Chapter 345

Chapter 345: A Familiar Sound

The dark mist within Ghostly Valley was not only thick but incredibly sticky, like ink. Had Lou Yun not already set the energy of heaven and earth circulating within his body, his entire frame would surely have been covered by this black fog.

Hearing Chang Xiang suddenly voice such words, Lou Yun’s heart stirred. He blurted out, "Evil weapons masters?"

Instantly, he understood. The feeling of familiarity he experienced when smelling the rotting stench emanating from the valley now made sense—because he had indeed smelled it before!

Back when Lou Yun was heading to the Ancient Weapon Academy, he had rescued his fiancée Xia Zhilan from the clutches of an evil weapons master. That evil weapons master was Tang Qianqiu, who later gathered numerous other evil weapons masters to attack the Ancient Weapon Academy, aiming to release the imprisoned Disaster Dou Beast (which was actually the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire). Lou Yun had clashed with Tang Qianqiu during that conflict and had distinctly smelled a putrid odor emanating from the sinister aura Tang Qianqiu released. Though Lou Yun ultimately failed to kill Tang Qianqiu, he had experienced firsthand the bizarre and dangerous nature of evil weapons masters.

Now, deep within Ghostly Valley under Chang Xiang’s reminder, the pieces clicked into place.

This Ghostly Valley was not some place occupied by malevolent spirits—it was occupied by evil weapons masters! The incredibly dense sinister aura here was perfect for them to cultivate their evil weapons.

This realization brought a renewed surge of confidence to the smile on Lou Yun’s face. While others might fear this sinister aura, he had no fear whatsoever. Moreover, he possessed an ability specifically suited to counter it!

Heavenly Fire!

Back then, Tang Qianqiu had released layer upon layer of sinister aura from his evil weapon, enveloping Lou Yun, only for it to be dispelled by Lou Yun’s Heavenly Fire.

Of course, Lou Yun wasn’t foolish enough to try using his Heavenly Fire to purge all the sinister aura within Ghostly Valley. The sheer quantity here was immense. Likely, he’d collapse from exhaustion of the heaven and earth energy long before he could dispel even one percent of it!

For safety’s sake, Lou Yun retrieved his ice crystal jade weapon and placed it in his mouth. A wave of coolness immediately spread from his tongue to his mind, refreshing his spirit. Only then did he proceed cautiously deeper into the valley.

Lou Yun initially considered releasing a bit of Heavenly Fire to clear the sinister aura around his body. But then reconsidered: while he could disperse the aura, a sudden flare of light in this place saturated with darkness would immediately reveal his position, making him an easy target. It was better to proceed in total darkness.

Though evil weapons masters living here year-round might not be hindered by this aura, reducing even a fraction of risk was prudent.

As he walked, Lou Yun pushed all his innate senses to their absolute limit, carefully probing everything around him.

Soon, he noticed a phenomenon that made his brows furrow, halting his steps.

He discovered that despite the valley being choked with this nauseating sinister aura, his body was autonomously absorbing it.

The instant he detected this, Lou Yun tried to force his body to stop absorbing. But it was too late; a significant amount of dark, sinister energy had already entered his system, swirling within him alongside his other heaven and earth energies in its continuous cycle.

The terrifying nature of the sinister aura worried Lou Yun immensely. What if these absorbed energies harmed his body?

However, he soon noticed something else. As the black sinister aura cycled incessantly within him, it became increasingly diluted, the darkness receding until no trace of it remained.

It was as if his body was a natural filter, gradually purifying the sinister aura until it became pure heaven and earth energy.

With careful thought, Lou Yun understood the principle. Heaven and earth energy encompasses all things and exists everywhere. Just as heaven and earth have yin and yang, as people are male and female, the spiritual energy—and its counterpart, the sinister aura—were both aspects of heaven and earth energy. Therefore, his body naturally absorbed them. Furthermore, his body seemed instinctively aware that this particular form of energy might harm him, actively purifying it!

While this unexpected discovery initially caused Lou Yun great confusion, it also sparked an ingenious idea!

Lou Yun closed his eyes. His body actively began drawing in the surrounding sinful aura. Just as it was about to enter his system, he abruptly halted the absorption. Instead, he emitted an incredibly fine thread of power from within himself, clinging to the aura just outside his skin.

Using this method, Lou Yun completely integrated his own presence with the aura. From a distance, it now appeared as if Lou Yun was cloaked entirely in the aura—a human-shaped mass of sinister mist!

