?
The valley wasn’t sealed or suppressed by the sect.
It was their secret gold mine.
So what better tools to throw in than expendable low-level cultivators?
Survival of the fittest.
The weak are meat.
The strong feast.
Light burst. The world flipped.
The dizziness of teleportation was unbearable.
Yu Xian had used teleportation before, but this was like being spun in a vortex, his brain nearly bursting.
He clenched his teeth, relying on his Great Cauldron Body Refining Technique to withstand it.
Time passed—far longer than any previous teleportation.
Two full incense sticks’ worth—then it abruptly stopped.
“Ugh!”
Even with his powerful physique, Yu Xian nearly vomited, pale-faced and shaky.
The world was different now.
The sky was dim and gray, lit only by faint red clouds.
The land was dark, the vegetation dull in color—but thriving.
Mountains loomed in the distance, the air filled with a strange demonic energy—not converted from spiritual energy, but born from the land itself.
This… was the Heavenly Demon Valley.
Yu Xian stood still for several breaths, stabilizing himself.
Just as he was about to step off the array, he paused.
He looked around.
All 64 others—men, women, old, young—were unconscious.
That kind of teleportation would leave them senseless for at least an hour.
Only he remained standing, thanks to his body refinement.
At that moment, killing intent surged in Yu Xian’s eyes.
He didn’t intend to leave this place.
If he returned—he would be silenced.
Hong Shao’s words were gentle, but anyone with a brain knew the truth.
So if he was going to die here—then no one else should profit either.
If they brought back spirit herbs, the Medicine King Valley would gain.
But if he died—how could he allow them to benefit?
Clang!
The Jade Spirit Sword flew out, trembling with murderous aura.
In an instant, it split into ten glowing blades, blasting outward like thunder!