Now, even if an evil weapons master brushed right past him, unless they looked very carefully, they would never spot Lou Yun!

Of course, this ability was only possible after mastering the absorption of heaven and earth energy.

Thus, the very aura advantageous to the evil weapons masters became Lou Yun’s protective cover!

Feeling more secure with this disguise, Lou Yun no longer felt obliged to tread as cautiously as before. He quickened his pace, even subtly applying his movement technique to swiftly advance deeper into Ghostly Valley.

As he moved, Lou Yun’s mind also raced. Why exactly had Zhuge Mou dispatched him here? Presumably to rescue someone. But he couldn’t fathom why members of TianJiao would voluntarily provoke evil weapons masters by coming to Ghostly Valley.

While TianJiao members, including Lou Yun himself, possessed powerful force, they were ultimately mercenaries. Acting required payment. Rarely, some might intervene upon seeing injustice, but taking on a group of evil weapons masters—a task meant to sweep evil from Spirit Weapon Star itself—wasn’t something anyone would do without immense incentive.

The possibility that someone had hired TianJiao to eliminate the evil weapons masters wasn’t impossible. But the price would be astronomically high, likely beyond any ordinary person’s means!

Bearing this doubt, Lou Yun gradually penetrated deeper into Ghostly Valley. The longer he remained immersed in the sinister aura, the keener his innate senses became. Initially, he could barely make out shapes three meters away through the fog; now, his vision stretched to over ten meters. Furthermore, his spirit sense was reactivating, tentatively probing deeper terrain.

His new ability, Spirit Vision, however, remained unusable. Lou Yun understood why: the sinister aura seemed capable of devouring sound, explaining why the entire Ghostly Valley was unnaturally silent.

Lacking Spirit Vision was frustrating, but Lou Yun was still deeply satisfied with the effectiveness of his innate senses and spirit sense. Anyone else entering here would see nothing, completely blind.

After walking steadily for nearly another hour, Lou Yun’s improved senses finally detected a structure roughly ten meters ahead: presumably the dwelling and training ground of the evil weapons masters.

Lou Yun slowed his pace once more, moving with utmost silence toward the building until his hands touched the ice-cold, slightly sticky stone walls.

The texture felt disturbingly like the skin of snakes or frogs, causing significant discomfort. Yet, to gain any understanding of the building’s interior, he steeled himself and pressed an ear tightly against the wall.

Sure enough, his theory about the aura devouring sound held. Through the stone, distinct voices emerged from inside.

Lifting his ear from the wall, Lou Yun could hear nothing at all, even with his exceptionally sharp hearing.

Two individuals were speaking. Hearing the voice of one of them, Lou Yun’s eyebrows shot up. The voice was unmistakably familiar—it belonged to Tang Qianqiu, the man he’d fought before!

With sound now perceptible, a mental image began forming in Lou Yun’s mind.

The building surprisingly stood two stories tall, somewhat resembling Huangfu Xuanlan’s residence. Presently, two figures stood just outside a room. Though their features were indistinct, Lou Yun, recognizing Tang Qianqiu’s voice, identified him as the man facing the doorway. The other man stood with his back to the door.

Beyond the door lay a flight of stone steps descending and turning a corner. Past this bend, the mental picture blurred—no sound came from within, depriving him of further details.

Tang Qianqiu, facing the doorway, asked the other man, "Have you managed to pry anything out of them?"

"Reporting to Senior Brother, they are incredibly tight-lipped. Regardless of our methods, they refuse to speak. Moreover, our sinister aura seems ineffective; invading their bodies didn’t influence them at all."

"Humph!" Tang Qianqiu gave a cold laugh. "Anyone daring to come here naturally has some real skill. If the aura fails, try other means. I refuse to believe they are made of iron. You and the other junior brothers redouble your efforts. Try to extract some information before Master leaves seclusion!"

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

Tang Qianqiu acknowledged lightly, then turned and walked away.

Lou Yun "observed" this mental scene, absorbing their conversation with profound shock. The other person addressed Tang Qianqiu as "First Disciple," and Tang Qianqiu mentioned "before Master leaves seclusion." This meant someone even more formidable than Tang Qianqiu led these evil weapons masters!

"They," the prisoners Tang Qianqiu inquired about, were almost certainly TianJiao members. Based on the partially visible room layout, Lou Yun also deduced it likely led to an underground holding area—probably where the TianJiao captives were imprisoned.

Gradually, fragments of understanding began forming in Lou Yun’s mind.